In the previous post, I talked about why it is a great idea to read certain books over and over again. Especially the books that profoundly impact your thinking and views on the world…your quake books. I even shared 10 such books that have changed my life to my email list (you can subscribe here for exclusive content).
One of those books is The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone. I have written about the book before, sharing highlights. Lately, I’ve had
I generally approach each year with a theme. In 2018, I worked on my execution skills, my aim was to get better at executing my ideas. I won some, and lost some, and learned many lessons about the process of getting things done. It is still something I continue to work on. This year, I’m working on my ability to set and achieve big goals.
The core of the 10X rule is that for whatever goal you have, you must take 10 times the amount of action you think you need to take to get there. It is the fastest way to guarantee that you will get what you want.
The 10X rule can be broken up to three aspects.
- Dream 10X goals
- (Over)estimate clearly just how much effort and energy would be needed to get to your goals
- Put in 10X action in the pursuit of your goals.
Set the right goals.The 10X rule means removing the internal limits we have set for ourselves around how much success we desire, or deem enough. Life is unpredictable and fragile. We have to set goals that are big enough, and sexy enough. We need goals that stretch us, excite us, and arouse us.
Which is an interesting thing to try to do, to open our minds to such goals because generally, from conditioning, society and experience, we have a range of goals we are comfortable with. Goals that are socially acceptable or normal for most people. What if we break out of that and access a wider range of goals? Not just goals around achievement and doing amazing cool stuff and having amazing pleasures and experiences. But also goals on impact, on transformation, on contribution of mutual benefit.
Being able to exercise imagination and see goals like this vividly is a super power that can be developed.
Then there is the other aspect to the 10X rule, which is estimating the effort required to achieve the goal. Grant says we falter here all the time. We are lazy. We consistently underestimate the amount of effort and level of action we need to get what we want. How do we fix that? By practice. By fleshing out distinct, clear and practical plans to getting us to our goals. By mentally running through the process before we begin. By imagining the pitfalls and obstacles. By imagining what could go wrong and coming up with contingency plans and redundancies. By reading, and studying the paths others have taken and absorbing just how much work they have put in to get where they were.
The better we are at estimating and anticipating the amount of pure graft required to do big things, the easier it gets for us to just buckle down and do it.
Which is the next aspect – the discipline of action. What does it look like to take 10X action? What does it look like to take unreasonable action? I got a glimpse of that recently, when I was looking for a new place. I browsed a bit, found a place I liked and went for it, assured I would get it. I didn’t. Spurred by this loss, and running out of time, I literally spent hours researching and looking for places. I identified up to 20 places and started calling from top to bottom until I got a hold of a few people and scheduled viewings. I kept multiple requests running right up to the moment of deciding and paying a deposit. I went over and beyond the call for action, to make sure I got what I wanted.
I have to apply the same to my goals. Want a remote job? Do a ton of research, call and speak to people who are working in places. Update your CV, refresh your portfolio, jump on to sites, apply, apply, apply. Take massive action until you get what you want.
Want to improve your finances? Make that list of books and resources you need to read. Spend hours watching videos on personal finance. Use that app to track your expenses. Work with an accountant closely to understand your numbers. Have a clear idea of your financial health even if it is bad. A clear idea is the first step. Set up new accounts, set up services, set up savings, set up all that you must. Know what your financial milestones are and what you want to get done with money.
And then go 10x on figuring out how to rapidly and permanently increase your level of income. Learn, up-skill, and take massive action in building business systems to deliver and capture value.
Do you have a goal? Apply the 10X principles to them. Indulge in the discipline of vision and goal setting. Set exciting, rebellious and sexy goals. Apply the discipline of effort estimation. Really understand and try to get a grasp and appreciation for what it would take. And then take massive action. Be unreasonably prepared and researched. Be unreasonable in your level of action and pushing. Be unreasonable in your analysis of your actions and results and stay persistent. Until you get what you want.
