Do what you really want to do.

54 years ago, The Sunday Times offered a £5,000 prize to the person who could circumnavigate the world solo and non-stop in the quickest time. Technically, it was a race, but in hindsight, it was more like an initial choice in the operation of life.

There were no qualifications or rules. Nine men participated in the race, and one of them, named Crowhurst, had never sailed before. After 312 days and 27,000 miles, only one person completed the mission.

But the most newsworthy were two participants who never finished the race. One, Crowhurst, ultimately perished at sea due to fraud and depression, while the other, Moitessier, found himself happier than ever before. These drastically different outcomes both came from decisions made at sea, despite seeming unrelated to sailing.

Crowhurst reached an agreement with a British businessman who agreed to pay the race fee under two conditions: they would orchestrate a media frenzy portraying Crowhurst as a sailing expert (even though he had never sailed) and if he ultimately failed to complete the race, Crowhurst would have to repay all the sponsorship money.

So Crowhurst seemed to have two choices: continue the race and face destruction at sea, or go home and face bankruptcy and humiliation. He actually chose a third option, which was a complete fraud, fabricating sailing records and deceiving the media, sponsors, fans...

Moitessier, on the other hand, was a professional sailor. Five months into the race, he already had a legitimate chance to win. Moitessier enjoyed sailing but despised the commercialization of the sport, or rather, he disliked the other side of sailing. He simply enjoyed sailing for the sake of sailing.

Being alone at sea for nine months was a choice to separate himself from society. Moitessier was a version of unconventional thinking. He had no intention of sailing to please others - the media, race organizers, sailing magazines to attract fans - which he disliked so much that midway through his journey, he had had enough and completely changed his course.

Moitessier wrote in his diary:

Now there is a story between God and me, between me and the sky; a story that is only for ourselves, a great story that no longer cares about others... There is time, there is choice, don't know where to go, no matter how to go, it doesn't matter, there is no doubt.

He anchored at Tahiti Island after six months and stayed there for years. He built a house on the beach, grew his own food, and wrote a book about sailing. 'You cannot understand how happy I am,' he wrote.

Ironically, Tahiti Island was so far away and required so much doubling back. Despite dropping out of the race, Moitessier did complete a circumnavigation of the globe and set the record for the longest uninterrupted solo sailing journey in history - over 37,000 miles.

His book does not mention this fact. He seems to be indifferent to external standards and so-called records.

But Crowhurst, who fabricated the story, was different, constantly anxious and restless.

Anyone who stays alone at sea for nine months will begin to lose their sanity, and when Crowhurst and Moitessier each made their decisions, their mental states were poor. Crowhurst's last diary entry is a rambling discourse about surrendering his soul to the universe, while Moitessier wrote about his long conversations with birds and dolphins.

But their outcomes seem to revolve around the fact that Crowhurst was obsessed with others' perception of his achievements, while Moitessier was disgusted by them. One lived by external standards of evaluation, the other only cared about internal measures of happiness.

I don't know how to find the perfect balance between internal and external standards. But I know that society has a strong hold on external standards - chasing paths set by others, whether you like it or not. Social media amplifies this tenfold. But people have a strong natural desire - to be independent, to follow their own habits, to do what they want, when they want, and with whom they want. That's what people truly want.