Ilia Poznak

Most people don’t try to create an empty life. I find it happens one small decision at a time: choosing comfort over challenge, status over values, distraction over connection, and convenience over meaning.

Then in 15 years time, you’re wondering where it all went wrong. But, meaning isn’t something you find … it’s something you build. Daily.

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My content is here to educate, entertain, and support, but it’s not a substitute for therapy. For personalized care, please reach out to a licensed mental health professional.

My parents and I emigrated to Australia after the collapse of the USSR.

And while parents can sometimes get a bad rap, one of the biggest lessons I learned from mine is that an unfair life can still be a meaningful life.

It’s probably no wonder that I’ve always felt drawn to the work of Viktor Frankl. I found his ideas deeply inspiring and empowering—especially the idea that meaning can be found in what we do with the life we get, even when it isn’t the life we hoped for.

For better or worse, that idea has probably shaped many of my perspectives on human growth, responsibility and potential.

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My content is here to educate, entertain, and support, but it’s not a substitute for therapy. For personalized care, please reach out to a licensed mental health professional.

Anakin’s line is a classic example of a cognitive distortion - black-and-white thinking.

It’s when our minds reduce a complex situation into only two possibilities: with me or against me, success or failure, right or wrong.

As most of us would agree - ‘reality’ is rarely that simple.

One question I often encourage people to ask when they notice themselves thinking this way is: “What’s the third option?” Looking for nuance is one of the simplest ways to loosen the grip of black-and-white thinking and see a situation more clearly.

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My content is here to educate, entertain, and support, but it’s not a substitute for therapy. For personalized care, please reach out to a licensed mental health professional.