Rabbit Hole
Hey! Look, it's Bugs Bunny.
Have you seen Alice in Wonderland? I’ll assume every reader has. If you haven’t, well, you might need to revisit your childhood—maybe take a time machine back—because you really missed out on one of the greatest fantasy stories. Aside from the concept of the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland, my favorite thing is the dresses. They’re absurdly designed, but still beautiful.
The rabbit hole—insert spooky tone here. Don’t be afraid; I’m not trying to scare you. I’m just setting the tone for how I want you to read today’s issue. So, what’s a rabbit hole? It is a rabbit hole, literally. Idiomatically, it’s about getting deeply involved in something. Metaphorically, a rabbit hole is a complex situation you find yourself stuck in, one that’s hard to get out of—now you see why I went for the spooky tone. I’m letting you know—you’re cooked! Yes you!
Both the metaphor and the idiom share the same idea but with a slight twist. The metaphor emphasizes that you’re already cooked, while the idiom suggests that if you go down that path, you will get cooked.
The origin of this "rabbit hole" concept comes from Alice in Wonderland, originally a novel, later a film. If I recall, Alice was too naive to think she could fit into a hole dug by a rabbit—kids, right? What was Lewis Carroll on when he wrote that? Her curiosity drove her into a deep, mysterious world full of surprises.
We’ve all had moments when we went down the rabbit hole—doing research, reading a book (pro tip: don’t read Dan Brown’s books unless you’re ready to get lost in his rabbit hole; so many references to learn from!). We’ve also had moments when we were really "cooked" by the choices we made—living alone is one hell of a rabbit hole; dying might be the only way out.
But here’s the trick—pause. Have you seen Bugs Bunny? The classic old Warner Bros. character. Bugs digs up multiple holes that connect to each other, and whenever his peace is threatened, he escapes through any of them—lesson in there.
Why the Bug Bunny analogy? I want you to treat life like a complex and difficult rabbit hole. When making any choice, pause and ask yourself: If I get stuck, how do I get out? It sounds simple, but trust me, it’s easier said than done.
In my personal experience, I’ve gone down many rabbit holes. I’ve built a company and watched it crash. I’ve degened and seen it all go down. I’ve helped people set up businesses, and I’ve seen both success and failure. I’ve chosen the most complex rabbit hole of all—entrepreneurship. Along the way, I’ve learned a lot, and every lesson or skill I pick up creates a potential exit if I get into trouble, or an exit if I simply want out. Sometimes the exit isn’t the ideal outcome, but it’s better than being stuck.
The bottom line: Like bugs bunny, visualize every decision as a rabbit hole. Map it out like a network of interconnected paths. If you dive in and don’t see a clear way out, exit and dig another path. The journey continues. Remember, friends, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.