“The unrealistic is easier to accomplish than the realistic” – I
actually have no trouble believing this. Most of society’s structures
and mental models are set up to keep people who follow a conventional
path in line. When you duck under the velvet rope and leave the line
entirely, people tend to just sort of gawk. Nobody is doing it because
nobody is doing it, not because it can’t be done.
Ferris posits that “What do you want?”, “What are your goals?”, and
“What makes you happy?” are questions too vague to be of any use. I
totally agree. He suggests “excitement” as a more useful goal than
happiness, and equates it with passion. I think that’s fair; it’s more
helpful to ask “what gets you excited?” than “what makes you happy?”.
Most career goal-setting fails because the goal setter failed to
define what he or she would do instead of working once they achieve
the desired amount of money and freedom.