One of the biggest mistakes of big thinkers

[Johnny boy]

I remember sometime when I was a younger kid, around 10.

I was in the kitchen with the rest of the family.

I was telling my family again, for probably the hundredth time, how I was going to be a big shot and own a business.

And my dad said:

"yeah....cool...maybe you should start by cleaning your F*cking room?"

I thought "He doesn't get it. He's stupid. He thinks small. I think big".

Time went by and I wasn't making much progress. I would start things and quit them, then on to something else. Not just as a 10 year old. As an 18 year old. As a 20 year old... it kept going.

I started noticing people would be more successful, and they would always focus on the small things more than anything else.

But I was stubborn.

And then I realized as I got older.... what is life really?

It's just a bunch of days.

We seem to have two ideas of life. One is real, and the other is some dream. I thought about some dream life a lot, and I bet you do too.

But we only ever live a real life.

One where we wake up, get out of bed, rub our eyes, take a shit, and figure out what we're going to do today.

We do some stuff, we eat, we chat with people, it gets late and we wind down, then we go to bed.

Just a bunch of those over and over. Only some things change.

What we do for the few hours. The people we are around. The place we are in. The food we eat. The place we sleep. The work we do.

And that's really all there is to life for the most part. Sure, maybe you go climb a mountain. Maybe you do some big adventure, but even when you do those things it's still a lot of the same in a strange way. It's that strange feeling you get when you're actually doing something that previously existed as just an idea in your mind. A weird thing happens when it becomes real. It becomes just a part of your day in an odd, casual way.

The important thing to realize is this:

Your life is just made up out of days.

A bunch of small little decisions and priorities, stacked up over and over.

Nothing big can ever be done. Only in our minds can we do big things, but in the real world we can only do a bunch of small things that add up. We can't "build a business". But we can file documents with the state. We can call a lead. We can sell our stuff to someone. We can build a website. We can put in the reps.

If you're dreaming big and not immediately turning your focus back to the miniscule decisions that make up your day to day life, you are royally F*cking up, expect to get slapped in the face.

When you only think big, you don't think little things are important. I thought it was water under the bridge. "Who cares my dishes are dirty? I'll get a maid when I'm rich."

A lot of people say "how you do one thing is how you do everything" and it never really meant much to me to hear that.

When it really hit me is when I thought about it another way.

The way I think about it is this.

"If I can only do one thing at a time, and make one decision at a time, and live one day at a time....
then the entirety of my success in this particular endeavor that is in front of me....
rests in my one choice in this moment..."

Because the journey of a thousand miles begins with one single step.
But also step 2781
And step 61790
and step 156102
and so on...

It doesn't just start with one step. Every step to continue is just one step.

If you make a constant effort to "win the day" by making excellent decisions, again and again, starting from the smallest details of your life that are right in front of you...

You will absolutely kill it in life.

When you want to get in shape, and you need to eat healthier food, you will look at it as just one decision.

Not even "one decision AT A TIME", but just "one decision". At a time implies a long road of future decisions, making you think of the opposite of the truth, many many decisions. It isn't. It's just one. Right now. Because once it's later it will still be right now, and that will be the fullest extent of any decision you'll ever have to make.

I used to think it was silly to put so much weight into "right now". I thought that people who made a big deal of things were foolish, with nearsighted vision.

Maybe that's true.

But once you realize that you can only ever live in the current moment, single moments become a big deal.

It is all you have.

So go do the dishes, do your pushups today, ask out that girl walking by, set your alarm and go to bed on time tonight, make your to do list for the first part of the day and eat a healthy dinner.

Don't even worry about doing it again tomorrow. By doing it tonight you have already won.

When you do this, and think this way, a great sense of calm will wash over you.

At least it does for me.

It lifts a large weight off of my brain.

It lets me get very quiet, very calm, and just start doing what needs to be done. I don't think about the future, the past, or anything else. I just think about what needs to be done and I get it done.

I hope it does the same for you.

 

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[Black_Dragon43]

I remember sometime when I was a younger kid, around 10.

I was in the kitchen with the rest of the family.

I was telling my family again, for probably the hundredth time, how I was going to be a big shot and own a business.

And my dad said:

"yeah....cool...maybe you should start by cleaning your F*cking room?"

I thought "He doesn't get it. He's stupid. He thinks small. I think big".

Time went by and I wasn't making much progress. I would start things and quit them, then on to something else. Not just as a 10 year old. As an 18 year old. As a 20 year old... it kept going.

I started noticing people would be more successful, and they would always focus on the small things more than anything else.

But I was stubborn.

And then I realized as I got older.... what is life really?

It's just a bunch of days.

We seem to have two ideas of life. One is real, and the other is some dream. I thought about some dream life a lot, and I bet you do too.

But we only ever live a real life.

One where we wake up, get out of bed, rub our eyes, take a shit, and figure out what we're going to do today.

We do some stuff, we eat, we chat with people, it gets late and we wind down, then we go to bed.

Just a bunch of those over and over. Only some things change.

What we do for the few hours. The people we are around. The place we are in. The food we eat. The place we sleep. The work we do.

And that's really all there is to life for the most part. Sure, maybe you go climb a mountain. Maybe you do some big adventure, but even when you do those things it's still a lot of the same in a strange way. It's that strange feeling you get when you're actually doing something that previously existed as just an idea in your mind. A weird thing happens when it becomes real. It becomes just a part of your day in an odd, casual way.

