Wonder makes "uncertain discomfort" exciting
Uncertain discomfort + Wonder > Certain discomfort. h/t Paul Millerd
Many people dislike some parts of their jobs, but they stay. To change would be to trade the known for the unknown and change brings discomfort in hard to predict forms. So people avoid change and develop coping strategies. They learn to sidestep the manipulative manager, or like me, change jobs every couple of years, plan vacations, stay busy, and get drunk during the weekend. e
We can explain this strategy with a simple equation:
Uncertain Discomfort < Certain Discomfort + Coping Mechanism
In other words, given sufficient coping strategies, people will be willing to tolerate consistent levels of misery for long stretches of time.
Is there anything that can override this? One thing seems to work reliably: wonder.
Wonder is the state of being open to the world, its beauty, and potential possibilities. With wonder, the need to cope becomes less important and the discomfort on the current path becomes more noticeable.
The equation becomes:
Uncertain Discomfort + Wonder > Certain Discomfort
In thoughts about the future, worry is traded for wonder. People stop thinking about worst‑case scenarios and begin to imagine the benefits of following an uncertain path. They get curious about who they might become if they embrace discomfort and are filled with a sense of urgency that says, “if I don’t do this now, I might regret it.””
This doodle is thanks to
/Until next week,
Gaurav Chandrashekar