Hustle Is Important But Not That Important

Are you familiar with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?

Quick summary:

Abraham Maslow was a Psychologist who was able to illustrate a simple order of human needs that could play a huge role in motivation, emotions, and decision making behavior.Basically, you need your basics met first. Like food and shelter.Then you need your social and emotional needs met, like family and friends.Only after that can you go after other things like advancing your career or becoming your best self.We fluctuate up and down these rings of the Pyramid of the Hierarchy of Needs throughout our lives so don’t be fooled into thinking once you’re up, you’re up for good.

Here’s how this relates to hustle, motivation, and your career:

It’s the same with your work ethic, your attitude and your intentions.To be “successful” in your own eyes, you need to work hard. That has to be the first part of the equation.But after that, you need to get adequate rest and recovery.After that you can go after gains in performance and career.After that, you can say “no” to opportunities and narrow your priorities.

Quick pause to focus on the punchline:

I’m sure this all makes sense but I want to be really clear about the process and the order in which all of this can happen.There is a TON of advice out there saying things like “you should say ‘yes’ to every opportunity!”There an equal amount of opinion saying you should “say ‘no’ to more opportunities!”

Not only do you need to figure out what works for you but you need to figure out what works for you right now. 

Remember that a lot of advice is “here are the 8 numbers I used to win the lottery” and won’t apply to you, your industry, your decade, your team, or your circumstance.That doesn’t mean don’t try.It means try more.

2 Minute Action

Where are you in the hierarchy of needs?Do you have your basics met?If not, it might be time to reset your goals to focus only on basic needs.If so, it might be time to get out of your comfort zone and push yourself.Identify this today.Your next moves will be clear, guilt-free, and easier to execute after you do.

How To Create The Urgency To Live Your Dreams

No one has ever said, "man, I'm really glad I played it safe."

No one has ever said, "dang, I'm so happy with my decision to avoid risks."

No one has ever said, "I don't regret working my whole life on someone else’s project.”

So, assuming all goes well and you live a full-length life, what will you say at the end?

Some of you already know about my Death Bed Timer.

If you’re not familiar with how this works, you can check out the page on my website:

chrisdanilo.com/timer

Here’s the quick version:

I have done a quick and dirty estimate of how much time I think I’ve got left to live.

The idea wasn’t to calculate some super accurate timeline, the idea was to have a number that looked possible and watch it tick away every day.

By bringing this Death Bed Timer into my life, I’ve forced myself to look at the reality of my temporary existence.

It’s created urgency, which is something that motivates people to take action.

I urge you to make your own estimate and look your Death Bed Timer right in the face.

It will help you reprioritize things in your life.

Yes, admittedly, it’s a little stressful—but looking at this clock on a regular basis will push you from your comfort zone until you’re comfortable with being uncomfortable.

2 Minute Action

Do a quick estimate. How long do people like you usually live?

How long have you already lived?

Subtract.

Divide by months, weeks, or days to get the readout you want.

This 2 minutes could absolutely change your life.