Regarding grief and physical recovery from something like surgery, we talk about a corkscrew rather than linear progression. There is movement and change, but movement in different directions and at different speeds depending on the day. With career and family life, perhaps the thing we circle back around to - sometimes closer, sometimes further - are things like our values and true nature/self.
I think the linear trap is a subset of growth/productivity culture, which we're starting to see unravel a little post-pandemic in a really exciting way. If you are always trying to be more efficient and optimizing, it begs the question, what are you doing with all this extra time you're saving? If the answer is just "more of the same" then at some point it burns you out. If you are making time and allowing yourself to venture sideways into new things, then that is a loophole out of the linear progression trap and makes us realize there's a whole world out there.
I've heard people say especially on the career front "career growth is not a ladder, it's a jungle gym". More and more I'm seeing examples of people taking nonlinear paths and it makes my heart very happy - my hope is that my son will have lots of examples for nonlinear growth paths that he can tap into, and not pressure himself so much into constant growth culture the way I did.
Anyway, this is an old post but I just found your newsletter and started subscribing - thank you for sharing your thoughts! I look forward to reading them often.
Regarding grief and physical recovery from something like surgery, we talk about a corkscrew rather than linear progression. There is movement and change, but movement in different directions and at different speeds depending on the day. With career and family life, perhaps the thing we circle back around to - sometimes closer, sometimes further - are things like our values and true nature/self.
Totally agree. Change - and progress - are spirals.
I think the linear trap is a subset of growth/productivity culture, which we're starting to see unravel a little post-pandemic in a really exciting way. If you are always trying to be more efficient and optimizing, it begs the question, what are you doing with all this extra time you're saving? If the answer is just "more of the same" then at some point it burns you out. If you are making time and allowing yourself to venture sideways into new things, then that is a loophole out of the linear progression trap and makes us realize there's a whole world out there.
I've heard people say especially on the career front "career growth is not a ladder, it's a jungle gym". More and more I'm seeing examples of people taking nonlinear paths and it makes my heart very happy - my hope is that my son will have lots of examples for nonlinear growth paths that he can tap into, and not pressure himself so much into constant growth culture the way I did.
Anyway, this is an old post but I just found your newsletter and started subscribing - thank you for sharing your thoughts! I look forward to reading them often.