Yesterday, I listed to this periscope of Naval Ravikant. He's a fascinating guy and it's worth a watch if you get a chance.
My favorite quote from the session was:
"I choose being present over goals. Goals come too easy"
People are always asking me what my goals are. Where I want to go. And I typically had lots of answers. I always had something I was working towards. But the problem with goals is that by definition they are forward facing. They take you out of the present into the future.
Goals are just games. Money games, status games, etc. We get to the top of one game, eventually get bored, and move on to the next game. It's really just another version of the hedonic treadmill. The only difference is that this version is praised by society.
Now, this isn't to say that all goals are bad or that all desire is bad. I actually think that amazing things can come out of a strong desire for something, even if there is a certain amount of superficiality on the surface. But if you're like me, goals come too easily. We are always working on the next thing. Thinking about what we can do better.
So today, I choose to be present. The goals will be there tomorrow.
