i saw a meme today that was actually pretty amazing. the basic premise was that an iron bar in raw form is worth about $5, but that the value of the metal increases to $12 if shaped into horseshoes, to around $3,000 (if memory serves me right) if shaped into needles, and to around $350,000 if shaped into watch springs. the idea is that what we are worth is dependent on what we allow ourselves to become. personally, i want to be the watch spring version of myself.
part of the reason the needles and watch springs add value is down to the amount of individual pieces that can be made with the iron bar. but what the meme leaves off the table in terms of nuance is that cost of production and the barriers to entry are much higher for these more sophisticated products. and i think that is the part that is probably most important. sure, we take our raw materials in terms of time, energy, intellect and creativity and shape them into many thousands of valuable products, but it takes a great deal more precision, focus, intent and engineering to create the watch spring than it does to pound out a horseshoe. and even the crafting of a relatively simple horseshoe takes a level of skill and competence that has to be earned through time and dedication.
yes, it would be so great to be the watch spring version of myself. but am i willing to do what it takes, including years of study and investment into the tools that make watch spring manufacturing possible? because an iron bar can’t will itself to become thousands of tiny watch springs. desiring the end result is not enough.
so the question becomes: will you allow yourself to be stuck behind the iron bars of inaction and acceptance of what you already are today, or will you put in the work free yourself from the prison of complacency and spring forth into your own personal final form?