Today, I like to share with you one of the most simple, but profound ideas that I've ever personally discovered.
I call it, the Equation of Magnitude, and understanding it, how it works, and then using it in your life, can be the force that finally moves you into a position of power and control when it comes to actually achieving what you want in life.
I know you've heard this before, but stay with me, because this equation does something I've been searching for nearly all my life (perhaps you have to), and that is:
It describes in a single line, the framework or forumla that is responsible for taking action, getting awesome results, and living a life of excellence.
It really is unique in its simplicity, as you'll see in a moment.
Before I explain what it is, let me give you a bit of background about its discovery.
The Day It Hit Me!
The way my brain works, is that I'm always in a mode of asking WHY? I want to know why things work the way they do. I believe that when you can get a reasonable answer to any why question, it enables you to understand whatever it is you're trying to learn at a deeper, and more usable level.
For example, telling me that eating processed food is bad for me is probably something I should hear, but it doesn't do anything to motivate me to act on the idea. When I understand clearly the exact reasons WHY I shouldn't eat them, that understanding pushes me in a positive direction to use and act on what I learned. It's as if my brain says, OK, that makes total sense, I get it, and now let's use that info - a positive improvement usually follows.
Like you, I've listened for decades to the idea that goals, and planning your day, and other 'success-related' activities are important, and because I was told that 'this or that' would be the positive result for doing it, I felt that I had the reasons I needed to act on those ideas - at least to some degree...
You see, in the back of my mind, I always felt like something was missing in my understanding. I knew there had to be some underlying principle behind these success strategies, and the effect they have on us humans, motivating us to act. I was always looking for something that could be expressed simply, and would bring everything together into an immediately understandable core idea, kind of like Einstein's E=MC2.
Again, to me, I never believed that just knowing that creating goals is what 'successful people do', was a sufficient argument for getting anyone to become a goal-setter, planner, or to give up being a procrastinator. But I always figured that if I could one day pinpoint exactly how and why these tools and strategies effect a person and their thinking, and then be able to explain that effect to them in a clear, simple way, that it might be the deep understanding they needed to push them to finally adopt these strategies and habits, even though they may have resisted doing so for years.
Recently, while writing a portion of a new book I'm working on (related to this topic), I was sitting there in front of my computer, thinking about this problem when, in an intense moment of clarity, the answer finally hit me!
Literally, insights that I have discovered over the years about taking action, clarity, and motivation all came together in that moment, into a concept that I call, The Equation of Magnitude.
So, why the fancy name?
Because any great idea needs to be easily identified in order to be recalled and useful. And while it may sound a bit 'big-headed' of me to say so, I truly believe this is a great...no, awesome, idea! :)
I call it an equation, because that's what it is: a formula, or framework, that's described in a single line. Magnitude describes its purpose, which is to define importance, significance, or consequence.
The Equation
So, without further delay, here's my discovery:
Action (What You Do) = Which Is Stronger? Impulsive Desire (Clarity x Emotion) or Bigger Purpose (Clarity x Emotion)
In regular terms, what this equation says is: The action you decide to take at any given moment is determined by which is stronger, the clarity and emotion you have tied to an immediate, impulsive desire, or the clarity and emotion you have tied to a bigger purpose (goals, plans, etc.).
Its Significance/How It Works
Now let me explain the incredible significance of what this equation means to you.
By default, short-term, impulsive desires drive our behaviors: We get hungry, and the clarity of delicious food multiplied by the strength of emotion of how good it's going to make us feel, drives us to eat. NOW (what's happening in this moment) is always here, it's clear to us, and it is often pretty emotionally exciting in some way.
A whole bunch of problems show up in life when you get stuck in a mode of thinking and living that focuses mostly on satisfying short-term outcomes and desires. It often leads to procrastination, the inability to make good decisions, and little to no acheivement toward any long-term outcomes of significance.
Unfortunately, a lot of people have this experience in life - perhaps you do to! Why does this happen? The equation answers this...
It's because, for most people, the reality of NOW is more clear and emotionally compelling to them than the reality of something in the future (or bigger purpose). The clarity and emotions they experience in the moment are driving their actions and behaviors.This causes them to gravitate more often to taking actions that satisfy short-term desires, than taking actions that help them acheive long-term desires.
