Day 242: On Selectivity
Few people take objectives really seriously. They put average effort into too many things, rather than superior thought and effort into a few important things. People who achieve the most are selective as well as determined.
Selectivity is one of the key attributes for success. Nobody in the world is good at everything. Most are exceptional at one, two, or perhaps three things, okay at several others, and mediocre or horrible at a multitude of other things.
When setting goals, ask yourself what kind of performance you demand from yourself. Would becoming merely okay satisfy you or are you seeking excellence? Prioritize your objectives accordingly.
It’s also important to determine the place each goal has in your life.
For example, I made a decision to become as good as I can in rock climbing, but not at the expense of my health. This meant that I had to forego certain other activities (such as tennis, in which I was horrible and had little hope for improvement), but it also meant that whenever I would find myself in a situation that was a potential risk to my health, I would back out.
Now I have an easy rule in climbing: if there’s a substantial risk of injuring myself in any way, I don’t push myself — and I don’t feel guilty when giving up. I made a conscious decision about the role of rock climbing in my life, and I won’t prioritize my
performance in it over what I consider much, much more important: my health and well-being.
Such clarity is important to help you understand how you should approach your goals when they clash with other aspects of your life.
If you want to become a billionaire and run big businesses, are you so obsessed about this goal that you’re fine with possibly not starting family for a long time?
If you want to become a world-class athlete, do you accept the fact that professional sports will put immense stress on you and take a toll on your health?
Be selective with your goals, and once you establish which ones are the most important, ensure that you know where they all stand in terms of their priority in relation to other aspects of your life.