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| CONTAINERIZED INTENTIONALITY |
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| Some thoughts on intentionality and integrating the concept of a North Star that came to me after a collective journaling session in early 2025 |
| personal, intentionality, journaling, thoughts, philosophy |
| 2025-02-14 - finished |
When making new year plans, the likelihood of not following through with specific plans is high, and the intention often feels shallow. However, intentionality is important. More significantly, intentions and establishing a starting point (a tether) hold more value than explicit "goals." While goals can identify specific destinations and milestones, they are only part of the equation and need to be placed within a framework that can support them in a broader context, possibly providing a clearer perspective on the territory related to those goals. This framework could be something like the idea of a 'North Star' to help maintain focus on the explicit goals while maintaining purpose and perspective. I was reminded of The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, which describes a concept of memories and dreams as time machines, where memories take you back in time and dreams propel you forward. This duality can represent the forward and backward tethers concerning this framework for explicit goals. Memories can remind you of what to avoid, while dreams can guide you toward what you aspire to do, in a simplistic sense.
When I began to put this concept together, I approached it from a two-fold perspective: systems thinking and past experiences. I wanted to overcome rigid goals and form something that could help with aligning actions with purpose. The intent here is to ground this concept in philosophy, psychology, and systems thinking while remaining practical.
CONCEPT
1. Intentionality vs. Explicit Goals
There is a fragility of explicit goals when divorced from a deeper why. Intentionality acts as the "operating system" for actions, while goals are merely applications running on it. For example:
- A goal might be "lose 10 pounds," but the intentionality could be "cultivate a relationship with my body that honors longevity and vitality."
- A goal to "read 50 books" might stem from intentionality like "deepen my capacity for empathy and critical thinking."
When goals fail, intentionality persists, allowing redirection without collapse. Intentionality can remain adaptive even when specific plans falter. A catalyst that can help someone maintain momentum is what Steven Kotler calls “The Passion Recipe”, stemming from his belief in the growth mindset, which aligns passion and purpose. Aligning those can help us when we fail. This is a simple way of dilating the focus on things we want to accomplish, which adds a larger context, connects it to a higher purpose, and views it in relation to our past and present.
As a caveat, explicit goals are necessary for getting things done. Sometimes, a task or goal requires laser focus and the will to block out everything that is ancillary to completing that goal.
2. The North Star
When applied to personal goals, the North Star concept serves as a guiding principle that provides clarity and purpose throughout life’s journey. Much like the fixed star Polaris, which has historically guided navigators through unfamiliar waters, a personal North Star represents the central value or aspiration that directs your decisions, actions, and long-term growth. This idea can encourage a reflective understanding of what truly matters—whether it be the pursuit of virtue, the quest for self-actualization, or the realization of one’s purpose.
At its core, adopting a North Star for personal development is an exercise in aligning your life with your deepest values and philosophical convictions. For some, this might mean aspiring to live in accordance with virtues like wisdom, courage, honesty, integrity, beauty, love, etc. —thus aiming for eudaimonia or human flourishing. For others, it could involve embracing existentialist ideas of authenticity and personal freedom, where the North Star becomes a beacon of self-determined meaning in a world full of external distractions. This philosophical grounding brings coherence to one’s goals and can instill resilience, as it provides a stable reference point during times of uncertainty or moral challenge.
In celestial terms, the physical star is called Polaris, lives in the constellation Ursa Minor, and is 446.5 light-years away from Earth. The etymology of the name Polaris comes from the Latin Stella Polaris, meaning "pole star". In its home constellation, it is the brightest star and visible to the naked eye. For navigation purposes, Polaris was used because it maintains a relatively fixed point in the sky, and measuring its elevation above the horizon can give the approximate latitude of the observer. Technically, the star lies in a near direct line to the Earth's rotational axis, which is the north celestial pole. When viewed with the naked eye, the star appears to be motionless, while other stars rotate around it.
In addition to navigation using the celestial being Polaris, your personal North Star could be manifested as a clear, enduring purpose that you consciously return to when making choices or facing setbacks. It can act as a beacon of directionality, a filter for decision-making, ensuring that each step you take is aligned with your long-term vision and fundamental values. It can act as an ever-present and reliable reminder. By continuously reflecting on and refining your goals and aspirations, while one may veer off track, the North Star can be the guiding light.
3. The North Star and Relative Concepts
The "North Star" concept—a guiding principle or overarching purpose that orients decisions and actions—appears in various forms across philosophy, psychology, business, and spirituality. Here are some that come to mind for me:
- Ikigai:
- Early on, I gravitated toward this concept because of the visual aspect of geometric circles that partially coalesce and overlap one another. Ikigai (生きがい) means "reason for living" or "Sense of purpose". This concept intersects passion, vocation, mission, and profession and can be used as a daily compass. A 'North Star' of sorts, but divided into multiple aspects.
- Dharma:
- Like a North Star, dharma is not a specific goal or endpoint but a direction to follow. It emphasizes how to live rather than what to achieve. In the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna’s dharma as a warrior is to fight for justice, not to win or lose the battle. The outcome is secondary to his alignment with his duty. The implication is that Dharma can shift focus from external success (e.g., wealth, fame) to internal integrity (e.g., acting with courage, compassion, and wisdom). Similar to the North Star concept, this can provide directionality over a destination.
