The Disease of Small-Mindedness
Three Point Essay #28 | The Crime of Low Aim, Harnessing Ambition, Getting Unrealistic
Here’s a three-pointer to open your mind.
Why Do You Sell Yourself Short?
Bruce Lee was a legend. A world-class mixed-martial artist, he was also a movie star, writer, and philosopher. Time magazine selected him as one of the ‘100 most important people' of the 20th century.
You don't achieve all that if you’re small-minded. Lee always thought big. One of his most celebrated sayings is: “Don’t feel failure. Not failure, but low aim, is the crime.”
Low aim being a crime against yourself is a powerful way to think about your future. Are you thinking big, or will you settle?
Do you have exciting goals? Even if you don’t reach them, so what? Failure isn’t the crime. Low aim is.
This reminds me of an idea from Michelangelo. As the painter of the Sistine Chapel and many other great works of art, he definitely wasn’t small-minded. He said that “the greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.”
If you’re in your 20s like me, it’s important that you don’t self-impose limits.
One thing I’ve heard throughout college is people say “yeah that might lead to a 6 figure job in a great company!" But rarely anything beyond that.
Making 6 figures in an established company would be great. But why is that the top thing everyone can seem to imagine?
What about not being a cog in the machine? What about creating your own stuff? What about something bigger?
The Digital Revolution (Right Now) Is the Best Time to Think Big
What about building a multi-million dollar personal brand? What about using the greatest opportunity creator of all time, the internet? What about leveraging that brand to sell a product or service online?
I haven't done it yet, but why wouldn't I try? (will be offering paid newsletters with exclusive content soon).
Tim Ferriss is a successful writer, investor, and entrepreneur.
He made the case that it’s actually easier to go for what most people would say are insane ideas. Because the majority of people don't have the guts to go for those ‘insane’ ideas. And they are not insane, they just involve creativity.
Pursuing creative work as a path to financial freedom is viewed as ‘unrealistic’ by small-minded people. But with the internet and social media, it has never been more viable.
In Ferriss’ book “The 4 Hour Workweek” he writes:
“99% of people in the world are convinced they are incapable of achieving great things, so they aim for the mediocre. The level of competition is thus fiercest for “realistic” goals, paradoxically making them the most time- and energy-consuming.
The collective insecurity of the world makes it easy for people to hit home runs while everyone else is aiming for base hits.”
The digital revolution allows anyone who has the guts to hit home runs.
Ferriss also explains:
“Having an unusually large goal is an adrenaline infusion that provides the endurance to overcome the inevitable trials and tribulations that go along with any goal.”
The idea of making a career out of writing on Substack inspires me, so I'm all in. THE ADRENALINE IS ACTIVE. I also have other unusually large goals, and so should you.
Being Ambitious
James Cameron is a Canadian movie director. He’s the man behind Avatar, Titanic, and the Terminator. All Hollywood classics.
Cameron once said that “If you set your goals ridiculously high and it’s a failure, you will fail above everyone else’s success.”
So let’s get unrealistic and list some ridiculously high goals. Goals that in 10-20 years will ensure I’ll fail above most people's successes. Do I look like an idiot saying this now? Probably. So what:
Become the largest publication on Substack
Write bestselling books
Make 1$ million (then 2, then 3, then 4…*LeBron voice* not 5, not 6, not 7 etc.) selling paid newsletters and digital courses + gaining sponsorship deals
Travel the world: England, Ireland, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Netherlands, Greece, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, China, Japan, India, Egypt, and more
Workout with pro basketball players and trainers
Part of me still thinks these goals aren’t ambitious enough.
Entrepreneur Alex Hormozi said that “losers commit to the goal, winners commit to the actions.” And he's correct. Will I reach these goals? I have no idea. But the reason they are possible is because I'm committed to the actions:
I write every day
I read books or articles every day
I learn about other countries, cultures, and languages every day (and of course the good ole U.S.A.)
I play basketball and workout every day
Important to note: I’m only committed to these actions because I enjoy them. So much that it makes me think big. The goals don’t even matter. What matters is striving to make a career out of something you enjoy. So, you know, you don’t spend this one (!) life doing things you don’t care about.
Another great article! After working with young people for many years, I have found that students who set goals or aspire to go to college or seek the trade they are interested in, do much better in life (both financially and happiness) than their peers who don't. I have seen extremely intelligent and capable students who never set goals go on to a mediocre job and life. I have also seen students of average intelligence who possess the motivation to achieve their goals do extremely well in life. Love this article! Jeff, you are going to do great things in life! I know that you will achieve all of your goals! Keep shooting for the stars!!!
Great inspiration.