Working Backward From The Center Of The Maze

I had a meeting today with someone from Upfront Ventures where we talked about our goals in life. We sat on the roof of his office and overlooked the pacific ocean.

I found it oddly refreshing when someone asks you with their arms in the air:

So, what do you want to do with your life? What’s your goal?

This question can hit many of us hard if we haven’t spent the time to think about it.

For me, I had spent the time to think about it years ago. But these days, I feel like there is so much opportunity and I am a bit in the explorers mindset of searching again.

So when the question came at me, I had a bit of a foggy response because I am foggy internally.

I asked for advice for how do I come up with my goal?

This person then said that they like to do things a little ass backward. He gave me the maze analogy.

Instead of going outside and then in for the maze, he suggested starting at the center of the maze and then finding the way out from there.

The same is true for life.

Try to be clear on what you want your life to look like in 10 years. Where do you live, what does your house look like, what does your day to day job look like, etc. and then work backward from there.

I was inspired by this thought exercise and wanted to get clearer on what I want my life to look like in 10 years.

While I don’t think I have all the answers right now, I thought it made sense to put something down in writing. Besides, it is better to have something, than nothing at all.

Here are a few things that come to mind:

• Work for myself and organize my own schedule exactly how I want to. I don’t think I want to operate a large company, have a leadership team, board, etc. I would rather have a small investment fund or team that feels more laid back, personal, and friendly.

• Have a large some of personal capital that I can invest in the future I believe in. I want to invest in cool startups and support them as an advisor / investor. I want to connect people to each other and meet a lot of interesting people (as this is a great way to stay stimulated and learn).

• Work with my friends and have fun.

• Do things that are meaningful and can help improve humankind.

• Exercise intensely 6 days a week. Have healthy eating habits. Take care of my body for rest and recovery (Cryotherapy and Sana) as well as yoga once a week. I have one body, so I need to keep it in pristine condition.

• A modern house by the beach in some neighborhood around the broader LA area. I would like to travel consistently as I believe it helps keep our minds open and fresh. Places like Japan, Amsterdam, Italy, Colorado, and Hawaii are all high on my list to visit throughout my life.

• Important routines for me will be to write, read and meditate daily. I would like to write a brief book one day. I also want to teach.

• Generally, I want to be involved in many different big projects that are important and can scale to impact many people.

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We all can take the time to stop and think about what we truly want.

When was the last time you thought about what you wanted your life to look like in 5 or 10 years?

Direction and long-term purpose can really be the driver for what we achieve in our lives and help create more happiness along the way.

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