The Illusion of Progress

I love learning new things.

Technology, business, psychology, design, science… sometimes even things that have absolutely nothing to do with what I’m currently doing.

There’s something exciting about understanding something I didn’t know yesterday.

And every time I learn something new, I feel like I’m growing.

But recently, a strange question crossed my mind.

I know a little about so many things. I have ideas, plans, saved resources, unfinished projects, and a mind that never really stops thinking about what’s next.

Yet when I look back, I sometimes struggle to point to what I’ve actually completed.

It’s a strange feeling.

Because I wasn’t wasting my time. I was genuinely learning.

But maybe that’s exactly what makes this difficult to notice.

Learning gives me a sense of accomplishment. Execution demands proof.

And perhaps I’ve become so comfortable with the first that I keep postponing the second.

I don’t regret being curious. I never want to lose that part of myself.

I just wonder how many things I could have built if I had spent a little less time preparing and a little more time doing.

Maybe the real problem isn’t that I don’t know enough.

Maybe it’s that I keep waiting to know more.

And that brings me to another thought…

Why is starting something new so much easier than finishing something we’ve already started?

To be continued…

Next: Part 2 — Addicted to New Beginnings