euthymia

The Archer and the Crowd

A master archer stood at a tournament, preparing to demonstrate his skill.

A crowd gathered around him as he drew his bow to hit a distant target.

"You're holding the bow too tightly," called one spectator who had never shot an arrow.

"Your stance is all wrong," shouted another, who had only read about archery in books.

"The wind will carry your arrow to the left," said a third, though he couldn't feel the subtle breeze the archer had already accounted for.

The master archer paused, took a deep breath, and turned to his apprentice.

"The most important lesson of archery isn't about hitting targets," he said quietly.

"It's about learning to focus amid the noise of those who haven't stood where you stand."

He turned back, released his arrow, and perfectly struck the target's center.

Later, his apprentice asked, "Master, why didn't you correct those who criticized you wrongly?"

The archer smiled.

"Those who stand on the sidelines will always believe they can see what the performer cannot.

But only the one who holds the bow feels its tension, knows its balance, and bears the responsibility of the shot.

The critics risk nothing and master nothing.

Your task is not to silence them, but to develop the wisdom to know which voices deserve your attention."

Have you ever noticed how the moment you decide to pursue something meaningful, opinions seem to spring from everywhere?

There will always be people who criticise what you do.

There will always be people who say things like, “Oh, if I were him, I would have done X and not Y.”

The path to mastery (whether it be career, relationships, or personal growth) often requires moving forward while others question your direction.

The Greek word for this is "euthymia" – the sense of your own path, or confidence in the course you've chosen.

Seneca described it as:

"believing in yourself and trusting that you are on the right path, and not being in doubt by following the myriad footpaths of those wandering in every direction."

Here’s what I’ve learnt:

The loudest critics are often those who secretly wish they dared to make similar choices but remained frozen by their own fears.

Their criticism is a mirror reflecting their own hesitations, not a window into your potential.

"The market is too saturated."

"You don't have enough experience."

"Why leave a stable job for something so risky?"

"I know someone who tried that and failed."

What these critics don't understand is that you're not them.

You have unique insights, experiences, and strengths they cannot see.

You feel the tension of your bow.

You know its balance.

And most importantly,

YOU bear the responsibility of your shot. No one else.

I’d rather fail wholeheartedly, knowing that it was a decision I took rather than a decision that someone else took for me.

They don’t bear the risks. They don’t face the consequences.

You do.

So what if you lose? I mean, what is losing?

You get back up and try again.

You try again, now knowing one way how NOT to win.

You increase the odds of you winning each time you lose.

If there was a quote I can accredit to myself, as I’ve preached countless times,

Wins and losses  lessons.

Fail soon.

Fail fast.

If you’re young, it’s the perfect time to experiment.

In simpler Gen Z terms, f**k around and find out.

What’s the worst that can happen?

When you’re young,

You can take more risks, but the odds of those risks paying off are much lower because you have no experience.

When you are older, you cannot take as many risks, but the odds are now in your favor.

Let’s table this topic for another week, there’s a lot to be said. 😮‍💨

For now, stand tall in the decisions you’ve taken and are gonna take.

There is no time to second-guess yourself.

Keep it moving, everything will fall in line as God intends.

Happy March.