How Do You Find Your Thing?
Summary
- Don't stress about finding the perfect answer right away, as it's tough to know what's perfect without any experience.
- Start by trying lots of different things to gain perspective.
- Understand what you're putting in (inputs) and what you're getting out (outputs).
- Lower the barrier to taking action and get started by using a metaphorical "cheese" (reward) or "cat" (consequence) as motivation.
- In the beginning, it's more likely you'll be motivated by avoiding negative consequences ("cats") than chasing rewards ("cheese").
- It's not about finding the cheese immediately but moving away from the cat to increase your chances of getting closer to the cheese.
- Embrace rapid experimentation over trying to make the perfect choice from the start.
Video
How To Take Action
I would suggest trying lots of different things first, especially if you're not sure what to do. You can't know which direction is perfect without trying a few, right? Just like if you're looking for the best ice cream flavor, you gotta taste a few. So, start doing different activities or projects to learn what works best for you.
Try to understand the "inputs" and "outputs" of what you're doing. Inputs are like the ingredients you put into a recipe, and outputs are the delicious cookies you get at the end. This will help you see what actions give you good results (the cookies) and which ones don't.
Here's a fun way to think about starting something new: use a "cheese" (reward) or a "cat" (consequence) to get moving. Most people find it easier to run from a cat (avoid something bad) than to chase cheese (get something good). Just like if you're playing tag, you run faster when someone's "it" and chasing you, right? Use that "cat" to push you to take action, even if it's scary.
Remember, it's not about hitting a home run the first time you're at bat. It's more about getting away from "strikeouts" and getting on base. Each step you take away from the "cats" – the bad stuff – increases your chance of finding your "cheese," the good stuff.
Finally, think about playing with Lego blocks. You don't try to make a perfect castle the first time. You try different pieces and see what kind of castles you can build. That's like trying lots of small, quick experiments to see what fits for you. Don't worry about picking the perfect thing on your first try. Just build, play, and learn as you go.
Quotes by Alex Hormozi
"I'm a big fan of being directionally correct rather than absolutely correct"
– Alex Hormozi
"Most people are trying to find the perfect answer when they have no perspective from which to make a judgment"
– Alex Hormozi
"They're trying to find the perfect thing to do when they haven't done anything"
– Alex Hormozi
"Decrease your action threshold enough with either a cheese or a cat whatever you need"
– Alex Hormozi
"If I just go anywhere away from the cat I will have a higher likelihood of getting closer to the cheese"
– Alex Hormozi
Full Transcript
how do I find my thing I'm a big fan of being directionally correct rather than absolutely correct and so I think what happens is most people are trying to find the perfect answer when they have no perspective from which to make a judgment they're trying to find the perfect thing to do when they haven't done anything so how would you have perspective to make a judgment if you try a lot of things in the beginning which you have to know what your inputs outputs are decrease your action threshold enough with either a cheese or a cat whatever you need most people have more cats than they have cheese in the beginning so use the cat to start running towards something and the thing is the rat it's so simple it's like there's cheese here but what you really just need to know is that there's cheese out there and there's a cat behind me for sure and so if I just go anywhere away from the cat I will have a higher likelihood of getting closer to the cheese not that I will find it but I will get closer to it and I've lived my life through a series of Rapid iterations not trying to pick the right thing
