The Compound Effect: 'Nothing fails like success'

...Because nothing fails like success. ...

The author, Darren Hardy, in his book titled 'The Compound Effect' mentions complacency as an enemy of lasting success. More often than not complacency is not a deliberate choice. To the contrary, it manifests as an insidious creep. Gradually we abandon the habits that led us to success, and in no time, there is not much to show for our previous achievements. Sticking to your success routine i.e. what got you to where you were and building up on that by constantly learning are simple practices that you can employ to stay on course. To illustrate, with the example of research, there is constantly a new churn of ideas in the form of publications and new packages such as in R and Python. A simple practice such as reading a journal paper a day or trying out a new course with respect to R or Python, makes me constantly cognizant of the infinity of the knowledge reservoir. Having this awareness helps me not only to not slack on what I know but also to constantly seek ways of building up on my knowledge base. Basically, staying curious helps you stay humble, recognizing that success is not a stop where you take a back seat, but rather a journey hence the import to keep going.

Another way in which 'nothing fails like success' can manifest is through the opportunities that come as result of success. I gleaned this concept from 'Essentialism : The Disciplined Pursuit of Less' by Greg McKeown. Your success can lead to a barrage of requests i.e. speaking, writing and podcast engagements. These requests in themselves are benign. However, they can become an impediment to your success if they overtake your routine. As time is not infinite, taking on these additional requests would have to be at the expense of your day-to-day practice. All of sudden there is no time to do the very things that contributed to your success i.e. to read a publication or to practice new methodologies. The solution proposed by Greg to this type of insidiousness is one that I find useful to date. In essence, before taking on any request such as those emanating from your own success, it is imperative to consider the following questions:

• Do I have the time and resources to take on this additional request?
• Does taking on this request contribute towards my highest contribution?

Although this advice contradicts the often marketed 'do it all mentality' -which quite honestly, I find to be a propagator of burnout and low-quality work-, it is extremely useful in maintaining one's focus. Focusing on doing what we do well and consistently for that matter, is the surest way of staying on course.

Podcast recommendations

Methali

9. Baada ya dhiki faraja.After hardship comes relief.

Quotes

“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read,” James Baldwin.