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LM: #319: The power of desperation
Lately my business hasn’t been doing well. It shouldn’t be a surprise – I haven’t published a magnum opus in five years.
But it’s gotten me in touch with a source of motivation that has never failed me. Something to which I credit some of my greatest accomplishments.
It’s what you feel when you need something bad and none of the obvious options work. In my experience, it unlocks a level of focus, creativity, and determination I can’t quite get any other way.
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I’m talking about desperation.
To de-sperare is to be without hope, so maybe I’m thinking about it wrong. Because desperation in my experience isn’t a complete lack of hope. It’s certainly when hope is in short supply: You hoped one thing would work, and it didn’t. You hoped another, and that neither.
The only source of hope you have left is high up from the rock-bottomed pit in which you stand, and you will need all your strength to jump and reach it.
I felt it when I wanted to get out of Nebraska. I felt it when I was leaving Silicon Valley. I felt it when I wrote my first book, and when I doubled-down on writing.
There’s something primal about desperation. If an ancestor was cast out of the tribe and forced to fend for themselves, you can bet that lit a fire under their ass.
It’s an invigorating feeling, because it creates a sort of tunnel vision. Everything you’ve been casually expending time and focus on heretofore falls away.
Don’t seek out desperation. But if you’re feeling desperate, by leaning in you can lift up.
Aphorism: “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” ―Friedrich Nietzsche
Cool: When used with earplugs, bone induction headphones (Amazon) are great for hearing podcasts in a noisy gym.
Best,
David
P.S. Sorry for the delay this week, a technical glitch prevented some of you from receiving this on Monday!
