The yoghurt paradox

Rent to pay, subscriptions to renew, work to deliver, food to eat... so many aspects of adult life come with a precise, high-priority deadline. On the flip side, anything that doesn’t have a set time limit tends to slip to the bottom of the to-do list. And here we run into the yoghurt paradox: a world full of folks who would never let a yoghurt go past its expiry in the fridge, yet will postpone dreams and projects until they’ve lost the chance to turn them into a reality. I wonder, do we really need a list of labels telling us what to do and when? Must our rhythm of life and personal growth be dictated by a rigid schedule of chores and errands, while our desires gather dust in the drawer?

Unfortunately, procrastination is a trap that is so easy to fall into when we feel young and full of life, bursting with potential with a seemingly endless future ahead. We count on an apparent eternity that doesn’t actually belong to us, and naturally, it feels effortless to succumb to laziness, focusing on the urgent here and now, putting off what seems less essential in the dynamics of daily life.
I’ve certainly fallen prey to this, in life, at work, in relationships… And looking back, I’m aware I’ve lost out on a few opportunities, some acquaintances and a handful of deals. Yet at some point, something clicked: I felt like that yoghurt in the fridge, albeit on a much higher tier in the hierarchy of my life. That’s when I realised the importance of deadlines; sooner or later, we all have to come to terms with being tired, less energetic, less youthful. But before that, we must enjoy our potential to the fullest, truly live and experience being alive, reassess our priorities, and always keep self-development at the top of the list.

That’s precisely what I do these days. And even though I inevitably have to submit to certain obligations (related to family, physical health and work), I always make sure to set aside a little time to make plans and think about what to create in the near future. This commitment reflects in the shoes I design, and I realise that I have effectively demolished the idea of “expiry”. Because I know I’ll leave something of myself in the world even after my “best-before date”!

Marco