Mandamientos de Mando #2

Mandamientos de Mando #2 — “It never ‘peaks.’ It’s only uphill from where you are. Quit fucking around”.

I would like to preface this post by giving background to this series’s title, “Mandamientos de Mando.” I began writing little life lessons around late September of 2019. I was entering my first year of uni, and I wanted to keep track of some teachings I had learned over the years. It was also around the same time that the well-known Instagram artist @CBHoyo had begun posting his quirky-worded quotes about life. His art inspired mine.

“It never ‘peaks.’ It’s only uphill from where you are. Quit fucking around”.

I like to think that I am a very ambitious person. While an ambitious personality fuels me in many ways, it also carries some baggage. I’m not one to settle. I aim for the stars, and if I truly want it, I will pour my sweat, blood, and tears into it. The baggage I speak of is none other than the feeling of always wanting more.

While always wanting more has left me feeling empty at times, it’s also taught me that you can almost always go for more. I have a lot of respect for the older generation since they possess wisdom that I have yet to discover. However, I’ve had various conversations with elders, and something that always bugs me is how they point out a period of their lives and say, “that was the peak.” I don’t believe in a “peak.” I understand that at 70 years of age, you slow down and life becomes simpler, but that to me signifies a slow plateau. A peak, on the other hand, implies that you’ve reached the top and everything from there onwards will fall down-hill. There’s no such thing as a peak, in my opinion. You can only go uphill from where you are and especially if you quit fucking around.

This mentality of no “peaks” encourages the idea of getting your shit together and focusing on yourself. I mean this in every aspect of life. May it be emotionally, romantically, at work or school. Whatever it may be, in order to continue going uphill, you must adjust your mind to believe that you can always do better. A man that thinks he knows it all and settles for less than he should is a coward. It takes balls (metaphorically, of course) to go for more once you’ve endured the uncomfortableness of the climb. Resting at the peak suggests settling in your comfort zone. That climb must be your fuel. You have to find peace in the midst of unpredictability and uneasiness. The only way to reach a peaceful state of mind in the middle of a war is by preparing your troops. In other words, quit fucking around and get your shit together. In the history of military success, rests no general that went into war without preparing himself. That was the only way of reaching a peaceful state of mind. It’s all about facing fear and discomfort while having the confidence to charge with a strong and fully peaceful mind.

You must train yourself to endure the discomfort of the climb and use it as fuel rather than allow it to become fear.