Have you ever felt that you’re “plateauing” or “getting stuck” where you are in life, job/career, or health – especially as you grow older?
This is something I’m seeing shared amongst my friends and colleagues – that many feel like they are “stuck in the rat race” with no significant progress over several years.
Believe it or not – there’s a rather simple explanation to this:
“Most of us stopped learning and developing.”
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Consider this:
Think back to when you were in high school as a freshman, and how you grew as a person 4 years later as a senior.
If you went to college, think of when you first started your classes, vs when you graduated 4-6 years later.
In both instances, you had pretty big changes both in your mental / physical capabilities, right?
So – if there should be big changes every 4-6 years, why hasn’t life progressed as much as we got older?
[The Answer:]
As we get older and busier with more responsibilities, we:
– stop learning new information (unless it’s at work)
– pursuing new interactions with people (unless it’s at work)
– aren’t given direct guidance by others that “give us a plan” to go after (unless it’s at work)…
I keep saying *unless it’s at work* – because I want you to notice a pattern here… if your work environment isn’t conducive to growing your skills / learning – you’ll likely be stuck where you are, likely for the long term… which I’ve noticed generally spills over into most people’s personal lives as well (for family, health, etc.)
Sure, one could say that “this is my [insert outside influence here]’s fault” – but I’m in the camp of taking personal responsibility and affecting positive change, not making excuses.
After all, it’s MY LIFE.
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Above said, if you’re serious about taking responsibility, making a change, and “engineering your own success” – here are some facts, tidbits, and thought-paths that I found helpful in my journey:
[A] Most experts say that it takes 10,000 hours to master a skill.
If you calculate out 10k hours ÷ 8 hrs per work day ÷ 5 work days per week ÷ 50 weeks per year* = ~5 years for 10,000 work hours.
* – I’m assuming you take just 2 weeks of vacation / leave per year
This is roughly the same amount of time it takes to earn a HS or college degree – which emphasizes the story above.
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[B] One of the most frustrating aspects of the these journeys is the annoying fact that you may see absolutely NO GAINS or perceivable progress for a VERY long time. Most likely, you won’t see any rewards until the very end.
Example: A med student that’s gone to school, but not residency, is still just a student and cannot practice medicine – i.e. they can’t get a job as a doctor, despite their knowledge.
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[C] A common question that comes up is:
If 5 years is too long – is there a way to cut down that time? Are there clever hacks / tricks / shortcuts to reaching that goal? (e.g. Something like a “10 hour work week?”
Short answer: Short of working more hours (i.e. 12 hours a day @ 6 days / week @ 52 weeks a year shortens the 10k time frame down to 2 yrs, 8 months) – the honest answer is: NO.
Why? Simple: Because if there are indeed truly clever “hacks / tricks / shortcuts” to mastering the skill, most people would be doing it – and it’s no longer a “special hack.” Beware of anyone who tries to “sell you a program/course” to quickly reach whatever your goal is – as it usually comes with a list of caveats and exceptions that won’t likely work for most.
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[D] This brings up the next thought – how sustainable is it to work 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, and take no breaks or vacations for 2-3 years?
To answer that question – I think important to ask yourself:
– How hungry or desperate for success are you?
– Is success something you NEED to achieve?…
…or, something you merely WANT to do?
Analogy: It’s like weight loss. Tons of people WANT to lose weight – but is it a NEED?
My story: A few years back, my doctor told me my cholesterol was too high, and unless I do something – i.e. excercise / eat less – I was going to have to start taking statins / meds, and stil likely experience health issues.
…and right then and there, my “WANT” just became a “NEED.”
I’ve not talked about this before publicly on the web, but I started my weight loss / exercise journey back in Nov 2020, with 5 days/week HIIT for cardio. Trimmed down from 210-215 down to 190s within the first few years. I then got a Smith machine last summer & upped my game, by adding calisthenics + regular biking… Down to 170-180 now, and much more powerful then even when I was in my teenage years.
Just like how “the rich can stay rich” – the same analogy applies to health and fitness:
– It may seem very hard / impossible to reach your first 100k or first pushup – but once you break that barrier – it’s far easier to go from 100k to 1mm, or pull up #14 to #15 in a row.
Why? Because once you put in the long term effort and get the benefits of success – whether it’s a healthier body, better job / career – the same workflows apply.
– Do the hard work
– The hard work makes you mentally / physically / financally stronger
– You’ll achieve even more progress that builds upon your past achievements
– Over time, reach even greater heights of Success
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That said / summary: It takes a LONG time for any significant progress to be made… so whatever your goal is:
– Don’t waste any time.
– GO FOR IT.