The Wikipedia Game + Commitment

Hey.

Happy Friday.

Few things that I want to touch on today that are not necessarily related to one-another, but you’ll understand in due time.

So, I don’t know if this is a unique experience, but when I was younger, I used to play something that I called the “Wikipedia game.”

What this game looked like was taking two topics, say, applesauce and Vikings, and connecting the two of them in the shortest amount of time possible through the use of hyperlinks, citations, etc.

I loved it.

Well, for those in the business space, this game is actually pretty relevant.

See, when you’re in a sales or negotiation environment, you have to take the starting point (semi-warm) to the end point (cash collected).

You know the starting point and the ending point, it is up to you to get from point A to point B.

See?

So today, I have two topics that are not necessarily related to one another, but I was fired up to talk about both of them.

Let’s see if we can bridge the gap, shall we?

Topic 1: commitment.

Topic 2: why moderation is dumb.

You know what, at a 30,000 foot view, I think this is going to be quite easy, but let’s roll:

Commitment

So, let me ask you, what is the last thing that you’ve REALLY given your all to?

Not the completion of a TV show,

Not “committing” to scrolling on Instagram to kill an hour of time in between meetings,

Something legitimate.

Something where you had a date far off into the future, say, a race on the calendar, and you worked tirelessly to get to the point where you can say that you actually crossed a proverbial, or real, finish line?

For most people, I’d venture to guess that the answer to the aforementioned is, “I don’t know.”

That’s okay, for now, but it’s not okay if that remains the case.

I’m about to get on my high-horse for a bit, but there’s a reason:

I used to be a serial quitter.

Jobs, sports, interests, etc.

I’d dip my toes into something and everything, and once I realized that it wasn’t for me, I’d bow out.

That is not the way that I live my life anymore, nor am I proud of the fact that it was the way that I lived my life for so long.

Being a committed, reliable individual is one of the single best, most important things that you can do for yourself. There are not many equals.

I’ve been lazy, I’ve let my work-ethic suffer as a result of my past decisions, no longer.

That is not me.

Now back to the point,

As kindly as I can possibly say this, why would you want to just stay stagnant for the rest of your life?

Pick up a new skill, learn a new language, psyop yourself into liking to run.

See, the gyms all across America are currently flooded with resolutioners,

People that swore that this was their year,

This was the big one where they put rubber to the road and decided that “enough is enough…

…until about January 15th.

I know that my gym is.

It would be my sincere hope that all of them continue to stay, but the reality of the situation is that history will continue to repeat itself over and over again.

Don’t be a resolutioner.

I mentioned in one of my previous emails that beginning something on January 1 is quite unintelligent, as if the numeric calendar was not real, it would really just be another Wednesday.

Why anchor yourself to a future date?

Start now.

I don’t know if there is legitimate science to back this up, but if you say that you’re going to start something next week, next month, next XYZ, the dopamine hits that you’re getting from delaying your start date and continuing to engage in bad habits/behaviours are just enough to keep you addicted. I.e. - you never start.

Get it?

Now, bridging the gap:

Moderation is dumb.

If you’re going to do anything, don’t do it halfway.

You’ll see half of the results,

Half of the enjoyment,

Half of the growth.

To be honest, this is a motif that I am hijacking from my pastor that I heard last night.

He said that the Christian life is one of the worst possible hobbies that you can pick up.

It’s not a hobby.

Either you take it seriously or it’s not entirely possible that you bear the fruit that you’d be able to if you worked at it day-in and day-out.

He is of a different faith than I, but someone that I respect in many regards is former UFC fighter and lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Khabib and his band of killers come from Dagestan, a sect of Russia where the population is predominantly Muslim.

They do not go halfway at anything:

Training,

Faith/prayer,

Family.

They live the lives that they claim to live.

Now, I’m not saying that you have to be Khabib in all areas of your life,

But it is quite an easy way to speedrun yourself to success.

Got it?

I hope that that was a successful closed loop.

TL;DR:

Commit to something and go all-in. Moderation is dumb.

Thanks, y’all, happy Friday. Don’t live for the weekend.

Kev