Choose the direction, not the destination
There was a time in the past when I knew what I wanted. I graduated from the uni, and after some thought, I decided I would go to Norway, work for a while, save some money, then study a bit more in Australia, find a job in Telecommunication and live happily ever after chilling at the beach with a surfboard in my yard. Great plan, with a clear goal. Good to keep me motivated and spend a year in the rainiest city in Europe. Time passed, and I made it all come true. I have a good job, great family and can surf almost daily. If somebody would show me that at the beginning of my journey, I would think it might be the best outcome I aim for. Once the dream becomes a reality, we project new plans that make us keep working. Today I have new ambitions that keep me going, and I see the infinite pool of things I can reach.
In my surfing, I remember the days when my biggest ambition was to be able to surf by myself without relying on any surf school or a coach that would guide me. I believed that it would be enough to satisfy myself. However, once I reached this goal, I wanted much more. Today, I aim for radical turns, big splashes and deep barrels. I want to feel confident on the small messy beach break and a rocky point break with a big rolling wave. Discovering the possibilities after reaching the next step is fascinating and helps me keep going and pushes me to increase my comfort zone and once again go out of it.
Programming is another example of the same thing. Again, I believe there is no place where we would be satisfied. At the beginning of my career, I thought having a stable, highly paid job was the dream that once I get, I would be able to settle down. But, as time passed, I saw how wrong I was. As in Maslov’s pyramid of needs, we start aiming for something higher once we get into one level. Once I have a stable job with enough money, I want to make a difference. I want my code to make a change in the world, and I want it to be a good example for the fellow programmers that come after me. Increasing my income could be one of the motivations that help me keep going, but being a part of the history written every day by our generation sounds like a more worthwhile goal that I could aim for.
As human beings, we are never satisfied. We always aim for what we don’t have. It might be a burden, but it is a blessing when we think about it deeper. In the journey, the most exciting part is the way we go. It would be unfortunate to reach the destination and have nowhere to go.
