Hello,
Hope you are doing good!
I can understand what you might be feeling, after all, We live in a society wherein, it is OK if your work consumes 1/3rd of your day (at the least),
Wherein it is OK if your social identity is defined by what you do for a living rather than what makes you alive.
I also know that you are working super hard to get stuff done and race towards that corner office or early retirement.
Over-work (or work which may lack meaning) is draining your potential, sucking all of your passion and refilling your soul with insecurity.
You may ask me to become real now – You have bills to pay, savings to make, and mortgage to take care of.
But let me share, you also have talent, potential, passion, dreams, and promises to take care of.
What if I tell you that you can make your life more meaningful by becoming a better performer?
This is how it works:
Everyone has the same number of hours in a day,
What if you are able to maximize your impact during the work period?
Not only you will make this world a better place, You will have time to follow what makes you come alive.
Mojo of Small Things presents – 05 Things that will make You 5X better at work and in life!
Note: What all we are going to discuss now, won’t just impact how you work, but also how you live your life. Once you start working at these – Everything will get better.
Number 01: Hang out with People Who are ‘Better Than You’.
This has to be Number 01.
Well if there is just one and only one thing you need to start with – this is it.
Jim Rohn has famously said “You are the average of 5 people you spend time with.”
Once you change your company for people who are doing great – you are doing yourself a favor.
A favor by giving yourself mentors, role models, and possibly a new work ethic.
If this is so effective, Why is not everyone doing it?
Because feeling or being treated as best in the pack is like ego opium (like any bad addiction).
Rule of Thumb: If you are the smartest chap in the room, you are in the wrong room.
The BIG Question:
How do and Where can you find people who are better than you?
But before that, Let us tackle ‘What it means to be better?’A strong work ethic, high moral game, truck loads of passion and willingness to mentor.
Won’t all this come with the debris of eccentricities?
It may. The truckloads of passion and a high moral game will take care of all the bad stuff that comes with being a genius.
Where to find them?
Be a Seeker, and the Guru will appear.
Up your moral game and acquire a great work ethic before you go out.
Help them find you.
Note: Find Givers (rather than takers).
This brings us to wonder pill 02-
Number 02: HELP- Help Others Generously and Ask for Help when needed.
The world is build of givers and takers.
While the takers will perform well on surface,
Givers make more long term impact, are more sought after, more loved and sleep happy.
I know it beats office wisdom, but research shows that ‘being a giver’ works
(You can refer to the works of Adam Grant for more).
A word of Caution:
A perennial taker turned giver overnight may scare the shit out of people and keep them guessing all the way to the coffee machine.
Go slow and only once you start believing in it.
Ask for help and help others generously.
Well, Start with Helping others and for heaven’s sake – ‘DON’T KEEP SCORES’.
Mentor your juniors, treat people kindly, and avoid being a talking machine, help, and tell no one.
In personal life, it boils down to making life easier for your spouse, family and community.
Help them do stuff and Volunteer.
Here is the next BIG THING-
Number 03: Up Your MORAL GAME.
Why is this third?
Because without this – you won’t be able to do all the other stuff.
A well defined MORAL GAME refers to1. What will you do, if no one was watching?
2. How will you treat someone who can not repay it?
It may appear a little old school, but it has stood the test of time:
- Be Honest and Truthful,
- Be Industrious,
- Don’t take what all is NOT YOURS (including credit),
- Stay humble and be a GIVER.
When you do these:
- You attract people who are also up in the moral game,
- You SLEEP BETTER, and
- You CREATE a LEGACY.
Word of Caution:
You may also attract a bunch of Takers (eager to milk you) – This is where our next step comes in handy!
Number 04: REST & REJUVENATE.
Goes the old saying: ‘A land that has rested, gives a bountiful crop’.
While you are expanding and spending time with people better than you – You are bound to get tired.
Don’t stop – Go Catch some Rest and Rejuvenate.
This reminds me of a conversation between a journalist and an Iconic Indian Hotelier.
Wherein the Journalist asked the old hotelier,” When do you plan to retire, Sir?”, to which he famously replied, “I retire every night”.
Even Benjamin Franklin used to keep time aside for – ‘putting things in places. Supper. Music or diversion, or conversation.Examination of the day.’
While this may seem luxurious, given how ambitious we have turned and how addictive our devices have grown to be.
Don’t forget to take care of yourself.
Take a Walk, Disconnect with Devices and Connect with your family, Workout, Write or spend time learning what sets your soul on fire.
This brings us to our last Step.
Ironically this is also the result we are after.
Number 05: Up Your LIMITS a Little Bit every day.
That is how you expand and that is how it is built for a long.
What gets measured, gets improved.
Do 5 push-ups more, Walk a 1000 steps more, a little faster and spend an hour reading more and so on.
The first four steps are going to put you on an automatic growth path, but still, you may need to keep giving yourself a push now and then.
Start getting better deliberately, consciously, and daily.
Word of Caution:
Don’t go too mathematical about how you improve, but keep improving.
Will it come easy?
No, it may appear to be a series of operational baby steps but they will surely translate into giant leaps in terms of productivity and growth.
Have a great time growing, thriving, and making this world a better place.
Let’s get started.
With Love
Yours
Mojo of Small Things.