How to succeed at what really matters to you
2023-10-26
Everyone has dreams and wishes, but only a miserably low percentage of people actually manages to reach their goals. And this doesn't have anything to do with lack of discipline or to much impulsiveness (just look at Steve Jobs, who was one of the most impulsive beings of recent history), but boils down to a wrong attitude and misleading approach. That's why I want to share the general steps of building an asymmetric life as well as as the 5 most important steps to be productive with you in this article. So, let's get started...
You might wonder what an asymmetric life even is and that's totally understandable, since even I have never heard of it until just recently. In a nutshell, is a concept from Graham Weaver that sees everything we do as in investment (of our precious lifetime) and tries to maximize the returns in the long run. This means that - on average at least - we should get more back from our actions than we invest. Thankfully, he doesn't leave us alone from there, but also provides us with his four elementary pillars to succeed at this. These are Do Hard Work , Do Your Work , Do It for Decades and Write Your Story . The first pillar basically says that everyone who has achieved outstanding success in his life worked hard for it and that there is not substitution for it. The second one focuses around the fact that life can be hard and it therefore is tremendously important to do things we truely believe in and are willing to suffer for - something that gives you a sense of purpose and aligns with your values. The third one highlights the immense value of time, since there is almost no chance of doing something you love for 10 or more years and not become exceptionally good at it - time allows you to get from good at something to extraordinary . The last but certainly not least pillar is about planning your direction for life or at least the the next years, distilling clear goals out of it and ultimately stearing your path into a direction you like.
Now, you are probably just as impressed as I was when I found out about this, but also ask yourself how to actually reach these goals. This is where the 5 step productivity model comes into play as it points out some of the things already implicitly stated by the four pillars to a greater extent:
- Step 1: Set your direction, think about where you want to be in the future and define reasonable goals to get there.
- Step 2: Break down these larger goals into monthly and weekly inputs that are reachable and most importantly also easily trackable.
- Step 3: Make time for these weekly missions in your calendar - ideally by creating appointments just like when visiting the doctor - and protect them from life's messiness like your first child.
- Step 4: Do these things well and consistently for a long time and don't feel disappointed when the change isn't immediately noticeable. Improvement and especially perfection is a (endless) journey, not a one-stop target.
- Step 5: Take time to reflect and adjust as needed. While doing something we often notice that the direction we first set isn't perfect and that's fine, as we are all just humans - just acknowledge this fact without getting angry and try to be thankful for being able to adjust accordingly.
Obviously, there is no 'one size fits all' approach to becoming successful, but I truely believe that the concepts mentioned in this article a great starting point for coming up with your own, ideal system to succeed at what really matters to you. Don't overthink your start, just get going with something you love and by doing it for long enough you will inevitably getter better at it. But do plan your general direction carefully at some point and evaluate your progress regularly along the way...