Making Sense of Not-Yet-Success
M. Zakyuddin Munziri
@zakiego
Originally written in Bahasa Indonesia.
In life, not everything we want can be achieved easily. Some things take longer than we think.
If everything we wanted could come true at once, we might still be in bed right now (—asleep, in a dream).
To this day, there are things I want to achieve but haven't yet, even though I've invested time to learn them, including:
- Typing fluently with all ten fingers
- Mastering the Golang and Rust programming languages
I feel like I've tried to learn touch typing several times. Enthusiastic for a while, before that enthusiasm fades, and ending up the same as before—typing with whatever fingers I please.
However, instead of condemning myself by saying "IÂ can't," I prefer to tell myself that "IÂ can't yet." And then, when the desire returns, I will gladly try to learn it again.
There is a fundamental difference between the words "not yet" and "not."
When saying "not," an interpretation arises within: "I simply cannot do it, I'm not talented, and because I'm not talented, I won't try to learn it anymore."
Whereas "not yet" is different—it suggests more positive energy within, that we still have room and willingness to become "able." Starting from the belief that with harder work, the ending will turn out as beautiful as we wished.
This isn't about talent. Besides, I don't care much about talent. I believe it's all about how sincerely we invest our time and energy in a field we want to pursue.
Individuals who believe their talents can be developed (through hard work, good strategies, and input from others) have a growth mindset. They tend to achieve more than those with a more fixed mindset (those who believe their talents are innate gifts). This is because they worry less about looking smart and they put more energy into learning.
Completed in Pelaihari, April 27, 2022 8:16 AM
