Flaws, those pesky things that we all try to hide from everyone. So of course, why not record a podcast with fan favourite Giorgio where we deep dive into one of my flaws. Am I too condescending?
Interesting title, right? I hope it caught your attention. While originally trying to come up with a name for this episode, I toyed with other less abrasive titles such as “am I too motivated?” or “can positives become negatives”, topics that we certainly deal with, but the problem was that such titles emphasised my strengths much more than dealing with the real focus, how my attempts to improve has ingrained a ‘grind it out’ attitude.
And this realisation already begins to complicate the debate, what if I needed to internalise these ideas to complete my novel, something that I am very proud of? Does that make me a good person? A suffering artist? A martyr who traded their own mental health for the pursuit of greatness? Or does that mean I am just self-obsessed and egotistical, perhaps I even unironically fulfill some aspects of the sigma male archetype that the internet routinely makes fun of?
This brings me to the my primary question, does one actually need to tap into their darker emotions to be successful? How about people like Michael Jordan who is subsequently celebrated as the greatest basketball player of all time but also someone who routinely used abuse and intimidation to achieve their goals? What does this say about me, and how does one tiptoe over the tightrope between motivation and condescension? During this conversation, we touch on a reoccurring point which may help the listeners in this very position.
“Maybe our flaws are simply corrupted versions of positive values.”
Enjoy.