Key Concepts: Ambivalence →
One of the most important things I learned over the last years is mastering ambivalence.
The short version: ambivalence is the state of having contradictory feelings and beliefs.
Ambivalence is a very efficient way of being prepared for anything. Being prepared is an important part of having a strategy for dealing with any specific situation.
Every time when faced with a situation of importance I apply ambivalence: calculate possible scenarios and learn to live with any outcome, good, bad, or in between. This way I rarely get surprised by the outcomes and there is always a clear next step.
Living with conflicting feelings is rather difficult for human beings. Neurotics do it involuntarily. After some exercise it becomes natural. The downside is that kills the buzz sometimes. You won’t be able to experience the joy of being foolish. If you get to be really good at ambivalence you will become mildly depressed [that’s not a fact, just my theory].
Try it the next time you have to make a big decision, or a big life or career move. It will feel a bit awkward at first, but over time your next decisions will feel easy. Plus, the personal impact will definitely be a lot lower, even when things get really ugly.
Long live ambivalence! Or not ;-)
