“We don’t need complete clarity to take the next step.”

— Alison Levine (mountaineer)

We often find ourselves at a crossroads: too many options, interests, and possible paths, but without a clear guiding principle, without a concrete direction.

In an environment that values speed and constant availability, we accept challenges simply because they arise. We're driven by the fear of missing an opportunity, of falling behind, of not keeping up.

But in truth, we are not missing the train, we are losing our leading role.

This multiplication of possibilities may seem synonymous with freedom, but it's actually a trap: keeping so many options open leaves us blocked. By avoiding committing to a path, we let ourselves be carried away by the tide and find ourselves going in circles.

When we look for purpose, motivation or fulfillment, it is common to believe that it is necessary to find the great passion or the purpose of life before taking any step. That we must be absolutely certain of our final destination before we even begin walking, that we should only act when everything is planned, but that is paralyzing... How can I know my destiny if all I know is that I am not satisfied with what I do today?

Start where you are, not where you want to be.

Trying to maximize everything from the start implies viewing life as a math problem instead of life as a fluid, organic, and often surprising experience. Life is not a problem to be solved, but a process to be lived.

Who hasn't been surprised to look back and see the twists and turns their life has taken that they never could have anticipated? And that all those twists and turns were important and necessary?

We do not intend to choose the best life in a theoretical and abstract exercise, but to look at reality – my capabilities, circumstances and possibilities – and choose a concrete step.

We must start where we are, in our simple, concrete lives, not where we think we should be. We must begin by accepting where we are on our path and removing the self-imposed pressure that does little to help. We must affirm: start where you are, not where you want to be.

Climb the nearest mountain.

Instead of pursuing a grand abstract goal – reaching the ideal summit – we propose something more practical and grounded: climb the nearest mountain. That is, not the best way of all, but the next most necessary step.

This is a strategy of local rather than global maximization. The attempt to find the right thing – the work, the purpose, or the ideal motivation – before any concrete experience, is to ignore that the information needed to make a good decision usually arises after a journey has already been made, after trying out different possibilities. Naturally, this isn't about wandering aimlessly, but accepting that the path is made gradually and in small steps. We have to get moving, because balance is only found in movement.

So let's climb the nearest mountain... and from above we'll see what was hidden. We'll gain a new perspective from a higher vantage point, understanding where we came from and what paths lie ahead.

From there, we can begin the journey again, realizing what new mountain we aspire to climb, and commit ourselves to that journey, with a small step, knowing that from that summit we will also see new things that we could not imagine today from this place and circumstance.

So where do I begin? What's the closest mountain I have to me?

Let's not wait for the perfect step or absolute certainty. Let's walk. The nearest mountain is waiting for us.