An alumnus at my university, Professor Stacy
Taniguchi, has made a name and an intentional [yes, this is the correct word],
self-actualized life for himself by a process of selecting 100 goals that he
felt he would like to accomplish in this life. He did not just want to ‘endure,’ but to
thrive. Many of Dr. Taniguchi’s goals resonated with me because many of his
values resonated with me. One’s goals
cannot be discordant with his values if he or she hope to achieve them and have
them be meaningful.
Knowing your governing values and the principles
that guide your choices—knowing yourself, who you are and what you stand for—is
critical to living an intentional,
fulfilling life. This approach is not a
new idea: Socrates and Plato—“know thyself,” Lao Tzu and Shakespeare, “to thine
own self be true,” and Jesus in bringing His “more abundant life” to those
willing to receive it, all taught this idea as did many other lesser luminaries
who preached this doctrine and related dicta.
But back to Taniguchi. . . . He
said that what he came up with over a period of twenty plus years is not a
‘bucket list’ (what you want to see, do, or visit before you ‘kick the bucket’);
this is a list you use to plan to live.
These are thought-out meaningful experiences you want to accomplish or
that help you to achieve your potential or identify who you really are—to get
to what philosopher Immanuel Kant called your “sublime nature.” These achieved or seriously attempted goals
require a risk to be taken that will “peel back all the layers you’ve covered
yourself with—your job title, your degrees, the car you drive,” your awards,
your material accumulations, the masks you wear—everything— to get to your
core, your authentic self.
Stacy Taniguchi teaches his course in this approach
to living to help his students define success.
A value of his own (he does not try to direct anyone to try his as a
one-size-fits-all goals or values list) is what the philosopher Friedrich
Nietzsche called the “eternal recurrence of the same”—the idea that one should
live one’s life in the manner that he or she would be willing to relive the
same life over and over again, no changes—hopefully no regrets.
For purposes of illustration, a few of his
other personal goals that he felt would contribute to a meaningful life
were/are to be happily married, to become a good father, climbing Mounts
Everest and Denali, earning a doctorate, coaching a national team, scuba diving
at the Great Barrier Reef, building a house, finding God, and 90 others.
As you can see, if you were to try to adopt this
approach to living you would have to give serious thought to your list; you
couldn’t knock it off in one sitting—it was not meant to do that. It might take
years, as it took him and many goals are never ‘finished,’ but rather continue to
develop and perfect the seeker.
In order to undertake such an approach to life as he
has, Dr. Taniguchi identifies the following rules to guide any so persuaded by
his example:
Decide to Thrive. “It
is a choice,” says Taniguchi. “You have to decide whether you want to endure or
thrive in this life, and if you want to thrive, then you have got to prioritize
it.”
Know Your Governing
Values. “What I don’t want you to put down on your list is, ‘I
want to try everything,’” says Taniguchi. “Put things on your list that bring
you closer to your values.” Equally important: “Don’t put anything on your list
that is in conflict with your values.”
Choose Wisely. It’s
not easy to come up with 100 goals—it took Taniguchi years. “Usually people
stall out around 20 or 30,” he says. “Then it gets harder to think through.” A
question he often gets: Can the list be retrospective? “Absolutely.” Meaningful
things you’ve already accomplished—add them.
You Can’t Take Anything
Off. “If it was important to you at one point, then it meant
something to you,” he says. He tells the story of a client he led up Denali
who, diagnosed with terminal cancer months before the trip, about cancelled.
Taniguchi got him to the top. “It didn’t prevent him from dying, but it changed
his life.” The guy came home from Denali, got re-engaged and married, finished
his last cases at work—he went out living. “Even if, 20 years from now, you
look back and go, ‘I don’t know if I really want to do that one thing on my list
anymore,’ it may be the one experience that was what Denali was for him.”
Better Yourself, Uplift
Others. With each accomplishment you want to add, Taniguchi says
you should ask two questions: “Will this make me a better person?” and “Will
this help me uplift and have a positive effect on others?” “If you take the
time to better yourself, to challenge yourself, you are going to be a better
instrument in [God’s] hands.”
Take Some Risks. Add
things that will stretch you, make you feel a touch awkward, whether it’s
feeling like a stranger in a foreign land or trying to learn something new or
tackling a fear. Those vulnerable moments will give you glimpses of your
sublime nature, says Taniguchi.
It is often said, ‘Good
luck!’ I would say, as did this master,
‘Good Life!’
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