Category: Defining Success

If I offered you $1,000,000—would you take it?

…I’m going to assume yes.

If I told you the only stipulation is that you don’t get to wake up tomorrow—would you still take it?

…I’m going to assume no.

Which means—now stay with me here on this one—waking up tomorrow is worth more to you than $1,000,000.

So, do me (and yourself) a favor if you haven’t already and recognize that in this moment.

…Feel the true luxury of being able to live in this moment—a luxury worth more than $1,000,000. Try to fully experience all of the things that $1,000,000 can’t buy. Take the almighty dollar sign off that pedestal and shift your focus towards the things that really enrich your life experience.

…And do me (us) a favor and read this again tomorrow.

Cheers to another day (really) richer.

Modern society prescribes a pretty generic path to “success” that amounts to something along the lines of: Good grades in school –> Good grades in college –> Good performance reviews in career –> Good compatibility in marriage –> Good financial situation from earnings –> Good kids who get to go to a good school and start the cycle over again for themselves –> Good retirement knowing you did well for them as parents –> Good grandkids –> So forth.

What’s fun to think about sometimes is how the generic path to success has nothing to do with your path to success—because it’s something that can only ever be defined by you.

…And how your path could change at any point along the way that amounts to something more along the lines of what success feels like to you, by you. Maybe including deviations like –> Crappy grades in school so picked up a trade / specialty skill instead. Or –> Took a gap year after school and traveled on the other side of the planet, just because. Or –> Had a really cool business idea and was aligned with really cool people so went for it. Or –> Was sick of my daily grind so started a side hustle that turned full-time hustle online. Or –> Got offered a once in a lifetime opportunity and I said “Yes.”

What’s even more fun than thinking about the above… is doing the above. The generic path can be fulfilling—no doubt. But, there’s also no doubt that the path filled with deviations concludes with a little more certainty—a knowing of what came from the thoughts instead of being left at the end of the generic with a haunted feeling of… “What if…”

There’s no success without alignment.

• $1,000,000+ doing work you hate isn’t success.
• 30 pounds lost following a diet and exercise regimen that makes you miserable isn’t a success.
• Reading 100 books in a year that were all irrelevant to your life/interests/goals isn’t a success.
• Getting first place in a competition that doesn’t challenge or excite you in any way isn’t a success.
• Going viral by intentionally spreading misinformation or hate or content that you would despise consuming yourself isn’t a success.

…Which is why it’s crucially important to find alignment before you ever chase any kind of success.

Inner Work Prompt: What does “success” look like to you? Are your means in alignment with that end?

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1) There’s no winning or losing—only learning. The person who wins, but doesn’t learn anything—loses; the person who loses and doesn’t learn anything—loses; and the person who has a plethora of experiences, but never learns anything from them—loses. Learning is what it’s all about. Extracting information from raw experiences that you can then use to guide you forward, upgrade your thinking, improve your processes, make better choices, and challenge yourself more appropriately in the future—whether you win, lose, or just participate makes every experience a win for living.

2) This is just the beginning. The fixed mindset says, “What I have is what I’ve got.” And when we say things like, “I can’t do that” or “That’s just the way I am” or “I’m hopeless”—what we’re really confirming is a fixed mindset way of living. We’re saying our brains and bodies won’t improve or adapt with appropriate challenge, deliberate practice, and communal support. Which, of course, just isn’t true. Our brains and bodies are brilliantly designed from millions of years of evolution to adapt to the challenges they’re exposed to. Which means it isn’t that you “can’t do it” …it’s that you can’t do it yet. It isn’t “just the way you are…” it’s the way you are for now. And you’re definitely not hopeless… you’re actually just at the cusp of a new, humble beginning.

When you know you can learn something from every experience and that you have the ability to grow, adapt, and improve both your body and mind… what could possibly stop you from moving forward in life?

When I play pickup basketball, there are no refs. Which means the rules are enforced based on the honor system and are all up for debate.

This creates a type of character reveal environment.

When you’re driving to the rim and get whacked a few times by a defender and they don’t call a foul—you remember that.

When you see clearly who the ball went out of bounds by and see them clearly argue against it—you remember that.

When you’re trying to get open for a play, but get inconspicuously held, tripped, or otherwise played dirty—you remember that.

Worth mentioning here that in some situations, it actually makes sense to foul.

The point I want to make isn’t about the fouling per se—you can strategically and respectfully foul—it’s about the character reveal.

One of the guys I play with happens to be a real estate agent.

…Who also happens to be one of the most honest, clean players on the court. Even in situations where it’s unclear who’s at fault—he’ll take blame without hesitation.

And while this might not lead to more immediate points for his team… guess what it does lead to?

Trust in who he is as a person.

And if/when I’m looking to buy a house—guess who I’m going to remember as being an honest/ clean playing guy who also happens to sell houses?

That guy.

…Don’t miss the forest for the trees.

Sometimes we fight so hard to win the immediate game that we forget about the grander game being played.

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P.s. Today is the 4 year anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s tragic death. Remember some of his legacy here.