I often get told Im too much. Too much to handle, too happy, too excited. And in one way I take it as a compliment, but I always slightly take offense to it, overthink its meaning, and probably take it more personally then I should. Recently, my friend read me this article when I was talking to him about my characteristic of being too much. Ive never felt so talented, blessed, and gifted. Its a little long, but it changed my outlook on life. What is the most unfair advantage a person can have? Energy. Some people have higher natural levels of energy than others, and its no coincidence that such people are often high achievers. Those of us who are more laid-back or innately lethargic tend to progress more slowly. When I was at university I used to go swimming three times a week, play squash twice a week and go to 5-a-side football once a week. Despite all this exercise I never truly got fit and the football absolutely killed me. As a natural sloth, Ive always had to bust my arse to maintain even a basic level of fitness and find even short bursts of only a little energy quite draining. My mate Kev on the other hand was one of those fortunate people with high default levels of fitness. Although he was a big-drinking chain smoker who did no other exercise than that one hour of football, he could turn up and run rings around us without breaking a sweat. My current boss is similar. He is training for a 75km run in Kenya and hits the gym every morning before pulling ten-hour days at the office. He zips around like hes got an IV of Red Bull permanently pumping him full of caffeine, checking off tasks and attending meetings - throughout which he is always alert and contributing - about a whole range of projects without a moments rest. He often skips lunch too. Myself, I get exhausted just watching. Im sure you all know people like this, those annoying ones who need little sleep and have seemingly boundless physical and mental energy. Its your coworker who studies for an MA, plays in weekend sports leagues, learns a language, reads a book a week and still has time when they get home to cook, help the kids with the homework and work on the car. I hate these people. They are able to squeeze so much more into their days. They get up earlier and go to bed later, and in the meantime work so effortlessly that they dont get tired. They have the endurance to outlast everyone else and the energy and focus to be more productive, thus they tend to advance more quickly through the ranks.
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 02:17:09 +0000
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