A lot of truths in life seem counterintuitive and nonsensical. But you just have to prod a little deeper to make sense of them.
The Wisdom Paradox.
A wise man (Albert Einstein) once said, “The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know.”
And so it makes sense that we don’t know what we don’t know.
When we know more, we end up realizing we know even less.
Maybe that’s why the smartest person in the room is usually the one that’s quieter.
The Productivity Paradox.
Parkinson’s Law says that work expands to fill the time available for its completion.
So when you allot yourself a set amount of hours to complete your task, you find unproductive ways to fill it.
Sure, I’ll go snack again. Make a second cup of coffee. Gaze into the distance.
Work longer, get less done. Work smarter in shorter sprints, get more done in that time.
The Connectedness Paradox.
More connectedness but we’re less connected.
We’re so wired and connected that our attention spans have suffered from the constant notifications and dopamine hits. Bing. Bing. Bing.
But have you ever left Facebook feeling better than when you opened it?
Disconnect to reconnect with those who matter.
The Choice Paradox.
The more choices and options we have, the less satisfied we are with whichever one we choose.
Because we have greater opportunity costs to selecting any particular one — so we’re less happy with any decision.
Similarly the more available something appears, the less we want it.
Humans have a strong scarcity bias because we unconsciously assume things that are scarce are valuable and things that are abundant are not.
IMO, the problem isn’t that we don’t know what we want. It’s that we don’t know what we can do without. Let go of the FOMO.
The Weight Paradox.
When we fixate on our weight we’re never satisfied with where we are
Until we look back at where we were. It’s only retrospectively that we realize we actually looked better than we perceived.
That’s because we deferred our happiness to a numeric goal
Rather than accepting what is as we move towards the next better version of ourselves.
Weight, like self-esteem, is so much more mental than it is physical.
The Constant Change Paradox.
The only constant in life is change. The only certainty is that nothing is ever certain.
That is our only absolute truth.
Benji Franklin said, “When you are finished changing, you are finished.”
Entropy is reality. So embrace it. Be adaptable, be malleable to change.
What are other paradoxes of life that get you thinking?