Consider this scenario: You have a wish to eat better, because you know it's a good idea for long-term health. But, you've never written down this goal in detail and why it's important to you, and you've certainly never formed an emotional attachement of any kind for reaching it. Then one day, you sit down in front of the most scrumptous donut you've ever seen. It's chocolaty, it's fluffy, and it smells incredible!
Do you eat the donut, or are you going to stick to your desire to eat healthier for long-term health? The action you decide to take is going to based on which reality is clearer and more emotionally compelling to you.
So let's think about what's going on in your mind and body at that very moment...
What's your short-term (impulsive desire) reality? Well, the donut is there now, you see it clearly, you smell it, and you're imagining the joy you're going to experience from eating it - you've formed a strong emotional bond to how good it's going to feel to eat it.
What's your long-term (bigger purpose) reality? In the back of your mind, you know you shouldn't eat it, but that's about it!
When it comes down to it, which reality do you think is going to drive your ultimate decision? Isn't it the one that's more clear and emotionally compelling to you at that moment?
Doesn't that make sense to you?
So, what this means in practical sense, is that if you have no clear and emotionally compelling vision of your bigger purpose, one that's so clear and strong that it pops into your mind in these moments and you emotionally connect with it, then what drives your every behavior will mostly be that of satisfying short-term (now, today, or at most, this week) desires and outcomes.
In other words, you need to learn to connect with your bigger purpose (of who you want to become, what you want to accomplish, and so on) to such a strong extent, that it begins to impact everything you do, and the decisions you make. If you don't do this, then NOW is going to draw you toward it by default, and your ability to do anything of long-term significance in life will be severly hindered!
Once again, does that make sense?
Real World Examples
The concept expressed in this equation is responsible for all great results that people achieve:
- It's what enables an Olympian to push past the pain and exhaustion of NOW, so he can achieve his crystal clear goal of winning a gold medal and the incredible feeling of emotion that he'll experience, standing on the winner's podium.
- It's what enables a life-long smoker to instantly quit their impulsive habit, when the reality of a devastating future becomes clear to them - perhaps by means of medical diagnosis, and they connect with the strong emotions of what they'll potentially lose if they don't change their ways.
- It's even what enables people to do something as simple as successfully planning and going on vacation. They think about it all the time, view photos and videos of their destination, and talk to others about it (it becomes clear and exciting to them). This drives them to sacrifce any impulsive desires (not going out to eat, not buying something they want) that may stand in their way of making that vacation a reality.
Now, none of this is to say that you won't occasionally give into an impulsive desire - some can be good and beneficial. But you don't want to be controlled by them, or live your life stuck in a mode where impulsive desires are the driving force behind much of what you do.
How To Benefit From The Equation Of Magnitude In Your Life
So, if you feel like you're on the impulsive side of the equation, and you want to shift to the other side, how do you do it? Well, here are three main keys:
- Create A Bigger Purpose - You've got to make the vision of your bigger purpose (your goals, plans, who you want to be) as clear and as emotionally compelling as you can. This means writing it down in crystal clear, colorful detail, along with imagining the emotions you'll feel from acheiving it. Remember, simply having ideas in your head about these things does NOT bring the level of clarity or emotion you need for them to affect you in the way they need to.
- Regularly Review Your Bigger Purpose - You've got to reinforce the clarity and emotions you have tied to your bigger purpose by reviewing it regularly - seeing it clearly, imagining yourself as living it, and getting emotionally excited about it. This means daily seeing it, feeling it, talking about it, writing about it, teaching others about it (if you can). Not only does this consistency help you stay strongly connected to the reality of your bigger purpose (a must), but you're constantly being presented and seduced to act on short-term desires - which are also known as distractions. If you don't counteract this constant flow of NOW with a big, powerful, and exciting picture of your future, NOW is going to continue to have a stronger pull in your life, and the chances of you ever acheiving anything of signifigance is going to be slim to none..
- Eliminate - Eliminate as many short-term temptations as you can from your life. Purge anything you feel prevents you from acheiving your long-term goals. This includes people, food, what you read, what you watch, or any other activities. Achievment isn't only about the things you do right, it's also about the things you don't do - what you might need to eliminate.
Change your results, and who you are, by consistently connecting with your vision of who and where you want to be in the future. Doing so will enable you to finally overcome the hurdles that the realities and temptations of NOW throw into your way every minute of the day.
Write the equation down, hang it someplace where you can review it, and think about its significance from time to time.
Most importantly, use it to your advantage!
That's it for now. I would really appreciate it if you would please leave your comments below.
Have a fantastic day!
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