One of the hardest things to do is to be useful.
I’ve found myself in different modes the past couple of days. Not at all in a bad way, I’ve found it comforting knowing that I have modes, especially since the opposite is not knowing that I have modes.
One of the modes are consuming content. Reading, listening to podcasts and watching things. It seems like when in the proper mode, there’s no stop to how much content can be put in to me, I don’t get full. Which is amazing, if I realise it and adjust to it.
A result of that consumption is often a bulk of quotes or things to think about. One quote that I gathered a couple of days ago is this:
One of the hardest things to do is to be useful.
— Elon Musk on the Joe Rogan Podcast.
At the time, it struck me as a piece of poetry and a beautiful combination of words. I still find it beautiful, but there’s more to it now.
Seth Godin talks a lot about being an artist, and doing work that matters. He explains in different contexts how he dedicates a lot of time to the work that he finds meaningful, and that matters to him. To be an artist according to Seth, is to do that. The work that matters.
It struck me how we as humans all have a need to be a part of something. To find ourselves useful. To matter. In order to be useful, we need to do useful. In order to matter, we need to do something that matters.
When this realisation came to me, I was at first very discouraged. I’ve set out on a mission to be of use to humanity. I want to create things that matter. And these guise, whom I look up to immensely, say that it’s going to take a lot of dedication and hard work. At the time, I had a need for taking a step back, giving that thought some time. Considering whether or not it’s of any importance at all to put in that work for the possibility to be useful.
And of course it is.
Of course it’s worth the struggle. It all depends on the definition of “worth it”. I value learning, teaching and improving. Regardless of what I do, if I learn, improve and teach, it’ll matter.
That doesn’t take away all of the pain it’ll bring me. It’s tough being an artist. It’s tough trying to be useful. But the why of it all, the intention of making this world a better place for humanity, makes all the pain worth it.
