“You are an aiming creature. You look at a point and you move towards it. It’s built right into you.” Clinical psychologist and university professor Jordan Peterson continues with this idea by expanding on the importance of knowing what exactly your aim is. He suggests that the world around us is much too complex for us to take in all at once. There is too much going on and with such detail that we cannot process it all. This is one place of many where our brains begin to take shortcuts. There is a complex system in our brain that is constantly distinguishing between important/useful information and information deemed unimportant. We then disregard the unimportant and move forward only with the information deemed important. This is how we as humans perceive the world. This may seem trivial, even common sense, but Peterson points out something very profound: these categorizations are not objective, but rather subjective to one’s aim. In other words, two people in the same room do not perceive it in the same way. They are drawn to the items, people, and opportunities that have been deemed useful to them by their brains at that moment. Their perception is dependent on their conscious or subconscious aims, or goals. This is why having a defined aim, or goal, is so important. It determines how the world reveals itself to you.
If you have read or heard about The Law of Attraction, then what Peterson is saying may sound a bit familiar. In my mind, Peterson took a different route but ultimately landed at the same place. If you are not familiar with The Law of Attraction, it is essentially the idea that we attract into our lives what we focus on. Taken side by side with what Peterson has said, it is obvious they are getting at the same revelation. What we are focusing on is our aim, and the world reveals itself to us in accordance with what is necessary to achieve that aim. In other words, if we take the time and really define a goal, it may seem as though we are all of a sudden surrounded by tools that we can use to advance ourselves toward achieving that goal. In reality, our surroundings never change. Yet, by defining our aim (both where we are and where we wish to go), the way the world reveals itself to us changes.
It is one thing to understand this aspect of our mind, but what can we do with this information? Perhaps a better question: what is it that we should aim at to get the most out of this? I will continue harping on Jordan Peterson’s brilliance for this one as well. In Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life, Peterson’s second rule is as follows: “Imagine Who You Could Be, and Then Aim Single-Mindedly at That”. Here, Peterson makes the argument you should do just that: conceptualize the highest good that you can achieve, and whom you would have to become in order to achieve it. Take this new version of yourself and make it your overarching aim. Define what exactly would have to happen for you to become that person, and what exactly you would be capable of after becoming him or her. Define the steps you might have to take to get there and make a plan. It doesn’t have to be a great plan – in fact, it won’t be. Your first plan will likely be a bad one, so as you move toward your goal, you will have to change and adapt your plan. You will come to find out that it was riddled with flaws but, as Peterson points out, a bad plan is infinitely better than no plan at all. After making this plan, The Law of Attraction will begin to work in your favor. You will begin to attract people, things, and opportunities all leading you toward your aim.
If you have been following BuyingLifeBack.com for a while, then you have seen the phrase, “Dream Bigger.” This is why I use that phrase. It is when we dream bigger and aim higher that we take the first step toward realizing our full potential in this world. And because of The Law of Attraction, only after taking this first step will the abundance of opportunities begin to reveal themselves to us.
Dream bigger,
Jaden George
