(2015-05-15) Kaufman Status Malfunction

Josh Kaufman describes our common "StatusMalfunction": the more attractive an option looks in terms of status, the more likely it is to have significant drawbacks or pitfalls (given extreme competition for that status), and the more likely we are to ignore or undervalue those drawbacks and pursue that option anyway, which is a pretty dumb thing to do, and we should stop ourselves from doing that if we can. I call this tendency “status malfunction.” The greater the potential perceived status increase, the higher the risk of serious error or malinvestment. (Status Game, Less Bullshit Living)

I’ve spent many years debugging this part of my mind: trying to ignore status factors long enough to figure out what I really want, then spending my time doing that instead of mindlessly seeking attention and approval. It works so well that it almost seems like an unfair advantage, and it’s applicable to pretty much every part of life.

From a status perspective, being average is terrible, since it doesn’t differentiate you from others, and doesn’t improve how other people think about you in a meaningful way - if anything, being perceived as average decreases your status in the eyes of some people. From a capability perspective, being average is fantastic, since it lets you accomplish things you otherwise couldn’t do without that average level of skill. That’s the thing: you can accomplish millions of valuable and meaningful things with skills that are mediocre in every way... Claiming Mastery is high status, but doing the work necessary to get there is low status, so everyone is interested in the former, not the latter.

Decide what you really want. Here’s a useful thought experiment: assume that you can have everything you want except status, attention, recognition, and fame. You’ll succeed in every way, but no one will ever know. How does that change your goals and priorities? The results will be close to your true priorities, and you’ll make more progress if you focus on those things. *