An infantile mind craves simple answers: yes or no, good or bad, black or white. But just like indulging in sugar or alcohol, the fleeting satisfaction comes at a steep cost later.
Reality, with all its dimensions, punishes those who insist on thinking in 2D.
Take beginner bikers, for example. They tend to slam either the brakes or the gas. On a quiet straightaway, that might work, but not in the city, and not off-road.
To master the art of maneuvering, you must engage the clutch, brakes, and throttle simultaneously—like playing a trumpet.
Every phenomenon is always more complex than your mental image of it. That’s why we suffer when trapped in dilemmas. On one side, there’s X; on the other, Y. Both have their merits. You can’t choose, but you must. And so, we swing wildly between them.
Stress is nothing but a short circuit when the mind can’t decide.
Here’s the thing: the mind sees the world only through what it already knows. Anything beyond that, it ignores entirely.
That’s where you, the master of your mind, must push it—like freeing a stuck motorcycle from the mud.
Paradox (from the Greek paradoxos, meaning “unexpected” or “strange”) refers to a statement or idea that clashes with common sense and seems illogical (Wiki).
Your “wild” mission is to destroy the dilemma—or at least shake it loose.
One way to do that is to step out of the either-or mindset and into both-and. It’s a different way of seeing things, where opposites coexist without conflict. Their tension creates value, not harm.
One day, I might create a course about dilemmas in business and life—how they arise, what drives them, and most importantly, how to manage and resolve them. If this course interests you, let me know: “Yes, and here’s why...”
Sincerely yours,
-Alexander
About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.
How can I help you?
If you've long been trying to understand what is limiting you and/or your business and how to finally give important changes a push, then The Catalyst Session is designed specifically for you. Book it here.