Ando

I doubt many outside the field of architecture have heard of Tadao Ando. Few inside the field, somehow, know that he was born in poverty, had been raised by his grandmother and was a boxer, before he started teaching himself architecture. I learrned his story from Adam Grant's book Hidden Potential.  

As the only architect ever to win all four of the field's most prestigious prizes, his success has come with an asterisk. Without means to go to college, Ando borrowed architecture books from friends and taught himself enough to earn an architecture license. 

By the time he has become the master of light and concrete, he has identified his goal. "What some other people think of my work is not my prime mover," he says. "It's my desire to satisfy me, and to challenge myself."

That's contrary to what most of us have in mind. One could take the view – and I would bet that many do – that it's important to meet other people's expectation. Like Ando, Adam Grant reminds us it's better to disappoint others than to disappoint ourselves. It's more about living up to our own standards.

To visualise what we're facing, Adam Grant makes use of a soccer pitch diagram to depict the size of people we try to please. For that matter, the penalty area inside the whole pitch are somewhat representing the percentage of people we can actually please. And then, an even smaller square – the goal area – refers to the proportion of people (including yourself, of course) we should focus on pleasing. 

That reminds me of my pacing during my run after work. I seldom join running competition. I run myself. My pace, interestingly, goes up after seeing guys riding bike next to me. That's extrinsic goal to drive me. To beat the odds. And, most importantly, to beat myself.