Doing The Obvious

In the previous post, I wrote that noticing the obvious is about one thing: optimism.

Why? What does that mean?

Let's start by understanding the most obvious thing, of course by asking ChatGPT.

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I like that!

I think I can go further. I think there is something even more obvious than "the thing that is right in front of you," and at the risk of violating the instruction found in my favourite quote attributed to Albert Einstein: "Make things as simple as possible, but no simpler," I'm going to brieftly go there. (But I'll come back!)

So what's even more obvious than "the thing that is right in front of you?"

Well... You!

That's it. The most obvious thing is you.

If we go further than that, looking at obvious things, we may start questioning everything—reality, logic, identity, even our own ability to ask the question using language. We find what our ancient ancestors have known for thousands of years: the deepest truth hides in plain sight, disguised as the obvious.

Exploring that whole journey can be interesting, and fulfilling, but since this blog post is about you—the reader—and how to improve your work life (otherwise what's the point in wasting time reading this?) let's respect Einstein's wish to make things as simple as possible, but no simpler, and stop (or start) our exploration at the most obvious thing:

The self.

1. Understand that you are a human, and the most advanced and evolved of all animals on the planet.

Don't go on to the next step until you understand this. If you don't currently understand this, don't expect to understand it immediately.

If you do understand this, if you suddenly thought about what you are, and took a conscious breath, and noticed the air going into your lungs, and connected with your self for a brief moment, and noticed the systems in your body operating automatically from head to toe, like clockwork, then you probably understand how special you are.

2. Now let's look at the next obvious thing, how the AI language model put it: "the thing that is right in front of you, so familiar and fundamental that you overlook it."

   
   

   Most people reading this will probably identify themselves through their job, and you will probably be the same. You will have a job as an employee (you will have a boss and/or you will be a boss to others), or you will work as a freelance contractor, or you will be a business owner, or you will be unemployed looking for work. Now the big question: do you like it? Do you like your work situation? If yes, continue! Please feel free to share your story with me. I love meeting people who like what they do. If no, then I invite you to do the obvious.

   
   

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Doing the Obvious

You've noticed the obvious.

You're human. You're the most evolved creature on the planet. You look outside and see the sun, or if it's dark you don't—and that's because the plannet is spinning, at a titled angle to give you day and night. It spins because of gravity, inertia, the results of cosmic activities, gas cloud collapsing billions of years ago—physics doing its thing. Why physics? Why laws at all? That takes us to the Big Bang, staring at a universe that exists because… well, it does. The obvious: things exist.

Before bringing it back to you being human, let's first look at humans in general.

Notice, the city around you. The gas clouds didn't form office buildings, train stations, airports, and highways. Humans made them—which means, at some point in the past they did not exist. At some point in the past, our ancestors were savages feeling from the forces of nature which they had not yet learned to control, and trying to satisfy supernatural beings that were only creations of their own superstitious fear. Today, all the past achievements of humans are ours to use; and what's more, their day-dreams have become our clear realities.

If you've really noticed all of the above obvious things, then you can't help but feel optimistic about the journey humanity will take moving upwards.

The trick is, how to involve yourself and be a part of that journey upwards.

And now, finally back to you looking to improve your work life, ready to do the obvious. (Being the obvious may be too abstract, so let's start by doing it.)

So what's the obvious thing to do? In a sentence: align yourself with the good that's already happening.

How? By using optimism as fuel. For some concrete guidelines, check out my previous blog post on the benefits of optimism, and some words that will help you discover the optimism you already have.. but may have been lost because it was too obvious!