Points covered:
Focus on long-term priorities, not short-term goals
Priorities are a right-brain perception of the overall picture
Goals are left-brain action
Priorities embody the long-term scope of preference, whereas goals enact the short-term specifics of preference. The brain’s right hemisphere is like a stage– a view of the whole, capable of managing life’s many moving pieces. By comprehending a complex network of external relationships, the right-brain forms priorities and defines goals to best reflect the mind’s preferences. The left hemisphere is like a spotlight– the attention, skill, and capacity to carry out those goals and realize those preferences. While the right hemisphere is deliberative (system 2 thinking), the left is decisive (system 1 thinking). Having the correct hemisphere in the driver’s seat at any given moment matters. The right’s wide view plans objectives, while the left’s narrow focus gets the job done.
Well-designed goals power our actions hour-by-hour. Being tethered to a goal, for many, is comforting– always knowing what’s coming next, never feeling bored or unsure about what to do. Once we meet our goals, it’s important to check them off the list, forever aware that goals are not an end, but a means to maintain our priorities. When the importance of goals supersedes priorities, we ride a rollercoaster. Often, great struggle is required to meet significant goals, and great elation tends to follow. However, without the goal to fill one’s day, one is left with a sense of loss. Having that powerful purpose can be quite addictive, especially for those who thrive in structured environments.
This isn’t true when priorities drive one’s POV. Meeting a big goal is great, and will be celebrated, but the goal was just one part of the whole picture. For those with a left-minded “doer” POV, it can be challenging to face those periods of uncertainty between goals. Whereas a flexible, right-minded, problem-solver POV thrives in uncertain circumstances. This dichotomy of preference underlies the nature of the HOC (right) / LOB (left) relationship. The HOC plans the goals, and the LOB carries them out. We further see this demarcation in society’s many hierarchical structures, like management and labor. However, the Novel Universe Cult views this as more of a cultural lens on class rather than a characteristic of individual preference– there may be planners and doers embedded within the structure of institutions, but on an individual level, everyone is neither, either, or both, depending on a preference for the activity,
We all must establish priorities, and follow them. Then, set goals, but don’t be led by them.
Read our philosophy and TOE to better understand our Owner’s Manual.
