May 23, 2024
Dear Fellow Traveler,
There are no right answers.
Over spring break, I took a road trip with my girlfriend and some of her college friends to Phoenix, Arizona.
During the trip, we spent some time hiking and admiring the desert scenery at Papago Park. It was a refreshing escape from our usual routine.
Afterward, feeling pretty parched, I asked my girlfriend if she wanted to grab a quick smoothie with me to quench my thirst.
“But Aman, aren’t smoothies bad for you?” she asked.
“The fruit is blended, so in liquid form, your blood sugar will spike even if you don’t add any extra sweetener.”
Her statement made me pause. From a first-principles perspective, she’s absolutely correct. If you use a continuous glucose monitor, you will see a fruit smoothie spike your blood sugar and contribute to a poor hemoglobin A1C.
On the other hand, the fruit in smoothies contains tons of important micronutrients and fiber that contribute to positive health outcomes. So, what’s the solution? To slurp or not to slurp? Are smoothies healthy or not?
Lately, I’ve noticed that almost every area of life has some level of nuance. Diet is a really common one.
“You should consume a high-protein diet → use protein powder → but protein powder is processed → processed food is bad → don’t use protein powder → don’t consume a high-protein diet.”
These circular discussions are everywhere in health and wellness, and they can leave you feeling more confused than ever.
Another area where this exists is related to career choices.
“Follow your passion → create a business out of what you love to do → work 60-80 hours a week in your passion → get burned out and start disliking your initial hobby → just because you like baking doesn’t mean you can run a bakery → don’t follow your passion.”
So, what now?
The solution is to be able to hold conflicting ideas at once and go with what you feel is right. Every decision has a valid incongruous alternative — I see it as a yin and yang. Both opposite, yet they coexist.
This principle applies to so many areas of life. Whether it’s deciding on your diet, your career path, or even something as simple as choosing a smoothie, embracing the complexity and trusting your intuition is the only way forward.
You should also work on developing your default inclination by consuming high-quality information and learning from your mistakes.
This is the value of experience — your gut, when trained, can cut through the noise and make more accurate choices.
Take Warren Buffett, for example. He makes just a handful of decisions each year, but those decisions lead to significant growth in his company.
Since taking over Berkshire Hathaway in 1965, the company's market value has grown by an astonishing 2,472,627% under his leadership.
It’s because he spends about 80% of his day reading and has over six decades of experience to draw upon. This combination of high-quality information and extensive experience enables him to make sound decisions amidst the noise.
At the end of the day, all you can do is gather the facts, set them on the table, and go with your gut. At least that’s what I’ve been trying to do.
Have a great week,
Aman
"There are no solutions. There are only trade-offs."
- Thomas Sowell
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