The New Year is upon us and for many people that means it is time to dust off the old spiral notebook and jot down some resolutions. I used to do this every year. My resolutions were nothing short of spectacular. My results by the end of each year, if I even remembered them, were not very impressive. I was more likely to digress than progress.
Last year was different. I don’t even think I set resolutions. I just did the work. Every day, week, and month, I was pushing myself to become a little better. In terms of productivity and personal development, 2018 has been my greatest year. Now 2019 is coming up fast and I wonder how much farther can I go.
10x
A common theme I see these days is the idea of being able to 10x your life. There are tons of influencers that you can pay to show you how to do this. Imagine what a 10x improvement in your life would look like. I can easily picture the attractiveness of making 10x more money next year. That would be awesome. But can I make a 10x improvement in my body, soul, or mind? What does a 10x improvement even look like?
- 10x faster in a 5K
- 10x more weight loss
- 10x happier
- 10x more sex
- 10x more stuff
+10%
I know, it is not as sexy as 10x. If I offered you a 10% improvement in life free of charge versus you paying for a 10x from a successful-looking influencer, you may be already reaching for your credit card. 10x is hard to beat, but is it realistic? And is 10x a one-time shot or can you go up 10x every year? I might be pessimistic, but personally I am shooting for a 10% increase.
What does a plus 10% look like?
- A little more work, maybe an extra day put in every 10 days.
- Running a 9 minute mile instead of 10.
- Reading a bit more. I had a goal in 2018 to read 50 books. I only completed 36. A 10x’er might shoot to read 360, but I am going to modestly attempt to read 40 books in 2019.
- 10% more sex. Your spouse might thank you for this, but he/she may try to curse you if you go 10x. Then again, you never know.
2019 will be the first time I take a 10% approach to my resolution setting. I’m optimistic about it, because 10% is really not that big. 10% is doable. If I can hit that number every year in almost every aspect of my body, soul, and mind, I would be ecstatic.
To those setting resolutions in 2019: I wish you the best of luck. May you achieve that which you set out to do, whether it is 10%, 10x, or somewhere in between.
Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning. –Benjamin Franklin
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