It’s Time – Get It Done

In John Templeton’s timeless 16 Rules for Investment Success (published in 1933) he states:

“The investor who says, ‘This time is different,’ when in fact it’s virtually a repeat of an earlier situation, has uttered among the four most costly words in the annals of investing.”

You are saying “This time it will be different” – but it’s just not normally the truth. It’s your wish, but not your new reality. Things don’t just magically change within. You must change your processes in order to change your outcome. The old adage of the Definition of Insanity comes to mind here. You know, “…doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome.” 

Now, CAN it be different? Possibly. If you throw enough rocks off the top of a building, you might eventually get one in a bucket, but 1 of two things happen to make it different. Either you adjusted how you drop the rock or an outside force (i.e. wind) changed and affected the drop differently. 

Our buddies here in Dallas – the guys of Dude Perfect made their mark in the world with some AMAZING trick shots, some of which seemed so impossible they must be digitally created. But, they weren’t digitally done, they were practiced – and practiced, and practiced, and practiced over and over again. Adjusting each shot as much as they can, changing other elements within the shot, like the angle of something they were bouncing off of, or adjusting to compensate for wind and other outside factors. Eventually, after many attempts, even the impossible, became possible.

Now, why would I tell you just to keep doing it over and over again? Well, that’s not exactly what I was saying. I mentioned that they made adjustments each time, moving closer to the target each time. They changed the process if you will.
You will see in various studies that old habits, the unconscious processes you conduct each day, take between 21 and 66 days to be replaced with new habits, the processes you WANT to conduct each day. 

To start this process, we need to evaluate your current processes, and see what you need and want to change. Then, from that list of 10-20 things, choose 2-3 of the things you think will have the biggest impact and focus on those. Make sure you stretch beyond your comfort zone and push yourself a little beyond what you think you can do. This is my modified version of Warren Buffett’s 5/25 rule. His rule states that you should write down 25 things that you WANT to have happen in your life – your Goals, Dreams, Plans, etc. 

From that list, circle 5 that you MUST happen. Now, put everything else aside. Don’t try to work in the other 20 around spare time in your life. Simply sit on those 5 things and nothing else if you want to accomplish them. As those items are completed then add new ones, but never focus on more than 5. I’ve found, working with hundreds of photographers around the country that even 5 can be a little much for many people. So I shortened it all down. Put 10-20 items on your big list and only work on 2 or 3 items at a time.

With those 2 to 3 things, you must develop a plan. Using a framework developed by Chris Gardner, which he calls the C5 Complex, your plan should be Clear, Concise, Compelling, Consistent, and Committed.

As you start on your plan, you will have course corrections along the way. Do not be overwhelmed by these failures. They are simply course corrections along your path. Channel your inner Roomba and bounce off of that wall and go forward.