Read time: 4 min.

Ever felt lost in a busy train station?

The train has arrived.

You can't find it.

It leaves in 2 minutes.

You're running around like a headless chicken.

It's like being dropped in a desert.

There are way too many directions to go.

You start to doubt your decision-making.

The lack of direction makes you feel overwhelmed, confused, and anxious.

• ’’What is the best way?’’

• ’’Is this the right choice?’’

• ’’Should I go left or right?!’’

You turn into choice paralysis—a functional freeze.

It's when the fear of error overrules your action-taking.

You are infinite potential

Your 20s are filled with potential.

• You don't have a lot of responsibility

• You have countless opportunities

• You have a lot of free time

But here's the scary truth:

To realize your potential, you have to sacrifice a part of it.

Most people refuse to do this.

They are afraid of sacrificing the wrong thing.

Potential manifests through restriction.

To be something, you have to give up something.

That's simply how the game works.

But how do you do this?

1. Limit your information consumption

Today’s age is the age of information overload.

More than ever before, the world offers countless options.

Social media is a master at exposing these options to us.

But it’s also a master at creating confusion.

Everyone on social media is trying to sell you an idea.

You get pulled in every direction, which causes you to not commit to any direction.

Of course you’re feeling confused as hell.

You aren't meant to know what someone else is thinking on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

Here's an example of what changed:

In the 1970's, people only had a handful of choices.

A Walkman gave you a limited number of songs to listen to.

Now, Spotify gives you infinite songs to choose from.

It programs your brain to never be satisfied.

It tells you there’s always another, possibly better, choice.

How do you limit your information intake?

• Delete Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat

• Limit your screen time

• Stop multitasking

2. Indecision is a decision

Realize that indecision isn't neutral.

Your decision not to make a choice is a choice in itself.

You choose that indecision is a better choice than decision.

Narrow your focus down to:

• One business

• One goal

• One skill

Shrink options now to expand on them later.

You'll always miss out on something when you make a decision.

You'll miss out on everything if you don't make one.

3. Life happens in phases

Get rid of the idea that every choice is permanent.

You’re putting way too much pressure on yourself.

Most choices aren’t permanent.

And besides:

Life happens in phases.

You don’t have to pick one thing and stay with it for the rest of your life.

If you live to be 81 years old, you've got 8 life phases of 7 years.

Let's imagine you're 25.

In that case, you still have 8 phases left to master something.

You could become:

• A writer

• A geologist

• A tennis player

• A doctor

• A musician

You name it.

Don't confine yourself to a box.

Closing Thoughts

The perfect plan, choice, or path is non-existent.

All you can do is make a calculated guess.

Nothing more.

Trust your intuition.

The details will fill in themselves along the way.

I promise.

That’s all for this week.

Much love from your friend.

— Martijn Douw