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Life’s Biggest Head-Scratchers: 12 Mind-Blowing Contradictions You’ll Only Get Once You’re Older (Trust Me, It’s Wild)

Added on October 8, 2025 inASTROLOGY CARDS

So here’s a cosmic conundrum for you: why does age rip away our smooth skin and springy joints, yet gift us wisdom that no youth can fake? It’s like the universe is playing a little zodiac joke—Pluto might be spinning us into endings, but Saturn’s patiently handing out life’s most paradoxical lessons. Sure, you can’t mash an eighty-year-old’s saggy knees into a teenager’s bounce, but hey, you can’t slap an old soul on young shoulders either. Life’s full of these quirky contradictions, and only with a few trips around the sun do they start to make sense. From slow-budding growth spurts to the irony that sometimes trying too hard just stalls the show—age dishes out truths that baffle the young but enlighten the seasoned. Curious? Let’s dive into twelve baffling life paradoxes that unravel only after you’ve racked up some wisdom… LEARN MORE.

Age takes away many things: taut skin, white teeth, clear vision, ease of movement, suppleness, and the need to be polite. However, it does provide two important things: experience and wisdom.

So, although you can’t give an 80-year-old a teenager’s body, you also can’t put an old head on young shoulders. So there are many good things that come with age, even if it doesn’t include the body. Carl Jung knew this, and it’s why he said: “Only the paradox comes anywhere near to comprehending the fullness of life.” Life is one big walking contradiction.

According to physics, life is made up of 0.00001% matter and 99.9999% energy. However, if you hit me over the head with a piece of wood, it will bloody hurt. No amount of your telling me it’s energy will soothe my headache. There are many other contradictions like this, too. And most can only be learned with age.

Here are 12 contradictions in life that only make sense with age:

1. Growth happens slowly, then all at once

The way the Chinese bamboo tree grows is one of the best examples of this. The Chinese bamboo tree can barely be seen for the first five years of its life as it builds extensive root systems underground. Then it explodes ninety feet into the air within six weeks.

Our own personal and professional growth can follow a similar trajectory. This reminds me to be patient.

2. It’s very hard to get things done with force

woman who learned the contradiction it's very hard to force things Cat Box / Shutterstock

Have you noticed how the most argumentative people rarely persuade anyone to do anything meaningful? Persuasive people don’t argue — they observe, listen, and ask thoughtful questions instead. They inspire others by living a life of curiosity and authenticity. This allows them to show people how to be instead of telling them.

“Persuasion is an art that requires a paintbrush, not a sledgehammer” — Sahil Bloom

3. Working longer hours doesn’t get more done

Often, it’s the opposite, although it takes years to master. Sam Ewing said it best: “It’s not the hours you put in your work that count, it’s the work you put in the hours.”

4. The things we fear the most are the things we need to face the most

Until I confronted my fear of being seen and heard, I lived with twenty years of anxiety. It was only when I started to look within, ask questions about my past, and seek help did things begin to change.

Now, I see it as one of the biggest teachers in my life because it’s helped me understand parts of myself that I may never have known. But I had to run towards it before it stopped running my life.

5. Oftentimes, the wisest response to a question is ‘I don’t know’

The older I get and the more knowledge I obtain, the less I feel like I understand the world. Life is full of so much mystery, magic, and complexity that it’s hard to ever say that I know what’s going on.

Accepting that I will never know helps me cultivate curiosity and wonder, and both are wonderful allies in living a happy life. Even Albert Einstein said, “The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know.”

6. Turning down opportunities is the best way to create them

This one is paradoxical, but it’s all about discernment. Before I committed fully to becoming a full-time writer, I said yes to every opportunity that came my way. But this meant my energy was split between many different things that took me away from writing.

Once I got focused, however, I started to become much more consistent, and then I started to see real results. With this, I started getting invited onto podcasts, I started writing for other writers, and I published a book.

This only happened after I committed to one path and didn’t distract myself with other opportunities. Discernment is the key to success. “People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.” — Steve Jobs

7. Some of the best ideas come from boredom

Some of my best writing ideas have come when I’ve been bored out of my mind or have been so far away from my laptop that inspiration strikes. During these times, my mind wanders and starts to create. As a result, my thoughts become more interesting and clear. This then improves my writing.

Now, I schedule boredom into my week as much as possible. Doing nothing is a luxury these days. But it’s also a great source of inspiration.

8. Failing is the best way to succeed

Michael Jordan summed this up best when he said, “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

All successful people know that to succeed, they must fail a bunch of times. There’s just no getting around this simple truth.

9. Talking less often means there’s more to say

The opposite of talking is listening. And listening allows us to take in information, craft our thoughts in an ocean of curiosity and intrigue, and then respond with interesting new insights.

Don’t be afraid to talk less to say more.

“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak” — Epictetus

10. Going slow is often the quickest way

man who knows the contradiction that going slow is the quickest way PintoArt / Shutterstock

The Navy SEALs know this best, which is why they say: “Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.”

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Whenever I’m rushing too much, I often miss important things or don’t do them properly. So I miss things, and I’m not present while I miss them. It took me a long time to realise that slowing down is often the fastest route. Even if it’s paradoxical.

11. The best way to make money is to spend money

The whole money game changed for me when I realised that money can either work for me (through investments) or not at all (if it sits in a bank).

Since then, I’ve changed my approach to money and acquired several financial assets.

My net worth has grown as a result.

12. Accepting death is the best way to live

Our mortality acts as a nagging reminder that no one’s getting out of here alive, and it comes a lot sooner than we care to admit. The paradox of death reminds me to live before it’s too late.

Andy Murphy is a full-time writer and breathwork facilitator. His articles have received over half a million views across the internet. His mission is simple: to write and breathe a better world into existence.