Weekly Platitudes
Recurring combinations of lessons learned the easy and hard way.
Always tell yourself the truth - The only way you will trust yourself is if you are honest with yourself. Think of someone you’ve caught lying and now doubt. When you look in the mirror you don’t want to see that person. It can be easy and tempting to lie when it serves you but lying to yourself only makes it harder to keep self-promises. Life is more vivid when you represent yourself truthfully; vivid ups come with vivid downs.
Doing nothing will get you nowhere. Irrelevant plans are the same as doing nothing - I’ve written a business plan for Industry Design three times. I’ve scrapped it three times because doing the thing is different than planning to do the thing, or mapping out how the thing will happen. Every business plan I wrote went out the window as soon as I started, because I had no experience in what I’m trying to do here. Limited context planning tricks your brain into creating unstated expectations and react to both good and bad divergences from those expectations with negativity, fear, and rejection, not adaptation. Develop trust in yourself and the skills you need to figure it out as you go along instead.
Follow your nature - Everything you do is voted on by the mind, body, and soul. Everything you should do is pointed at by all three in unison and will fulfill all aspects of you. These are the things that feel natural immediately. Things that feel close leave one aspect unfulfilled, or almost fulfilled with just a tiny asterisk or doubt. These things are beguiling, almost comfortable, and the hardest and most painful to walk away from. It is possible to power through the doubt and do it anyway which may serve you for a short time. When I feel the need to ask for advice but already know what I want that advice to be I know part of me is not onboard.
It’s impossible to tell if something is worth it until it is - Try shit, flourish or fail fast, and move on or pivot when it doesn’t work. Failing to achieve a goal rarely comes without benefit, even if that benefit is only knowing that specific thing will not work. When you fail make sure you walk away with lessons learned, new or improved skills, personal or professional connections, and a better understanding of yourself so you can try again in the future or apply your new tools elsewhere. A high number of failures and learnings is why experts have more ways to win than beginners.
