There’s some great line about the most powerful thing in the world being a cumulative interest rate. I can’t remember where that’s from. But there’s something incredibly potent in accumulated baby steps. Think about it: dieting or exercising is not about having one day where you eat nothing, or run all the miles in the world; it’s about doing small things day by day, building up changes. Same with learning: first you learn the alphabet and a few words, then you learn sentence structure, then how to write a paragraph. You don’t just sit down and write a novel. When I started my new self-hired job, I set two challenges for myself, among many others: - Come up with 5 ways to make Money as a creator. - Come up with 5 ways to do something positive for the world Neither is an easy nut to crack. I kept seeing those on my action list and not knowing how to approach them. I don’t remember where I got the idea but at a certain point I decided I just need to think about it and think about it every day. So that’s what I did: I spent 15 minutes every day thinking about ways I could make money; and I spent 15 minutes every day thinking of how I could change the world for the better. And wouldn’t you know, after a few weeks of that I had about 60 ideas for each? Not all of them were keepers, of course. But now I’ve got options. And there are two things that I really love about that cumulative effect: - The first is that I kept finding ideas that could satisfy both goals. Who knew? - The second is that by spending a little time every day thinking about these topics, I kept the questions fresh in my brain. So that when I go on my daily walk, I’ll see things that will trigger an answer to the question; I’d see something that’s needed in my neighborhood, and that would lead to a way to change the world for the better. Thinking of these things a little every day has made them part of the everyday fabric of my life. In other words, by setting aside 15 minutes a day, I’ve ended up thinking about them a whole lot more than 15 minutes. And just like accumulated interest, eventually that time and energy is bound to add up to something big.
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If you’re like me you were raised by parents and video games and schools on a carrot/stick program. In other words, you do something well, accomplish something – you get a prize. Sad how much that still works as an adult.
I quit my job about a month ago. See my reasons here. I have in the past had a tendency towards inertia, but this time I wanted to make sure things were different. So I came up with assignments on different projects and goals: broke things down and gave everything a deadline, put it in my calendar. That worked pretty well. What’s really helped me keep things in shape is the rewards system. Here’s the deal: right now I am my own boss. No one else is paying me, so I got creative and decided to pay myself. I made another list of things I really wanted: movies I want to see, things I want to buy, etc. And I paired those with my goals. Now, I get something specific when I finish a project. Like many folks I’ve been waiting for DARK KNIGHT RISES to come out, and I can’t wait to see it. But I’m not going to go see a midnight showing of it just cause I can. I’m going to earn it. I’ve got a few projects attached to that movie, and I won’t go see the movie until I finish them. I’ve been doing this already and have found it has a few instant psychological elements: 1) I’m much more excited to jump into a project, and I don’t procrastinate. Why? Because I want to see The Dark Knight. 2) By rewarding myself with something specific, I have something external by which I can recognize my accomplishment. In addition to just feeling good – “Man! I did it!” – I’m recognizing it with a specific reward. I’ve also found that I’m appreciating these rewards on another level: I’m not just going to the movie thinking “I can’t wait to see this.” I’m thinking: “I put a lot of work into getting here tonight – I worked hard for this.” It adds to my enjoyment of the moment and the experience of the movie. Being your own boss is great, because you can pay yourself however you want. And who knows better what you’re willing to work hard to get? |