Crises are Productive
WWII gave us the Manhattan Project, the Cold War gave us the Apollo missions, the COVID-19 pandemic gave us Operation Warp Speed (we don’t talk about this marvel of human ingenuity enough). It takes an existential crisis to galvanize a nation, thrusting it into a period with singular focus on innovation, improvement, and most importantly, progress.
Individuals who accomplish great things also have their breakthroughs during critical junctions when their reality is harshly threatened. We muster the mettle to hop hurdles because where we are will no longer do.
We need a galvanizing force, a crisis that wakes us up to a singular mission to which we can devote our energies. The pursuit of this mission gives us meaning and a profound sense of fulfillment once our goal is achieved. If we don’t naturally encounter one, we can manufacture a crisis to construct our optimal performance environment.
Each noteworthy thing I’ve accomplished has been preceded by a crisis that forced me to focus. With no impending crisis, I languish. Manufacturing crises to continuously focus my energy for short sprints by setting near-term goals for myself would help to keep me engaged and from squandering my time.
A life reading, writing, and playing with loved ones sounds great until you’re doing it. It ultimately feels rudderless if not focused by challenging goals worth achieving.