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Choose your status game wisely

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Re: Choose your status game wisely

#91

Post by majormajor »

ZYinMD wrote: post #69

It's a sad truth but for most of us, when it comes to "decide which status game to play", you're simply aiming for money no matter what you choose. Money is the overarching metric that already incorporates everything else. The "weightlifting status" or the "content creator status" mentioned in the article are just money status in disguise. Ask yourself: if you won a big lottery tomorrow, would you still keep doing wh…

"Starving artists" have long been romanticized, for one example of there being non-money games out there.

Re: Choose your status game wisely

#92

Post by jlokier »

mherdeg wrote: post #2

I always wonder why folks with 9-figure net worth (or high 8) keep doing any job at all. People do not get very many quality-adjusted life years -- why would you spend 8+ hours per day doing CEO work when you could spend that time with family and friends?

I've thought about this a few times.

If I struck rich or won the lottery, I'd want to start doing CEO work, while funding my own rather ambitious projects. It would be unlikely to be someone else's company, but perhaps if I met the right person(s). Most likely, I'd hire a bunch of people, and they would help me with big R&D projects.

Why would I want to waste 8+ hours a day hanging out with family and friends? I mean, I like family and friends. It's nice to spend time with them. I love them, and life would be missing something important without them. But it's not fulfilling to do it all the time.

I'd really like to use my time here figuring out and building things, and the things I'd like to build are too big and adventerous to do by myself. They're also too big and adventurous to do putting in only a small fraction of the day: I'd either need to put in a lot of time, or there's no point.

It doesn't come from just wanting to do the work. It also comes from imagining looking back on life when older.

When I imagine looking back on a life of hanging out with family and friends, having fun, having big personal moments, ups and downs, all those memories, remarkable times, that seems very special, magical even. Very special!

But I have to admit, not enough by itself. Given the chance, it's also motivating to want to be able to look back and see some of my grander dreams realised in some form. I can't explain why; it feels like an intrinsic motivation, and quite a burden really, because truth is, that's unlikely to happen. But seems worth trying.

I imagine at least some well-off CEOs who are managing something big, even if it's not their own company, must be getting a similar sense of satisfaction from some internal drive to do something like that.

Re: Choose your status game wisely

#93

Post by gretch »

_v7gu wrote: post #89
ZYinMD wrote: post #69

It's a sad truth but for most of us, when it comes to "decide which status game to play", you're simply aiming for money no matter what you choose. Money is the overarching metric that already incorporates everything else. The "weightlifting status" or the "content creator status" mentioned in the article are just money status in disguise. Ask yourself: if you won a big lottery tomorrow, would you still keep doing wh…

>The "weightlifting status" or the "content creator status" mentioned in the article are just money status in disguise. Nice argument, care to back it up with your deadlift?

Arnold has a really good quote about this:

"A well-built physique is a status symbol. It reflects you worked hard for it; no money can buy it. You cannot borrow it, you cannot inherit it, you cannot steal it. You cannot hold onto it without constant work. It shows discipline, it shows self-respect, it shows patience, work ethic, and passion. That is why I do what I do."

Really makes you think. Not a whole lot of things out there with all of those properties

Re: Choose your status game wisely

#94

Post by Flankk »

alar44 wrote: post #45
Flankk wrote: post #4

You should do what makes you feel fulfilled in life. If that thing is status, I question your motivation. People like that are conceited.

Feeling fulfilled doesn't pay the bills, unfortunately.

False dichotomy, it usually does. One day you will die. You won't be thinking about bills.

Re: Choose your status game wisely

#95

Post by skmurphy »

neilv wrote: post #84
skmurphy wrote: post #56

this reminded me of the "This is Water" commencement speech given by David Foster Wallace to the 2005 graduating class at Kenyon College. Key graf: "In the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshiping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And an outstanding reason for choosing some sort of God or spiritual-type thing…

Yeah, this part of TFA sounded like it might almost be a reference to the DFW speech: > This is why you have to choose your status game wisely. Because whatever status game you choose in life ultimately determines what you optimize for. Choose money and you’ll end up working all the time. Choose beauty and you’ll always want to look better. Choose fame and you’ll constantly be seeking attention.

Nick Maggiulli vectors people to https://twitter.com/dollarsanddata to comment on his posts.

Alex Hardy commented two days ago https://twitter.com/CantHardyWait/status/1508789463664709646 “There is no such thing as not worshiping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship.”

I did not see this when I left my comment here. But Maggiulli responded https://twitter.com/dollarsanddata/status/150881548046684979... DFW is a major influence [I am inferring DFW = David Foster Wallace].

