Don’t Get Tricked Into This Habit
There are certain things that have inherent qualities.I hear people talk talk about the inherent educational qualities in LEGO toys and MINECRAFT, the block-based video game.While there are some inherent values, like helping kids develop spatial reasoning skills, most of the value is hidden from sight.
It lies in the transferability of the lessons you learn to the real world.
Kids “mine” for resources in MINECRAFT. They can then spend those resources on new mining tools, build a house, or whatever else they can think up.They tricky part here is that they are practicing “budgeting” and resource management without realizing it.It takes an extra second for a mentor, parent, or teacher to explain how this skill can be transferred to the real world, but somehow many of us skip this step, expecting the toy or the game to just work this magic on its own.It’s this guidance and practice of application to the real world that will make all the difference whether you are a student, teacher, employer, or employee.
It will 10x your results.
This is a critical “learn” part of the “Build. Measure. Learn.” cycle from the Lean Model coined by Eric Ries.Instead of waiting for something to work on its own, take ownership and see how you can practice applying what you’ve learned to other parts of your life.Dont get tricked into thinking the full value of the product or service is already 100% baked inside.
2 Minute Action
What’s something that you’re doing really well in your life right now?In what other part of your life might you try this approach?
Here are some quick ideas:
LEGO is all about breaking large, complex models into small, buildable chunks. Saving for retirement is a huge, high-stress task that can be made much easier by saving small chunks over time.MINECRAFT is all about scrounging the right resources and learning from the online community. If you’re thinking about starting a company or embarking on a new career, connecting with others who are on that track might help inform your decision and get you up to speed on the consequences.
Ask This Question and Avoid A Life of Regret
Not sure whose job it is?Take the ball.Unsure how to get the work done?Take the ball.Waiting for someone to tell you to start?Take the ball.
Basically, it comes down to control and ownership.
If you decide to take ownership over something, it psychologically falls into your field of “stuff I can control.”
This is really useful for most things.
(There are some serious consequences for doing this in EVERY aspect of life, but in MOST aspects of work, this works pretty well.)When you frame something as “in your control” your approach changes. You start to see the ways in which you can make it happen.The neat thing is that even if you’re wrong and you “fail,” you’ll be left with the benefits of knowing that you didn’t leave any effort on the field. You did everything you could.No regrets.And when you only have one life to live, you really can’t afford to have many of those.The reality is that there are really very few negative outcomes to taking ownership and seeing most tasks and outcomes as within your control.
2 Minute Action:
What’s an excuse you’ve been making?What might you do if you couldn’t give that excuse anymore?What approach might you take if you had to make it happen even with your challenges?If you come up with multiple answers for this, try one of these today.The action may take more than two minutes, but what if it couldn’t?What if your life depended on it?(Because it kind of does.)
Finally: The Source of Motivation Explained
It's like a shower.It's like brushing your teeth.It's like your morning coffee.
You've gotta do it every day for it to work.
If you wait for motivation to strike, you're going to be out of luck for a long time.The real-world lesson here is that it's up to you to understand what motivates and activates you.
My motivation comes from 3 main sources:
- An incredible sense of urgency to act now.
- Daily reminders like posters, automatic iOS reminders, and emails to keep the shortness of my life front of mind.
- An incredible sense of care for this planet and all the people on it.
Sure, we can talk about the personal differences that make my list different from yours, but that's not the point.The point is to take ownership of you motivation."I'm just not motivated" is an excuse that is totally within your control.
2 Minute Action
Maybe you already know what motivates or sustains you.If you don't, think of the last time you felt alive. What were you doing?When was the last time you felt the most dead inside?What's something that has bothered you about the world since you were a kid?Let's take these questions and turn them into action, today.You have more control than you think.You've got everything you need at your fingertips.