Strive for Nothing
“Strive for nothing” — sounds like a terrible inspirational quote. When we first hear it, it seems like it expresses more apathy and despondency than it does strength and courage.
Well, for the last few months, I’ve actually been using this slogan to keep me on my toes!
The reason I’m so drawn to this idea of striving for nothing is because I feel like we’re constantly surrounded by messages since we are little that our greatest achievement is to become someone special, someone who stands out, someone successful. I think this is the wrong way to motivate our kids.
Why? Because ultimately, when we measure success, we tend to use extrinsic forces to determine who stands out and who doesn’t — get noticed, move up the ladder, have a job title or description that sounds important to the outside world.
When we push our kids and ourselves to be somebody in the way I describe above, this can really cause confusion because we base what “being somebody” means off of how others perceive us. It can lead us to make decisions that aim to please others and causes a disconnection between our own sense of who we are as unique individuals.
As kids, we are naturally drawn to certain activities and interests. Depending on how well our parents, teachers, and environment encourage us to continue exploring and developing our skills in these areas, we either become adults who blossom or adults who are left continuously scrambling to find their way.
Does that resonate with you at all?
In an existence where we are bombarded with the unfulfilled goals and dreams of others, or even the hidden agendas of a very select few, it makes it easy to fall into this collective trap. We become so enticed by external recognition and success because it’s what appears to give us a sense of fulfillment and success — but on whose accord?
This is why I think striving for nothing instead of striving to be somebody we aren’t seems like a much better bet; when we do so, we remain true to what’s already there.
When we strive for nothing, we allow our bare essence to rise to the surface and to shine through. That, to me, is a more accurate definition of success. We aren’t “somebody”, we are just ourselves, plain and raw.
