Podcast Summary
Measuring progress by gain vs. ideals: Focusing on progress made since the past, or the 'gain,' can lead to a greater sense of achievement and happiness, while constantly comparing to ideals can result in feelings of unhappiness and failure.
Measuring progress based on ideals, which are constantly changing, can lead to feelings of unhappiness and failure. Instead, focusing on the progress made since the past, or the "gain," can lead to a greater sense of achievement and happiness. Benjamin Hardy, an organizational psychologist and productivity guru, shares his personal experience of feeling like a failure after his first book didn't reach the New York Times bestseller list, despite it being a significant achievement for him. He learned this concept from Dan Sullivan and encourages measuring progress by the gain, rather than the gap between where you are and your ideals. Ideals are like the horizon in the desert, always moving further away, while the gain is a tangible measure of progress.
Ideals vs Concrete Goals: Focusing on concrete goals and measuring progress backwards can help us stay motivated and make meaningful progress, while ideals can lead to constant self-comparison and devaluation of achievements.
Ideals, or the pursuit of perfection, can be detrimental to our progress and happiness if we measure ourselves against them constantly. Ideals are immaterial, ever-changing targets that are unreachable, leading us to feel like we've made no progress and devalue our achievements. Instead, focusing on specific, concrete goals and measuring our progress backwards can help us stay motivated and make meaningful progress. Additionally, practicing gain thinking, which involves measuring our progress against our past selves and finding gains in every experience, can help us transform our past into learning opportunities and continuously improve ourselves. It's not about becoming our future selves, but rather being our future selves by focusing on the present and making the most of every experience.
Time and Personal Growth: Imagining and connecting with our future self can help guide intentional decisions and personal growth. Prioritize mental health and consider resources like BetterHelp for support, and utilize tools like Indeed for hiring high-quality candidates to grow businesses.
Our present is shaped by our past and our future, and it's essential to have a clear vision of our future self to guide our actions in the present. Psychologists view time holistically, meaning our past experiences and future goals influence our present. Our future self will be different from who we are today, and imagining and connecting with our future self can help us make intentional decisions and grow into the person we want to be. It's important not to underestimate the power of the future self in shaping our present actions and to remember that we are always growing and changing. Additionally, it's crucial to prioritize our mental health, especially as entrepreneurs who can become isolated and compare ourselves to others. Therapy, such as what BetterHelp offers, can provide valuable perspective and support during challenging times. Lastly, tools like Indeed can help streamline the hiring process and find high-quality candidates to help grow our businesses. In summary, understanding the influence of our past and future on our present, connecting with our future self, prioritizing mental health, and utilizing helpful resources like BetterHelp and Indeed can lead to intentional growth and success in our personal and professional lives.
Future Self: Imagining our future self and understanding their perspective can lead to a growth mindset, empathy towards past mistakes, and better decision making.
Viewing your future self as a different person can lead to a growth mindset and greater empathy towards your past self. By recognizing that you are constantly evolving and learning, you can have compassion for your past mistakes and focus on growth rather than dwelling on negativity. Imagining your future self and understanding their perspective can also help guide your current actions and decisions. However, it can be challenging to imagine ourselves in the future as we don't often take the time to do so. To overcome this, it's important to make an effort to connect with and understand our future selves, and to set goals and focus on what will be important to them. Ultimately, our identity is shaped by what we are most committed to, and by focusing on our future goals and aspirations, we can drive positive change in our lives.
Future Self: Having a clear vision of your future self and committing to high standards can help you make better decisions and facilitate personal growth
Having a clear vision of your future self and committing to high standards are essential for personal growth and making better decisions in life. Your story and standards shape your identity, and as you elevate them, you change and no longer resonate with your past behaviors or decisions that don't align with your future self. Conversely, if you lack a clear vision of your future self, you may be disconnected from the consequences of your actions and lack the motivation to make positive changes. By using your future self as a standard and filtering tool, you can make decisions that benefit both your present and future self. Research shows that connecting with your future self is crucial for long-term change and personal growth.
Connecting with future self: Communicating with your future self through writing or recording can help maintain focus and raise standards for personal growth and success
Understanding and connecting with your future self is crucial for achieving extraordinary success. This concept is aligned with the growing theme of focus and prioritization in personal and professional development. Mr. Beast, a successful YouTube personality, is an excellent example of this. At the age of 17, with no money or skills, he filmed videos addressing his future self and discussing his goals. By publicly committing to his future self, he was able to focus his efforts and expand his obsession, leading to rapid growth and success. This simple yet powerful practice of connecting with your future self can help you maintain extreme focus and raise your standards for who you become and what you do.
Shopify goals, future selves: Shopify is a versatile platform for starting and growing businesses, and setting intentional goals based on future selves can help map out desired achievements. Clarifying our why and focusing on approach motivations can drive behavior towards a desired future.
Shopify is a powerful platform for starting and growing businesses, whether online or offline. The speaker uses it for his own masterclass and mastermind sales, and integrates email campaigns, abandoned carts, and promo codes. The speaker also emphasizes the importance of considering our future selves and setting goals based on key anchor moments. Thinking about our future selves in terms of specific timelines can help us map out what we want to achieve and where we want to be. The why, or purpose, behind our actions is crucial in driving our behavior, and it's important to clarify and understand our why to become intentional. Approach motivations, where we proactively create our future, are more beneficial than avoid motivations, which only focus on avoiding negative outcomes. However, both are important, and it's good to be strategic about avoiding bad decisions and people. Overall, the discussion emphasizes the importance of intentionally setting goals, using platforms like Shopify to grow businesses, and focusing on approach motivations to create a desired future.
Proactive approach, Focusing on positives: Identifying future self and committing to becoming exceptional in a specific area leads to mastery and personal growth, despite negative circumstances.
Being proactive and focusing on what you want, rather than constantly trying to avoid negative experiences, is a powerful way to approach life. Victor Frankel's experience in the concentration camps illustrates this idea – when people had a clear goal or purpose, they were able to endure even the most dire circumstances. To apply this lesson to your own life, identify your future self and commit to becoming exceptional in a specific area. This focus and dedication will lead to mastery and profit, both in terms of personal growth and potential financial success. Remember, it's not about doing many things, but rather doing a few things exceptionally well.