We have all listened to story of “The Hare and The Tortoise” as kids from our elders. They taught us that you don't have to change your pace just because you are in a race, you can win by walking on your speed if you stay consistent. 

But somehow growing up has made us believe that working like the hare(or rabbit) is the only way to win. And so if you are tortoise, you have to be like the hare, even if that's against you nature. Be quick, say no to living in the moment or taking rest, focus only on the finish line, work 24/7, be productive, struggle till you succeed. 

Being born as a hare is great, but pretending to be a hare is more harmful than good.

I, for instance, am a tortoise. I like to take things slow and steady. I walk slow, look around and take time to soak in the peace. But as I grew up, I started believing that I have be productive and figure my life before 18. The elders who were supposed to guide us, gave us the wrong idea, that excellence in academics is the only way to live. I couldn't, I was good in extra curricular but that didn't matter. So, I tried, said no to things I like, I studied instead. I didn't score much, but still I didn't live life during those years.

I remember, rain was my favourite, and I used to go to the terrace. But when 10th grade started, I made a promise to myself that I won't go to the terrace when it rains. In the name of being productive, I denied myself the little joys of life that meant so much to me. 

I never had a dream job,  I was born to live life. Having a career, financial independence, blah blah. It was never my dream, it was my escape plan for if I ended up alone. I started setting these materialistic goals that don't even make me happy, only beause  they would make me independent. Deep down, I don't even wanna be that independent, what I really want is to not be a burden. 

The damage made during school life was minuscule, but the ideology stuck with me. So, till the day I was 18, I kept trying to live a fast life. But instead of getting success, I got depressed. Productivity, glow-up, money were the only words on my mind. In the first year of college, I tried to be the hare. I volunteered for everything, did a lot of extra work, got a good reputation. But all that was nothing, when I burnt out and got depressed. I lost the sense of who I really was, nothing made me happy anymore, but any minor inconvenience was enough to make me cry for hours. It took be about 6 months of not kms to understand the root cause. And it has taken 2 whole years to make myself feel just a little hopeful again, and to stop thinking about death 24/7.

I had made no progress in goals, and I don't even want to, because I don't like my goals, the goals were set by the fear of failing in life when I grow up. Ironically, I became a failure way before I was supposed to. 

What I learnt from this is, trying to be someone that you are not, will make you forget who you really are. And when you lose that sense of self, everything gets broken. This sounds like the plot of Inside out 2, but that's what I learnt from adulting. 

So that's the moral, trying to be a hare is self-sabotage disguised as productivity. People try to be productive and put in effort in the wrong places, due to the fear of failing in life. The fear of ending up broke and lonely. If you are someone with this fear, you wouldn't even know it.

But I swear, you will  never be alone, and you will figure out life. So, please don't make decisions based on how productive it is, make decisions with your heart. Don't choose a career, that you hate, just because it pays more. 

You don't need millions and crores of money to be happy. Maybe all you need is money for rent, food, some clothes and one trip per month. Being able to afford luxury is great, but not at the cost of going against your dreams. So, if you find yourself rotting in the bed, get up, do something but not with the intention of being productive, but with the intention of having fun. 

I wish for all of us to overcome this fear of failure. And to stop waiting to live till you are rich.

You don't need money to live. Working at a grocery store will be enough to live. Don't set yourself up for a burnout in the name of being productive. Don't chase dreams that aren't yours.

Share your thoughts in the comments. Like if you like. Thank you <3

Love, jay.