Kids love Christmas so much. It is their annual chance to fulfill their wishes.
They write down a list of toys a month before, and boom, through their sole willingness to want, they get.
I was an impatient boy. The day I decided I wanted this radio-controlled boat was also the start of an obsession. Every. Single. Day separating me from getting it was dedicated to feeding my desire.
I spent my free time watching steering videos, documentaries, and reviews. I’ve read every comparative test and blog post. And every discussion I’ve had with my parents was about RC boats.
Over time, what I wanted started to become either more expensive or abstract. Julien, 23, thinks about a new home and a happy life. But this time neither can be fulfilled by an old long bearded man.
We’re millions and millions in our early twenties trying to figure out life. We are many who want. But how many of us will get?
Who Are You?
We can all relate to this type of discussion. The one around a table after a drink or two. The one where we talk about our dream house. Our future trips and adventures, or what our nights out will look like in 10 years.
On one side, young people are full of dreams and energy but lack the wisdom to reach them. On the other side, the oldest have wisdom but lack energy and have given up on their dreams in favor of a 9 to 5 job, a family, and the latest gossip debated in prime time.
Education is supposed to pass on the knowledge and wisdom necessary to enable the younger generation to live the lives they want. And then teach it in turn.
Except it’s not.
Schools have to respond to large-scale societal needs. It is to your mind what fast food is to nutrition, a quick and easy answer. Just as a meal at McDonald’s will not give you all the nutrients you need to be healthy, 20 years at school will not give you all the tools to be happy.
Once about to enter real life, you’ll either want to live life how it comes or fulfills ambitions. If you want the latter, you know it won’t come by itself. Here, we can distinguish 3 life paths.
The scholar. Usually, someone who loved school. It is the kind that faints in what it does and for whom the tools learned at school are fine. He knows he’ll be happy by following the direction paved by his education.
The revolutionary. He is a prisoner of institutions that will never make him happy. But he is convinced that this can change. It’s someone who usually involves in politics or associations of any kind.
The outsider. He feels out of step with what is on offer and wants something entirely different. Like the revolutionary, he doesn’t recognize himself in institutions. For him, there is no point wasting energy trying to change things at such a high level.
Of course, you can be a bit of a scholar but a firm believer in the outsider. You can be a skeptical revolutionary, and so on. That’s not my point.
My point is…
To obtain more things, you must imperatively soak up the outsider mindset.
The 2 Outsider’s Laws
The scholar has the perfect life on paper because it fits perfectly with society’s standards. But for the most part, they blind themselves and remain scholars out of contentment and lack of courage.
Sometimes they get out of their boring routine and realize that there are injustices in this world. They start blaming governments and people in power. They grumble at the coffee machine and feel offended by the slightest news.
Their revolutionary aspect doesn’t last much. They quickly realize they are helpless, like a marble in a pinball machine. So they go back to work. They put their heads down and take refuge in instant gratification to relieve themselves from the constant stress they endure due to their chronic depression.
Both categories (scholar and revolutionary) have ambitions they rarely achieve, and when they do, it feeds their sourness more than their happiness.
Outsiders keep believing in an ideal because the heart of the child they were still beating timidly.
The complexity of life and the burden of responsibilities have taken us away from the things we loved to do. Often, these derive from occupations that we were naturally inclined to do.
Reconnecting with your childhood is the first step to finding a true sense of purpose.
Ask yourself this: What did I enjoy doing in my free time as a kid? If you struggle to answer this question, ask your family. You will find answers that will put you on the path to nurturing a higher purpose.
Outsiders know what they want and that it will make them happy, but they are also very good at getting it. It comes from their obsession with independence.
They want to get away from things over which they have no or little control. It includes everything the revolutionary fights for.
They don’t have employers to pay the bills. Governments, to ruin their lives. Or friends they need near them to be happy. They work hard on their self-sufficiency, so there is nothing between them and what they want.
Multiply your sources of income, build a home gym, and acquire competence to strengthen your ego and confidence. Make sure you always have options. Never get stuck on doing something you do not mean doing for too long. This is what you should look for as an outsider.
Do that without losing sight of your calling, and you’ll never need to call Santa Claus to make your wishes come true.