There is a strange contradiction in wanting both grandeur and the quiet. Don’t we all feel that way about life?
We dream of dazzling success yet crave the peace of a life lived under the radar. One time you are thinking of setting for a well-paying desk job or becoming a finance bro who makes millions and the other you are thinking of buying a caravan and going camping around the countryside.
It is like standing on the edge of two worlds. One is where ambition fuels you to push you towards greatness and shoot for the moon. And the other is where the simplicity of just being feels like the ultimate freedom.
Maybe it’s because success, as glamorous as it is, comes with a lot of expectations. And if you are a person who wants to get away from the herd instinct and make your own path, the constant chase tires you out.
In the pursuit of greatness, you might fear that you might lose yourself, and your authenticity. What makes you, you. As for me, it is my clumsiness. People who know me will know.
Here’s the catch though. Life isn’t about all or nothing. It’s up to us to find the middle ground. Let’s just exist and tame that chase for performance that resides in all of us. Let us all make a beautiful life for ourselves where you define success on your own terms and not on your CV or the number of accolades that you have gotten throughout your life.
When you sit and think about it, the real dream is always about never losing your smile, having enough, being enough, and still breathing in the process.
By Leo Sinali Onela
