#27 The Bright Side: It’s OK to Not Know What Exactly You Should Do
…As long as you don’t let go the goal and keep pushing the fuzzy front end.
A few weeks ago my manager introduced a phrase to me: Fuzzy front end. It means the unclear path of actions to get to a goal.
Here are some of my personal examples.
They may seem to all be successful examples. Not because I always succeed, just because these stories have a proper closure and can help me make a point in this blog.
- I wanted to make an impact at Chicago Booth (MBA program in U Chicago). I didn’t know how to do it. It seemed really hard, given that I myself was trying to figure out how this society works. I was at the surviving level. What happened was, because I don’t get it, I asked a lot of awkward (but turned out to be necessary) questions in the classrooms, speeches, events. Later I got into public speaking, and talked about talk beyond small talk, about data-driven happiness, about ten year life goal. Eventually, I was awarded Booth Impact Award at graduation. It means a lot to me because it is from votes from students and faculties, rather than a name drop by some authority. I felt that I have made an impact.
- I always wanted to write a book. I tried several times in different life stages. In 2011, I put together all my blogs during the four years in college into PDF (about 400 pages). I didn’t publish because it was too expensive at the time in China to publish a book, and that my family’s priority was in treating my mom. In 2017, I tried to write every weekend into a word document. It didn’t quite work because I got busy, and run out of inspirations, and the word document is too messy. I was inspired by Tim Ferris (each chapter should be self contained. So write one publishable content at a time). It will very likely happen eventually from my weekly blogging at the end of 2019.
- I wanted to exercise regularly. I tried several times. In Chicago Booth, I tried wearing sportswear to bed, so that in the morning changing into sportswear will not be an additional barrier for going to the gym. When I worked in Microsoft, I joined the closest gym by my office. however going to the gym creates additional stress for me that I have to eat more before going. Last year, I find the lifestyle that works perfectly for me: walking 30 minutes to bus stop while listening to TED/Feakonomics/Adam Grant podcast. Now that has became my daily routine and I don’t stress about going to the gym. My commute is my gym.
- I wanted to be married to my best friend. It was hard because I find this best friend who is also romantically interested in me. But we can’t be together for a reason. We tried to break up four or five times — that didn’t work either. Eventually, we worked it out and are happily married now. “Be married to my best friend” is even better than I have ever dreamed of.
- I wanted to do more technical work. When I joined Microsoft as a Marketing Communications Manager. I signed up for more and more analytics projects and used more advanced tools. Last year, I got a referral into my current DS role.
When you have a goal, at the beginning you don’t know whether it’s achievable. You don’t know what are the right things to do. It is called fuzzy front end.
Now, the goals I have are:
- To make an impact to the organization that I work in.
- To make an impact in our community, such as parents of Chinese tech workers in Seattle.
- To give a commencement speech.
Just as the ones that happened in the past, these two also have fuzzy front ends.
If you have something that you really want to make happen, be it a goal, a calling, or a passion, don’t worry if you don’t exactly know how to get there. Don’t worry about finding the most optimal path. Be ok with the fuzzy front end.
Take the current best action, assess and adjust, then take the next best action. As long as you don’t let go your goal and keep pushing forward the fuzzy front end, chances are, it will happen.
Thank you for reading!