Leaving a local optimum takes every ounce of our resolve

The enormity of change

A local optimum is a way of life that appears better than any adjacent opportunities (jobs, homes, etc). It feels secure, but often this security is merely a construct of our minds. Making a change that shifts your life in a new direction is not only frightening, to many it requires an outside force to initiate the change. If you do decide to shake up your lifestyle, it will require every ounce of your will to make a real change. It is no trivial thing to push past the friction of your own mind’s hesitancy, and the comfort barriers that your social group has constructed.

Change is guaranteed. Everything around us changes over time, even ourselves. Growing to accept the adaption of our perception and finding harmony between this and the dynamic external world is a great life lesson. Embracing even tiny acts of rebellion against the status quo in our lives can prove to be very powerful motivational forces.

Notice the shadow of the the local optimum curve on the wall behind the surface. It is no coincidence that the shadow is the Dip.

Delay too long, and the local optimum flips

We have have to be aware that eventually the local optimum will become a pit. Over time we’ll want more out of life. Our hearts and minds will require greater challenges. But if we persist too long in a compromise, one that limits our calling and passion, we lose the ability to leave it. We lose the ability to adapt to new challenges, and new places. We lose our passion.

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