OF#20 - Letting go, good news, and Bar-B-Que
Is persevering and pushing through ever a bad idea? What were the top good news stories this year? And what's Christmas without Bar-B-Que?
Hi there, I’m Thomas Najar, and welcome to issue 20 of Open Frame.
Christmas is this week. On to the newsletter.
Letting go and how to do it
Four years ago, I completed a Master's program in acupuncture and became licensed. I spent the last four years working to build up a practice. It didn't go very well, and the pandemic was the nail in the coffin. I was incredibly fortunate to pivot and find a good job, but the disappointment is real. It seems unlikely that I'll return to acupuncture anytime soon - it feels like a huge investment that just didn't pay out.
We idealize persistence and perseverance. Stories of determination, meeting challenges and overcoming obstacles are everywhere. At the same time, letting go of a cherished dream or goal when success is no longer feasible is a critical skill. Christian Jarrett has provided a much-needed guide for understanding when it's time to let go of a dream and how to manage the disappointment.
First of all, staying the course isn't always a good idea.
...being adaptable and flexible in one’s ambitions is just as important as being gritty or determined. ‘By definition, if you cannot achieve what you want to achieve, you will fail repeatedly if you don’t stop,’ says Carsten Wrosch, a psychology professor at Concordia University in Montreal...
Goal adjustment capacity – which psychologists see as a beneficial form of ‘self-regulation’ or ‘self-management’ – encapsulates two key components: the ability to disengage from fruitless goals and the ability to reengage in new, more productive goals. You could see it as knowing when and how to switch from one dream to another.
We tend to believe highly successful people walked a straight-line path from their goals and dreams to success. This is less common than we think. Many famously successful people had to let go of dreams along the way that weren't meant to be.
David Foster Wallace let go of his tennis-greatness dreams and became an acclaimed novelist and writer instead. Meanwhile, Roger Federer’s dreams of tennis greatness came true, but only at the expense of his dream of becoming a professional footballer. And Maryam Mirzakhani let go her childhood dream of becoming a novelist but went on to be awarded the Fields Medal for mathematics in 2014 – the first and only woman ever to receive the honour.
Coming to terms with letting go of a dream is a skill. In the end, it's all about perspective.
...recognise that letting go of your goals doesn’t cast some final verdict on you as a person, and acknowledge the influence of circumstances beyond your control. Remember too that success isn’t all or nothing – although you might not have fulfilled your dream in its entirety, you will likely have learned much along the way, and you now have the chance to redirect your energy and passion in new ways.
2020 has forced all of us to be flexible and give up something dear. Maybe even lots of things. Having the skill and flexibility to work through disappointment and channel your passion into something new is more important than ever.
What are you hiding Napoleon?
Napoleon was a master of propaganda. He commissioned tons of paintings glorifying his military victories. But what in the world is the deal with the hand in the shirt?
Good news in dark times
Everyone is thrilled that 2020 is almost over. At the same time, a lot of amazing and positive things have happened this year. Thankfully, Future Crunch has given us a rundown of the top 99 good news stories of 2020, covering everything from conservation and global health to peace, living standards, and human rights.
28. At the beginning of this year, the only thing the world’s scientists knew about the novel coronavirus was its genetic profile. Less than twelve months later, Margaret Keenan rolled up her sleeve at a hospital in Coventry, a week before her 91st birthday, to become the first patient injected with a globally approved Covid-19 vaccine, effectively kickstarting humanity’s fightback. It’s one of the greatest medical achievements of all time. FT
32. Africa announced this year that it is officially free from wild polio. 25 years ago the disease still paralyzed more than 75,000 children across the continent every year. Since then, billions of oral vaccines have been provided, preventing 1.8 million cases. It's one of the greatest healthcare success stories of all time, and an extraordinary human achievement. BBC
49. Over the past five years Germany has opened its borders to 1.7 million people fleeing war and persecution: arguably the greatest humanitarian act of the 21st century. The decision has paid off. In August, the country revealed that more than half are employed and paying taxes, and over 80% say they feel a strong sense of belonging. Guardian
There’s plenty of good news happening all the time. But good news doesn’t sell newspapers.
Bar-B-Que Christmas
One of the best parts of Christmas is the music. Somehow, I made it through childhood without seeing Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas. After seeing a cute video of some of their bloopers and outtakes, I stumbled across the amazing song Bar-B-Que, and it’s my new favorite Christmas tune!
That’s it for this week folks. Have a great week, stay safe, and remember to be awesome!
Thomas