Yeah, It's Counterintuitive: Less Is More

What separates the top 20% of achievers from the rest? It's not what they do. It's what they don't do.

Sustained success isn't about adding more to your plate. It's about ruthlessly editing what's already there.

The secret lies in identifying the activities that don't engage your strengths - and having the discipline to cut them out. Completely.

Why is this so hard? Because our strengths are rarely left alone. As soon as we taste success, the temptation is to pile on more responsibilities, more commitments, more "good ideas."

But more is less. Diluting your focus means diluting your impact. You lose sight of what made you impactful in the first place.

Redefining Success

Let's get clear on what sustained success really means. It's making the greatest possible impact over the longest period of time.

Simple, but not easy. It demands two things:

1. Leveraging your natural talents and passions to become truly excellent at something.

2. Maintaining and growing that excellence over time.

You can't just be good. You have to stay good - and get better.

The Traps on the Path

The road to sustained success is littered with seductive detours. Let's debunk a few:

"Just find the right tactics." Tactics and strategies matter, but they're not the foundation. Your talent and enthusiasm are.

"Focus on fixing your flaws." Plugging weaknesses feels virtuous, but it's a losing game. You'll never turn a weakness into a towering strength.

"Cultivate your strengths." Closer, but still not quite there. It's not enough to nurture your strengths. You have to prune everything else.

The One Thing That Matters

The one key to sustained success: Discover what you don't like doing, and stop doing it.

Simple to understand. Excruciatingly hard to practice. But absolutely essential.

Every minute you spend on tasks that drain you is a minute stolen from the work that makes you exceptional. It's a minute you'll never get back.

Diagnosing the Drain

How do you know when you're off track? Watch for these warning signs:

Boredom: Your core interests aren't engaged. The substance of your work leaves you cold. If you're fundamentally disinterested in your role, find a new one.

Lack of fulfillment: Maybe you're intellectually stimulated but somehow unfulfilled. Odds are, your personal values aren't being honored. Again, it's time to move on. No paycheck is worth sacrificing your soul.

Frustration: You love what you do and it aligns with your values. But you're stymied at every turn, unable to leverage your true strengths. The solution? Change roles to one that maximizes your strengths, or proactively shape the role you're in.

Fatigue: You're drained at the end of every day, with little to show for it. Seek out energizing partnerships, or carve out aspects of your role that recharge you. If that's not possible, it's another flashing exit sign.

The Discipline of Less

Success is an act of subtraction. The more you eliminate the nonessentials, the more room you create for what matters.

Remember, you're playing the long game. Every "yes" to something that doesn't light you up is a "no" to something that could.

Be ruthless in your editing. Start now. Your sustained success depends on it.

Reflect, refine, repeat. When you keep your focus obsessively trained on your strengths, you become unstoppable.

That's the path to greatness. It's not about doing more. It's about doing less and doing it better than anyone else.

So let the rest fall away. Unlock your brilliance. It's there, ready to change the world.