Bryce Thornton https://twitter.com/brycethornton/status/1508788922624716802 pointed to the YouTube video and Maggiulli replied https://twitter.com/dollarsanddata/status/150881551953269966... "It's so good"

I would have thought he would have done more to credit Wallace as an influence.

I had blogged about the Foster commencement speech at https://www.skmurphy.com/blog/2012/05/27/david-foster-wallac... which is why I saw the resonance.

Wallace offered an appropriate antidote to a model for entrepreneurial motivation that aspires to make enough money to do whatever you want. He outlines some of the risks in failing to align your life with a higher spiritual purpose.

Re: Choose your status game wisely

#96

Post by gota »

gretch wrote: post #93
_v7gu wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The "weightlifting status" or the "content creator status" mentioned in the article are just money status in disguise. Nice argument, care to back it up with your deadlift?

Arnold has a really good quote about this: "A well-built physique is a status symbol. It reflects you worked hard for it; no money can buy it. You cannot borrow it, you cannot inherit it, you cannot steal it. You cannot hold onto it without constant work. It shows discipline, it shows self-respect, it shows patience, work ethic, and passion. That is why I do what I do." Really makes you think. Not a whole lot of thin…

Being cultured and well read is very similar, I think

The main difference is that a physique is more immediately recognized; all you have to do to recognize Arnold is huge is look at him. But you'd have to listen some (and have enough cultural baggage yourself) to recognize that Chomsky is intelligent

Also - perhaps as a consequence - being physically fit is objective. Who would argue Arnold is _not_ huge? But I'm sure you'll find at least one person arguing "Chomsky is an idiot"

Re: Choose your status game wisely

#97

Post by rootusrootus »

pdonis wrote: post #80
hallway_monitor wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think maybe GP was talking about what Bill Gates chose to do with his money and influence once he had them. In terms of the number of lives saved and improved, Bill Gates has had more impact than most of us could ever hope to.

> In terms of the number of lives saved and improved But Bill Gates did that after he already had status. He didn't gain status by doing that.

Arguably he did gain status. He did just what the writer of the article suggested. Instead of putting all of his effort into 'richest person in the world' status, he picked another thing to be high status in. Seems to have worked. He's not the richest guy in the world any more (admittedly he ain't far off, either), but he's arguably worth more respect than Bezos or Musk. Unless you're against microchips in vaccines, of course.

Re: Choose your status game wisely

#98

Post by XorNot »

skmurphy wrote: post #56

this reminded me of the "This is Water" commencement speech given by David Foster Wallace to the 2005 graduating class at Kenyon College. Key graf: "In the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshiping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And an outstanding reason for choosing some sort of God or spiritual-type thing…

Ah yes, the long history of religious worship definitely having no negative consequences whatsoever to individuals, their communities and wider geopolitics.

No one ever has been sacrificed or convinced they just sacrifice in the name of their god. Never.

Re: Choose your status game wisely

#99

Post by sneak »

phpnode wrote: post #20
swagasaurus-rex wrote: post #16

Who is more cool? Somebody who makes it clear they're wealthy or well connected or attractive or smart or etc... Or somebody who is upbeat and friendly with no desire to display anything about themselves? There's a minority of people who go by their own compass. The things that gratify status seekers don't do it for them. That's not to say they don't have needs. They need friends, stimulation, hobbies, achievements.…

> Who is more cool? > Somebody who makes it clear they're wealthy or well connected or attractive or smart or etc... > Or somebody who is upbeat and friendly with no desire to display anything about themselves? The first one. It's the first one.

My face when I realized that a combover, power tie, fake tan, and trophy wife is really all it takes to sell a median person on it (oh, and millions of dollars).

Re: Choose your status game wisely

#100

Post by throw0101a »

epgui wrote: post #65
angarg12 wrote: post #59

Not sure how this will sit with the HN crowd, but a couple of years back I got into menswear, and I derive some pleasure from being the "best dressed guy" at the office. Beyond personal opinions on that particular hobby, I can confirm first hand that living at the intersection of two or more personas (e.g. a programmer that dresses well) brings a peculiar sense of joy. I might no have much status in either of those c…

I actually feel pressure to dress down in my role as a SWE: hoodies and jeans seem like the norm, and forget about wearing a suit (lol!) or even a dress shirt. I've found black/grey turtlenecks to be a nice middle ground, and apart from the occasional "one more thing" (Steve Jobs) or Elizabeth Holmes comment, those tend to work well.

> I actually feel pressure to dress down in my role as a SWE: hoodies and jeans seem like the norm, and forget about wearing a suit (lol!) or even a dress shirt.

If Vint Cerf can wear a three-piece suit, so can you!

:)

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