Peregrination into Paradoxes

Hey Friend,

Welcome back to Corridors of Curiosity (023)

Our reality is painted by the brushes of our perspectives, opinions, and our interpretations of ‘what is’. The best course of action we can take is to inject awareness into our reflection process to enhance our relationship with ourselves, others, and this amazing LIFE we get to experience!

“If your thinking is stinking, your thoughts will lead you to droughts.” - Paril Bhakta

The landscapes of our minds, bodies, and spirits are kept hydrated by investing time and energy into our systems, plans, and mindsets!

Clear out some time to examine your approach to life.

Take some things out, place some things in — live life for a couple of weeks, iterate and change as needed, and re-run the experiment with new constraints.

Play the game of life from an enlightened perspective. Do not lose hope, everything we work for is possible.

Each day is another opportunity to stay on track or to get back on track — no need to cry about falling off track, let’s hop back on as quickly as possible!

This week’s letter will contain some of my favorite paradoxes of life.

A paradox is defined as “a seemingly self-contradictory proposition that when investigated may prove to be well founded or true.”

(For those of you wondering what the hell “Peregrination” means — “journey, a long meandering journey!)

So, there you have it — we are taking a journey into some paradoxical components of life.

I encourage you to question these paradoxes and observe your reaction. You might find some more “true” than others; or maybe, you’ll think about the paradoxes that intrigue you the most!

Productivity Paradox

We would all love to be constantly productive but life doesn’t adhere to silly games that humans play.

The constant pursuit of productivity induces a constant state of unproductivity.

We get so focused on getting better at being productive that we forget that being productive is a means to an end. We must have something to be productive for otherwise we are just becoming professional productivity experts.

Apply productivity strategies to your process over time — keep what you like and leave what you don’t. A useful strategy is to create an “Anti-Productivity” List — a list of distractions and obstacles that tend to cause you trouble. Deal with these and you’ll be far more productive simply based on your increased awareness of what hinders your productivity.

Also, rest is productive. It is okay to turn off the brain and just be.

Intelligence Paradox

Smart people are just too damn smart! They are trained to think about every detail and often over-complicate the simplest things.

Highly intelligent people are so locked into their brains that they have trouble stepping back and observing the situation for what it is. Not everything needs to be dissected into the fine bits of nuanced information — most of the time; doing the basic, boring thing will prove to be the most intelligent action.

Being smart is awesome, but never outsmart yourself! Utilize your powers for discernment and logical action and less for reinventing the basic “wheels” of life.

Advice Paradox

Most people know what they need to do. We search for advice to calm our minds, clean up our actions, and learn the most effective strategies for handling our situations.

The problem arises when we are in constant search for advice. Instead, we should strive to act upon the knowledge, wisdom, and advice we already have gathered. Being in constant pursuit of advice causes decision fatigue, overwhelm, and fear of action.

Pick a path and go. As you walk, you will observe situations and learn specific knowledge based on your encounters with the unknown. We get better as we go. Avoid watching from the sidelines and throw yourself into the games of life — you know how to play.

Faster is Better Paradox

“Slow is smooth, smooth is fast” - this quote comes from the NAVY SEALS and is a great reminder that slowing down often helps us become more efficient.

We want everything to be done quickly — it is what we expect from our world of supreme convenience.

We rush through tasks, realize we did the task poorly, and then sit around re-doing the task — wasting more time than we intended to save.

Start slow and calm, as you gain experience and iterate on your process, you can speed up and enjoy the fruits of your fast, effective action. It takes time and effort to make things feel + look effortless.

Fear Paradox

This paradox dances around in the realm of the unknown.

Fear is unavoidable — yet, our minds will try to avoid fear at all costs. The mind is programmed to keep us safe and away from potentially dangerous situations.

Our minds are so good at keeping us from uncomfortable situations that we end up staying in the land of stagnation.

We need to be where our fears and dreams intersect.

The things we are often most scared to do are often the things we need to do the most!

The most important path is often plagued with difficulty, struggle, and self-doubt.

Run towards your fears. Your mind is creating bullshit excuses why you should not explore your fears, but you are aware that the realm of fears is where our biggest goals and dreams reside.

Social Media Paradox

The most connected we have ever been yet also the furthest away we have ever been.

Social media allows for connection and networking all across the globe.

Social media also addicts us to the safety of scrolling and avoiding the slightest bit of real-life communication.

Stay connected to social media with extreme awareness. Schedule disconnection blocks from phone/media and schedule real human interactions. Simple is better — maybe, just call up a friend and talk shit about his favorite sports teams.

Selfish Paradox

Being selfish is a bad thing, right? Wrong.

Many tend to believe that focusing on self is bad. Like I said at the beginning of this letter, reality is painted by our perceptions and beliefs. If you never take the time to be selfish, how can you effectively manage the stressors of life?

The days of noble bonus points for being unselfish are gone. It is preferable to be selfish as a vehicle to improve your life situation. This shift causes a ripple effect that benefits the lives of others.

It is not about being a shitty person, it is about investing energy into self-reliance, self-awareness, self-education, self-mastery, self-management, etc.

Putting yourself first is the best route to creating a life filled with enjoyment and gratitude. Once you operate with yourself in mind, you will open up doors to help others. Just like putting your oxygen mask on first, you need to take care of yourself at a high level so you can help others take care of themselves.

Be Selfish As A Means To Increase Your Ability To Be Unselfish.

Paradox of Essentials

You will only find what is essential through the painful experience of what is unessential.

This is a big reason why it is important to explore the unknown, you will learn what matters the most and what doesn't matter as much.

In our world today, there are endless distractions that pull us away from essential actions.

These distractions serve a purpose — they offer us clear guidance on what is essential.

For me, scrolling on social media is unessential. I find that I rarely get value from aimless scrolling, so I have developed systems to keep me from participating in that behavior.

For others, the behavior of scrolling aimlessly may help their creative process or infuse inspiration into their work.

Find what the ideal essentials for your life are. You will only find the “deepest essentials” by exploring the depths of the unknown. Go forth, even in the face of fear. There is plenty to discover.

That’s all I have for today.

Exploring paradoxes is a fascinating journey. I encourage you to venture into the paradoxes that interest you the most.

Paradoxes are a reality of life — the spectrum of human experience is beautiful. Various explorations have already been conducted, it is time for you to embark on your own.

Ask your own questions.

Discover your own answers.

Apply the lessons to your life.

Share the wisdom with others.

Thanks for your time and interest.

I enjoy writing this weekly newsletter and it is a direct result of your continuous support and love. Words are just words — having the opportunity to craft words into letters that might improve your life situation is where I find the most enjoyment.

So — thanks again. I really fucking appreciate you.

Until next time, my friend,

Stay Curious

Paril