Something I've Been Thinking About Lately...

Some things in life you just kinda develop with experience.

Most of what I write about is supposedly obvious to everyone, but not top-of-mind.

That’s the whole point of why we become content creators or whatever the trendy term is at the moment.

I’ve heard others, like my friend Christina, talk about their struggles with goal and achievement-hunting.

I resonate with that, but I also realized something both simple and profound at the same time.

Technically-oriented individuals tend to grasp the concept of observing goals and focusing on systems more readily.

When it comes to achieving an outcome, programmers simply automate the process with a function.

A function is simply a piece of code that does one thing and becomes useful as a building block where that result can be used to do other things.

Gamers especially enjoy this concept as there is an entire category of system design that brings this to life.

The truth is that setting goals is the first level of productivity.

It’s also where most people quit once they reach it.

1 + 1 = 2.

People take the “2” and walk away with it, never to reuse the left portion again.

That’s what goals are.

You lost 15 lbs with a program, and that’s awesome.

You celebrate the win and three months later, the weight has returned.

You took the win, but didn’t internalize the process to reach it.

It didn’t become a part of your life that you could maintain.

Now, you’re stuck at square one again.

So you need to go through the process again rather than have your lifestyle permanently, and better yet, unconsciously, cement the result in place.

The Motto…or something along those lines

Today’s message is simple: celebrate the outcome of what you achieve, but take a hard look at what you did to achieve it.

If you sacrificed greatly to do it and would prefer not to go through it again, it was most likely a goal.

If you want to keep the outcome, then you need to modify the process into a system.

The best way to do this is to identify which sacrifices you can live with and keep them while relaxing some of the others to temporary bursts.

• That low-carb diet…

• That long run in the mornings…

• That cold shower you tolerated…

Which of these could you put up with for the long-term and which could you relax for periodic maintenance?

Make it into a system and have some limiters put in place.

• If your stomach starts to push on your seatbelt when you buckle up, that’s an indicator.

• If your thighs are smooshing into those jeans (that DON’T shrink in the wash), that’s an indicator.

• If you’re feeling a bad burning sensation in your legs and short of breath on that staircase at work you take every single day, that’s an indicator.

Use those to activate the more unpleasant parts of the program that you relaxed.

Over time, the checks and balances become easier to maintain and eventually become habits.

Once you reach that stage, habits become less rigid in when and where and become a part of your life.

They become functions that you can call upon at any time and any place; basically managed autonomy because you manage them, and they no longer come with emotional baggage.

This is the final stage of the initial goal-setting process.

You can turn certain activities on and off depending on when you need them without feeling too much anxiety.

You did the hard work. You know your limits. You know it’ll suck for a moment.

This is what I learned for myself in my 20s using Tim Ferriss’s 4HWW book and his “no white stuff” diet.

It worked just fine for a single, healthy yuppy, but it’s not possible for a middle-aged father of two.

I modified aspects of the diet to work for myself, and those indicators for when I need to get back on the diet are mine.

This process, combined with my habits of doing 100 push ups a day and doing the classic Crossfit warmup¹ every chance I get keeps the dad bod creep at bay until I can teach my kids to do it as well.

In summary, here’s what the entire evolution looks like:

This is the fourth principle of prismatic thinking.

The key is this (in the larger context)

You want to ensure a shift in mindset from fixed to growth to aspirational.

Prismatic thinking is my take on critical thinking that covers both internal and external aspects of life.

You want to integrate things gradually into your daily rhythms, not tear apart your routines to shim them in.

The results are temporary in those cases, which is why lottery winners, professional athletes, and one-hit-wonders rarely keep the money they make from their success.

What are things in your life that you’ve achieved in the past, only to lose them once you got a taste of glory?

I hope to help you keep them longer or permanently. I’m far from perfect, and I’m on this journey as well.

P. S.

The point of sharing your thoughts and experiences is not to repeat what others have said, but to communicate your shared connection with everyone who needs to hear the message. That’s why I throw myself at the keyboard every night.

It’s about moving forward together.

Footnotes:

1. 30 pull ups, 30 push ups, 30 sit ups, 30 air squats