People who aren’t rich are always wondering how to make more money.  This causes a lot of suffering.  When we think about our richer future selves we take what we have right now for granted. When we are not grateful we suffer.

I was lucky to have a very smart and wealthy person tell me how to do it right. I was skeptical at first but I finally made it mine to share.

This is the right order to do things:

1. Solve a problem.
2. Build credibility and respect.
3. Respect will give you power and influence.
4. Power will reward you with money.

Most people have it wrong: get money, power comes from money and respect from power. They don’t solve anybody’s problems, including their own.

Knowing the right order is just the first step. The second is to enjoy building your success.

We have six core needs for fulfillment:

1. The need for certainty
2. The need for variety
3. The need to feel significant
4. The need for love and connection
5. The need for growth
6. The need to contribute

If each step does not fulfill some of your needs it is time to make changes.

1. Solving problems – needs #2, #3 and #5.
2. Respect and Credibility -  needs #3, #4 and #6.
3. Power – needs #3 and #5.
4. Money – needs #1, #3 and #6.

Image Courtesey of Tracy O, (image)

Getting happy right now is simple, be grateful. If you think about three things you are grateful for and avoid thinking about the future you’ll be happy. For a few minutes at least.

Staying happy is the tricky part. Human beings are the only animal that thinks about the future. We spend a lot of time thinking about our happier future selves and what we need to do to become that person.

We take what we have now for granted. We choose to suffer now so we can happier later. There is a better way to live. To have happiness and spaceships, medicine and the Internet.

The first step is knowing your core needs:

1. The need for certainty
2. The need for variety
3. The need to feel significant
4. The need for love and connection
5. The need for growth
6. The need to contribute

The second step is to plan your future around your six basic needs.

Finally remember to be grateful.

—-

Photo courtesy of a4gpa (photo).

Suggested further reading:

• Stumbling on Happiness – by Daniel Gilbert
• Anthony Robbin’s Six core needs
• Man’s Search for Meaning – by Viktor E. Frankl

Reaching out for balance...

This is my current project load:

1. TweetLens.com – This is a twitter client that I am building. The clients out there currently don’t offer what I really want. That is: Web based, keyboard navigation and good data filtering. This project has almost consumed my life. I started it without knowning how to write a lick of JavaScript. Now I know jQuery, DOM manipulation, event driven programming, etc. pretty well.

   In a few weeks I should have the next alpha release out. I’m currently rebuilding the backend for better data caching which is essential when you’ve move a lot of data processing off the desktop and into the cloud. It’s coming together. Fortunately my backend development skills are still sharp.

2. Project #circadian – This is to reset my sleeping schedule so I pass out around 10:00pm and get up around 6:00am. Rise and set with the sun essentially. The steps with this is to get a pair of blue light blocking glasses and reduce my caffeine intake. There is some interesting research into the relationship between blue light and alertness. I’ll see how it works. This blog post really helped point me in the right direction too.
3. Improve my diet. Eat based on the Zone diet. Then add extra fat / protein to gain mass.
4. Get more Crossfit. I just have to show up 4 times a week.

I’ve been thinking lately that these are the pillars to leading a balanced life style:

1. Exercise for the body. Crossfit is my drug of choice.
2. Exercise for the mind. Programming for me.
3. Get enough rest. Project #circadian.
4. Get good fuel. Eat Zone, with extra fat and protein to gain mass.

I like it when people don’t agree with me. I’ve found it to be an effective way to get clarity on the bigger picture.

Only organizations and processes can be made more effective and more efficient.

It is impossible and wasteful to try to optimize mobs and cowboys.

So the first step is to get organized and processes implemented. Then work on getting more effective.

Sometimes what you do is more important than how you do it.

Sometimes how you do it is more important than what you do.

Experience is knowing which is the right way at the right time. The way we get that experience is by trying, failing, learning and trying again.

A perfectionist is somebody who never gets anything done. 

It is much better to be Good Enough. Yet, if everything is only good enough, nothing will ever be good enough. Somethings must be great, remarkable and exceptional. For somethings we can’t stop at Good Enough, we must soldier on the path to Greatness.  However, that path is perilous and treacherous because it looks very similar to the path to Perfection. 

Getting to Greatness is not as hard as it seems. Just get to Good Enough first and then follow the path to Better. For Greatness isn’t the destination it is the journey. The journey of getting to Better and then getting better again.