Lofty goals, loosely held

Treat goals like opinions

There’s a famous line by futurist Paul Saffo, “Strong opinions, loosely held.”

It’s a beautiful mindset that emphasizes the importance of taking a stand while keeping an open mind.

But it’s even more important to have Lofty goals, loosely held.

---

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to play in the NBA for the Atlanta Hawks.

I fell in love with the game the moment I dribbled a basketball as a wee lad in the Atlanta suburbs. And thought I was well on my way as I dominated the Woodstock Baptist Church league.

I was blessed with some natural talent. And I didn’t mind practicing in my driveway for an unreasonable amount of time. Shot by shot.

But then high school arrived.

Why weren’t my arms bulging out of my practice jersey like my teammates? Why was I having to (literally) look up to these guys? Why was I finishing my sprints with the centers? I was supposed to be a speedy shooting guard.

I’m not in church league anymore, I thought.

My one saving grace was my silky smooth shot from deep. Not Steph Curry deep, but I knocked down three’s with the best of them.

That was enough to play JUCO ball.

After the first week of practice I wanted to quit. So I did. I packed my bags and drove home with my tail tucked between my legs. My goal was shattered.

But to my surprise, mom and dad didn’t welcome me with open arms. They forced me to turn right around and go back.

I hated them for this but they were right. I had made a commitment.

I grinded it out while spending a majority of the season at the farrrrrr end of the bench (reserved for token white guys like me).

Realizing I wasn’t going to sprout another eight inches in this life, I unlaced my sneakers for the last time. No NBA for me.

Or so I thought…

I wasn’t going to be let in through the front door. Or the side door. But I discovered a third door. Against all odds, I bulldozed my way into the league. By an unexpected route.

My first job out of college was as a sales rep for my hometown team. I worked for the Atlanta Hawks instead of playing for them.

I achieved my lofty goal by a previously unimaginable path.

My boy Steph and I preparing for battle (I’m the white guy).

---

And I’m not unique. You’ve done this too.

You’ve achieved some of your own lofty goals in a way you never could have imagined.

Think about it.

The problem arises when we map out a detailed step-by-step path for how we want to achieve our goals.

We hate to admit it, but we are terrible at future planning. Every “expert” who attempts to predict what the future holds ends up embarrassingly wrong. But not always with the prediction itself. Just in how it happens.

It’s the same with goals.

We gotta keep setting lofty goals to give us a reason to wake up in the morning. But we need to accept this harsh truth: the journey to get there WILL be wildly different than we imagined.

And we won’t have a 100% hit rate. Even Steph Curry misses 52.5% of the shots he takes. Yet he’s the greatest shooter in NBA history. Why would we expect to be any better?

Don’t cling to the approach. Lofty goals give you something to aim for. Just be humble enough to loosely hold the path to get there. And be open to the wild world of alternate approaches.

I still think my Hawks could’ve used my help on the court.

---

Likes and comments below