These goals ranged from the minor and frivolous, such as, "I'm going to do every quest in that video game I play," to the dramatic and exclusive, like, "I'm going to spend July in France one year and follow every stage of the Tour de France." From writing books to losing weight to starting businesses to finding the woman of my dreams they all pretty much came to naught in the grand scheme of things.
But the more I listened to Altucher's podcast and the more inspiring stories I heard from people who had done remarkable things and accomplished remarkable achievements, the more I was inspired to learn more about the mechanics of how those were accomplished. So I started downloading audiobooks of the most intriguing titles that I heard authors speak about on the podcast. I have had a long-standing daily discipline of taking a walk at lunch time, and for many years I had used that time to listen to fiction books for entertainment, but I decided I would start using that time to listen to some of these inspirational audiobooks instead.
I wrote before how the first of these books was The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss. It was indeed inspiring and gave me something of a road map, but it felt as though there were a gap between where I was and the starting point where Tim Ferriss had been before he began uncovering the secrets that led him to his lifestyle design breakthrough. He clearly is an Alpha type personality--the kind of person who is motivated to achieve when someone tells him something is impossible. I'd like to claim to have that kind of personality, but everyone who knows me pretty well knows that the truth is I am often a pretty linear thinker. I think usually in terms of incremental advances and I often have a hard time grasping or accepting radical paradigm shifts without some clarity on how to get from here to there. That's a skill I still need to develop.
Even so, Tim's book was so compelling that I actually began making notes and working on some of the exercises he recommended to build confidence, challenge myself, and try to push forward. It also left me hungry for more details on how I could bridge the gap between where I found myself a year ago to where I wanted to be in the near future. Meanwhile, I kept listening to the Altucher podcast and I kept making notes about other authors and books that seemed compelling.
One of my long-term goals (e.g., dreams) has been to start and run my own business that can replace my need to get up and go to work for someone else every day. Instead I could get up and be eager to go do something I love that enriches my life and makes the world a little better place for others at the same time--and not have to live in material poverty. I'm blessed to have a job that pays a good salary and permits me to indulge some hobbies like following favorite sports teams, travel a few times a year, and enjoy a few fun gadgets. I don't need a mansion, a yacht, luxury resort accommodations when I travel, or a super fancy vehicle. But I really dislike having to get up every morning and going to a job that can be a bit tedious instead of waking up every morning with limitless possibilities and a sense of adventure ahead. Then one day James Altucher was interviewing a guy that sounded like he was little more than a college kid on his show, but the man had accomplished quite a bit. He was the son of immigrants from India, and his name was Ramit Sethi. He was talking about setting financial foundations for a successful life (with success defined by an individual's own motivations and desires), which he had written about in his book with a pretty materialistic sounding title, I Will Teach You To Be Rich. I have some friends who may find that title offensive because "rich" brings to mind social protests over income gaps and the perceived injustice of wealth distribution. But I would urge those people to think of "rich" in this context as "fulfilled." Think about what you value money for the most: education, philanthropy, travel, entertainment, experiences with friends or family, or buying stuff. In this context, living a "rich" life means being able to fulfill those things that are most in line with your core values. That doesn't mean being a slum lord, running a company on sweatshop labor, or finding ways to avoid paying your taxes.
Sethi's book was much closer to what I was seeking. It has six major principles that he outlines as fundamental ways to control your money so it doesn't control you and how to consciously spend on those things that help you feel more fulfilled without financially starving yourself on an artificial budget. The first few steps of the book start with where you are and move you toward a healthy command of your present circumstances. Thereafter he offers some strategies and tips to grow your income if that's what you think you need to do in order to achieve the things you want to be able to do with your money. Being a more incremental guide, it was much better suited to my personality and I could easily understand, adopt, and begin using some of the concepts, strategies, and ideas Sethi taught in his book to move me forward. Progress.
Over the last year or so, many more books have been added to my library and I've listened through most of them. But the best one so far is one that seems to get down to the core and fundamental issue that's always held me back from achieving what I want. This book is Hal Elrod's The Miracle Morning, and I just found out about it a few days ago. I heard Altucher's interview with the author on Monday morning, and I immediately went to the Audible web page and used one of my credits to purchase the book. Then at lunch when I went for my walk I started listening to it. Most of these books use inspirational or motivational quotes throughout, and one of the first that Elrod included (in fact, the one he credits for motivating him to develop his daily practice in the first place) really struck a nerve with me. The quote is from the late motivational speaker and success coach, Jim Rohn.
Your level of success will seldom exceed your level of personal development.It sounds obvious and it's undoubtedly true--think about the people whose accomplishments and achievements inspire and motivate you, and chances are that they have developed some lifelong habits that have helped them to achieve and accomplish all they have attained. This notion is also of course, not new. Since the days of Aristotle, sages and wise leaders in the fields of philosophy, religion, and success have taught and preached daily habits or rituals that form the foundation of their life. I've heard a lot of it too--repeated in different ways throughout sources like the book of Proverbs from the Bible, the classic Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by the late Steven Covey, which I learned about from a company I worked for nearly 20 years ago, and repeated in many of the books I had consumed over the past year.
But there was something about the way Rohn's quote was worded that spoke to Elrod and it spoke to me as well. It was as though I had been looking at two jigsaw puzzle pieces trying to figure out how they connect, and Rohn's quote turned them to the correct orientation and I finally saw how they fit together. In that instant, I finally felt like I had the "aha" moment that helped me see the connections that have always been there but were not obvious to me. This is the book that I feel like is the true starting point for my journey.
Don't get me wrong--I've done quite a bit in the last year. I've started a blog related to my favorite sports team and some fun game day activities, I've committed to turning my daily journals from my time being diagnosed, treated, and recovering from leukemia into a book that can provide some first-hand guidance and a sense of hope to others who are newly diagnosed and their families, and I'm actually taking steps to start building alternate income streams to supplement (and eventually replace) my day job. But I feel like the daily practices outlined in this book are something that will prevent those projects from dying as unfulfilled dreams and instead help them grow into their full potential.
I think if someone else were in the same shoes I was a year ago and asked me where I would start, I would probably point them to The Miracle Morning first. It seems to be the easiest starting point because it emphasizes developing internal habits and building up daily habits to improve spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical disciplines first, which better prepare you for moving beyond the present into a better future. The other books have definitely been helpful, but as I rank and sort them into an order that seems to build one to another, I'll definitely go back through them again, this time seeing what new insights I gain as I develop into a better, more accomplished, and more refined version of myself.
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