Meursault, the narrator of The Stranger, is famously indifferent. He does not perform enthusiasm he does not feel. He does not pretend to care about career advancement or social climbing or the opinions of people he finds boring. This makes him strange to the world, but it also makes him strangely honest.

Most of us operate in the opposite direction. We spend years chasing things we think we should want because everyone else seems to want them. Promotions, certain kinds of friendships, hobbies that look good from the outside. We are so busy performing interest that we never stop to notice what genuinely fails to move us.

Knowing what does not interest you is a surprisingly powerful form of self-knowledge. It is a process of elimination that slowly reveals your actual shape. You may not yet know what you love, but if you can say with certainty that you do not care about status, or luxury, or being popular, you have already narrowed the field considerably.

Pay attention today to the moments when you catch yourself pretending to care. That pretense is information. What you are willing to stop faking tells you something real about who you are.