The important thing to realize is this:

Your life is just made up out of days.

A bunch of small little decisions and priorities, stacked up over and over.

Nothing big can ever be done. Only in our minds can we do big things, but in the real world we can only do a bunch of small things that add up. We can't "build a business". But we can file documents with the state. We can call a lead. We can sell our stuff to someone. We can build a website. We can put in the reps.

If you're dreaming big and not immediately turning your focus back to the miniscule decisions that make up your day to day life, you are royally F*cking up, expect to get slapped in the face.

When you only think big, you don't think little things are important. I thought it was water under the bridge. "Who cares my dishes are dirty? I'll get a maid when I'm rich."

A lot of people say "how you do one thing is how you do everything" and it never really meant much to me to hear that.

When it really hit me is when I thought about it another way.

The way I think about it is this.

"If I can only do one thing at a time, and make one decision at a time, and live one day at a time....
then the entirety of my success in this particular endeavor that is in front of me....
rests in my one choice in this moment..."

Because the journey of a thousand miles begins with one single step.
But also step 2781
And step 61790
and step 156102
and so on...

It doesn't just start with one step. Every step to continue is just one step.

If you make a constant effort to "win the day" by making excellent decisions, again and again, starting from the smallest details of your life that are right in front of you...

You will absolutely kill it in life.

When you want to get in shape, and you need to eat healthier food, you will look at it as just one decision.

Not even "one decision AT A TIME", but just "one decision". At a time implies a long road of future decisions, making you think of the opposite of the truth, many many decisions. It isn't. It's just one. Right now. Because once it's later it will still be right now, and that will be the fullest extent of any decision you'll ever have to make.

I used to think it was silly to put so much weight into "right now". I thought that people who made a big deal of things were foolish, with nearsighted vision.

Maybe that's true.

But once you realize that you can only ever live in the current moment, single moments become a big deal.

It is all you have.

So go do the dishes, do your pushups today, ask out that girl walking by, set your alarm and go to bed on time tonight, make your to do list for the first part of the day and eat a healthy dinner.

Don't even worry about doing it again tomorrow. By doing it tonight you have already won.

When you do this, and think this way, a great sense of calm will wash over you.

At least it does for me.

It lifts a large weight off of my brain.

It lets me get very quiet, very calm, and just start doing what needs to be done. I don't think about the future, the past, or anything else. I just think about what needs to be done and I get it done.

I hope it does the same for you.

Gold post. Congrats for reciting the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle in different words

 

[Johnny boy]

Gold post. Congrats for reciting the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle in different words

next week I'll discover geoarbitrage and how you can design your lifestyle where you only work 4 hours in a single work week.

 

[monnffffiiiiiii]

Starting big (team of 10, $20 million in funding, etc) almost always fails.

Starting small increases success chances as it gives you the chance to build a better foundation.

Great post!

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Great take, upgraded to GOLD.

I've been telling my step-son this for years who is a big thinker, but fails to pay attention to small details, small actions, and small decisions. In fact, he has said the line about the maid and cleaning up. He wants to win life, but not win the day.

I printed this out for him to read... he likely will listen to someone his age and a fellow gym-rat, not his old step-father.

Thanks!

 

[Johnny boy]

Great take, upgraded to GOLD.

I've been telling my step-son this for years who is a big thinker, but fails to pay attention to small details, small actions, and small decisions. In fact, he has said the line about the maid and cleaning up. He wants to win life, but not win the day.

I printed this out for him to read... he likely will listen to someone his age and a fellow gym-rat, not his old step-father.

Thanks!

If he knows he must show up at the gym every scheduled day, he’s halfway there, just needs to apply it to the rest of his life of showing up and doing the reps

also...

It's very funny to me when MJ DeMarco, the guy that, when I mention his name in casual conversation to other business owners and they say "oh, I know him!", says to me that he printed out a post I typed up last night to give to his step-son.

 

[Johnny boy]

Starting big (team of 10, $20 million in funding, etc) almost always fails.

Starting small increases success chances as it gives you the chance to build a better foundation.

Great post!

You can still do that and have a big company, but you start with winning the actions right in front of you. You still have to do what you can with today.

You’ll have a better shot of succeeding at the big stuff by taking care of the details and building that discipline muscle anyways.

 

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[Black_Dragon43]

You can still do that and have a big company, but you start with winning the actions right in front of you. You still have to do what you can with today.

You’ll have a better shot of succeeding at the big stuff by taking care of the details and building that discipline muscle anyways.

One question @Johnny boy – are you able to be happy doing the small stuff? I am very good at doing the small stuff, but it's the big things that makes me happy. And sometimes when the distance between today and the end goal is too big, I can get very frustrated and annoyed that I'm not there yet, which leads to trying to cram as much as I can in for today. I can do it... but it's painful to say the least lol.

What's your experience with this sort of issue?

 

[Johnny boy]

One question @Johnny boy – are you able to be happy doing the small stuff? I am very good at doing the small stuff, but it's the big things that makes me happy. And sometimes when the distance between today and the end goal is too big, I can get very frustrated and annoyed that I'm not there yet, which leads to trying to cram as much as I can in for today. I can do it... but it's painful to say the least lol.

What's your experience with this sort of issue?

