The Pathless Path

On December 7, 2025, I attended a talk hosted by a book club, and that led to a deeper conversation with Paul Millerd.
Is “The Pathless Path” really just as simple as quitting your job? I want to整理 my observations from that day.

What Is the “Pathless Path”?

When many people first hear “the pathless path,” they might assume it means there’s no road left—so you might as well quit your job! But Paul gave it a clearer definition. He divides life choices into two paths:

One is the Default Path: the “safe upward route” most people have in mind—study hard, get into a big company, land a good job, then climb your way up.

The other is the Pathless Path: you don’t know where the destination is, but you explore every possible future with curiosity.

In “A Note to Taiwanese Readers,” Paul writes that you must learn to listen to that faint inner voice wondering, “What kind of life do I want to live?”

Do You Really Think You’re Not as Good as Others?

You see classmates buying big houses and getting promoted at big companies, and you start feeling anxious, thinking you’re inferior in every way?

That day, Paul mentioned that this is actually an illusion created by social comparison. Because you’re always using someone else’s ruler to measure your life, what you truly fear is how others see you.

That line was a real lightbulb moment for me: why do we always have to compete to win or lose on someone else’s track?

Pragmatic Experiments

Stepping onto the pathless path is often not a binary 0-or-1 decision. The term Paul uses is Pragmatic Experiments: starting with small tests in everyday life—you can do part-time work, you can explore, and gradually try out every possibility.

That reminded me of another book I’m currently reading, Micro-Experiments—the two share quite a few ideas.

Afterword

As for me now, I’ve also started running one micro-experiment after another. I’ve always been someone deeply curious about the world, and after leaving the company I’d worked at for nearly 17 years in 2025, I finally had plenty of reasons to explore the world and learn boldly. I believe that if I just keep walking, I’ll eventually find a path of my own.