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I’ve been thinking recently, about the path my own development has taken. I’ve looked at the improbable chain of events that has led me from here to there to the other place, to here. Each one was different, and each was necessary in its time, but each one is nothing compared to where I am now. I am equally sure that where I am now is nothing compared to where I will be in the future.
Escape velocity
It’s really hard to overcome the force of gravity. True, it’s the weakest of forces, but it takes massive amounts of energy for us to overcome the gravitational pull of the planet. You can pile up a whole bunch of thrust in the form of a rocket and proceed straight up, or you can try a different approach.
Spaceship One, the winner of the Ansari X-Prize, was a spaceplane, an aerodynamic vehicle designed to get to orbit and back. It didn’t do it alone, however, it got it’s initial boost (about 14km above ground) on the back of another plane. However, Spaceship One was on its own after that. It got to space, and then came back down. If you can’t blast your way to where you want to go, then try a more gradual approach.
Existential Compound Interest
I still love this phrase; it incorporates so much. Let’s go back to the spaceplane idea. Not necessarily Spaceship One, but spaceplanes in general. They start off hugging the ground of the planet. pretty tightly. Over time, as they go, they go higher, and the higher they go, the less resistance they get. If you look at this from the side, it would look almost like a spiral. As the plane spirals out, the arcs get wider and wider. Eventually, the plane winds up at the edge of space and (perhaps) goes into orbit.
The same can be said for me and anyone who makes a study of themselves and improving themselves. At first, you’ll be in a rough spot. There won’t be a lot of freedom of movement. Your awareness is very limited at this point.
As you work through that, your field-of-view opens up and you realize that you are doing much better than you were before. You’re still closer to the ground than you’d rather be, but you’re happier overall.
Eventually it dawns on you that you are seeing farther than you ever thought you could. You have great freedom of movement. You realize that there’s no direct comparison between where you are now and where you were at the beginning. You are looking forward to experiencing what’s coming.
Here is where I am. I see the sky turning darker, and I can tell I’m getting to the upper atmosphere, but I’m not “there”. I don’t really think that there is such a simple endpoint, but I digress.
If you don’t like where you are, remember that each time you stay in the fight to improve your life. Each time you make the right choice between ease and excellence, you’re climbing higher.
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