Scott Adams' Systems vs. Goals 2.0 ft. Orthogonal Thinking—Daily Persuasion w/ Joshua Lisec Ep. 328

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What if success isn’t about reaching your goals—but about building systems that reveal new ones you could never have imagined? That’s the mind-expanding idea in Daily Persuasion with Joshua Lisec, Ep. 328: “Scott Adams’ Systems vs. Goals 2.0 ft. Orthogonal Thinking.”

In this episode, Lisec—the bestselling ghostwriter and persuasion expert—revisits Scott Adams’ Systems vs. Goals concept and adds a revolutionary layer: Orthogonal Thinking. This mindset teaches you to see opportunities that don’t just extend your current path but branch off into entirely new directions—directions that might hold your biggest wins.

At its core, Scott Adams’ Systems vs. Goals framework challenges how most people think about achievement. Goals, Adams says, keep you stuck in a state of non-accomplishment—you’re always chasing something you don’t yet have. Systems, on the other hand, put success in motion. When you focus on daily habits and repeatable processes, you’re succeeding every time you show up.

But Lisec doesn’t stop there. In Systems vs. Goals 2.0, he introduces Orthogonal Thinking, inspired by Michael Guimarin’s ideas. In mathematics, “orthogonal” means “at right angles”—two lines that never intersect. In life, orthogonal means discovering alternative paths that don’t share a starting point with your current journey. These are the breakthroughs you find only while you’re in motion—new systems that appear when you’ve mastered your current one.

Lisec shares his own story as proof. His original system was simple: write every day, hone the craft, and publish fiction. Yet through consistent action, he discovered an orthogonal system—ghostwriting nonfiction. The skills were the same—storytelling, structure, persuasion—but the results were exponentially greater. His fiction system revealed a new system that became his true calling.

That’s what Orthogonal Thinking does: it multiplies your chances of success by expanding what “success” even means. You’re no longer confined to one straight line toward one rigid goal. Instead, you build systems that allow you to pivot intelligently whenever new, unrelated opportunities arise.

Lisec contrasts this with the crystal merchant from The Alchemist—a man who dreams of going to Mecca but never acts on his goal. He’s a perfect example of the “goals-only” mindset: lots of wanting, no doing. Without a system, the merchant stays frozen. Meanwhile, the protagonist, Santiago, follows his system—his line—and discovers new, orthogonal paths that lead him closer to his true purpose.

Lisec’s interpretation makes this personal. When you follow a system—writing, training, networking, creating—you build momentum. That momentum is what reveals the next path. You can’t see orthogonal systems from a standstill; you can only see them while moving forward.

Throughout Episode 328, Lisec connects these ideas to persuasion psychology and systems thinking. To persuade others, he says, you must first persuade yourself to stay in motion. Most people quit because their goals feel distant. Systems thinkers persist because their process produces daily wins. The reward isn’t just the outcome—it’s the compounding progress.

He also explores goal redirection—how to change course without losing traction. In persuasion, in business, and in writing, your greatest power lies in flexibility. Orthogonal thinkers don’t abandon their path; they evolve it. The systems they build become springboards to the next opportunity.

Lisec’s Daily Persuasion always bridges mindset and mastery, and this episode is no different. It shows how Scott Adams’ methodology, fused with Orthogonal Thinking, helps you spot “invisible opportunities”—the systems hiding in plain sight that can 10x your growth.

By the end of Ep. 328, you’ll understand why goals alone drain energy while systems generate it—and why orthogonal systems are the secret ingredient to lasting success. When you stop obsessing over the endpoint and start refining your process, you open yourself to the unexpected paths that lead to breakthroughs.

If you’re ready to think differently about success, tune in to Daily Persuasion with Joshua Lisec, Episode 328: Scott Adams’ Systems vs. Goals 2.0 ft. Orthogonal Thinking—and discover how systems, not goals, create momentum, and how Orthogonal Thinking turns that momentum into mastery.