Tell me what you want, what you really really want
Whoever read the title to a particular tune – I hope you enjoyed the throwback!
As we come to the end of this year, inching towards a new year, now seems like the right time to consider what we want for ourselves. Whether it’s something we want in the short term or long term, if we don’t stop to consider it, how can we possibly make it happen?
Courtesy of one of my favorites, and often-quoted, James Clear:
Life is easier when you know what you want—but most people don't take the time to figure out what they want.
It's not that we are completely lost, but our efforts are often slightly misdirected. People will work for years and ultimately achieve a lifestyle that isn't quite what they were hoping for—often, simply, because they never clearly defined what they wanted.
An hour of thinking can save you a decade of work.
We all think we know what we want – and surely, to some degree of abstraction, I think we do. But what Clear’s thought suggests to me is that if we don’t spend some time getting clear, and specific, about what it is we want, we will spend precious time and energy toward creating that which is probably, at best, adjacent to what we actually want.
A few years ago, I considered this and at that time realized that I wanted to be out in the world (“living like a local” in places) and that being high up (literally) gave me a meta-view perspective that helped me see things differently (not only literally, but also figuratively). This led me to a trip to New York where I stayed in an Airbnb and the one singular activity I planned for myself was to get a helicopter tour of Manhattan. Now, this isn’t the be-all end-all of what I want for myself, but once I made that realization, it became really easy to figure out what I would be saving my money for, where my next trip would be, and what I would do. To this day, I still want those things so I continue to hone in on navigating myself to places where I can “live” briefly, and take any chance I can find to be high up.
So as our days lead up to the new year, if you are someone who likes to take this time to reflect, consider dedicating some uninterrupted time toward deciding what you want for yourself. Get as specific as you can (maybe it happens over multiple days or occasions of consideration) and write it down!
May 2022 bring you closer to where, what, or who you want to be!
Strapped into my front row seat helicopter tour!
