“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” – Vincent Van Gogh
Ever heard of the butterfly effect?
In the simplest of terms, it’s the phenomena in which a small change in a large, complex system has large effects on that system.
Whether we’re talking about one’s finances, relationships, or career capital: everything in life compounds.
Many of us want to change the outcomes in our lives, but oftentimes, we have no idea how to go about this desire.
It’s one thing to change the letters in one’s report card, as our school systems come with structured guidelines that tell us what is rewarded and what is not…But it’s another thing to change an area of your life where there is no instruction manual.
The problem with universities is that they don’t teach students how to think for themselves, but instead, compliance with the norm is the way to get high marks.
When we’re spit out into the real world, the game changes. No longer will there be a standard process for us to follow. At this point, it’s our responsibility to design the type of lives we want to live.
After talking with some of my peers about their problems, a common theme I’ve been noticing is that they view their lives using a bottom-up approach instead of a top-down one.
Bottom-up reasoning is starting with the little details and then working up to the higher concepts, whereas top-down reasoning is the exact opposite: starting with the big picture and then working down to the smaller components.
Top-down thinking is more effective because it allows you to have a long-term goal in mind as you go about your day.
One is then able to break this goal down into smaller steps, allowing an individual to accurately measure his or her progress—unlike in bottom-up reasoning, where one will just complete a series of unrelated tasks with no final destination in mind.
Everything I achieved in my life stemmed from me:
1) Visualizing something I wanted to have
2) Collecting information on the process to get there
3) Breaking the long-term goal into short-term objectives
4) Dedicating the present moment to fulfilling these objectives
To provide an example of what this looks like, say you want to work at a prestigious firm after graduating college.
The first step is knowing exactly where you want to be and firmly believing that you have what it takes to get there. For if you don’t think it’s possible to achieve, how will it ever come into fruition?
The second step is conducting research about the process required to work at the firm. It’s studying both the backgrounds and qualities of the people you want to emulate and familiarizing yourself with the unspoken rules of the hierarchy you’ll have to climb to get there.
The third step is compartmentalizing the end goal into measurable objectives. Because we’re talking about one’s career, it would be earning a 3.X GPA, acquiring Y number of leadership positions, chatting with Z number of employees at the firm, etc. Or perhaps it’s earning more credentials/certificates, either through graduate school or some other means, that resume screeners are looking for.
The fourth and final step is reminding yourself of this long-term goal as often as you can. It’s purposefully changing your desktop wallpaper, setting aside time for visualization, and priming your mind to be obsessive. This may sound counterintuitive, but from my own experience, thinking about something every waking hour increases one’s chance of attaining that thing.
Sometimes being paranoid is a good thing, as having anxiety about not reaching the desired goal will help fuel your motivation and productivity.
Of course, this isn’t the healthiest way to live your life, but I’m not here to tell you how to be happy.
This is the four-step process that I’ve been using to change my reality, and I’m living proof of its effectiveness.
I lost everything I had going for myself after graduating high school, and after implementing this method and delaying gratification, I’ve been able to turn past fantasies into my current reality.
Now, it’s your turn.
Bend reality to your will.
JL