I wonder how much the arrows and lines apply to money as well. In the linear, jagged model, one always comes out richer. With the wandering path, one could come out anywhere, with more or less than they started. Certainly life itself is the winding path, in that we cannot conceive of where we will be at the end.
Well written piece, Chris and, I think, something we can all relate to.
As I told my 47 year old son a few weeks ago, this “merry-go-round” called Life sometimes throws you an unexpected curve. You handle the challenges as best you can and, hopefully, learn from them.
Great article. It certainly describes the ups and downs and unexpected turns of my career. It also had me looking at a poster on my office wall of a sailboat race, with this caption below:
“Success – We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.”
So true all of that, said the boy who began by thinking his career was in politics, like his great-grand-uncle, until he couldn't stand it; then discovered his success lay in writing movies he would like, until the people who hired the writers stopped hiring people who wanted to write movies for adults; and then flailed around, got back in politics sorta/kinda and raised a bunch of money for Obama the first time around, then a kid working at Borders suggested a book to him he found interesting, which led to becoming friends with a guy who pushed him to start writing about what he had really always loved, and now I sit here writing things I like, the way I want to write them, and work with a (British) publisher whose people consider their job to be making me happy about what happens to my writing. At any point along the way, had you told me things were going to go the way they did - short or long-term, I would have said you obviously didn't know what you were talking about - except it turns out that "you" did know and I didn't.
Crazy parallel: this reminds me of the scene from the sitcom The Good Place, where they say that time doesn’t move in a straight line, it’s a meandering loop that is best rendered in a diagram that resembles the pseudo-name “Jeremy Bearemy” written in cursive. Probably silly and useless, but this made me think of that.
You're good man.
We like you, we really do.
Brooke is cool, definitely cuter than you.
But we're here because of you.
Just do what you do so well, we'll support you and read what you write.
Great piece, Chris....thanks.
I love this - it's such a great (and needed) reminder. Thank you.
Thanks for writing this. Very well done!
Excellent post today, Chris.
Awesome! Loved it - especially the closing paragraph. Thanks, Chris.
I wonder how much the arrows and lines apply to money as well. In the linear, jagged model, one always comes out richer. With the wandering path, one could come out anywhere, with more or less than they started. Certainly life itself is the winding path, in that we cannot conceive of where we will be at the end.
You nailed it. We rise, we fall, and eventually get back up, look around and keep going. In the process, we learn life's lessons.
Well written piece, Chris and, I think, something we can all relate to.
As I told my 47 year old son a few weeks ago, this “merry-go-round” called Life sometimes throws you an unexpected curve. You handle the challenges as best you can and, hopefully, learn from them.
So Chris, keep up the wonderful work that you do.
Thanks for including us in the journey!
Excellent. Thank you so much.
You do give us joy! Excellent essay - again!!!
Great article. It certainly describes the ups and downs and unexpected turns of my career. It also had me looking at a poster on my office wall of a sailboat race, with this caption below:
“Success – We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.”
Love this, it helps, thanks.
So true all of that, said the boy who began by thinking his career was in politics, like his great-grand-uncle, until he couldn't stand it; then discovered his success lay in writing movies he would like, until the people who hired the writers stopped hiring people who wanted to write movies for adults; and then flailed around, got back in politics sorta/kinda and raised a bunch of money for Obama the first time around, then a kid working at Borders suggested a book to him he found interesting, which led to becoming friends with a guy who pushed him to start writing about what he had really always loved, and now I sit here writing things I like, the way I want to write them, and work with a (British) publisher whose people consider their job to be making me happy about what happens to my writing. At any point along the way, had you told me things were going to go the way they did - short or long-term, I would have said you obviously didn't know what you were talking about - except it turns out that "you" did know and I didn't.
Crazy parallel: this reminds me of the scene from the sitcom The Good Place, where they say that time doesn’t move in a straight line, it’s a meandering loop that is best rendered in a diagram that resembles the pseudo-name “Jeremy Bearemy” written in cursive. Probably silly and useless, but this made me think of that.