Key Takeaways
- Author and coach Brad Stulberg interviewed elite performers in sports, business, and other fields, and came up with a list of principles to help people get the most out of life.
- In this blog, Gary reviews these principles and adds to them based on his own life experiences.
- Consider implementing these principles in your day-to-day life and see how they help you grow and improve.
Achieving our goals and getting the most out of life are no easy feats, but there are some fundamental truths that you can follow to get there. This topic was addressed in a recent article on medium.com by author and coach Brad Stulberg. It was titled “8 Rules to Do Everything Better” and is a list of principles to live by to achieve a better you.
Stulberg created these principles after more than five years of interviewing and coaching people who are at the tops of their fields. Here, we’ll go through them, adding some further insight into why these principles may be at the core of achieving our best.
1. Rest first, then grow. It’s important to always recharge your batteries, and then move to a growth phase, not burn yourself out before deciding you deserve to rest. Rest is required for growing stronger, both mentally and physically.
2. Focus on the process, not the result. Most things in life are a numbers game, a matter of trying over and over again and of practicing. By not focusing on end results, you lift a weight off your shoulders and allow yourself to focus your energy on repeating the process. You’ll eventually perform better and the results will take care of themselves.
3. Stay humble. It can be difficult, but humble people listen and they don’t let their egos get in the way of growth. They collaborate well with others and are open-minded, rather than assuming they already have all the answers.
4. Know who you’re a hero to. Everyone is a hero to someone. Take some time to think about this one and gain clarity on who you’re a hero to. Maybe you’re inspiring others to exercise more, or maybe you’re making someone’s job easier with your insight and motivating words.
5. Progress, not perfection. In school, if you get 100%, you’re given an A+. In life, things are a lot messier. You may feel like you’re giving it your all, but you’re not reaching perfection. That’s okay. You just want to focus on achieving progress. If you focus on attaining perfection, you’ll become discouraged and you’ll make yourself (and those around you) miserable. Small, but consistent, steps will get you to your goals.
6. Who, not how. There are just a few things each one of us is really good at. When you’re trying something new, you’ll find you probably don’t do it very well. So ask yourself, “Who can do this?” not “How do I do this?” Find the who’s to do the how’s to allow yourself to focus on your areas of expertise.
7. Establish boundaries. What we have found, particularly with entrepreneurs who have the freedom to do anything they want, is that when they establish boundaries and routines, they become much freer and they grow a lot faster. The difficult becomes simple when you’re intentional about your boundaries, rather than relying on your willpower to shape your environment.
8. Remember to experience joy. As you’re going through life, remember to stop and smell the roses. Celebrate your achievements in life and be present in the moment. Find work that is meaningful and fun, and don’t forget to play!
Hopefully these principles are helpful and perhaps they’ll provide you with some new perspective on life. Until next time, enjoy.
Gary
If you’d like to read more on this topic, here are a few of Gary’s previous posts that you might enjoy:
