Motivated By The Fear Of Being Average
I saw a quote recently that said something along the lines of...
"If you don't come out of this pandemic's quarantine with a new side hustle, a new hobby, or better habits, you are the average person."
...and it hit me like a brick wall. Quite literally.
Story Time
When COVID-19 hit, my world was thrown into chaos. My final exams in a week were all being changed to online formats, and some of my professors opted to grade us solely on what we had already done. In one class, a single midterm decided my entire grade (though subtle brag: it was my investments class, which I did great at given my background).
And as Spring Quarter rolled around, we were presented with "emergency" online classes. At this time, I was also relieved of my position as a Resident Advisor at the University of California, Davis, and thus, I had to move back home. And as I sat there without the distractions and community events of being in person on campus, I realized the amount of time I really had available to me. Nearly 8 hours each day were spent unproductively according to my calculations (nerd voice).
As a productivity junkie, this just couldn't be.
So what did you do, Justin? Play video games?
Why, yes...yes I did. I gained some more squad wins in Fortnite.
But that wasn't it. I began to focus. I focused on what my short term goals were, where I wanted to be in 5 years, and the key question: What are some steps I can do today to get myself 1% closer?
This question is extremely powerful, and it plays off the 1% rule that is cited nearly everywhere. Slow and steady wins the race just as 1% compounded every single day will win your goals.
I've seen two types of people grow out of this pandemic.
👉 Type I - Finally had the time to achieve their goals and got to it. I'm looking at all those achieving their fitness goals right now!
👉 Type II - Those who wasted their time and didn't see the pandemic as an opportunity. I'm looking at all those who lost all their gains now.
Both Type I's and Type II's were dealt with the same hands. The difference lies in the mindset. Type I's wanted to be more than average, and they pushed forward with their newfound time. And of course, Type II's slugged behind watching the latest hit series (totally recommend the new Snowpiercer series!).
And it doesn't seem like the pandemic is going to be over anytime soon with the growing rates of transmission. So it isn't too late for the II's to become I's, and I strongly urge all of you to grab your goals now.
What did you actually do, Justin?
No, seriously, I played video games...many, many hours have been clocked in on my Steam and EpicGames accounts.
Though, I did accomplish a few things, and I failed at others.
Accomplishments thus far:
Built a small business (subtle ad: kicknkardz.com)
Went all in on my website design service (I stagnated for the past year or so with little clients) and became a Wix Partner, took the Wix Editor X Academy, and mastered Editor X's beta software for responsive web design
Started my financial coaching service, built out appropriate systems, took on my first two clients, and currently attending the Financial Coaches Network's Launch Program (a coaching program that helps you launch your financial coaching business)*
Attended the Financial Planning Associations Virtual Externship
Networked, learned, networked, and learned
Received a financial planning internship at Build a Better Financial Future*
Failures thus far:
Lost significant gains and gained significant amounts of fat (yes, it's noticeable)
Failed a few virtual job interviews
Played far too many hours of video games (Fortnite, Don't Starve, The Witcher Trilogy)
I will be updating this list as the pandemic goes on, and my list of video games grows, of course.
And as always —
Live intentionally.
*Updates I've made since writing the article