Post #54. On Walking Into The Unknown

Sometimes in life we are presented with so many options that we feel paralysed.

Many times we obsess about making “the perfect decision”, and end up making no decision at all…

A fancy word for this state is “The Analysis Paralysis.”

In it’s essence, Analysis Paralysis plays out when we are presented with so many choices and we don’t know which is “the right one”, so we postpone making the choice, and many times, by default, let others make the choice for us.

In common language it can sound like: 

– I’m not 100% sure what to do… we’ll see… 

– There’s so many things to do, I don’t know what to choose…

– I could do anything If I only knew what that was…

– I haven’t found a dream yet… We’ll see what happens…

The paralysis I want to focus on today is the 1000 mountain paralysis… A state of being overwhelmed by all the possibilities in life… I know many who are dealing with the same paralysis. So I will seek to share some ideas & dress it here.

This is a challenge we all face as human beings, in all of human history, and we can learn some valuable lessons from the dreamers, doers, action takers, creative “geniuses”, which have overcome The Analysis Paralysis. 

Thoughts from some experts:

Greg McKeown
“If you don’t prioritise your life, someone else will.”

In other words: Figure out what’s most important to you and pursue it deliberately. 

Robin Sharma
“Every pro was once an amateur. Every expert was once a beginner. So dream big. And start small.”

In other words: There’s nothing wrong with humble beginnings. Start with something small now… 

Tim Ferris
“People will choose unhappiness over uncertainty.”

In other words: Don’t let the fear of uncertainty trap you in lifelong stagnation.

Anthony Robbins 
“If you’re not growing, your dying.”

In other words: Do difficult things. Try new things. This is what it means ti live. The purpose of life is not comfort… Don’t stay in the safe harbour of the known… This is not what human’s were cerated for.

Gary Keller
”Pick a direction, start marching down the path, and see how you like it. Time brings clarity.”

In other words: Don’t worry about picking “the right” direction, but simply pick “a” direction. Try it out. Action will tell you the truth about it. 

Epictetus
“You have been given your own work to do. Get to it right now, do your best at it, and don’t be concerned with who is watching you.”

In other words: You already know what to do. Go and do it. You have what it takes. Don’t care about what people think of it… Just do your own useful work. 

Rolf Potts
“All destinations are potentially wonderful in their own way.”

“Remember that you’ll rarely get what you expect when you go there – and this is almost always a good thing.”

In other words: Just pick something do do… You can always change course & life has more to do with what we make of it, that what it makes of us. 

Voltaire
“Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.”

In other words: Leave the standard for everything to be perfect. In this way you can take action and learn from your mistakes and become more “perfect” as you go.  

Sheryl Sandberg
“Fortune does favour the bold and you’ll never know what you’re capable of until you try.”

In other words: What is that thing you’ve been wanting to do for so long? Go along and try it out… 

Les Brown
“It’s better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have it, than to have an opportunity and not be prepared.”

In other words: What opportunities could you prepare for? What could you get ready for already today? You have the chance now to try things, learn and grow, to be the kind of person that can take join bigger things.

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My take on this is simply: 

IF YOU NEVER TRY, YOU WILL NEVER (ever) KNOW.

Daniel Galovan