3–2–1 Design · Issue 81
The Small Effort No One Sees
It is easy to look composed from the outside.
Most of the effort happens somewhere no one else can see.
There is usually a very human reason for that.
Most of the effort happens somewhere no one else can see.
There is usually a very human reason for that.
3 Thoughts From Me
I.
Confidence is often something you step into.
You speak before you feel settled.
You press send while still adjusting the words in your head.
You steady your voice and hope it holds.
No one sees the few seconds of quiet beforehand.
II.
There is the age people think you are.
Then there is the age you feel in different rooms.
You can feel experienced in one conversation.
Completely new in the next.
It is not always clear which version of you is leading.
III.
Momentum is not always dramatic.
Sometimes it is replying when you feel flat.
Opening the file again.
Keeping your name in the thread.
Doing the small thing so you do not drift too far.
Underneath it is a simple need.
To feel that you still belong.
2 Quotes From Others
I.
On courage
“Courage is very important. Like a muscle, it is strengthened by use.”
(Interview, 1979)
It helps to remember that bravery can be quiet and repeated.
II.
On growing older
“You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to get old.”
(Interview, 1986)
There is something steady in knowing that age does not get the final say on who you are becoming.
1 Question For You
Where are you quietly keeping something going, even if it feels small?
With thanks,
David
David
P.S. Behind the effort to stay confident and in motion, there is often just the wish to matter.
That is a very ordinary and very human wish.
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— Dm
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