Paradigms

Paradigms are helpful. Until they’re not.

They help us make sense of complexity. They give us structure, a mental map, a framework to orient ourselves in the world. When you're learning something new, or building something ambitious, having a paradigm can feel like a lifeline. It's the compass you check to see which way is north.

But over time, what was once a tool becomes a filter. And that filter, if left unchecked, can start to limit how you see, think, grow, and solve.

A surgeon will more often than not see the solution through the lens of surgery.
A demolitionist? Blow it up and start over.
If you ask a barber if you need a haircut…

This isn’t a judgment, it’s human. We all build and rely on paradigms. But when we over-identify with them, when we confuse the map for the territory, we stop asking better questions. We stay in the familiar. We solve for what we already know how to do.

So here’s the ceremony invitation I’m sitting with today:
What paradigms have I developed, consciously or not?
Which ones are still serving me?
And which ones might I be hiding behind?

Sometimes, growth doesn’t require a new tool. It just asks that we set one down.

-Richard