Where did you put your ass?

No, seriously. Where is it parked right now?

There's a 14th-century thought experiment called Buridan's Ass. A donkey stands exactly halfway between two equally appealing bales of hay. Same distance. Same size. Same smell. With no rational reason to choose one over the other, the donkey freezes. And starves.

Philosophers invented it to expose a flaw in pure logic. I lived it.

For over three decades, my ass was comfortably rooted in the branded merchandise industry. Customers in six countries. Experts in live shows and engagement events. It was good. Really good.

Then the world shut down.

No shows. No events. No travel. Our clients were stunned and scared, money flowing to IT and provisions, not marketing or appreciation. We worked hard to pivot. But I'll be honest with you: part of me was frozen between two bales of hay. Do I hold on to what I built? Or do I let it go and build something new?

That freeze has a name now. And knowing its name changed everything.

Here's the thing about Buridan's Ass. The donkey doesn't starve because it's stupid. It starves because it's running a broken decision loop with no override. That's not a character flaw.

What breaks the cycle of waiting?

Aha! ~ The donkey didn't need more information. It needed a reason that didn’t come from the hay, but that came from within.

The moment I stopped trying to choose between the two bales and asked, "What am I actually here to do?", everything started moving again.

It felt like the river of life had been flowing the whole time. Without me. As a creative being, I needed to step into it and reroute the flow in a direction of my own choosing. We have that power. The power to influence the natural order.

So, I plunked my ass in a few spots. Some still require patience, the rippling effect hasn't quite kicked in yet. Others? I dropped a boulder and barely a trickle resulted. I'm good with it all because I didn't starve waiting.

In fact, I'm on a raft right now, riding a strong current called A Human Approach. It likely wouldn't have surfaced had I not dipped my toe in the stream.

Daring to take action, any action, is what moves the needle.

A built-in safety mechanism can keep you frozen in indecision.  The thaw happens when you realize you don’t need more information.  You just need one honest question: What am I actually here to do? Then go do it.

And yes, I can build you a personalized surfboard.

Analysis by paralysis.  The killer of not just income but human spirit.  Email me at [email protected] to join us Wednesday at 5:00 pm where we take this discussion to insightful depths.