Category: Uncategorized

How we do one thing is how we do everything. If you notice someone who tries to cut corners or has questionable ethics when it comes to certain actions, chances are they do this in other areas of life too. Watch for any red flags…if something seems out of character from someone you are acquainted with, maybe you don’t know them as well as you think. That’s not to say that mistakes don’t happen and that everything is calculated/done on purpose, but it is something to be aware of.

Also, remember that actions speak louder than words. Many people can talk a good game. Talking is easy. It’s the follow through that is the hard part. Watch what others do and how they act (especially towards others who cannot help them in the near future). If you can see through their words and focus on their actions, you can see what a person is truly about.

There’s a concept when working out called “time under tension,” which equates improvement in strength and muscle growth by increasing the length of time that the muscle is working in a given repetition. An example of this would be slowly controlling the eccentric and concentric contractions of an exercise so that even though you may still only be doing 10 reps in a set, it might take you 60 seconds to complete rather than the 30 seconds that it took previously. The longer your muscles are stressed (being under the tension of the weight) the stronger they will grow. The effect is a cumulative effort, as the results are not immediate, but the more time you can withstand under tension without getting hurt, the better your results will be. And if you can recover quickly and then either increase the length of your workouts, increase the intensity, or increase the frequency in which you work out, you will see the results more quickly. The same concept can be applied to other areas of our lives.

If you’re entering a new field of study or employment, how can you increase your time under tension so that you grow as quickly and sustainably as possible? How can you “catch up” to those who are more experienced than you? After all, if they’ve been doing this for ten years when you get started, won’t they always be ten years more experienced than you if they don’t retire? The easy answer there is yes, of course. But the easy answer isn’t necessarily the right answer. Let me explain…

People say that nothing beats experience. I mostly agree with that sentiment because with experience, you’re usually able to be a better predictor of what will happen based on similar scenarios from the past. The problem that I have is the way that we define or measure experience. The easiest way to quantify how much experience someone has is based on years doing something. And if everything were equal, that might be a good item to measure. But we don’t all put in the same effort in a given day and we don’t all learn at the same pace. Let’s look at a couple of examples…

If Person A worked on Task 1 for five years, but they only worked at it for two hours every weekday, and Person B works on the same task eight hours per day, six days per week, for one year, who would you feel is more knowledgeable?

If we’re just counting the length of time working on that task, Person A has five years experience compared to Person B’s one year. Person A wins hands down. Even if we look at the hours accumulated over that span, Person A would have 2,600 hours of experience while Person B would have 2,496 hours of experience. So does that make Person A is the better choice for you to trust and rely upon to complete that task? Probably not. I’d probably rather work with the person who is working on that task day in and day out.

That’s like saying a guy working out twice per week for ten years will be in better shape than the guy who goes to the gym everyday for three years. As long as they’re pushing themselves and completing effective programming, the guy with the compacted workout schedule will experience more growth due to the time that he is spending under tension. The intensity in which he is working out is greater (intensity being doing the same amount of work in less time, not necessarily effort exerted in a particular workout).

This is where length of time (measured in years) fails us when trying to predict who will produce the best results. It has become our default answer because it is easy to see. But don’t confuse someone’s experience with years they spent doing something. They are not the same.

Now, turning the focus back on you…How much time you are spending under tension will determine how quickly you can grow. Do not be discouraged by having a lack of experience in something. Everyone was new to something at some point. The only way to gain experience is by doing it. Do as much of it as you can without feeling like you’re going to burn out or get injured. If you can’t retain your gains (intellectually or physically), you need to slow down. It’s about quality, not quantity. Now go out there and spend some time under tension.

“It’s easier to prevent bad habits than to break them.” – Benjamin Franklin

If you know something is bad for you, why would you do it? Why run the risk of having it become a habit? This becomes an even more true statement for those with addictive personalities. If you know that you have addictive tendencies, try to use that to your advantage by participating in healthy activities that keep you out of trouble and move you towards reaching your full potential (doing activities with your family, reading, writing, exercising, etc.). If you try something just to experience it, make sure that you think about how it can impact your future (positively or negatively).

How can you get what you want, while still helping other people get what they want? Does it sound impossible to you? What many people fail to understand is that it doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game, where one person/team wins and the other loses. If you dig down to the root cause of the issue and try to solve for that, you can find win-win solutions, where you and the other party both get what you want. If you have an abundance mindset, where you think that “there’s always more where that came from,” you can achieve more in life because you’ll be working towards these win-win scenarios, and be more likely to “win” more often.

How?

1. You’ll have a more positive outlook in life. If you look for ways to positively impact other’s lives, you will begin to focus on finding positive solutions. You won’t be so cynical and feel like you have to hoard more money, information, etc. to get ahead. Instead, it will be the opposite…sharing those same resources will move you further.

2. You are liberated (instead of limited) by your beliefs. If you believe that you and the other party can both achieve what you want, overcoming obstacles won’t be a problem. If you believe you can do it, you will find a way to make it happen. But if you argue for your limitations, they will be yours. What you believe becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

3. Helping others will encourage them to help other people as well (including yourself). As you see this exponential increase in generosity in your network (whether its at work, home, church, or neighborhood), you will notice less complaining, happier attitudes, and greater overall productivity.

Do not compare yourself to others. You don’t know what’s really going on in their life. Is it as good or bad as they make it out to be? Is it better or worse? Who knows? It’s not for you to judge.