In today’s high-octane modern societies, our lives are trapped in a relentless cycle: wake up early, work hard, return home, spend time with loved ones, and repeat. We glorify dedicating endless hours to work, convinced that more effort leads to greater rewards. Constant connectivity through smartphones and endless streams of information keep us perpetually busy, while marketers exploit our stress with promises of quick fixes and modern-day magic pills. Yet, despite all this hustle, we’re left wondering: Time to do what? Our glass is more often half empty than half full, revealing a troubling obsession with productivity that overlooks the true essence of our lives.
One of the real problem lies in our fixation on shortcuts that offer temporary relief but fail to address deeper issues. As a Contemplationist, it is crucial to shift our focus inward, cultivating a clear and robust “glass” by understanding and mastering our actions with a purpose-driven vision. Without this foundational clarity, our efforts are futile, like pouring liquid into a vessel with a hole in the bottom. By owning our glass, taking responsibility for our actions, and preparing for the unexpected, we can break free from the superficial hustle and achieve true, balanced fulfilment. Embracing this deep, intentional approach transforms our lives from mere busyness to meaningful and enduring legacy.
In most modern societies, our lives follow a relentless, regimented rhythm: wake up early, work hard, return home, spend time with loved ones, and repeat. We’ve come to embrace and even glorify dedicating vast stretches of our time to work, believing that greater dedication yields greater rewards. This mindset has become the bedrock of our education systems and professional landscapes. We celebrate our ability to access messages and emails around the clock, often taking offense when replies aren’t instantaneous. Every stride we make as a society, fuelled by advancing technology, is meticulously crafted to eliminate life’s distractions and sharpen our focus on what we’re told we need to do. After all, fulfilling this supposed duty to society is our guiding mantra.
The explosion of food delivery services, the omnipresence of smartphones with endless connectivity, and the ceaseless flow of information exemplify our unwavering commitment to this model. We revel in the convenience, feeling perpetually connected, believing that this unbridled dedication will someday grant us more time. But time to do what?
A Mirage of Freedom and Authority
A quick glance at our daily interactions reveals a troubling trend: we’re often staring into a glass that’s more half empty than half full. Phrases like “just in time,” “I have no time,” “spinning plates,” and “I need this yesterday” flood our conversations. Marketers exploit these sentiments, manipulating our emotions to drive sales in a disturbingly twisted manner. We hide behind anonymous avatars to express our authority.
If only we could find a magic pill to streamline and optimize our precious time, alleviating the stress and constraints it imposes—that would be a dream come true. Guess what: an entire industry has sprung up around this very notion, offering shortcuts that promise to fill our half-empty glasses with ease—modern-day magic pills, if you will.
Dedication, determination, and desperation propel us through our days, weeks, and months. We feel the pressure to juggle myriad roles to meet the expectations of those who matter to us or simply to repay what we owe, bearing countless weights on our shoulders. This delicate balancing act is often performed with apparent mastery—until we reach our breaking point. When we pour the last drop to refill our glass, there’s nothing left. That’s when we cross the threshold and our glass shatters.
The Illusion of Shortcuts
The allure of shortcuts that offer precise “how-tos” is profoundly flawed. They provide temporary fixes, speeding up our actions without addressing the underlying issues. These solutions facilitate rapid task completion but fail to foster true understanding or sustainable progress. Even when these shortcuts seem effective, we become addicted to them, relying on these “magic pills” repeatedly—even in scenarios for which they were never intended—until they lose their efficacy.
The greatest flaw lies in these shortcuts encouraging us to ignore the true state of our glass and focus solely on filling it with the latest trend. As a Contemplationist, I see this as the most significant problem of all. We’re so fixated on accelerating our actions through predefined methods that we neglect to fully understand the essence of our pursuits. Classic books like “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill, a great book in many ways, have been around for over a century, yet the world population isn’t notably better off financially. We prioritize filling our glasses fast and maintaining control over our activities at almost any cost, forgetting the most fundamental truth: the glass itself matters more than how filled it is.
You Are the Glass
You are the glass. Without a profound understanding and control over your actions and desires, without a purpose-driven vision rooted in your universal truth, attempting to fill your glass is like trying to pour liquid into a vessel with a hole in the bottom. Pointless. You might succeed temporarily, but ultimately, nothing remains in the glass. How much more effort and dedication we put into it, the hole is still there and the effort vain.
Investing more of our time and energy into cultivating a sound, robust, and clear glass is crucial. A well-maintained glass requires less effort to empty and can be refilled swiftly when needed. It also ensures that when we decide to pour from it, we do so with intentionality and discernment.
I recall a time when apprentices lived and breathed their master’s craft, their dedication consuming every fibre of their being to achieve mastery. Today, even the once-revolutionary 10-day MBAs have been overshadowed by online 30-minute courses, offering superficial knowledge that doesn’t translate into true mastery. Watching a 5-minute video on wood carving doesn’t make someone a carpenter. Similarly, we are the glass—we must respect ourselves, for if we break, all our sacrifices and efforts are rendered in vain.
The glass is designed to withstand only so much strain. I had the unfortunate experience of breaking my glass. I was lucky to be given a second chance. What I learned from it can be summed up as:
- Own Your Glass
- Own what you do to fill it
- Take responsibility for it
- Prepare for the unexpected that could shatter your glass
- Empty your glass only according to your purpose-driven vision
It’s vital to pause, observe, and process what’s happening and how you’re feeling. This introspection allows you to understand your purpose-driven vision, prioritise what truly matters, and mitigate the severity of external events. What truly matters first and foremost is that you own your glass, and then understand why you fill it or decide to empty it.
Cultivate Your Glass for Lasting Fulfilment
In a world obsessed with speed and efficiency at all costs, it’s easy to lose sight of the essence of our pursuits. As The Contemplationist, I learned this lesson the hard way. Now, I advocate for a deep, purposeful approach—focusing on understanding and mastering your own glass before worrying about how full it is. By aligning your actions with a purpose-driven vision and cultivating authentic self-reflection, you can create a life of balanced fulfilment and enduring legacy.
