You Know What To Do
The secret to weight loss isn’t hard (except for people with genetic predispositions).
Eat nutrient-dense food
Exercise regularly
Get consistent sleep
Limit junk food
It’s not rocket science (and we all know that).
And yet, people will place all kinds of unnecessary dependencies upon themselves before they get started.
Endless research
Obsessing about optimal plans
Buying the right clothes and equipment
Setting goals and affirmations
Let me be clear! These are helpful in supplementing your results, sustaining motivation, and holding yourself accountable. However, I’ll watch people spend 10-20 hours preparing, and then spend 10 minutes on a treadmill.
They know what to do, but they pretend they don’t. They pretend they need a perfect plan before taking action.
And it’s not just exercise.
The AI Learning Hampster Wheel
If you’re on LinkedIn or X, you’re probably getting buried with AI tutorials, demos, courses, and the like. The FOMO is intense, and some of the smartest people I know are crying uncle because they can’t keep up.
They are also missing the point.
AI is meant to help you get things done. It’s not meant to be an all-consuming 2nd job to keep up with.
My belief? Most people can stop trying to learn new AI tools and techniques. Why? Because they aren’t even applying what they know!
Learning as Procrastination
Look, I have a habit of overlearning.
I have a PhD I’ve never used, because I thought I needed it to be the best at my profession.
In reality, I could have joined a company and gone further faster by learning and applying on the job.
Many people fall into the learning trap. They convince themselves they need just a few more facts.
However, some of the best learning happens through direct experience and feedback. Your code isn’t working? Great! Now you have a real problem with real motivation to fix it.
Forgetting What You Used to Know.
I loved a story that Rich Schefren told on a recent webinar.
He was feeling stuck in his business and decided to look at his bookshelf for guidance. He then noticed a copy of his book he wrote 10+ years prior. When he opened up and started skimming, he realized that the answers he was looking for were right there.
He ended up pulling his book into ChatGPT, asking questions, and got exactly what he was looking for. He was astonished. The answers were already inside of him; it had just been so long that he felt like it was written by another person.
This happens to me all the time.
I’ll go back to my emails or to my blog to write about something, only to find out I already did 10-15 years ago. And after I re-read, I often gain new insights from my past self.
You Know What To Do
We live in a world of infinite intelligence. AI + the open web + your personal experience + people you know. The answers are all out there (or already inside you). You just need to ask, but you also need to get off your ass (I’m saying this for me too).
Stop pretending you have some insurmountable amount of knowledge you need to acquire. Yes, there are certain professions that require it (medical doctor). However, 90% of the time you already know enough to get started in the right direction… and you can make adjustments as you go.
I’m rooting for you.
I’m also rooting for myself.
Because I’m sure I’ll need to re-read this every so often as a reminder.