RE: Never Settle! Manifest Challenge # 21
It's an interesting statement, never settle, one that we hear time and time again.
It always sounds good but, for me, I've found that in most cases it isn't practical. After all, we are settling for a reason, it's a weighted decision that seems to always come back to the fact that we do not know the future and thus must take it into account. It's probably different for everyone, but for me at least, it always comes back to this.
If we all knew exactly when we were going to die I'd bet the world would look very different because everyone's choices would be different.But we don't. I think we all want to live lives where we never settle, but the fact of the matter is that the decisions we make are made from a position where the future is uncertain and we may have to live in that future.
I know I'm sacrificing a lot in life right now in hopes that it's going to pay off in the future. If I found out tomorrow that I was going to be dead in 3 months, my life would change real quick. So, while I love the idea, I've found that I do sometimes have to settle. Not because I want to or because I'm afraid to live, but because I'm working towards a time when I hopefully won't have to.
It could just be my hangup though :)
By the way, binkyprod had some beautiful things to say about you in my "Share the Love" post, you might enjoy.
See, from my point of view, you are not settling. You have a goal and you are not settling for less than working toward your goal.
Oh, wow, ok, I have to go check this out! Thanks!
When you put it that way it definitely sounds better :)
I think that it's more about how it feels. Which makes me think that maybe I need to better define the distinction of sacrifice and settling.
Seems that settling is more entwined with letting go of a dream where sacrificing is more in line with the pursuit of it.
You make a good point. It's all about perspective.
In my reality, settling is just settling in where you are at right now, even knowing there is something better. Kinda like not getting up from the couch to answer the door. It may be Publishers Clearing House, or it could be a neighbor wanting to borrow your truck for moving. You are too comfortable on the couch and too lazy to get up and do a tiny bit of work to walk to the door.
Sacrificing is giving up something for something better. You are working toward something- not growing fat on the couch ;)
What you're saying resonates completely, it's the quotes like the one from Steve Jobs above that get me.
For me, the answer most days is no. Which the quote would then imply that I'm settling and not living the life I should be. To which I can say, no Steve you don't understand, I'm sacrificing so that I can get to a life where that's possible. Then I'm back to the cycle I mentioned above where settling seems to occur because of the need to balance living in the present and trying to create a life that you can enjoy in the future.
But I'm still having to give up living today in a way that I truly want to. Which then begs the question, can life be lived everyday without settling while still accounting for the fact that we have to take care of our future selves?
It's definitely a great topic that's easy to go back and forth on.
Yes, that it is!