It's meditative. My brain stops bouncing around, jumping from thought to thought and beating itself up. It's like running around digging a bunch of holes, filling them back up, flinging dirt everywhere. You're tired without doing anything.

Instead, sit calmly and become interested in the simple things right in front of your nose.

I'm cleaning up my office right now. I have a list of things to do but I'll look at it when I'm done.

It's like that.

What's ironic is you will get more done the less you try to cram. The more you just execute individual steps and accept that you can only do one at a time, it get's easier. Your brain doesn't work as hard. You get more done.

 

[BizyDad]

What's ironic is you will get more done the less you try to cram. The more you just execute individual steps and accept that you can only do one at a time, it get's easier. Your brain doesn't work as hard. You get more done.

This might be my new favorite of your threads. Great write up. What you write about here is something I've only started to discover at this later point in life.

I used to firmly believe in the power multitasking. But the more I focus on one thing at a time, not only do I get more done but my brain is calmer and I "feel" more capable.

It's a self reinforcing positive feedback loop.

 

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[Panos Daras]

A nice thought-out thread. Keep them coming! Thanks, Johny!

 

[jdm667]

I remember sometime when I was a younger kid, around 10.

I was in the kitchen with the rest of the family.

I was telling my family again, for probably the hundredth time, how I was going to be a big shot and own a business.

And my dad said:

"yeah....cool...maybe you should start by cleaning your F*cking room?"

I thought "He doesn't get it. He's stupid. He thinks small. I think big".

Time went by and I wasn't making much progress. I would start things and quit them, then on to something else. Not just as a 10 year old. As an 18 year old. As a 20 year old... it kept going.

I started noticing people would be more successful, and they would always focus on the small things more than anything else.

But I was stubborn.

And then I realized as I got older.... what is life really?

It's just a bunch of days.

We seem to have two ideas of life. One is real, and the other is some dream. I thought about some dream life a lot, and I bet you do too.

But we only ever live a real life.

One where we wake up, get out of bed, rub our eyes, take a shit, and figure out what we're going to do today.

We do some stuff, we eat, we chat with people, it gets late and we wind down, then we go to bed.

Just a bunch of those over and over. Only some things change.

What we do for the few hours. The people we are around. The place we are in. The food we eat. The place we sleep. The work we do.

And that's really all there is to life for the most part. Sure, maybe you go climb a mountain. Maybe you do some big adventure, but even when you do those things it's still a lot of the same in a strange way. It's that strange feeling you get when you're actually doing something that previously existed as just an idea in your mind. A weird thing happens when it becomes real. It becomes just a part of your day in an odd, casual way.

The important thing to realize is this:

Your life is just made up out of days.

A bunch of small little decisions and priorities, stacked up over and over.

Nothing big can ever be done. Only in our minds can we do big things, but in the real world we can only do a bunch of small things that add up. We can't "build a business". But we can file documents with the state. We can call a lead. We can sell our stuff to someone. We can build a website. We can put in the reps.

If you're dreaming big and not immediately turning your focus back to the miniscule decisions that make up your day to day life, you are royally F*cking up, expect to get slapped in the face.

When you only think big, you don't think little things are important. I thought it was water under the bridge. "Who cares my dishes are dirty? I'll get a maid when I'm rich."

A lot of people say "how you do one thing is how you do everything" and it never really meant much to me to hear that.

When it really hit me is when I thought about it another way.

The way I think about it is this.

"If I can only do one thing at a time, and make one decision at a time, and live one day at a time....
then the entirety of my success in this particular endeavor that is in front of me....
rests in my one choice in this moment..."

Because the journey of a thousand miles begins with one single step.
But also step 2781
And step 61790
and step 156102
and so on...

It doesn't just start with one step. Every step to continue is just one step.

If you make a constant effort to "win the day" by making excellent decisions, again and again, starting from the smallest details of your life that are right in front of you...

You will absolutely kill it in life.

When you want to get in shape, and you need to eat healthier food, you will look at it as just one decision.

Not even "one decision AT A TIME", but just "one decision". At a time implies a long road of future decisions, making you think of the opposite of the truth, many many decisions. It isn't. It's just one. Right now. Because once it's later it will still be right now, and that will be the fullest extent of any decision you'll ever have to make.

I used to think it was silly to put so much weight into "right now". I thought that people who made a big deal of things were foolish, with nearsighted vision.

Maybe that's true.

But once you realize that you can only ever live in the current moment, single moments become a big deal.

It is all you have.

So go do the dishes, do your pushups today, ask out that girl walking by, set your alarm and go to bed on time tonight, make your to do list for the first part of the day and eat a healthy dinner.

Don't even worry about doing it again tomorrow. By doing it tonight you have already won.

When you do this, and think this way, a great sense of calm will wash over you.

At least it does for me.

It lifts a large weight off of my brain.

It lets me get very quiet, very calm, and just start doing what needs to be done. I don't think about the future, the past, or anything else. I just think about what needs to be done and I get it done.

I hope it does the same for you.

I think this is a huge reason people never start a business - or, why they fail.

They see a small task and think "No big deal, I'll just skip it." Or, worse, "That task is beneath me."

But it's never one task skipped. It always turns into more. Inevitably, those undone tasks add up and hurt the business.

Have you ever eaten a single spoonful of ice cream when on a strict diet? Nope - it snowballs from there. Best to have none in the freezer. Remove the temptation to fail.

