Doing what you know you need

It’s a funny thing … when given a choice and time, circumstance, and such presents itself. What do you do?

What do you need?

Needing to do something is different than want. Need is oriented to your life goals, life responsibilities, and work responsibilities. The NEED to do something demands more respect and attention, but do you really know what you NEED?

WANT is primal and yes can relate to need, but these must be separated. Want is a desire and it’s nice if we get to do it. NEED is life or death; happiness or despair; food on the table or crashing on our friend’s couch. See the difference.

If you don’t know what you need, take the time, and give the gift to yourself. Your team, work, family, relationships, fitness, health, and wealth will all benefit when you do and behave accordingly.

Do you?

What makes it onto the list of importance and thus earns the spot of being needed? Who put it there? Is it really going to lead you to the result you seek?

These are questions I challenge within my businesses, teams, projects, life, mentees, and athletes.

They are not easy — and require a fascinating amount of pre-thought. Especially in the beginning, and so .. that is the first activity I outline for those seeking a better life.

List what you love

Literally write down what you love. Create a list, no judgement, just put it on paper.

Now, list things you are DOING for / with those loves of your life (note to self, these loves may be running, planting flowers, writing stories, coding the latest app for your phone)

Finally .. as you live each day .. WRITE down when you do things you love

Know what worked in the last month and what didn’t?

Hindsight is a dark road that folks allow to introduce judgement, negativity, and regret into their thoughts. So we must seek to be very practical here and record what we LIKED doing last month that delivered the results we desired.

In addition, if some activities proved to not be productive — make a note of that too!

Now take the first step

After about 2–3 weeks of patiently reflecting, listing, reviewing, and documenting your life you’ll have a crisp view into a few personal insights. First you’ll see HOW MUCH time you are really giving to your LOVES. This matters more than I can share, for that which lifts your heart and excites your soul deserves the attention of your day.

Second you see where time is being spent that isn’t NEEDED but kind of by default is being absorbed. The classics are, of course, social media, netflix, and such… but you’ll also find other areas that are not so much taking your time but putting you backwards to your goals. Literally I have seen folks uncover habits that were undoing school, relationships, and their health. Take the time, and see what is happening in your life.

More is not the answer

Doing more is not what we are chasing. Putting the time in the right tasks to result in the right rewards is our focus. Nearly always it is DO LESS, but only because we spend our time and capital on activities/things that literally only harm our self.

More to share, soon… ask any questions.

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About Me

I am a father, study of human behavior, strategist, cybersecurity executive, and a coach and mentor on a journey to give more than I receive everyday. I lead teams globally, build products, and daily an executive for a leading company where I serve the largest companies in the world using the largest cloud deployments in the world impacting the financial services, healthcare, and fintech industries. I provide these publications and content through my media agency to deliver insights and advantages. Mindset, mental strength, mentorship, personal improvement, health, fitness, and humanist ideas are drawn from personal research and practice. Everything read and heard is my original works and my own perspective. All rights reserved for noted authors and sources. I produce research and strategy, as well as provide advisory services that include inquiries, briefings, consulting projects, and presentations on published findings as well as bespoke speaking engagements where I often keynote at conferences, seminars, and roundtables annually.