The thought I’m carrying this week
One of the ideas that has stayed with me this week is how easily we underestimate the value of things that are not attached to an outcome. We are remarkably good at making time for responsibilities, obligations and commitments. We know where they belong in our calendars. We know how to justify them. Yet there is a whole category of activities that sits outside this logic. They are not essential. They are not urgent. They are not obviously productive. And because of that, they often become negotiable.
The strange thing is that these are frequently the experiences that add colour to the rest of life. They create energy rather than consume it. They give us stories, communities, perspectives and moments of joy that spill into other parts of our week. Yet we continue to treat them as extras, as though they are the first things that should disappear when life gets busy and the last things that deserve space when life gets full.
What’s really going on here
I think part of the challenge is that human beings are not particularly good at recognising value before we experience it. We can estimate the return on a financial investment. We can calculate the likely outcome of a business decision. But we struggle to predict the emotional impact of experiences. We often assume that something small will create a small effect, when in reality the relationship between cause and effect is rarely that neat.
There is also something interesting about the way we think about time. We assume that if something matters, it will demand our attention. Yet many meaningful experiences are surprisingly quiet. They do not arrive with deadlines or reminders. They wait patiently in the background. The question is not whether they are important. The question is whether we notice their importance before years pass by.
Where this shows up
At work
Many careers are shaped not only by major promotions or career moves but by seemingly minor decisions. Joining a mentoring circle. Attending an event. Saying yes to a project that sits slightly outside a job description. Having a conversation with someone interesting. These choices rarely feel significant at the time. Yet when people tell the story of their careers, they often trace turning points back to moments that looked completely ordinary when they happened.
In life
The same pattern appears in friendships, hobbies and personal interests. We often believe that life changes through dramatic decisions, but much of life is shaped through accumulation. A weekly walk. A monthly dinner. A class. A community. A ritual. The individual moments seem insignificant. The relationship, skill or sense of belonging that emerges years later rarely does.
In culture
One reason Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara continues to resonate is that it quietly challenges one of our favourite assumptions: that life will begin properly later. The film is remembered for the road trip, the adventures and the beautiful locations, but beneath all of that is a story about things that have been postponed. Conversations that need to happen. Fears that need to be faced. Parts of ourselves that have been left waiting while more practical priorities take centre stage. What makes the film memorable is not the scale of the experiences. It is the reminder that some of the most meaningful moments in life are not the ones we plan for years. They are the ones we finally stop postponing.
One thing I’m taking away
The insight I keep returning to is that meaning often enters our lives sideways. We expect it to arrive through the big moments, the obvious opportunities and the decisions everyone else can see. Yet it frequently arrives through smaller openings. A curiosity we follow. An invitation we accept. An experience we finally stop postponing.
Perhaps that is why it is so difficult to recognise these moments in advance. They rarely announce themselves as important. They simply ask for a little time, a little attention and a willingness to begin. Only later do we realise that something we once considered optional quietly became part of who we are.
A question to reflect on
What if we are using the wrong criteria to decide what deserves our time? We are often taught to evaluate activities based on their usefulness, their productivity or their contribution to a larger goal. Those measures are certainly important. But they may not capture everything that matters. Some experiences justify themselves not because of what they achieve but because of what they awaken.
I find myself wondering how many possibilities remain unexplored simply because they never looked important enough. How many interests remain interests. How many conversations never happen. How many experiences stay permanently parked in the category of someday. Before moving on, take a moment to sit with that question. What came up for you when you reflected on this? Reply and let me know. I would love to hear your thoughts.
This week’s reading
Substack article
A reflection on why a seemingly insignificant decision ended up creating far more joy and satisfaction than expected.
LinkedIn article
An exploration of how the opportunities we dismiss as optional often influence how we show up at work and in life.
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