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To accomplish something big, you do NOT set ambitious goals and then work backwards. Rather, you follow the stepping stones immediately in front of you that give you the most novel paths forward, even if you aren’t sure exactly how that stepping stone will pay off in the future. Then, from that new stepping stone, you look for the the most novel... See more

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“Study hard what interests you the most in the most undisciplined, irreverent and original manner possible.”

― Richard Feynman

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The goal model is effective when the steps between where you are now and where you want to go are clear. For example, it still makes sense to set goals like losing 10 pounds, getting 8 hours of sleep per night, spending more time with your family, or hitting quarterly business targets.

However, when the steps between where you are now and where you... See more

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Ultimately, the six main downsides of goals are:

1. Goal obsession can lead to being unlucky

2. Achieving goals can leave you feeling empty

3. The second you set a goal it starts to become stale

4. Goals can make you feel insecure

5. Goals can reduce learning

6. Goals can actually make you feel unmotivated

Matter

And so it is with luck — unlucky people miss chance opportunities because they are too focused on looking for something else.

They go to parties intent on finding their perfect partner and so miss opportunities to make good friends. They look through newspapers determined to find certain types of job advertisements and as a result miss other types

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Over my last several years of writing about great innovators, I’ve seen that they almost universally share three uncommon commonalities. They...

* Are modern polymaths

* Explore their curiosities and meander

* Follow the 5-Hour Rule (spending at least five hours per week on deliberate learning)

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When we look back at many of the most creative people in history, including Nobel laureates, they seem to operate in a completely different way. They pursue curiosities, sometimes purposely not thinking of immediate applications. They embrace serendipity. At certain points in their career, they were even considered aimless or seen as lazy... See more

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However, recent research is finding the exact opposite to be true. When it comes to BHAGs, goals are often OBSTACLES to LARGE feats of innovation rather than enablers. Furthermore, goals can sap motivation.