By Joe Byerly
Even though we have more information at our fingertips than ever before, it’s getting easier to get stuck in echo chambers. News outlets cater to their “brand” of audience. Algorithms serve us content based on our browsing histories. We curate everything—our social media feeds, the books we read, even our friendships.
And in doing so, we risk surrounding ourselves with only what confirms what we already think.
It’s easy to get trapped in limited perspectives—even when we think we’re well-informed.
But I believe there are white rabbits everywhere—waiting to lead us down unexpected paths, if we’re curious enough to follow.
In 2012, Colonel Tony Burgess handed me a copy of Great by Choice by Jim Collins. As I read it, one story piqued my curiosity: the 1911 race to the South Pole. I flipped to the endnotes and discovered that Collins had drawn from Roland Huntford’s The Last Place on Earth. So I picked up that book too—and that’s where I discovered a few of the key lessons about life and leadership that have stuck with me over a decade later.
Within its pages, I gained insights not just about endurance and leadership, but about the power of reading itself. One of the expedition leaders had read everything he could find on polar exploration, and the knowledge he gained gave him a distinct edge over his rival, who relied solely on personal experience.
That insight pulled me deeper into the rabbit hole of polar exploration. I started reading about Shackleton, Nansen, Byrd, and the crew of the Belgica, discovering even more lessons that I would rely on later leadership positions. That first book became my intellectual white rabbit. It set me chasing ideas, each one leading to the next.
Over time, I’ve come to appreciate white rabbits. I see them everywhere—a book recommendation from a colleague, a podcast suggestion from a friend, or a single line in an article that grabs my attention and sends me down a new path.
These rabbit holes have gifted me with wisdom that’s helped me navigate challenges—both at work and in life.
Books, footnotes, and conversations like these can become powerful catalysts for growth—if we’re willing to follow them.
Lewis Carroll illustrated this idea in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. In the opening chapter, Alice, “burning with curiosity,” follows the white rabbit across a field into a hole under the hedge. She immediately found herself falling into a whole new world. Within minutes she experiences a complete shift in perspective—a new sense of what might be possible. As Carroll writes, “Alice had begun to think that very few things indeed were really impossible.”
Intellectual white rabbits have that same power. They teach us. They introduce us to new ideas. They change the way we see the world—and what we believe is possible.
White rabbits have often brought me back to myself. They’ve helped me find the words for feelings I couldn’t articulate—emotions I didn’t fully understand until I saw them reflected somewhere else.
And more often than not, I found those words deep within a rabbit hole I had the courage to chase.
Some rabbit holes lead to new knowledge.
Some lead to new perspectives.
And some lead you home—to a deeper understanding of who you are.
All you have to do is follow.
Joe Byerly is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel with 20 years of service, including tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and command of a cavalry squadron in Europe. He earned numerous prestigious awards, including multiple Legion of Merits, Bronze Stars, the Purple Heart, and General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award. In 2013, Joe founded From the Green Notebook.
A passionate advocate for self-knowledge through reading and reflection, he authored The Leader’s 90-Day Notebook and co-authored My Green Notebook: “Know Thyself” Before Changing Jobs, a resource for leaders seeking greater self-awareness. If this post resonated with you or sparked any questions, feel free to reach out to him at Joe@fromthegreennotebook.com.
