Just Try It

The path to optimal …is experimental.

The “die young as late as possible” reference is an old quote from American-British anthropologist, Ashley Montagu. It has become my short answer to the giant question: “what are you training for?” PS. no one ever asks me “what are you training for?” That’s the question I frequently ask others to see if anyone has a better answer than Ashley’s. The alternative is what?-to age fast & die old as early as possible?

Keeping up, let alone getting better, can be challenging. Many aspects of life seem to be getting more challenging, complex and confusing. A shortage of hope, growth, learning and momentum can lead to a contagion of stress, sadness, disappointment and unnecessary suffering (on top of the unavoidable suffering).

We can’t fix everything but we can at least take charge of reducing our own unnecessary suffering, right? We can easily make an effort to keep swinging the bat. Metaphorically, we can just get back in the batter’s box and we can try to at least make contact (home runs are not necessary) — we can at least keep trying in the areas we care about most — we can, if we start close in.

Beyond the inertial, incremental and exponential…lies the optimal. The most effective path to optimal is experimental. Experiment consistently; expect massive progress eventually.