[December 9, 2022] If you desire to pursue something meaningful in your life, and you should, then you should also be afraid of taking risks associated with that difficult, meaningful pursuit. But you should be more afraid of staying where you are, especially if that makes you miserable.
There is a price to pay for sitting where you are and being miserable. A common reaction is, “Well, the devil I know is better than the one I don’t.” I would say, don’t be so sure of that. The clock is ticking. If you are miserable today and change nothing, in five years, you will be much more miserable and a lot older.
Is it a luxury to pursue what is meaningful? We all have mortgages, debts to pay, jobs to go to, families to care for, and other legitimate distractions. Let’s consider that it is also a luxury to pursue what makes you happy. It is a moral obligation to pursue what you find meaningful. And that is not easy. It requires sacrifice.
If you need to change your job and let’s say you have a family, children, and other responsibilities, you don’t get to walk away from your job. Quitting is no strategy. You need to make yourself more attractive to others so they will hire you. Maybe you need to educate yourself, update your resume, overcome your fear of being interviewed, or sharpen your social skills.
If you plan to make a job change, you must think about it strategically. Do so like an intelligent, responsible person. That might take a couple of years of effort to get straight.
Humans are built for struggle; we’re built to contend with the world. You want a challenge because a challenge fortifies you. You don’t want to be secure; you want to be strong. And you get strong by taking on optimal challenges. Lay out your aim in the world, and take fate’s slings and arrows. And make yourself stronger while you are doing so, and you might fail, and fortune might do you in, but it’s your best bet.
People have extracted unbelievable successes out of catastrophic failures. And that is not a naïve idea because I know what happens to people. You’re doing fine, and one day you get cancer, and in six months, you’re dead. All the heroism in the world isn’t going to save you at that point, but that’s not the point. Life is bounded by mortality.
Get out there and contend with the world. In doing so, we minimize the amount of suffering in the world. And that is something.
————–
Please read my books:
You only need to fear fear itself.
Right Winston. Thanks Armywife (are you really an army wife?). Enjoy this forum and gen. Satterfield’s daily blog posts.
😎 Always great to hear from fans of Gen. Doug Satterfield.
very good ideas
General Satterfield, yet another great piece of writing. I don’t know how you do it but I’m glad that you do.
Hi Armywife, yes, I’ve been a long time reader of this leadership blog and have found it both informative and often entertaining. The latter is one of the reasons I stay here plus there are some great folks in the forum that can help me develop ideas and improve upon them. Rarely do you find such places anymore because the snowflakes overwhelm them.
Oops, accidently posted above on a comment for Armywife. Thanks all. Love this blog.
Great website. Glad I’m on board and found it.
So many of us here and are unafraid to lay out some arguments for or against certain things happening. We get good feedback too. Mike, you are welcome to join in anytime.
Too many folks will be afraid and that fear freezes them into indecision and so nothing in their life changes. They are responsible personally for their own failures yet they see themselves as responsible.
Gen. Satterfield, great article. Made me think too.
Gen. Satterfield, great website. Thanks for also this leadership forum. I would hope maybe you could lead a discussion sometime on important leadership traits here. Thanks. Just a suggestion.
Good suggestion Unwoke Dude. Glad you are unwoke, I would hate to have a discussion with an eyes-closed woke person of —— fill in the blank victim category.
UD, your suggestion is welcome and I will give it some thought. Oh, keep giving suggestions, that is how I make this website ever better.
Great to hear from you Gen. Satterfield. And, I didn’t say it before but congrats on your new book “55 Rules for a Good Life.” I wish you the best. And … Merry Christmas.
Hey, good to see you on Gen. Satterfield’s site. When will you write another article, Army Vet? We are your biggest fans.
Just a point on your DAILY FAVORITES today. The anti-American LBGQT+ black lesbian moron that nutjob president (small P) Joe Biden got freed, is a disgrace to Americans the world over. Biden shows he has more respect for the anti-American than those who actually got left behind in Afghanistan. I guess being queer is more important. Shows his priorities are not with Americans.
Yes, thanks HM. Okay, great to know your position and I think most real Americans will agree with you.
WNBA star Brittney Griner is a nut. Who would smuggle in drugs to Russia that has an obvious law against it.? Only a nut. Maybe she thinks the rest of the world is tolerant like America. I doubt it. She thinks she is above the law, and pres. Joe Biteme confirmed it.
Excellent article. Made me think. Easy read today and simple to understand. More on the philosophy of Gen. Satterfield. I agree with others who recommends Gen. S’s book. Get it and you will be happy you did so. ✔
Another great article and thanks Gen. Satterfield. Please everyone, please go out and order Gen. Satterfield’s newest book “55 Rules for a Good Life” and give copies to your family and friends. They will love you more for it because this book will open your eyes to more opportunities for you, your family and your community. Gen. Satterfield tells us how to be a better person in this book and how to be strong, or suffer the consequences.
— or be weak and die. Easy choice for me.
Be afraid, be very afraid, but do what you desire anyway. That is the hero myth.
👍👍👍👍👍 Great comment … I hope you will allow me to quote you, Hal.
Me too! And thank you Hal for putting it simply. For the snowflakes in college, just move on or cry if you read this because to see your personal gigantic failure, you will never know freedom or goodness of others. You will forever be an infant adult.
Good one HAL. thanks.