80/20 Rule in Life
April 26, 2007 – 4:50 pm
Lately I’ve been reading Richard Koch’s, 80/20 Way of Living, and I’ve found it to be a very profound read. Keep in mind that I am a 27 year old guy when you are reading this, I’ve had a good taste of the world to this point and have found things that work great for me and others that just don’t work well in my life. We all choose our paths either consciously or unconsciously but to make the best decisions I find that you must be fully awake to the fact that you control a lot more of your life then you ever thought was possible. Now I don’t want to get too preachy but think about it, when was the last time that you made a conscious choice in your life that you really wanted? Did you get that raise? Did you meet the person of your dream? Did you start that business you always wanted to? The point is simple… you made it happen even if it was not what you though it would be.
The one thing that I really don’t care for about the book is the tons of examples of the 80/20 principle at work, in life and in business. I’d talked about reading this book for some time but I put it off because I didn’t have time in my own personal life. I was always running and it felt as though I just couldn’t find enough time in a given day to do the things that really mattered to me. When I recently stopped and started to re-evaluate my life choices I found something interesting… I was working too hard at staying busy for the sake of staying busy. Some examples of this in my life include…
Being married to a Job that didn’t love me – I was working so hard trying to get ahead that I felt as though I could never catch up. I wasn’t sleeping properly and I found myself worried and anxious for no good reason. Naturally this is a sign that I avoided dealing with and shrugging off. You may find yourself saying, “Hey that sounds just like me” and if it does I would suggest having a look at you life and asking “Is this really working for me?”
I didn’t make any time to have a personal life – I had long been avoiding myself and more importantly listening to myself and my wants and desires in life. This is not a healthy path to go down and yet I know I am not the only one that has done this sort of thing.
Hiding behind work to avoid dealing with problems – We’ve all got problems in our life and it is in those challenges that we find the answers we are seeking. The problem is when you stop trying to find the answers and focus on something so that you do not have to deal with your problems you can become insulated from the world and when the day comes when you finally have to deal with those issues you may find it a little hard to cope with.
Realize that by spreading yourself thin you may get things done but not to the same level as if you focused on the things that you do best and give them your whole attention. Ask yourself a question about someone you look up to, “why is _________ so good at what he or she does?” Personally I like thinking about an architect like Frank Lloyd Wright or an artist like Salvador Dali and what made them so great at what they did is the fact that they committed to what they do. They don’t see failures as failures rather only as setbacks along the journey to get to where they are going. They are committed, period.
In some cases they changed their lifestyle to suit their pursuits and went after it. I’ve read a lot about successful business owners and entrepreneurs and I can say that most had to make a switch, either mentally or lifestyle wise to be able to chase their dreams. In this pursuit they are focused and being committed helps you stay focused. Of all of the power on earth, most of it is action and very little of it is thinking. That is the groundwork for greatness. Think about a time when you have been happiest in life. Did it take action? How much of it involved thinking? How much of it involved action? I am sure I could make up some 80/20 there but I do not think that matters.
The book is well worth a good read and merits attention if you yourself find that you are looking for a little direction or just a different way of looking at how the world works. So go and be the best that you can be.
Luc