4 lessons from an ‘enemy’
The author first met his nemesis in kindergarten, and the antipathy sprang forth. Decades later, he regularly taps that same adversarial relationship to strengthen his work.
One day, he beat me up so badly that I was crying in front of the whole kindergarten. It happened again. And again.
When I left kindergarten, I thought I was never going to see my “enemy” again. But Lady Luck wanted to play another game with me.
Call it twisted destiny, but we ended up in the same high school. Worse, we even ended up in the same class. The war continued. Don’t get me wrong—he was sharp and creative, but his character and perspective were the polar opposites of mine.
Whenever we met, there was poison in the air, and worldviews clashed like Transformers.
But when the school age was over, he disappeared from my life.
Until one fine day…
Many years later, I ran into him on the street.
Instead of ignoring him, I actually said hello, and we ended up in a coffee shop. Ever since that day, I still occasionally meet up with him. And I hate it every single time.
Huh?
Why would I be doing this? Am I some kind of pain-seeking freak?
Maybe, maybe not. The reason I force myself to meet him is because it pushes my boundaries.
In a strange, small way, it helps me write better content, make better products, and create better art.
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