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I used to believe that thinking too much made life harder. I use to think people who don’t think too deeply or don’t worry much are better off. They seemed more at peace and more at ease. I've been watching the people around me and it made me reflect more so I began to read more.
It’s easy to picture that people who struggle less with thoughts carry less weight. But life doesn’t work that way. If you can’t come up with solutions to money, work and health issues, trouble will find you. That doesn’t leave much space for peace. So maybe it’s not that smart people are more miserable. Maybe they’re just more aware of hard truths. And being aware doesn’t have to mean being unhappy.
Most surprising thing to me was something about openness. It’s not about sharing everything. It means accepting things that you don’t already believe in. I don’t think that’s something I noticed of people I admire. The not smartest in the room but are always inquisitive and curious. They do not discourage ideas simply because they are different or difficult.
Openness also seems to help people learn better over time. And with learning, you get better at dealing with life. What I find interesting now is not how intelligent they are, but rather how willing they are to continue growing. It’s not a competition. No one has it all figured out. Some people continue on because they don’t mind being unsure.
Now, I don’t look at thinking as a burden. I see it like an architect creating your life slowly, brick by brick. It's not that it makes life perfect, it just helps you move through life more carefully.