I think most people are way to shy. This is why.
So like a lot of Aussies right now, I’ve been spending a lot of time in the garden lately, and I had an epiphany:
Gardening sucks.
I mean sure, some people love it. Good for them.
But it’s not for me. If I want to get my hands dirty, I’ll open a spreadsheet and crunch the numbers on my next deal.
I don’t ‘literally’ want to get my hands dirty.
But one of the things I’ve found fascinating is the little turf war that is my garden.
The prize is obviously sunlight. Everything is jostling for space, fighting for its little patch.
Now one thing I’ve noticed about plants is they’re not big on manners. The rose bushes aren’t saying to the gerbera’s, “Oh excuse me, do you mind if I grow just a little to the left here. Thanks so much. Ever so kind.”
No. They just do it. They just muscle in where they can. They grow first, see if they can get away with later.
And this is life in the garden. It’s a turf war. You’ve got to fight for every minute of sunlight you get.
(Until you get Uncle Jon on a whippersnapper screaming, “Pull your head in Grass!”)
But this is the fundamental nature of existence.
Not just in the plant kingdom. But everywhere. You’ve got to fight for your spot in the sun.
I think as humans we find ourselves caught between life in two worlds.
In the material world, we know that life is a bun fight. We’ve got to scrape and hustle for everything we get.
If we sit back and rest, even for a minute, then some rose bush with tickets on himself starts muscling in on your spot.
So we get that.
But we also live in a social world.
In the social world the rules are a little different.
In the social world, it’s a team sport.
Early humans managed to evolve on the back of a diet rich in woolly mammoths because they were able to work in teams.
In the social world, we know that it’s in our best interest to be a team player.
Now the challenge for anyone with a foot in two worlds is balance.
How do we find that sweet spot between muscular self-interest, and broad-sighted altruism?
Wish I had an answer for you there buddy. But I don’t.
But one thing I would say is that I think a lot of people are far too shy when it comes to being a champion of their own interests.
They’re much too shy about standing up for their place in the sun. Or they’re just too squeamish about getting their hands dirty – really dirty – rose blood all over them.
And as a result, they waste their days scuttling about in someone else’s shadow.
So I don’t know who needs to hear this, but stand up. Fight for your place in the sun.
This is just how this world works. Deal with it.
Grab your spot in the sun and defend it with everything you’ve got.
JG.