Things As They Are, Unfamiliarity, Using Uncertainties

One Insight From Me

"I wish I could go back to my 20s — life was so much easier." It came to mind a few days ago during lunch. You've probably thought about this too.

But here's the thing: when I was actually in my 20s, I didn't think it was easy.

• Building an audience for my blog.
• Figuring out content and growth for AppSumo.
• Tinkering with side hustles to make extra income.

All of them felt hard in the moment. Uncertainties were everywhere.

Now I'm growing Wolo Yoga — managing cash flow, hiring people, planning what's next. I'm doing public speaking, sharing my message through my voice instead of words. And I'm learning AI from scratch.

They feel hard too. Just like how I felt dealing with the uncertainties in my 20s.

That's when it hits me: Hard and easy are just disguises for unfamiliarity and familiarity.

The past feels easy because we've already lived it. There's no more unknown to navigate. Today looks very similar to yesterday. They are familiar to you. The present feels hard because we're in the middle of it — the outcome is still open. Everything is new and unfamiliar.

The next time something feels hard, pause for a second. The anxiety is a signal that you're in the middle of something — and the middle always feels uncertain. One day, this chapter will be the easy one. The one you look back on and wonder why you worried so much.

Three Ideas From Other People

Remembrance of things past is not necessarily the remembrance of things as they were.

Marcel Proust

Perfectly ordinary, even innate, fears that are bred mostly from unfamiliarity. Fortunately, unfamiliarity is simple to fix (again, not easy), which makes it possible to increase our tolerance for stress.

Ryan Holidays, ​The Obstacle Is the Way​

Wind extinguishes a candle and energizes fire. Likewise with randomness, uncertainty, chaos: you want to use them, not hide from them.

Nassim Taleb, ​Antifragile​

One Question to Reflect On

When you tell yourself something is "too hard," are you responding to the actual difficulty? Or to the discomfort of the unfamiliar?