Remarkable, every day is a new opportunity to resit yesterday and be re-marked.

Remarkable

Definition: striking and worthy of mentioning, note worthy.

Etymology: France, remark - able, something that was worthy of recognition and discussion.

A new perspective: re - markable, every day beholds an opportunity to resit and resubmit yesterday.

Sat soaking up the sun I have found myself turning page after page of Jordan Petersons book “12 rules for life; an antidote to chaos”. In eager anticipation for his tour in June, and sat under the flowers that present themselves daily with a new image. New petals opening over night I find myself appreciating their persistent presence and effort for change this season. Every day presents a new landscape, a new perspective, more opportunities for bees to collect pollen, build homes and thrive. It was taking in petersons words surrounded by natures renovation I found myself returning to the word “remarkable”.

It struck me, how fortunate we are to be re- markable, with every morning gracing us the chance to resist and resubmit yesterday. So how do we make good use of our days and aim up, to be able to make progress in a resit we need strong pillars to support our renovation or the whole site might crash. So I’ve arrived to the current conclusion this afternoon that there are three apparent pillars necessary for being remarkable.

Pillar one - retire comparison, as Peterson covers in his fourth rule “compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today”. Comparison is worse than merely the thief of joy, it is the bolder sitting between your renovation and your decay. Comparing our current status in comparison to others is natural, the most ancient part of our brains are programmed to assess and categorise our dominance and competence. It’s a matter of survival, we need to be realistic enough to make a good assessment of when it’s time to back down, stand up, ask for help and who’s worth asking. Equally we naively and even sometimes malevolently get lost in our own self destruction when we allow comparison to be the forefront of the conversation that is our worth and purpose.

You will have changed, in areas it will be for the best and in others for the worst. Allowing yourself to be reconsidered and therefore ready for renovation means you have to drop the self sabotage. Comparing your level of intelligence, attraction, whit or fitness to someone else can provide valuable insights when done correctly. Maybe they demonstrate a way to do something better, maybe they are more efficient. These insights and lessons are powerful tools. But falling down is easier than aiming up, as Peterson is drumming into my mind. So often people, myself included get lost in the consequence of comparison, punishing ourselves for being mediocre or bad at something in some way. We see a light, a demonstration and we resent it, they got there first, so when I do it, it won’t be so Impressive. It’s this lie and focus that prevents change and this lack of accountability for our choices prevent valuable contributions we could have been making towards society.

We have door hinges, not the most remarkable of inventions but imagine the chore getting around the house or anywhere would be if we had to manually move doors to get around and lock up. The inventions, ideas and energy spent by others may have been inspired by previous work. Much as this blog is inspired heavily by Jordan’s book. But the outcome is required nevertheless, someone may be more likely to engage with my profile than Jordan’s. May read the ideas and the butterfly effect begins, they begin to wonder curious and powerful things. Back to hinges, we all play a part in society we just don’t always know it, and becoming aware of your role is essential for doing it well. Those who feel useless, powerless and un influential, consider one way you might make a positive impact on your own life, which might affect your family or community.

One of the first things I tried to do when I began aiming up about 5 years ago now was making gratitude lists morning and night. The first thing I put my mind to and the last was a list of ten things I was grateful for. Which made me realise just how much there was to be grateful for, so I vocalised it more and I bet it made people’s day a percentage better.

Pillar 2 - “he who has a why to live, can bear almost any how” Friedrich Nietzsche. Why live? Firstly, let’s say that the other option is to not exist and well what is the point in that? Even if my life is festered with suffering and I experience pain and torment. There will be epiphanies, breaks, highs and maybe I’ll fall in love, maybe I’ll experience joy. Maybe I will dream or ask questions and maybe someone, sometimes will have answers. Maybe I’ll watch myself progress and excel in something, maybe I’ll be praised and I’ll benefit others. Developing a why seems like a really good place to begin when how feels like an incomprehensible hurdle. Forgive yourself for yesterday’s mistakes. It is the lessons embedded into them will serve you and facilitate your progression. Do not fall victim to the temptation of resentment and illusion that punishment is progress.

Pillar 3 - Decide that change is in fact possible, and that you have the agency to affect it. When we decide we have no agency or responsibility over our suffering we render ourselves entirely useless. By listening to the idea that the simplest form of change can influence our trajectory massively. We put ourselves in the position to experience change and receive benefits from our growth. Begin with your attitude, a harsh sounding thing to say, perhaps; but tell me seriously there’s never been a time when your attitude hasn’t prevented you enjoying an experience. Or where you have facilitated a downward spiral of thoughts being hostile to yourself and neglecting your potential. I know my attitude has certainly cost me a few days, I recall plentiful days where there has been fortune presented to me and I have shrugged it off because I’m in a fettle. Easily done, my university graduation ceremony comes to mind. I felt no pride, no excitement, no honour. What a big day, and what a big disappointment, the final submission had passed and as I prepared myself to go into the hall my parents excitedly awaiting the ceremony. I thought to myself, I wonder should I go Prosecco or beer, what will I be having later realistically? Don’t want to mix that’ll be a disaster.

Really the last thing on my mind was the efforts I’d made, and the thing piercing its way into my conscience was my failures and shortcomings. I graduated with a 2:2 a reasonably respectable mark. But my incompetence with maths and lack of understanding when it came to data analysis were the leading forces that drove my mark down. You could argue, or perhaps it was my pride that prevented my progress, I could not for the life of me ask for help. Without attempting to appear like I already knew the answer and was rectifying the problem as we speak.

The ceremony came and I walked up to the stage shook hands with the professor and accepted my certificate. My achievement? I suppose, the number on the paper did not feel as though it represented my growth over the last three years. I knew I understood the theory, often coming to the same conclusion as the literature but the numbers meant jack shit. Pardon me, but it was rage that was being subdued by my numbing and lack of excitement. I wanted to show the world I was better off than I was three years ago, and on most days I did, I was a better person by miles. But here stood at the perhaps last acknowledgment of an academic achievement I may ever report. My results were non significant. How disappointed I was, but that’s the thing. It was not the last submission, should I choose to I may sit a masers. I still brush over the pages of the books recommended to me all those years ago. I implement the ideas and do I see results? Of course I do, each day I choose to try to be a little better than I was yesterday and for that I sit here on a Sunday evening with a glass of wine (shock) and I think you know what I’m rather remarkable actually.

Love,

Amy.