"What stands in the way becomes the way." - Marcus Aurelius
Reflection
It usually starts with resistance.
A bug you expected to resolve quickly pulls you deeper than you planned.
A spec changes halfway through, and your logic no longer fits.
The deadline stays firm, but the ground beneath it shifts.
The work doesn't begin when things are easy. It starts when something pushes back and asks more of you.
That first flash of frustration often tempts you to pull away, defer, or mask it with motion. But if you sit with it, something important begins to emerge. The obstacle reveals where your thinking needs to stretch.
A bug might point to a shortcut you took last week.
A shifting requirement might show where your code became too rigid.
Friction highlights what your tools miss and what your mindset avoids.
You don't make progress by avoiding what's difficult. You build it by staying with what feels uncertain. Confusion becomes clear when you take something apart and sit with it long enough to understand it.
Solving problems is part of the work.
But the real craft is learning to build discipline and sound judgment.
And it only takes shape through repetition, challenge, and full attention.
Today's Insight
Growth comes through resistance.
The challenge you face is not in t he way.
It is the way.
Action Steps
- Notice Where You Avoid Friction - Pick one challenge you've put off, not just the task but the tension that comes with it.
- Move closer to the Problem - Instead of working around it, take one step in. Ask a better question. Write one failing test. Define what feels unclear.
- Reflect Once You're Through - After you've worked through it, pause. What failed? What held up? What did this moment reveal about your habits or your thinking?
- Share What Helped - If you earned some clarity, leave a trace. Add a note. Drop a comment. Let your learning become someone else's shortcut.
- Carry It Into What Comes Next - Let today's struggle inform how you approach the next challenge. Every insight you gain now saves time you haven't lost yet.
Consider This
What challenge pushed you to grow this past year?
What did it reveal that you wouldn't have seen otherwise?
And how can you pass that learning forward in how you code, collaborate, or mentor?