Not into “life-goals” and “legacies”? Consider a role-based life system instead
I never used to read any non-fiction. It was always Sci-Fi or Thriller stories. Call it a mid-life crisis if you, like but things things have flipped now that I’m approaching middle age.
Instead, I tend to read productivity books, “self-help” titles or biographies of those that I admire with the aim of improving myself or to learn more about topics that interest me.
One thing that I’m not a fan of, though, is the idea of a life goal or leaving behind a “legacy” which seems to crop up fairly repeatedly. For someone who has seen quarterly goals flipped on their head by unforeseen circumstances, the idea of committing to a goal that people will remember me by (hopefully) many years from now seems unrealistic.
However, when listening to a podcast last year, I came across of the idea living my life based on the roles I have with those around me. The idea interested me a lot — it still provided me with the opportunity for long-term self-development while being flexible enough to deal with short-term change. It also accurately reflected the way that I interact with different people.
For the last 12 months, I’ve been measuring myself by my roles and I’ve found that it has brought a refreshing structure and focus to my day-to-day living.
