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Comment by kitsune_ | Hacker News Reader

"Here is advice: Don't make goals and find happiness!"

Then, further down the article:

"Do this regularly: Get up early, practice generosity, over-commit, talk to strangers".

Ok. What did I miss here? How are these things not "goals" or "plans"? "My goal is to get up early from now on". How is this not setting a goal?

I hate articles like this.

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I think the author is drawing an implicit distinction between external outcomes (get this job, earn this much money, complete this project) and internal habits. His thesis seems to be that if you focus on your internal habits, your external outcomes will take care of themselves.

I completely agree. The article is a circular contradiction. The author's goal is listed right in the article:

"How did I do it? By creating new disciplines I actually liked doing. This is the secret to a healthy, productive life and to making an impact on the world. Create good, sustainable habits that you enjoy, and you’ll end up with a life you can be proud of."

Didn't he have a clear purpose or reason (goal) for focusing on those 4 practices?

Summary of article:

Goals are bullshit. Reach your goal of happiness by focusing on doing repeatable actions. Then you'll reach your goal and win life.

I'm not sure if this is what he means but I think to many people, a goal is a checkbox that you can check, like "make $100,000" etc.

This is one of the problems with the post. He is really referring to meaningless, shallow, and unrealistic goals, yet he does not say that and instead suggests not setting any goals whatsoever.

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