Ask HN: What is your “mission” in work and life? - notoriousarun
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Ozzie_osman
Here are a few I care about (derived from a combination of systems thinking
and motivation theory):

1\. Help create equalizing feedback loops (break cycles of "the rich get
richer")

2\. Help people fulfill their potential

3\. Help people defer gratification when it's good for them.

Software and tech are just one way of accomplishing those types of goals.

~~~
neophyt3
How are you accomplishing your first point? asking becoz my motive is also
similar

~~~
Ozzie_osman
I wish I had an answer for you but I'm still learning. For instance, I used to
gravitate to work on products that were "democratizing" XYZ or "cutting out an
entrenched middleman" but I eventually learned that those terms are constantly
abused by monopolistic companies.

A few pointers I've found helpful though:

1\. Learn as much as you can about systems thinking and apply it to how the
world works. I like Donella Meadows' book (Systems Primer).

2\. Look at how you spend your time and mind (ie your work). Work on products
that, if successful, would create an equalizing feedback loop (I currently
work on a personal finance product, but other areas where this exists are
edtech and healthtech).

3\. Teach.

4\. Look at how you spend your money.

5\. Look for and work against any form of "impunity". No one should be above
the law or beyond accountability, especially people with power and/or money.
That's how things (societies, companies, etc) rot.

6\. Do your part in every small thing. If you're hiring, take a bet on someone
from a less "traditional" background. Speak up when something is not right
even if it doesn't impact you personally. If you follow sports, always, always
root for the underdog :)

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thewelder
Two things drive me:

[1] - I'm lazy. Just like mother nature, I seek out the path of least
resistance. It drives my boss crazy because I openly proclaim it, but it often
leads to better/efficient ways of doing things.

[2] - I live and breathe somewhere well outside the box. I have crazy ideas
and have the talent and ambition to execute them.
[https://theunorthodoxy.com](https://theunorthodoxy.com)

~~~
barbarbar
Holy shit. That was a fascinating tour - seeing all these crazy ideas
executed. Very cool.

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poormystic
I foster my relationship with a person whom I know not to exist, who is the
source of the hallucinatory Light, beloved of mystics. I do this by making
others' happiness more important than my own; this has the paradoxical effect
of making me very happy indeed, because happiness is the reward of the work of
love.

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giantg2
Work - make money to survive and hopefully retire.

Life - other than surviving, I'm not sure. Maybe find pleasure in the little
things.

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verdverm
To enable others to have to access to software for creating ideas. Mainly
those that don't know SW, and also going into biz later, because software is
the first wall.

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fermienrico
Slow and methodical, not fast and frantic.

Remove everything until the most functional aspects remain.

Decoration is crime.

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markus_zhang
On my side my mission is probably to figure out what it is...

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jjohansson
To create value and to help others be successful

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parasthinker
" Slow Life & Work "

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joddystreet
Build something.

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082349872349872

        Be excellent to others
        Party on

~~~
fuzzfactor
> Be excellent to others

> Party on

Already patched into the kernel before rebooting.

0\. Survival. ;Assumed to be a constant background process, with hugely
variable obligations including financial.

Remaining efforts are best accomplished in series to reduce the negative
effects of potential setbacks, but I don't have time or resources for that any
more so my mission has these running concurrently. Just have to accept the
natural order that allows/delays/prevents achievements of priorities further
down the list, dynamically or not.

1\. Disaster Mitigation & Recovery.

2\. Progress, largely scientific, in an invoiceable way. ;if more effective
scientific equipment is needed that should not be a limitation

3\. Wider progress, directly or indirectly funded by the invoices. ;if more
effective musical equipment is needed that should not be a limitation

4\. Focus on realization of theoretical milestones in instrumentation,
alternative energy, conservation, and recycling.

5\. Prosperity.

6\. GOTO 2. ;bypass reinitialization, pass GO collect 200 dollars

So it's not a simple 1, 2, 3 process, plus 4, 5, & 6 are where it really gets
good too. Looks like I'm going to really need to work & live as long & hard as
I can before I could ever say "mission accomplished".

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mvind
work with great people

