Essays
Finding allies.
You are who you spend most of your time with. Stop and think about that. In a tribe, we adapt to those around us to build camaraderie and strengthen the group. We mimic behaviors, language, and attitudes. Over time, we develop and share similar beliefs and gravitate toward others who do the same. Our long-term survival, success, and opportunity to thrive depend on it.
What’s holding you back?
I’ve written about the inner voice that tells us we’re not good enough, we’re going to fail again, and everything else that prevents us from pursuing what is meaningful. Pushing outside our comfort zones triggers feelings of fear and doubt. But we’re still driven toward something we want or believe we want. So how do you overcome those inner demons when they’ve paralyzed your brain into overthinking or an inability to form a coherent thought? You have to dig in and figure out what it is that is holding you back.
Do challenging things.
Life is easy. We live in the safest, most abundant, and most opportunity-filled existence in the history of humanity. It was a daily grind not long ago to find food, avoid a violent encounter with a wild animal or person, and stay protected in the harsh elements. Almost none of that exists today. Life has become an exercise in appearance, perception, and making choices that will make it even easier, if possible. This is a path that leads to nowhere.
Get started.
Planning, timing, and execution require energy, discipline, and focus. But what is rarely discussed is how often we become bogged down in this loop at the expense of getting something or anything accomplished. It’s the adage, don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Goal achievement, at its core, is moving in a direction that gets to your stated objective. We often waste time and energy planning when we should be taking action to get started.
Why goals?
Some of my earliest memories are thoughts about setting goals. Earning money to buy something I wanted, performing well in sports, or making better grades were all goals I had as a kid. The goals became more involved as I grew older, and I often didn’t accomplish them. That didn’t stop me from setting more audacious and unrealistic goals—the possibility of what could be usually overpowered my perspective on what was realistic.