Life Off Script

I've seen a number of graphics representing the twists and turns in life that don't follow the 'typical script'. I especially like this one shared by LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky , representing the non-linear career path.

But on a grander scale, life as a whole is full of plot twists that often come in unexpected ways and times. In the post, I referenced a video (link below) that really made me ponder the 'unexpected' nature of these plot twists. What WAS I expecting and why? Without ever giving it much thought, I just kind of assumed life would unfold in a somewhat predictable manner - even as I type this, I realize how ridiculous that sounds, but it's what I experienced. Sure, I knew there could be and are major catastrophes in life, but I guess I was living in a state of denial or blind optimism that it would happen to others and not me. In any case, I got really curious about these graphics and the linear path labeled "What you think should happen"; "the way people think it looks"; "expectation vs reality"

As I paid more attention to this type of content, it made me realize a few things

1. If there are SO MANY visuals and blogs about this, there must be millions of people who have this misaligned script or expectation in their head
2. My expectations were far from reality, and I'm not even quite sure how I developed those unrealistic expectations in the first place
3. The gap in my expectations to what was actually occurring in my life exacerbated my frustration (I pretty much set myself up for disappointment if I expect things to go my way most of the time...)
4. This 'valley of disappointment,' as James Clear puts it, can be a catalyst for major change when built-up potential can be unleashed to catapult past previous plateaus.

Point 3 is where the Brachistochrone Curve comes into play. Life seems to follow the physics playbook here. The dips in our lives can be a place where we build up steam and momentum to accelerate to the goal faster than if we had taken the shorter and straighter route.

Just as the video below explains, it would appear that in our early years, most of us adopt a life script that follows a fairytale-type path that doesn't seem to actually exist outside of movies and stories. This, of course, doesn't mean life is all bad, not at all - but our expectations and perspectives determine whether we bounce back from these experiences and use them as catalysts for change.

This is how the Mindworx, if we expect our life to follow a certain script that is handed to us we may feel that life is full of dissapointments. If we take a step back, develop new perspectives, create our own life script, and expect the unexpected, we can experience less disappointment and treat the downtimes as a catalyst to propel forward!