Lack of feasible plan
Improvised living will gives you
unexpected results. You will always have a better chance to succeed in any
venture if you have a plan. By forming a simple plan, former non-planners will
increase their rate of success.
When you make your plan, be sure
it’s specific. Don’t say, “I’m going to exercise tomorrow.Having a complete
vision of your intentions prepares you to execute them and you’ll be more
likely to flatten obstacles in your way. I’m not just saying that. It’s been
proven to be more effective.
Specific intentions work better
because vague intentions are open to interpretation. What does “exercise” mean?
Is walking around the house one time good enough? What happens when it’s 11:30
PM and you haven’t done anything yet? Do you exercise then?
When King Kong envisioned himself
together with a specific human female, which is weird, the helicopters trying
to stop him had a very difficult time doing so. King Kong knew exactly what
(i.e. who) he wanted. You’ll be like King Kong if your plan is clear and
desirable.
Case study: Mike Tyson didn’t
plan for retirement. He made about $300 million in his career, but filed for
bankruptcy in 2003. This is only possible without a solid financial plan.
They try to climb a mountain
before they even leave the house
For 2013, my goal is to do one
push-up per day. One push-up a day is easy, but it doesn’t get you very far.
The value comes from starting.
In other words, I rarely stop at
one push-up and I often get a solid 30 minute workout from it. I am never
intimidated by the challenge, even when I’m sick or tired. This one tiny step
helps me bridge the gap between couch and exercise.
When you aim high, intimidation
is common, and that puts your goal at risk. If my goal was 50 push-ups a day, I
would have failed at times and gotten discouraged. Sometimes I do 50 push-ups a
day with my “too easy” challenge, and I don’t ever feel discouraged.
This is more relevant for daily
tasks and goals than long term dreams. Don’t dream to be a mediocre person.
Dream big, but break that dream down into small, daily actions that inch you
closer to it every day.
Lesson: One tiny step forward
beats one giant leap sideways.
A single battle distracts them from the war
It is disappointing to lose any
battle. Sometimes it’s devastating. If your business fails, if your book or
script is rejected, if you don’t make the basketball team, it’s tough to be
positive.
But the war is not over, is it?
If your business fails, won’t you know several key things NOT to do next time?
Objectively, it’s a highly useful learning experience.
Make sure you’re not one of the
many people who attach their identity to a submarine. If you mentally attach
your identity and your chance to succeed to your business, and your business
fails… ouch. Your really cool submarine is destroyed, and you’re stuck 1000
feet under water. Instead, why not see your business as a ship that could
possibly take you where you’d like to go. That way, if it sinks, you can jump
overboard and still join a pirate crew.
Fantastic submarine
Don’t view your business or
current life pursuit as a submarine. If it fails, you’ll drown in
disappointment. View it as a ship, preferably with lifeboats. What’s that? Yes,
I know submarines are cooler. Oh, you’d like your submarine painted to look
like a shark? Fine. You may view your business as a submarine shark. Sigh.
The optimal strategy in life is
to focus on winning the battle you’re in. I think most of us get this step
right, but miss the next crucial one.
In real war, conditions and
scenarios are altered after a battle. Both sides have gained intel about the
other side’s firepower and tactics, and both sides have lost men. This calls for
a modified strategy, which means zooming out for a broader view of the war.
Immediately after you receive
that rejection letter, re-strategize for your “war.” Are you going to edit your
book and submit it to a new publisher? Are you going to self-publish it as is?
Are you going to use the same strategy until you strike gold?
The most successful leaders in
the history of warfare were the ones who could modify their strategy quickly,
decidedly, and strategically. Do you do the same in your life?
Even if you win a battle, you can
lose ground in the war by not anticipating and preparing for the next battle.
Life is full of battles, and the key is not letting any single battle distract
you from your main objective in your “war” – living how you want to live.
Lesson: If you’re not currently
in battle or have just finished (an event), zoom out your focus to determine
the current best strategy, then zoom back in and prepare for your next battle.
They’re pessimists
If you go in expecting to fail,
you’ve got a great chance to do it. If I expected Deep Existence to wear me
out, be unpopular, and waste my time, why would I write this?
