Prototype conversations
For whatever thing that you want to do, there are prototype conversations you can have about it. Those are the easiest things to have. So for example, you want to get an MBA: the easiest thing you can do is find somebody who's done an MBA and just speak to them. That in itself gives you clearer things of what to do next than trying to get it all on your own.
Just actually have more conversations, and those conversations always lead to pathways to take. Usually, if you have a good conversation, you leave with the next things you need to do. And sometimes the next things are not big things.
I think sometimes we get stuck up on that final piece of the puzzle, and sometimes it's just our mental way of protecting ourselves from even starting. For me, for example, I've thought about an MBA. I don't really want it, but I've never taken any steps towards it. And every time I think about it, it seems like a big thing. But there are other things that are maybe more difficult than that, and I don't think twice about.
So sometimes it's also questioning your real desires. Do you actually really want it? Or do you just feel like it's something that is interesting to say that you want, so that you fit in? Because if you did want it, there are many predecessor activities that are easier to achieve before you get to even the thing that feels like the blocker.
Said out loud on Sensemaking with Wolé & Tobi, Episode 105, “Cold Starts and Fresh Hopes”, released 4 January 2026. Trimmed for filler; not rewritten.