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The Freedom of Constraints
Fear comes from not knowing what to expect and not feeling you have any control over what’s about to happen. When you feel helpless, you’re far more afraid than you would be if you knew the facts — Chris Hadfield
I don’t like uncertainty: I’m a planner. In early January, as I do every year, I sat down, reviewed my 2019 plan and my five-year goals, and wrote my plan for 2020. It was all set: I was going to sit my exams, do some short courses, then go home to New Zealand in early April.
Regardless of whether you read my blog, you already know how well that turned out: I’m stuck in the UK and I can’t go home until the New Zealand borders reopen. That’s unlikely to happen before there’s a vaccine.
In just a few days, my carefully-laid plans shattered into complete disarray. None of my backup plans covered this situation. For the first time in years, I found myself frozen in analysis paralysis, trying to work out what to do next.
Man is born free and is everywhere in chains. — Rousseau
There’s a strange freedom in constraints. For at least the next year, I’m free to do anything I want (within reason), except go home.
