The Principle of Most Chaos
Treading new ground is never easy, neither is accepting the bitter struggle that you face with your ego when you accept more losses than you can take. We all have a baseline of success that we’re comfortable with, and it is this baseline that is doing us more harm than good.
The ‘baseline’ is what leads us to work the good enough job, to be the hobbyist and never the professional and to just reach a sufficient level of proficiency in all facets of life to no longer hear the internal cries begging for better performance. It is easier to behave this way because the transition from hobbyist to pro in any area requires large amounts of struggle with very little reward at times. It takes months to break plateaus, and an almost supernatural level of humility to see your skill for what it really is. If we’re honest to ourselves, we’ll realize that sometimes we inflate the proficiency we already have, and fail to look at the deficiencies that are holding us back from greatness. Think about something you think you’re good at, whether it be a sport, a musical instrument, or some sort of technical prowess. Imagine if a professional in that same craft were to see your skill. Would they see your self-proclaimed skill, or would they see the hidden flaws that are holding you back?
Criticism is the most difficult thing to accept. In a world where you’re told that you are special and inherently unique, it isn’t fun to be told you’re not. Even for the emotionally mature, harsh feedback still has it’s sting. As hard as it is, it would do us some good to have a mentor of some sorts to correct the faults that we would never see. Oftentimes though, access to a mentor is not possible. There is not always a local coach, expert, or virtuoso to show you how to excel to greater heights. You might even be the best at your craft where you live, leaving you with no benchmark for comparison except yourself.
In this case, the only remedy you may have is to pinpoint those faults which you can see. Although you may not be able to see them all, if you are able to remove your comfort with your current state your mind may be cleared enough to see where you are lacking. Sometimes we need to admit that we’re lacking to see where we’re lacking. Otherwise we’ll be left in a complacency that is the hallmark of the perpetually mediocre.
Systemic perfection is never possible. In fact, systemic perfection can be your downfall. By never willing to accept a drop in performance, you’ll never experience the heights that you could reach. Don’t be realistic until you’re forced to. Don’t give up on being pro until it’s almost certain that you won’t be. To not give the effort, the true effort, to become a master is not realism, but escapism. It is altogether clear that now more than ever there are more opportunities for mastery, but also seemingly endless manner of diversion. You risk being lost in the story of the multitude and losing your own.
You must act like a market, and expect your life to behave so. Prepare yourself for the natural fluctuations that will arise and cause you temporary pain. Remember though, they are just fluctuations. They will not last forever. The most terrifying prospect is the straight line. The path of stagnation is the surest road to nihilism. Bring the chaos before this can occur.
