topic: [[Deciding]] people: #people/oliverburkeman created: 2025-03-16 *All you have to do is pay the consequences.* ##### what is it? The idea is that we often seek freedom from limitations. However, trying to be free of our limitations makes us put energy into fighting reality, which reduces our energy into working within the reality we face. ##### why does it matter? Magically, however, once we can recognize the limitations to our situation, we no longer have to fight that reality. Then we can put all of our energy into self-determination within the constraints of the situation. If we can determine what our limitations really are (for example, how many hours this week will we _really_ have to dedicate to our project), we can plan better, make better decisions, and do our best balancing. ##### This reminds me of Chapter 15 in [[The Psychology of Money]], "Nothing is free" which says the cost of growth is volatility. You have to determine the cost of something, to figure out if you're willing to pay that cost. People want to have both growth and low risk, but that world doesn't exist, and trying to find it actually causes you to reduce both your potential growth and your safety, because you tend to act in ways that reduces both, which is selling when things are falling. Limitations are gravity problems, from the [[gravity or anchor problems]] concept. Gravity problems shouldn't be fought, because they are gravity, you aren't going to win. These types of problems are [[Power Leaks]], they cause you to put energy into things you can't control, which limits your energy put into things you **can** control. ##### What would the opposite argument be? Sometimes you can't tell what is a limitation until you have tried something. How can you ever launch a rocket if you don't try? [[wisdom can't be told]], it has to be earned. The question is, can you learn from the processes involved in [[Identifying Reality]] at it exists, or, do you keep fighting against gravity, reality, etc? tags: #note/idea | #on/limitations | #on/reality ##### Sources: Burkeman, O. (2024). _[[Meditations for mortals]]: Four weeks to embrace your limitations and make time for what counts_ (First american). Farrar, Straus and Giroux.