6 Thoughts No One Thinks - or: The Irrelevance Of Goals
Non-obvious perspectives on life.
Nuance & Perspective. They’re the spice of an interesting and intellectually rich life.
Today, I just want to share a few of those nuanced thoughts that continuously re-visit my mind in some way, shape or form.
Is anyone else thinking about this?
⏳ Time & Freedom
We tend to derive freedom from time. The more time we “have”, the more freedom we can enjoy. Five hours of spare time on a Thursday afternoon gives me a lot of freedom. In other words, freedom is a function of time.
But… isn’t it actually the other way round? Isn’t it freedom that gives rise to time? The more I free myself from expectations, obligations, conventions and necessities — the more time I have. Doesn’t that make time a function of freedom?
🃏 Life Games
There are two major games we can play in life:
The Status Game and The Character Game.
We play the status game by focusing on how others see us.
We play the character game by focusing on who others see.
Status is the default — visibility, titles, roles, reputation, public victories.
Character is what’s sustainable — integrity, authority, self-esteem, generosity.
Usually, the playing field is the same for both games (work, social circles, society at large).
The question simply is what we use to keep score.
😲 Surprises
We tend to prepare ourselves against surprises.
But what if we prepared ourselves for surprises?
🎯 Goals
Goals only matter in relation to the processes around them. A big house, making more money, launching a product, growing a sustainable rooftop garden — whatever goal you have usually matters to you because you expect it to make your life better after you have achieved it.
So… it’s not really the goal itself that matters, it’s not the ticking of the box. It’s what comes after the ticking, because of it.
It’s about how the process of life changes as a result of the moment of goal achievement.
Now, what if you flip the script and try to cash in on the value of the goal even before you achieve it?
What if you set goals the pursuit of which puts you on a path that makes your life better?
What if you set goals that will inspire you to do things that will bring value to your life?
Would this make achieving the goal completely irrelevant?
⛔️ Restriction
Restricting our options liberates us from the burden of choosing.
Getting married liberates us from the burden of looking for ever “better” partners.
Settling down in one place liberates us from the burden of finding the best place to live.
Sticking to one career path liberates us from the burden of optimizing our work-life.
Minimizing our wardrobe liberates us from the burden of choosing a good outfit.
Following a strict diet liberates us from the burden of choosing the best meal from an infinite range.
Setting principles in product development liberates us from the burden of exploring all possible options.
The question is, which burdens are we willing to carry? Which choices do we really want to have?
☯️ Negative & Positive
The process of seeking something positive very often is a negative experience.
The process of bearing something negative can be a very positive experience.
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Phil