If You Follow
These 3 Rules To Live Your Life, You Can Get Everything You Want
There are certain principles,
universal laws and undeniable fundamental truths that underpin the existence of
all mankind and govern our lives. The truth is, you are not in control of your
life’s outcomes. We can and do, however, affect and contribute to our outcomes.
Our actions increase the likelihood of certain outcomes although there are
no guarantees.
Here
are 3 principles that drive success
1. Seed
time and harvest
This principle encapsulates and runs so much deeper than the
“you reap what you sow” cliche. While that is a big part of this principle, it
is missing two fundamental keys. The first key is about timing and the second
is about work. A 20-year-old college student can procrastinate and put off
completing a project until the night before it is due. Then he or she can pull
an all nighter and ace the class. They planted seeds by doing the work and
reaped the benefit— a good grade. But what about a farmer? It’s the same
principle but a farmer has to factor in time and energy. You don’t plant today
and reap tomorrow. The procrastinating college student will learn this soon
enough.
The second facet of this principle is
the issue of expended energy. Herein lies the true fallacy and pitfall of
this principle. The college student worked all night and received a benefit.
However, this flow is the exception, not the rule. Consider the farmer. He
plants seeds, waits and then he receives his crop. However, to truly reap the
harvest, the farmer is required to perform additional work. He must go out and
physically harvest the crop or it will rot in the field. The same is true for
most things in life. You must work and plant the right things but you must also
work to enjoy your harvest.
2.
Input and outputs coincide but don’t always equal
If you have been alive any length of time, you are painfully
aware that the effort you put into something does not always equal the output.
Life is not an even exchange and input and outputs are rarely proportional. In
the beginning of any new endeavor, input far exceeds output. And then slowly,
the inverse begins to happen. Outputs or harvests begin to catch up and then
far outpace your input and you don’t have to work as hard as you did initially.
The most important thing to understand about this principle is
that input— similar to interest in the financial world— over time, compounds.
You must understand that just as it is with financial investments so it is in
every other arena. What you invest in matters because it directly affects the
type and size of your outcomes. You must invest in things with potential and a
high probability of yielding a substantial return on your investment. Input
must be targeted, purposeful and consistent. Eventually, your small
investments begin slowly growing and then they multiply.
3.
Consistency Counts
Your ability to be consistent and to stay on course is critical
to delivering positive outcomes. Far too often people get tired and give up too
soon. You have to learn to stick with it. You have to be consistent.
Consistency is more important than methodology and trumps
occasional sacrifices. Short bursts of effort followed by long periods of rest
impede your progress. Be consistent. Consistently keep good company,
consistently save, consistently spend wisely, consistently eat healthy,
consistently exercise, consistently study and consistently put time, energy and
resources into the things you want to grow. Be consistent.
In life, there are no guarantees but you can swing the odds in
your favor.
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