In what may be the most radical business book ever published, philosopher Jay Ogilvy shows that living without a goal is the only way to accomplish anything. In the 1980s we ran our lives with all the direction and confidence filofaxes and to-do lists could provide. Always knowing exactly where we were headed, we climbed toward the goals corporate America held out in front of us like so many carrots: higher salaries, better titles, more impressive offices. But after a decade of climbing, the air is getting thin. We crave the chance to create, to express ourselves, and to make a difference, not just a living. It is time, says businessman/philosopher James Ogilvy, to tear up the to-do lists and grant ourselves the freedom to enjoy what E. M. Forster calls "the lights and shades that exist in the greyest conversation." Ogilvy shows that richness and color and flavor flood back into our lives once we set aside the goals that hold us captive. He explores how philosophers (from Plato to Nietzsche), lovers, ideologues, and executives have at one time or another lived without goals. What emerges from his argument is a new look at how to achieve personal creativity and freedom by fashioning one's day to-day life, not as a larger goal-producing machine, but as a personal work of art.
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Editorial Reviews
From the Publisher
In what may be the most radical business book ever published, philosopher Jay Ogilvy shows that living without a goal is the only way to accomplish anything. In the 1980s we ran our lives with all the direction and confidence filofaxes and to-do lists could provide. Always knowing exactly where we were headed, we climbed toward the goals corporate America held out in front of us like so many carrots: higher salaries, better titles, more impressive offices. But after a decade of climbing, the air is getting thin. We crave the chance to create, to express ourselves, and to make a difference, not just a living. It is time, says businessman/philosopher James Ogilvy, to tear up the to-do lists and grant ourselves the freedom to enjoy what E. M. Forster calls "the lights and shades that exist in the greyest conversation." Ogilvy shows that richness and color and flavor flood back into our lives once we set aside the goals that hold us captive. He explores how philosophers (from Plato to Nietzsche), lovers, ideologues, and executives have at one time or another lived without goals. What emerges from his argument is a new look at how to achieve personal creativity and freedom by fashioning one's day to-day life, not as a larger goal-producing machine, but as a personal work of art.
From the Inside Flap
In what may be the most radical business book ever published, philosopher Jay Ogilvy shows that living without a goal is the only way to accomplish anything. In the 1980s we ran our lives with all the direction and confidence filofaxes and to-do lists could provide. Always knowing exactly where we were headed, we climbed toward the goals corporate America held out in front of us like so many carrots: higher salaries, better titles, more impressive offices. But after a decade of climbing, the air is getting thin. We crave the chance to create, to express ourselves, and to make a difference, not just a living. It is time, says businessman/philosopher James Ogilvy, to tear up the to-do lists and grant ourselves the freedom to enjoy what E. M. Forster calls "the lights and shades that exist in the greyest conversation." Ogilvy shows that richness and color and flavor flood back into our lives once we set aside the goals that hold us captive. He explores how philosophers (from Plato to Nietzsche), lovers, ideologues, and executives have at one time or another lived without goals. What emerges from his argument is a new look at how to achieve personal creativity and freedom by fashioning one's day to-day life, not as a larger goal-producing machine, but as a personal work of art.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
nietzsche's goalessness as such..,
By Joel Brown (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Living Without a Goal (Paperback)
When I saw this book on the shelf of my local library, I knew that it was something I had been looking for. It has always struck me how, pyschologically, humans are always thinking towards some greater end in their future, and in the mean while miss being alive in the present moment of endless creative possibilities. James Ogilvy logically defines the life of Goalessness, and clearly specifies the philosophies that it is NOT and what it is confused with. It is a life of artfulness and without extremes, from the perspective of abandonment of politics and religion. Living without a Goal is like creating a work of art in the sense that artistic creativity serves no goal outside itself. Like the artist in his studio, the person in a life must create from the inside out rather than relying on some great blueprint in the sky to justify her actions here on earth. Better to take artistic creation as a metaphor: to see in the challenge of artistic creativity a model or a likeness for the challenge of living life without a Goal. It is not selfishness, it's not hedonism, but it is also not a life without desires (detachment, as in Buddhism) and yes it WILL be a patchwork of smaller goals lest you find this idea impossible or absurd. The difference is that they are not hinged on to any other greater goal besides themselves. There is a necessary balance between freedom and discipline. I highly enjoyed his philosophical and clear, honest style of composition. Recommended!
