Self Improvement Daily Podcast

It's simple. Don’t take shortcuts. Put in the work to go about doing things the right way. I have three different reasons why.

First, is mentality. Our actions reflect strongly in our mentality. This is because of a psychological concept called “cognitive dissonance”, where our brains reject things that don’t align. When you take a shortcut, you are choosing to not face the challenge for all it’s worth. The small decision to take a shortcut will influence your threshold for will power the next time you are preparing you to be successful in the future.

The second one is about quality. Taking shortcuts means that you are deliberately skipping a step or process, which was likely incorporated in the first place because it ensures quality.  Don’t make that mistake, and never compromise quality.

Lastly, taking short cuts sometimes actually makes us lost. This can be counterproductive to the time we were trying to save by taking short cuts because it takes more time to get back on track. It’s kind of silly if you think about it.

Be extra cognizant of taking actions with intentionality and deliberate steps, and not to take any short cuts.

“worrying means you suffer twice”.  

I had mixed feelings initially about the quote because the word “suffer” has such a strong negative connotation, but then I thought deeper about it, and realized that it is intentionally strong to bring attention to the alternative.  The alternative being suffering once.  

There is a lot that happens to us, a lot of it is out of our control, that affects the quality and fluidity of our life.  But why let it upset you twice?  Worrying is proven to increase sympathetic nervous system activation and induce a stronger stress response, which in turn raises your blood pressure, increases muscle tension, and occupies your mind. This can lead to a cycle of sleep deprivation, cognitive difficulties, and compromised health.

Fortunately for us, there is an easy solution to limit worrying. The solution is to choose positivity.  By seeing the better side of stressful situations, you can pay attention to the factors that don’t occupy your mind, eliminating the negative and maladaptive cascade that follows.  At the very least, if you can’t find a silver lining to a situation, try to crack a smile. The simple act will bring physiological benefits that counteract the stress!

I’m like anyone else, and sometimes I get caught up in the here and now. What do my next minutes, hours, and days look like? And if something doesn’t go according to plan, everything seemingly feels like a failure.

Notice the word “Seemingly!”. In reality, everything we do contributes to our future, and although it might not be directly and immediately visible, it most definitely plays a large role!

I was reminded of this recently in a clip I saw on LinkedIn of Willie Morris, a serial social entrepreneur, who shares about the relationship he has with his actions.

"It is understanding that you can do something. You might not be good at it today, but in the long term, you will. If you are a 6'8 guy who is super athletic, it might not pay off to be shooting free-throws today, but if you want to end up playing in the NBA or playing in college, start by shooting free-throws and working on your form will pay off in the future. Even that discipline of going to the gym when no one else is there and doing it will pay off even if you don't go to the NBA, it will pay off in every aspect in your life. It is just understanding that there is a long-term value in what you are doing that is relevant to tomorrow, and you will develop that now. It is one of those things that is hard to understand when you are younger. I did not have that awareness when I was younger. I was just really stubborn and did things".

So, play the long game. Willie focuses on this by having an awareness and appreciation that the work you put in today will never be futile. It’s about having faith in the process, because that’s where the real value lies.

Thus message was taken from maybe the greatest entrepreneur of this generation, Jeff Bezos, who figured out very early how he wanted to make big career decisions. 

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Bezos stated, " I went away and was trying to find the right framework in which to make that kind of big decision. And the framework I found, which made the decision incredibly easier, was what I call, which only a nerd would call, regret minimization framework. I wanted to project myself forward to age 80. So, okay now I am looking back on my life, I want to have minimize the number of regrets I have. And you know, I knew when I was 80 I was not going to regret having tried this. I was not going to regret trying this thing called internet that I thought was going to be a really big deal. But, I knew the one thing that I might regret is not ever having tried. When I thought about it that way, it was an incredibly easy decision. If you can project yourself out to age 80, and think, 'what will I think at that time?', It gets you away from some of the daily pieces of confusion. But, if you can think about the long term, then you can really make good life decisions that you won't regret later".

Bezos’ Regret Minimization Framework is definitely something worth keeping in mind. Although we’re probably not deciding whether or not we should start the next Amazon, we just might be! Live your life without that regret and decide accordingly.

In the spirit of Labor Day in the US, I wanted to share a simple message. Work hard. Things don’t get done on their own, so it is up to each and every one of us to apply ourselves to make things happen. One of my favorite quotes of all time ties into this concept, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”.  There really is no replacement for hard work.

It works in two ways.  First, extrinsically, hard work can be measured by production, which is a very observable metric. You simply get more done when you work harder.  But, what isn’t mentioned quite as much are the intrinsic aspects of hard work.  By knowing that you gave it your all and applied yourself, you are more satisfied with the end result and feel more fulfilled by how you spent your time. There is something to be said about good things not coming easy, and I think that really plays into the intrinsic reward of hard work.  

So, how can you start working harder? It’s about working longer and working smarter. By allocating more hours to working, you can get more done. However, those extra hours are futile if they are not also done smarter. This means eliminating distractions, prioritizing your tasks, effectively communicating expectations and roles with your team, and taking care of yourself so that you are capable of putting in the hours.  

I’m a nerd scientist so I’m going to share the scientific definition of momentum. Momentum is Newton’s First Law which is an object in motion continues in motion unless acted on by an unbalanced force. More simply put, and in the terms of productivity in your day, momentum is the energy you carry with you between tasks.

But the most important part about momentum is it is changeable both positively and negatively. So, lets try finding ways to increase your momentum to get things in motion!  

Personally, I have found it most useful to build momentum first thing in the morning as a way to set the tone for the day. My morning routine includes practicing gratitude, doing pull-ups, and making my bed. Accomplishing these micro tasks are enough to get the ball rolling in the right direction.

I’ve recently met a guy named Sig Magnusson, an Icelandic entrepreneur, who told me that he does ice water submersion every morning for this very reason. He says that forcing himself into cold water every morning teaches him that he is capable of overcoming any challenge he may face in the day!  It doesn’t need to be as intense as that to build momentum though, even choosing a healthy breakfast option, not snoozing your alarm, or getting one thing done before 8am can all jumpstart your momentum!

What do you do every morning that builds your momentum and sets you up for your day? Let me know. I’d love to have you help me make a tip about it!

There are a few things about the quote,"Create the life you can't wait to wake up to", that I particularly enjoy. First, I love the word create. It demonstrates that our life is in our control, and we can make of it what we want.  Built into that control is a choice, where we decide what we want to create. Having autonomy to choose is powerful, and best be done right!

The second part of the quote that I like is the part that says, “you can’t wait”, meaning that you are so eager or excited about something that it consumes you. It lends a natural positivity to the quote that frames it all for the better.

Lastly, I love how the quote references waking up, because waking up is associated with a new day. A new day that has its own trials and challenges, but always starts with a blank slate.  

So, to tie the quote back together in my own words: the happenings and opportunities of today, that we can’t wait to experience, are the product of the choices that we make. So, choose positivity. By deciding to see things from a positive lens, you’ll quickly see how everything else trickles down to match.  

So what’s stopping you? “Create the life you can’t wait to wake up to”, by starting with positivity.