WTFWJCVDD – Edition Nineteen, Johnnie Walker Blue Label Series – Part Two

Remember when you were just a kid, dreaming about being an astronaut, becoming the president of the United States, or holding hands with Jessica Sweeny under the desk? Me too. I remember an assignment in class where we had to draw what we wanted to be when we grew up. Some made drawings as a professional basketball player dunking over Michael Jordan, while others depicted themselves as doctors or the classy Jean Claude Van Damme. It was all so magical at such a distant age – we could point to an occupation and pretend it was real because we had a seemingly infinite amount of time. The conflict surfaces when that pretend becomes reality, when real decisions have to be made.

But the real issue goes deeper than just deciding which drawing you want to step out of. It’s anchored by the timing of your actions and accomplishments. A nine year old with a solid pitching arm may be impressive, but if in high school he still throws the same speed, he’s not so impressive. Similarly, a forty year old that makes his first million through investments is notable, but a twenty year old that makes their first million due to a clever invention or innovative business idea is remarkable and inspiring. We all hope to work towards the accomplishment of that forty year old, but I’ve always wanted to be more impressive than that. The problem is as time goes by, the potential window for these early accomplishments dwindles. What’s considered a remarkable accomplishment at one point simply becomes a normal expectation later on.

I’ve always enjoyed being the youngest in a group for this reason. The older you are, the more others expect of you. Additionally, if you can exceed the expectations of an older participant, then you can be considered extraordinary. This can be applied in a basketball game when you school the bigger, older players or by learning to go to the bathroom in a toilet by the age of four, instead of in your pants like one of my friends – who tends to only do that on the weekends for some reason.

In the end, we have less control over these decisions than we realize. I was forced to take piano lessons as a kid and I hated every minute of it, but I now wish I had continued to play. I would like to speak another language, or two, and could have learned so much more easily at a younger age, but I didn’t embrace the opportunity the way I would today. That’s the ironic part, when you’re young and life is easier (relative to now) there is so much potential, but when you realize what you would have liked to do, it’s almost too late because life is so much more complicated with everyday obligations. I suppose it’s not really until you have accumulated enough experiences though that you really start to know what it is you want. Time goes by fast, but it’s there for you to use as you choose.

It is not too late though. You need to embrace the simple mindset of a child to accomplish these unnecessary, yet desirable accomplishments as an adult. If you want to learn to play the guitar, learn to play one step at a time. It’s so easy to say I want to do something and then forget about it (like that STD test I’ve been meaning to get), but if you really want it, make it simple. So figure out what you need to do and do it, little by little if necessary. I have to go make an appointment now, what do you have to do?

Until the next Kumate…

For your consideration:
If what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, then how does everyone know that being in Vegas is such a good time?