Jacob's Dream by William Blake (c. 1805)
A person has three ways to develop a business—and a life.
First, picture a horizontal ring. It has many marks—these are the patterns typical for this person. He walks the same circle again and again, each time asking, “What’s wrong with me?”
He is stuck in a Groundhog Day loop—busy all the time, but no real growth.
The second option looks like a stretched spring that sinks down. The same circle drops, and the person slides down with it, in a spiral. The patterns repeat, but each year things get worse.
What runs out first—the founder’s health, or the business?
There is a better path. The spiral can move upward. The same patterns still appear, but their quality improves—more stability, more clarity, more balance.
In fact, the spiral can rise slowly—or fast.
So what decides whether you move in circles, spiral down, or spiral up? The film hints at the answer:
It’s not enough to “hack the system.” The person has to change.
To do that, you must see your situation as it is—and accept it.
Sincerely yours,
-Alexander
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