Tuesday, November 21, 2006

 

Everest

Fox has raised an interesting point in the comments of my last post.

I postulated that it is important to set “stretch” goals. Goals that perhaps cannot even be achieved, because by setting these we continually inspire ourselves to aim for more and more. We force ourselves to grow. Fox on the other hand was extolling the virtues of setting achievable goals, such that we would be able to encourage and inspire ourselves to keep working towards achievable targets.

In a way I think we're both right.

I was having a conversation with my sister a while back, in which I postulated every person needs an Everest. A giant insurmountable target that they wish to attain, to climb. If I was to go and attempt to climb Everest now, I wouldn't make it 10% of the way. I just don't have the skills or experience necessary to do so. That doesn't mean I can't sit down now and say I want to do it, it just means that if that is what I truly want, I need to first find a Kosciusko. A goal I can work towards which is not so insurmountable. But that in achieving, I will begin to develop the skills I would need for my Everest.

So the analogy I'm trying to draw here is this. Kosciusko is what Fox was pushing for. Or at least what I think we should be pushing for in the vein. The achievable goals. But there more to it than them just being achievable. They need to lead towards the Everest. The eventual (unattainable?) goal. We may need 5 or even 50 different Kosciusko's before we can tackle Everest. We may even never get there. But I think it is important to have the Kosciusko, rather than just a walk in the park. Because walking in the park doesn't challenge us. It doesn't make us grow at all.

And so our Kosciusko's have a meaning of their own, but also a greater meaning defined in terms of our Everest's.

So whatcha think? Am I on to something? To the comments!

Extra bonus section – Practical application. It's all well and good for me to say this, but here's the problem. I don't have an Everest. I try to define my Everest and I don't get anywhere. And without an Everest, Kosciusko's are rather hard to define. I can pick a smallish task that I think will challenge me and help me develop skills, but if I complete 5 different unrelated Kosciusko's then I'm only one step towards any actual Everest.

And it's also so easy to pick a walk in the park, and confuse myself into thinking its a Kosciusko. I think I need an Everest, but I have no Idea how I go about finding one. Thoughts? Take that to the comments too.

Comments:
I reckon you're pretty right. I think it is similar (not quite exactly the same) as long term vs short term goals.
In regards to your own Everest, what part of life should it come from? Professional? Christian? Relational? For myself I have an everest (of sorts) for quite a few areas.
 
Hmm.. Multiple everests. An interesting idea. What happens when you have 2 different Kosciusko's that lead towards different everests and you need to decide between them?

Do your everests have different priorities?
 
Of course they have different priorities. I would see which everest was more important and do the corresponding K. Some K's just seem a part of life though. For example, work is progressing well and pretty much I am getting the experience I need to achieve my goals as I go along. However, something else, I would have to actively do. For example, I am getting the stains off my teeth because I want to feel better about myself. So, I had to go to the dentist.....
I could have gone through life and never fixed them. I guess that kind of thing you have to go out of your way to do wheras other things seem to sort themselves out as you go along.
 
As for comming up with Everests of your own; ask yourself questions, (look within, as it were). Questions like "where do i want to be in 10, 20, 50 years?", "How do i want to be remembered after i die?", even "who am I?". Such questions, while corney, may lead to anwsers as to what Everest (or Everests) you whish to chalange. Of course, dont go looking for an Everest if you dont want to, if you are content/happy with where you are. Chalangeing youself when you dont need (or want) to deprives the chalange of any meaning.

Those are my 2 bob anyway

-Stephen
 
Sweetheart, you do have an Everest already. Striving to be like Christ. Not absolutely attainable in this world but there are alot of Kosciusko's along the way. Just a thought.
 
Hi ChinDoGu (where does that come from?), I hear you. I'm 32 and I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. Yes, I'm a good administrator - I'd even go as far as to say a REALLY good administrator - but admin doesn't excite me that much. The other goals - well, my singleness/contentment goal comes and goes, my weight goals, my exercise goals, and of course Laurel-Li (how pretty a name) is absolutely right regarding your goals for Christ. But I think what you're talking about, and perhaps I'm wrong, and that's where is my life heading? Where's my job heading? What do I seek for.

Some of that comes with time my friend. You are still young - very young really - and that is just something that you learn and grow into - and some of it does not. I just recently realised what I love to do most is teach and train people - so next year I'm going to study (more!) and get some form of qualification in that area. But who knows.

I'm waffling - but I guess what I'm saying is these things take time and often its just a matter of creeping along and experimenting slowly to find those Kosciusko's and Everests.

George
 
Chindogu

Apply the logic to online pseudomnys. It was meant as a subtle dig at those with incredible amounts of energy invested in online "identities"

Yeah, im still young, but without a direction, without a mountain on the horizion to guide my path towards (wow, this analogy stretches in all kinds of directions) whats the point. I will jsut end up coasting. I will do what I need to get by and no more. At the moment, my everest is to find an everest! And yet I still have no K's.

I don't have any idea where i'm going. And I don't trust myself to not jsut coast without one.
 
Okay, I'm going to stretch the metaphor still further (probably way past breaking point) - in response to your 'different and unrelated Kosciuskos' comment. Sorry - but what are metaphors for if not for the enjoyment of siblings with a propensity to play devil's advocate?

Is having an Everest in your life really a good thing? And is climbing 'different and unrelated' Kosciuskos really a problem? And yes, it's as devil's advocate that I ask this, because I also bemoan frequently the Everest sized hole in my own life.

But let's assume E is your goal. You attempt K repeatedly, in all weather conditions, trialling all your equipment. You scrimp and save to afford the intensive training you'll need in the foothills of the Himalayas to build your skills and endurance. You refuse invitations to dinner with your friends so you can save up for that expensive equipment. You miss friend and family birthdays cos you're off training, and you're so driven and caught up in what you're doing that you don't even remember that you missed their birthday. You may even succeed in your quest, but at what cost?

