Positive Pessimism

After reading The Suck Factor, several friends asked me if I was depressed. No. Far from it.

Getting discouraged, probably even depressed, comes from under-estimating the effort required to make something happen. When the reality is harder than the fantasy, people often get discouraged. If you think it’ll be damn hard, then when it is, it ain’t. The battle may even become fun.

A lot of unrealistic expectations in the general public come from two main sources: our fast-food, zero-inconvenience, immediate-gratification commercial systems and, even more so, those stomach-turning “you can do it” books and tapes. Let me help:

1. You can do it.
2. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
3. Two bodies attract one another in direct proportion to their mass. (In space; not at the bar.)

Believe all those? Good. Now let’s move on.

Worthwhile pursuits aren’t rosy or easy, nor should they be, and that’s what makes life f&^%ing awesome. Far more motivating than anything Tony Robbins has ever delivered to the world is a little movie called Fight Club. By far one of the most-inspiring movies in a LONG time. “You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake.” Translation: You’re going to have to bust ass to get it done, and not every day is gonna be shiny, happy and easy, nor should it be. What could be more inspiring than that?