The empty reward box

You've been sold certainty since childhood.

Certainty, wrapped in a beautiful reward box.

Your parents sold you a great life.

The education system sold you a stable career.

Employers sold you a role with great benefits and growth.

Asset Management Companies sold you guaranteed returns.

In anticipation, you did what you were told to.

You lived a life everybody approved of.

You put your dreams on hold.

And finally one day…

You open the reward box in excitement.

But all you see within is emptiness.

How does that make you feel?

Lost? Anxious? Let down?

The origin of the uncertainty crisis

Why do you feel so lost?

Why is there so much uncertainty within?

Understanding what got you there in the first place is the first step to getting out.

At birth, you are an empty slate.

You are surrounded by people with specific beliefs, experiences, fears and values.

As you grow, your mind is programmed by the people around you.

They project their worldview on you.

Where did they get their worldview?

Through the same process. Unless they questioned it.

The very fact that you struggle with uncertainty means no one questioned why.

The answer lies in the process of evolution.

Your brain craves certainty.

Thousands of years ago, our early ancestors lived in a hostile environment.

Wild animals, harsh climate, scarcity of food and water.

Survival was the first thing they cared for.

Uncertainty about safety and the availability of resources in a place meant a threat to survival.

In short, uncertainty meant death.

Fast forward to today, the world has experienced tremendous change.

Centuries of technological advancement within decades.

However, your brain is still biologically hardwired to interpret uncertainty as danger.

You are living with outdated software in your brain.

It is not able to make sense of the new world.

Your worldview doesn’t match the environment.

What helped you survive earlier is causing you to self-sabotage your growth.

No wonder you feel lost.

No wonder there is so much uncertainty and fear.

Now, the question is, how do you find clarity?

How do you upgrade your software?

Let’s get to that.

But let’s first understand the current world.

The current world

Most people are drowning in information and seek immediate gratification.

They can only notice quick and easy opportunities.

Attention spans have been reduced to seconds.

They have never questioned how they truly want their life experience to be.

They have never wondered why they are doing what they are doing.

They continue doing what ‘everyone else’ is doing.

Their life lacks challenge and meaning.

It looks like a software program that runs line-by-line:

Go to school → Go to college → Get a degree → Get another degree → Get a job → Get married → Have kids → Change jobs in between → Build/Buy a house → Get settled → ......?????

They distract themselves to escape the discomfort caused by dissatisfaction.

But distracting yourself is not the answer.

The first step to change is to become aware of all this.

It might make you frustrated, angry and upset, but that’s good.

Use this energy to transform yourself.

How do you go about it?

Change begins from within.

There is no point in feeling like a victim and blaming your parents, teachers, spouse, society, conditioning, politicians or the government.

The first step is to acknowledge your current situation and take complete responsibility for your life.

To design the life you want, you need clarity about:

1. Your natural strengths, core values and curiosities

2. How do you want your life experience to be

3. The life/career choices you need to make

4. What gives meaning to your life

If you need my help with the four points above, please schedule a one-on-one conversation with me.

Here are seven points to help you thrive in the new world:

1. Have clear end goals

2. Stop waiting. Start taking action

3. Learn. Execute. Measure. Refine. Repeat

4. Self-educate about yourself and your path

5. Think for yourself instead of following the herd

6. Question what you have been told, heard or believed

7. Take calculated risks. Make decisions. Make mistakes

Don’t expect things to come easy.

It is not an overnight process.

I wish you a purposeful life.

That’s it for this one.

Thanks for reading.

-Gautam