“I know that I’m a bad person. I lie, cheat, and hurt people. I’m an absolute monster!”

No, not that monster. In fact, that’s not even a monster. That’s a normal human being.

I want to talk about the monster that feels cute when he presents himself. He flatters us. Cares for us (or so he claims). Soothes us. Reassures us that we made the right decision by snoozing the alarm. In fact, he tells us it is not a big deal. I mean why would it be a big deal when everyone is following the trend? He acts as a soundboard. A personal consigliere. A confidant.

That’s the thing about the most dangerous elements in the human psyche. It is difficult to tell the good from the evil.

When you were 12 years old. You signed up for an elocution competition. But what happened on D-day? You quit. You called in sick. You hid from the world. And you promised yourself “next year”. The next thing you realize, you’re 35. Hiding in your cubicle. Fencing yourself with your computer skills. Polishing it, shining it so you don’t have to stand up. You don’t have to lead. Shy away from confrontation. From taking a stand. From giving a meaningful damn.

For some of you, it may not be the elocution competition. Probably, it might be as simple as raising your hand in the classroom, or not competing with your best friend to protect his ego.

Whichever decisions encouraged you to dim your light. Your expression. Were eclipsed by a cute little monster.

The resistance monster.

No one gets resistance while binge-watching a Netflix sitcom.

Or while gorging a bucket full of fruit ice cream.

Or while scrolling their smartphone.

Or while mental-cooking delicious YT recipes.

But the resistance monster kicks in as soon as you switch from consumption to creation.

Note that again: CONSUMPTION to CREATION.

Consumption is not natural to a human being. If it were natural, there was no need for marketers, advertisers and the people in between.

Creation is natural to the human being. You don’t need to convince a child that going on window shopping is more fun than making sand castles.

All of us are in creative professions. Some of you might be creating educational content, some of you might be managing a project, and some of you might be repairing an electronic device.

Whenever you decide to tap into your humanness, remember that the cute little resistance monster will raise his head and talk you out of it.

In fact, it took me two weeks to finally beat the monster and put these words out here.

My monster emphasizes being perfect. And your monster? What is his favourite tactic?