From the desk of Harsh Strongman
Topic: How you can get ahead of others
This post is going to be about how to get ahead – in all facets of life – be it money, relationships, play, personality, physique, health, etc.
First things first, let me point out the basic rule- if you want to get ahead, you cannot waste time.
Most people get ahead during the time that others waste.
Time is the most important and the scarcest resource you have.
Money can be made and money can be lost, but time once gone is lost forever. There is no scope of recovery here.
(Which is also why exchanging time for money – or hourly jobs – is a bad idea. But more on that later)
Every day wasted sitting around, “just hanging out”, watching TV, masturbating, and doing nothing worthwhile is a crime against yourself – you should be punished.
And life does punish – the punishment is a lifetime of mediocrity, dissatisfaction, and stagnation.
Don’t forget the insane power compound interest has.
If you want to win in the game of life, and stay a winner, you have to use time wisely.
This means limited partying, limited ‘going out’, no more social media – delete your Facebook, Instagram, etc. (unless you’re making money from them) and absolutely no TV.
It also means more time spent on your business, work, studying, reading, writing and researching.
If you look at your peers, you’ll notice almost all of them waste almost all of their time. If you’re in your early 20s (hopefully), you’re probably friends with a lot of such people.
Here’s the formula that we will use to get ahead:
Your time has to be used to do anything that progresses your life goals and vision.
No matter how small the progress is, it will add up. I repeat again – don’t underestimate compound interest. Consistency is key.
And that’s all.
It seems simple enough, but I assure you, 99% of people reading this can’t do it. It’s too hard and they’re too soft.
Here are two basic ways you can use the time you saved by cutting down on the above-mentioned activities if you can’t figure out how else to invest it:
1. Reading:
Read about things that relate to your profession, read about things that aren’t a part of it.
Read fiction, read non-fiction.
Read books that formed civilizations – The Vedas, The Bhagavad Gita, The Bible.
Reading gives you experience, and it does so quickly.
You needn’t make the mistakes other people made if you read about them and learn from them.
Reading can significantly shorten any learning curve – saving you time, effort and money.
I recommend reading 1 book per 2 weeks – or 2 books a month. No matter how busy you are, you can read 2 books a month.
2. Exercising:
Read our excellent article on getting started with exercise.
Do something physical every day. Ideally, this should be strength training at your local gym. Don’t overcomplicate this. Jog and swim occasionally. Mix it up. Keep things fun.
Exercise helps you age gracefully. It keeps your mind sharp and your body healthy.
Health is priority #1. Nothing else matters if you don’t have your health in control.
If you’re fat, and you want to get ahead, priority #1 is to get a better body.
Follow the above consistently, and in a few years, you will be too far to be caught.
Don’t follow it, and life will extract its price.
You can either pay your dues now and have great tomorrows – or you could “take it easy” and pay later, with pain and sorrow and have nothing to show for your life.
If you want value, you have to create it.
The path to greatness is out there – and it can only be tread with blood and sweat. Are you going to take it? Are you man enough to take it?