Never Arriving. Always Becoming.
Within all of us, is a child-like wonder that sparks curiosity and courage. Children are receptive to whatever thoughts, opinions, and ideas come to their minds regardless of their obscurity or novelty. This way of living is an innate function of their mind and a key reason they are able to develop so quickly — they are curious, open, adaptive and non judgemental.
Having an ever-expanding approach in life is so valuable to finding more in yourself, and more in others. You can’t say salmon doesn’t belong on a bagel without experiencing it yourself. Analogously, you can’t write off certain habits, people or opportunities before giving them a chance. If we choose to constantly write things off, we then can’t be upset when we’re sitting around feeling bored, lonely and purposeless. We have control over our lives and just by being open, we can grasp more opportunities that may have a profound impact on the trajectory of your life.
As we have said in the past, there is so much untapped potential with regards to our development and evolution as individuals when we reawaken this curiosity as adults. Typically, the older we get the more rigid our routine actions and thoughts become — a straightjacket constricts the expansion of our perspective, pursuits, and beliefs and it tightens with time.
In order to break down our own narrow mindedness, we have to be willing to admit our weaknesses and naivete. When we’re more mature and wise, we can be more methodical with the edits we chose to make based on our own weaknesses or ignorance. We can be introspective and accurately assess what needs to be better or more complete in ourselves. Our lives are a puzzle and we get to sift through different pieces finding the ones which optimally fit and improve our lifestyle, sharpening the quality of the picture.
There is an additional aspect of humility that is key. Completely blocking out other ideas that may very well be correct or even necessary to implement into our lifestyle displays obstinacy. Refusing to take the actions that usher in these improvements conveys the belief that our lives are complete and perfect as they are.
Sometimes this process involves going in a foreign direction. This only expands our catalog of experience, giving us a more complete understanding of what we’re passionate about. The more you explore, the more completely you figure out what you love, helping us find our authentic self.
Embracing the student mentality will naturally bring out humility because you very quickly learn that we don’t have all the answers. There is always more knowledge and experience to obtain, offering new ways to improve and refine your methods and processes of elevation. If we understand that life is a school which contains an infinite amount of opportunity for learning and improvement, then there will always be work to do.
We don’t become. We are always becoming.
Those who are More Than Different continually seek to elevate themselves and maximize their potential — continually is deliberately emphasized.
The statement “life is a journey” is paradoxical. Yes the entirety of life is a journey but this implies there is a destination.
There is no destination here. There is no “I have arrived”.
We may complete goals or reach significant milestones but, as Brendan discussed in a past blog titled The Climb:
When a road ends and a goal is reached, it is up to the individual to catalyze a new growth process. It isn’t the completion of a goal that is rewarding; rather it’s looking back on all the time, energy, and strategy that went into your elevation which vindicates the moments when you questioned why you are going through the obstacles of the process. It is our embracing of our weaknesses and the challenge of working on them that offers moments of such ecstasy.
Strive to elevate in every opportunity that presents itself and you will elevate the destination at which you arrive when it’s all said and done.
Life is a journey on which one makes progress by evolving and elevating. The destination lies in what you become at the end of your life.
Never arriving, always becoming.
Brendan McNamara
Co-Founder MTD
Rowan Paoletti-Newton
MTD Blog Writer