99 out of 100 problems I create for myself. You probably do too.
In the past, I was ignorant and simply suffered when something bad happened to me. Now, I can't help but see the cause-and-effect relationship. Unfortunately, the convenient option of shifting responsibility onto others or fate has disappeared forever. In moments of weakness I long to return to the darkness of ignorance, for seeing and not preventing is far worse.
Strangely enough, my experience in jiu-jitsu comforts me, where I've felt the same way many times. Imagine being forced to surrender because you found yourself in a dead end, even though nothing seemed to foreshadow it. The strange situation must repeat itself multiple times to completely annoy you and push you to search for a solution. You eagerly scan YouTube and ask questions to anyone, trying to then apply contradictory advice into practice.
There's no result for a long time, but one day you notice that you resisted a bit longer. Then a hunch turns into insight: "Ah, that's where my main mistake was!" But it's too early to rejoice because knowledge and skill are separated by a chasm. You continue to lose and curse, now aware of where and when you messed up. And only after dozens, or even hundreds, of "lessons," you achieve mastery when you sense danger from a mile away and sidestep it.
One can hope that in a similar way, we learn in business and life in general. The intermediate stage of discouragement is inevitable when innocence is lost but maturity hasn't yet been earned. The only option left is to learn faster. How? Maintain curiosity, make as many iterations as possible, and extract meaning from each one.
Yours sincerely,
-Alexander
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