Tag: life

Focus and effort

If anyone is an international example of success, Dwayne Johnson has to be in the conversation among the most relevant at this time. He has said, “Success at anything will always come down to this – focus and effort.”

After thinking about it, any amount of limited success that I’ve had has come as the result of those two things. And there is a positive correlation as well…The more focus and effort you put into something, the greater the results will be. You have to put in work for something to work. And you can’t do it inconsistently either. You have to focus on it, otherwise you are basically starting from scratch every time.

For example: Imagine working out once per week. You might get marginally healthier, but if your goal is to be as physically fit as possible, you’re not going to see the results you want. You have to go consistently, with a clear objective, and work hard towards achieving those goals.

Equality of opportunity, not outcome

We need to be careful not to confuse equality of opportunity with equality of outcome. What I mean by this is that everyone should be able to “play the game” if they want to, but not everyone should “win” an award just for playing.

Systems that give everyone a reward so their feelings don’t get hurt is not helpful in the long run. Sure, it saves people from temporary heartache, but it also makes us less resilient and, ultimately, less capable of overcoming obstacles. Not only that, but it can diminish a true sense of accomplishment. For example: If you come in 8th place in a race, or if your team loses a competition, you know in your heart that you didn’t earn a trophy. So if a trophy is given to you, the trophy is devalued to yourself and to those who finished in front of you.

Make sure to work to build your resilience everyday. Do something difficult. Lose occasionally – not on purpose, but because you’re challenging a worthy opponent. Realize that failure is inevitable, but it doesn’t mean that it is final. Fight for equality of opportunity, but don’t accept equality of outcome (even if you are the beneficiary).

Keep your eyes on the goal

“Obstacles are the things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal.” – E. Joseph Cossman

When you’re excited, motivated, and focused on your goals, it’s easy to not let anything get in your way. But when you stop focusing on your WHY and start looking at bad things that are happening TO you (instead of FOR you), it’s easy to become discouraged.

The best way to remain focused on a goal is to write it down and look at it/think about it daily. If it is constantly in front of you, it will be harder to focus on anything else.

The next thing you should do is change your mindset to that of a victor, not a victim. Things don’t always go your way – there will always be obstacles. That’s what happens in life. But if you think of yourself as the hero of your own story, overcoming obstacles will just be the next part of the story – plus, it makes it more interesting! Think of how boring Harry Potter would have been if he didn’t have to defeat Voldemort, think of Frodo in the Lord of the Rings without having to overcome Sauron, or of the Rebel Alliance (good guys) without trying to overthrow the Galactic Empire in Star Wars. Without the possibility of defeat, it makes movies/books/life less interesting.

Lastly, practice gratitude to reframe your outlook when obstacles inevitably arise. There are always people out there less fortunate than you. You are capable of coming back stronger after defeat, of getting up after you get knocked down, and for that, you should be grateful. Practice being grateful and nothing can keep you down for long.

Systems and processes

“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” – James Clear

It doesn’t matter how lofty your goals are if you don’t have systems in place to ensure you reach those goals. The goal gives you a direction to aim, which is a good start, but it does not get you to the finish line. After all, you need to know what you want to accomplish and where you want to go in order to take the right actions to get there. But knowing where you want to go is only part of the equation. It won’t actually get you there without putting together an action plan and then executing that plan. (Knowing and doing are different parts of the process, but both are necessary.)

Make sure that you have systems in place that move you forward every day. Figure out what the next most important action step is and work towards completing it. Once you accomplish that, figure out the next most important action step and repeat the process.

On your way to completing each step, beware of taking actions that can derail or sidetrack you. You want to move toward your goal in as straight of a line as possible, not winding/meandering your way there. Stay laser focused and do not let the shiny objects distract you.

Figuring out what you should and shouldn’t do

Tease out the similarities of what “everyone else does” in specific situations and see what “common truth” everyone accepts that is incorrect. Will doing the opposite produce better results?

Then, try to look at what the uncommonly successful people do. What habits or routines do they perform that have helped them get to where they are now. Are there commonalities amongst the highest achievers across different fields of study that separate them from what you’re currently doing or what most people are currently doing?

After you figure out these two things (what to do and what NOT to do), get intentional and plan out how you will change your actions to set yourself up for future success. Put your plan into action and focus on being deliberate with your practice every single day. Over time, you will eventually master the subject and achieve the results you have been dreaming of.