Sometimes I let people explain things I already know simply to see how they get to the same place I have. I want to learn from how their thought processes differ and intersect with my own in reaching similar conclusions. I am curious about process more than actually needing guidance.

It’s kind of like mathematics. The thing I like most about mathematics is that the answer is always the same, but the way people get to the answer can drastically differ. I can learn a lot from watching how someone else does a mathematical proof that I can’t learn from just doing it myself, even though I know the answer and one way to find it.

I highly value people who approach problems differently than myself, but come at them from similar moral standpoints and with similar goals. My little brother is the best example I have of this. We met 10 years ago online, and I was immediately drawn to the way he could break down issues in my life that seemed intractable into step by step courses of action toward the solution I sought. Over the years, we’ve learned that we can provide this to each other, and from time to time throughout our adult lives, we reach out to one another for the gift of a fresh perspective.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have so many friends that allow me to see the world through fresh eyes, and even more so to have the openness and desire to grow that pushes me to seek those people out. I have a tendency to lean into discomfort, failure, and fear simply because time has proven it is the surest way to grow, and I seek growth above all things.

I refuse to dwell in a place of stasis. I think that is why, from time to time, I can be somewhat ruthless in my tendency to distance myself from others who have stopped growing themselves in noticeable ways. I can neither watch nor dwell in a comfortable sameness. Without growth, and without witnessing growth in those around me, life becomes stagnant, and it is short enough already.