Hello👋 folks, Shubham here.
Today’s newsletter is quite interesting.
I will be talking about how the value of things changes with time.
Without further ado let’s begin.
Number🔢 of Followers
James Clear, the author of the famous book Atomic Habits, said that when he first began to write publicly it took him three months to reach one thousand followers. It was a huge milestone that surged his excitement and motivation.
He celebrated the achievement with his family and girlfriend.
A few years later, one thousand followers were signing up daily to read his content. Ideally, this should cheer any content creator, however, James wasn't exhilarated anymore.
He says it all felt normal. He didn't even update his loved ones with the latest numbers.
Statistically, his audience was growing ninety percent faster than before yet he was experiencing little pleasure over it.
So often in life, we neglect to acknowledge the accomplishment which we once dreamt of.
Why?
Because initially, we assume the goal isn’t within our reach, that’s what makes it desirable. However once we do attain it, it loses its appeal because we were able to achieve it which means the goal wasn’t that glorious, to begin with.
It’s kind of counterintuitive, I hope you get my point.
When James began writing, he didn’t know his work will be such a hit. Having a thousand followers was a big thing for an amateur writer.
But when the followers kept on increasing, the numbers became irrelevant.
Eventually, James realized the magnitude of his achievement.
Having thousands of followers was his elusive dream and it was absurd not to celebrate it :)
Money Money Money 💸
Growing up, I was a firm believer that more money meant more happiness.
A while back I would have gladly sacrificed my soul to make some extra bucks.
However, with time I realized how rigged that belief was.
If you don't have the time, energy, or people to share it with, what's the point in having tons of cash lying idle in your bank account?
I have seen people working 24*7 like robots deteriorating their lifestyle, health, and relationships without pondering the long-term consequences of their decisions.
Yes, money does provide a sense of security. Additionally, some of us are bound by the circumstances to make added cash.
Accepted. But there's a threshold after which one could relax.
If making money is your top priority I have nothing against you. In fact, I wish you all the best in your venture.
But please don’t trade it for the complete ownership of your life.
Have time to talk to loved ones, go on vacations, chill with your friends—enjoy life.
College🎓 Degree
A decade ago, a college degree meant a lot. Your quality of life could be predicted directly by the college you went to. Therefore going to a good college correlated to a successful career.
However, that’s not true anymore.
Students from tier-2 or tier-3 colleges are being placed in top MNCs, while students from good colleges are struggling to get jobs.
The Internet has leveled the playing field.
People can learn anything on the go.
Any student can garner expertise in any discipline, all they need is the will to learn.
There are numerous websites providing myriad of courses at an affordable price.
Bloggers are learning to code to build their websites, and programmers are studying copywriting.
It’s a crazy time to be alive.
You can basically learn anything on YouTube/Reddit - Elon Musk
I believe graduating from a reputed college does gives you better placement opportunities but it doesn’t guarantee you the job for life.
If you study in an average college, you can still fight the big boys for the top posts.
Again I am not encouraging you to aim for a mediocre college or drop out of your course. The point is we are living in a world with endless possibilities.
You can switch careers or fields anytime you fancy. Haven’t you seen the rise of content creators and freelancers in different domains?
Glassdoor found that tech companies like Apple , Google and IBM also don't need a college degree to get a job. In fact, Google did courses for the Google Career Certificate, which is a half-year program that prepares participants for jobs in demand.
So if you are using a college degree as an excuse, I believe you need a deep introspection.
Signing off for today :) Until next time, Houdoe! 🙋♂️