Semper Creando (or Always Creating)
There were once three salesmen in a shop which sold shoes and bags: Jorge, Antonio and Gerardo. The owner of this shop was a burly, middle-aged man whom everyone called Paco. One day, Paco thought to himself, “I have had these three bright young men under my tutelage for six years now and I have taught them everything I know. It is time I see whether they can fly on their own.” With that thought, Jorge gathered some of his best products and called all three in, saying “I am taking a holiday. Take these shoes and bags and do with them what you may. I’d be back in a month and we would discuss then.” Without any further explanation, he proceeded to share the stock amongst the three in a proportion he thought commensurate to their value to his business. Jorge got 55% of the stock, Antonio got 30% and Gerardo got 15%.
This story should now be starting to sound familiar. It is a depiction of the Parable of the Talents, from the Bible. Jorge and Antonio ended up multiplying their allocated stock value while Gerardo was paralyzed by fear and opted not to do anything, instead returning Paco’s untouched stock to him upon his return. As the parable goes, Paco gave Jorge and Antonio even more stock while all was taken from Gerardo, as he was cast away for his unproductiveness. Thus, Jorge and Antonio created more wealth for themselves and Paco while Gerardo didn’t fulfil his power to create wealth. Even as Gerardo created nothing, he inadvertently created suffering and regret for himself instead.
As the new year rolled in, I spent some time reflecting on 2021 in a bid to learn from the past. What goals did I meet and which didn’t I? What brought the most joy? What brought the most pain? In what areas do I want to do better? As I reflected on these, my eyes drifted over to my collection of books and Tony Hsieh’s “Delivering Happiness” (a birthday gift last year from a dear friend) piqued my interest. “What does it mean to deliver happiness?”, I asked myself. At first thought, to deliver happiness would ordinarily imply that happiness already exists at some station and what is needed is a pipeline of sorts to deliver it to the needed station (in this case, me). But what do I do if happiness does not already exist? Do I tow Gerardo’s path and do nothing? Or do I seek other ways to create it?
But what do I do if happiness does not already exist?
Amidst all the open-ended questions the title of Hsieh’s book raised, it is clear to me that the times that bring the most joy are those in which I am creating, while working, writing or in my relationships with others. At the same time, creating brings its own teething, growing pains and one must be ready for both sides of the knife if progress is to be made. Deciding where we spend our time is key. Charlie Munger is quoted as saying: “Where should we devote our limited time in life, to achieve the most success? Operate in areas where you’ve built up useful skills and knowledge that give you an advantage over others”.
If you are like me, you are happiest when you feel like you are doing your best work and contributing meaningfully. If we encourage more trust and communication amongst members of an organization to improve the culture, why then do we not apply that to ourselves, to create an environment (internal and external) in which we can do our best work? In my case, having regular outlets for my creative spirit and learning new things keeps my creative machine oiled. I find that feeding our need to create has a multiplier effect, especially on how we see the world. It takes back the power which we sometimes lose when we completely yield to routine. It also improves our emotional, mental and spiritual health.
We are always in the process of creating, actively or passively. Whether a career, a product, a business, a company, a life, a family or a momentary experience, we combine parts to form a whole, often without being fully aware. As we bring together different creations, different pieces of the puzzle, to form new ones through the inter-relationships between parts, we have the power to determine outcomes far beyond the present. To create is to craft, to make from nothing, to sculpt, to move or to influence. Often, the act of creating is in active curation. I believe that is our purpose on earth: to create things, experiences, meaning and lives. To not acknowledge our power to create good in the world is to let God down.
We are always in the process of creating, actively or passively.
It is then important to be conscious of what it is we are creating and then seek to have more control over the creative process. The hardest part is accepting full responsibility for past actions and results. It is hard because it goes at odds with whatever grand ideas of self we have built up and instead cuts us down to size. Real progress is often aided by humility and sometimes the only way to go up is to go down. This may entail re-strategizing and finding an entirely different route. Stepping back to create a new experience rather than looking for the closest someone (or something) to blame. A mindset of continuous creation exists in the presence of hope and is hindered by fear.
Creating is hard work and it is normal to have doubts as to whether what we create is good enough. In these times, we have to remember Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s admonition in her speech to Harvard Seniors in 2018: “Ignorance acknowledged is an opportunity; ignorance denied is a closed door. And it takes courage to admit to the truth of what you do not know… You cannot create anything of value without both self-doubt and self-belief. Without self-doubt, you become complacent; without self-belief, you cannot succeed”. This is vital as we need self-doubt to keep us on the edge of effort and self-belief to continuously drive the value of that effort. Adichie went on to say that “There is work to be done. There are tarnished things that need to shine again. There are broken things that need to be made whole again.”
Real progress is often aided by humility and sometimes the only way to go up is to go down.
The story of Jorge, Antonio and Gerardo highlights that while we may not all be created with equal levels of gifts, natural talent or aptitude, we are all given everything we need to do what we are called to do. It also highlights that our work here on earth can be seen as divine, if viewed from the perspective of being a higher calling. While we may choose whether to do the work, we will in some way be held accountable for how we use our gifts to fulfill this calling. The difference between being called and doing is then our acknowledgement of our unique situations in life, adopting the lens of hope and going ahead to put in the work towards creating, whatever that means to us.
As the new year begins, may it be kind to us all. I hope this serves as a reminder that your unique perspective matters. What you bring to the table matters. Keep iterating, keep honing your craft and keep adapting to move forward as you get new information. Keep creating.
Semper creando!
