I should be writing this with an ice pack on my head.
I should know better.
You’d think you’d wise up after a lifetime of getting hit the same way again and again.
But alas, here I am, battered and bruised. Ego shattered.
Why?
It’s very simple.
I forgot to catch the boomerang.
With Pain Comes Sobriety
A sensible person will read those fast few sentences and wonder what the hell I’m smoking.
I can assure you, sensible lady or gentleman, that, with the exception of a healthy caffeine drip, my mind is clear.
This always happens after the boomerang comes back and hits me. There are a few weeks of sobriety before the inevitable slide back into the blurry trenches of daily life.
That’s why I’m writing this now, before I forget it again.
Maybe it will shake loose some cobwebs in your mind too.
Before I Go Any Further…
Before we get any further, there’s something I need to point out:
I’m not talking about a physical boomerang.
I haven’t the slightest idea how to hurl one of those curved pieces of wood. This guy does, though, and it’s pretty damn cool:
The “boomerang” I’m talking about here is metaphorical. But it doesn’t matter much, because the pain from when it hits you is very real.
The Boomerangs You Throw
So what do I mean by “boomerangs?”
I mean our thoughts, decisions, and effort. The things we do today that come back and make their presence known in our lives months – or even years – from now.
If you want to get technical about it, you could consider each day its own boomerang. Or even every little moment.
The biggest differences between my metaphorical boomerangs and the real ones?
We can only throw actual boomerangs so far. Our arm strength is limited. And not just that; we can also watch the boomerang as it flies through its arc. We know when it’s coming back.
But metaphorical boomerangs?
We’re throwing those into the dark. We don’t know when they’ll circle back around again and we’ll need to catch them. Sometimes the lag between “throw” and “return” is so long that we forget we’ve even thrown them!
Our Obsession with Right Now
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately.
That’s what happens whenever assess my life and end up frustrated.
While I’ve made great strides in my writing, I wish I were further along. The same goes for other areas of my life. Who wouldn’t want to make a bit more cash? Or a more defined six-pack just in time for beach season?
Our evolution as humans makes us obsess about the immediate.
This instinct ensured our survival. When getting food in our bellies and a shelter over our heads was anything but guaranteed, we had better things to do than worry about “the future.”
Things are different now. If you’re reading this, I’ll go out on a limb and say you aren’t worried about being mauled by a leopard while you walk through the jungle tonight.
With your short-term safety sorted out, thoughts eventually turn toward the future…
And that’s exactly where the trouble starts.
Remember the Lag
We want all these awesome things (a fulfilling career, relationships, financial abundance, etc.) that take years of work to acquire.
But the short-term distractions – the shitty food, the procrastination, the malaise that sinks in after you polish off your third beer in front of the TV – are everywhere we look.
With our natural tendency toward short-term pleasure, it’s a lot easier to toss destructive boomerangs than disciplined, self-sacrificing ones.
We don’t see the effects right away in either case. Which explains why I feel so damn impatient about my new workout plan. Or you agonize over your fledgling guitar skills – even though you just started lessons.
If we forget about the lag between our efforts (now) and the payoffs (later), it’s impossible to put in the work and build something epic.
Are You Falling for an Illusion?
Our present circumstances are an illusion.
They don’t reflect the thoughts we’ve had or the things we did five minutes ago. Or even over the last few months.
It’s easy to look at our lives today and rattle off everything we don’t like…
But those are just boomerangs. We threw those thoughts and efforts (or lack thereof) a long time ago, and now they’re coming back to hit us.
My problem is I’m so eager to believe the illusion.
I get pissed off about something I don’t like in my life. I resolve to make drastic changes. And for a few weeks I do – until I realize that I look and feel basically the same as when I started. That’s when motivation withers and it’s tough to stick with it.
I’d be so much better off if I always remembered that the reflection I see in the mirror has a built-in delay. It isn’t who I am today; it’s whoever I was when I threw those boomerangs.
Tricks the Stars Play
Wait until the sun goes down.
Go outside.
Look up.
What do you see?
The night sky. Your favorite constellations. Maybe a few planets.
It’s hauntingly beautiful.
It’s also an illusion.
The night sky isn’t a reflection of reality. It’s video footage from years ago. A celestial graveyard. The last gasp of stars which have long since died.
Even after a star is cold and dead, its light shines on.
The same goes for us. Current you is a product of your past thoughts, effort, and decisions – even if you’ve decided to change them.
It’s Time to Throw Better Boomerangs
Despise who you see in the mirror?
It doesn’t always have to be that way.
That person isn’t real. Not anymore. He or she is basically an animated wax sculpture. Just because you still see them doesn’t mean you identify with them anymore.
We can’t afford to let ourselves forget this.
If we’re always growing and evolving like we should, we’ll often find ourselves shocked by who we find in the mirror. Our present circumstances don’t reflect the work we’re putting in to build a better future.
And that’s okay… so long as we keep working and remember the boomerang.
We can keep believing illusions and lamenting about how we can “never change.”
Or we can decide that every moment matters. Accept that it may take years – or even decades – for what we’re doing to bear fruit. Then go for it anyway.
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