Is lack of action the real problem? How to know?

[UpperMaster]

I've noticed a recurring pattern: most people don't put in nearly as much work as successful individuals. For instance, Leo often advises people to simply do more when they ask him how to achieve success in a certain domain. Alex Hormozi has similar advice. The amount of work Alex Hormozi puts in compared to other business owners is incredible. The gap between how much work you think is enough and how much you actually need to do is huge. 

I went to college and I studied with some straight A students. Some students were naturally smart and got it faster. Some students just did so much volume, no wonder they succeeded. I was astonished to realise that the work I thought was enough was barely enough. I think that's why most people aren't successful. They aren't doing the reps.

This got me thinking: how do you recognize if the reason you're not getting results is due to the amount of work you're putting in or the method you're using?

How much effort should you invest to truly gauge the effectiveness of your method?

Looking forward to your insights!

[Lyubov]

It’s a very good question. I’ve even thought about this myself. There’s actually examples of both. There’s guys who have created some very life changing things in this world who were hustling and grinding through it all, and there were people who seamlessly seemed to wait, perhaps in sort of Wu Wei, and when they saw a wave, took off.

There is a study where they examined how architects work, and they found the ones who were taking the most action and got started right away on a project were the least talented and innovate. Those that seemed to procrastinate and just doodle seemed to produce the best work, where things naturally unfolded and there was an explosion of creativity and right action. 

Look at judo, this martial art sport. You don’t struggle or strive in it in order to win. There’s a sort of flow you go with and at the right moment you apply force, and your opponent goes flying. 
 

I think the answer to this question is actually quite personal. As a spiritual being maybe you don’t want to take much action, but only the right ones. Or maybe you desire to constantly be doing something. I think it comes down to getting clear within yourself what’s the right choice for you , to be authentic. 

[Thought Art]

Most of your result come from actually doing the thing

[Schizophonia]

Yes

[UnbornTao]

Not only action but effective action. that is in accord with the purpose of the undertaking.

[Thought Art]

@UnbornTao or, it can be ineffective at first but you need a refresh rate so you adjust based on feedback 

[UnbornTao]

1 hour ago, Thought Art said:

@UnbornTao or, it can be ineffective at first but you need a refresh rate so you adjust based on feedback 

That, too. Of course, you need to start somewhere and also need room for massive practice and experimentation, yet what produces the desired results in the end is the "effective" part.

Edited August 1 by UnbornTao

[Thought Art]

@UnbornTao True

But thé action is what matters to start

[Rigel]

@UnbornTao You sound like Ralston😁

[UnbornTao]

1 minute ago, Rigel said:

@UnbornTao You sound like Ralston😁

Hey, I'll take that as a compliment.  

[hyruga]

Yes one needs to take a lot of action to get closer to his goals but not everyone will succeed.

[LastThursday]

There's a lot of factors involved in success. Volume of work is one of those factors, but importantly not the only one. Here's a few others off the top of my head:

Natural talent - people become successful doing the things that come easy naturally 

Consistency - even if the rate of work is low, over months and years it can become substantial

Planning - having some sort of flexible road map can guide you in the right direction

Goals, mission statements etc - knowing what you want in the end is good for success

Environment - putting yourself in the right places at the right times is good for both motivation and meeting the right people

Information - taking in the right information and cutting out the crap will increase success

Motivation - learning how to motivate yourself well can be great for success

 

I'd say you don't need all the above, but the more of those things you have the better. Maybe you're not the sort of person that has a high rate of work, but you have natural talent for something, so you should concentrate on that instead. It's also largely domain dependent, some things just simply require a lot of work to get any sort of traction.