I don’t know if you’ve noticed it, but Western culture sure loves efficiency.

In the time-is-money paradigm we find ourselves in, getting from Point A to Point B should always be the quickest, cheapest, and (supposedly) best route possible. After all, our time and resources are limited, so anything deviating from that…just doesn’t make sense.

But in recent years, this need for speed has gone into overdrive.

Pushing ourselves harder and faster, our egos absorb this efficiency, and our productivity becomes our identity. Although the internet declared hustle culture dead at the pandemic’s start, we still humblebrag on social media about getting there first, winning that contest, or losing that weight. The likes, comments, and virtual adoration keep us in the positive feedback loop of bigger, better, faster, more.

The fallout of this?

We begin to think that those who are on a less linear path are, well, aimless. Purposeless. Lost.

We judge silently. And we judge harshly.

But here’s the thing: for the hyper-efficient, the joke’s on us.

Because the J.R.R. Tolkien quote of “Not all those who wander are lost” drops some serious wisdom.

Here are three reasons why:

1. Life is bigger than getting from Point A to Point B. As humans, we tend to be myopic. We tend to think that our current issue at hand is the only issue at hand and that nothing else matters. But life has other stories, other details woven into its fabric that can serve us, if we pay attention.

For instance, say you needed to pick up some fruit at the local grocery store located one block away. It wouldn’t make sense to take a twenty-block detour. That would waste time and resources. But it’s a beautiful Spring day, and you figure why not enjoy the weather a bit? Then suppose while on that twenty-block detour, you met the love of your life? Then, in the grand scheme of things, wouldn’t that twenty-block detour save you years of dating the wrong people? Wouldn’t it actually be more efficient and important?

2. Our brains are bigger than getting from Point A to Point B. Our brains make hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of new neural connections per day. Going back to the twenty-block detour example, you might actually make new connections about what’s going on in a certain neighborhood. Whatever you saw or learned, those new neural connections may alter your perception or the story of that place and the people who reside in it. Like details planted early in a movie, information gained in those scenes may come back later in different circumstances.

3. Sometimes the most productivity comes from wandering. Visionaries understand the importance of taking non-linear routes. For instance, Steve Jobs took a gap year in 1974 to travel and study meditation in India. In not racing to start his illustrious career, he took some time to gain experience and perspective. It is said that he learned some harsh truths about the world, and that he became a Buddhist. Upon returning to the U.S. to found Apple, his experience in India helped him to create the unique culture of the tech giant which eventually transformed the world.

As much as we’d like for it to be otherwise, growth can be circuitous. It can involve many unforeseen twists and turns that can challenge and throw us out of our comfort zones. The key is to learn from those who wander. As Tolkien implies, it’s not that some people are purposeless; they could just be answering to something greater.

In Season 3 of Cobra Kai, Johnny visits Miguel in the hospital after he has suffered a major injury. Miguel is in bed, and he can’t walk. He tries to grab his phone which is out of reach. Johnny asks him if he wants it, Miguel says yes, and he pushes his phone away and tells Miguel to get up and get it.

Johnny makes the point that the world isn’t just going to hand Miguel what he wants, even if he can’t walk. He says, “You want something, you’ll have to crawl across the floor, use your damn teeth if you have to.”

While Miguel is unable to get his phone across the floor when he tries, what Johnny said to him is right. Life isn’t going to hand you anything. And if you want something bad enough, you’ve got to work for it. There is no easy path and nothing worth having comes easy.

When we go through our darkest times, it is easy for us to lose sight of all the times we have gotten back up when life kicked us down.

There is a clip called “Good” from Jocko Willink’s podcast that I love. He basically says that if you are still here and still breathing, you still have some fight left in you.

Strength is a concept with many definitions, but the word “strong” comes up frequently when people are going through tough situations. “You are stronger than you think” refers to the fact that people often sell themselves short on how much they can handle. So, what does it mean to be “strong”?

What It Means to Be “Strong”

Being strong doesn’t always mean working out every day to have a strong body. Mental strength is our ability to cope with stress, challenges, and difficult circumstances effectively. It includes our ability to be resilient and our ability to differentiate between rational and emotional thought.

7 Ways That You are Stronger Than You Think

We often think that we can handle a lot less than we actually can, but when it comes down to it, we can make it through and have made it through a lot of difficult and trying situations. Read on for seven ways you are stronger than you think.

You Made It This Far

Think back on all the difficult circumstances and situations you’ve been through in the past that you thought you would never survive. Those times felt impossible to get through, but you made it through those times to get to where you are right now. You are strong for making it this far and continuing to fight your battles every day.

You Are Resilient

When you go through hard times, you recover quickly and continue pushing forward. You don’t let past challenges prevent you from making progress and getting to where you want to go in life. You are resilient and have learned to cope effectively with physical and mental stress.

