Quote: Timothy Ferriss
It’s lonely at the top. 99% of the world is convinced they are incapable of achieving great things, so they aim for the mediocre middle-ground. The level of competition is thus fiercest for “realistic” goals, paradoxically making them the most time- and energy-consuming. It is often easier to raise $10,000,000 than it is $1,000,000. It is easier to pick up the one perfect 10 in the bar than the five 8s.
If you are insecure, guess what? The rest of the world is too. Do not overestimate the competition and underestimate yourself. You are better than you think.
Unreasonable and unrealistic goals are easier to achieve for yet another reason.
Having an unusually large goal is an adrenaline infusion that provides the endurance to overcome the inevitable trials and tribulations that go along with any goal. Realistic goals, goals restricted to the average ambition level, are uninspiring and will only fuel you through the first or second problem, at which point you throw in the towel. If the potential payoff is mediocre or average, so is your effort. I’ll run through walls to get a catamaran trip through the Greek islands, but I might not change my brand of cereal for a weekend trip through Columbus, Ohio. If I choose the latter because it is “realistic,” I won’t have the enthusiasm to jump even the smallest hurdle to accomplish it. With beautiful, crystal-clear Greek waters and delicious wine on the brain, I’m prepared to do battle for a dream that is worth dreaming. Even though their difficulty of achievement on a scale of 1-10 appears to be a 2 and a 10 respectively, Columbus is more likely to fall through.
The fishing is best where the fewest go. There is just less competition for bigger goals.
I loved this quote at the end of Timothy Ferriss’ post about the procedure and behind-the-scenes look at the production of his book promotional video.
It echoes a lot of the ideas that Ramit Sethi presented in his Earn1K course: find a niche, and narrow that niche down further.
By James McCullough
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Mar 28, 2011 @ 10:59:00
Hi James..I read 4HWW, and did the exercise to find out how much I would need to live on– turns out its about $5’000 per month. This was with my being extravagant sum.. when put like that, it seam realistic, obtainable,, but not easy. I’m thinking what awesome I can add to get it up to 10,000 per month…then I’ll really be cooking on gas. Awesome, inspirational post
Mar 29, 2011 @ 01:33:00
Hi Stacey,
Getting to an “extravagant sum” should not be easy at first. If it was easy, then life would be quite the bore as those rewards you give yourselves (trips, clothes, etc) wouldn’t have the same impact on your life. When taking a trip to an exotic location becomes as thrilling and accessible as a trip to McDonald’s, something needs to change.
But you’re right. Once you get to that first goal, taking the goal further becomes a lot easier. I’m in the difficult part of getting to my first goal, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel if I continue to push myself.
Thanks for stopping by, and I like the look of your site. Going to subscribe right away.
Mar 28, 2011 @ 15:23:00
How are we going to make that Billion dollar exit? In three years?!
Mar 29, 2011 @ 01:27:00
Step 1: Hire $5 employees in India, China, Bangladesh
Step 2: Develop Product for Mobile Devices that people don’t think they need at first, but will buy it regardless.
Step 3: Make Money on App Store
Step 4: Sell to the highest bidder!
Oh, and if possible, include either: online coupons, geo-location, or angry birds.
Mar 31, 2011 @ 12:20:00
I absolutely loved this quote when I read in 4HWW. It’s so true. Which reminds me of Donald Trump’s quote, “if you’re going to be thinking you might as well think big”. Even if you don’t pull it off, you’ll have achieved much greater success than setting yourself average goals and reaching them.
Apr 03, 2011 @ 23:50:00
That’s a really great quote, too. As someone who is pretty modest and minimalistic in a lot of ways, dreaming big is actually pretty difficult for me. Sure, traveling to Bali and Fiji would be great, but I can have some great adventures in the smaller towns of British Columbia, too. I’m hoping to change my mentality as I work more for myself than for a company.
Mar 31, 2011 @ 19:48:00
Hi James..I’m not close to the base amount just yet, lol. Still got a lot of hustle to do , but it was good to finally have a ball park figure. Borrowed the 4HWW to my friend, who also found it incredibly motivating, even if some of the methods employed didn’t entirely appeal to her. I’m glad you like my blog. It’s just a month old, and I’m still working alot of stuff out, but enjoying the process-most of the time : )
Out of interest- what was your base amount? Please don’t say 20k per month, lol
Apr 03, 2011 @ 23:32:00
Hi Stacey,
I am constantly finding Timothy Ferriss to be a source of inspiration for me. He is always pulling in interesting people onto his blog and has some great ideas on how to work and live.
I haven’t really done a formal base amount, but it is not extreme by any means. I am aiming to achieve a goal of $5,000 a month for this time next year. After that, I would like to scale it up to around $7,500 but it is going to take a lot of work to get there.
How about yourself?