If you want to waste your life, you just have to devote your days to
searching for things where there aren't. A second formula for
squandering your resources is to chase people that are unavailable. The
same goes for attempting to travel to places that are not accessible.
Nobody possesses perfect knowledge
We
all engage in this kind of pursuits occasionally and that's fine, since
nobody possesses perfect knowledge. What is heartbreaking is when
someone persists in trying to reach an impossible goal. Children engage
in such attempts and so do mice trapped in a maze; adults should know
better than that.
Counter-productive behaviour arises from
self-inflicted blindness. We sabotage our interests when we allow our
desire for comfort to obscure the truth. If you want cheap oranges, go
to Morocco, not to the airport deli.
Take action consistent with reason
If you wish to move towards
prosperity, take action consistent with reason. This principle, if
applied consistently, can bring major improvements to your life. A wise
man in search of a job does not go to the desert. If you do that, you
might get lucky and find the only opening available, but chances are
that you won't.
Imagine that you are working at a factory located
in a small town that does not offer other employment possibilities.
What should you do if the factory shuts down? You should not waste time
hanging around waiting for a miracle. You should pack your things, get
into your car, and drive to a place where companies are hiring.
Choose
the easy way to prosperity and do not try to sell products where there
are no buyers. Sometimes, you find large numbers of empty houses in a
thinly inhabited area. This happened because real estate developers made
a wrong calculation and wasted a fortune.
Focus your efforts on
places where there are opportunities
Putting up buildings on
locations where few people are interested to buy or rent constitutes
pure waste. The lesson to be drawn is clear. Focus your efforts on
places where there are customers, jobs, wealth, opportunities, and friendly people.
Nobody should go to Siberia on
holidays seeking warm weather. People who prefer to live in areas where
cold temperatures reign most of the year usually have good reasons for
doing so, such as cheap housing, low criminality, or specific job
opportunities.
Stay away from barren fields
Location is not a philosophical issue. A man can
choose to live wherever he likes best, but if you happen to love warm
weather, Siberia shouldn't be amongst your favourite destinations.
Every
minute devoted to pursuing the impossible is gone forever without
profit. The world is complicated enough as it is. Attempting to hit
unattainable targets is pointless; it does not even make a good hobby.
Take the easy way to prosperity: stay away from barren fields and focus
your efforts on fruitful land.
For more information about rational living and personal development, I refer you to my book about how to be rational "The 10 Principles of Rational Living"
[Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com]
[Image by emrank under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us]
Friday, 19 October 2012
The best 10 blogs about rational philosophy and objectivism. Self-help techniques that work. How do you find happiness?
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The best 10 blogs about rational philosophy and objectivism
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