Go fast. Wait, go slow. Buy now. Wait, buy later! Be Patient. Wait, Act Now!
The world is a confusing place. So logically navigating this confusing place is necessary for you to reach your goals, dreams, and career ambitions.
What if I told you those who make it are the ones who simply do the following every single day.
Go Fast
Be Patient
That is it.
Those who are the most successful know how to act fast when they need to act fast and be patient when they need to be patient. The trouble for the rest of us just trying to make our dreams a reality is — how do we do this?
When do we act fast and when do we remain patient?
The truth is — no one really knows this with extreme certainty.
It is up for you to decide.
Just like your dreams are up for you to grab.
Even guys like Gary V can’t tell you exactly when to act fast or when to exactly remain patient. It is up to you and your internal awareness.
So, before you finish reading this and go on an epic voyage to add value to the world, let’s talk about your internal awareness.
Internal awareness is born— not taught.
It is born out of experiences that shape us in our lives. Only your experiences shape your internal awareness infant.
Internal awareness is self-directed — not granted
It is the result of you being acutely aware of your situation, with respect to the direction YOU wish to head. No one can give this to you.
Internal awareness is focused energy — not impulsive
In a world of busyness and redundancies, internal awareness is the ability to block out all of the noise, clutter, and chaos to focus intently on your end goal(s).
Internal Awareness is a blend of now and forever — not short-term
The best, most successful thought leaders of our time are both presently aware of their current situation and fully in tune with the steps needed to improve their future situation.
Now that you have defined your internal awareness, how are you going to act fast? How are you going to remain patient? Here’s How:
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Think Big
Big thinkers walk around us everyday. The guy reading the newspaper beside you is probably a big thinker. Elon Musk is a big thinker. Tony Robbins is a big thinker. Think it and you will achieve it. When you reach the point where you are beginning to think big with your ideas, you need to then write out the big ideas into two categories.
Left side — Now ideas (fast).
Right side — Later ideas (patience).
Once you have divided those two components you will begin to organize your ideas and use your internal awareness to decide whether to act fast or be patient.
Think Small
All big thinkers have to think small at some point. What small steps can I take to achieve my ultimate goal? Put the pen to paper.
Left side — Now ideas (fast).
Right side — Later ideas (patience)
Think Now
All the ideas you have on your phone, in your notebook or on your computer must have an element of ‘now’ for you to be ready to achieve your dreams. If you are starring at your ideas and you can see any ‘now’ pieces within the page, you need to rethink your main goal. ‘Nowness’ has to be engrained in your ideas. No business survives without having elements of ‘nowness’. They must be willing and ready to pivot at any time. You need to be ready as well.
Think Forever
Young Forever by Jay-Z is one of my favourite songs of all time. Even though we age, thinking about forever is a good practice. If your fast and patient ideas have a ‘foreverness’ to them, then you are in the ballpark. Facebook will be talked about forever. F=MA is forever. Brilliant minds and big thinkers create things that last forever. Be the next forever. Think forever.
Think Money
I am going to be honest here. If you don’t think about the money at some point in your ideation thinking, what are you really trying to achieve. There is a big difference between worrying about money and thinking about ‘the money’. Money will ALWAYS gravitate to fast and patient movers and shakers. But it is important for you to be ready for when that does happen. What will you invest? What will you keep? What goes into the next big idea?
Think No Money
As my jovial Investment Banker would say, “Always protect the downside”. If you are dead broke and have a million-dollar idea, you are already half way there. Think fast on the cheapest actions and ideas and think patient for the more expensive actions and ideas. Don’t misunderstand me here — go ALL IN on your ideas, just protect the downside. The biggest killer of creative energy is over-ambition combined with a lack of responsibility.
Think Immediate Outcomes
Too many people are standing around talking, not doing. Act fast when you feel you need to act fast and wait for the long term results to follow. It may take time but they will follow. Sometimes getting that immediate win from an immediate action gives you the psychological win you need (and deserve) to help you remain patient and resilient when the next action step does not go as well as you had expected.
Think Legacy
Similar to money, at the end of the day if your ideas don’t create a positive legacy, why continue? You need to be thinking about legacy when acting fast and being patient. Should I partner with this person whom I just met? Should I invest money now instead of keeping the savings for my child’s education? These are some serious thoughts you need to go through when deciding whether you should act fast or be patient. Use that internal awareness guru to your advantage!
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I wish for you to ‘go deep’ in your own life. For additional strategies on how to become more confident, organized, productive and successful in your life and vocation, I encourage you to pick up my latest book on Amazon: Thought Leadership. →
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This post was previously published on Medium.com.
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Photo credit: Pietro Mattia on Unsplash