Every day I drive to work, I pass by the same major intersection, Highway 25 and Brittania. One day, I noticed this small green hill on the southwest corner, off in the distance.
Judging by its weak slope, I would guess it stands maybe 20 feet high. If it had a higher peak, I’m sure everybody would pay attention and notice it. Nonetheless, I’m enamoured by this hill – I even have a name for it: Hobbiton. The colour of the grass always pops against the elegant backdrop of the sky, be it clear skies or overcast. Those three objects on top of the hill always confuse me; sometimes I imagine they’re huge stacks of hay or maybe little hobbit chimnies (s/o to BB, FB and SWG), one day I’ll climb the hill and find out. Driving past the hill serves as an anchor in my day; every time I drive by, be it with my family or on the way to work, I always acknowledge the hill.
Peak or Plateau?
I think one of the great tragedies in life is going through each day without realizing and acknowledging all the marvellous things that surround us in plain sight. To me, the hill represents a very important metaphor for our daily lives – we pay much more attention to the peak experiences than the plateau experiences.
Peak experiences are the grand goals and visions we set in our lives – the new dream job we’re applying for, the fancy gadget we’re saving up to buy, the moment we envision our team winning the championship. Plateau experiences are the mundane, incremental steps taken every day on the path towards accomplishing those goals and vision. Which one matters more? In my opinion, The Plateaus.
In modern society, too much emphasis is put on the illusion success and feeling of achievement we feel when accomplishing our goals. Most of the time we reach our goals, the half-life of that moment and happiness we experience is often short-lived, and before we know it we’re moving onto the next thing, the next carrot on the stick.
“The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.”
Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
There’s nothing wrong with defining your target destination and getting there. By all means, be ambitious, dream big and work hard to accomplish whatever you set your mind to. On your journey, remember one thing – attention, when applied properly will reveal marvels. Our brains have evolved to survive, we are atune with the novel in our environment. The secret? The wonders in life aren’t novelties, they’re familiarities, all you have to do is pay attention. Take a minute, connect with the present, and you’ll discover what’s hiding in plain sight: the mundane marvels and masterpieces all around you.
