I love planning for the new year – both personally and professionally.
I've always been a big picture person - so I tend to think in 5, 10, 25-year increments ... but thinking about the coming year is helpful too.
I think about it a bit like using a map. Even if you know your intended destination, you still have to start with 'where you are' in order to figure out the best way to get there.
There are seemingly infinite potential paths ... but motion in a direction isn't really "progress" if it doesn't take you towards your desired destination.
As we reach the final week of 2021, I thought I'd revisit how I set New Year's resolutions.
To start with, resolutions only work if you actually "want" to make them happen. It's one thing to hope that something magically falls in your lap; it's another to want to put in the work.
With that being said, here are some tips.
- Focus on What You Want.
- Focus on Why You Want It.
- Focus on Ways You Might Get it.
- Focus on Evidence of Progress.
Below, I'll take you through an example of each of the four steps.
Moving Towards a Solution, Rather Than Suffering From the Problem.
Before I got back into my health, my first instinct was to think, "I need to lose weight." Knowing that "you're fat" isn't helpful … my head quickly translates that to something a tad more positive, yet generic, like: "I choose to be healthy and vital, and to live a healthy lifestyle."
Blah, blah … They are just words. What I needed was something specific, measurable, and actionable. How about: "I will lose 15 pounds and stop eating after dinner." OK, but that isn't inspiring, and there isn't much for me to do. I can do better than that.
Figure-Out a Big Enough WHY, Rather Than Worrying about the HOW's.
This post isn't about health and fitness; it is about the mindset and techniques you can use to set empowering goals and plans in any situation.
So, while I could list many ways to lose weight (and I might even remember to do some of them), leveraging a driving force creates momentum. In other words, the first step in "Doing" is knowing WHY you want something.
I really do want to be healthy, fit, and vital (it sure beats the alternatives), and I want to have the energy and confidence to live and enjoy my life fully. The world is my playground, and I want to take advantage of more opportunities to play with family and friends. However, to do those things, I must find better ways to live a healthy lifestyle.
The WHYs are just as important for business goals too.
Focus on Potential Solutions, Rather than Problems or Challenges.
Obstacles Exist. The bad news: I don't eat fish, and I don't like vegetables (unless French Fries are vegetables). My joints aren't close to healthy from years of violent contact sports. I rarely get 7 hours of sleep, and who'd have thunk it, but being a CEO of a startup is stressful. The good news: is none of those things matter; and even if they did, it just would mean that I have a lot of room for progress.
It is natural to focus on obstacles. But most obstacles are surmountable - with a big enough WHY, even I'll start to eat vegetables. Instead of dwelling on the limitations, use them as a reminder to focus on potential solutions instead. They are beacons, pointing the way.
How do you do it? To focus on solutions, you can make two action-based lists: one is of things To-Do ... and another is of things Not-To-Do.
Here are some of the sample To-Do Items:
- I will drink more water than coffee.
- I will stretch, or do basic calisthenics, on days that I do not go to the gym.
- I will make a healthy shake as a meal replacement rather than a snack of min-meal.
- I will focus on relaxation and meditation as much as I focus on strength & physical exercises.
Here is the actionable list of Not-To-Do Items.
- I will not buy new bigger pants or wear stretchy pants because of an expanding waistline.
- I will not eat snacks out of their container – and will portion out what I want first.
- I will not compare my current level of fitness to what I used to be able to do. Instead, I will focus on my actions and improvement.
Create Healthier Habits.
It is easy to follow a routine. So, here's another tip ... make your routine better. Here are some examples of things you could do to make being healthier happen with less effort.
- Pre-sort your vitamins into daily doses, and keep them by the coffee machine.
- Buy healthy snacks, like fruit, raw nuts, or organic energy bars (instead of chips).
- Enjoy listening to music or listening to a book/podcast during your "exercise time." Dedicating time to something doesn't mean you can't be multitasking.
- Park at the end of the parking lot, so you get to walk.
- Meet with friends at the gym or a hiking spot rather than a bar or restaurant.
You get the idea. Get in the habit of looking for ways to create better habits. What habits could you alter slightly to make a big difference? Which things can you automate or outsource?
For two books about the subject, I recommend Tiny Habits by B.J. Fogg and Willpower Doesn't Work by Benjamin Hardy.
Focus on Your Progress.
In this case, it really is about the journey. Instead of keeping track of how far you have to go ... notice how far you've come. Utilize an internal locus of control. It is about creating energy, momentum, and a sense of possibility. You may have a big, hairy, audacious goal in mind. That's fine, as long as you realize that reaching each milestone along the way is still an accomplishment.
- Find shoes that don't hurt your feet.
- Pick a gym or a personal trainer that you enjoy.
- Run more than two laps without stopping.
It doesn't matter what they are ... they all count, as long as you know that you are moving in the right direction.
