WEEK 158: WHY FREE ADVICE KEEPS YOU STUCK

I would a rather learn vicariously through the mistakes of others, rather than my own.     Charlie Munger

REFLECTIONS (learnings and actions): Do you know who Charlie Munger is?

He is the right hand mad of Warren Buffet. Yeah the billionaire Warren Buffet.

Pretty smart guy.

I love the quote today and it actually highlights a very important point you will have to make on the path to achieving your greatest goals. 

It deals with FREE advice. 

And let me explain why it keeps you STUCK. 

To make this point clear I am going to use weight loss as an example.

Have you searched how to lose weight online today?

Eat a high protein breakfast, choose weight-loss friendly foods, avoid carbs, avoid fats, cut out....

It is a bit overwhelming.

The crazy thing is often times one piece of information contradicts another. 

For example, low fat vs Keto. One says to reduce fat, while another says to only add food that has the fattest content. 

Trying to find information that truly works it is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

And what do you expect when all of it is FREE?

But, what does FREE actually get you?

There is actually 3 reasons on how FREE information keeps you STUCK.

[1] Conditionality

Will keep this really simple.

Say you have a child, but tell them you only want to interact with them when they are not crying or whining. 

Do you think you could be the best parent if you were to operate like that?

Absolutely not.

However, the same is true for you when you always want FREE information.

Why?

Because you do not fully commit.

If it does not work, then no biggie as it was FREE. Thus, you have a mindset to only try when you feel like it or it feels comfortable.

Think about it, if you do not invest anything or put zero "skin in the game", then what does that say about what you are trying to achieve?

Inexpensive and worthless. 

So, always wanting FREE information robs you of the ability to fully commit put forth your best effort consistently.

[2] Keeps you STUCK in short term

FREE information is not meant for you

Serious.

It is meant for the masses. That means it does not consider your unique issues or circumstances.

And although it might help in the short term, it never helps you sustain what you want in the long term.

For weight loss, FREE diet information is meant for the masses and does not consider your unique set of circumstances and issues.

Are you diabetic, do you have thyroid issues, do you have high blood pressure?

That is why there are so many 30-day weight loss challenges out there.

They give you results in the short term, but the weight inevitably comes back.

You tell yourself if this does not work, then I can try something else. 

Yet, this why so many people are caught up in the vicious cycle of yo-yo dieting.

Lose, gain, lose gain...always stuck in the short term.

[3] Blame yourself 

Have you ever tried to assemble IKEA furniture?

Well, think about trying to assemble it with only getting the first two steps of a 24 step process.

You are able to see how to start, but do not get the crucial steps to put all the pieces together properly.

What does this lead to?

Stress, frustration, and overwhelm.

The perfect ingredients which allow doubt to creep in...and for you to quit and regress back to old habits. 

In the case of weight loss, this means binge eating after you stop losing weight with a program.

Because you see others succeeding you say your body is broken or you just need stronger will power. 

Thus you fortify an inferior self-image of yourself, which prevents you from stepping into your true power!

***

So is FREE information truly FREE?

Not at all.

It is actually quite expensive.

Why?

It costs you time and money.

Don't believe me...

Let me make some easy calculations with you.

Keeping with the weight loss example, Say you invest 2 hours per day trying to figure out how to finally gain control of your weight.

1 hour of exercise. 1 hour researching and buying foods to follow a plan.

That is 14 hours a week.

That is 56 hours a month.

That is 672 hours in year.

That is 3,360 hours in 5 years.

Now how much do you currently value your time?

$100 per hour?

Well, 3360 times 100 = $336,000 over a five year period.

So what is the cost of taking FREE advice and trying to figure it out?

Well, the obvious is the money, but the bigger parts you can't fathom is losing 5 years of experiences and memories. 

Want to truly achieve your greatest goals? 

Want to accelerate the process?

Then, at one moment or another you will have to confront the uncomfortable feelings surrounding investing in yourself.

Or, you can wait and see if the FREE advice will get you there.

Choice is yours.

Be the writer of your story....J

Top three activities that move me forward?

1. ATLAS. Confront to empower daily.

2. Journaling. Get things out of my head so I can see them clearly.

3. Awareness. Allows me to win and anchors me into HVS.

Biggest lessons/learnings and corrections?

Human nature will always keep you STUCK.

1. Makes a big deal out of everything.

2. Anticipates worst case scenarios.

What are you grateful for?

Being able to get away for a weekend with my lovely wife and connecting and making our relationship stronger. 

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PLANNING (Implementation Intention):  You will follow through 2X to 3X more likely to complete your weekly task than you normally would just by filling in the following statement.

I plan to complete the weekly task [day] at [time] in [location]. 

A reminder you might have to use multiple Implementation Intentions in order to follow through.

EXECUTION (strategies used):  From week to week, I use a combination of many strategies. There are always some which are used more than others depending on what comes up, but I wanted to offer a link to all them at once. 

My advice is to identify the I CAN'T statement you tell yourself during the most. Then find a strategy below the statement which resonates with you, and then start using it. 

Enjoy!

STRATEGY LIST