The Grand Pursuit

The Grand Pursuit(pərˈso͞ot)

By Derek Sivers

Great phrase(frāz) from this interview with rags(rag)-to-riches investor(inˈvestər) George(jôrj) Soros:

CNN: “Have your billions made you happy?”

Soros: “I’m reasonably(ˈrēz(ə)nəblē) happy, but the money’s not the point. It’s an indication(ˌindəˈkāSH(ə)n) that I’ve succeeded(səkˈsēd) in the grand adventure(adˈven(t)SHər, ədˈven(t)SHər) of understanding reality.”

I love the way he puts that.

For him it’s investing. For others it’s songwriting. For me it’s creating businesses(ˈbiznəs) that help musicians.

It all feels like a grand pursuit to understand the world, doesn’t it?

Songwriting feels like a grand pursuit of expressing(ikˈspres) the sounds and thoughts in your head within music’s restrictions(rəˈstrikSH(ə)n). Understanding the secret combination(ˌkämbəˈnāSHən) that makes the difference between an average song and an unforgettable(ˌənfərˈgetəbəl) classic(ˈklasik).
Programming feels like a grand pursuit of using a limited language to make the clearest(ˈklir), foolproof(ˈfo͞olˌpro͞of), flexible(ˈfleksəbəl), and efficient(əˈfiSHənt) execution(ˌeksəˈkyo͞oSH(ə)n) of a task.
Entrepreneurship(ˌäntrəprəˈnərˌSHip) (“businessing”?) feels like a grand pursuit of helping other people achieve their goals.

What’s your grand pursuit?

https://sivers.org/grand-pursuit