issue 5
Happy Sunday. Glad you came back to read. From the bottom of my corazón: thank you.
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Lots of people are lost. I talk to them. You talk to them. The whole world is grasping at straws. What better way to address a directionless world than discuss maps.
Not just any kind of map, but a road map for your life. This can be a visual representation of setting your goals at a high level, thinking about how you're going to make changes to your current path, or a Notion document that you print out and keep pinned to your wall.
It doesn't matter to me how you slice it. Here in Issue 5, I'm going to give you a few things to get the juices flowing and you take it from there. Sound good?
I can't stand when people talk about 5-10 year plans and grand destinations. Maybe it's because I'm jealous that I could never do that or maybe because it's impossible. You can't see into the future and you have no clue what things are going to look like down the road. I find it to be at best unrealistic and at worst, a stupid waste of time.
I believe that check points are far more effective and way easier to manage your goals and life. I have a strict rule against using 'destination' or 'end' when we're talking about personal road maps. I don't think anyone truly 'arrives'. Rich or poor, educated or not, there is never a stopping point. At least there shouldn't be. People may get lazy once they hit the pinnacle of what they think is possible and coast, but I hesitate to describe the road map in this way. However, I doubt that would be anyone reading this would be privy to that outcome.
TAL readers don't get complacent, thinking their work is 'done'. No way.
During this mental exercise (kudos and bonus points to those that get out a sheet of paper), you are going to answer the why, how, and what of your life. By creating a series of checkpoints, your life's work starts to take shape. Your true WHY is revealed.
But before we can do that, let's talk about a touchy subject:
time
Life is short, people.
I know that scares some of you. Certainly it's uncomfortable to talk about in our polite society where we try to avoid discussing death and aging like a plague. I think it's vital when trying to map out what you'd like to accomplish. If nothing else, let's do this wake you up to use the time you have wisely.
According to the United Nations, we have 78 years on average (in the US) to accomplish what you're trying to do. You will die some day. Embrace it.
To illustrate, look at this line:
Have you ever thought about this? You're on a straight shot to kicking the bucket. This is just too morbid for me, Morgan. I'm out. Easy there. You don't have to go to a dark place.
It's just acceptance. Other cultures around the world do not live in as much fear of death. Speaking as an American, we're terrified. We will buy products, have surgeries, go on a YouTube rant, you name it, trying to avoid (momentarily) our earthly destiny.
But you can't let fear subjugate your faith or your map. With your map, what are you hoping to accomplish with the time you have? What will you do? It's 41,000,000 minutes in a life of 78 years (rounded up). At time of writing, I'm roughy 17,344,000 minutes deep. That's a lot of time in the books. Better hurry up and type.
Our time should be the thing we protect the most. It's like sand running through our fingers - you can't really catch it. You can't capture it. But whatever you have left, you can protect it. It's your most valuable asset. There could probably be another newsletter about using your time wisely. I'll let somebody else take that up.
With that in mind, I'd like to introduce the 5 P's:
"Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance!"
James Baker, prior Chief of Staff under Reagan.
As a kid, I thought my dad made it up the way he repeated it so much. If there was any philosophy taught to us Snyder children, this was it. Useful for making your road map as well. You're doing the preparation right now. Mike Snyder would be proud. As stated in Morgatians 2:5 in the new, new testament - If ye are prepared, ye shall have more time.
I hope this helps you imagine your map. This is the best I could do. Peer into the mind of Morg if you dare:
Notice how immediately upon departing towards your first checkpoint you start with the 4S?
Smarts, Strength, Spirituality, Social
I have found these to be starting blocks of a good road map and a good life. They are a solid foundation.
Smarts addresses the need for constant learning and mental stimulation. Strength pertains to your physical state and development. Spirituality is tied to your emotional, religious, or mental beliefs. Social is connected to your relationships and the understanding that you can't do it alone.
If one of these is out of whack, you're out of whack. Or at least, not effectively navigating your road map. Balance in all things, mis amigos.
These are some questions you may ask yourself when crafting your personal road map:
Like I mentioned, you first look for the checkpoint that you're driving towards. Ideally, it fits within the 4 S structure. If it doesn't, no foul. You're the creator of your road map. When thinking about how to position everything, start high, work down.
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These could be some of yours:
Smarts - Want to take a course in finance.
Strength - Want to run a mile.
Spirituality - Want to develop a better sense of 'self'.
Social - Want to have more friends.
Use the SMART criteria (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-Bound).
As a general rule, keep everything simple as you move through the stages. When you're experimenting with goals, don't overload yourself with a million things. As you saw in figure 5, once you have things organized and figured out, then come the setbacks, conflict (internal or external), and frustration. I included them just as a gentle nudge that even with the best set plans there will always be a little chaos.
Everything that comes after 4 S is in your court. You're in the driver's seat. Be patient.
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As you can tell, reflection is essential to me. It's one of the most important tools that I use to center myself and navigate my personal roadmap. Connected to that is my motivation—what's driving me to the next checkpoint?
There's a lot of science on reflection and motivation in the psychology world. I'll let you go explore that on your own. My only plug is for you to have a clear image of what's motivating you and have it plastered
everywhere.
Have it on your phone. Daily notifications on your computer. Sticky notes on your bedside table. Hammer it into your brain when you're eating lunch. Repeat your motivations when you're on a walk.
I find it helpful to also have images / graphics / designs / objects to act as symbols for my motivations. I have books I'm reading nearby at all times. They bring me comfort. I have a series of pictures that I've taped to my wall that highlights my leadership values and how I want my business to be run. I look at the picture of my family multiple times a day and think of how I can help each person individually. I interact with great folks here on LI that motivate me to stretch further.
I prefer things that I can touch and hold. It has to have weight. You might be different. Find out.
These things you use have to have some type of meaning and they need to be in close proximity. You combine this with vocal pronouncements (yes, say what you want to accomplish out loud, every day) and focused visualization, you start to get dangerous.
Then you have to plow into work. There's no satisfactory substitute. Coaches and gurus will say that you need to work an extra 5-10% more than everyone else. It'd be good to follow that advice. I don't personally have a percentage, but my mindset is to be constantly engaged with things that are providing me with experiences and extra cash flow. I've trained (conditioned?) myself now that when I'm not doing things that are really pushing me towards my next checkpoint, I get a bit antsy. Don't get me wrong, I can relax. Ha-ha maybe not.
But the fact remains:
Work and work and never quit.
Story after story of people who have nothing or come from very little, across all races and identities, are evidence that willpower is the deciding factor in whether or not you will make it to your next checkpoint. It's the deciding factor.
Keep pushing.
Halle Berry once slept in a homeless shelter. Ed Sheeran made subway stations his home. Arnold Schwarzenegger experienced hunger riots in post-World War II Austria. Roman Abramovich, an entrepreneur whose net worth has climbed to $14 billion, was an orphan in Moscow. Oprah Winfrey grew up in an abusive home in Mississippi and well, we know what happened.
Personally, I don't care about anomolies, Morgan. Get real.
Say whatever you want, but I believe that being a person who refuses to quit is the only guaranteed way to bring you the kind of life that you can be proud of. I will stand by that as long as I live.
Success can only come after you put in the work. End of story. Time to start drawing your road map. Make it beautiful.
Find your next checkpoint. Identify the 4 S's. Set your goals. Experiment. Brace for the negativity. Reflect on your experiences and find motivations to drive towards work. Grind it out to success, and presto! You're moving. Do it again. And again. And again.
To conclude Issue 5:
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Rest up.
We've got some stuff to do tomorrow.
Gracias.