No Obligation, Everything and Nothing, the Importance of Clarity

One Insight From Me

There’s no shortage of ambitious people. Big dreams, big goals, big plans. However, it's also easy to drift toward mediocre.

When work gets busy, the first thing I’m tempted to cut is training. “Just this week.” When I feel stuck on an idea, I tell myself I’ll publish next week instead. It always sounds reasonable. It never sounds like I’m lowering my standards. But that’s exactly what’s happening.

Ambition is loud. Compromise is quiet.

"I aim to be average," says no one ever. We simply get what we tolerate. That’s why we need non-negotiables.

• Train three times a week.
• Publish every week.
• Review your numbers every month.
• Go to bed on time.

These aren’t dramatic acts. They’re simply things that happen. You don’t debate them based on mood. You don’t renegotiate when you’re tired.

Non-negotiables protect us from our own excuses. They reduce noise. They remove emotional swings. They make our standards visible in our calendar.

If your ambition is high, your floor has to be high too. Otherwise, you slowly become an average version of someone with big dreams.

Three Ideas From Other People

A rather uninspiring truth: you don't have to do anything. You don't have to show up for life, for work, for your family. You don't have to climb out of bed on a tough day. You don't have to care about being the best you can be. You don't have to strive to live an extraordinary life. And yet, some people do feel they have to. Why? The answer is a phrase that explains one of the most powerful drivers of human motivation and excellence: performance necessity.

​High Performing Habits​ by Brendon Burchard

What you will be will depend on the perspective you have. Realize that you are simultaneously everything and nothing—and decide what you want to be.

​Principles​ by Ray Dalio

When we are unclear about our real purpose in life—in other words, when we don’t have a clear sense of our goals, our aspirations, and our values—we make up our own social games. We waste time and energy on trying to look good in comparison to other people. When we have strong internal clarity it is almost as if we have a force field protecting us from the non-essentials coming at us from all directions.

​Essentialism​ by Greg McKeown

One Question to Reflect On

Imagine this... You meet someone new. He (or she) starts sharing about himself. His beliefs, his habits, his routine.

Every word sounds familiar. He thinks like you, acts like you, lives exactly like you. Then it strikes you... He's your 100% clone.

At the end of the conversation, he pauses and asks: "Would you bet on me?"

Would you?