#046: 100% commitment is better than 99%
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#46 - September 10, 2023
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Hello World,
🤔 Idea — 99% commitment doesn’t work
I was recently reminded by an idea that a friend shared me several years ago, and it was about the concept of setting a goal and why being “sort” of committed to a task even if it’s as much as 99% is completely futile and doomed to fail.
Why?
Let’s think about this axiomatically.
Let’s say you decide to start going to gym to achieve a goal i.e. lose weight, and you say to yourself that you’re going to be 99% committed — what this actually means is that you’ll go when you feel like it, it means you’ll go when you’re not busy and have the time, and it ultimately shows that you’re not fully committed to the goal.
Why is this important to understand?
Being anything less than 100% committed gives you an opportunity to create excuses for yourself, even when it’s as small as 1% — this small percentage becomes dangerous because it’s a sign of a lack of dedication, discipline and consistency to the goal at hand. What starts off as 1% soon becomes 5%, then 10%, 20%, and next think you know it, the reverse has happened, and you’re now 99% not committed.
So what to do?
Being 100% committed is scary. The idea of going all in is uncomfortable for a lot of people. They prefer an exit route. But for many, having an exit route becomes the default when things get too difficult.
100% is and will always be the answer.
If you want truly achieve a goal whatever that it is, having only 100% commitment is the only way towards success. It forces you to fully commit with no exit route, no excuses, and more importantly it makes the decision very easy.
So going back to the above example — going to gym is now automatic. Your brain doesn’t have to second guess or spend any energy making a decision on whether to go or not. Remember you’re now 100% committed — you HAVE to go.
The power of this notion shouldn’t be underestimated. It’s a useful tool you can use for anything you want to achieve.
By simply changing the way you think about commitment can have an exponential impact on your life.
Until next time,
B.
💬 Quote I’m thinking about
“The free man is a warrior”― Friedrich Nietzsche
I’m still trying to decipher this one.
What does it mean to be free in today’s world?
I get the sense that being a ‘warrior’ is really about fighting for your ability to think and be free in your own right, free from the shackles of a life controlled by exogenous factors, expectations and norms.
Perhaps we’re all capable of being warriors and ultimately free when we sit down and think about what we truly want from our lives.
I’ll continue to ruminate…
🔥Nuggets
Stay on the bus (James Clear) — a little gem I across that really exemplifies the importance of sticking with the plan, and why being patient is a true virtue when it comes to meaningful work.
Why 10 customers are better than 100 — a classic piece from Paul Graham on the importance of doing things that don’t scale for startups. A great reminder that having 10 customers that love you is better than 100 customers who sort of like you.
Understanding Eigenquestions — a flashback to an article I wrote a couple of years ago on the idea of asking the right question in solving complex problems.
If you're interested in 1:1 startup coaching/advisory - check out my Notion page to learn more
If you're an early-stage startup founder building something amazing and looking for initial seed capital - reach out to the team at Metagrove Ventures.
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