This Too Shall Pass

On the personal side, there are core tenets of my philosophy that have sustained me and guided me across the years. The first is so ancient, it's kind of strange that I'd even need to talk about it: this too shall pass.

The transient nature of reality is...bittersweet. It opens the door for new things, heals losses and mistakes, all while stripping away the best things in your life too. Personally, the "this too shall pass" mantra has been most helpful in my worst and best moments.

The worst is somewhat expected. When things are really bad, knowing that they're temporary--that all you have to do is hang on--is a perspective that can help you actually do it.

The fact that it's useful in the best times can be counterintuitive. I've often found it hard to be fully present in my best moments. Coming from an Indian immigrant background, we're trained to look for flaws or the next problem to solve--not celebrate the wins. When something amazing happens, reminding myself "this too shall pass" forces me to at least to stay with that for a minute and savor it.

It's the same when I'm playing with my kids. I'm in the middle of an extremely brief period where they can't get enough of me (they're 5, 3.5 and 1). I'll never get this time back--I'm sure in 10 years, they'll be too cool to hang with their dad.

Right now, I'm in a transition period in my career, and it's a bit easier to make time to focus on the time with the kids--but even then it's tempting to get focused on the next profession conversation, next blog post, the next trading strategy, or the next twitter thread– or just the stress that's natural to uncertain times.

I have to remind myself: This too shall pass. Enjoy it.