subway surfers in sf
"and if you drown, at least die knowing you were headed for the shore." ~ Fahrenheit 451
I got a fridge magnet that says, “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?”. It sounded so motivating and inspiring in the moment so, I kept it on my desk and started staring at it, looking for the right answer. I could not think of anything that I was not doing already because everything thing I do has been my choice alone. Things are really simple for me that way - i don’t have anyone to blame for my actions, and no one is holding me back from what I really want to do. I am not implying that I am privileged. Freedom of your thoughts and actions is not a privilege, It’s a choice you make for yourself. With that being said, I believe that the question, “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail” is faulty in itself. The real question one should ask oneself should be, “What would you still do if you knew you could fail?” Holding ourselves back just because there is a possibility of things not working out is not the most fun mindset to have. Especially not when the world is moving so fast. Failing quickly and constantly is such a powerful thing to do. It gives you the ability to try things out and move on if it doesn’t work out. A good example of that can be relationships. You go out with someone and it doesn’t work out. That breakup, aka failure in sustaining a relationship, teaches you to do things differently the next time and make the right choices - choices that aren’t just healthy for you but for those around you.
In San Francisco, I met the people I have considered idols all my life. Thanks to social media, we make idols out of a shit ton of people. Every word spoken (tweeted) by them is like a verse from the Bible and worth changing your life for. I was in a room filled with 800 of such people. Investors, founders, CEOs, developers, and whatnot - billions of dollars walking around the room. After sharing a couple of slices of pizza, talking about everything capitalism and looking them in their eyes, I realised how human they are. Not superstars, not idols. Just plain and simple human beings who chose to take risks in life and weren’t afraid of failure. It’s undeniably useful to be inspired by someone else’s work but making gods out of other human beings will only force you to change yourself for the worse. This realisation made me feel extremely free. Free from the rush mindset, and free from the clock that’s always ticking at the back of my head. Understanding the importance of originality was the most important lesson I could have learned before the age of 20.
Anywho, I am back at university for one more semester and I can’t wait to see how crazy it is going to be. I will be chasing experiences, not GPA. Saying Yes to a lot of things but not everything. Thinking long term but not ignoring the short term. Taking bold risks and failing embarrassingly a lot.
see u