In his bestseller, “The Personal MBA,” Josh Kaufman describes what he labels ‘Core Human Drives.’ They offer a framework for understanding what people desire most in their lives and how to satisfy these needs. The ‘Drive to Acquire,’ or the desire to accrue material wealth and immaterial value, is near the top of the list. The keyword here is ‘immaterial’ because the impulse to acquire intangibles like power, respect, influence, or a general improvement in quality of life is a profoundly human drive. So how do you fulfill this drive to acquire? If your goal is self-betterment, whatever that may look like to you, what’s the first step to achieving it?
The ‘Just Do It’ Principle
The first step to achieving your goals can be as simple as putting one foot in front of another. I call this the ‘Just Do It’ principle. It involves throwing your hesitation to the wayside and diving headfirst into the process. In practice, the ‘Just Do It’ principle might look something like this:
Suppose you want to get into stand-up comedy. You’ve been practicing your bit for months in the comfort of your living room. You’re writing down your jokes and sharpening your timing and delivery. You might even record yourself and play it back to hear what you sound like to other people. Now, suppose you walk by your local comedy club and see an ad for an open-mic night next weekend. It’s a chance to take your craft to the next level. But you freeze. Suddenly, you can imagine bombing on stage in front of a silent audience.
At this point, you have one of two choices. You either succumb to the fear of failure and embarrassment or allow yourself to feel those crummy feelings but commit to the activity anyway. Thankfully, you choose the latter. You carry on despite the fear because you know that this is a critical step toward your goal. Of course, the ‘Just Do It’ method is not a replacement for hard work or solid preparation but a helpful tool in training yourself to coexist with your fear of failure and continue your efforts despite it.
The Five-Second Rule
The ‘Just Do It’ method is excellent, but if you’re struggling to get back on your feet, let alone start walking, that’s where the five-second rule comes in handy. Author Mel Robbins coined the term in her 2017 book, “The Five-Second Rule.” Robbins believes that if you have a strong desire to act on a goal, you have about five seconds to get moving before your mind kills the impulse to get it done.
I’ve experienced this all the time. I’ll have a long day and want nothing more than to turn into an amorphous blob for the rest of the evening, but I have a workout to get through. Suppose I don’t capitalize on those moments where I feel energized or motivated to exercise. My brain usually devolves into a mass of excuses and justifications for why I should take the day off.
Having implemented the five-second rule a few times to combat this, I can say first-hand that it works. And that’s the beauty of it; it’s so simple yet effective at harnessing even the smallest amount of drive to accomplish. Of course, it’s important to remember that the five-second rule is a valuable tool for addressing the habit of procrastination. But just like any tool, it will not work on its own. At the end of the day, you have to be willing to do the counting in the first place.
The 1% Method
So you’ve faced counted to five, gotten out of bed, and told Fear to bugger off so you can enjoy a more productive and efficient day. Now how do you keep the ball rolling? One of my favorite books is “Atomic Habits” by James Clear, where he lays out a framework for eliminating bad habits and replacing them with healthy ones.
One of the guiding principles behind this approach to self-improvement is the idea of getting 1% better each day. Initially, these changes will be barely noticeable. Over time, however, the days start to pile up, and any improvements you’ve made begin to compound along with them. To put it into numbers, if you commit to a 1% mindset each day out of a given year, you’ll be about 37 times better by the end of the year than you were at the start.
Achieving this level of growth doesn’t require drastic changes or overhauls from one day to the next. Instead, you can achieve unbelievable results by making small incremental shifts to your habits and behaviors that pay dividends. However, the opposite is true, and poor habits can also start to rack up quickly. If you can’t keep negative behaviors in check, you might end up 37 times worse at the end of the year!
Final Thoughts
One of the things I hope to do with this blog is to remind (myself) and everyone that progress is not always linear. You will have dips and dives here and there, but as you focus on gradual improvements and remain consistent, you will reach your goals. The methods mentioned above are effective, but they represent only a handful of tools at your disposal. That’s the beauty of self-development; there’s no single way to do it. Consider experimenting with some of the tools above to find what works best for you.