“The three things you need in life to be successful are: hard work, stick to-it-ivness, and common sense.” – Thomas Edison.
My modified version: The three keys to success are diligence (working hard, smart, and with an end goal in mind), persistence (not giving up, OR knowing when it is right to let go), and pertinent intelligence (not just book smarts or common sense, but intelligence in the field of study that you are pursuing).
What are you doing today to lead to your success tomorrow and beyond? What quick wins can you get to build momentum? And what are big action steps you can take that may take a while to see the result, but are still incredibly important?
Most of the things we greatly desire, yet still do not have, are difficult to obtain. With that, you get to make the choice. Do you want to consistently face the difficult? Or would you rather be comfortable and not get what you desire most?
Do you want to look like a fitness model and have big legs, defined arms, and six pack abs? You’ll have to hit the gym with purpose everyday and clean up your diet. You’ll need to stop going out for drinks and eating dessert.
Do you want financial freedom? Then you’ll have to spend your money on assets and live below your means. You’ll need to increase your income and decrease your expenses.
Do you want to become more knowledgeable? You’ll have to reduce your hours in front of the tv and start reading more, networking with people who are already doing what you want to do, and start taking action. Things won’t go according to how you read about them in books and you’ll have to be ok with problem solving and failing from time to time.
If you want “the best,” you usually have to pay for it in some way (sacrificing focused time, energy, money, etc). If you want to live out your dreams, you’ll have to be comfortable being uncomfortable. Because only seeking comfort is a recipe for dream killing.
“The best decisions are the ones that eliminate many future decisions.”
Making choices can be draining. What you you want to eat, to wear, to do? When do you want to work out, to mow the lawn, to go to the park?
Where do you want to…
How do you want to…
The list is seemingly never-ending!
Instead of experiencing decision fatigue, make certain decisions once and let that be the end of it. Then you don’t have to waste time and energy deciding something everyday. I like doing this by having “rules” that I follow. It’s easier to say, I’m the kind of person who does ____ or who doesn’t do ____.”
Here are some examples:
• I work out everyday. Even when I don’t feel like it, I at least have to get on the bike for 30 minutes.
• I read and write something everyday.
• I brush my teeth every morning after breakfast and every night before bed. After I brush my teeth at night, I do not eat anything or drink anything other than water.
• I wear a seatbelt every time I’m in the car.
• I do not eat fast food.
• I do not “pay” for something on a credit card if I can’t afford it in cash (with the exception of a house).
• I do not participate in gossip. (This is the most challenging one.)
• When choosing what movie to watch on a streaming service, I only get five minutes to pick, (otherwise I’ll be scrolling forever).
These are just a few examples of rules I live by. Once you’ve established your own set of rules, you’ve made that decision once and you never have to make it again. Let it become ingrained in you. Follow the rules that you set and don’t break them. It will make everyday a little more effortless as you don’t have to make a decision on whether or not you should do something that you frequently encounter.
Focus more on quality (of experiences and of items), not quantity.
Why do you want a bunch of junk? Just because you’re getting more of something doesn’t make it better. In fact, having a surplus of worthless items creates more clutter, more stress, and more work for you.
Even is you consider a less extreme example, why would you want many mediocre items to manage or care for when you can gain more time back and improve your experience by having higher quality items?
Sometimes, less is more. Focus on having less material items to care for, but making sure that the ones you do have bring joy to you, serve a purpose, and are of the best quality you can reasonably afford.
Understand when you’re supposed to be the guide/advisor and when you’re supposed to be someone going along for the ride.
If it’s the former, you need to take charge. Provide more input and make suggestions as the guide. You still don’t want to do everything for the other person (they want to be the hero of their own story), but with your help, they can get where they want to go.
If you’re just tagging along, read the situation and minimize your input. Here, the other person wants to be the primary decision-maker. Be there to support them and to listen to them, but don’t try to be the white knight and solve all of their problems. They want to feel listened to.