- Habit Identity:
- This concept helps to shift one's goals and aspirations to a wider and deeper scope by changing the question from "What goal do I want to accomplish?" to "Who do I want to become?" So, a future possible identity can become the North Star for habits. Albeit, identity vectors can be a slippery slope, but it's a good place to generate some deeper questions. (This one has not particularly grabbed my attention when implementing concepts to reach goals, but it seems to be generally used by many. )
- Attractors:
- In chaos theory, an attractor is a set of states or behaviors toward which a system tends to evolve, regardless of its starting conditions. Attractors "pull" the system into a pattern or trajectory over time. Specifically, I am looking at strange attractors, where the system will exhibit chaotic and non-repeating behavior but remain within a bounded structure. A creative process might feel chaotic, but maintaining the overarching vision (North Star) will keep it within meaningful bounds.
- The North Star isn’t a destination but a guiding principle. This concept can help create resilience: even if a goal fails, the container ensures that progress is still measured in alignment with the broader vision. Now, the North Star concept is interchangeable and open to interpretation. This is not one-size-fits-all, and how someone applies it is at the behest of their needs. Simply, "What works best for me?"
4. Memories and Dreams as Time Machines
The notion of "Memories and Dreams as Time Machines" hinges on their unique capacity to transcend the present, anchoring intentionality in the wisdom of the past and the possibility of the future. Memories act as a backward tether, offering a visceral portal to lived experiences—not merely as archives of what happened but as dynamic lessons that refine our understanding of alignment. By revisiting moments of triumph, regret, or pivotal choice, we extract patterns: a memory of burnout might teach us to prioritize rest. At the same time, a recollection of creative flow could reaffirm the value of unstructured exploration. These insights become feedback loops, sharpening our North Star by revealing what nourishes or diminishes it.
Dreams function as a forward tether, propelling us into imagined futures with the gravitational pull of aspiration. They are not passive fantasies but emotional blueprints—visions of a life shaped by purpose, relationships, or contributions that matter deeply. When we dream of mentoring others, creating art, helping those in need, becoming knowledgeable, etc., we generate an emotional stake in those outcomes, transforming abstract goals into lived imperatives. Dreams can act as attractors where they pull intentionality forward by creating emotional stakes (e.g., envisioning a life of creative freedom compels daily writing). Together, they form a feedback-attraction system. (see Daniel Kahneman’s two perspectives on life)
Together, memories and dreams form a temporal dialogue: the past cautions and clarifies, while the future inspires, demands, and can call you to a higher place. This interplay creates a dynamic equilibrium where intentionality is neither shackled to nostalgia nor unmoored by idealism. Like a ship navigating by celestial and historical charts, we steer the present by honoring where we’ve been and committing to where we have chosen to go—ensuring our container of purpose remains grounded and boundless.
5. The Architecture of the Container
The container is a dynamic framework designed to hold and guide intentionality, integrating purpose, feedback, and aspiration into a cohesive system. At its core lies the North Star, a guiding principle that provides direction rather than a fixed destination. Unlike specific goals, the North Star answers the question, "What is the deeper essence of what I want?" For example, a researcher's North Star might be "Reach AGI by massively scaling compute," while an artist’s could be "Distill chaos into beauty that unsettles complacency." This principle acts as a compass, ensuring that even when tactics or goals shift, progress remains aligned with a higher-order vision.
The container also relies on feedback loops, which use memories as a "backward tether" to refine intentionality. By treating past experiences—successes and failures alike—as data, we can audit our alignment with the North Star. For instance, reflecting on a year where productivity overshadowed creativity might reveal a misalignment with a guiding principle like "Honor curiosity over output." Regular practices like journaling or weekly reviews can turn these memories into actionable insights, encouraging continuous course correction.
Complementing this is the role of aspirational forces—the "forward tether" of dreams. These forces pull intentionality forward by anchoring actions in emotional and imaginative stakes. Envisioning a future self (e.g., "When I reach the end, will I have any regrets?") creates non-negotiable stakes, while precommitment devices (e.g., "I am someone who believes that integrity is more important than success") bind habits to identity. Together, memories and dreams act as dual engines: one grounding the system in learned wisdom, the other propelling it toward visionary growth.
The container thrives on constraints, paradoxically using boundaries to amplify focus. Ethical guardrails (e.g., "No compromise on sustainability"), temporal boundaries (e.g., "Protect mornings for deep work"), and identity affirmations (e.g., "I am a learner first, expert second") filter distractions and prevent goal-chasing from diluting intentionality. This mirrors mindfulness practices, where narrowed focus expands clarity.
Finally, the container is a living system, capable of evolving with new information, moral growth, or emergent opportunities. For example, a health crisis might shift a container from "Always strive for excellence" to "Cultivate openness and vitality," while a societal shift could transform a goal like "Launch a world-changing product" into "Build a product that positively benefits many people." By treating the container as adaptive rather than static, we can create a space for resilience, aligning with the antifragile nature of purpose-driven systems.
PRACTICAL INTEGRATION
How might one operationalize this? Consider a framework:
Define the Container: Articulate your North Star (e.g., "Live in alignment with curiosity and compassion").
Set Fluid Goals: Create goals that serve the container but are revisable (e.g., "Learn Spanish" could shift to "Engage with diverse cultures" if circumstances change).
Leverage Time Machines
- Backward Tether (Memory): Weekly reflections to audit alignment ("Did my actions reflect my North Star?").
- Forward Tether (Dream): Visualization exercises to emotionally anchor your vision ("How does my future self feel?").honehone
Use Reflection, Realignment, and Relaxation
- Maintain regular practices like journaling or weekly reviews for actionable insights, which hopefully encourage realignment to your intended purpose.
- Implement downtime to recharge, refocus, and appreciate where you have been, where you are now, and where you are going.
Adhere to a Routine
- Maintain a reasonably solid routine that allows you to move from one thing to another with minimal physiological shock and stress.
- Conversely, if it suits you, begin or sustain a workout regimen to introduce physical stress as a release.
- Balance is key.
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