The short version of how I came to this idea is that I’ve been working hard, my husband has been working hard, and we’ve been making progress. But. Big but. It’s come at a cost. I’ll bet you can relate.
I suppose this is what they refer to as sacrifice when you hear successful people tell you stories of their ascent. Successful people also talk at length about productivity and being highly effective. In my analogy, the former is the tactic of the Pack-mule and the latter is the mark of a Pegasus.
At some point along the line, I learned through life that if you just roll up your sleeves, dig in, get the job done no matter the cost, never give up... Well there you are. Results. Somewhere along the line, I began to see myself as a workhorse, and prided myself on it. I got A LOT done. Others saw that I was hard working. I inspired others to work hard too. This logic is not wrong exactly, but it is exhausting, and costly. You can only take so much of this before you see drain, wear, dissatisfaction and unhappiness. To a degree, I feel like we’ve gone a little too far down this path.
I must say however, there is something really valuable to be said for this ideology in how you get things done. We’ve dramatically changed our lives over the last few years. It took grit. It took work. These are things that just don’t get done unless you stare the task in the face and just keep at it until you have your results. Every step is one of resistance and great effort. It is a symbol of pioneering efforts and times past, when beasts of burden where the best tools available.
Now, we’re entering a new era of digital liberation, and it’s nothing short of magical. AI, cryptocurrency, neural networks, machine learning (insert 5th technological buzz word here): we have magic at our fingertips, for those who choose to use it.
No, this doesn’t mean being glued to your computer or phone 24/7. Just the opposite, this is the era where computers should be doing the work for you. Fact is, they’re better at it anyway. Don’t believe me? You have machines everywhere in your home. Anything that performs an activity for you, is a machine. Washer, dryer, dishwasher, microwave, toaster, mix-master, fridge, toaster, stove... they all perform a function that without those items, you’d be hand scrubbing, hand mixing, roasting over an open flame to cook and scrambling to keep food from spoiling. Machines have been slowly taking over our work for a while now. We need to realize that, then use that reality as an opportunity. This is why we love mining too.
When I think of how to work towards the future, I seek to understand what the latest technology can do, how it is begin developed and what will it excel at. To endeavor to allow the machines do what they will do best, and then I can be free to do what I do best.
Being more like a Pegasus and less like a pack-mule is about doing the things that make you most unique. It means making the machines do the work, and endeavoring to do the things that only you can do, and do them well.
This last year I began to hatch this idea, and now, I’m ready to truly embrace it.
Ask yourself when you’re about to perform a task:
- Is this something anyone else could do or does it really need to be done at all?
- What’s the thing that I do, that makes me unique?
- Can I automate this task in some way? Is there a machine that can do this, at least in part?
A Pack-mule would take on all the tasks, and drag them over the finish line exhausted.
A Pegasus would pick only what she could carry and only what was necessary, and stick the landing.
A Pack-mule would travel the well worn path, repeating the same work over and over, seeking certainty.
A Pegasus would fly over new territory and explore the possibilities, looking for what’s new, seeking growth.
A Pack-mule was valuable but common in times past. A Pegasus would be priceless.
Of course, this idea is a scale, not an absolute, because although Pack-mules have been replaced by 20th century technology, an actual Pegasus has yet to come into existence.
So this year, I’m going to strive to be more like a Pegasus and less like a Pack-mule. I hope you do too.
With Love,
Laura
@loveA
PS. Its been many years since they cloned Dolly the sheep and they can grow human ears on a mouse. Don’t tell me someone isn’t going to try and genetically engineer wings on a horse. That would be awesome and you know it.
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Pegasus photo credit http://www.albanygnosisny.com/pegasus-was-the-winged-horse-that-came-out-of-medusa/