Growth at any cost.

“The path of true learning is strewn with rocks, not roses. Anyone who insists on taking the easier way ends up in a fools paradise.” – Jed McKenna

Do problems exist?​

That’s not a shallow question to ask first thing on a Monday morning, but not-shallow questions are kind of what we do, here.

So let’s answer it.

(hi, by the way – it’s been a while. How’s things?)

To begin, let’s recap the category-5 s#*tstorm that demolished the past six weeks and is only beginning to settle down, now:

August retreat is amazing, also tiring as hell, badly need rest but don’t have time because all of our tech suddenly goes up in smoke and we need to migrate 14 years of work in three weeks while I’m simultaneously running a two-week plant medicine intensive and holy $#!* this wasn’t in the script can I just lay down for a minute?

(full story here, for those who missed it last week)

Whew.

Them some problems, yeah?

Depends.

Trees that never face storms become weak, brittle, and vulnerable.

Children who never face challenges become fragile, squishy, and spoiled.

Soft times create soft men.

And before we call something a problem, we need to define what a problem really is:

Something that stops you from getting what you want.

So, before you can answer the question:

Do problems exist?​

You need to decide what you want.

If you want an easy, cushy life, problems will always be a constant threat.

But if you want growth:

To become who you are and expand into your full human capacity, actualization at any cost…

Then problems are just weights you lift on the road to getting stronger.

In other words:

No problem doesn’t create growth, so no problem is really a problem.

The end result of the August/September mayhem is a stronger, sleeker tech stack on the outside and sharper problem-solving abilities on the inside.

That’s a win.

After all:

If we’re playing the development game for real, we can’t lose.

T

P.S. Our first clip from the 2024 retreat just dropped, and it’s a banger:

2 Ways To Unlock Your Natural Charisma​

The full-length session, Advanced Communication & Social Intelligence, was one of our all-time best.

It will drop inside The Path very soon.

Stay tuned…