Reminds me of the Seinfeld strategy, where you build up a streak of days in a row where you did your small tasks (in his case, writing jokes). Today matters - but your cumulative effort shows on the calendar, and in your eventual results.

Thanks for the post @Johnny boy

 

[mikecarlooch]

This is one of the best threads you've ever written. kudos.

 

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[MRiabov]

It's the decisions we make and the decisions after them.

Both types of decisions matter, but what I've learned is if you F*ck up the big decisions, your small decisions will lead you only to discovering the fact that you've f*cked up the big decision.

"The Process Principle", but in a bad way.

 

[Aidan04]

This same thought keeps giving me flashbacks to UNSCRIPTED here. Plan big, start small.

@MJ DeMarco was going through the same process I am, albeit with older tech:
"For example, when I started my Internet company, I had little knowledge about best practices, web technologies, and how to sell to customers. I learned based on the immediate objective in front of me, incrementally and gradually, each step dictated by continual improvement. How do I randomize directory output? Research, learn. solve. How do I interact with a database? Research, learn. solve."

Compared to now with my current mountain to climb:
How do I interface a MongoDB database with a backend login hook?
How do I get images to lazy load based on scrolling?
How do I integrate Stripe for payments?
How do I keep the comments on product pages from disappearing when they're out of render?

Yes, I had some prior knowledge of JS and full-stack web development, but I've had to re-learn everything from scratch.

Step by step, piece by piece, I will build this platform.

 

[Runum]

I remember sometime when I was a younger kid, around 10.

I was in the kitchen with the rest of the family.

I was telling my family again, for probably the hundredth time, how I was going to be a big shot and own a business.

And my dad said:

"yeah....cool...maybe you should start by cleaning your F*cking room?"

I thought "He doesn't get it. He's stupid. He thinks small. I think big".

Time went by and I wasn't making much progress. I would start things and quit them, then on to something else. Not just as a 10 year old. As an 18 year old. As a 20 year old... it kept going.

I started noticing people would be more successful, and they would always focus on the small things more than anything else.

But I was stubborn.

And then I realized as I got older.... what is life really?

It's just a bunch of days.

We seem to have two ideas of life. One is real, and the other is some dream. I thought about some dream life a lot, and I bet you do too.

But we only ever live a real life.

One where we wake up, get out of bed, rub our eyes, take a shit, and figure out what we're going to do today.

We do some stuff, we eat, we chat with people, it gets late and we wind down, then we go to bed.

Just a bunch of those over and over. Only some things change.

What we do for the few hours. The people we are around. The place we are in. The food we eat. The place we sleep. The work we do.

And that's really all there is to life for the most part. Sure, maybe you go climb a mountain. Maybe you do some big adventure, but even when you do those things it's still a lot of the same in a strange way. It's that strange feeling you get when you're actually doing something that previously existed as just an idea in your mind. A weird thing happens when it becomes real. It becomes just a part of your day in an odd, casual way.

The important thing to realize is this:

Your life is just made up out of days.

A bunch of small little decisions and priorities, stacked up over and over.

Nothing big can ever be done. Only in our minds can we do big things, but in the real world we can only do a bunch of small things that add up. We can't "build a business". But we can file documents with the state. We can call a lead. We can sell our stuff to someone. We can build a website. We can put in the reps.

If you're dreaming big and not immediately turning your focus back to the miniscule decisions that make up your day to day life, you are royally F*cking up, expect to get slapped in the face.

When you only think big, you don't think little things are important. I thought it was water under the bridge. "Who cares my dishes are dirty? I'll get a maid when I'm rich."

A lot of people say "how you do one thing is how you do everything" and it never really meant much to me to hear that.

When it really hit me is when I thought about it another way.

The way I think about it is this.

"If I can only do one thing at a time, and make one decision at a time, and live one day at a time....
then the entirety of my success in this particular endeavor that is in front of me....
rests in my one choice in this moment..."

Because the journey of a thousand miles begins with one single step.
But also step 2781
And step 61790
and step 156102
and so on...

It doesn't just start with one step. Every step to continue is just one step.

If you make a constant effort to "win the day" by making excellent decisions, again and again, starting from the smallest details of your life that are right in front of you...

You will absolutely kill it in life.

When you want to get in shape, and you need to eat healthier food, you will look at it as just one decision.

Not even "one decision AT A TIME", but just "one decision". At a time implies a long road of future decisions, making you think of the opposite of the truth, many many decisions. It isn't. It's just one. Right now. Because once it's later it will still be right now, and that will be the fullest extent of any decision you'll ever have to make.

I used to think it was silly to put so much weight into "right now". I thought that people who made a big deal of things were foolish, with nearsighted vision.

Maybe that's true.

But once you realize that you can only ever live in the current moment, single moments become a big deal.

It is all you have.

So go do the dishes, do your pushups today, ask out that girl walking by, set your alarm and go to bed on time tonight, make your to do list for the first part of the day and eat a healthy dinner.

Don't even worry about doing it again tomorrow. By doing it tonight you have already won.

When you do this, and think this way, a great sense of calm will wash over you.

At least it does for me.

It lifts a large weight off of my brain.

It lets me get very quiet, very calm, and just start doing what needs to be done. I don't think about the future, the past, or anything else. I just think about what needs to be done and I get it done.

