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elanius commented on Ask HN: How to shift mindset from goal-oriented to progress-oriented?    · Posted by u/elanius
he11ow · a year ago
I'll say something that sounds really unhelpful until one day it makes sense. You don't really choose the process, the process chooses you. You can't make yourself 'enjoy the process' for something that doesn't resonate, because it will always feel a chore. So the one and only trick is to really pay attention to the thing you keep going back to, and in a way accept that this is a path.

Some people might say "But I only enjoy video games!" and if that's the case, I don't really know what to say to that. All the people I know who have found great alignment with a path of progress are ones where the effort tickles an itch they would have regardless, so might as well scratch that itch.

And there are still goals, that doesn't change.

elanius · a year ago
I probably don't understand everything you wrote. However, I think I don't agree with you. If I just did what I enjoyed, I would quickly fall into bad habits, which would later lead to even greater depression.
elanius commented on Ask HN: How to shift mindset from goal-oriented to progress-oriented?    · Posted by u/elanius
badpun · a year ago
If you enjoy the goal, but not the process, there's a term for it - it's called a grind. It's no different from weight loss or any other unpleasant chores. You choose to temporarily suffer in order to accomplish the goal. Incidentally, after reading a bunch of biographies, I think many high-achievers are into suffering, they get a kick out of it. Someone like Goggins makes it explicit, but I think it's fairly prevalent.
elanius · a year ago
I should read Goggins. I just saw an interview with him. It looks like you need a huge amount of willpower and motivation. However, willpower is taxing for the brain, which tries to avoid it unless absolutely necessary.
elanius commented on Ask HN: How to shift mindset from goal-oriented to progress-oriented?    · Posted by u/elanius
dexwiz · a year ago
Sounds like you need to cultivate curiosity. How to do that, I am not sure. It’s one of those inherent traits that’s often hard to change.
elanius · a year ago
Curiosity is fine. The problem is that if you want to achieve something, you need to go through a lot of small steps that don't involve anything new. It's just the repetition of things you already know, and this is what I have started to hate.

However, it seems that some people can enjoy this, and I don't understand how they do it.

elanius commented on Ask HN: How to shift mindset from goal-oriented to progress-oriented?    · Posted by u/elanius
dexwiz · a year ago
Make more incremental goals, to the point they may sound trivial. With small enough goals they become synonymous with the process.
elanius · a year ago
I’ve been thinking about this and am looking for a deeper understanding. Some activities people enjoy don’t have a concrete goal.

I remember a situation from my teenage years when a friend wanted to assemble an old PC just for fun. I declined because it didn’t make sense to me—I didn’t see any value in it.

Now, I realize that this attitude might be more valuable because it keeps you engaged even when there isn't a specific goal in sight.

u/elanius

KarmaCake day11February 4, 2022
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