This week, I want to talk to you about how, contrary to the old adage, you actually *can* have your cake and eat it too these days and, if you really think about it, the saying, "You can’t have your cake and eat it too," is perhaps now not as right as it once was!
How can you simultaneously have and eat a cake too. It's just not physically possible, as it’s a contradiction, isn’t it? Perhaps not, as this balance has become increasingly possible these days and we now seem to find ways to balance enjoying pleasures, while still holding onto things.
For example, technology now lets us work more flexible hours, whilst still allowing us careers and we now have more personal time than before. Or, remote working allows people the chance to live and work more comfortably in more affordable areas, while still maintaining high-paying inner-city jobs.
It's all about finding innovative solutions and being willing to break away from traditional constraints. The current modern era we now live in offers us unprecedented opportunities to defy existing limitations suggested by this old saying.
Here are some other examples:
- Hybrid cars (which use power from both electric and petrol/diesel sources) now offer both performance and sustainability together, so we can still have a proper driving experience, as well as having the environmental benefits of reduced emissions, which were a real problem before. - Freelancing for work now allows people to earn a much more stable income, while enjoying the increased freedom to travel and explore the world, previously not practically possible and merging financial security with personal desires. - We now can make much better financial choices that allow for both short-term enjoyment and long-term security, not just having to choose between indulgence and prudence. We can have both, so we can now savour our ‘cake’ and also keep some for later.
However, there are trade-offs. Although we now enjoy more flexible working hours, or working from home, doing this blurs boundaries between personal and professional lives. Also, freelancing offers more freedom, but it lacks job security. Remote work provides cost savings but isolates people from collaboration and networking with others.
So, this week, remember the saying: "You can't have your cake and eat it too,” is perhaps wrong now as, in today’s world, contradicting things are possible. However, also remember this balance involves sacrifices. Yet, we can now appreciate what life offers us, while still preserving our assets!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.