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There is not much to look at here at the hospital. Not that hospitals should come with a view, but it is pretty dull. The last time I was here I sat next to a wall with a forest scene, as at least there was a bit of colour. But now I a looking at wall with a clock on it. I edited into black and white, but the beigeness of it still shines through.

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![IMG20250724102956.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/tarazkp/23w2oGkpRHcC58CBiKc8zdxdGJNtFYqt5G4jvvjrsGpnebXMMhgjhKX2QPjevFY8juyH2.jpg)


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There was a new nurse who inserted the IV and I turned my arm over to take it in the crook of the arm, and she said that she would put it in the back of the hand. Sure, but just to let you know, people struggle to get it there and often fail. She said she would try anyway and I sad it is always good to back yourself. 

> It failed.

"You did warn me."

*It is now in the crook of my arm.*

It hurts in the back of my hand, even when they get it to stick, but I also don't mind that she tried and failed, because that is part of the learning experience. As I was saying to Snallsteps yesterday, we can often learn from the mistakes of others, but sometimes to really learn the lesson, we need to make the mistake ourselves. Sometimes, we need to feel the mistake in our own bodies so we can process it and create that muscle memory. If we get too accustomed to learning from the mistakes of others, we risk comparing our unknown abilities to the potentially inferior abilities of others. I can fail at something, but does that mean you will fail at the same thing? And your failures, don't mean I will fail - unless you are better than me.

Learning from other's mistakes works on the assumption that the other is equal in skill and ability. That is a big assumption. Similarly, just because someone else can do it, it doesn't automatically mean I or anyone else can do similar. Yet, I think we often use simplistic heuristics that generally become excuses as to why we can't do something, more than why we can. But the heuristic is only tentatively tied to facts, and heavily influenced by feeling. 

> When it comes to the things you want to achieve, do you feel you can, or do you feel you can't more often?

Snallsteps asked what the "bite at a time" saying means I regard to eating an elephant, and it led to a discussion on how everything in life is a series of *small steps.* The largest building, the most complex invention, the entire universe, is a series of movements, one after the other, or moving simultaneously. A doctoral degree is earned a word at a time. And the skills to drive a ball 300 meters and sink a putt from 40 feet are built a action at a time too. 

> No one can do all, but all can take steps to do something.

*We are all average.*

Even the most brilliant person you know or have heard of, even the Day Vinci's among us, are average at far more things than they are brilliant at.our lives are made of thousands of skills, and we have the potential to maybe be great at a couple of them, maybe only even one.the rest, we are close to average either side of the median, and for some, we are terrible. The greatest sportsperson isn't necessarily the best at relationship, and the awesome doctor might be terrible at sports. 

> This is just the way it goes.

I am terrible at a lot of things and I have to be. Even if I have or had the potential to be great, there is only so much time in this life, and so much opportunity. There are many potentially brilliant people who instead of becoming great at something, work a mediocre job to make ends meet for their family. 

> Is it a waste of a life?

I don't think so. In many ways, it might be a better use of a life that someone who reaches their potential in an area that is largely useless to humanity. A lot of time in this world is spent getting better at things that don't matter, much of what we do doesn't matter, as it is self-indulgent and at the worst, abusive.

And just like eating an elephant, the worst of humanity also happens a bite at a time. The most violent dictators, the most terrible predators, the unconscionable actions of a government or corporation, are also a series of small steps. 

There are a lot of slippery slope problems we face today, like the degradation of family and society, and the disconnection and disenfranchisement of individuals through an ever pervasive and influential digital experience. People are living their life through a pixelated proxy, creating their identity around what they consume, instead of what they do *with their life.*

> People need to try more.

Not randomly try everything, but rather work out what they *truly* value and then what activities support those values. Then act. Take charge of our behaviors and operate at a level of small steps of improvement. Others mistakes shouldn't stop is from trying, but they can inform us where we could pay attention, adjust, or try something altogether different. 

> We should back ourselves. Not with narcissist confidence, but with energetic bravery in uncertainty.

The veins in my hands are attractive targets for a needle. But they catfish nurses, because they are not what they seem. They squirm and move about, making it hard, but not impossible to get a clean line. But if a nurse doesn't practice there might come a time when they have to get that line in a squirming vein, but don't have the skill to succeed. I can pay the price of a bruise for a few days.

> Preparing for the future can't wait for when the future arrives.

You were warned.


Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]


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