7 Paradoxes In Life That First Pissed Me Off — But Then Set Me Free

Even Carl Jung agreed with number seven

Andy Murphy
4 min readOct 26, 2024
Photo by 愚木混株 cdd20 on Unsplash

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar once said: “The world is full of paradoxes and life is full of opposites. The art is to embrace the opposites, accommodate the paradoxes and live with a smile.”

I couldn’t agree more.

So, here are 7 of my favourites.

1. The Growth Paradox

The Chinese bamboo tree can barely be seen for the first five years of its life as it builds extensive root systems underground. Then, after it breaks the surface, it explodes ninety feet into the air within six weeks.

My own personal and professional growth followed a similar trajectory. Things moved slowly, then all at once.

The growth paradox reminds me to be patient.

2. The Persuasion Paradox

Have you ever noticed how the most argumentative people rarely persuade anyone to do anything meaningful?

Persuasive people don’t argue — they observe, listen, and ask thoughtful questions instead. They live a life of authenticity and curiosity and that’s enough to inspire change.

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