The paradoxes of life

Have you ever heard of the term “The Double Negative Paradox?” One day, a linguistics professor said during a lecture, “In English, a double negative forms a positive. There is no language in the world, not one, in which a double positive forms a negative.” But then a voice from a student from the back of the room piped up, “Yeah, right.” A paradox is a self-contradictory statement that, when investigated or explained, may prove to be well-founded or true. On his web page, inspirational writer and content creator Sahil Bloom presents a list of what he calls “The Paradoxes of Life.” I have taken the liberty to choose some of them here for your enjoyment.

The Persuasion Paradox The most persuasive people don’t argue—they observe, listen, and ask questions. 

Argue less, persuade more. 

Persuasion is an art that requires a paintbrush, not a sledgehammer.

The Effort Paradox You have to put in more effort to make something appear effortless. 

Watch videos of Roger Federer playing tennis in his prime. There is a certain nonchalance to his actions on the court, but this nonchalance resulted from endless hours of studied, careful, meticulous practice.

The Wisdom Paradox “The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know.” — Albert Einstein. 

The more you learn, the more you are exposed to the immense unknown. 

This should be empowering, not frightening. Embrace your ignorance. Embrace lifelong learning.

The Productivity Paradox Parkinson’s Law says that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. 

Work longer, get less done. 

When you establish fixed hours for your work, you find unproductive ways to fill it.

Modern work culture is a remnant of the Industrial Age. It encourages long periods of steady, monotonous work unsuited for the Information Age.

To do great, creative work, sprint when inspired. Rest. Repeat.

The Money Paradox You have to lose money to make money. 

Successful investors & builders have stories of the invaluable lessons learned from a terrible loss in their career. Sometimes, you have to pay to learn. 

Put skin in the game. Scared money doesn’t make money!

The Growth Paradox Growth takes much longer than you think, and then it happens much faster than you ever would have thought. 

Growth happens gradually, then suddenly. 

When you realize this, you start to do things differently—apply effort appropriately, stay the course, and let compounding work its magic.

The Taleb Surgeon Paradox Looking the part is sometimes the worst indicator of competency.

The one who doesn’t look the part has had to overcome much more to achieve its status than the one from central casting. 

If forced to choose, choose the one that doesn’t look the part.

The Icarus Paradox It is a classic tale of Greek mythology.

Icarus crafted wings out of feathers and beeswax to escape an island. But he quickly became blinded by his engineering prowess and flew too close to the sun, which caused the beeswax to melt and sent him plummeting to his death. 

What makes you successful can lead to your downfall. 

An incumbent achieves success with one thing, but overconfidence blinds him or her to potential disruption. Beware!

The Failure Paradox You have to fail more to succeed more. 

Don’t fear failure; learn to fail smart and fast. 

After all, getting punched in the face—a few times, but not too many—builds a strong jaw.

The Say No Paradox Take on less, accomplish more. 

Success comes from focus—deep focus on the tasks that matter. 

Say yes to what matters; say no to what doesn’t. Protect your time as a gift to be cherished.

The Speed Paradox You have to slow down to speed up. 

Slowing down lets you focus, gather energy, and deploy your resources more efficiently.

It allows you to focus on leverage and ROI, not effort. 

Move slow to move fast.

The Fear Paradox What we fear the most is often what we need the most.

Fears—when avoided—become limiters on our growth and life. 

Make a habit of getting closer to your fears. 

Then leap (metaphorically!)—you may find growth on the other side.

The Looking Paradox You may have to stop looking to find what you are looking for.

Have you noticed that you rarely find something when you are looking for it? 

Stop looking—what you’re looking for may find you.

This applies to love, business, investing, or life...

The Talking Paradox If you want your words and ideas to be heard, start by talking less and listening more. You’ll find more power in your words. 

Talk less to be heard more.

Nice read. Makes sense.

(Francis Kong’s podcast “Inspiring Excellence” is now available on Spotify, Apple, Google, or other podcast streaming platforms.)