Fibonacci Sequences

I believe that with conscious effort, we all grow. Not necessarily physically; in the beginning, that is more true than later. To use an example, in the movie "Big Fish," Edward Bloom begins to grow too fast for his own body, and realizes that he, like the goldfish, will grow to the size of whatever bowl he is placed in. He needs a bigger bowl than the small Louisiana town he lives in, and eventually leaves. Edward's goldfish problem is mainly physical, but I have come to believe that the physical is only the beginning.

I think that, with the ever-important conscious effort included, that we grow not like goldfish (linearly), but like the Fibonacci sequence. For those of you who don't know, the Fibonacci sequence is an important mathematical formula that goes like this: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, etc. The last two numbers are added to create the next one. There is a great Wikipedia article on the sequence, if you care about such things.

When we are small, we grow relatively slowly. But as time goes on, everything we learn builds on the previous things we have learned. School is a good example, but I ultimately am talking about life itself. We learn important lessons every day, each one only accessible when the last lesson has been learned. And as each successive number is created, we grow as people, until we become bigger and bigger. But the important thing here is consciousness of this. Without being aware of this phenomena, you will still keep adding your numbers, but much slower, and you will eventually stop much earlier in the sequence than someone who is aware of how it works.

If you can't see the pattern, how can you add to it?

There are good and bad patterns, some with upward spirals, and some with downward spirals. They all add up, are calculated into one large spiral, that defines you and your path. Sometimes, you'll derail, but you can get back up and continue. Sometimes, you won't. There are such things as making an unredeemable mistake. But they are fewer and farer between than most people think. There is almost always something to be had out of any situation, if you know how to look for it.

This brings me to my realization of this phenomena. Over the last year, I have made many mistakes. Some were huge, some didn't matter so much. But what I have been doing differently with these mistakes (and my successes) than before I left (or, much more so) is learning from them, consciously.

I realized another today/last night. I realized I had again fallen into the trap so many of us fall into: giving advice, but not following it ourselves. Talking the talk, without walking the walk, if you excuse my cliche saying. I have over the past year begun to try to talk less talk and walk more walk.

So when I realized what I was doing today/last night, I started thinking more about it, and eventually came upon my Fibonacci theory. Believe in it yourself or not, but it is one more of my theories that I will try to live my life by now, so now I must venture into another difficult realm for me, to overcome my talk and to start walking my walk in this particular facet of my life. If I fail, I will be disappointed in myself for not acting earlier, but will learn from my mistake. If not, then I'll still have something else to learn. Wish me luck.

"Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions."

        Oliver Wendell Holmes

"You learn something every day if you pay attention." 

        Ray LeBlond

Signing off, 

Tiberius Jones