What Do You Want? What Do You Deserve?

You’ve got to want it, we’re told.

The struggle is taking these things we say we want and starting to make progress towards them. By taking action towards what we say we want, we start to build real world evidence of ourselves pursuing our goals. Now we’re actually doing it. It’s more than words.

We all know people that never do shit but are always talking about what they’re going to do. Or what they want to do. If only they had the time. Or if only something were different.  

This is easy to spot in others, but frustrating to see in ourselves. Even if it’s there, a lot of us will choose not to acknowledge it.

Life will wear you down. We blink and we’re years into a career that looks nothing like the life we imagined for ourselves. We’ve gone down a career path that was based on conforming or we made the mistake of chasing prestige and now we’re worried it’s too late to switch lanes.  

Figuring Out What to Do

In Mastery, Robert Greene writes about discovering your Life’s Task. He first reminds the reader that you are completely unique, a once in a lifetime creation. No one will again walk this earth with your genetic makeup and life experiences.

Your uniqueness is what pulls you towards certain subjects.

“In childhood this force was clear to you. It directed you toward activities and subjects that fit your natural inclinations, that sparked a curiosity that was deep and primal,” Greene writes.

But as we go through life, we conform, do what others tell us and drift from these natural inclinations.

Think back to when you were younger. What types of activities were you drawn to?

Naval Ravikant suggests thinking about, “What feels like play to you, but looks like work to others?” You want to seek out these inclinations because others won’t be able to compete with you.

Naval refers to a similar concept to Greene’s Life’s Task, he calls it specific knowledge. He also gives the same advice on looking back to your childhood, “Figure out what you were doing as a kid or teenager almost effortlessly. Something you didn’t even consider a skill, but people around you noticed. Your mother or your best friend growing up would know,” he instructs.

Hitting again on the same topic, in a similar way to Greene, he says, “The specific knowledge is sort of this weird combination of unique traits from your DNA, your unique upbringing, and your response to it. It’s almost baked into your personality and your identity. Then you can hone it.”

Be Worthy of Your Goals

Do my actions reflect what I say I want?

You’ve got to start doing the work you want to do. Dressing for the job you want. If it’s hard to start now, what are the odds that it will be easier later? The time will never be perfect.

Earl Nightingale reminds us to, “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.”

Start small. Start now.

Anything you want or need to know is available to you. Pick someone already successful at what you want to pursue and read anything they’ve ever written. Listen to every interview they’ve ever given. What do they consistently do? What’s a little step you can take each day to start in their direction?

How can you embody what you say you want? Strive to reach a point where your actions so clearly state what you are, and what you’re working towards, that you don’t need to talk about it.

Figure out the smallest steps you can take to begin. Then focus on not breaking the chain.