The second guess

The first decision to do something is like a rocket that pulls you into outer space as long as you commit to it.?

The second guess is like a grappling hook that hooks onto you and pulls you towards the ground with an amount of force that increases exponentially with every second you indulge in it.?

The second guess is also also a bit of a misnomer. It’s really a 3rd, 4th, 5th, ad infinitum guess all conveniently hidden underneath the term second guess, which diminishes the very real, compounding effect that doubt can have over time.?

Here’s a relatively benign example and application that seems to apply to many, including me: the dread to commit to an activity followed by a subsequent joy from doing it.?

More concretely: I dislike committing to going outside?—?to the park, to the city, to social events?—?but whenever I get myself to do it, I’m really glad I made the commitment to do so.

Just this morning I contemplated if I really wanted to go for a run outside. I started to question if the trek to the park was really worth it, and if my time would be better spent doing other things (the second guess). Instead of indulging in these thoughts for a minute longer, I decided to just commit to going outside and brush the initial resistance off to the side.?

And, predictably, once I made it to the park, once I started running?—?I was really glad I followed through on my plans.?

The same phenomenon can apply to other situations:?

Committing to a project that you’ve been avoiding.?

Committing to going to a social event.?

Of course, the tail end of commitment isn’t guaranteed happiness, but I contend more often than not that we’ll be glad to have least tried something in spite of whatever second guesses we might have had at first.?

Jump to action in spite of doubt. At best, you enjoy the outcome which was made possible only because you didn’t lean into your doubts. At worst, you learn that it doesn’t work for you and you can move on to trying other things.?

The Daily Spark exists for two reasons:

1. To document one idea every day that I've found helpful in my life.
2. To inspire you to discover what matters most and to take action towards it

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I'm a second-generation Taiwanese American trying to find life’s greatest sources of meaning and make the most out of it