See others as my mirrors

I saw someone on social media saying that they cherish their efforts, so they ensure their efforts are worthwhile before investing time and energy into something. A burst of inspiration comes to me, especially after seeing that the person was influenced by the idea that 'choice is more important than effort.'

I have two thoughts. First, the idea that 'choice is more important than effort' is actually absurd. We only know what constitutes a good choice in hindsight. Looking back from the present, we know which choices were good. We say that those who made those choices succeeded because 'choice is more important than effort,' because many others worked just as hard but didn't succeed. But that doesn't mean effort isn't important. Choice and effort should both be important. Only choice without effort is not enough, and only effort without choice may require more effort and a longer time, and perhaps the worldly success isn't as great, though.

My second thought is that the more you work hard, the luckier you get. Sometimes, you only discover that you have more choices after putting in the effort. Or some choices succeed because you worked hard, not because choosing that one thing guarantees success. Especially on a path with many directions and turns, you must constantly make choices and constantly work hard. Sometimes, you even need to turn back and retrace your steps; these are all part of the effort. You can't expect to choose correctly the first time; you'll have to choose many times, and there may be many mistakes in between. But you might make the right choices on some major decisions, and with added effort, you succeed. It's not that if you choose something, you're guaranteed success, or that if you don't choose and just work hard randomly, you're guaranteed failure. Sometimes, choices are created through effort, not inherently successful from the start. And success includes many uncertain factors, including luck. So, in retrospect, the idea that choice is more important than effort is actually talking about what choices you currently have available and then judging which choice is best for you based on your information and knowledge. You might be less likely to suffer losses, or the risk is lower, a choice that aligns with your personality. Rather than saying, I think the correct interpretation of 'choice is more important than effort' should be that it's just a summary in hindsight. It's not very useful.

But after thinking about it, even though I have these thoughts, I probably won't reply to the person. Because I am a serious procrastinator myself, I don't think I have the right to criticize others. So, I've come to this conclusion, I'll write it in my own social media or blog, or diary, just as another self-reminder. This is also a function of social media, a habit. Don't jump to criticize others when you see they're not doing well; what you should do is reflect on yourself. If you think doing something this way isn't good, have I made the same mistake before?

Takeaways

It's always easy to point fingers at others, but how often do we turn that judgement inward? What the world would we create if we extend the same tolerance to ourselves and others'? Embracing mistakes instead of fearing them. Recognizing errors as experiences before you overcome the hindrance. It doesn't matter to stumble if we learn from them.

Life, at its core, is a series of experiences. Our souls are not priced by performance. In the end, the only thing we take with us is memory.