Thought:
Why The Concept Of ‘Optionality’ Is Stopping Us From Pursuing Our Goals.
In an essay called The Trouble with Optionality, Harvard professor Mihir Desai explains it:
“When you hold an option, and the world moves with you, you enjoy the benefits; when the world moves against you, you are shielded from the bad outcome since you are not obligated to do anything. Optionality is the state of enjoying possibilities without being on the hook to do anything.”
Are we not becoming victims of too much information and options? Hasn’t it become harder to commit to one thing because of the surplus of choices? Could it be that our fear of missing out on these new shiny options have paralyzed us from commitment?
I certainly feel so. I see myself falling victim to this new culture known as ‘optionality’. This concept emanated from the world of finance but now seems to affect every facet of our lives.
I also see this thinking with our kids. Whether they are millennials or Gen Z, they unconsciously seem to veer towards this risk-averse concept. Today, most teens are not in a relationship; instead, they’d rather have a ‘thing’ and don’t want to be labelled as anyone’s boyfriend or girlfriend. They don’t commit to any field or subject; instead, they leave doors open to many possibilities.
Optionality is paralyzing as it stops us from taking risks, making heart-felt choices and, most importantly, committing to the things and people we love. It’s not only the younger generation who are using optionality as an excuse but us adults too. As a result, we are going around sideways, not upwards or even downwards. At least when down, we can reassess our goals and strategy.
Read more here.
Podcast:
Stephen Fry, writer, actor, director and comedian reveals a lot about his struggles and the ways he has reinvented himself constantly in a conversation with Steven Bartlett on “The Diary Of A CEO” Podcast.
Several insights stuck with me:
Many of us carry scars from our childhood and through no fault of our own feel like outsiders and carry that with us throughout our adult lives.
Fry’s honest and humble views on depression give us a perspective from someone who’s on the inside. He’s one of the most celebrated British media icons and yet he’s had to battle the ups and downs of being a bipolar.
Acceptance: One he’d accepted that he had a bipolar condition and that there was no way of fighting it, or blaming himself, his life started changing. He took the right medication, and managed his ups and downs to enjoy the great success he has achieved.
Quote:
I do not like the idea of happiness — it is too momentary. I would say that I was always busy and interested in something — interest has more meaning to me than the idea of happiness—Georgia O'Keeffe
With a week left to the deadline for a long critical paper for my MFA program, I was almost finished. But then disaster struck. As I reread the requirements, I realized I had misinterpreted the guidelines. I had to start from fresh.
Luckily, it was Easter weekend. I had no work. My family was away, so I had the house to myself for five days. Just me, my laptop, and the cat. I worked 10-hour days reading, writing, and rewriting—and somehow made the deadline.
I didn’t shave, barely showered, and never left my house. I was exhausted; I slept on the sofa close to my desk.
I only wrote, ate, and slept.
I spilt all my sweat, guts and blood to get my paper in on time. I did all that, and would be willing to do it again and again, because I loved what I was doing—writing.
There was no happiness during that weekend. I suffered. But I was so interested in what I was doing that time just flew by.