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When a situation is normalised, we get no spikes of differences or interest. When everything is of more or less equal importance/priority, it can be very hard to begin taking action.
When everything seems the same, we get “blank canvas syndrome.” Where do we begin when there is nothing obvious we can grab at? Which path do we take when anything seems possible?
Before we can begin to prioritise, we need to set up dissonance. To denormalise the situation. We need to make the canvas dirty to create starting points for action.
Consider the excellent suggestion in response to the “I don’t know what I want to do with my life?!” quandary: Pick something in front of you, do that, and keep moving forward.
When we are stuck in “I don’t know what I want to do with my life?!” we are often in a normalised situation. There are options. There are possibilities. We can do many different things. But they are all ill-differentiated.
And so we need to de-normalise. Filter our perspective by asking more polarising questions like: If I had to pick something right now, what are the (few) actual possibilities? If I were to die in 2 months’ time, what could I do that is possible and meaningful right now? What is something I can do that shits me the least right now?!
We pick the revealed spikes. And pull ourselves forward. Then find the next spike. And move on from there. This organic evolution is better than sitting still doing nothing whilst trying to worry-out the “perfect” or “best” or “most right” path forward.
