I think it’s been surprisingly like 50⁄50 when I specifically flinch away from an idea because it felt impossible, and it turned out to be “actually pretty impossible” vs “okay actually sort of straightforward if I were trying all the obvious things”.
Obviously, if I systematically list out impossible things, there will be way more actually-pretty-impossible things. But somehow when it actually comes up (sampled from “things I actively wanted to do”). Maybe if I got better at dreaming impossible thoughts more of them would turn out to actually be impossible.
and it turned out to be “actually pretty impossible” vs “okay actually sort of straightforward if I were trying all the obvious things”.
Interesting, because looking at this question, things not appearing “straightforward” appears to be why I flinch away from them—I know that ‘straightforward’ doesn’t imply “easy” or “effortless” but I assume it does imply something like predictability? As in, digging a big hole can be very straightforward in that you you grab a shovel and dig, and then keep digging until it’s big enough. But the act of digging is also very hard and effortful. Does “straightforward but effortful” seem to characterize, in flavor, how a task appears once you’ve forced yourself to question if it is impossible?
Maybe it’s not you’re not deficient in dreaming impossible things so much as you’re very good at seeing “obvious” means and ways of accomplishing something and mapping how the dominoes land.
I think it’s been surprisingly like 50⁄50 when I specifically flinch away from an idea because it felt impossible, and it turned out to be “actually pretty impossible” vs “okay actually sort of straightforward if I were trying all the obvious things”.
Obviously, if I systematically list out impossible things, there will be way more actually-pretty-impossible things. But somehow when it actually comes up (sampled from “things I actively wanted to do”). Maybe if I got better at dreaming impossible thoughts more of them would turn out to actually be impossible.
Interesting, because looking at this question, things not appearing “straightforward” appears to be why I flinch away from them—I know that ‘straightforward’ doesn’t imply “easy” or “effortless” but I assume it does imply something like predictability? As in, digging a big hole can be very straightforward in that you you grab a shovel and dig, and then keep digging until it’s big enough. But the act of digging is also very hard and effortful. Does “straightforward but effortful” seem to characterize, in flavor, how a task appears once you’ve forced yourself to question if it is impossible?
Maybe it’s not you’re not deficient in dreaming impossible things so much as you’re very good at seeing “obvious” means and ways of accomplishing something and mapping how the dominoes land.