> Your life's goal should not be dictated by Substack philosophers.

Dictate? The only expectation is readers consider ideas.

You made some good points about "self-help". I don't fully agree, but you gave me something to think about.

The essay struck me very directly. I have made unusual career choices, and beyond or because of that, life has changed in unimagined ways every five years of my adult life. Improbable paths to improbable destinations. I do feel like it has left me in a unique position, amidst all the upheavals.

> Dictate? What an inhospitable straw man/false dichotomy.

The first sentence of the article is "Your life’s goal should be to become the most improbable person you can be."

It is literally telling you what you should do.

“Improbable paths to improbable destinations.”

As someone that’s recently turned 60, your last paragraph resonates intensely. I am so, so far from the life I predicted for myself at age 25.