They have to be yours:
They have to be yours.
Your goals.
They have to be what you want.
Not anyone else.
Why do you want what you want?
Why?
Ask yourself that.
Stop and think.
Why?
Do you want something because you want it?
Or is it because your parents want it for you?
Or because your friends want it?
Or because all the people you look up to have it?
Why do you want what you want?
What has made you decide your goals in life?
It’s important to ask that question.
You may end up arriving at the same conclusion I did.
And Renee Girard did.
A famous French philosopher in the last century.
The concept of mimetic desire.
We want the things we want because other people want them.
We look to those around us for our desires.
Why do I want what I want?
My parents.
My grandparents.
My role models.
I want what they want.
A family.
Financial success.
Education.
Finding a good person.
Enjoying experiences.
Enjoying adventure.
Enjoying my life.
That’s why I want what I want.
I only learned to play golf because of my dad.
Now I love it.
My desire in the summer is to always be on a golf course if I can.
That didn’t come from me.
It came from the people around me.
So figure out for you, why do you want what you want?
There’s nothing innately wrong with any of your desires.
But they have to be yours.
You have to internalize them.
They have to be because you want them.
Not anyone else.
We’re all brainwashed by our parents and environment from when we’re growing up.
So it’s important to ask yourself, why do you want what you want?
What makes you really want those things?
Once you know, then figure out what game you’re playing.
Are you playing the money game?
Status game?
Family game?
Power game?
Ego game?
Business game?
What game are you playing?
Are you playing the one you want?
Or someone else pressured you into?
My goals were originally someone else’s.
My parents.
I wanted to be a doctor for them.
Was it because I really wanted to be a doctor?
Not really.
It was something I saw people around me achieve who were respected and earned good money.
Plus you could use your job to help people be better.
Sounded like a good idea in theory.
And I’m really glad I did it.
But that desire wasn’t mine.
It was my parents.
In the last few years, my desires have become mine.
I’m deciding I want them and I will go after them.
That’s what you should do.
Figure out which ones are yours and which ones are other peoples.
Focus on the ones you want.
Drop the other ones.
Because remember.
You only get one life.
It’s yours.
Why are you spending your time living someone else’s?
And not your own.
Remember - your goals have to be yours.