This moonshot thing is hard right? It’s hard because we have been raised to “do what we are told” not “tell ourselves what to do.” We are encouraged to play within the structures, do what we are told and waste away our free time…
We show up and the school system feeds us averaged content in groups, via a planned structure, appropriately designed according to the needs of average students. We really need to get this fundamental learning done, so this system is mandatory and important for most.
Once we leave school, our job locks us into set timings and devoted attention. Appropriately, many get paid only to have the real profit margins removed in taxes, therefore leaving the remainder to cover essential expenses. These attributes make the system mandatory for most people who must feed and shelter themselves, and others. This system works for many but for some people they are left feeling like they haven’t found their purpose.
The entertainment industry with the likes of Netflix, serves us up content to zone out too and if we feel slightly more attentive, there are many social media options that feed us individualised content. While entertaining, these structures are highly addictive and waste away spare time.
All of this, whether its school, a job, television or social media, is comforting and expected. It is safe. In these structures you are being looked after, you are being taken care of. Someone else is taking care of the structure for you.
To move the mind beyond the boundaries of these existing systems, you must first convince yourself that there is more to reality than that provided by your existing routines.
To define a vision is to imagine some describable point in the future that inspires people. An inspiring vision excites you, it makes you feel good, it has merit, it is good for others and it is worth doing. These are some of the ingredients that feed a feeling of purpose and a meaningful life. Long term visions like landing humans on mars, require long term commitment. They require years of commitment, discipline and perseverance to follow through. It makes really smart sense to set milestone moments along the way, so that you can feel that sense of progress as you move through setbacks and checkpoints. A long term vision at a scale that benefits humanity becomes a “massively transformative purpose.”
When you start forming some details and timings around your grand vision, yet its seems impossible and your not completely sure how it will be done, it becomes a “moonshot”. President John F. Kennedy announced that America would put a man on the Moon by the end of the decade. To most people this seemed hard if not impossible and that is why this vision is inspiring and exciting. People love the challenge of doing something that seems impossible. This is not an ordinary endeavour for ordinary people. This is meaningful and exciting work.
Are you ready to explore a new vision and embark on an exciting journey? First you will need to disrupt your existing patterns and break free from the trance provided by your existing structures. How will you free your mind from all of this temptation? Do whatever you can to break the routines. That doesn’t mean quitting your job or quitting School. It means creating “breaks” in the structure to allow your mind the opportunity to explore outside the system. As you look out into the unknown, it will be scary, hard and unsettling. Somewhere out there is the adventure of your life.
Acknowledgement: Article and terms inspired by Peter Diamandis digital community: https://www.abundance.digital/