On Intention
“Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives – choice, not chance determines your destiny.”
“You can either give it to us, or we can take it from you. Either way, we’re getting it.”
“The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days to prolong them, I shall use my time.”
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A friend of mine reached out to me, reflecting on adventures we found ourselves on in the past – countries seen, friendships forged, memories formed. He was reflecting on the stories he’d accumulated, and, in particular, the response to the stories he’d receive. They include, “I wish I could’ve done something like that when I was younger” or “how could you get away with postponing your job like that?”. The responses revealed people fascinated, enthralled with the possibility of life outside of the cookie cutter, corporate career focused, regime approved lifestyle. Now a member of the former, instead of the previously inhabited latter, he was reflecting on quitting his job and picking up where we left off a few years ago. Perhaps even pondering a move to the Costa Rican jungle. However, these were not the only thoughts rattling around his brain. He had created a dichotomy, plotting one life path against the other, calculating the advantages of one and disadvantages of the other. Although a valid contention, it was missing the point. Zoom out, and the kicker reveals itself almost immediately. It comes down to what everything always comes down to anyways – living with intention.
Consider an endlessly searching nomad or cubical rat straight from Office Space opposed to a forest neo-monk or corporate juggernaut. The key difference is intention. To place it back in the context of my friend, there was an appeal to rising the ladder, settling down and starting a family. But there was also an appeal to quit, start working odd jobs and travel the world. In this situation, you can’t make a wrong decision when you live either of the paths with the intention of being on that path. The decision made, the stage is set and all that is left is to execute.
On the other side of the path coin is falling victim to others’ intentions, or intentions that are not your own. This is where we see constant unhappiness, self-loathing, and regret. This is due to the day-to-day life and resulting outcomes being a function of whether you are imposing your will on the world around you, or if you are living your life on somebody else’s terms. If you are conscious and present on your path, you can live without thinking the grass is always greener. I’ve met many a nomad who are still searching for something, still trying to fill the endless void when the life they lead is envied by the cubical rat. Some may envy the pencil pusher’s life stability and reliable income. Many who are making serious money and want nothing but to never been seen again, lost in the jungles of Costa Rica. When we imagine the life of the other side, we imagine what excellence looks like in its form. The enlightened wanderer, the blissful ignorance the corporate world can bring us, or thrill we feel from running your own business. What has been imagined is not unobtainable, it can be realized through living with intention. My friend lives on the coast in Thailand and surf – great, every day he wakes up stoked to ride the waves and grateful for the life he leads. Another friend does finance and crushes it. Day in and day out he rises ready to build the best models, write the best reports and climb the ladder – fantastic. What they have in common are not only their radiating, positive energy, but their intention for excellence, and their intention to be unapologetically themselves. This is the key, not constantly dreaming of potential alternatives, but actually acting, and acting with intention, no matter the path.
I think we have a perfect opportunity in this phase of our life to seize what is ours, if we can find what it is. Remote work does give the opportunity to combine two previously unconnectable walks of life, to be an entrepreneur or corporate quant while still living on the beach. So, especially while young, it is critical to find what defines us and live with the intention to seriously impose your will on the world around you. Be an influencer, write poetry for a living, live in the jungle, become CEO, it does not matter. Create. Live unapologetically.