I hope it does the same for you.

Great post @Johnny boy.

 

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[Edoardo]

Great take, upgraded to GOLD.

I've been telling my step-son this for years who is a big thinker, but fails to pay attention to small details, small actions, and small decisions. In fact, he has said the line about the maid and cleaning up. He wants to win life, but not win the day.

I printed this out for him to read... he likely will listen to someone his age and a fellow gym-rat, not his old step-father.

Thanks!

It's pretty interesting how your step son won't listen to you, with your numerous books and millions dollars house. I guess it's an age and ego thing.

 

[BizyDad]

It's pretty interesting how your step son won't listen to you, with your numerous books and millions dollars house. I guess it's an age and ego thing.

A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

It's pretty interesting how your step son won't listen to you, with your numerous books and millions dollars house. I guess it's an age and ego thing.

Yes, both age and youthful "I know everything" ego combined with severe stubbornness.

It's a bit sad that he hasn't read any of my books, despite his new entrepreneurial goals. At first, he didn't read them because he had little interest in business, that is, until he got a job and was forced to get up at 6AM five days a week.

Now he wants to be a business owner.

He does respect me tremendously and we have a great relationship, he just won't pick up any of my books.

My wife and I think it's a defense mechanism, that if he reads them, he will feel more pressure, and have high expectations put on him. I want nothing for him other than his happiness and success, but like most Gen-Z'ers, struggles with attention, focus, and the usual plagues of his generation.

However in his defense, he does come to me often for advice, but usually not for learning, but confirmation, confirmation only after he hears it elsewhere through a 3rd party, usually, something I've been talking about for 10 years.

Him: Wow, so [Podcast Guest/YT Guru] said X, Y, and Z! Is that true?
Me: Yes, old news: I've been telling you X, Y, and Z for 10 years.

 

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[Andy Black]

Yes, both age and youthful "I know everything" ego combined with severe stubbornness.

It's a bit sad that he hasn't read any of my books, despite his new entrepreneurial goals. At first, he didn't read them because he had little interest in business, that is, until he got a job and was forced to get up at 6AM five days a week.

Now he wants to be a business owner.

He does respect me tremendously and we have a great relationship, he just won't pick up any of my books.

My wife and I think it's a defense mechanism, that if he reads them, he will feel more pressure, and have high expectations put on him. I want nothing for him other than his happiness and success, but like most Gen-Z'ers, struggles with attention, focus, and the usual plagues of his generation.

However in his defense, he does come to me often for advice, but usually not for learning, but confirmation, confirmation only after he hears it elsewhere through a 3rd party, usually, something I've been talking about for 10 years.

Him: Wow, so [Podcast Guest/YT Guru] said X, Y, and Z! Is that true?
Me: Yes, old news: I've been telling you X, Y, and Z for 10 years.

Lol. It's just the curse of being a parent. Tell them the stove is hot. They burn themselves. Repeat for the next stove.

A few years ago me and my dad were in a gift shop and laughed at a sign:

"My dad was so dumb while I was growing up. He only started talking sense when I turned 24."

I was a dad at that stage, which is why we laughed so hard.

 

[observo.aprendo]

I remember sometime when I was a younger kid, around 10.

I was in the kitchen with the rest of the family.

I was telling my family again, for probably the hundredth time, how I was going to be a big shot and own a business.

And my dad said:

"yeah....cool...maybe you should start by cleaning your F*cking room?"

I thought "He doesn't get it. He's stupid. He thinks small. I think big".

Time went by and I wasn't making much progress. I would start things and quit them, then on to something else. Not just as a 10 year old. As an 18 year old. As a 20 year old... it kept going.

I started noticing people would be more successful, and they would always focus on the small things more than anything else.

But I was stubborn.

And then I realized as I got older.... what is life really?

It's just a bunch of days.

We seem to have two ideas of life. One is real, and the other is some dream. I thought about some dream life a lot, and I bet you do too.

But we only ever live a real life.

One where we wake up, get out of bed, rub our eyes, take a shit, and figure out what we're going to do today.

We do some stuff, we eat, we chat with people, it gets late and we wind down, then we go to bed.

Just a bunch of those over and over. Only some things change.

What we do for the few hours. The people we are around. The place we are in. The food we eat. The place we sleep. The work we do.

And that's really all there is to life for the most part. Sure, maybe you go climb a mountain. Maybe you do some big adventure, but even when you do those things it's still a lot of the same in a strange way. It's that strange feeling you get when you're actually doing something that previously existed as just an idea in your mind. A weird thing happens when it becomes real. It becomes just a part of your day in an odd, casual way.

The important thing to realize is this:

Your life is just made up out of days.

A bunch of small little decisions and priorities, stacked up over and over.

Nothing big can ever be done. Only in our minds can we do big things, but in the real world we can only do a bunch of small things that add up. We can't "build a business". But we can file documents with the state. We can call a lead. We can sell our stuff to someone. We can build a website. We can put in the reps.

If you're dreaming big and not immediately turning your focus back to the miniscule decisions that make up your day to day life, you are royally F*cking up, expect to get slapped in the face.

When you only think big, you don't think little things are important. I thought it was water under the bridge. "Who cares my dishes are dirty? I'll get a maid when I'm rich."

A lot of people say "how you do one thing is how you do everything" and it never really meant much to me to hear that.

