The Accomplishment Masterclass

Have you ever had a dream so big it scared you? Me too. The more novel, and unique your goals are, the fewer roadmaps are available. Goals society gives us all have a pre-determined path; the road is already paved.

Get into a good college. Most of us know this. Secure a “safe” job. Again, common knowledge.

Apply. Network. Showcase skills. Be likable.

The excitement in life is in the unpaved path. We are laying the bricks as we walk it. Your past experiences, DNA, inclinations, and aptitudes are unique to you. This powerful combination has never existed in this Universe.

Why walk the path of the masses? It is by definition the path of mediocrity.

In this newsletter, I am going to show you how to walk your own unique path to success. It begins with:

Curiosity

To begin the path your must take inventory of what you are curious about. What do you spend hours reading, researching, and discussing? What topics?

For me its: How do I earn a living while doing something I’m passionate about? How do I elevate creativity to make something truly unique that expresses my deepest core? How do I protect dogs from unnecessary deaths?

Notice they are specific. Write down 10 of yours.

Curiosity turns into passion with momentum. You need to have the fuel of passion to embark on this journey and sustain it. Are you in it for the long-run?

Next up:

Gameplan

Once you know what you are passionate and curious about, you need to research the route. Look at it from a strategic and tactical perspective. What are the long-term milestones you have to reach? For a writer it might be 10,000 copies of their book sold.

Then you break it down into mid-term, and short-term. Mid-term might be finish the book (so you can think about marketing). Short-term might be 500 words written today.

Remix the paths of others. Remember, if it has been walked before it isn’t truly unique. How about researching 10 successes and applying the best of all worlds. This path is more unique.

Pick up 5-10 books or courses on your passion. Devour them. Put the best ideas in your gameplan.

Next it’s time for:

Action

Education turns into mental masturbation when you don’t apply what you are learning. I have been a victim of this too. Reading, researching, learning. But no action and therefore no results.

You will never have perfect knowledge, so take the best possible step you can now.

Aim for a 3:1 ratio of action:education. Spend 3 executing the plan, and 1 hour improving your knowledge.

Block out 45-90 minute blocks in your calendar for deep work. Turn off your phone notifications. Put up your “Do Not Disturb” sign in your workplace.

At my last corporate job the office messaging system was pinging constantly. It’s true in your personal life, it’s true for work. Emails and messages are the gravitational pull of other’s agendas. Don’t get sucked into the void.

Next up is:

The Feedback Loop

When you get started, early wins are important. They fuel you with the optimism to keep going. For an entrepreneur, an early win is the first sale. It might not be the ONE MILLION dollars they envision. But it is a nudge to keep going. A surge of dopamine.

Remember this: the more feedback you receive, the quicker you will evolve.

You do not want to be creating into the void. You need eyeballs or machines on what you’re doing.

For weight loss: track what you’re putting in your mouth, track how much energy you are expending, and hop on a scale DAILY to see where these inputs are leading.

For social media growth: I suppose likes are a form of feedback, but they don’t tell you much. As a creator, seek advice from other creators. The Masterchef doesn’t ask the customer how to cook.

When the system of the body is not balanced, the first thing a doctor will do is prescribe blood-tests. Ah! Metrics and feedback.

For personal finance (something I am very passionate about, looking at your bank account once a month doesn’t help. You need exact numbers on how much is coming in and how much is going out. Categorize it. What are the essential fixed costs? Where did I spend too much that didn’t give me satisfaction?

Iteration

Action, followed by feedback leads to improvement if the motivation to reach a goal is strong.

Test. Tweak. Iterate.

Draft 1 is seldom the final version. You can have the best advice in the world. Listen to what resonates. Find believable sources of information. You don’t ask the beggar how to become rich. So, choose your sources. Someone with reasonable achievements relative to where you want to go.

If you want to be a taste-maker, seek out other taste-makers. If you are serious about something you will get eyeballs to help you go from version 1.0 to version 2.0.

Every startup has advisors. Who’s on your advising team?

Repeat this process until success is achieved.

Here are the steps:

1. Curiosity

2. Gameplan

3. Action

4. Feedback

5. Iteration