I’m guilty of being analog. On/off. Black/white. Things in boxes. No mess.
Analogs like me find success in repeating patterns, and as we climb new rungs on the ladder, we trick ourselves into thinking that new patterns replace old patterns — in my case, thinking replaces doing — and revisiting old patterns is a step backwards.
But that’s not how it works. It’s better than that. New patterns revive old patterns. Old patterns weren’t perfect for their place and time — not stepping stones to something better. Old patterns are alpha tests and beta tests. As we grow and advance and climb that latter, we iterate.
It’s true that some doing goes by the wayside, but it’s only the doing that has truly been perfected. Patterns simple enough to master sooner rather than later and leave behind as you climb higher. I’m amazed at how many fewer of these there are than I initially thought. The reality — my reality — is that with so many things I’m good, but not great.
So here’s to doing more and thinking more. We strive for more than armchair mastery. We do our thinking in the trenches.