Dear unlicensed thinker,
For years, I’ve spent an embarrassing amount of time “researching.”
So have a lot of people I know.
We even have a name for it:
“Going down the rabbit hole.”
We say it half-jokingly, half-proud — like it’s just how you stay on top of things.
Due diligence. Staying informed.
Getting to the bottom of it.
All very sensible.
Admirable.
Which is why it took me an uncomfortable amount of time to realize little of it was true.
\/\ WHAT SNAPPED /\/
(1) Rabbit Hole Hunting (the nice story we tell ourselves)
A rabbit hole assumes a rabbit.
Something specific.
Something you’re actually trying to catch.
So I asked a question I’d never really asked before:
What’s the rabbit?
Most of the time, the answer was vague.
“Truth.”
“Clarity.”
“Getting to the bottom of things.”
None of these are rabbits.
They’re fog.
Nothing you could name. Nothing you’d know you’d caught. Nothing that would ever tell you your hunt was over.
That’s when the story fell apart.
(2) If You Can’t Name The Rabbit, You’re NOT in a Rabbit Hole…
You’re just in a hole.
There is no hunt.
This isn’t research.
You’re just ‘running the hole.’
Click after click. Thread after thread. Hours gone. Nothing caught.
Your time disappears.
Down a hole.
With no bottom.
And no rabbit (anything to show for it).
Instead—
Before you generously donate more time to the hole, pause.
(3) Ask One Question:
What’s the rabbit?
If you can’t answer that clearly, stop.
You’re not researching.
You’re just ‘running the hole.’
\/\ DIRECTION, AT LEAST FOR NOW /\/
Q: Given what just snapped into place, how am I proceeding differently?
Again, if I can’t name the rabbit, I’m just running the hole.
Time to stop and re-enter reality.
Now let’s keep moving.
Paul (Private) †
Exit Operator
TheExitLetter.com
\/\ END TRANSMISSION /\/
