The one piece of useful advice from my time writing for a life coach…
Stop putting up with things your future self would hate.
A few years ago, I did some ghostwriting for a life coach.
It was mostly checklists, guides, and free resources he gave away to prospects interested in his services.
Not unlike the word “guru,” most people get a bad taste in their mouth when they hear the word life coach.
Putting that aside for a moment, I want to share one piece of tactical advice I learned from this guy.
Here’s the thing that stuck with me all of these years later and yesterday’s post reminded me of this lesson.
We all have a list of things we’ve been putting up with.
- Our laptop desktop is littered with screenshots
- There’s some mildew growing in the basement
- That sliding door just doesn’t seem to close right
This guy called these things a “list of tolerances.”
Things we tolerate that actually prevent us from doing our greatest work.
These are signs of a lack of self-respect, and even though they feel small, they carry great power.
They carry a shadow over the best version of yourself and encourage you to put out mediocre work.
Because they drain a little bit of your mental energy, ALL THE TIME.
In your phone or in a notebook, start to jot down your own list of tolerances.
Literally write, “Things I Will No Longer Tolerate…” at the top.
Anything that could be better. Anything that secretly or not secretly annoys you.
When you have free time, start to eradicate them.
Throw away bad pens. Stop buying single ply. Delete that app that distracts you, for good.
Then and only then will you find the time you need to master that which matters most.
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