You Change and Adapt

If things aren’t going well, you take action to change your circumstances. You adapt to the situation you’re in and gain new skills that allow you to thrive. While it might take you some time to adapt and change, the process of changing makes you stronger as well.

You Take Care of Yourself

We often take for granted how difficult it truly is to take care of ourselves. You have to make time every day to shower, brush your teeth, get a good night’s sleep, make meals, do your laundry, etc. That isn’t easy, but you do it because it needs to be done. You are strong for taking care of yourself. 

You Stand Up for Your Beliefs

Everyone has a different way of looking at the world. You have beliefs that you stand up for no matter what, and that makes you strong. Standing firm in what you believe is difficult especially when people challenge you on your beliefs. When you defend your beliefs, you reaffirm what you believe and become even stronger.

You Learn from Your Mistakes

Making mistakes is unavoidable. Everyone makes mistakes every day. When you make a mistake, you use it as a learning opportunity and find ways to improve. You use your mistakes to seek out opportunities to develop your skills and learn how to avoid them in the future.

You Find the Good in Every Day

Life is hard in general. You are alive and are going through the challenges of living in today’s world, but somehow, you still find things to be joyful about. You have found activities and hobbies that allow you to enjoy life. You’ve found people to surround yourself with that make you happy. You are strong for being positive and making the most out of life.

Whenever you are going through the trials of life, remember that you are stronger than you think. You have the power and strength to get through your current situation and come out on top.

Franklin D. Roosevelt said this quote during his 1932 presidential campaign and repeated by many speakers.

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) was the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 to 1945, who led America through a great depression and World War II while implementing new economic measures to help restore hope and prosperity to the people.

Everyone will encounter a difficult time in their life and there are moments when things just won’t go our way. These tough times may cause us to feel sad, lonely, lost, afraid, and unsure of moving forward on our journey. And many of us tend to give up when hard times come.

This quote is a call to action for us when things are tough:

1. When you reach the end of your rope – this is when hope has been exhausted, and you may be inclined to give up and quit.

2. Tie a knot in it and hang on – this is the moment when hopelessness is cut off, and a renewing of hope is being reestablished.

Reestablishing Hope

The physical and mental effects of feeling hopeful can be exhilarating. A few steps to restore hope will help you feel hopeful again once implemented. Here are seven ways to reestablish your hope:

1. Define your why. Defining your why helps to define your purpose. This will be inspirational not only to you but to others.

2. Focus on the good. Creating a vision board is a great way to focus on what’s good in your life. One side of your board can be your current state – things that you have right now that are good about your life. The second half of the board will be your desired state – things that you still want and are working towards. Look at this board every day and focus on your current and desired state wants.

3. Be grateful. Take out three to five minutes a day to write what you’re thankful for and go back and read it at the end of each week.

4. Be patient. Being patient and kind to yourself means taking the time you need to grow and fully restore your hope. This may not happen overnight but be patient and know that you are on your journey.

5. Stay strong. Reach out to people who are part of your tribe that may have overcome a tough time and talk about what they have gone through and how they restored hope. Read books and stories of people who have overcome extenuating odds. This will help you to stay strong and keep the course.

6. Keep score. Keep score each week of the good things you have accomplished. Review the list at the end of each month so that you can see all the great things you have accomplished.

7. Remain true to yourself. Listen to your inner voice. When something feels off or goes against who you are, it will feel uncomfortable. When it feels good to you on the inside, and you feel happy and exhilarated, it’s good for you. Follow the good feelings and remain faithful to what feels good to you.

In the movie Inception, Dom Cobb, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, is the protagonist who specializes in extracting information. He accomplishes this by infiltrating his target’s dreams and stealing the information from them. He also has the ability to plant ideas into a person’s mind.

In the movie, Cobb is saying that a single idea in the human brain can take root, transform the world and rewrite all the rules. Everything we have in our world today, came from a single idea that someone had.

When you look at pop culture, so many incredible shows that we enjoy came from a single idea. Vince Gillian, creator of Breaking Bad, said that the idea for the show was born out of a conversation he had with a friend when he was broke. They were joking around on the phone, wondering what they should do next. And in recalling that conversation, he said he asked his friend, “Should we be greeters at Wal-Mart? Should we put a meth lab in the back of an R.V. and cook meth and drive around the southwest? And that image…I don’t know, it just stuck with me.”

That single idea created one of the best television shows in history.

The idea for the book Twilight, written by author Stephenie Myer, came to her from a dream. This idea spawned several books and movies for the series.

Never underestimate the power of an idea, even if it seems small. If it resonates with you, nurture it and see where it goes. Who knows? Your idea can become part of our culture or can change the world.

Most of us love staying in our comfort zone. Resisting change is an absolute human tendency.

Our comfort zone provides us a safety net that minimizes stress and risk. It offers us mental security, benefitting our nervous system and putting our bodies at ease.

On the other hand, our bodies innately dislike change. Anything unfamiliar causes us discomfort. So, we resist and resent changes.

