Prove Me Wrong: All Of Life Is A Game Of Luck
You were born with a functional brain.You were born outside of a warzone.You were born as a human being with opposable thumbs.You were born right here, in this century.You were born with the desire to improve yourself and the world.You were born with enough resources to get the traction to start making things happen in your life.You were born with the opportunities to learn social skills.You were born with the opportunities to work for a living.I could keep going, but I think you get the point.You're lucky. I'm lucky. Most of us are lucky.All those thoughts in your head that tell you the opposite aren't considering the whole context.And without getting into the long explanation of the subtle, nuanced interaction between DNA and environment . . . I think we can all appreciate how much luck we had before we even started.
2 Minute Action
Reframe your thoughts for the next 2 minutes.
- What ways have you been successful?
- What gifts have you been given?
- What opportunities do you have?
Reflect on this and it will turn it into positivity and optimism.That optimism will quickly turn it into your fuel for the day.Go get 'em.
The Weird Way Selling A Mattress Can Help You Focus
There are two types of people who buy mattresses in the world.
One kind of person hates buying a mattress and thinks they should never have to buy one.The other kind of person thinks that buying a mattress is an important decision because you spend 30% of your life asleep and getting the right mattress really will make a difference.
Most mattress salespeople don’t realize this but they actually get to choose who they sell to.
How much time and money you spend acquiring those customers is completely up to you.
This logic works outside of the sales world, too.
If you’re going to invest your time an energy on something, it’s worth figuring out how to best get your return on investment.Focusing on what’s working and dropping methods that aren’t efficient will make a huge difference in your output.
2 Minute Action
If you only have 20 minutes to exercise, it’s better to do compound movements that work large muscle groups at once instead of isolating muscles.If you buy the same kind of soap, it’s better to buy a bunch of it when it goes on sale because you will immediately make a guaranteed ROI.If you’re going to write a book, it’s better to write about what you know on a blog for 4 years while you build an audience. When you’ve written a thousand blog posts, you’ll have written your first book and you’ll already have a group of people ready to buy it.Its hard enough to do important work, you need to make sure that when you do anything you have some advantages from the start.
Give This Up And You Can Go After Anything You Want
Getting stuck is normal.Having “writer’s block” is normal.Not seeing the next step or the solution is normal.
The hard part isn’t always thinking through the problem.
The hard part is usually just starting to move in a direction that’s close.Once you’re moving, it’s harder for others to tell you why it won’t work.
Once you’re moving, the game is just about adjusting the course to suit your mission.
Give up the idea that the trajectory has to look like what you think or want it to look like: because it will never look that way.If you give up this idea or predetermined vision for what your path will look like, you can actually focus on what’s ahead and how to adapt.
2 Minute Action
Do sit-ups for 2 minutes.Email your boss to tell them about the idea you have.Write a blog post instead of the whole first chapter of your novel.None of these things are huge or what people imagine themselves doing to move toward their goals, and that’s exactly the point.Just 2 minutes can get the ball rolling, and that’s all you need.Don’t get caught up on how you roll the ball, because that’s just an inconsequential distraction.