The 5 Little Things

You see it more and more - “Do these 10 things to be successful,” “How to create the perfect morning routine,” “My startup was acquired in 18 months”.

When we see things like this, our inner insecurities kick into high gear - we start looking at where we are in relation to our peers; comparing houses, cars, clothes, jobs, Instagram feeds.

Whatever little edge we can get - that extra minute - will be the key to success. Productivity is the name of the game.

What people don’t seem to understand is that, **It doesn’t matter how much time you save if what you’re doing with your time doesn’t matter**.

Having said this, I’ll outline 5 ideas, that if implemented repeatedly and patiently will have a direct and positive impact on your life.

1. Direction over speed.

It is far better to move slowly in the right direction than barrelling down at breakneck speed in the wrong direction.

So how do you find direction?

The answer is that it isn’t easy. It isn’t quick. And it can’t be found in the form of an app. Direction is found through experiences: moments of joy, frustration, success, failure, love and hate. Direction is found by allowing the culmination of all the positives to act as an inner compass, guiding you to the future you want.

It is also important to remember that direction isn’t rigid, it’s fluid, which brings me to my next point.

2. Live deliberately.

What does it mean to live deliberately?

Simply put, when we have the freedom of choice and the power of control, it is in our hands to make decisions that align most with the direction we’ve chosen. If your direction is to improve your health, then living deliberately would mean that when your friend asks you to go out for drinks, choose to have something healthier instead of 6 pints of beers. Overtime, it becomes less about making mistakes you can learn from and more about making choices you believe in.

3. Strong opinions held loosely.

You’ve chosen a direction and you’re making conscience decisions to get you there. Along the way you’re going to formulate opinions and it’s important to know that it’s ok to make adjustments. You may hold on to the opinion right now that money equivocates to success. That with wealth, you can demand respect. I can tell you right now with 100% certainty, those opinions will change.

4. Principles over tactics.

Simon Senik did a great talk I reference a lot, called “Start With Why.” This is important in that every person and organization know fully well what they are and how they do it, but not everyone knows why they do it.

Understanding the fundamental principles of your why requires time to build. It requires time to build a system that’s tried, tested and true. It is easy for someone to look at someone successful and decide to take this and that and implement it into their lives, but that is the how and what, not the why.

Once you understand the why and build a system around it to establish a firm foundation of principle, will you be able to accurately guide your thoughts and actions; despite successes or failures and easily course correct.

5. Owning your actions.

The last thing I’ll mention is something I’ve learned to be immeasurably important and consistently difficult until you make a habit out of it. Accountability is definitely one of those things in life that’s easier said than done. Over time, one constant holds true: no matter who - parents, partner, friends, bosses, co-workers, etc - they will inevitably disappoint you and you will inevitably disappoint them. What’s important is taking ownership of your f*ck up and taking the proper course of action to rectify and reconcile. When it is the opposite, seek first to understand then seek to be understood. It will always be easier to blame someone else, find an excuse, but I never said growth was easy.

Greatness is a lot of little things done well. I hope these 5 little ideas executed consistently will help move the needle and get you to where you want to be.