A Letter from Chris Suarez
THE WORLD IS WIDE BUT LIFE IS DEEP
There are some 195 countries in the world today. I’d love visit all of them.
There are some 10,000 cities on earth, half of which didn’t exist just 40 years ago. I’d love to see all of them.
There are some 135 million square miles of ocean covering our planet. I’d love to sail all of them.
There are some 130 million books published in circulation today. I’d love to read all of them.
There are some 25,000 universities in existence today. I'd love to attend all of them.
There are some 8 billion human beings alive at this very moment. I’d love to meet all of them.
The world is definitely wide. But life, life is deep.
It is easy to keep adding to the list of things we want to see, want to complete, or want to experience. It is easy to keep adding to the list of places we want to go to, the list of people we want to meet, or the list of things we want to do and achieve. The world is incredibly wide. There are so many things that can grab our attention and cause us to lose focus or even squander our time.
How often do we look around and wonder how we got to where we are? It could be as simple as wondering how we ended up on a webpage, how we passed the last hour on social media, or how we ended up in any relationship. In literature and language, a common expression we might liken this to a “bunny trail”. That trail will never be a direct line from point A to point B. It is most often a meandering path thru grass and brush, through branch and bush, without any real purpose or direction. Bunnies often follow scent trails on the surface of the ground, which may bring them in constant zigzags and even circles. Sure, they are fast - reaching speeds upwards of 35 miles per hour when running - but they lack direction and ultimate focus.
And of course, bunny trails always lead to rabbit holes. These are holes we find ourselves in because we allow ourselves to get distracted. We chase fuzzy goals, unclear objectives, random tasks, or even shallow relationships without giving much note as to where we are headed. Until we of course fall down the rabbit hole. Only to find ourselves not only figuring out how we got there, but also figuring out how to dig our way out.
A life well-lived absolutely will have unexpected turns, impetuous decisions, and risks. It’s what makes our lives interesting and enriched. It’s all too easy to swim along on the surface. To get by. To get the job done. To be good at something. Or to show up when we absolutely need to as a friend, partner, spouse, or parent. But a life well-lived is a deep life. It goes well below the surface. One with deeply clear goals and objectives - even if fewer. One with deep interests and obsessions - even if fewer. One with deep relationships and partnerships - even if fewer.
So go deep. Be an incredible friend. Surpass expectations as a partner. Spend all possible time with your children. Stay wildly curious about your industry. Obsess over your skill and craft. Anything worth doing is worth doing well. And doing anything well takes commitment, obsession, and depth. Visiting all 10,000 cities would be exhausting. Reading 130 million books would be foolish. Meeting 8 billion people would be meaningless. When we go deep in anything we prove to ourselves and those around us that it matters to us. That it is important to us. That it is valuable. Diamonds were formed over 3 billion years ago under intense heat and pressure and well over 100 miles deep below the earth's surface. Real value is developed and found at great depths. The richness of our lives then will increase in direct proportion to the depth of the experiences we bring to it.
Chris