Now assume you lack the motivation to attempt E, but experiment with a number of 'disparate' Ks. Maybe you head off to Mt Kenya after Kosciusko, to experience magnificent views of majestic African plains from an incongruously snow-covered mountain peak. And that kindles your interest in working on the Make Poverty History campaign and/or fighting Global Warming. On Mount Cook you meet a fascinating bunch of people who become friends who you keep in contact with for years to come. In the Pyrenees you take time out to visit some great historical mountain villages and brush up on your French and Spanish. Disparate, yes. But who's the more well-rounded person? Who's more interesting? Who has the wider circle of friends? Who's actually grown more, despite challenging themselves less?

Just a thought.

And one question I'm thinking might help me to identify my Ks? 'What would I be doing if I wasn't frightened of failing or embarrassed about looking stupid?'

Footnote: Through Heaven's Eyes (Prince of Egypt); Mr Holland's Opus; and the recent retirement announcment of Ian Thorpe.
 
There are some interesting points to be made regarding the appropriateness of you calling yourself Chindogu.. Taking the 10 tenets that are apparently the vital criteria:

1) A Chindogu cannot be for real use
It is fundamental to the spirit of Chindogu that inventions claiming Chindogu status must be, from a practical point of view, (almost) completely useless.

Chindogu.. Almost completely useless.. 'nuff said.

2) A Chindogu must exist
You have to be able to hold it in your hand and think 'I can actually imagine someone using this. Almost.'

Chindogu.. Almost useable .. 'nuff said.

3) Inherent in every Chindogu is the spirit of anarchy
They represent freedom of thought and action: the freedom to challenge the suffocating historical dominance of conservative utility; the freedom to be (almost) useless.

Chindogu.. Anarchist.. No. Really, nononono. This Chindogu is rigid LN, not CG, not CN..

4) Chindogu are tools for everyday life
Chindogu.. Tool.. Everyday.. 'nuff said.

5) Chindogu are not for sale
Chindogu are not tradable commodities. If you accept money for one you surrender your purity.

Chindogu.. Accepts money for lost purity.. Well.. Not yet.. I don't think.. But we'll see.. Might end up going that way.

6) Humour must not be the sole reason for creating a Chindogu
The creation of Chindogu is fundamentally a problem-solving activity.

Chindogu.. Created to solve problems.. Well, I don't know what problems the Creator was aiming to solve with this one.. But let's just assume it must solve /something/..

7) Chindogu is not propaganda
Chindogu are innocent. They are made to be used, even though they cannot be used. They should not be created as a perverse or ironic comment on the sorry state of mankind.

Chindogu.. Innocent.. Yes.. Innocent.. You know what I'm talking about, Chindogu.

8) Chindogu are never taboo
Cheap sexual innuendo, humour of a vulgar nature, and sick or cruel jokes that debase the sanctity of living things are not allowed.

Chindogu.. Never taboo.. No, of course not, our Chindogu is /totally/ pure.. See above (7).

9) Chindogu cannot be patented
Chindogu are offerings to the rest of the world - they are not therefore ideas to be copyrighted, patented, collected and owned.

Chindogu.. Not to be owned.. *cackle* How many times have "j00 b33n p\/\/nz3d"? Never? No, I didn't think so.. This Chindogu is plenty owned.

10) Chindogu are without prejudice
Chindogu must never favour one race or religion over another.

Chindogu.. Not favour a religion.. Well.. Clearly this Chindogu fails on that one.

Well.. I can see you meet Tenents 1, 2, 4, possibly 5 for now at least, well be generous and assume 6 is given.. But you fail to meet Tenents 3, 7, 8, 9 and 10.

As you have failed to meet all 10 of the Tenents of Chindogu.. Well.. In the words of the creator of the term, "Every Chindogu is an almost useless object, but not every almost useless object is a Chindogu".. I'll leave you with that thought.

Actually.. No.. I won't. I've strayed from the mark a little, so I'll quickly nip back on track and address the post rather than taking the divergence to addressing the comments.. You need an Everest? Push yourself that little bit further, and /become/ Chindogu! You're halfway there to being there, only 5 more K's and you too can claim greatness for yourself! 5 easy steps:
1: Learn to break rules, they aren't always right, they aren't always appropriate, and sometimes.. suffering for you choices, is the /right/ thing to do. This will allow you to meet Tenent 3.
2: Clean up your act. Become innocent. Purge yourself of your perversions! Hence meeting Tenent 7.
3: Do more of step 2, climb it twice, just to be nice. Then you get Tenents 7 and 8, with one K.
4: Become excellent in all aspects in which you oppose others, become the "p\/\/nzer" not the "p\/\/nzed". If you acheive this, you are one last K away from completeing your own Everest!
5: Learn as much as possible about all other races and religions, you may not agree with them, but show none a favour of understanding, at the very least, where those who follow it are coming from.. This will better prepare you to show them why you believe what you do in ways they can relate to, and strengthen you in your evangelical efforts! Reaching this pinnicle of understanding will be the mark by which you will know you have climbed Everest, and will be the better person for it.

That is the thought I will leave you with.
 
I cant remember my sign on name or password so it is Mel here:

Given the conversations you and I often have, I think you already have some everests and you habve already started climbing your own K's. I wont go into detail but I think you are already on your way. Think it through about your personal feelings and you will realise that you may even be partway up Everest without realising it.

Also think back to a few years ago and how you related to other people. You have changed and developed your communication and interpersonal skills- you are at least nearing the summit in those areas- just keep using the resources you need and have available to you

Be encouraged though that you have grown so much in the last few years.
 
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