Cracking the Snack Packet Enigma: The art of Persistence

During a train journey from Chennai to Kolkata, I confronted a common yet vexing challenge — the struggle to open a stubborn snack packet. As I attempted to tear it open with my bare hands, I encountered resistance that often Air-tight packets pose.

And have you ever noticed how our facial expressions change as we wrestle with these packets? 😉

In the midst of my struggle, the thought of resorting to using my teeth crossed my mind. However, a different idea prevailed: What if I approached this challenge with patience and committed to persist until success, all while maintaining a composed demeanor?

With this newfound sense of serenity and patience, I embarked on a mission to open the packet. Since I had no pressing time constraints within the train, I was willing to invest as much time as necessary. To my immense surprise, on my very first composed attempt, I succeeded in opening the packet. While it could be argued that my earlier attempts had loosened the packet, facilitating my final endeavor, it felt like a small miracle — an achievement devoid of distress.

The following morning, a similar scenario unfolded with a small ketchup packet during breakfast. As per my usual routine, I first attempted to open it with my hand, and as expected, it didn’t yield. However, my memory of the previous day’s revelation prompted me to adopt the same patient approach. Astonishingly, on the first try, I calmly opened it without a trace of stress.

This experience led me to contemplate how often we relinquish our efforts just before the brink of success. It brought to mind two thought-provoking quotes:

1. Derek Sivers once mentioned in the Tim Ferris’s podcast, “Take 45 instead of 43” while explaining a similar experience, can be found here https://sive.rs/relax . By eliminating the time constraint and embracing patience, the process became tranquil, and success was attained without undue stress. While it might take a bit longer, the journey was far less arduous.
2. Jack Ma’s wisdom resonated: “Today is difficult, tomorrow is much more difficult, but the day after tomorrow is beautiful. Most people die tomorrow evening.” Sometimes, we abandon our endeavors right before the breakthrough.

In essence, my encounter with those enigmatic snack packets imparted a valuable lesson in persistence and patience. This lesson applies not only to snack packets but also to various aspects of life where success often lies just beyond the point where many tend to give up.