There’s a price to pay if we want to learn the way.
The less we know, the less the see, and the less we accept, the greater our potential.
When we’re standing at the foot of the mountain without any knowledge of what lies ahead, all paths seem equal.
In our ignorance is freedom. Utter, boundless freedom to choose as we please, unaware of the implications of our actions.
When we approach things in this manner, we only get where we’re going by accident – or through dumb luck.
We don’t stay in that place of boundless choice. Instead, we narrow down our options.
We start by analysing where we’re starting from.
We look at the paths ahead. From where we’re standing, which ones do we think will lead us to our ultimate destination?
(Our ability to judge this isn’t perfect, but we do the best we can.)
Then, when we know where we are and where we could walk to navigate this challenge, we go deeper.
We consider what we want & what we’re willing to do in order to attain our desires.
We reflect on the baggage we’re loaded down with: burdens of experience and circumstance.
What could we leave behind? What will we leave behind? And when we do, what will it mean about us?
Finally, we’re ready.
We set out on our journey. But this process of evaluating, judging, and clarifying our progress on the path isn’t a once-off.
It’s something we return to from one moment to the next.
As we do so, there’s a continuous transformation taking place. One where we alchemise raw potential into something real – honing ourselves and the tools at our disposal into the form required by the task at hand.
Clarity isn’t free. It comes at a cost.
When we get real about things we want and what we’re willing to do to get them, we cast a vote for one set of futures among many:
Ones where we don’t make the hard choices and continue onwards, blissfully unaware of how close we came to making a different decision.
Our commitment to one path over all others frees us from the tyranny of endless options. But even when it enables us to reach greater heights, we can still feel like we lost something.
The solution:
Don’t see it as a cost to be borne.
See it as an investment in your potential.
A crystallisation of intent that empowers you to do more than you could before.
The price is the price. Once paid, it’s gone.
It’s up to each individual to decide what they do with it:
Make it the foundation of future progress, or turn it into a gaping hole that can’t be filled.