Predicting the future like a pro
You are lucky.
If you have enough intelligence and persistence to pursue something for a decade without giving up, you will eventually reach a point where you have achieved something remarkable; something you can be proud of.
In this sense, success is simple: you choose something, and then you work and work and work until you get it.
But, success is not just about getting what you want. It is also about getting it without sacrificing your love, happiness, peace, and yourself.
A few weeks ago (as of this writing), I tweeted…
“Think of long-term success as delaying and eventually enjoying short-term pleasure.”
I still stand by that. But, I would add one more thing…
“Think of long-term success as delaying and eventually enjoying short-term pleasure *and happiness.”
Some of the most brilliant minds of our generation are on their second or third marriages, which shows that success can take a toll on us not only physically but also emotionally.
So, I think success is finding a way to achieve your goals while living a life that you love.
I may be wrong –– I admit that I need to think more about this topic –– but I think this can be done by striving for success not with anxiety or fear but with calmness.
If you look back at your life and remember the times when you have experienced great financial or professional growth, chances are you probably felt calm, clear, and confident in those moments.
I would compare it to when Robert Downey Junior’s Sherlock Holmes is surrounded by enemies and, suddenly, everything slows down and his next move becomes obvious and he knows how to fight and win.
Yes, you are sweating.
Yes, your heart is pounding.
But, you also have a sense of clarity.
You know what to do and you do it before you even think about it.
Some of the most successful people I know –– who also seem to have a level of happiness and calmness that Gandhi would admire –– have a sense of clarity in their work that is almost like foresight.
I have tried to emulate this clarity in my own life and when I have succeeded, I have noticed that I trust my gut more than my brain when making decisions.
In other words…
When it felt right, I did it. When it felt wrong, I didn’t.
I know this sounds simple but, seriously, think about the times in your life when things have gone horribly wrong or amazingly right and tell me you didn’t know these outcomes before they happened.
I once dated a woman in college who I knew was evil incarnate but she had legs that could make a man weak, breasts that could stop traffic, and a tongue that could charm a snake and being that I was twenty-one-years-old and that like most men at this age, I thought with my dick, I listened to my dick rather than my intuition and I paid the price.
So many of us know it is fire before we touch it, but we touch it anyway despite this knowing.
On the other hand, when I was invited to Qingdao. China at the age of thirty-three to consult with some growing companies… even though I was terrified, I packed my bags and boarded that plane and I went… not because I wanted to but because I knew in my heart that it was what I had to do.
To this day, it was one of, if not the, best catalysts of my life and work as a successful business owner….
So, if you want success, you should realize that you already know how to get there.
You have known for a long time.
It’s just that, for some reason, you are not listening to yourself.
That, or you are falling for the temptations, convincing yourself they are angels and not traps.”
Creativity in writing is becoming a scarcity.
Between the constant temptation to dance for the algorithm and the staggering advance of artificial intelligence, our world is spiraling into what I believe to be a creative crisis.
For us to remain an emotionally-aware race, while at the same time pushing humanity forward, we must cultivate and champion creativity both in ourselves and in the generations to come and write as we feel.
This is why I’m dedicating the next decade of my life to exploring the subject of creativity as both an artist and teacher.
I hope you enjoy my content
Best
Graham
Hyper Personalisation
