Become a developer -The Developer is constantly weaving together available resources and opportunities to create value. He is constantly developing his skills that will be needed when he gets where he wants to go rather than where he is currently
Die Empty Steps
Mapping = Having a clear vision of what you’re up to. Knowing your mission and choosing your battles wisely.
Making = Actually doing the work—with urgency and diligence. Every day.
Meshing = Developing your skills so you’re always growing. The Developer integrates all three of those. If you don't do one, you will miss the mark.
You cannot chase safety and count on emptying yourself of your best work. You cannot pursue greatness and comfort at the same time. Commit today to stepping outside your comfort zone and set some goals to help you get there. (Get Out of Your Comfort Zone).
How to avoid Mediocrity?:
Define Your Battles + Be Fiercely Curious + Step Out of Your Comfort Zone + Know Yourself + Be Confidently Adaptable + Find Your Voice + Stay Connected.
General Notes
“Intention and theory don’t change the world; decisive action does"
If we do something we are ashamed of records itself in our unconscious and makes us despise ourselves (Define your Values and Act Congruently)
You must define how you want to grow, then establish a plan to help you get there (Reverse Plan to the Present)
You should have a set of step goals you are accomplishing today, which should be helping you accomplish a set of sprint goals over the next few weeks, which should be leading you toward a set of long-term stretch goals. (i.e.: Lining Up Dominos / Breaking Goals into Smaller Parts).
The lag is the gap between cause and effect….When you are in the lag, the only thing that keeps you moving forward are (a) confidence in your vision and ability to bring it to fruition(i.e.: A BIG WHY), (b) a willingness to say no to other things that tempt you to divert from your course (i.e.: GRIT), and (c) daily, diligent, urgent progress (i.e.: HABIT).
There’s a vast difference between optimism and wishful thinking. One is a mind-set that expects progress through effort, and the other is nothing but a bulwark against the fear of failure. Someone who is optimistic expects the best while actively working to bring it about. Wishing externalizes responsibility and hopes that everything lines up according to plan, but doesn’t do anything to actively bring about the desired change. Someone who operates from a place of wishful thinking is—in essence—a closet pessimist. (CONTROL YOUR THOUGHTS - FRAME EVENTS IN THE POSITIVE).
You have a finite amount of focus, time, and energy to offer the world, and it can never be reclaimed once it’s spent. There’s no use in wasting your time lamenting the past, because you cannot change or control it. Rather, I urge you to focus on what’s next…(FOCUS).
Ultimately, your life will be measured by what you gave, not what you received. Don’t hold out on the rest of us—we need you to contribute. Spend your life building a body of work you will be proud of. Engage today with urgency and diligence. Plant seeds every day that will yield a harvest later. Tomorrow is only an unfulfilled wish, so live and work as if today is all you have. If you do, you will be able to lay your head down each night satisfied with your work, and in the end, you will die empty of regret, but full of satisfaction for a life well lived.