Eileen Gu aspires to a "high-saturation life", in her own words:
I will choose a lifetime of intensity over a lifetime of idleness...
Her life motto answers the question I have been thinking the most in recent years - What should I be doing? Not just in terms of jobs and such, but also bigger things in life.
Of course, not everyone is going to be a history-defining athlete. Still, pursuing with intensity is a great way to reframe the classic, carpe diem (seize the day).
Without a larger perspective, carpe diem may lead to a path of hedonism. If you assume the future is not better, then enjoying the now is the absolute best thing, while temporary sacrifice for greater gains in the future (investments) makes zero sense.
Pursuing with intensity draws the focus from the experience to how you do it. Do it with effort. Do it with gusto. Do it so you will always remember that you really tried.
Eileen also answered another great life advice to the contrary of carpe diem - live every day as if you live forever. The intention is to remind folks to play infinite games, do things that compound, and select people that make sense if you are a vampire. Focusing on the intensity means you cannot delay or procrastinate, instead must do things that are important but not urgent urgently.
I have been thinking about what qualifies under these buckets.
There are things that one should do every day:
- Self-improvement, or what Charlie Munger calls "sell the best hour to yourself every day"
- Exercise, or what experts call the best way to delay aging
But there are also things that are non-recurring:
- Travel to places that make you tingle (bucket lists)
- Pursue unique experiences or education while you are at it
And the final special category that is all about people:
- Spend precious moments with aging parents, as time does not wait for you
- Invest time to create memories with old pals, who may get on with life if not staying connected
I have been okay doing the first category, but recent experiences really taught me the value of the last category and the urgency of the second. So yes, pick what matters, and live a life of intensity over idleness.