May 25, 2025
Imagine our individual lives as prototypes for future species to be studied, interpreted and modeled after (you can substitute ‘species’ with robots or aliens or something). What would we have them “learn” about through us on a personal scale?
“Well it looks like our subject Dale here spent most of his time in a cubicle doing computer programming for a software conglomerate. Additionally he got pretty good at mowing the lawn, drinking beer and eating meatloaf, when he wasn’t watching television; and often while he was watching television. Sometimes he went fishing”.
My guess is that these creatures already possess a plethora of computer knowledge, but they might zoom in a little closer on this lawn-mowing phenomenon.
Pros and Convicts
They say that in the modern age, it is imperative to be exceptionally good at one thing, that we should focus our energy and attention on a single, specific area of expertise and stick to it, forging a solitary, surefooted path towards a successful career. If we’re good with numbers, we should become a math teacher or accountant; if we’re great with people, then we should be great at customer service or hospitality. If we possess the knack for both, it could be that business is our best option. Or maybe we’re really good with computers, like our friend Dale.
But what do those “non-skilled” fractions of time we spend away from that work amount to? Well for the vast majority, I would guess it looks a bit like Dale’s: relaxing and indulging, with the occasional chores and obligations to fulfill. But who are we once we’ve taken off that one suit for the day? Does it even matter?
In the ring is not only where we get paid, but where we challenge ourselves, so when we step out of it every Friday afternoon or even at the end of the day, we act as though we’d just spent the last 16 months training for the Olympic Games. “Ahh, this body needs some serious recovery time”, slapping our bellies as we plunge into the cushions.
There’s nothing wrong with being a simpleton who goes fishing on the weekends; but in reality, very few of these perfectly matched careers offer us much in terms of actual vitality: sunlight, fresh air, space, natural inspiration, gross motor movement (aka exercise) are difficult to come by in most vocational environments, unless our one good thing is to be something like an arborist or park ranger.
Professional athletes draw the attention of millions of fans, many of whom might even experience a bit of envy or longing to be like them, or at least to do what they do for income. Pro’s are typically in peak physical condition, they make more money than most people, and their job description is universally defined by playing rather than working.
Sure, if we were a backup point guard for the Golden State Warriors we could tell everyone that we work for the organization; and while there is no doubt that we would put in the physical effort to confirm this, they’ll all assume we are referring to the organization’s office of operations, unless they recognize us: “Hey, I’m such a huge fan! But what do you mean you ‘work’ for the team?”.
The thing is, everyone has to eventually step out of their one good suit and re-acclimate to the bustling, chaotic world around them. The news has us up to date on every pro athlete and celebrity scandal in real time, the rates of obesity and heart disease of employees working office jobs continues to climb, and there are even educators who wear bulletproof vests in the schools where they teach, contributing to the spreading mental health crisis. To whatever future alien, robot species is studying our lives, it would appear as though there was nothing to protect us from getting in our own way. Even pros can become cons.
Microburst
Perhaps, at this point, you’re saying “fuck the future species” or “my off-the-clock time belongs to me”. Or maybe we’re just at the point where we’ve decided that current ME is capable of more than just beer drinking, lawn mowing or TV watching and we’re ready to make things more interesting or…productive. But how? We might start with asking ourselves what interests us outside of the mundane cycle of comfortability with which we’ve grown so familiar.
Maybe we want to learn about perseverance so we volunteer as a firefighter or start exercising intensely. Maybe we want to see how important it is to give back to our community so we make the proper connections and donate our time. It doesn’t really matter what you come up with, so long as it feeds your interest in a healthy way and makes you want to keep doing it.
These practices we may potentially take up for the sake of growth, should be addressed with an air of pride and intention. We must also understand that our big, new ideas do not come to fruition in massive chunks, but within repeated micro-bursts of effort, over time = frequency. When it comes to personal growth and formulating a healthy, habitual work-flow, this equation can do wonders for our personal progress.
“Daily” for a lot of people renders a negative response. We have so much to do on a daily basis, that it seems unreasonable to squeeze more stuff into our schedules, even if they are positive practices. Yet, we’ll sit silently while scrolling through our phones for up to an hour before we even realize what we’re doing, when a silent breathing exercise takes five minutes. Our average round trip daily commute in America is pushing an hour- Can we devote even just half of that to an “unsuited” walking ritual each morning?
If we start to get into running and begin to complain about the amount of time it would take us to get some miles in? Do five sprints or plank for 7 minutes every day (I’ve done this for the past 30 days and have no intention of slowing down). If we want to make more friends, ask people more questions and listen to them. If we want to eat healthier, buy the food and spend an hour on Sunday afternoon prepping meals for the week. If we want to reconnect with our creative side, then we draw or write or paint or act or sing something for as long as it would take us to watch an episode (or 3) of Stranger Things.
Clothing Optional
All of these are simple steps to creating the person we want to be and to fulfill the needs we may have that extend beyond what we do in order to make a living. If we can manage our time well enough to do it again and again, yes every single day, it will unfold slowly, but beautifully.
Our productive time spreads thinner the older we get, which is why we often hear such advice as, “don’t waste away your youth”. But we’re supposed to be “wasting time” as children, for this is where the magic happens, when we get to experience everything, in micro-bursts. As grownups, we have a weird way of being obsessed with our precious time, while concurrently squandering so much of it.
The reason I enjoyed working for an outdoor recreation retailer years ago is mainly because that’s where I met my forever person; but I also appreciated the fact that, whenever my coworkers weren’t on the floor selling climbing gear or kayaks or trekking boots or tents, they were usually in the great outdoors, climbing, kayaking, backpacking or camping. Sometimes our one good suit doesn’t come off and it doesn’t leave us completely drained and exhausted, but rather keeps us honest, energized and fulfilled. Or maybe we don’t have to wear one at all.
In the end, it would not really matter if Dale had decided to give up his tech job and his pension and benefits at the software company to start his own lawn-mowing business or microbrewery, so long as he was truly happy- and I wouldn’t guess that is something which can be empirically measured by some future alien, robot species. And anyway, they’d probably get distracted and move on to watching old NBA highlight reels. They learn so quickly from us.