Living Between Two Truths

How contradictions shape growth, balance, and who we become.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how much of life exists between opposing ideas.

You can want more for yourself and still be grateful for what you have.
You can crave freedom but rely on structure to build it.
You can be proud of who you are while knowing there’s still more to learn.

None of these ideas cancel each other out, they coexist. Learning to live in that space has defined most of my 20s.

For a long time, I thought growth was about finding the “right” answer. Now I see it as learning to hold two truths at once. The tension between them is often where the real lessons are.

This piece is part reflection, part guide. I want to share three paradoxes that have shaped my life so far, each one teaching me something about balance, maturity, and living with intention.

Present & Progressing

The name of my publication came from a lesson I’ve had to learn repeatedly:

how to be fully present while still striving to grow.

In my early 20s, I treated happiness like something waiting at the end of each milestone: a new job, a faster mile time, another creative win. But progress without presence eventually starts to feel empty.

Over time, I realized ambition isn’t the problem, it’s forgetting to notice how far you’ve already come.

Slowing down to write, reflect, or simply exist reminds me that life doesn’t start later. It’s happening right now.

That balance, imperfect as it is, has shaped how I move through almost everything.

Reading Meditations at one of the coolest libraries in Stuttgart, Germany.

Discipline & Freedom

Discipline has always made sense to me.

There’s something satisfying about structure. The quiet order of a plan or system that keeps life from spilling over the edges. I used to think that meant I just liked control, but it’s deeper than that.

Discipline gives meaning to effort. It’s how chaos becomes direction.

In finance, sticking to a budget or automating savings isn’t about restriction; it’s about alignment. Every dollar saved is a small vote for the kind of life you want later, freedom built one decision at a time.

In training, discipline is the daily proof that consistency works. When I push through a long run or an early workout, it’s not about numbers. It’s about honoring a contract that I made to myself. The body follows where the mind leads, and through discipline, they start to trust each other.

Even in learning, structure fuels curiosity. When you commit to showing up to study, build, or reflect, you stop waiting for inspiration to appear.

The act of doing becomes the teacher.

Discipline isn’t a constraint on freedom; it’s the doorway to it. The more consistent I become, the freer I actually feel.

Learning to ‘embrace the suck’ running in the cold Michigan winters.

Confidence & Humility

Confidence and humility might be the hardest balance to get right.

In your 20s, you start to see how often they exist in tension. The need to believe in yourself while knowing you’re still learning. Too much confidence turns into arrogance; too little, and you shrink from opportunities that were meant for you.

Confidence isn’t about volume. It’s quiet. It comes from doing hard things, keeping promises to yourself, and proving you can handle what comes next. Humility keeps that confidence grounded. It reminds you that no matter how much you know, there’s always more to learn, and that everyone you meet knows something you don’t.

This paradox has shaped how I move through rooms and relationships. I’ve learned to speak up when I have something to add and to listen twice as much when I don’t. To take pride in what I’ve built but remember that growth never happens alone.

Confidence gives direction. Humility keeps you teachable. Together, they create a steady kind of strength, one that doesn’t need to prove itself to be real.

Living alone in a new country for six months taught me humility and the value of listening more than speaking. Photo taken in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

Explore Your Dual Truths | An Opportunity For Reflection

Step 1: Contradiction
Name a pair that’s been showing up in your life.
Maybe it’s comfort vs. challenge, independence vs. belonging, or control vs. acceptance.

Step 2: Reflection
Ask how both sides serve you.
What does each one protect, provide, or help you avoid?
What would happen if you let either side take over completely?

Step 3: Balance
What does “enough of both” look like for you right now?
What small action this week could honor both sides instead of choosing one?

Result:
A more intentional, grounded version of yourself. Someone learning to live between two truths instead of fighting them.

Closing Thoughts

The longer I’ve been on this path, the more I’ve realized that contradictions aren’t problems to fix. They’re reminders to stay balanced.

Being human means living between extremes: progress and presence, discipline and freedom, confidence and humility. The tension isn’t something to escape, it’s where growth happens.

If you can learn to hold both sides—to keep striving while staying grateful, to stay disciplined without losing joy, to be confident but still curious—you’ll realize balance doesn’t mean standing still. It means moving forward with intention.

That’s what Present & Progressing has always been about: growing without rushing, evolving without losing yourself, and living fully in the space between two truths.

See you next week.