'Everything We Were Taught About Success Is Wrong' (theguardian.com) 36
Megan Hellerer, a career coach and founder of Coaching for Underfulfilled Overachievers, offers an alternative to the relentless "hustle culture" and "destinational living" mindsets, which often emphasize long-term goals at the expense of present happiness. "There's another way and I call it directional living," writes Hellerer. "Here's the catch: I can't find fulfilment for you. The good news is that it's all up to you..." An anonymous Slashdot reader shares an excerpt from the report published by The Guardian: Directional living is like the scientific method but for life. You begin with a hypothesis -- your best guess as to the direction of a loose "something bigger". You conduct tests and collect data through your experiences, refining your life hypothesis as you go.
If you have a hypothesis that involves living on the beach, you may test that by renting a house on the coast for one month and collecting data on how right, or not, that is for you. The goal is not to permanently relocate but to find out whether you want to continue exploring that path. Success is in finding what's true, not in proving your original theory correct.
I've found this idea speaks uniquely to UFOAs at this moment in time. [UFOA is a term Hellerer came up with that stands for "underfulfilled overachiever." This describes a constant striver who is living a great-on-paper life, yet feels disconnected from their work, life and self.] The closest thing I have to a personal motto is a quotation that's widely attributed to Carl Jung but that, as it turns out, he never actually said at all. "The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are." My greatest hope for you is that you get to live this privilege fully.
If you have a hypothesis that involves living on the beach, you may test that by renting a house on the coast for one month and collecting data on how right, or not, that is for you. The goal is not to permanently relocate but to find out whether you want to continue exploring that path. Success is in finding what's true, not in proving your original theory correct.
I've found this idea speaks uniquely to UFOAs at this moment in time. [UFOA is a term Hellerer came up with that stands for "underfulfilled overachiever." This describes a constant striver who is living a great-on-paper life, yet feels disconnected from their work, life and self.] The closest thing I have to a personal motto is a quotation that's widely attributed to Carl Jung but that, as it turns out, he never actually said at all. "The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are." My greatest hope for you is that you get to live this privilege fully.
[UFOA is a term Hellerer came up with (Score:2)
A rather unfortunate acronym that suggests Unidentified Flying Object Aliens
The purpose of life is a life of purpose. (Score:2)
In other words. A lot of fancy words in the article to say essentially this.
Your purpose in life may be to have fun. To help other people. To be rich. To serve a god. To hurt other people. To study the world. To raise a family. To have new experience. To smoke weed. To coast along aimlessly, which is itself a purpose. None of these are mutually exclusive.
The purpose of life is a life of purpose. A tautology? Perhaps. But also true.
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I like this one better: "Hard work might pay off eventually, but procrastination always pays off immediately."
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:-D
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Right now I think the purpose of my life is to act as a warning to others.
"Career coach" (Score:5, Insightful)
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Like prostitute or bull semen collector.
Not quite (Score:3)
If a career coach had any good advice, they'd have a better job than being a career coach.
Not quite accurate. Lots of people make a fantastic living from being a life coach, including Brian Tracy and Tony Robbins.
Several points about being a success:
1) Your brain is a goal setting mechanism. Having specific goals will cause you to work towards those goals.
For example, you can say "I want to be rich" and your brain doesn't know what to make of that. Saying "I want to retire at 50 with two million dollars in the bank" is a specific, achievable goal that has measurable progress and your brain will
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There is no point in being 1% better at something, if you don't draw fulfillment out of it. There is no point in retiring at age 50, when you don't know what to do afterwards. And there is always the problem that unforseeable events might throw you back on your goals. Your goal was to have the largest collection of neo-classical furniture between Santa Monica and Malibu? You might still have it from a mathematical point of view
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If a career coach had any good advice, they'd have a better job than being a career coach.
At least it wasn’t another psychic declaring bankruptcy. The amazing all-blowing, all-bullshitting brown eye sees all.
"Hustle culture" is the 2025 equivalent (Score:1)
It's something we tell the kiddies so they don't get upset about how well and truly ****ed they are.
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I remember the MCSE boot camps.
"Must Consult Someone Experienced"
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hypothesis living eh? (Score:3)
What if the hypothesis is getting married, and / or having kids, or joining the military? There are a lot of life choices where one can't just "gather evidence" and if things aren't working out hit the reset button.
I wonder, for those who have found the most fulfillment, how much does commitment play into that.
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Even just renting somewhere desirable for a month or two is beyond many people.
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Even just renting somewhere desirable for a month or two is beyond many people.
If your goal is to live on the beach but you can't afford to do it for a month that is still useful data on your hypothetical goal.
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I wonder how many doctors finish medical school and internship and discover that they don't like being a doctor
"Everything you know about xyz is wrong!!" (Score:2)
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I was taught "success isn't everything". Was that wrong?
Just a reminder... (Score:1)
Being a hippie never goes out of style.
Just another ad on slashdot. (Score:2)
Chasing after wind (Score:4, Informative)
Solomon said it more than 3,000 years ago.
I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
and this was the reward for all my toil.
Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
nothing was gained under the sun.
There's a whole lot of wind-chasing going on in modern society.
Re:Chasing after wind (Score:4, Interesting)
Solomon said it...
When I was in the fifth grade I tho8ught I wanted to be an astronaut, space adventures and the like. I then found out how hard they trained and how long it took, if ever. I decided a more low key plan was in order, aim low to achieve your goals and avoid disappointment. Doing what I want and not bothering to get ahead, whatever that is has worked ok. Most failures or detours were beyond my control.
Balance (Score:2)
On one hand, some people sacrifice the present in search of that future utopia.
On the other hand, some people give no thought for the future, focusing only on the pleasures of today.
Both extremes lead to a pitiful, unhappy life. Balance is required. We need to make goals and plan for the future, but we also need to be present in the moment and enjoy the journey.
Whether on Israel or how to live life... (Score:1)
Whether on Israel or how to live life, The Guardian is full of shit.
Quiet Desperation (Score:2)
Not certain which I resent more- the notion placed in my head that I should achieve great things (especially things which I know nothing about) or the lack of opportunity to do great things, especially as the body breaks down shortly after gaining the resources (presently).
Compound that with influencer culture and oh my...
It's such a strange thing the situations our social games place us in.
Success is inching us further towards eternity and redemption. It's such a mediocre vision we have substituted it with
Marvellous scam (Score:4, Insightful)
a career coach and founder of Coaching for Underfulfilled Overachievers
[UFOA is a term Hellerer came up with that stands for "underfulfilled overachiever."
So... if I follow this correctly, and I believe I am, she is offering a solution to a problem she manufactured out of thin air.
Can't believe this needs to be stated but... SCAM
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Well, it worked for her... she's getting publicity she didn't have to pay for!
Re: This doesn't worry me (Score:2)