there are no paradoxes, just bad models

If two statements that both seem true conflict with each other, then it seems like you have a paradox.

But the world itself is just as it is. It is possible, by definition. If your models lead you to believe something impossible, then your models must not fit the world.

Similarly, if you see a loop where you can't do A until you do B, but you can't do B until you do A, then it may seem like progress is impossible. But if your models don't allow you to see a way forward, they are not serving you. all models are wrong: you may have a map, but if it doesn't show a route to your destination, you need a different map.

Of course, many difficulties are real and some things are actually impossible. The models that tell you not to jump off a cliff and expect to fly are probably trustworthy. But for bigger 'life' questions, like how to grow as a person, how to achieve a research goal, how to find a partner, or how to fulfill your responsibilities to other people, etc., you are operating at a much higher level of conceptual scaffolding and it's certain that your models don't carve the world at the joints. There's almost always another way to see things.

When a questions seems unanswerable, it must be the wrong question. "Do I want to focus on my personal life or my work life?" I can't have a good personal life without a good work life, but I can't have a good work life without a good personal life. If you can't come up with a good answer, unask the question. Maybe you're thinking in the wrong terms.