- The Focus Letter
- Posts
- From Mediocrity to Mastery: 7 Lessons Learned
From Mediocrity to Mastery: 7 Lessons Learned
Principles from a 10-year Transformation To Live A Life of Growth, Autonomy, and Impact
Brand Marz
January 21, 2023
In the past decade, I have:
Went from lazy, momma's boy to strong, high-achieving father
Overcame my addictions to media and social anxiety.
Added over $70k to my income.
This transformation has taught me lessons about what's important in life.
I've learned that some of the things I used to stress over just aren't worth it.
The things I used to take for granted are now my top priorities.
It's like the universe hit me with a huge wake-up call, and I'm grateful for it.
Today, you get to learn from 20+ years of experience in less than 5 minutes.
These are my new 7 rules for life:
1. Negativity is the Biggest Motivator
We don't get in shape because we somehow realized the benefits of exercise and good nutrition.
This is common sense but this doesn't get us to stick to a plan, does it?
We do it when we discover a health problem, go through a breakup, or prepare for an event that we'd hate to lose.
As a teenager, my idols were the jacked sayians from Dragon Ball Z.
Sure it was a cool idea to work out to try to get my body chiseled and ripped like them but did I do it because of that?
No.
It wasn't until I experienced a break up my freshman year of college that led me to pack on 35 lbs of muscle in a few years.
Use pain as a driver for your goals.
It's not the end of the world, it's an opportunity to multiply your drive for that goal you've been putting off forever.
2. You Can't Out-Think Bad Habits
Willpower is a short, weak fuse.
Why do you think you have such a hard time quitting?
Everyone has some form of addiction:
Junk Food
Social Media
Video games
Gambling
Porn
Our minds are wired for novelty and pleasure.
Why not use that to your advantage?
Human psychology is built on systems.
We act (long-term) with the least amount of effort to get what we want.
Design your life in a way that requires less energy but more impact.
Your desired outcome.
If you want to:
Quit junk food → remove it from your house.
Reduce scrolling → turn your screen grayscale.
Get away from video games → put them in the attic.
Increase income → invest money in the stock market or real estate.
Destroy the porn addiction → go out, network, start a business, and train your body.
3. Don't Follow Your Passions...Yet
"Passion comes after you put in the hard work to become excellent at something valuable, not before.
In other words, what you do for a living is much less important than how you do it."
Newport makes a great point in his book.
Passion won't pay the bills.
Nothing is worse than chasing passion only to burn out. Most people lack resources and act on inspired emotion.
In 2017, I went to university for an exercise science degree and a career as a fitness entrepreneur because of my passion for bodybuilding.
Who doesn't want to be a YouTube Influencer?!
2 years later, I ended up burnt out because I pursued "passion."
I should've focused on the skills associated with running a business:
sales
marketing
public speaking
and copywriting.
Newport says, "If you want to love what you do, abandon the passion mindset (what can the world offer me?) and instead adopt the craftsman mindset (what can I offer the world?).
Gain skills first to earn a high income
Get a grip on your lifestyle
Then pursue passions
Let it develop as you become far above average at the necessary skills.
4. Everyone is Self-Interested
The only unconditional love you will ever receive is from your mother
If you're lucky.
People treat you differently when you have something clear to offer.
It's human nature.
Use it to your advantage.
Don't ask for something upfront.
Lead with value and you will get more than you imagined.
Why should you network?
(Followers, clients, & high-value friends)
But most people fail to do it correctly
How to send a DM (w/o getting ghosted):
— 𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗭 🐉 (@BrandMarz)
2:10 PM • Jan 5, 2023
5. Luck Rewards Action and Patience
Success depends on your ability to delay pleasure and embrace difficulty.
There are 2 types of people.
Pleasure seekers
Purpose seekers
Okay, I know. We all do a bit of both.
But notice the qualities of multi-millionaires, high-status social media influencers, and even humble minimalists living off grid.
They are able to:
Make deliberate decisions
Limit distractions
Delay pleasure
6. Your Beliefs Shape Reality
"The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it.”
This is the most powerful rule.
Belief is everything.
Your subconscious mind is always eavesdropping on your self-talk.
The environment you spend the most time in has an influence on you.
Attitude is the driver.
Notice how some people are either completely miserable or endlessly cheerful?
Now, look at the top 5 people you spend the most time with.
Are they Smiling Sallys?
Or Debbie Downers?
Be conscious of who and where you spend your time.
It could be the factor that makes or breaks your potential success.
7. Forgive, Forget, and Forge
Forgive your parents
Then forget everything you've learned from them.
I mean if you care about personal development, spend your life unlearning bad habits.
Then rebuild productive ones.
Some people never escape their childhood though.
The sad reality is that some grow in age but not in mindset.
Keep your sense of curiosity
But don't be the 40-year-old that still relies on mom.
I think you get the point.
Hope this gave you some perspective!
Let me know what rules I missed.
Which one was your favorite? Feel free to reply!
TL;DR
My 7 Rules for Life
Negativity is Biggest Motivator
You Can't Out-Think Bad Habits
Don't Follow Your Passions...Yet
Everyone is Self-Interested
Luck Rewards Action & Patience
Your Beliefs Shape Reality
Forgive, Forget, & Forge
As always if you got value out of this, let me know with a reply or DM on Twitter!
How else can I help you?
Want clarity on your personal or professional systems? Book a free strategy call with me!
Or check out any of the valuable resources I use below!
See you next time!
Resources:
Communities:
Modern Mastery: Join a like-minded group of individuals committed to self-mastery, building an online business, and gaining financial freedom.
Dad’s Online Business Toolbox: Join a community of men who are building families, online businesses, and legacies. Free modules are added every month!
Content Mastery:
Speechify: Emails, articles, ebooks, and more are read to you at up to 4.5x speed. ($60 off link).
2-Hour Writer: Learn a marketable skill writing 1-2 hours per day that translates to a promotion, a business, or bringing clarity to your overactive mind.
Content OS: Set up a content creation machine to systemize your weekly workflow.
Hypefury: Schedule unlimited tweets and save your ideas in a clean dashboard while saving 4 hours per week.
Reply