A short podcast mini-chapter by Brian Johnson (from A Philosopher's Notes) reflecting on perfectionism. Johnson encourages viewing personal ideals as "guiding stars" rather than reachable "distant shores," cites Tal Ben-Shahar's idea of "optimalists" who optimize within constraints, and references Carl Rogers' phrase that the good life is "a process, not a state of being; a direction, not a destination."
You're listening to Optimize with Bryan Johnson More Wisdom in Less Time this is a mini chapter from Brian's book A Philosopher's Notes. You can find it on Amazon.
Guiding Stars and Distant Shores Are you, like me, a perfectionist? If so, please sit up straight and pay attention. I think you'll really like this one. You know those ideals you have for yourself, all the things you want to be and just know you could be if you really lived with integrity and mojo and all the divine virtue you were capable of rocking. Well, Tal Ben Shahar yeah, him again. I told you he's one of my favorites these days. He tells us it's a lot healthier to imagine those ideals as guiding stars and not as distant shores we may someday reach. Fact is, we perfectionists with those uber silly at times goals are never gonna get there. Where the heck is there anyway? Those ideals, they're guiding stars. Not, I Repeat, distant shores. P.S. tahl calls perfectionists who get the above wisdom optimalists. They deal with the constraints of their reality to optimize their lives rather than try to create the impossibly perfect. Really powerful stuff. PPS psychologist Carl Rogers described it this the good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination. How beautiful is that?
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