Important
Based on Ness Lab’s article, Everything is Aiming and Personal problem statements
Lately I’ve been feeling lost about where I’m going with my career. I’ve spent half a year doing (almost) nothing, taking on projects as they come through word of mouth, not really filtering or focusing on a specific niche or clientele.
I hate everything.
Maybe I’m too focused on an end goal here — this goal of like, 5 years from now, I’ll be running a successful freelance studio. Or something. But this article specifically talks about how we can look at it as, less about goals, and more about aiming (see “it’s about the journey, not the destination”).
Turns out “AIMS” is actually an acronym for something. Of course. Just copying and pasting here what they have on the website as a quick exercise:
1. Aspiration (10 minutes)
To refocus on intrinsic motivation, the first section of the questionnaire encourages you to reconnect with your dreams.
- When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
- What experiences filled you with awe and wonder?
- What do you want to learn?
- What are some past projects you enjoyed working on, including abandoned projects?
- What excites you the most about the future?
2. Implementation (10 minutes)
The second part of the questionnaire is about the process of aiming towards your aspirations, when you forget about the outcome and enjoy the journey instead.
- What does an ideal day look like to you?
- What things would you like to say no to if you could?
- When do you feel most energized?
- Who are the people you trust and you can count on to support you?
- What things would you do if you supported yourself unconditionally?
3. Metacognition (5 minutes)
In the third part of the questionnaire, you will reflect on the ways you can avoid living your life on autopilot, how you can monitor your progress, and where to get the help you need when you feel stuck.
- What are your favorite modes of thinking?
- What are your self-reflection tools of choice?
- Where do you seek advice when you feel stuck?
4. Success (5 minutes)
The last part draws on your answers to the questions in the previous sections. Looking at what you wrote in each corresponding section, complete the following sentences:
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In the future, I would like to…
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I will direct my time, energy and attention towards these aspirations by…
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I will reflect on my progress by…
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To me, success means…
I guess for the last couple of months I’ve felt lost, having taken on projects that didn’t bring a lot of joy. I’m reminded of Aloke, when he had asked me what my ideal day looked like, and taking the steps to make that happen.
I’m reminded that I didn’t like working full time because it lacked the flexibility to work on projects that I wanted to work on, take time to learn new things, take the time to enjoy self-care on my own time, and had the same values.
In another essay, she also mentions “growth loops”, wherein we have a mindset of practicing deliberate experimentation in growth loops, rather than framing it as goals (because a goal assumes it is linear with a binary success/failure result, making it inherently fragile). Nothing spectacular—I liked how growth loops was phrased. We don’t go in circles — we grow in circles.
By turning goals into growth loops, we can embrace the idea that achievement is simply the continuation of the learning cycle itself. Sure, the future is uncertain, but our personal growth is inevitable.
Success in growth loops emerges as a result of repeated experimentation and learning.