"No se trata de "¿qué puedo lograr?" sino "¿qué quiero lograr?" Cambio de paradigma."

Ever had one of those moments where you’re grinding away at your to-do list, feeling like a hamster on a wheel, and you suddenly wonder, "Why am I even doing this?" That’s what this quote is getting at. It’s about flipping the script from focusing on what you can do — a seemingly endless list of possibilities and obligations — to what you actually want to do. This shift changes everything.

Imagine you’re at a crossroads in your career. Maybe you’re good at your job, but it’s not lighting your fire. You’re capable of pulling off great projects, but at the end of the day, there’s this nagging feeling that something’s missing. This is where the paradigm shift comes in. Instead of asking yourself, “Can I climb this corporate ladder?” you start asking, “Do I even want to?”

To dive into some history, this kind of thinking isn’t new. It echoes the principles of existentialism that philosophers like Jean-Paul Sartre and Søren Kierkegaard talked about. They emphasized the importance of personal choice and finding meaning. In a more modern context, it’s the kind of advice you might hear from life coaches or motivational speakers who encourage you to follow your passion.

Here's a real-life example. Let’s talk about Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx. She was selling fax machines door-to-door. She was good at it — heck, she was making decent money. But one day, she had that moment. She asked herself not what she could achieve in her sales job, but what she wanted to achieve in life. This led her to inventing Spanx, a product that she was passionate about and which filled a gap she identified. By focusing on what she wanted to accomplish, she built a billion-dollar empire.

So, how do you apply this wisdom? First, take a step back. Seriously, just pause. Get out a piece of paper, and jot down your goals. But here’s the twist: instead of listing what you need to get done, list what you want to achieve. Be brutally honest with yourself. What excites you? What makes you lose track of time? Once you have that list, start aligning your actions with those goals. It’s about intentionality over capability.

Think about a relatable scenario: Jane is a graphic designer. She’s great at her job and her clients love her. But beneath the surface, she’s always dreamt of writing a children’s book. Every time she sees a beautifully illustrated kids’ story, her heart aches a little. One day, she decides to spend her weekends working on her book. She’s not quitting her job, but she’s prioritizing what she wants over what she can do. A few years down the line, she publishes her book and it becomes a hit. Jane’s life changes because she allowed herself to chase what she wanted, not just what she could do.

So next time you’re drowning in tasks, pause and ask yourself: Are you doing this because you can or because you want to? That little shift in perspective might just be the game-changer you need.