Years ago I climbed Mt. Rainier.
It taught me the difference between what the world should be vs. what the world is.
I should be in better shape. It shouldn’t be this cold. I should have brought an extra pair of socks. I should be able to see 20 feet in front of me. It shouldn’t be snowing.
Mountains are the ultimate vaccine against bad cases of shoulditis, because everything which happens on a mountain just is.
What should be and shouldn’t be doesn’t matter, .
Now, there’s nothing wrong with the occasional should, especially if used in an aspirational context and shifted to the word can:
- I should be a doctor and I can get into medical school.
- I should be an author and I can write every day.
- I should lose weight and I can change my lifestyle.
But when I spend all of my time thinking about the way my world should be, rather than acting in the context of the way the world is, pain is sure to follow.