Maybe you don't actually want it… maybe you just like the idea of having it.

One of my favorite lines from Atomic Habits:

“It doesn’t make sense to continue wanting something if you’re not willing to do what it takes to get it. If you want to live that lifestyle, then at least release yourself from the desire“

Harsh, but it puts something I’ve been thinking about into perspective. A general rule of thumb I personally believe we should all live by:

If you can’t go a day without thinking about it, don’t go a day without working for it.

How much of your unhappiness comes from wanting the reward of a life you aren’t actually willing to live?

All the time we romanticize successful entrepreneurs, athletes, celebrities, creators etc

Not for what they’ve done… but for what they have.

Their lifestyle, their fame.. the cars, the watches, the mansions.

Unfortunately, what we don’t realise is that’s only what we see after they’ve spent 1,000s of boring, long, repetitive hours mastering their craft.

There’s an amazing quote that goes:

People want what you have, but not what you did to get it.

And that’s the point where desire becomes dangerous.

Because wanting something feels productive when in reality it’s the furthest thing from it.

Quick pause… in all honesty, ads like the one below are what keep these emails free and keeps me writing every week. Give it a quick click… and thanks for the support :)

Every sales leader knows the feeling. You walk into a pipeline review with a number you believe in, and twenty minutes later, you're defending every line item to a CEO who just wants to know what's actually going to close.

HubSpot Sales Hub ends that conversation. Every deal, every rep's activity, and every buyer signal are all in one place and updated automatically. So your forecast is built on what's actually happening. And when you present that number, you can stand behind it.

Get a demo

Recently, I’ve tried changing the way I view success.

If I want the result, I have to also want the process that creates it. Otherwise, why bother?

And that doesn’t mean I’ll enjoy every second of it…

Waking up at 5 AM isn’t “fun“. 15 hour work days don’t “amuse“ me. But if I want the life I must at least accept the price.

Because it makes no sense to dream about a life you refuse to pay.

One of the best lines I’ve heard recently is…

If you pray for flowers don’t be surprised when it rains. Growth doesn’t come the way you want it to, it comes the way you need it to.

What are you willing to do to grow?


Your #1 Fan,
Uncommon Wisdom