The internet is packed with wild success stories that had humble beginnings. Billionaire entrepreneurs starting businesses in garages with out-of-date computers, world-class musicians developing on instruments purchased for them by their parents at yard sales, and gold medal Olympians training for years without enough money to buy shoes. My own experience in goal-attainment would correlate with at least one idea from these legendary stories: the more simple I kept my life, the more likely I was to reach my goal. It is maybe better stated, eliminate distractions when chasing after something you believe is important. 'Distractions' often come in the form of luxuries like social media accounts, multiple coaches and trainers, a calendar that is too full, a wide variety of equipment, or too many training tools.
New York Times best-selling author Daniel Coyle stated it well when he presented the idea of 'Luxury vs. Spartan'. 'Simple, humble spaces help focus attention on the deep practice task at hand. Reach, struggle, repeat.' (Because there are limited distractions an individual can keep returning to the reach, struggle, repeat cycle because they have nothing else to do.) Coyle goes on to say, 'disadvantage, and discomfort produce deep meaningful growth much like the way Spartans raised their children; intentionally uncomfortable. Luxury does not produce this type of growth because of the absence of this struggle. When given the option between luxury and spartan while pursuing goals, choose Spartan."
New York Times best-selling author Daniel Coyle stated it well when he presented the idea of 'Luxury vs. Spartan'. 'Simple, humble spaces help focus attention on the deep practice task at hand. Reach, struggle, repeat.' (Because there are limited distractions an individual can keep returning to the reach, struggle, repeat cycle because they have nothing else to do.) Coyle goes on to say, 'disadvantage, and discomfort produce deep meaningful growth much like the way Spartans raised their children; intentionally uncomfortable. Luxury does not produce this type of growth because of the absence of this struggle. When given the option between luxury and spartan while pursuing goals, choose Spartan."
Wow. '...choose Spartan.'
I spent 8 years paying $26 per month to train in the top floor of a warehouse. The equipment was rusted and old. The A/C in the summer and the heat in the winter were 75% reliable. We trained by lantern light a few times because the electricity was off. Why in the world did I keep going? The people I trained with were insane. They never missed a workout. We were like-minded. The limitation in equipment forced incredible creativity. We invented some of the coolest exercises and routines because we had to. We didn't have any other choice. It was simple, undistracted, focused, and intense.
I spent 8 years paying $26 per month to train in the top floor of a warehouse. The equipment was rusted and old. The A/C in the summer and the heat in the winter were 75% reliable. We trained by lantern light a few times because the electricity was off. Why in the world did I keep going? The people I trained with were insane. They never missed a workout. We were like-minded. The limitation in equipment forced incredible creativity. We invented some of the coolest exercises and routines because we had to. We didn't have any other choice. It was simple, undistracted, focused, and intense.
I miss it. It was a golden age for me in my fitness pursuits.
Looking back on it, there were three reasons my 'Spartan' experience was productive and fulfilling. I believe these three reasons can help you accomplish goals of any kind in your life:
Partner in your pursuits with like-minded people - Surrounding yourself with people that want the same thing as you for the same reasons has two benefits. 1) unspoken accountability - do you know how many times I skipped skipping because I knew my partners would be there? They never said anything, but I knew what they would be thinking. They might as well screamed it at me. So I showed up. 2) unrelenting persistence - when you work hard at something with others relentlessly, it will be usual for one of you to show up unmotivated. You're human, it happens. It is on those days, that seeing the persistence of your partner restores your motivation.
Eliminate distractions and gimmicks - Regardless of your endeavor, there are things about it that are tried and true. Eliminate anything that distracts you from the tried and true. For example - if your endeavor is to create written content for a book, journal article, or blog it is a tried and true concept that you should write something every day. Even if it's just a paragraph, just write something. Too often, writers get distracted by the newest web design for their blog, their book cover, or an online storage system that tracks their writing according to algorithmic word themes. Eliminate all of that. Open up Word on your laptop and start typing. The creative stuff, the effective gimmicks, and the cool hacks happen after the distractions are eliminated and you focus.
Work consistently for an extended period of time - Do you know how long you have to commit to an exercise habit before you see noticeable changes? 84 days. 12 weeks. 3 months. Smile Direct can straighten out your teeth if you'll wear their retainers 22 hours per day for 6 months. A master's degree can be earned in 13 months. I firmly believe so many people miss out on so many satisfying accomplishments because they do not keep going. One of my favorite quotes on this idea is 'in 12 months, you'll be glad you kept going.'
How much time do we waste as leaders, coaches, and parents trying to provide additional resources for our people? What they probably need is a like-minded partner, a reliable method, and some stick-to-it-iveness. We would be better served to encourage, support, and inspire them to choose Spartan.
Keep on, keepin' on, friends!
*BONUS CONTENT! Here are some resources to dig deeper on this topic. ‘The Talent Code’ by Daniel Coyle. ‘The Compound Effect’ by Darren Hardy. ‘Training Camp’ by Jon Gordon.
‘Bite Down and Don’t Let Go’ is a collection of writings on being intentional about life in a way that produces great persistence. Read about it more here.
Dr. Chris Hobbs is an educational leader with more than two decades of experience. He’s earned a few degrees and won some awards. He’s happily married to his high school sweetheart and they have three teen age children. Life is messy and complicated most of the time. You can follow him on Twitter for all sorts of inspirational thoughts and good laughs.
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