Life In 19x19

Have you ever had aspirations to be really great at something? I watched "The Social Network" yesterday, and it was basically a story about how Facebook was developed.

I don't know if the movie was all that great, but it got me thinking a lot about life and what I am doing with my life - if I have expectations to be great at something and whatnot.

I guess I am curious to know if any of you have had any aspirations to be great at something - to be known worldwide for something that you do... Or is being renowned simply a byproduct of real passion for a particular subject matter? If so, do you want to have that passion?

I always wanted to be the best at something (anything?) but I'm trying to throttle back and be more content with what I have/am.

I want to be average, but with lots of money and women

palapiku wrote:I want to be average, but with lots of money and women

I like the idea of being great at something. I'd like to leave my mark on the world. Haven't figured out how to do it yet, though ...

One of my problems is I tend to be content to just lose interest when I'm competent at something. I simply don't see the point in mastery. Well, I mean I do intellectually, it just doesn't translate into motivation.

I envy those have have the passion or neuroses that drive them to excel.

More than great; I want to be the very best, like no one ever was.

Araban wrote:More than great; I want to be the very best, like no one ever was.

Bwahaha. And now, that's stuck in my head. Thanks for that. =P

My wife thinks I'm the best. That's good enough for me.
The IRS also has an unreasonably high opinion of me. Be careful about what you wish for.

If I thought it was possible to 'achieve something important' in this life I'd be doing that rather than playing Go. Western culture is too focussed on individualism IMHO films are bad for that (stories need a good hero). It's my rather pessimistic opinion that luck and appropriate environmental circumstances create most of histories 'people who are great' - or is that just my excuse for not inventing anti-gravity boots or a robot mind more powerful than our own... I guess we're all just apes trying to get to the top of the pile. - but then I'm no philosopher so what do I know.

I want passive income, and sexy abs.

I will soon have 5 children. There's no bigger mark on the World to aim for than bringing up sound well balanced kids - I just need to make sure I put the effort and time in, and I'll die a happy man

topazg wrote:I will soon have 5 children. There's no bigger mark on the World to aim for than bringing up sound well balanced kids - I just need to make sure I put the effort and time in, and I'll die a happy man

Congrats to you on your five children, from another father of five! I don't know about being best at something. However I was just happy with my progress last night as my kids came home with my wife while I was in the middle of a game on KGS. I didn't even throw a temper tantrum when they interrupted me. Believe me that is progress

So, now I'm going to switch hats from father to doctor of pop psychology: I'm reading a really cool book about mindsets and how they affect everything we do. Someday I'll put a blog post together on this. But for now suffice it to say that from what I've read so far, many people 'suffer' from a mindset that makes achievement a form of validation of self worth. I may have just described most of the planet. From the amount of discussion I see among go players about rank and progress I think it is safe to say that we as go players fit this bill. One point this book makes is that when we shift mindsets we actually free ourselves up to make greater progress.

So, I'm trying to focus on enjoying the ride while trying to do the right things trusting that this will get me to where I am going faster.

Now, where am I going, LOL?

RazorBrain wrote:From the amount of discussion I see among go players about rank and progress I think it is safe to say that we as go players fit this bill. One point this book makes is that when we shift mindsets we actually free ourselves up to make greater progress.

I doubt this is actually true. I'm sure all great go players and anyone else who excels in a competitive field are very, very goal-oriented.

RazorBrain wrote:...I'm reading a really cool book about mindsets and how they affect everything we do. Someday ...

Any chance the title of this book is "Mindset"?

palapiku wrote:...
I doubt this is actually true. I'm sure all great go players and anyone else who excels in a competitive field are very, very goal-oriented.

If he's talking about the book I'm thinking of, I think the author has a good point. Many people have what the author calls a "fixed mindset" - the idea that people are "smart at math" or "dumb at math" or somewhere in between. The author stresses the importance of having a "growth mindset": Some people surely start off with greater talent, but it's key to realize that this is only a starting point.

Applied to go, the fixed mindset can be the idea that "the 9d is always right" and the "20k is wrong". But from a growth mindset, we can think, "the 9d may be ahead in skill right now, but the 20k can advance his skill, no matter who he is".

I think that's what the gist is, anyway.

palapiku wrote:

RazorBrain wrote:From the amount of discussion I see among go players about rank and progress I think it is safe to say that we as go players fit this bill. One point this book makes is that when we shift mindsets we actually free ourselves up to make greater progress.

I doubt this is actually true. I'm sure all great go players and anyone else who excels in a competitive field are very, very goal-oriented.

Good point. Just because there may be a better way doesn't mean that people don't achieve amazing things by being goal oriented. In fact I think being goal oriented is necessary. But being the best at something doesn't automatically make you the happiest, even after you arrive. I guess it all depends on what you want to achieve. "Be careful what you ask for!" Right?