However, the problem is when we resist change that is good for us. Have you ever wanted to step out of your comfort zone to do something awesome for yourself, but it was too hard? Maybe something like telling your crush you liked them or asking your boss for a raise.

That’s the limitation with staying in your comfort zone and resisting change: you miss out on the changes that help you grow in life. Without change, how can you invite something more exciting and better into your life?

So how can you practice being open to change, even if it means painful endings, in order to step out of your comfort zone?

1. Master your emotions. When you move out of your comfort zone, you might feel anxious or afraid. Know that this is normal and completely human. You feel this way because you’ve never done this before. Acknowledge it and focus on moving forward anyway, even if it is in baby steps.

2. Reframe your thoughts. It’s natural to be afraid of endings. But, rather than thinking of the negative, scary possibilities, think of the positive possible outcomes.

If you are upset about something not working out, think of the good things that might come out of this ending. Often, we cannot see the positive possibilities when we are extremely emotional or afraid. Step out of this fear and challenge yourself to think of all the good things that might come your way!

3. Celebrate. This might be difficult but try celebrating the painful ending. Appreciate the experience that you were blessed with having. This will rewire your brain to consider this ending as something good! After every storm is a rainbow, so it is a reason to celebrate.

4. Get comfortable with discomfort. Get used to being outside your comfort zone. That is where all the magic happens. The more you are open to change, the less painful it will feel. Practice spending time in discomfort.

For example, if you are meeting someone new at a party, talk to them for slightly longer than you are comfortable. Get used to that area past what is comfortable.

5. Let go and be open to change. Sometimes things do not go the way you expected. And that is okay. Accept it. Let go of what you planned or what was. Be open to the change and the good things that come from endings. Remember, a phoenix always emerges from the ashes.

Remember, for anything new to come into your life, space has to be made. And that can often mean the end of something. The next time you feel like you are going through a painful ending, switch your perspective and consider the good that can come out of this in the long run.

When your life begins to feel a little too predictable, mundane, or even boring, you may find yourself yearning to make some changes. Maybe you dream about moving to a different part of the world or going back to school to continue your education. You might feel drawn to pursue a higher calling or transform your body with some healthy new lifestyle habits.

However, even as a deeper part of you yearns for change, another part of you might also continue to cling to the ordinary because it’s all you have ever known. You might keep hesitating to take that leap of faith because it feels too big or too risky. You might worry about the possibility of failure, and the disappointment that would inevitably follow. You might wonder if your family and friends would think you are crazy for even attempting such a feat.

Uncertainties like these can keep you hanging in a state of limbo for years, feeling dissatisfied and knowing that you want more, but also being held back by fear. Continuing to ignore your feelings of dissatisfaction will only cause them to grow stronger and more insistent over time. In fact, they can become so uncomfortable that you might find yourself trying to numb them with unhealthy habits or keeping yourself busy or distracted so you don’t have to think about facing your fears.

The good news is that you can acclimate yourself to the idea of living that adventurous life by using the power of your imagination. Rather than forcing yourself to take action before you feel ready, start by fine-tuning your vision of that life you crave.

Imagine right now that you could wave a magic wand over any area of your life and create whatever you wanted. If there were no limits whatsoever, what would you create? Think about your residence, your work, your relationships, your own body. Which of these areas could use a refresh, and what might that look like? Spend time each day asking yourself questions, such as: “What would make me most happy? What do I really want? Why do I want it? How would it feel to have it?”

Allow your mind to roam and consider the many possibilities that exist for you. Give yourself permission to daydream and bask in the feelings of joy that your vision inspires. Imagine it in full detail, engaging all of your senses. The more you do this, your vision will continue to become clearer and clearer, and your excitement and confidence will begin to grow. You will reclaim the knowing that you deserve to be happy in your life, just like everyone else, and you will develop a stronger belief that your dream is actually possible for you.

Eventually, you will generate a powerful positive momentum, and your enthusiasm will become irresistible and overshadow any fears that were holding you back. From this higher perspective, you will see that some amount of risk is absolutely worthwhile if it sets you upon a pathway that can lead you to everything you have ever desired.

In the movie The Matrix, Morpheus explains what the matrix is to Neo. He explains it as the world that has been pulled over your eyes, to blind you from the truth.  He describes it as a prison for your mind.

We are all faced with having to decide whether we really want to know the truth about something. In a post last year, I talked about how you cannot wake a person who’s pretending to be asleep. For some of us, the truth is too much to bear. We would rather stay asleep and not acknowledge what is really happening.

In the case of the matrix, the character Cypher betrays his friends after making a deal with Agent Smith to be put back into the matrix. In the movie, those who take the red pill are considered free because they know the truth. However, Cypher feels that the matrix is more real than the reality he is living in.

While I believe that it is always best to know the truth and what is real, there will always be those who don’t feel the same way. What would you take? The red pill? Or the blue pill?