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November 2020 #12256 Page #118
Winning The Rat Race... By Omer Abdullah
M
any years ago, one of my closest friends was discussing career choices with his father and in that conversation, his father told him something that I thought was on point, and profound. He said:
“Even if you win the rat race, you’re still a rat…” There are many ways to unpack that statement and you can certainly have your own interpretation of it. But to me, it resonated so strongly (and why I remember it to this day) because it implies a few things: That we should be thoughtful about the races we choose to run. That we shouldn’t choose a particular race just because everyone else is doing it. That we shouldn’t choose it because it feels like the safe option. That we shouldn’t choose a race just for the money. Which is to say, that we should aspire to something greater (however we define it). Races are fine, but ‘rat races’ aren’t. They’re exhausting, they sap you of your energy, your will and, frankly, everything you believe in. They are the straight path to cynicism, complacency, apathy, and ultimately self-defeat. Rat races may manifest themselves in what we do, but they start in our heads. The point is we need to choose – clearly, consciously, and with an agenda (or at least with an underlying set of values). We need to make decisions, and keep evaluating them over time. Certainly, luck and happenstance will play a role, but we need to trust our gut, even as we trust the path they may lead us towards. (Rarely does our gut lead us astray.)
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