Suckology
I probably should’ve started with this one, but my philosophy in doing this is not to overthink anything and just publish. These aren’t exactly first drafts but not much more either. I figured I’d correct myself in later texts if needed and leave the traces of my being wrong right there for everyone to see. It’s one of the most important things in life to be able to be wrong, and then to be able to admit it and be less wrong in the future. If you’re never wrong you’re never learning.
That’s at the heart of Suckology. Learning. Growing. Improving. Being wrong or insufficient but doing it anyway so that you’d become less wrong and more sufficient.
Nassim Taleb talks about anti-fragility. We’re as fragile as we allow ourselves to be, but if we test that fragility, we’ll grow stronger. Athletes call it supercompensation. You hurt yourself a little, literally breaking your muscles with microtears, and the body overcompensates by making itself stronger against future hurts and efforts.
I don’t know if there’s a word for it in psychology, other than resilience, but the same applies. Facing fears and dealing with difficult emotions grows you out of those fears and emotions. If you safeguard yourself against everything scary or difficult, you’ll get comfortable in your ease, and then break down with every little nuisance that comes along.
Suckology, the psychology of suck, means doing what’s sucky, hard, uncomfortable, and painful so that it would later be ok, easy, tolerable, and comfortable. It means going into the discomfort zone and turning it into the comfort zone.
P.S. There are things called “too little” and “too much.” First doesn’t challenge enough while the second will break beyond repair.
