Much like life itself, most things have a beginning, middle, and end. Consider a song, a fashion trend, the rise and fall of civilizations, the quiet evolution of a relationship, or the flow of a regular day. All of them follow the natural arc of existence—the S-curve.
Beginnings rarely rush. They are slow, clumsy, and uncertain. When they find a rhythm, it gives way to a glorious middle - a period of exciting growth and flourishing. Eventually, even the best days and songs, slow down and fade. While the speed and length of these phases may differ, the pattern holds true for most things.
Though the ends poignantly clear the stage for fresh beginnings, you can't deny the personal impact of these S-curves. Most of us are vulnerable to the emotional and pragmatic fallouts of an exciting or lucrative thing slowly and suddenly disappearing. When a once cherished hobby or career is no longer fulfilling, a profitable product turns obsolete, or a thrilling relationship loses its spark, it can feel like losing a part of ourselves, leaving a void we struggle to fill.
A thoughtful operator, who understands this inherent S-ness of things, would play in a few ways. One strategy is picking things with a substantial middle that can last multiple decades, even if they are challenging at the beginning. Think of something like a well-built career or hobby in an evolving and infinite field, a lasting friendship that deepens over time, or a product that caters to a timeless human need.
Another nuanced approach is to proactively layer multiple S-curve things. This ensures that even as some things fade, you always have some exciting middles and new starts. For example, starting a family as the excitement of social life falls off, picking up new pursuits as the growth in your first career tapers off, or investing in a new product line as your existing ones mature. This move is often counterintuitive as you have to start a new S-curve, the next thing, when the current thing is going strong and seems infallible.
The ultimate Buddha move, that only a few can attain and sustain, is to recognize and transcend the cosmic impermanence. It's about not clinging to the middle or resisting the descents, but dancing freely with the universe.