Never stop chasing your windmills
And turning to Sancho, Don Quixote said: “Forgive me, my friend, for the opportunity I gave you to seem as mad as I, making you fall into the error into which I fell, thinking that there were and are knights errant in the world.”
“Oh!” responded Sancho, weeping. “Don’t die, Señor; your grace should take my advice and live for many years, because the greatest madness a man can commit in this life is to let himself die, just like that, without anybody killing him or any other hands ending his life except those of melancholy. Look, don’t be lazy, but get up from that bed and let’s go to the countryside dressed as shepherds, just like we arranged: maybe behind some bush we’ll find Señora Doña Dulcinea disenchanted, as pretty as you please. If you’re dying of sorrow over being defeated, blame me for that and say you were toppled because I didn’t tighten Rocinante’s cinches; besides, your grace must have seen in your books of chivalry that it’s a very common thing for one knight to topple another, and for the one who’s vanquished today to be the victor tomorrow.”
Roots and wings
We’re in such a rush to succeed. We make goals, prepare for them, and then go as hard as possible until we get there. Ready, set, aim. That’s the name of the game. There’s no step in there called pause, no reason to stop the sprint and look around, no moment to take a breath, look back, and reflect.
The inevitable plight of the overachiever: nothing is ever enough. Good could be better. Better could be best. But if we can’t stop - if we know what we’re doing and we keep it doing it anyway - then it’s an addiction. Every addiction has its consequences, and this one is no different. We’re living so quickly that we’re not living at all.
In fact, we are in such a hurry to get to where we’re going that we miss where we’ve been. We seek the destination so desperately that we can no longer recognize the journey. Before we hit one benchmark, we’ve set another. As soon as one victory is won, we’re wondering how we could have done it better.
And somewhere in between, life is happening. If we’re not careful, we’ll miss it all. Maybe success isn’t the hardest thing to achieve… balance is. The ability to live in the future and stay in the past.
So take two steps forward, one step back. Don’t forget your roots, and don’t live too fast.
