Achieve Something, not Be Somebody
Imagine every decision you make has the potential to not only ruin the progress you have made over the last two years - it could cost your friends their lives, far away from their loved ones.
Apollo 11 - the first time humans ever ventured beyond Earth. Whilst this was an impressive feat of engineering, it was also an incredible psychological challenge. A task of this magnitude requires uncompromising diligence, calm resilienceand unquestioning trust from a team. How did they make it work?
Interviewing the exact people that made it happen 50 years ago, Psychologist Richard Wiseman found one common mindset:
"Achieve something, not be somebody."
A relentless focus on the mission. No one aiming to be a hero, no one trying to make themselves look better. Just a group of people, obsessed with achieving what most thought was impossible.
So why the hell am I talking about the Moon Landing?
After graduating, I now have to decide what’s next in life. And something in me wants to make that decision based on status - on who I can become.
Do a Masters at a prestigious Uni and be a Harvard Graduate?
Go all in on a business idea and be an Entrepreneur?
Go down the Corporate Path and be a Project Manager?
When I focus on being somebody instead of achieving something, the mission is no longer the central objective. The personal outcome is. As a result, the work suffers. Here’s why:
Cutting Corners.
❌ Be a Harvard Graduate ✅ Learn & Grow
If the degree is the main point of the endeavour, cutting corners and taking shortcuts becomes attractive. If you’re optimising for grades on a piece of paper, why not cheat on exams?
But if the point is to learn, there’s nothing to gain from cheating. Taking shortcuts hurts the mission. So there’s no motive for it.
Losing Resilience.
❌ Be an Entrepreneur ✅ Solve a Problem
If all you want is to be a successful Entrepreneur, every business problem is personal. Setbacks are disheartening on an internal level, because they say something about who you are as a human being.
If you set out to solve a problem for others, setbacks are an integral part of the journey. No one expects to solve a problem without encountering obstacles. After all, it's called a problem for a reason.
Avoiding Collaboration.
❌ Be a Project Manager ✅ Deliver a great Product
Joining a company as an associate and aiming for the next title, collaboration can seem counterproductive. You need to stand out from your colleagues to get that promotion, right?
But if the point is delivering a great product, collaboration is the way to go. You’ve got the same goal. Ultimately, in helping others you accomplish your goal.
So wherever you might go, a focus on "being someone" messes with your ability to do the work. Not to mention the obvious problems that come with letting your ego take the driver’s seat and designing your life according to external validation.
The antidote? Humility and a focus on the mission.
A commitment to shoot for the moon, and do the work it takes to get there. Not for the sake of personal accolades, but because something worthwhile deserves to be done.
Achieving something. Not being somebody.
Comments ()