Continuing from our last blog on building successful habits that support your purpose, we now get into the the essence of achieving great things.
To achieve great things or even just personal goals usually require some time, energy and skill in performing some task.
Let’s get into the specifics a bit.
Time is a funny thing. One perspective is that time is the common denominator for everyone. It is the one currency that remains a constant no matter who you are or where you’re from. But we’ve all felt how time flies when you’re looking at videos on social media and the next thing you know an hour has just gone by. Contrast that with watching water boil – those 5 minutes feels like an hour as well! We also have done projects that span weeks to complete but when we procrastinated too much on a deadline, we are capable of completing unimaginable amounts of work in very little time.
So, we need to define time with a constraint. Time has to be spent deliberately and with focus to have a positive impact.
And when that deliberate time is spent with talent, you get SKILL.
SKILL = TALENT X TIME(focused)
When you keep building up your skills by depositing quality time on the focused tasks, you begin to make achievements. And over time, these achievements add up to something great.
SKILL ⬆️ -> ACHIEVEMENT ⬆️
Disciplined people put in the time and effort to move from talent to skill and then from skill to achievement. This model underscores the importance of teaching grittiness & discipline to children even though it applies to adults!
But eventually, everyone falls off the bandwagon – we’re only human and not robots! That’s where GRIT comes in. Grit is that strength of character that picks you up after you’ve fallen off and to get back on track. A strong sense of purpose works hand-in-hand to give you that drive.
When your motivation is low, and you’ve tasted the bitterness of failure and defeat, purpose gives you that extra boost of energy. It makes your goals clear in your mind – and sometimes all you need is a little nudge to get you going again.
The mindset that can help in this situation is a long-term strategy. Focus on the tiny gains as they will add up to become massive results. Just like the Compounding Effect.
For example, going to the gym, or not brushing your teeth, do not yield immediate effects. You won’t have a fit body if you go to the gym one time or even 5 times; just like if you skipped brushing your teeth they won’t fall out. But after 8 months, your body will have made big improvements and your teeth will begin to look bad!
The problem with long-term projects is that it’s so easy to not take that small step because there will always be tomorrow. That procrastination is dangerous as it gains momentum and weeks or months will go by and nothing has been done.
That’s why you have to pay yourself first. Meaning, do that important step that gets you closer to your goals and purpose first before doing anything else. I know it sounds simple and trivial but it’s really hard to do precisely because it is so insignificant.
But, knowing what you know now, those small, insignificant steps in fact, play a vital role in achieving those massive results. They are not at all insignificant because they are the grains of sand that make up the sand castle.