‘This was meant to be the year that I…’ Would I be right to assume you’re in a philosophical mood?

💭 “This was meant to be the year that I…”

I’ve been thinking about an image. It shows a guy doing an about-turn. He’s mining for diamonds and he’s hunched over. He’s expended so much energy and he has no more reserves. But what he doesn’t realise is that there’s only a thin layer of rock between him and untold riches. He was nearly there.

I am someone who, in the past, would have posted an image like this and I’d have let it speak for itself.

💪 I’d have proposed that you have your Weetabix and keep going.

But now I’m recognising that there’s nuance.

Yes, if person 2 keeps going a little bit longer, they’ll be in the money.

So if they can just dig deep…

🧚‍♀️ But we don’t have an omniscient narrator who is able to tell us how close we are. We can’t pan out and see that.

So we just have to trust our gut.

With posts like this, it can be easy to assume the writer (i.e. me) is talking about themselves.

And I’m not … *not talking about me. (I have a couple of projects requiring stamina, and I wonder whether I’ve broken the back of them…) But, actually, it’s a wider context that’s prompted this philosophising. I’m not person 2 at this moment in time, but I’ve spoken to a few people who almost are.

Maybe we need to think of it like this:

• If you have got reserves and can push on a bit more, keep going.
• If you decide enough is enough, that’s okay too.

But there’s a third way:

⭐ Have a break for a bit. Rest. Walk away for as long as you need. But, remember, that tunnel is still there. You made in-roads. So you can return to it — if you want to. Okay, you’re likely to find some brambles across your path, but once you’ve refueled, you’ll feel ready to take them on.

❄️ Be kind to yourself. Do what you need to. We all get philosophical as the year draws to a close. Take some time to think, consider, evaluate. You’ve got this.