| Hi,
When did ambition get such a bad rap?
We all have friends who fall into what I call "The Trap of Effortlessness." Here, I'll show you what I mean:
Your friend gets a compliment on their outfit.
WHAT THEY SAY ALOUD: "This thing? I just threw it together."
IN REALITY: Tried on 17 pairs of shoes before walking out of their apartment.
Your friend scores well on a test.
WHAT THEY SAY ALOUD: "I can't believe I passed, I basically didn't go to class all semester!"
IN REALITY: Attended all their professor's office hours for the last month.
Someone notices they lost weight.
WHAT THEY SAY ALOUD: "I started watching what I eat and walking around more. That's it."
IN REALITY: Cut carbs and sugar from their diet, works out 2x a week with a trainer.
Here's a hilarious video on women downplaying compliments.
Isn't it interesting? Instead of admitting something took hard work -- and being proud of it -- it's much cooler to act like it was all utterly effortless.
But I like to think we can make being ambitious cool again, and I broke it down to 4 simple steps anyone can follow:
Step 1: Surround yourself with other ambitious people.
This can be in person or online. This is a massive first step. The first time you encounter other ambitious people, it's like, "Ah, I've finally found people who understand me."
Step 2: Read material that challenges you to be ambitious.
Read IWT material. Listen to Tim Ferriss's podcast or watch Gary Vaynerchuk's YouTube channel. These are all great ways to challenge yourself to be better.
Step 3: Set one big, specific goal each year.
Many of us set these very tepid goals. We're afraid of committing to something bigger because we're afraid to fail. But I've talked about reframing failure -- "it's not a failure, it's just a test." So set one audacious, specific goal. It can be selfish ("I want to have a 6 pack -- by counting macros and working out 3x/week") or fun ("I want to fly business class to Japan -- by automating my money and creating a sub-savings account") or charitable ("I want to help 5 kids learn to read -- by volunteering through New York Cares once a month"). Whatever! It's your goal.
Step 4: Work in secret (at least at first).
This is super tactical, but it works. The first week or month you try something new, you're not confident in yourself. So do it quietly and do it on your own. And as you build more confidence and see success, you can slowly become more open about it.
I cover becoming more ambitious in detail here: | Give these steps a try, and please let me know how it goes.
John
P.S. Over the years I researched and tested hundreds of the habits and strategies that top performers use to accomplish more in a day than most people seem to get done in a month.
I distilled everything I learned about staying motivated, becoming ambitious, developing self-confidence, overcoming fear, and changing your behavior into 30 bite-sized, easy-to-use (yet incredibly powerful) psychological frameworks.
I call them Success Triggers, and I'd like to share them with you.
If you're ambitious and want to hit some big goals this year, make sure you're primed to win.
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