Bottlenecks: Challenges in Life

Options and alternatives are running out. Resources are dwindling at a worrying pace. Things are becoming uncertain and the risks are too high to gamble. These are several descriptions of a typical life bottleneck. Usually, this word is used in business in situations when the organization's mission and values are tested in extremely challenging and risky circumstances. This however is common in one's life. A stress point, foreseeable or unexpected, bottlenecks may permanently change an individual's perspective, personality and even decision-making. This is the focus of this blogpost.

No one can predict consequences

Logical reasoning does not work as it is supposed to do at all times. Cause-effect analysis and inferences may not be applicable in a bottleneck. There are just so many factors affecting one, such that it is nearly impossible to map out the possible consequences thereafter. The wise may foresee things but still without compelling certainty. But certainly the untrained intelligent may even be confused of the bottleneck's complexity. Sometimes, one has to wait for awhile to get more information that may lessen the uncertainty, unpredictabilty and risks of the situation.

An extremely risky gamble of a lifetime

Gambles are made when there is extremely minute probability that one would get positive results. A gamble is probably a waste of time or resources. Most people who tried simply failed. That is a gamble. Bottlenecks are quite metaphorically similar with a gamble. Sometimes, it comes only once in a lifetime. The coward loses grip on the opportunity, while the overly courageous may miss the tempo and timing needed to  go though bottlenecks with success. Therefore, there is a delicate process or means one would go through in a bottleneck. It is like climbing up a steep rocky cliff with bare hands. One could take a grip one step at a time, but the risk of fall is very significant that majority of us would not even dare doing it.

Good results may still have bad effects

Even people achieve some sort of success in a bottleneck, there are still negative consequences that success may bring. Bottlenecks are not "win-win" situations. Sometimes, one has to choose the lesser evil among bad options. When we say lesser evil, it is the least abhorable to oneself, not for another person but only to oneself. This is because it is the person self who will carry the burden of the inevitable negative side-effects after life bottlenecks. So the question is not whether there will be bad effects, but how bad it could be for one to tolerate or fix it later. Bottlenecks therefore happen to initiate a sort of failure, hopefully small but sometimes tragically enormous.

The problem with bottlenecks is that it is easy to turn back away from it than confront them. It is understandly reasonably not to engage on them. No one wants uncertainty. Bottlemecks are usually beyond the bounds of calculated risks. However, it could be the ultimate opportunity in life but it could also be the start of a bigger failure. One thing is for certain, to go through bottlenecks successfully, one should get correct information, be open to changes and new data, and be wise enough to utilize  available resources correctly along the way. Thus, there is no plan that could be made beforehand. Finding new ideas, working and changing simultaneously are keys to increasing the probability of success in a life bottleneck. Unfortunately, even all of these could not guarentee success. Good luck!

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