Thoreau wrote, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”
I’m not sure the masses are quietly desperate. But maybe you know what Thoreau was writing about.
Toxic aspiration:
#1. Toxic aspiration requires perfect timing.
Any aspiration you can’t act-toward today is a fantasy that drains the life from your heart.
If you can’t act-toward your dream today, find a new dream.
Acting-toward might be as simple as learning from those who are achieving what you aspire to accomplish. (I use ‘achieving’, not ‘achieved’ intentionally.)
One thing is sure. Life tumbles downward until you do something.
#2. Toxic aspiration needs others to act first.
Expectation that others need to do this-or-that before you pursue your aspiration is an excuse for inaction.
Big dreams are poison when they freeze you in your tracks. Suppose you want to be a professional volleyball player. Set a small actionable goal. Play High School volleyball, for example.
#3. Toxic aspiration waits for the perfect step forward.
You can’t build anything in the future unless you’re a time traveler. The future is always built in the imperfect present.
The only way to change the future is to act today!
Action-toward:
- Small actionable goals are better than dramatic goals that freeze you in your steps.
- Strive for continual innovation, not instant perfection.
- Perfectionists are mediocre. Forget about radical change if imperfection is intolerable. Perfectionism is stagnation. Everyone who pursues excellence is NOT a perfectionist.
- Failure and falling short enable aspiration. Failure is an option.
Thoreau was at least partially right. Anyone who doesn’t rise to their aspiration lives a life of quiet desperation.
What makes an aspiration toxic?
How are you navigating aspiration?
—
This post was previously published on Leadership Freak with a Creative Commons License.
***
If you believe in the work we are doing here at The Good Men Project and want a deeper connection with our community, please join us as a Premium Member, today.
All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS. Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here.
—
Photo credit: iStock