Three Powerful Paradoxes of Life
Three Point Essay #21 | Fear Paradox, Persuasion Paradox, Death Paradox
Here’s a three-pointer to open your mind.
The mission of “Three Pointers” & about the author here
Paradox: a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true
There once was an old man with a white robe and a long beard sitting on a rock by the sea. A young man walking by saw him, and became curious. He approached the old man and asked him for some wisdom.
Without looking back, the old man said “the nature of truth is that once you see it, you can’t unsee it. Thus I can’t unsee the paradoxes of life, for they contain the most profound truths.”
Some believe the old man was Ichiro Suzuki, but it remains unknown. What we do know is who the young man was. The inspired young man grew up to be one of the greatest pro wrestlers of all time, John Cena.
Paradoxes can transform your life in a powerful way. An understanding of them will help you improve yourself, and become better at dealing with other people.
The Fear Paradox
What you're scared of is what you need most.
Carl Jung was a famous Swiss psychiatrist whose work influenced millions. He believed that whatever you fear doing most is exactly what you should do.
Fear is the #1 thing that limits people in their intellectual growth and personal development.
Though facing your fears is uncomfortable, it’s necessary to keep progressing in life.
The Persuasion Paradox
The less you speak, the more persuasive you’ll become.
Successful writer & investor Sahil Bloom had an insightful tweet saying: ‘Have you noticed that the most argumentative people rarely persuade anyone? The most persuasive people don’t argue—they observe, listen, and ask questions. Argue less, persuade more.’
Worse, the more you ramble on arguing about everything, the more you signal insecurity.
People interpret someone who can’t control their tongue as someone who can’t control themselves. And someone who can’t control themselves doesn’t get respect.
How are you going to persuade people if they don’t respect you?
There is great strength in silence.
The strength in silence is that when you finally do talk, your words carry more weight. Your lack of blabbering makes people curious about what you have to say.
When people are curious about what you have to say, you have the ability to be persuasive and influential.
The Death Paradox
The way to live well is to think of death.
Naturally, we don’t want to imagine ourselves dying. Only other people die, right?
Wrong.
The good news is, if you begin to live as if you were dying, you’ll begin living life to the fullest.
Confucius said that you have two lives, and the second begins when you realize you only have one. To begin your second life, you must accept your own mortality.
Not to upset you, but to inspire you.
Let your mortality encourage you to pursue the career and relationships you dream of. This is all going to end at some point anyways, why not go for it?
Great article and so true! The persuasion paradox holds true especially for Julia.