“You can do anything, but not everything.” – David Allen
Success and happiness comes from making progress on goals or objectives that are personally important to us.
Progress fuels success.
Progress fuels happiness.
Progress requires focus. Progress requires time, work and effort. That means that we must prioritize some things ahead of others to reach our most important goals.
We have all met some people that could be described as “amazing.” They often appear to be good at just about anything they attempt and they also appear to be good at a number of things. I know a couple of people like this myself and it actually creates a delicate balance between being genuinely impressed and inspired by what is possible through hard work and then flat out irritation and jealousy that I can’t pull off what they seem to be able to pull off.
We also need to remind ourselves that we don’t know what goes on behind closed doors. We may not see “the entire story” based upon a public persona or image that is being displayed rather confidently by some. How many times have we heard news about a divorce and replied or thought, “I did NOT see that coming?”
Consider some other items that may not be known;
- We don’t know how much sleep the person is giving up over a stretch of years.
- We don’t know how their family relationships and dynamics are behind the curtains.
- We don’t know if they are up to their eyeballs in debt while they appear to be living in a mansion with sports cars.
- We don’t know if they have medical issues like high blood pressure, health issues, drug or alcohol abuse in attempt to keep up a very impressive public persona.
- We don’t know if they are truly peaceful, happy and content internally.
Like the quote at the beginning of this post, we need to remind ourselves that we can do anything, but not everything. Goals and objectives come at the expense or trade-off of something else. It is very hard to balance things in life which is often why we go in cycles or spurts. How often do we find ourselves in cycles where;
- We increase our workload to improve our career at the expense of working out?
- We spend more time doing self-improvement at the expense of relaxing or doing a hobby?
- We do more networking instead of spending time with family and friends?
- We sit in a chair as a trade-off to walking around and doing active things?
- We get less sleep and end up eating and drinking things that act as stimulants (or consuming things that are much worse?)
- We chase external goals at the expense of internal dreams?
When we choose a life as a wealth builder, it does come at the expense of something else. Everything has trade-offs. So why do we do it? We do it because the goal is worth it to us. It’s who we are. It’s about a better tomorrow and a better future. It’s what we want to accomplish from within. The alternative (being financial insecure) is just not appealing per our fundamental personality.
There are definitely times where you will feel exhausted, frustrated, and uncertain. Those are all natural feelings and emotions when chasing any goal that requires prolonged focus and effort. Wealth is no different. Nobody is making any of us do it nor is anybody making us not do it. Wealth building is a choice no different than becoming a ski bum or a Buddhist monk. One isn’t better than the other per se. It’s just that one is better than the other for you personally.
We all need to prioritize our goals and objectives in life. Be as clear as possible. Writing them down does help. Ranking them helps. Understanding when something important to us is falling too much by the wayside helps before things spiral out of control and we lose balance.