Summary
The point of this exercise was not really to focus on fitness. These techniques and goal-setting tools work in any situation. The principles are:
- First, figure out what you want and why it is important to you. Only focus on the few things that are actually important to you.
- Second, find something you can do, right now, which moves you in the right direction.
- Third, notice which things create (rather than take) energy. Spend your time on those, and automate or create routines to take care of the rest.
- Fourth, plan forward, but measure backward. Set milestones so that you can recognize and celebrate your progress.
In my business, this translates to having a mission and vision - it's what we want, why it's important to us, and a basic strategy to get there. Then we create yearly "Big 3" goals that move us toward that long-term vision. Then, the team creates SMARTs (goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely) and KPIs (key performance indicators) so they know where to spend their time, and what milestones tell them they're on the right track.
It isn't magic, but it works.
Hope this helped.
The Future of the Blockchain
Last week, I talked about market performance in 2021. A decent portion of that article talked about cryptocurrency and the recent downturn (after a stellar 2021). I'm a skeptic by nature, so it's hard for me to get behind any specific coin (even Bitcoin) at this point in time.
This week, I had a conversation with good friends, including John Raymonds, about the topic as well. John is much more active in the space and brought up some good points. Something I noticed was how the level of discussion is starting to elevate and mature. People are beginning to think about secondary and tertiary value propositions. The conversation even made me think about repurposing some of our underutilized hardware in our server room for some crypto-related purposes.
So, today, I want to focus on a different aspect of the equation ... the potential value propositions of cryptocurrency as a technology - and the blockchain.
To start, I want to talk about Industrial Revolutions. In part because we're at another inflection point.
A Look at Industrial Revolutions
There are several turning points in our history where the world changed forever. Former paradigms and realities became relics of a bygone era.
Tomorrow's workforce will require different skills and face different challenges than we do today. You can consider this the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Compare today's changes to our previous industrial revolutions.
Each revolution shared multiple similarities. They were disruptive. They were centered on technological innovation. They created concatenating socio-cultural impacts.
Since most of us remember the third revolution, let's spend some time on that.
Here's a map of the entire "internet" in 1973.
Reddit via @WorkerGnome.
Most of us didn't use the internet at this point, but you probably remember Web1 (static HTML pages, a 5-minute download to view a 3Mb picture, and of course ... waiting for a website to load over the dialup connection before you could read it). It was still amazing.
Then Web 2.0 came, and so did everything else we now associate with the internet; Facebook, YouTube, ubiquitous porn sites, Google. But, with Web 2.0 also came user tracking, advertising, and we became the "product." Remember, you're not the customers of those platforms - advertisers are. And if you're not the customer, you're the product. And when you're not the customer, there's no reason for the platforms not to censor your thoughts to control the narrative.
Putting You In Control
Web3 (and the blockchain and its reliant technologies) brings the power back to the people.
Primarily due to decentralized access with equal treatment for everyone. Governments are already being pressured by Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. But so are banks and brokerages, due to smart contracts and Ethereum. Soon, even VCs will be impacted due to OHM fork treasuries or initial DEX offerings.
As Web3 gets more mature, so will decentralized finance. Meaning, big banks, governments, ISPs, and more will have less control over the applications and uses of the technology.
If handled correctly, that means competition can discourage the productization of your digital presence.
Removing Barriers
There are many practical ways this would impact your life - but let's look at one that's already happening.
El Salvador recently made Bitcoin legal tender. Talking about all the reasons this happened is beyond the scope of this article, but it does make El Salvador an excellent case study for the possibilities.
To start, it's now easier and quicker to buy a beer there (with Bitcoin) than it is in the US with cash. It also stabilizes pricing in a civil war, because it's easy to move both in and out of the country.
Consequently, it also means that their currency holds its value as they travel to other places.
Let's take this to the extreme. Let's say someone was to convert all their net worth to Bitcoin, and put it in a hardware wallet. They could conceivably memorize their seed phrase, throw the wallet in a fire, and fly to El Salvador with only the clothes on their back. After finding a way to scrounge up the money to buy another hardware wallet through random acts of labor ... they would be in a completely new country with their entire net worth and no other footprint. It's scary - especially for governments and their taxing authority. But, it creates a new set of potentials and freedom.
Now, take it a step further. What would the world look like if you had all your health data, insurance, etc., with you anywhere you travel? The world becomes your oyster in a way that was almost impossible before.
And that's only the beginning.
But, to bring it back to my skepticism again, there are a lot of roadblocks, inferences, and time in between today and the decentralization of the internet and finance. And for now, that thought experiment only really works if you're willing to move to El Salvador. The larger countries seem to be doing everything they can to discourage the adoption of cryptocurrencies. Though I think the smaller countries view this as a chance to become one of the new hubs of the world.
However, maybe it's time for this quote by Elon Musk:
Posted at 08:18 PM in Business, Current Affairs, Gadgets, Ideas, Market Commentary, Trading, Trading Tools, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0)
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