I remember an experienced entrepreneur confessing after a transformational session that it was my vivid metaphors, hyperboles, and humor that helped him see and accept the important things that his mind was otherwise very resistant to. I understand him very well, since as a client in psychotherapy I often experience the same inner struggle. Some belief has been a part of me for so long and is so dear to me that to part with it is like a yakuza to do jubitsume (Jap. 指詰め), that is, to voluntarily cut off a phalanx of one’s finger.
Reexamining one’s core assumptions and beliefs really feels like an earthquake when the ground suddenly drops out from under one’s feet. No wonder so few people are willing to subject themselves to such “torture” on principle, let alone as a ritual once a quarter or a week. However, reality doesn’t care about people’s feelings - it hunts tirelessly and ferociously destroys all lies. If a belief is wrong, sooner or later a person will collide with reality. If a minor belief collapses, a person gets off with a minor scare. But the sudden and forced destruction of an axiomatic assumption a person may not survive. Or turn into a vegetable, become a monk, or go to the islands, forgetting about business, family, and friends.
Once one has experienced a non-fatal collision, an intelligent person chooses between two evils in favor of the lesser one. Is it worth avoiding what’s coming anyway? Isn’t it then better to enter into contact with the unknown, but on your terms? After that, all that remains is to shake up the monolith of false assumption with metaphors, explode it with hyperbole, and cool it down with jokes. When the dust settles, one is surprised to discover that having lost something, one has gained much more in return. New degrees of freedom take one’s breath away.
Sincerely yours,
-Alexander
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”Who are you and what do you do?"
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.
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