Matthew Kelly has written a number of great books. We have Notes on three of them: Perfectly Yourself, The Rhythm of Life and Off Balance.
In Off Balance, Mathew tells us that if we want to change the trajectory of our lives (and/or careers), we need to change the period of time we think about.
Here’s how he puts it: “So, the first step is, don’t be in too much of a hurry to create the ideal life you have imagined. Personal and professional satisfaction are built like a castle, one brick at a time. We tend to overestimate what we can do in a day and underestimate what we can do in a week. In the same way, we tend to overestimate what we can do in a year and underestimate what we can do in a decade.
Take a decade view. Give yourself a decade to build the life you have imagined for yourself,
one that is rich and overflowing with personal and professional satisfaction. Until you take the decade view, until you begin to imagine and plan what you can do in a decade, you have not even begun to explore your potential.”
The decade view.
What’s YOURS look like?
Seriously. Pull out a blank piece of paper. Wave the wand. What’s your life look like?
That’s Today’s +1.
P.S. From a career/income perspective, Matthew brings the point home by reflecting on how much various people at McDonalds make depending on the time horizon for which they’re responsible. Here’s a super quick look:
– 90 second = Drive-thru clerk = $7-$8/hr
– 8 hours = Shift manager = $12-$15/hr
– 3 months = Store manager = $20/hr
– 1 year = Regional manager = $35-$40/hr
– 20 years = CEO = $10,000/hr (= $20m/year)
Note: The same returns apply to every aspect of our lives. For example, if our time horizon for our happiness is the next 5 minutes, then we’ll prioritize eating the donut, having the extra drink or smoking the cigarette.
And, guess what? Although it’s easy to take for granted, with that approach we’re not even guaranteed a decade.
Of course, none of us are guaranteed even an extra moment beyond this one but we want to choose wisely and our #1 priority should be making sure we’re giving ourselves the best shot to be around in a decade, eh?
Here’s to a beautiful decade view. See your future self. And prioritize your next moment accordingly.
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