Seth's Blog : Looking for a handle

Looking for a handle

What if your boots don’t have any straps?

Bootstrapping is logically impossible. You can’t pick yourself up into the air by lifting on your boots, no matter how hard you try, because gravity isn’t just a good idea, it’s the law.

But it’s significantly more difficult if your boots don’t have straps.

The word “purchase” has many meanings, but the most eloquent one describes the foothold we find when we’re trying to climb a wall. If you can’t find a spot to stand, it’s hard to get to where you hope to go.

And sometimes, we willingly get stuck. Or we create situations where others do.

If we’re afraid or benefitting from feeling trapped, we start to eliminate the handles. We know that taking a course, going for a walk or asking for help might move us forward, so we work hard to avoid those things. If the desire to stay stuck is strong, we’ll do anything we can to avoid offering purchase to ourselves or to anyone else who is trying to help.

Don’t worry so much about the end of the journey. The focus at the beginning is simply to make a step possible.