Pessimism leads
to failure because it decreases the amount of effort a person will put forth.
Success requires effort, which is fueled by the perspective that your efforts
are not in vain.
Lesson: You instinctively
hesitate to invest in a sinking ship, even if you’re the one sinking it.
They’re scared
Fear must be cold, because it
freezes people. Deer are famous for freezing right before a car hits them. Like
that situation, freezing in place isn’t a smart strategy in life.
Progress paves the the way to
success.
If it takes 10,000 hours to
master something (as Malcolm Gladwell suggests) and fear makes us do nothing,
then fear needs to go. Face your fears head on and you’ll find success right
behind them. Overcoming fear is success in itself, and it opens the door for
more.
Lesson: Fear is failure’s
not-so-secret weapon.
Bonus tip: Fear itself is afraid
of the spotlight. Get into the habit of confronting it, and soon enough, it
will be afraid of YOU.
Excuses – they blame anyone and everything but themselves
“If she didn’t … If I wasn’t
living here… If the economy… If that hadn’t happened…”
Blaming others, while a lousy
thing to do, isn’t even the problem – it’s the poisoned perspective it reveals!
Do you know what it really means?
Excuses and throwing blame are
the same way of saying, “I’m not in control.” Now that’s scary.
Everyone had a perfect excuse
when the economy went into a recession in these past few years, but after
telling everyone their perfect excuse, they were still in the same mess.
Meanwhile, other people did well because they adapted.
Excuses feel good temporarily,
but don’t be fooled, they can only hurt you. Accept full responsibility for
where you are, and you’ll have a chance to change it for the better.
Lesson: You are the only variable
you can control in this world.
They’re in the wrong place
Sometimes failure is simply a
matter of location – the wrong country, the wrong state, the wrong job, the
wrong hobby. This is the tricky aspect of failure – knowing when to move on to
something else. Not all people are capable of success in all things.
I’m very fast and athletic, but I
weigh 140 pounds and have a difficult time gaining weight due to my
cheetah-style metabolism. I would literally get crushed in the NFL. There was a
point in my life when I had to accept the reality that I wasn’t built for
professional football, my favorite sport. Anyone need a tissue? Oh come on!
It’s so sad!
Right now, there is someone doing
a mediocre job at work, who could be world class in another field. Is it you?
This is a good reason to experiment and try different things – you might latch
on to something and love it enough to succeed with it.
Lesson: If a fish and a human
switch places, they will both die of suffocation. Location matters.
They don’t care
Obviously, if you don’t care
about doing it well, you won’t. Apathy can infect any area of our lives, and
when it strikes, it produces bucketfuls of failure. The scariest part of apathy
is how contagious it is. You’ll have it in one area of life, feel the resulting
failure, and let it spread to another area. Or your apathetic friends will rub
off on you.
This is one more reason to
experiment and try different things – to ward off apathy. The more excited
about your life and the possibilities to explore, the better! Apathy can often
lead to the worst-case scenario of human life. That worst-case scenario is next
on the list as the number one reason for failure, and it’s the saddest thing
you’ll ever see in a human being.
Lesson: The more you care, the
more you’ll succeed.
They give up
It crushes me to see it - a human
being full of potential…giving up. Suicide is the ultimate expression of giving
up, and in my opinion it is life’s most tragic event. We all have a place in
this world, and suicide is giving up before you find it.
Giving up isn’t always so
obvious. It can be the guy in the cubicle making 90k a year, who has been
slowly drained of his vigor for life, accepting misery because it’s bundled
with a nice paycheck. It might be the popular girl in class, who secretly hates
herself for being fake and not having any real friends, feeling hopelessly
trapped by the facade she’s created. Anybody you see could be giving up in some
area of their life.
If you’ve ever seen someone you love give up on
their dream or struggle, even temporarily, you know of the sinking feeling you
get. Giving up is the number one reason people fail because it is the only
permanent failure. As long as you are actively trying, yo The elusive dream of
business success captures the imagination of aspiring and existing business
owners everywhere. A vision of flowing profits, industry respect, thrilled
customers, and a balanced life. This vision is only possible by developing
habits that drive business success. Take the time to learn the 7 habits of
business success.
Goodluck!
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