18.The paradox of expansion: when too many possibilities block us

AI representation inspired by Jeremy Mann - Cityscapes

There are times in life when the excess of possibilities blocks us.
Not the emptiness, but the fullness.
I imagine it as a paradox of expansion: the more life opens up, the more we sometimes stand still.

We have grown up with the idea that clarity comes from doing, from deciding quickly, from not wasting time.
Yet, there are choices that do not obey the logic of speed.

These are identity choices-the ones that define who we are and who we can become.

And it is there, in the face of multiple paths all positive, that that inner silence arises.
A suspended emptiness that many mistake for confusion.
But it is not confusion: it is a sacred space.

This is the time when our future identity is deciding who we become.

Waiting as a space for listening

Many authors have explored this subtle territory.

• Barry Schwartz, in The Paradox of Choice, shows how too many possibilities can paralyze rather than liberate.

• James Clear, in Atomic Habits, reminds us that clarity is not born under pressure: it manifests itself through small, consistent movements.

• Michael A. Singer, in The Surrender Experiment, teaches us that life follows a natural flow-and many answers emerge when we stop forcing them.

We can see it as the space that opens up when you stop chasing the answer, take it off the pedestal and allow it to come when it is ready.

And when the answer doesn't come? Take action.

Not impulsively.
Not out of fear.
But to create movement.

The truth is that there is no such thing as the perfect choice.
There is the choice you make with fullness, presence and trust.

It is that choice that becomes "right" as you live it.
As you make it your own.
As the path itself shapes you.

Choose the direction in which it vibrates even a millimeter stronger.
The one you feel in your gut, not the one you "should" take.

Because what opens movement - also opens life.

As Oliver Burkeman writes, in Four Thousand Weeks, life does not ask for efficiency: it asks for meaning.
And meaning arises from micro-actions of conscious choice.

A micro-movement can be tiny:

- send a message
- make a phone call
- write three lines
- open a file
- step outside the house
- breathe a yes
- welcome a no

These small gestures have tremendous power:
create the flow from which clarity takes shape.

A question for you

And you - TODAY - what micro-movement can you make to get out of your stuck point?

Sources of inspiration

Books

Barry Schwartz, in The Paradox of Choice.

James Clear, in Atomic Habits

Michael A. Singer, in The Surrender Experiment.

Art

Jeremy Mann, Cityscapes -for me vision of varied possible opportunities.