I am a HUGE consumer of content. So much so, that I give myself anxiety because I’ll moments where I realize there’s not enough time to consume it all.
I have a list of articles I want to read in my Todoist app.
Did you know that Facebook allows you to save posts so you can read them later? I have quite a number of saved posts, but I’m not sure later will ever arrive because I don’t seem to look at anything I’ve saved.
My Amazon wish list has 154 books on it. One of them is How to Control Your Anxiety Before It Controls You. I guess I should read that book next?
Point is, I will never get to all of it.
There, I said it. I wish saying it made me feel better.
There are many things in life and business that I will never get to. And that’s okay. Because my raison d’etre does not include “consume everything that sounds remotely interesting.”
This is why goal setting is so important.
The goal is not to read all the books, watch all the YouTube videos, and listen to all the podcasts.
The goal is the outcome. What outcomes do I want in my life?
Who do I want to BE?
What do I want to DO?
What do I want to HAVE?
If I can identify those things, then I can consume the content that will help me achieve those goals.
It’s not enough to simply consume the content. I have to do something with it.
- Learn it intellectually – understand it
- Apply it in the world – what would consistent implementation look like?
- Practice it – do it, fail at it, do it, fail at it, do it, fail at it…
- Master it – do it without fail
I would have to live several lifetimes to consume and apply everything in my reading/listening lists.
This is why it’s so important to pick one thing. Because thinking about everything is too overwhelming. The possibilities are endless and if I allow myself to think about everything I’m not doing, then absolutely nothing will ever get done.
So how do I choose? Among the infinite possibilities, how do I choose what to focus on?
I ask myself some questions:
What feels good?
What makes me happy?
What would be so amazing?
What could I do that would blow my own mind?
And I write about these things. I write and write and write.
I write until I find myself writing about something that feels different than everything else. The one that feels amazing, beautiful, inspiring, and challenging is the one that I choose.
I set my focus on that.
I become obsessed. It’s the majority of what I consume. And there’s plenty to consume!
Then I set about the four steps: learn it, apply it, practice it, master it.
And along the way, I have to remind myself of this process. Because I forget. Because I get distracted. Because I’m human.
Yet, I know this process works. I’ve done the research. I’ve consumed the content. And I apply it – Every. Damn. Day.
I recommit myself to my goal daily. I remind myself why I want it.
I blow my own mind with what I am capable of.