When it really hit me is when I thought about it another way.

The way I think about it is this.

"If I can only do one thing at a time, and make one decision at a time, and live one day at a time....
then the entirety of my success in this particular endeavor that is in front of me....
rests in my one choice in this moment..."

Because the journey of a thousand miles begins with one single step.
But also step 2781
And step 61790
and step 156102
and so on...

It doesn't just start with one step. Every step to continue is just one step.

If you make a constant effort to "win the day" by making excellent decisions, again and again, starting from the smallest details of your life that are right in front of you...

You will absolutely kill it in life.

When you want to get in shape, and you need to eat healthier food, you will look at it as just one decision.

Not even "one decision AT A TIME", but just "one decision". At a time implies a long road of future decisions, making you think of the opposite of the truth, many many decisions. It isn't. It's just one. Right now. Because once it's later it will still be right now, and that will be the fullest extent of any decision you'll ever have to make.

I used to think it was silly to put so much weight into "right now". I thought that people who made a big deal of things were foolish, with nearsighted vision.

Maybe that's true.

But once you realize that you can only ever live in the current moment, single moments become a big deal.

It is all you have.

So go do the dishes, do your pushups today, ask out that girl walking by, set your alarm and go to bed on time tonight, make your to do list for the first part of the day and eat a healthy dinner.

Don't even worry about doing it again tomorrow. By doing it tonight you have already won.

When you do this, and think this way, a great sense of calm will wash over you.

At least it does for me.

It lifts a large weight off of my brain.

It lets me get very quiet, very calm, and just start doing what needs to be done. I don't think about the future, the past, or anything else. I just think about what needs to be done and I get it done.

I hope it does the same for you.

Thanks a lot! it totally make sense to me. And as you said, it takes a lot of weight out our shoulders not having the pressure of expecting to "do big things". Start giving the credit on small steps and enjoy the simple.
Let's start idealizing the present! I think many people here want to achieve great goals. But don't delay happiness. Enjoy and embrace the process.

 

[lifemaker]

I remember sometime when I was a younger kid, around 10.

I was in the kitchen with the rest of the family.

I was telling my family again, for probably the hundredth time, how I was going to be a big shot and own a business.

And my dad said:

"yeah....cool...maybe you should start by cleaning your F*cking room?"

I thought "He doesn't get it. He's stupid. He thinks small. I think big".

Time went by and I wasn't making much progress. I would start things and quit them, then on to something else. Not just as a 10 year old. As an 18 year old. As a 20 year old... it kept going.

I started noticing people would be more successful, and they would always focus on the small things more than anything else.

But I was stubborn.

And then I realized as I got older.... what is life really?

It's just a bunch of days.

We seem to have two ideas of life. One is real, and the other is some dream. I thought about some dream life a lot, and I bet you do too.

But we only ever live a real life.

One where we wake up, get out of bed, rub our eyes, take a shit, and figure out what we're going to do today.

We do some stuff, we eat, we chat with people, it gets late and we wind down, then we go to bed.

Just a bunch of those over and over. Only some things change.

What we do for the few hours. The people we are around. The place we are in. The food we eat. The place we sleep. The work we do.

And that's really all there is to life for the most part. Sure, maybe you go climb a mountain. Maybe you do some big adventure, but even when you do those things it's still a lot of the same in a strange way. It's that strange feeling you get when you're actually doing something that previously existed as just an idea in your mind. A weird thing happens when it becomes real. It becomes just a part of your day in an odd, casual way.

The important thing to realize is this:

Your life is just made up out of days.

A bunch of small little decisions and priorities, stacked up over and over.

Nothing big can ever be done. Only in our minds can we do big things, but in the real world we can only do a bunch of small things that add up. We can't "build a business". But we can file documents with the state. We can call a lead. We can sell our stuff to someone. We can build a website. We can put in the reps.

If you're dreaming big and not immediately turning your focus back to the miniscule decisions that make up your day to day life, you are royally F*cking up, expect to get slapped in the face.

When you only think big, you don't think little things are important. I thought it was water under the bridge. "Who cares my dishes are dirty? I'll get a maid when I'm rich."

A lot of people say "how you do one thing is how you do everything" and it never really meant much to me to hear that.

When it really hit me is when I thought about it another way.

The way I think about it is this.

"If I can only do one thing at a time, and make one decision at a time, and live one day at a time....
then the entirety of my success in this particular endeavor that is in front of me....
rests in my one choice in this moment..."

Because the journey of a thousand miles begins with one single step.
But also step 2781
And step 61790
and step 156102
and so on...

It doesn't just start with one step. Every step to continue is just one step.

If you make a constant effort to "win the day" by making excellent decisions, again and again, starting from the smallest details of your life that are right in front of you...

You will absolutely kill it in life.

When you want to get in shape, and you need to eat healthier food, you will look at it as just one decision.

Not even "one decision AT A TIME", but just "one decision". At a time implies a long road of future decisions, making you think of the opposite of the truth, many many decisions. It isn't. It's just one. Right now. Because once it's later it will still be right now, and that will be the fullest extent of any decision you'll ever have to make.

I used to think it was silly to put so much weight into "right now". I thought that people who made a big deal of things were foolish, with nearsighted vision.

Maybe that's true.

But once you realize that you can only ever live in the current moment, single moments become a big deal.

It is all you have.

So go do the dishes, do your pushups today, ask out that girl walking by, set your alarm and go to bed on time tonight, make your to do list for the first part of the day and eat a healthy dinner.

Don't even worry about doing it again tomorrow. By doing it tonight you have already won.

When you do this, and think this way, a great sense of calm will wash over you.

At least it does for me.

It lifts a large weight off of my brain.

It lets me get very quiet, very calm, and just start doing what needs to be done. I don't think about the future, the past, or anything else. I just think about what needs to be done and I get it done.

I hope it does the same for you.

a very good post, it helped me to open my eyes and see. your future success makes up of current days. then let me SMASH THESE DAYS, so I could fulfill my desires and dreams after.
WISH THE SAME TO EVERYONE. ️

 

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[PureA]

Great take, I've had problems with this warped perception for years...

Then I realised that everything I had ever done well I took day by day, short-sighted vision...

Okay I did 8 reps last week, how about 9 today...
Let me write just 300 good words today... (2 full books a year)

There was a book I can't remember the name... and it's about how different people default to either:
a) past thinking
b) present thinking
c) future thinking

As soon as I have ideas I plot out 5-10-year timelines, going crazy with plans and mapping the future.

Everything good in life (for me) came by just taking things step by step, not having grand overwhelming plans.

Another useful framework is Shaan Puri's

A-B-Z

A = Where I am right now
B = What is the next step right now to go A>B.
Z = The long term goal.

Forget everything else in between and repeat the A>B cycle.

 

[Roli]

Gold post. Congrats for reciting the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle in different words

Lolz, I know you're joking, but sometimes words need to be put in a different way in order to find the widest audience. I for instance, found The Power of Now unreadable, too much mumbo-jumbo and repeating himself ad infinitum. I honestly can't fathom what anyone sees in that book.

Different strokes for different folks

 

[monnffffiiiiiii]

As Felix Dennis says: "think big, act small".

Of course most people do the exact opposite

 

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[parabolic]

Great post. Thanks for sharing.

Agree so much and have put this into practice in my life. Even though my progress is laughable to others I still persevere and do my best every day.

I've already done more business related things than most normal people will ever do in their life. I always remind myself that every little bit adds up when I am accomplishing something difficult or tedious for my business or just life in general. It's helpful to read that others go through the same struggle.

 

[AceVentures]

I read your post and immediately printed the following to place right above my desk. Super important reminder for me because I get lost in the big vision. This grounds me back to my immediate next step.

You're a giga-chad in my book Johnny. I love reading your mindset posts. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Alwande]

I remember sometime when I was a younger kid, around 10.

I was in the kitchen with the rest of the family.

I was telling my family again, for probably the hundredth time, how I was going to be a big shot and own a business.

And my dad said:

"yeah....cool...maybe you should start by cleaning your F*cking room?"

I thought "He doesn't get it. He's stupid. He thinks small. I think big".

Time went by and I wasn't making much progress. I would start things and quit them, then on to something else. Not just as a 10 year old. As an 18 year old. As a 20 year old... it kept going.

I started noticing people would be more successful, and they would always focus on the small things more than anything else.

But I was stubborn.

And then I realized as I got older.... what is life really?

It's just a bunch of days.

We seem to have two ideas of life. One is real, and the other is some dream. I thought about some dream life a lot, and I bet you do too.

But we only ever live a real life.

One where we wake up, get out of bed, rub our eyes, take a shit, and figure out what we're going to do today.

We do some stuff, we eat, we chat with people, it gets late and we wind down, then we go to bed.

Just a bunch of those over and over. Only some things change.

What we do for the few hours. The people we are around. The place we are in. The food we eat. The place we sleep. The work we do.

And that's really all there is to life for the most part. Sure, maybe you go climb a mountain. Maybe you do some big adventure, but even when you do those things it's still a lot of the same in a strange way. It's that strange feeling you get when you're actually doing something that previously existed as just an idea in your mind. A weird thing happens when it becomes real. It becomes just a part of your day in an odd, casual way.

The important thing to realize is this:

Your life is just made up out of days.

A bunch of small little decisions and priorities, stacked up over and over.

Nothing big can ever be done. Only in our minds can we do big things, but in the real world we can only do a bunch of small things that add up. We can't "build a business". But we can file documents with the state. We can call a lead. We can sell our stuff to someone. We can build a website. We can put in the reps.

If you're dreaming big and not immediately turning your focus back to the miniscule decisions that make up your day to day life, you are royally F*cking up, expect to get slapped in the face.

When you only think big, you don't think little things are important. I thought it was water under the bridge. "Who cares my dishes are dirty? I'll get a maid when I'm rich."

A lot of people say "how you do one thing is how you do everything" and it never really meant much to me to hear that.

When it really hit me is when I thought about it another way.

The way I think about it is this.

"If I can only do one thing at a time, and make one decision at a time, and live one day at a time....
then the entirety of my success in this particular endeavor that is in front of me....
rests in my one choice in this moment..."

Because the journey of a thousand miles begins with one single step.
But also step 2781
And step 61790
and step 156102
and so on...

It doesn't just start with one step. Every step to continue is just one step.

If you make a constant effort to "win the day" by making excellent decisions, again and again, starting from the smallest details of your life that are right in front of you...

You will absolutely kill it in life.

When you want to get in shape, and you need to eat healthier food, you will look at it as just one decision.