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
goals vs. Goals,
By Lleu Christopher "www.liminalworlds.com" (Hudson Valley, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Living Without a Goal (Paperback)
First of all, the editorial reviews for this book are mistaken on two points; the author's name is James, not Jay Ogilvy and this is NOT a business book. The principles could be applied to a business environment but the book hardly deals directly with this at all. James Ogilvy deserves credit for attempting to unravel a very complex and paradoxical (e.g. how can you have the goal of not having a goal?) issue. How can we, in a goal-oriented society, live without being driven and obsessed by an endless parade of grand goals? The simple answer, and one that is given in many other books, is to say that we should relax and "let go" of our desires in a Zen or Taoist manner. Ogilvy does advocate this, but he also attempts to deal with the question in a more thorough and philosophical manner. Unfortunately, his arguments sometimes seem like streams of consciousness that don't always accomplish their...goals. Still, the discussion is always interesting. Some of Ogilvy's best lines seem almost like incidental, throwaway phrases that don't always fit into the larger argument. I suppose that's consistent with his message. He does make a few quite valuable and coherent points. He differentiates "small g" goals and "large G" Goals. It is the latter he would have us relinquish. If we live entirely without goals, our lives will sink into nihilism. If we pursue large Goals, however, we will always be seeking gratifications in the future that will almost always disappoint us even if we do achieve them. Ogilvy illustrates his case by creating two fictional characters, Spike and Lila. Spike is a young slacker type who illustrates the pitfalls of goallessness; Lila is a Goal-driven baby-boomer who has been let down by one Goal after another. Spike and Lila could have been fleshed out more; they only appear as actual characters in one chapter, though Ogilvy refers to them elsewhere. Another quibble I had is that Ogilvy is prone to making broad generalizations. Like many authors and social scientists, he sums up entire decades with one or two words (e.g. the 70s were the "me" decade, the 80s were materialistic). In a book that tries to dig deeply in other ways, this kind of reductionism is a little annoying. I would also argue with some of his assumptions concerning language and postmodernism, but these are interesting to contemplate whether you agree with him or not. Plato, Freud and Nietzsche (along with Howard Hughes) are all invoked as representing different positions on the Goal quagmire. For good reasons, Ogilvy favors Nietzsche as the wisest on these issues. Overall, Living Without A Goal tackles some very important issues that are relevant to our personal lives as well as society.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not what you'd expect but still worth reading,
By
This review is from: Living Without a Goal (Paperback)
I finished this book this afternoon and have just finished reading all the reviews. First I would like to remark on all the negative comments left by other reviewers. An excellent point was made that the book has a lot of seemingly unnecessary hard-to-undertsand philosophy, some of which I never could quite fully grasp myself. If you're someone who doesn't read a lot and/or is not familiar with the particular philosophies discussed, I would still recommend this book, but try not to get to caught up in following everything this guy is saying because you'll be re-reading entire paragraphs all day. I also agree with the contentions that this book was not exactly what most people would have expected based on the title. I have a cousin who tends to be lazy and is unemployed currently and seems to have little motivation when it comes to achieving long-term goals. He saw the book on my shelf and asked me how it was. This is when I finally decided to read it. THIS IS NOT A BOOK FOR THOSE LOOKING FOR AN EXCUSE TO SIT AROUND DO NOTHING! Its not about giving up the idea of setting goals altogether but about how to not get too caught up in your goals that you forget to enjoy the ride, which, according to the author, is what this book is really all about. Its about living like and artist. Even artists have goals, they just go about them differently and that is what this book explains how to do. I would also like to point out that the moment of understanding in this book will most likely not occur until the VERY END in the final pages of the last chapter. Its like the author spent the first 180 pages preparing your mind so that you can understand his ultimate point, which again, is summed up in as little as the last few pages. This is important to remember if you're one of those people who puts books down is they fail to provide immediate solace in the first few pages.
Overall this was a good book and I would recommend it to anyone. It wasn't exactly what I expected but I put it back on the shelf with a much nicer perspective on my life that I might not have found otherwise.
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