I think a lot about unintended consequences. The idea that you do something seemingly positive to only end up with a future negative result.

For example, consider when you moved out of your parents’ home and into your first apartment. Images probably come to mind of:

• Old carpet
• Broken A/C system
• Probably a cockroach or two

It’s character building, right? And as you grow and level up your housing, you can reflect back and know that no matter what, if things go sour, you can always return to that hovel with the confidence that things will be just fine.

That…

You’d think I’d know better, considering how I write a great deal about productivity. But it’s a funny thing being human, sometimes you forget.

It reminds me a lot of this quote by author, James Clear:

“People keep reading self-help and revisiting the same ideas because that’s precisely what we need: to be reminded. The problem is not that information is unhelpful, but that attention is fleeting. Nobody focuses on one idea every minute of the day.

Good books refocus the mind.”

My Realization

In my case, it’s not a specific book that helped me realize my error, it’s the fact that…

It’s really easy to watch videos or read articles by “experts” and feel as though they have it all worked out. They don’t.

At least, I don’t. So I assume they don’t either.

And I know that by even considering myself an “expert” in this context, I destroy any sense of humility that you may (or may not) have thought I possessed. I’m aware of this. That said, I do write, think, read, and talk about time more than the average person.

I’ve been featured in some cool places — like this article in Entrepreneur that I came across a…

Common advice dictates that you do nothing until inspiration strikes. That if you wake up uninspired or unmotivated, you are under no obligation to do your work. Particularly in the creative fields.

But is that good advice? History is undoubtedly filled with geniuses who waited for the muse to shine upon them before picking up their pen. Is that the rule though? Or the exception? Surely there is more than one way to get to where you want to go.

Personality Types

I had a conversation with a relative recently. We were discussing personality types. She and I both considered ourselves Type-A’s.

…

Yes, this looks great! My hand rests on the rearview mirror as I check my reflection in it. I turn my head to the left, then to the right. He did it again!

This is my current experience of getting a haircut. It’s always good. Every single time.

It wasn’t always like this though…

My Initial Go-To

For a long time, my haircuts took place in the cheap commercial chains. You know the ones. You show up, put your name on a list, and then wait 45 minutes while avoiding eye contact with everyone else waiting alongside you. …

The sirens can be heard approaching as you make your way out of the building. You’re not sure what happened initially, but whatever’s going on now, it’s loud.

There’s a crowd formed across from you.

Curiously, you make your way to them. You proceed hesitantly, cautiously. You’re naturally pretty squeamish and don’t want to see anything you can’t unsee. Or worse yet, that will make you sick in front of everyone.

You spot a neighbor amongst the crowded mass and approach her.

Much Too Many

“What’s going on?” you ask. “Feel free to spare the gruesome details.”

“Not much to tell,” she says…

Sacrifice is a tradeoff. It’s one thing for another. It may hurt more or less, but it’s the same process regardless. So at the surface level, is sacrifice truly necessary to achieve your goals?

Most certainly.

But that’s not your real question.

Your real question runs deeper. What you actually want to know is if you need to give up who you are in exchange for the person you want to be.

Don’t Trust the Movies

You watch the movies about Wall Street and see them abandon their families, their integrity, their creativity in exchange for money. Maybe there’s some backstabbing involved. …

You’re doing a great job. So before I get into this, go ahead and reassure yourself that you’re doing the best you can. Because you are. The problem is though that you have… high expectations.

There’s nothing wrong with having standards.

We all have them and we all stick to them to some degree. When it comes to your goals though, your expectations are likely too high. And it’s those heightened expectations that will consistently lead you astray.

The Problem With High Expectations

A common goal you see people set is that they want to lose weight. Now, that goal alone poses several issues. …