Getting Unstuck

It has been a while since I posted anything. I wrote articles in a book. I didn’t post them here. This distinction is crucial because it’s the same as doing something and not sharing it. I’ve been there before, in multiple situations, not limited to writing. If you have a hobby that you haven’t shared with people just because a voice inside you says “it’s not good enough” then I’m sure you can relate.

There are a few reasons that prevent people from sharing their ideas. Fear of rejection, criticism, a sense of it’s not good enough are some of the common ones. Personally, there’s also a fear of being wrong. That’s when I realized, “I can’t always be right”. There are articles I’m proud of, yet faced disagreement. What’s to say it doesn’t happen the other way? It’s not good enough, but the reception could be one of the best I’ve received.

We don’t get to choose what happens to us, but we can always choose how we feel about it - Ryan Holiday

If we look to the Stoics, the most important practice is distinguishing between what’s in our control and what isn’t, what we can influence and what we can’t. When I’m looking for excuses, this lesson always leaves me speechless. I don’t win this argument with my inner voice.

We’re not the best judges of our work. There’s a fine line between being genuinely bad and assuming the same. Neither gives scope to run away. Take it from someone I look up to - “I was an ordinary person who studied hard. There are no miracle people. It happens they get interested in this thing and they learn all this stuff, but they’re just people.” -Richard Feynman

That voice in our head is always going to be there. We can talk to it, understand it, ignore it and silence it. It took me three attempts to learn swimming. I’m addicted to the sport, and to the beginners alongside me, it looks like I was born with the ability to swim. The truth is I’ve tried in 2005, 2019, and now 2021. I see five-year-old kids swimming fifty meters while I’m gasping to reach thirty and that’s okay. I’ll learn and get better. Sitting won’t help that scenario.

It’s been bit of a ramble, but if you’ve made it this far, I do have a takeaway. It’s not going to smack you with epiphanies, but I do believe it’s important.

Start. Take that first step. It’s the most crucial step you’ll take.

Then take another. It gets easier. Take a third, and a fourth.

“Tomorrow, someone will go on their first ever run”

You can stop, but chances are you won’t. You’ll come across obstacles along the way, and that’s okay. The best in the world face obstacles. Overcoming that obstacle will be the most invaluable lesson you’ll learn. “Because all we need to do is those three little duties—to try hard, to be honest, and to help others and ourselves. That’s all that’s been asked of us. No more and no less.” ― Ryan Holiday.

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