In my junior year of high school, I had an English teacher I didn’t respect.
I tuned him out. Didn’t take notes. Didn’t pay attention.
But I do remember what he tried to teach me:
The Hero’s Journey—Joseph Campbell’s framework for every meaningful transformation.
Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi—the science of how to enter a state of deep focus and joy.
At the time?
I thought it was all a waste of time.
Now?
I use those ideas every single day.
When I write stories and build presentations, I use the Hero’s Journey.
When I work, I structure my schedule for flow states.
It wasn’t that I didn’t have the information back then.
I just wasn’t ready for it.
This doesn’t just happen in high school.
It happens in life.
We reject useful ideas because they don’t match our current worldview.
We hear the same advice 10 times and only act on it the 11th time.
It’s not a knowledge problem.
It’s a receptivity problem.
This pattern repeats across history:
First Reaction | Then… |
|---|---|
Bitcoin is a scam | Now it’s in retirement accounts. |
Cars are for rich people | Now we all have one (or two). |
Electricity is too dangerous for homes | Now it’s everywhere. |
Why would anyone need a personal computer? | You’re reading this on one. |
The idea doesn’t change.
Our perception changes.
If you’re not careful, you’ll block out ideas that could change your life because they feel uncomfortable or unfamiliar.
Most people do this automatically.
They say things like:
“That won’t work for me.”
“That’s probably a scam.”
“I’ve heard this before.”
But here’s the truth:
Growth doesn’t just happen when you learn something new.
Growth happens when you finally become ready to hear what’s been in front of you all along.
The Trap: “So Should I Believe Everything?”
No and this is important.
Being open doesn’t mean blindly believing every trend or putting money into every new investment opportunity that rolls around.
It means staying curious long enough to explore what might be true.
Most people never get that far.
They reject ideas before they understand them.
When you hear an idea that makes you uncomfortable but keeps showing up, don’t reject it immediately.
Sit with it for 24 hours.
Ask:
What if this is true?
What would it mean for my life?
How could I test it—safely and intelligently?
Then decide.
If I could go back to that high school classroom, I wouldn’t just listen more.
I’d ask better questions.
I’d say:
How can I use this lesson?
Reflection Question:
What lesson or piece of advice have you heard 10 times but still haven’t acted on?
Hit reply and let me know.
— Jake