Could This Be a Happy New Year?

Happy New Year!! May New Year’s resolutions come true at least once.

New Year’s resolutions are quite interesting, aren’t they? Everyone makes them, even though hardly anyone manages to keep them. It’s just human nature to look at yourself in the mirror once a year and imagine the better version you aspire to be. 

This year, I had a fleeting thought that maybe it’s finally time to be flawless and, for instance, cut back on the gallons of cola I drink. But then I chuckled to myself, realizing it’s not really practical. Coke has its perks, and besides, my tooth enamel has seen better days, so why fuss about it?

Instead, I’ve decided to swap my mindless browsing with reading Time or The Economist. That might just work out since it’s a clever way to feed my desire to stay informed.

Over the Christmas break, I bumped into some really ambitious acquaintances who seem to be getting ahead swiftly, partly because they’re not wasting time on trivial things. It kinda motivates me to step up my game.

What Made Steve Jobs’ Life Story So Incredible?

Also, in these past few days, I managed to sneak in some time for my favorite hobby: reading biographies. Right now, I’m diving into Steve Jobs’ story. I haven’t finished it yet, but I have to confess I’m a bit let down. Another so-called genius who mainly thought about himself and had little regard for others. 

He didn’t exactly come across as a role model — calling people names and neglecting the girl he fathered a child with. He even cheated his close friend at work.

He even kept his adoptive parents, who had supported him throughout his life, at arm’s length. It’s making me reconsider my admiration for him. 

Back when I was younger, I thought genius could justify anything, and extraordinary folks should be treated with kid gloves – pampered and excused for their quirks so they could focus solely on their creations. According to Housman and Minor (2015), across a dataset of over 50,000 workers, avoiding or correcting a single toxic employee improved organizational performance far more than replacing an average worker with a star performer. This suggests that tolerating bad behavior for the sake of talent is usually a poor trade. But now, perhaps the maternal instinct has kicked in. I believe someone who behaves rudely should just wash their mouth out and be reminded of where they stand. 

The traces of being a “nerd,” especially social awkwardness, strike a chord with me, probably because I’ve encountered such individuals during my studies. Yun et al. (2011) found similar deficits in social strategy among mathematically gifted adolescents. Furthermore, when it comes to Jobs, design isn’t something essential for humanity.

So my respect for his accomplishments in that area is limited. The world would still be fine without him.

Why Have I Never Had Idols?

And that’s about it. I’ve always struggled a bit with the idea of having role models.

I never had idols whose posters I could hang on my wall. Partly, it’s because I either didn’t know enough about them or didn’t find their life stories appealing. It makes me wonder why most biographies are written about people with dull lives or, worse yet, lives full of missed opportunities due to their own foolishness.

Thankfully, I find inspiration in everyday life, which is probably way more important. The neighbors next door might turn out to be far more interesting than someone like Jobs – and that’s actually quite good news.