How To Have A Successful Life

_{-Writing to you today from my one-room office overlooking the harbor in Palmas Del Mar.}

There is an old joke that goes something like this,

How do you eat an elephant?

Answer: One bite at a time.

It’s a silly joke, but there is a lot of wisdom in it.

Special Brunch

I got up today and took Truman to brunch in the Palmanova Plaza.

Huevos Enchiladas.

The enchiladas were a 7/10, but good enough since they weren’t the reason we were out having brunch together.

Truman has officially finished high-school and is starting his formal NTNRML education.

Truth be told, he has been living the NTNRML lifestyle for years—he is just helping me formalize the curriculum and activities.

Endless Summer

We spent the last 6-7 weeks zigging and zagging all over the Pacific Northwest of the USA.

We flew and road-tripped Puerto Rico, to Portland, Oregon, to the Oregon coast, to Montana, to Glacier, to southern Utah including Capital Reef, Bryce, and Zion National Parks.

Needless to say, everyone is ready to get back into a routine.

Summer is over and it is time to plan out the school year for he and his siblings.

Planning

This brings us back to our brunch.

We discussed the things he wants to learn, experiences he wants to have, and skills he wants to acquire.

It’s quite easy to make a long list of cool things to do.

It’s an altogether different matter to make them happen.

This quote always comes to mind:

There is a big difference between following a busy schedule and scheduling (prioritizing) your priorities to accomplish what you most desire.

This is the secret to a successful life.

Move From A To-Do List To A Calendar

This one move will change your life.

Instead of using a “to-do” list, use a calendar!

You will quickly see what fits into your life and what doesn’t-you’ll have to make choices.

It will also give you a very good idea of who you will become in the next one, three, or six months from now.

It’s magic.

Write down in those slots what you are going to do, do it, and transform into a new person.

Use Targets vs. Goals

One last thing I’ll add—and this is critical—the activities on your calendar need to be “targets” (steps) to accomplish the goal/aspiration you have for yourself in a few months.

Line up enough targets/steps in a row and you are guaranteed to hit your goal.

A few years ago, I decided to build a retaining wall in my backyard from the boulders that were strewn about.

Question: How do you build a retaining wall?

Answer: One rock at a time.

There were days I didn’t want to move any more rocks.

There were moments when I had to say to myself, “I don’t need to build the whole wall today, I just need to move one rock right now. If I can move another after that, I’ll think about that rock then. Right now, I just need to move this one rock.”

You know what?

The wall turned out amazingly well and it is something I’m very proud of.

So the lesson is, don’t put “build a retaining wall” on your schedule.

Give yourself a time slot on your calendar to move as many rocks as you can on Tuesday, and as many as you can in your slot on Wednesday, and as many as you can on Thursday…

Before you know it, you have accomplished your goal without even “working on your goal of building a wall.”

You just move one rock at a time.

Anyone can do that.

You work on the steps that, if you do them, day in and day out, will make achieving your goal an absolute certainty.

You Got This

An invitation for you this week: Look at your calendar, break down your goals into finite steps, put those steps into specific time slots on your calendar, and do what you say will do.

You will be amazed at what you accomplish this week.

I believe in you.

Let’s get after it!

Sincerely,

Ben Richardson

founder, NTNRML