growth without Goals

"I don't know where I'm going, but I know exactly how to get there."

I recently heard this quote from Boyd Varty. It spoke to me, because one of my greatest fears is not getting to where I want to be. Not because I don't think I'll get there, but because I don't know where "there" is. I don't know what I want to be , do or accomplish . I don't know... See more

Compared to this, Kelly’s version of doing his life’s work seems so joyful, so buoyant. So much less ... angsty. There’s no suffering or ego. It’s not about finding a hole in the market or a path to global domination. The yard stick isn’t based on net worth or shareholder value or number of users or employees. It’s based on an internal satisfaction... See more

I started off by asking him whether there is a unifying theme to his seemingly diffuse life’s work, which has included old-school magazines and books, bleeding-edge technology, conservationism, photographing Asia, and teaching. “Following my interests,” he said simply.

It sounded awfully cutesy for someone so accomplished. I said that there is an... See more

What does it feel like when things take shape?

There is sunlight in the office and a warm cup of coffee. There are meetings with inventors and artists. The code runs, no bugs. Wonderful music plays, I barely need to intervene, the playlist gets it right. I wrap some critical work just before our evening plans.

There is a shape to the sort of life I... See more

I do things, I try things, I build things, I want to make progress, I want to make things better for me, my company, my family, my neighborhood, etc. But I’ve never set a goal. It’s just not how I approach things.

A goal is something that goes away when you hit it. Once you’ve reached it, it’s gone. You could always set another one, but I just don’t... See more