Picking good quests is the most important thing. The sum of all quests make the story of humans. Eight billion people are alive today, 100 billion people have ever lived. Large world-changing quests get all the attention, but 99.9% are small. Small quests are the foundation for the rare large quests. Picking good quests is hard in the face of irrelevance. Luckily there is a sort of framework to select good quests.
Your quests have one purpose, they must be important to you. It is somewhat foolish to think that quests should only serve you or only be fun. Creating value for others is the noblest of of all quests. Your life is not limited to one quest. It is a matter of fact that each person undertakes many quests in their life. The completion of quests is not the point, it is the work, the effort, the things discovered that define us.
Most quests are personal and serve the individual like getting in better shape or taking up a new sport. These quests create value for the individual, but on net don't add too much value to others. You can argue semantics or cherry pick examples undertaking these quests help others. That is not the focus of the argument. It is the quests that are in service of others, that seek to create value in the world that is what I wish to talk about.
From the time you are a kid to when you die, people will have opinion's on what defines a good quest. As a child our parents tell us they want us to be doctors, engineers, or lawyers. When we get older we understand the world more and start to expand our view of peoples quests. Access the internet and you will get infinite 30 second examples of quests. One should understand all the quests that can be undertaken. Not knowing what quests are available is a major problem. This is most common in kids picking their education, and never using it.
There exists this weird problem in our world of opinions. The more information you have access to, the more opinions you will here. If you can't think for yourself you'll tend to think like who ever's opinion you here the most. Silicon Valley opinions are by far the most prevalent on the internet. A close second is politics. The argument is this: They are the two most important topics, thus their opinions matter the most. Or they are the loudest and get the most air time, but matter the least. Either way, blind faith in what they are saying is likely not a way you should pick your quests.
It's a hard truth to hear for most, but not everyone can change the world. It is a rare thing to be born with a natural talent and curiosity for those few area's of progress that change our world. More rare is to be born at the correct time and location which allows one to capitalize on those moments. It thus rare squared to be a Richard Feynman, Fritz Harbor, Norman Boarlog, Isaac Newton, or Bill Gates. The wanting which is ubiquitous amongst humans, to be like these individuals is as common as hair. Like a tight rope walker, it is a very difficult thing to balance inspiration and reality. It is possible to find their stories inspirational, and choose a quest suited for you. Envy is the thing that kills us all. It rotes everything it touches, from the inside out. It starts small and slow, than suddenly it's everywhere.
Compound interest is the 9th wonder of the world. The smallest quest can have impacts that ripple for eternity. A small business family in Northern Ontario can birth child who invents a novel waste reduction technology. A math text book donated to a remote Indian Village can create the most advanced math formulas on earth. Large quests are only possible because of the stacking of billions of small quests. Small quests are the foundation.
No one likes playing games they don't like. It is rare that anyone enjoys playing a video game they don't like. A small amount of people don't like learning new games, most do. Games become fun once you have learned the rules. The same principal applies to quests, once you have the skills, they become fun. What is important is that you like the rules of the game, the challenge, and the outcome. Watch a couple hands before playing.
Critics offer little value to the world. They are eternal pessimists who are correct on rare occasions. A necessary check and balance to the default optimistic. Optimism can get out of control, in business quests they are bubbles. To win at any game you must be optimistic about your chances. The same applies to the quests you undertake in life. Judgement is a waste of mental capacity. You are far better off to worry to succeed than how others will fail. Optimistic people are also rare. If you find one, attach yourself to them.
A general framework for good quests
- It must be a game you want to play. You find it interesting, not because others are doing it (that's envy), but because you'll do it by yourself. This is the simple test - “would you do it by yourself ”
- It must be a game that you are well suited to play. For not all games you want to play you are well suited to play. Zone of genius - where interests, passions, and skills overlap. This is the simple test - “Can you be top 10% at it?”
- It must be hard. Hard is relative to you. It’s guided by your ambition. Contributing to our economy, helps move the needle. Everything in life is hard. Pick your level of hard.
- It’s about self mastery. You can teach yourself anything. Your determination - wilfulness + discipline aimed by ambition is what leads to self mastery.
- Pick quests that you would do for free. But that can make you money or make you a happy person. This is the test - “Would you do it for free?”.
A good test for quests is the goose bump test. When you read, watch, or hear something of interest, do you get goose bumps? I've never seen someone get goose bumps for something they don't find interesting. I'm not talking about the goose bumps from scary movies. Every time I watch someone snowboard down or summit a giant mountain I shiver with wonder. My skin crawls with goose bumps when I see people compete at Ironman, adventure race's, or ultramarathons. I can't ever stop seeing or thinking about businesses and the technology they build for our world. This comprises about 90% of all my interests in life. I tend to not care or think about much else in the world.
A smart person once said it's the journey not the destination that matters. I've come to realize with games, vacations, hobbies, or lazy nights, it's never the end that I like. It is always the act, the mission, the friendship, the adventure that I like. It's not the summit of the mountain that matters, it's the accomplishment of getting there. The view is a bonus, the reward is the sense of pride. When I pick quests now, I care less about the outcome - wining the game - I care about the process.