Whenever you think about somebody who directed their life towards one specific goal, it is hard to say that they did not have purpose in their life. If you choose one goal to make the central direction of your life, then that has become the purpose of your life. This type of singular focus often generates great results for the person employing it. In most occupations, the people who rise to the top are the ones who dedicated the largest portion of their life to it. Take a look at any athlete generally considered to be the GOAT of their respective sport, almost all of them had a borderline obsession with becoming great at it. They spent the better parts of their childhoods with the singular goal of becoming a champion in their discipline. These are often the people that we look at when we are kids and pronounce them as our heroes. Even as adults we look at these people with great admiration for their drive and ambition. But is it an ideal way to live?

Most, if not all, of these people gave up many other aspects of their lives in order to achieve their goals. They sacrificed relationships, memories, and countless hours they could have spent doing something more enjoyable than training. Of course, anytime somebody makes this type of sacrifice it is an admirable action. 100 percent dedication to a craft is an impressive as anything. So if we look at these people and admire their courage, and see their lives as lived with an unquestionable purpose, then why don't we all do it? Is there perhaps, something that's missing in a life with one single goal? If you could choose to live the life of someone, like a Michael Jordan, would you really want to? Sure, the championship rings probably look beautiful in a trophy case. The constant admiration must occasionally feel great. But would you want to sacrifice as much of your life to shooting a ball in a gym as he did? Would you give up all of the memories on weekend nights to spend them lifting weights instead? Would you lose countless friendships because they're nothing other than a distraction and potential barrier towards achieving your goal? I'm not so sure you would. The proof lies in the fact that, well.... you're not Michael Jordan. But I don't think this is a bad thing.

Yes, we look at people like these and admire how they live their lives, but we should not go any further than that. If we are going to compare ourselves to these types of people then we are inevitably going to end up with a lower sense of self worth. But we really shouldn't. We need to remind ourselves that we simply chose a different paths for our lives than these people. Instead, what we can take away is motivation from their dedication. We can try to implement this type of dedication in our own lives. It doesn't have to be towards something as grand as winning NBA championships. It can be something as simple as going to the gym consistently. It can be honestly striving to be as effective in your job as possible. It can mean being as good of a friend as possible. If you can do something along those lines, then you're a hero in your own right.

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