this is pointless

In my office, I have a massive canvas that hangs on the wall behind my iMac. The canvas is an illustration that one of my favorite Creators, Jack Butcher, made and later flipped into an NFT, and it is simply a series of short lines followed by an almost parabolic series of longer lines. Right before the lines begin to grow rapidly, a phrase sits beneath one of the final short lines– “this is pointless.”

Jack eloquently captured the behavior of most people in a simple black-and-white image.

Most of us set out to achieve a goal only to fail in reaching it because we give up too early; as the excitement of the new goal begins to wane and we don’t see the quick results we foolishly expected to see overnight, we decide that the work being put in is “pointless” and turn back to the status quo we were trying to escape.

It’s almost like “this is pointless” hits us at the exact moment we should keep pursuing.

Jack Butcher’s canvas isn’t the only reminder to not fall victim in my office; on one of my shelves, I have an illustration a friend of mine had done for me of two men digging underground in search of a treasure. It’s an old cartoon I’ve always loved–I don’t remember when I first saw it, but I can’t remember a time when I was not aware of the illustration. Maybe you’ve seen it:

I’ve always wanted to be the guy on top because I always felt bad for the guy who gave up one strike away from riches. My sadness for the guy turning back is not just because he missed out on the financial gain from the riches but because of the look of defeat on his face and body language. I can feel his pain. The energy he carries back with him will impact all areas of life.

And he was so close.

At the same time, I want to be the guy on top because there is no doubt he will find his treasure, but just like my sadness wasn’t about the riches, my desire to be the guy on top is because of his energy. Not only is he full of high energy, he is determined and believes he will reach his treasure. Although it’s just a cartoon, there is not an ounce of doubt in him, and he will reach what he set out to do.

You will always have moments of “this is pointless” on your Pursuit.

And, even with your aligned spirit, mind, and body, you will question whether or not your Pursuit is heading in the right direction, and I challenge you to keep pursuing when you question, “is this pointless?”

There is a chance that you might discover that a change in your path MIGHT need to be made, which does not mean your Pursuit is pointless. But discover that a few more strikes toward your treasure beyond “this is pointless.” You risk more by not continuing beyond that moment of doubt because, more times than not, “this is pointless” is am emotional test from the Universe to see if you are serious about your Pursuit.

I’ve grown to love whenever I ask, “is this pointless?” because I KNOW something major is about to happen, and I’m close—I just have to pass the Universe’s test of commitment.

One final idea for you to ponder: even if you continue beyond the point of “this is pointless” and discover that your treasure is not on the path you were digging, that part of your Pursuit was not pointless. If you are looking for it, that “pointless” path actually prepared you for the right one that you will begin down soon enough.

Just as there is no such thing as failing, there is nothing that you will ever experience that is pointless.

Note: I highly recommend you follow Jack Butcher is you aren't already. I genuinely believe he is a modern-day DaVinci and we'll look back at his genius in awe. He's a brilliant creator and visionary. I'll make it easy for you to start following him.

See you tomorrow and keep pursuing,

JC