This is a freewrite on my sick bed. No, I'm not exactly 'really sick', just a really wicked headache, watery eyes and overall muscle weakness that has persisted for hours. Reminds me of all the symptoms of Malaria. I promise I'll go to the pharmacist's by morning. Note to self: Get well soon.
So tonight, I was thinking about the phrase "settling for less" and what it meant. A few minutes on Google brought up plenty of query results that talked about why it's a terrible idea to settle for less, with most of those articles really focused on dating and relationships. Great articles though, all of them. However, I did wish there was more to it, beyond just relationships, and beyond justifying a single cliché perspective: Never settle for less.
Humans have always had the tendency to focus on one side of a thing, completely ignoring the other part. And I believe that the term "settling for less" might have been negatively presented from the get go.
As is with most things in life, it's not so much about having the head knowledge as it is about having the wisdom to decide what to do and when to do it. Hence, I do feel the need for balance and perhaps, moderation when we discuss such matters.
There is a sweet spot between settling for less and pushing for more. It's part of the learning and buildup process. How do you know when to settle and when to keep pushing? How do you balance both extremes to achieve concise and realistic set-goals?
I think the ability to choose is one of the greatest forms of all freedoms. And given the choice to make, it's up to us to decide if we want to settle or persist. On a grand scale, maybe there's no less and there's no more. Maybe there's no wrong choice at all. Maybe it's about our interpretation of things. Do we really need this for the time being? Are we really happy with the decision we've made? Is it easy to disconnect and keep moving forward whenever we want to?
Simply Settling for less/more With Time.
It's hard to explain, but all of life is seemingly intertwined. Knowing when to settle is just as important as beginning the quest. Life is in stages and perhaps settling is in stages too. It doesn't have to mean losing or winning immediately. It might have more to do with contentment, the consistency of growth and the climb to success.
For example, climbing a corporate ladder in today's world means going through different levels based on a number of factors. These factors may include years of experience on the job, level of expertise and self development, productivity, creativity, sales, and a set of other important skill sets. No matter how good you are at something, you may not quickly rise to the top without following the due process of growth with time. Your valuation, after all, will only increase with each delivery, and with time.
Hence, even though you're overqualified, you might have to settle for a short time and grab onto something that's moving forward. This period may be critical to helping you gain the experiences you'll be needing for the next level.
Take what you will from this post. There's no manual to life and this means that not every said or written rule will work for everyone.
Simple settle when you have to, when you need to. for the time being. No more, no less.