Setting unrealistically high benchmarks and goals usually destroys contentment, makes you go half-insane, and risks you always feeling terrible regardless of how much prosperity and success and accomplishment you achieve.
And yet, it also lets you drive new things to the world....
Hmm. I'll share an anecdote. It's true. I hesitate to share true ridiculous-sounding anecdotes with skeptical people, because the natural response is more skepticism, perhaps even mocking. But what the hell, it's true and maybe something interesting will come of it --
You see, ambition and hubris and uncalled-for faith in yourself both offputs a lot of people (perhaps, yourself) and also gets you into hot water. After having a confirmed appointment cancelled by one of the Director of Communications at one of the largest international organizations in the world, I got into a shouting match with him and was almost arrested.
You know, I had nowhere near the relevant authority, gravitas, channels to actually be justified in being offended at being brushed off and cancelled. In retrospect, this was... sort of ridiculous.
However, that same hubris that got me into the shouting match (with threat of arrest, and all), was applied when being brushed off in a similar situation - and the same pressing and indignant behavior led to us to a meeting with a high ranked diplomatic officer, and later their Minister of Foreign Affairs for a large charity project we're doing.
I was, in retrospect, probably completely unqualified to launch this project. However, having run on faith and hubris for a while, something of substance happened, and once you've got something tangible it becomes possible to recruit actual professionals (what'd Eric Schmidt call himself when he originally joined Google? "adult supervision"?) -- and we did, and continue to do so.
So, I don't know. If you want to be happy, have low expectations, find a vocation you truly enjoy, live below your means, and spend time with your friends and family, do lots of relaxing, spend time in nature, read books, and have a healthy physical life and sex life.
I have absolutely the highest level of respect for anyone who manages this true happiness, and would never once more encourage someone to set unrealistic goals and ambitions far beyond their caliber in order to attempt to drive the world forwards. Frankly, it's lonely and terrifying and miserable much of the time. I wouldn't recommend the path to anyone who wasn't hell-bent on it already.
Setting unrealistically high benchmarks and goals usually destroys contentment, makes you go half-insane, and risks you always feeling terrible regardless of how much prosperity and success and accomplishment you achieve.
And yet, it also lets you drive new things to the world....
Hmm. I'll share an anecdote. It's true. I hesitate to share true ridiculous-sounding anecdotes with skeptical people, because the natural response is more skepticism, perhaps even mocking. But what the hell, it's true and maybe something interesting will come of it --
You see, ambition and hubris and uncalled-for faith in yourself both offputs a lot of people (perhaps, yourself) and also gets you into hot water. After having a confirmed appointment cancelled by one of the Director of Communications at one of the largest international organizations in the world, I got into a shouting match with him and was almost arrested.
You know, I had nowhere near the relevant authority, gravitas, channels to actually be justified in being offended at being brushed off and cancelled. In retrospect, this was... sort of ridiculous.
However, that same hubris that got me into the shouting match (with threat of arrest, and all), was applied when being brushed off in a similar situation - and the same pressing and indignant behavior led to us to a meeting with a high ranked diplomatic officer, and later their Minister of Foreign Affairs for a large charity project we're doing.
I was, in retrospect, probably completely unqualified to launch this project. However, having run on faith and hubris for a while, something of substance happened, and once you've got something tangible it becomes possible to recruit actual professionals (what'd Eric Schmidt call himself when he originally joined Google? "adult supervision"?) -- and we did, and continue to do so.
So, I don't know. If you want to be happy, have low expectations, find a vocation you truly enjoy, live below your means, and spend time with your friends and family, do lots of relaxing, spend time in nature, read books, and have a healthy physical life and sex life.
I have absolutely the highest level of respect for anyone who manages this true happiness, and would never once more encourage someone to set unrealistic goals and ambitions far beyond their caliber in order to attempt to drive the world forwards. Frankly, it's lonely and terrifying and miserable much of the time. I wouldn't recommend the path to anyone who wasn't hell-bent on it already.