The Map is Not The Territory… And That’s Great News!

The map is not the territory. You might have heard this saying before.

It means your model of reality is different from the physical reality. The whole of reality is too much to grasp… and so your mind creates a simplified model to help you cope. Your model of reality will always be incomplete.

And that’s a good thing! In fact, a simplified model is sometimes better than a more detailed one…

More detailed doesn’t mean better

Look at the two images above. They are both showing the same thing – how to get from London to Oxford. The one on the left is clearly much more detailed and accurate. And yet if you wanted to get from London to Oxford, the image on the right will probably do a better job. It shows you exactly what you need and doesn’t waste your time with unnecessary detail.

And the same thing happens in life. If you want to achieve something (like get in shape), your model of how you want to get there needs the right amount of detail. If you don’t know enough about the topic, that would be like staring at a map with huge blank spots.

But a lot of people get stuck up on the details too much. They worry about the small obstacles, and unlikely possibilities. They look at all the trees and ditches, and they miss the highways. Or sometimes they get caught up in the search for better and better maps. They read more books about the topic, watch more instructional videos, and listen to talks, constantly improving their map, making it more detailed and accurate. And they completely forget that the biggest part of getting somewhere is actually setting off!

Choose a map with the right amount of detail

Ever heard of intention manifestation? That’s when you simply focus on what you want, and you start to notice possibilities around you that you never saw before.

That would be like setting off with a map that has almost no details, and then asking the locals for directions. Interestingly enough, this works really well in life! (Though sometimes in really weird ways.) In the map analogy, one local person might say “Oh yeah, my friend Bob is just going in that direction with his horse cart, why don’t you join him.”, and so you join Bob, you ride with him along the side of the river and notice a ferry boat with an old man that you wouldn’t find on any map, which saves you journeying to the next bridge, and once he ferries you across there’s a train leaving in just the direction you need.

The point is… focus on what you want, and don’t get too stuck up on means to achieve it. If you want a million dollars, focus on that. Say “I wish a million dollars into my life within three years”, don’t say “I wish a million dollars into my life within three years, and I’m going to get it by doing this particular 9-5 job, and if that’s not enough I’ll take up night shifts in this particular call center…”

Yet a lot of people do exactly that. They think of what they want. Then they think about the means to achieve it that they know of at that particular time. So they draw the exact step-by-step journey on their map of reality, and then they set off along that path, completely ignoring alternate possibilities that show up along the way.

Don’t be that kind of person. Chart your journey, then set off… but stay open to alternate possibilities. Because your map is only a map… and the reality will often provide you with a better map along the way.