Cultivating Clarity

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Welcome to Cultivating Clarity, where I share a weekly lesson to build your health and sharpen your mind.This is week #4/4 focused on designing a life you love living.FYI--all previous versions of Cultivating Clarity are now available on my website.

Background

You get 22,573 days as an adult, assuming 2 things:

1. You consider age 18 to be an adult

2. You live to the average life expectancy of 78 years.

It's worth taking some time to define how you want to spend those days.Here are a few habits that can help you live a life of greater impact and consequence.

7 habits to make your life count:

1. Worry about what matters

There are no meaningful rewards for getting to inbox zero.Yes, it's annoying to have unread emails.But it's not the end of the world.​Go out for dinner with your partner.Call a friend.​Find a way to measure your success and value to society beyond your hours worked.I'm all for finding meaningful work and working hard at it.That's one of the more noble things a person can do.But the key word is "meaningful".​There will always be one more email to answer.There won't always be one more memory to make.

2. Book the trip

I know many people who say they want to travel.They can even afford to travel.But they don't travel.​For those people, I have 2 thoughts for you:​-"Expensive" doesn't mean "unaffordable"​Save up for the trip.Don't eat every single meal out.Travel within your means by running the numbers.​-Taking the trip might be intimidating, but living with regret is worse​You don't want to get to 80 years old, unable to travel and adventure, and wish you had.Identify the things you want to do in each stage of your life, and make a plan to do them.​If this idea strikes a chord, I recommend checking out Bill Perkins' excellent book Die With Zero (no affiliation).

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3. Ask for what you want

There's a bit of nuance required for this one: before you ask for what you want, you must put in the work to deserve it.Then, though...​Ask away.​Deliver great results at work then negotiate a promotion.Cut your hair, trim your beard, get in shape then ask out the cute guy/girl.Prove your ability to work independently then ask to work remotely.​Closed mouths don't get fed.Often, what you want is just a conversation away.

4. Develop a bias for action

When in doubt, keep charging forward.​You will encounter turbulence.There will be ugly mistakes.​Just remember, though...

It'll either be awesome (desired result) or it'll be a good story.Either way, it's hard to lose when you take bold action, over and over again.

5. Be present

2 great ways to be miserable:

-Dwelling on the past-Worrying about the future

Know what's more fun?​Being awed by the present.​Tell people you appreciate them.Spend time in nature.Do things you love.

6. Let "good" be good enough

95% of the time, you don't need a perfect solution to reach your desired outcome.​Instead of pursuing perfection...

Define what's good enough to get you to the next step.Do it and keep moving forward.​Working past the point of completion will burn you out and the quality of your work will suffer.

7. Make decisions quickly

James Clear: "If a decision is reversible, the biggest risk is moving too slow. If a decision is irreversible, the biggest risk is moving too fast."​Most decisions are either reversible or so small they're not worth fretting over.Either way, decide fast so you can move forward with your life.​​Reversible: If you're on the fence about leaving your job, make a decision about it. Start applying and interviewing at other places.If it doesn't feel right, stop.But now you have the peace of mind of having explored the market.

Small: If you're at a restaurant, be ready to order as soon as the server brings water.Don't worry about ordering the perfect dish; just get something you know you'll like.Spend the rest of your time talking with your friends, not reading the menu.

That's a wrap for this week.If any of these lessons resonated with you, I'd love to hear more.Send me an email--I respond to every single one of them.

See you next Saturday.Marcus

Before you go...​​If you enjoy Cultivating Clarity, I'd be humbled if you shared it with a friend.Please forward this to someone you think might enjoy this week's issue.If this was forwarded to you, subscribe here.​