Not even "one decision AT A TIME", but just "one decision". At a time implies a long road of future decisions, making you think of the opposite of the truth, many many decisions. It isn't. It's just one. Right now. Because once it's later it will still be right now, and that will be the fullest extent of any decision you'll ever have to make.

I used to think it was silly to put so much weight into "right now". I thought that people who made a big deal of things were foolish, with nearsighted vision.

Maybe that's true.

But once you realize that you can only ever live in the current moment, single moments become a big deal.

It is all you have.

So go do the dishes, do your pushups today, ask out that girl walking by, set your alarm and go to bed on time tonight, make your to do list for the first part of the day and eat a healthy dinner.

Don't even worry about doing it again tomorrow. By doing it tonight you have already won.

When you do this, and think this way, a great sense of calm will wash over you.

At least it does for me.

It lifts a large weight off of my brain.

It lets me get very quiet, very calm, and just start doing what needs to be done. I don't think about the future, the past, or anything else. I just think about what needs to be done and I get it done.

I hope it does the same for you.

This was beautiful and helpful

 

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[Johnny boy]

You're a giga-chad in my book Johnny. I love reading your mindset posts. Thanks for sharing.

thanks man much appreciated

 

[Mompreneur]

I remember sometime when I was a younger kid, around 10.

I was in the kitchen with the rest of the family.

I was telling my family again, for probably the hundredth time, how I was going to be a big shot and own a business.

And my dad said:

"yeah....cool...maybe you should start by cleaning your F*cking room?"

I thought "He doesn't get it. He's stupid. He thinks small. I think big".

Time went by and I wasn't making much progress. I would start things and quit them, then on to something else. Not just as a 10 year old. As an 18 year old. As a 20 year old... it kept going.

I started noticing people would be more successful, and they would always focus on the small things more than anything else.

But I was stubborn.

And then I realized as I got older.... what is life really?

It's just a bunch of days.

We seem to have two ideas of life. One is real, and the other is some dream. I thought about some dream life a lot, and I bet you do too.

But we only ever live a real life.

One where we wake up, get out of bed, rub our eyes, take a shit, and figure out what we're going to do today.

We do some stuff, we eat, we chat with people, it gets late and we wind down, then we go to bed.

Just a bunch of those over and over. Only some things change.

What we do for the few hours. The people we are around. The place we are in. The food we eat. The place we sleep. The work we do.

And that's really all there is to life for the most part. Sure, maybe you go climb a mountain. Maybe you do some big adventure, but even when you do those things it's still a lot of the same in a strange way. It's that strange feeling you get when you're actually doing something that previously existed as just an idea in your mind. A weird thing happens when it becomes real. It becomes just a part of your day in an odd, casual way.

The important thing to realize is this:

Your life is just made up out of days.

A bunch of small little decisions and priorities, stacked up over and over.

Nothing big can ever be done. Only in our minds can we do big things, but in the real world we can only do a bunch of small things that add up. We can't "build a business". But we can file documents with the state. We can call a lead. We can sell our stuff to someone. We can build a website. We can put in the reps.

If you're dreaming big and not immediately turning your focus back to the miniscule decisions that make up your day to day life, you are royally F*cking up, expect to get slapped in the face.

When you only think big, you don't think little things are important. I thought it was water under the bridge. "Who cares my dishes are dirty? I'll get a maid when I'm rich."

A lot of people say "how you do one thing is how you do everything" and it never really meant much to me to hear that.

When it really hit me is when I thought about it another way.

The way I think about it is this.

"If I can only do one thing at a time, and make one decision at a time, and live one day at a time....
then the entirety of my success in this particular endeavor that is in front of me....
rests in my one choice in this moment..."

Because the journey of a thousand miles begins with one single step.
But also step 2781
And step 61790
and step 156102
and so on...

It doesn't just start with one step. Every step to continue is just one step.

If you make a constant effort to "win the day" by making excellent decisions, again and again, starting from the smallest details of your life that are right in front of you...

You will absolutely kill it in life.

When you want to get in shape, and you need to eat healthier food, you will look at it as just one decision.

Not even "one decision AT A TIME", but just "one decision". At a time implies a long road of future decisions, making you think of the opposite of the truth, many many decisions. It isn't. It's just one. Right now. Because once it's later it will still be right now, and that will be the fullest extent of any decision you'll ever have to make.

I used to think it was silly to put so much weight into "right now". I thought that people who made a big deal of things were foolish, with nearsighted vision.

Maybe that's true.

But once you realize that you can only ever live in the current moment, single moments become a big deal.

It is all you have.

So go do the dishes, do your pushups today, ask out that girl walking by, set your alarm and go to bed on time tonight, make your to do list for the first part of the day and eat a healthy dinner.

Don't even worry about doing it again tomorrow. By doing it tonight you have already won.

When you do this, and think this way, a great sense of calm will wash over you.

At least it does for me.

It lifts a large weight off of my brain.

It lets me get very quiet, very calm, and just start doing what needs to be done. I don't think about the future, the past, or anything else. I just think about what needs to be done and I get it done.

I hope it does the same for you.

If you wanted to and had the patience, you could turn this post into a book. It's a great idea that a lot of people can benefit from (especially young people but not only). Judging by the post, seems like you're good at putting your thoughts into writing. Just an idea.