I think I’ve already written about this before but I want to drill down upon it much further.
It’s currently 1401 and in 14 minutes I’ve got Chris (my writing coach) getting onto a call with me:
So that means I’ve got 14 minutes to make sure he doesn’t get the $50 coming to him that I’m sure by now he expects.
The rule is, is if I don’t actually produce something that he can see and read by his morning then I need to pay up.
I’m abhorrent to the idea that I’d give up good money for no-god-damn-reason just because I’m unable to live up to my word.
And that’s the power of negative incentives.
The Power of Negative Incentives
We are fear based creatures that have thrived because of our ability to adapt to adversity.
Of course today, there’s pretty much zero adversity as compared to 50/100/1000 years ago.
We’ve had it easier than we’ve ever had it.
And we’re efficient beings. Our brains are optimized to carry out the minimum amount of activity for the maximum level of reward.
Put in the right person’s hands that equals world-beaters. Put in another person’s hands – that means being a lazy sod who doesn’t do anything.
That’s why I’ve got this negative incentive set up with Chris whereby I need to make sure I’m putting together blog content at LEAST 1x every day.
We did set a target of a finished post – and in truth, I think even yesterday’s one remains unfinished.
But done is better than perfect – and in this instance, I take ‘done’ to mean the act of actually writing every damn day.
__________
Hmmm.
Again I’m still in a phase where I’m fundamentally journalling more than anything else – and what occurs to me is how I can integrate this into the revenue-generating side of my business.
See I was about to riff about how we need to work ‘counter’ to our design because modern society champions the mundane, it champions the ordinary – it lulls us into settling.
This is why much of the populous are overweight, ill-educated and barely motivated to succeed.
I think all of these things are true – and the act of tactically activating our ‘fight and flight’ response through the power of a looming 6-minutes I’ve got until I hop onto a call with Chris….
Well, it creates the RIGHT kind of positive stimuli to ensure I’m going to make the most of the next 6 minutes.
The Power of Pressure
Pressure has the power of quietening the frivolous chatter the populates our mind.
[convertful id=”197358″]
And that’s the key, isn’t it?
How do we quiet the noise?
How do we quell the madness?
How do we recreate a flow-like state on a daily basis that can reap the hugest dividends as we move forward?
I’ve got only one example of it from my life and that’s Pearl Lemon.
We’ve just had our record month where we hit £75k in revenue – and this has come after a 4-year slog.
What got us there?
It’s actually nothing that I’ve done today – but it’s the outcome of repeatedly chipping away at the wall that stands in my path to success.
That wall is actually a mirror.
And in that mirror stands me.
See – for all of the tactics and ‘in-the-weed’ strategies that one can deploy when it comes to being successful – at it’s most potent…
It’s a battle of the mind – a battle of the mindset.
Everyone can at a moment in time be highly motivated and produce a huge amount of activity.
The challenge is – is that’s it’s easier to be a f*cking lazy bastard.
So how we can (again and again) recreate the environment that allows us to work closer towards our limits?
Well, it isn’t success.
It isn’t the prospect of the mansion, or the car or the house.
It’s the fear of failure, of a lack of integrity….
Efforts to Being Successful
Of me saying things to Chris about what I will and what I will not do in a bid to be successful.
And the combination of $50 and FAILING to do something that I said I would do cuts into me deeply.
It hurts MOST.
And that’s what matters most.
Living up to your word. And doing what you say you will do.
And then attaching punishments borne of a failure to commit to yourself.
That’s the magic, that’s the ‘assault with a deadly weapon’.
Not doing what I said I would do.
It’s that prospect alone that can be transformative in your life.
For this, I thank Chris, for sticking to this goal of mine, and it’s with this in mind I wonder.
As I wondered just some words ago…
Why aren’t I doing this with the most MEANINGFUL parts of my life?
My business, my love, and my health.
I guess I’m scared.
And that’s what makes it so powerful.
Use such negative incentives as an alligator that will chase you to new levels of success.
My time is up.
Success – I see you, and I’m coming for you.
Because I’m being chased by something that I’m even more in fear of than you.
And that’s failure.
Find fear. And find negative incentives in your life.
Let’s get some.
