I got this really snazzy book for Christmas. It’s a Nike book by Sam Grawe and it’s called; Better Is Temporary. I absolutely love this statement as a thought, it literally spoke to my soul which is why i’ve readapted the title for this here blog. Whilst I did really enjoy the title of this book, I couldn’t help but feel like it had this really eerie infinite, never-ending feel to it. Growing up in an extremely Christian environment, I remember always struggling with the concept of eternity and forever. It always bugged the hell out of me and I always felt like I was alone in feeling this strongly about forever being a weird and incomprehensible concept until i saw an episode of Mad Men, where the young character Sally Draper spoke about to a friend about the concept of forever being one that made her sad. 

“When I think about forever I get upset. Like the Land O’Lakes butter has that Indian girl, sitting holding a box, and it has a picture of her on it, holding a box, with a picture of her holding a box. Have you ever noticed that?”

I also wondered if ‘Better Is Temporary’ would work as an effective line in an ad. My first few months at the SCA I realised that I had a tendency to steer towards writing propositions that weren’t obviously simple and positive. It took me a while to understand why ads needed to focus on a direct positive promise as opposed to abstract ideas. ‘Better Is Temporary’ is a clear truth but it doesn’t deliver that much needed finite win that humans crave. The title has no finish line, which I guess is perfectly in line with Nikes athletic ethos and their status as a global juggernaut that will never rest on its laurels and will constantly run towards greater goals. My feeling is there’s no clear payoff in sight, the idea is too large and grand to digest and apply directly and effectively. My belief is that as humans we are time sensitive creatures. Time is a very real thing, we can feel it, we can somewhat touch it. We struggle with the idea of infinite continuity and we need to feel our rewards in timely manner. This is why I felt like ‘Difficult Is Temporary’ is much more workable for me, it allows me to approach my battles and my goals in more conceivable, bite-size ways. The feeling that follows the overcoming of a difficult task is very real and very motivating. It’s an accessible energy source. 

‘Difficult Is Temporary’ is my slogan for 2022. My way of approaching the year ahead, a way of reminding myself that time really can heal all when you approach it with love and appreciation. Time is finite which is why it is also precious. 

My aim is to push myself past every challenge because I recognise the  feeling of accomplishment to be spiritually fulfilling and genuinely makes me happy. I want to be able to see and feel every win. Especially because we are so prone to fixate and focus on losses.