Unravel the enigma of paradoxes and their transformative potential. Discover 13 paradoxical principles that, when embraced, can catalyze significant improvements in your life. Prepare to challenge your perceptions and redefine your approach to personal growth.
The only certainty is uncertainty
No one has been able to accurately predict the future, and this will likely continue as time progresses
- However, we have the ability to shape our future if we make the right decisions today
- The future may be uncertain, we can do our best to make it a good one if we take action
The Pursuit of Happiness Makes You Miserable
You can’t be happy simply by chasing it.
- Happiness is a by-product of a life well lived.
- Eleanor Roosevelt
- Pursuing happiness for the sake of it makes you miserable, there’s no meaning behind it.
Talk less to say more
The more you speak, the more comfortable people become around you.
- Once you do speak up, people tend to listen more because they are eager to hear what you have to say and form their own assumptions about you based on what you say.
The more choices we have, the harder it is to choose
When we are presented with more options, we become less satisfied with those we choose and less able to make a decision due to opportunity cost
- Sometimes, less really is more
- There are fewer choices, but more opportunity cost leads to less satisfaction
Fear of death will impact your enjoyment of life
You may be unable to enjoy everyday things because you are worried about an event that is out of your control.
- When I got hit by a car, the first time, and then the second time, it didn’t make me fear death. I was able to realize it would happen one day.
The most important truths in life are those that are contradictory on the surface
While they may appear to be impossible, with time they are often proved right through experience.
- If you can understand these paradoxes and use to them your benefit, your life will be all the better for it.
Social media disconnects us from each other
We are in more constant communication with technology than ever before, but that communication is digital and not face to face.
- It’s no wonder more and more of us are feeling depressed and isolated. We need to relearn to connect with each other on a human level.
The only constant is change
While we may think things stay constant over the long-term, this isn’t true. Everything is constantly changing and evolving. The sooner we accept it, the sooner we can adapt when it strikes.
- Change is with us whether we like it or not.
The more you learn, the more you realize how little you know
No matter how old we get and how much we think we know, we will always have blind spots. This is one of the many beauties of life. There is always something new to learn.
The more available something is, the less we want it
We subconsciously assume things that are abundant are not valuable, whereas those that are less available are
- This is why we dream of owning a Ferrari, why becoming an entrepreneur is all the fashion right now, and why we all wanted that cool toy at Christmas.
- Just because something is scarce does not mean it’s valuable
Failure leads to success
There is nothing wrong with failure as long as you learn from it and apply it to your endeavours in the future.
- Success comes from improvement, which comes from failure. The two are intertwined more than you think
- Try and learn from your mistakes and apply them to your future endeavors.
If something scares you, you should probably do it
Fear only gets smaller the closer you get to the destination.
- Take responsibility for yourself and get on with things
- You can’t always rely on others to make you do what is right for you.
The more you try to keep someone close, the more you will push them away
Boundaries in any relationship are important, it’s what makes them work
- Respecting other people’s time and desires, and not forcing them into spending time with you is the way to keep your relationships intact
Solitude makes you more sociable
While solitude may appear to make us less sociable, it is during this time that you learn to be comfortable with yourself.
- Once you are comfortable being alone with yourself, something a lot of us aren’t today, you will have less trouble being comfortable around others.
