I’ve been wrestling with a question for a while now: in a world filled with chaos and complexity, how do you sustain the momentum of growth?
Simple answers like “just try harder” or “think positive” are not enough. Because we’re not machines. We are a collection of contradictions. Some days we feel steadfast and full of energy; other days, it feels like our minds are locked from the inside, even if our bodies are fine. It’s as if an invisible handbrake has been pulled. This phenomenon, often labeled burnout or analysis paralysis, is an undeniable reality for anyone on the path of learning and building.
Instead of fighting this state, I decided to understand it. I sat down and, to navigate these very days, wrote a few simple, practical principles for myself—a personal roadmap, a set of mental models for when I feel like I’m falling apart.
I thought this roadmap might be useful for someone else wrestling with the same complexities.
This is my manifesto for navigating chaos and moving forward.
The 5 Principles of Personal Navigation
Principle 1: Your Feelings Are Lagging Indicators ⏳
We live in a world that craves instant feedback. But real growth, whether in learning a new skill like programming or in personal development, is not an instantaneous process. Often, we do the right things: we study daily, we build small projects, we push ourselves out of our comfort zone. But when we look inward, we still feel the same doubt and uncertainty.
I’ve learned this is perfectly normal. Our emotions are the product of years of habits and repetitions. They are like a heavy cargo ship, changing course slowly. Our daily actions, however, are like a speedboat, moving much faster toward the destination. This “lag” between the fast movement of our actions and the slow shift of our emotions is the source of much discouragement. Imposter syndrome thrives in this very gap.
The Application: Instead of trusting our fleeting emotions, we must trust the process and our actions. We need to look at the objective data: “Did I learn something today? Did I take one small step forward?” If the answer is yes, we must accept that as truth, even if we don’t “feel” successful yet. Trust the actions; the feelings will eventually catch up.
Principle 2: Discomfort Isn’t a Red Flag; It’s a Sign of Growth 🌱
Society has taught us that negative feelings—anxiety, fear, confusion—are signals of danger, a sign we’re on the wrong path. But on the journey of growth, this rule doesn’t always apply.
Every time we take a new, frightening step, our brain’s limbic system tries to pull us back to the safe and familiar shelter of the past by sending alarm signals. I’ve learned that these feelings, like muscle soreness after the first day at the gym, are not signs of weakness or damage; they are signs of growth and of building new capacity.
Feeling good doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing the right thing (e.g., staying in your comfort zone). Feeling bad doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing the wrong thing (e.g., learning a difficult new skill).
The Application: We must learn to differentiate between “constructive pain” and “destructive pain.” Is this bad feeling coming from challenging myself to learn a new concept? That’s good pain. Is it coming from a toxic environment or a destructive habit? That’s bad pain. Understanding this difference is key to building resilience and sustaining persistence on long, arduous journeys.
Principle 3: You Are Not Your Feelings; You Are the Observer of Them 👁️
On difficult days, our minds tend to fuse with negative emotions. We don’t say, “I feel a sense of hopelessness”; we say, “I am hopeless.” This fusion gives the emotion the power to take complete control.
Stoic philosophy and mindfulness techniques offer a powerful tool against this. I’ve learned to take a step back and observe my thoughts and feelings from a third-person perspective. Instead of “I am falling apart,” I tell myself, “I am aware that a feeling of hopelessness is present within me, and that’s okay.”
This shift in perspective allows me to detach from my emotions. The feeling is no longer my entire identity; it’s just a piece of “data” being processed in my mental system. This creates a small pocket of air to breathe and regain control, without having to fight with myself.
Principle 4: The Past Is a Story, Not a Life Sentence 🔑
Years of experience, both success and failure, build a “personal narrative” in our minds. If we’ve had more bitter experiences, we might arrive at the story that “I always fail” or “I’m not cut out for this.” This story becomes a powerful filter through which all new experiences are processed.
This “old version” of ourselves reminds us of past failures with every new opportunity, in an attempt to protect us from future harm. I’ve learned to respect this conservative version of me, but to also tell it:
“Thank you for your concern, and for trying to protect me. But I’m in charge this time.”
The Application: Every new experience is a chance to write a different ending to that same old story. Every small successful project, every new skill learned, is a new piece of “evidence” we can use to challenge the validity of the old “I am incapable” narrative. We cannot change the past, but we can reframe the interpretation and the story we tell ourselves about it.
Principle 5: Invest Your Energy in Your Circle of Influence 🧠
The world outside is out of our control. The economy, politics, society, the job market… these are our “Circle of Concern.” Focusing too much on this circle drains our energy and turns us into passive victims.
In contrast, there is our “Circle of Influence”—all the small things that depend directly on our will and our actions today.
I’ve learned to consciously pull all my mental energy out of the ocean of concerns and invest it into the small but powerful drop of my circle of influence. My circle of influence is:
- The skill I learn today.
- This one line of code I write now.
- The health of my body, which I can tend to with exercise.
- One positive conversation with a friend.
I cannot change the direction of the storm, but I can hold the rudder of my own boat tighter. Systems Thinking teaches us that small, consistent changes within a system can lead to massive results over time.
The Myth of Overnight Success (And Why It Fuels the Chaos)
One of the biggest sources of the chaos we feel is the gap between our messy reality and the clean success stories we see online. We see the destination, not the journey. This creates the illusion that growth is a smooth, linear path.
The truth is, every “overnight success” is the result of a thousand unseen nights of failure, debugging, and quiet persistence. The “Learning Machine” doesn’t work in a straight line; it’s a complex system of feedback loops, errors, and course corrections. Embracing the messy middle is the first step to finding peace in the process.
Practical Exercises to Apply the Manifesto
A manifesto is useless if it stays on the page. Here are a few small, daily exercises to turn these principles into practice.
- The “Done List” (for Principle 1): At the end of each day, don’t write a “to-do list” for tomorrow. Instead, write a “Done List” for today. Write down 3 small things you accomplished, no matter how minor. This trains your brain to trust your actions, not your feelings.
- Name The Feeling (for Principle 2 & 3): When a negative emotion arises, pause and label it. Say out loud, “This is anxiety,” or “This is the feeling of imposter syndrome.” By naming it, you separate yourself from it and turn it into something you can observe.
- Define Your Circle (for Principle 5): Take a piece of paper. Draw a small circle in the middle and a large one around it. In the large circle, write down all the things that are worrying you that you can’t control. In the small, inner circle, write down 3 things you can do today. Put the paper on your desk. This is your map for the day.
Conclusion
These principles have been my personal compass for navigating my small boat in the turbulent ocean of these days. This isn’t a final, perfect version of a manifesto for navigating chaos, but a living document of a human’s effort to grow.
I’m incredibly eager to read your perspective in the comments. Which of these principles resonated most with your experience? Is there a sixth principle that you would add to this list?
I’m Reza Ghaderipour, and I share my insights about personal growth and technology.
