If a ship doesn't know its destination, then no direction of the wind can be considered favorable. A person must have goals, otherwise they are like walking dead.
What Knowledge Should You Learn#
The teacher mentioned in class the day before yesterday: "Learning leads to success, and success leads to learning." After studying for a long time, I want to apply my knowledge in my work. After working for a long time, I realize my lack of knowledge and continue to study and improve. Therefore, we need to constantly learn, we need to read books. So, what kind of books should we read? I believe that you should read books related to your goals, as this kind of learning is the most effective. If you want to make money, read books related to making money; if you want to regulate your emotions, read books on psychology and philosophy.
Today, I wanted to learn about emotional control, so I picked up a book on psychology to read (after reading it, I realized it was actually a philosophy book). The book is called "The Coffee Shop at the End of the World," a collection of short stories that I finished reading in an hour and a half.
In this book, I saw the same viewpoint as the teacher's - doing things with a goal in mind. If you find the meaning of your existence, you will spend your time on things related to that meaning and feel happy and satisfied, feeling like you are in control of your own life. If what you want to do is not aligned with your goals, you will waste a lot of energy. By the time you have the opportunity to do what you want to do, you may no longer have the strength or time. People who haven't figured themselves out also spend time doing many things, but they spend their time on things that do not contribute to realizing the meaning of life, and ultimately feel empty.
Why Are You Here?#
This book has a recurring question - why are you here (in the coffee shop)?
- Initially, the protagonist came to the coffee shop to relax after getting lost.
- When asked by the waiter, "Why are you here?" he replied, "Because I got lost while trying to relax."
- The waiter asked again, "Why did you want to relax?" and he replied, "Because I felt pain at work and boredom in life."
- The waiter asked again, "Why do you feel pain and boredom?"... "What kind of work and life do you want?"...
In the end, guided by multiple questions, the protagonist couldn't answer his own life goals, his own meaning of existence, and why he is alive.
The people in the coffee shop told the protagonist: If you find the meaning of your existence (goal), you will spend your time on things related to that meaning, feel happy, feel satisfied, no longer wander aimlessly, and feel like you are in control of your own life. Moreover, you will do this thing excellently.
Here are some excerpts:
Excerpt 1:#
The movements of a sea turtle follow the rules of the ocean's currents. When the waves push towards the shore, opposite to the direction the sea turtle is moving, it will swim up to stay in place. When the waves surge towards the ocean, it will swim faster to move forward with the waves.
The sea turtle never fights against the waves, but cleverly uses the power of the waves. The reason I couldn't catch up with it is because I ignored the direction of the waves and kept swimming. At first, I could keep up with the sea turtle and sometimes even slow down to wait for it. But in the waves moving in the opposite direction, the harder I swam forward, the more exhausted I felt. By the time the waves moved in the same direction as my swimming, I didn't have enough energy to move forward with them.
"As the waves came and went, I became more and more tired and powerless. The sea turtle, on the other hand, optimized its efficiency by leveraging the power of the waves. That's why it swims faster than me."
Knowing the meaning of one's life, one can spend time on things that contribute to realizing that meaning. People who haven't figured out the meaning of their lives also spend time doing many things. Therefore, I come to the conclusion that they (people with low satisfaction in life) spend their time on things that do not contribute to realizing the meaning of life, and ultimately feel empty.
People who know the meaning of their lives are full of energy and perseverance in doing things. They always have good luck and opportunities accompanying them. Because they always keep their goals in mind, when opportunities arise, they don't forget their goals and can seize the opportunities. Opportunities are for those who are prepared, including mentally prepared.
Excerpt 2:#
If your meaning is to become a millionaire, then you should do everything you can to do things that align with your definition of a "millionaire."
① If this means making friends with other millionaires, then go make friends.
② If this means working hard to save up a million, then go work.
Every day, many people want you to spend your time and energy on them. For example, the emails you receive. If you plan to attend every event, participate in every promotion, and enjoy every unsolicited service, you will have no free time.
And that's just emails. Think about those who want to grab your attention through television, the internet, restaurants, tourist destinations, and so on. You will soon realize that you are doing what everyone else is doing, or what others want you to do.
Who would have thought that just reading junk mail could take up a whole year of your life? (The book calculates the time spent doing something in a lifetime)
All examples illustrate the same point: spend your time on things that contribute to realizing the meaning of your life, and you will do everything you can and feel satisfied.
Regarding the question of why you are here. Some people figure it out when they are young, some start thinking about it when they grow up, and some never figure it out throughout their lives. This phenomenon is quite interesting.
How to Find Answers#
An effective method of answering questions is to use a question as the answer, keep asking, and find the answer to the ultimate question, which is often very close to the truth.
Why go to college? To find a job. Why do you want to find a job? To make money. Why do you want to make money? To buy a house. Why do you want to buy a house? To get married. Why do you want to get married... Keep asking, and you will eventually get a satisfactory answer.
As the saying goes, goals determine your direction. If a ship doesn't know its destination, then no direction of the wind will be favorable.