I imagine life will throw your killer instinct a curve ball which will change what all you value - meaning here, that killer instinct - and getting everything done, running around trying to accomplish all kinds of things. You might find yourself at age 70 just wanting to have a decent dump for a change but of a hemorrhoid that's been wearing you out for months. I'm not joking.
When I was a young man entering medicine- all gung ho - wanting to be the BSD of my medical field I spoke with my older brother in law who WAS the BSD of his medical world - top of everything. He said " yeah, when I was your age I wanted to be the top surgeon of xyz in the world and accomplish xyz ( fill in DJ this, get rich that, write best seller, etc etc) and you know what? Now I just want to kill a turkey ( he was a turkey hunter and apparently it can be quite difficult to get one ). I'll always remember that.
And yes I agree with you about the cocktail convo w the attorney. 100%. Job is just a means to earn an income to do other interesting stuff in life.
Wow , thankyou for writing and sharing this , am just "retired" in the UK and and hungrier than ever , am building a business at 66 , love every minute of it, writing a book , creating a coaching resource for African entrepreneur's, I get it from my mother an Italian immigrant who passsed at 92, your writing made me look at my drive in a different way , thankyou.
I’m all for persistence, focus, and determination-I value those a lot. I’m also all for moving fast, full immersion and daring to fail fast. But I don’t believe you have to bulldoze your way through life or burn yourself out to achieve your goals. I don’t believe in brute force, manipulating and pushing - unless you want to be someone and be around people who are like that. For me, life works best when there’s a sense of lightness, fun, and flow. I think you can accomplish amazing things far beyond that killer instinct approach with ease and grace, without always being in “attack mode.”
Also, I don’t buy the idea that this kind of drive is purely something you’re born with. Everyone has their unique skillset. Once someone has the clarity about their own drive, their (human) potential is much more flexible and expansive than they could ever believe in. Repetition develops focus and resilience over time, and there are plenty of ways to succeed that don’t require a “killer instinct” mentality. I’ve seen too many getting run into the ground after a while...
I’m all for persistence, focus, and determination-I value those a lot. I’m also all for moving fast, full immersion and daring to fail fast. But I don’t believe you have to bulldoze your way through life or burn yourself out to achieve your goals. I don’t believe in brute force, manipulating and pushing - unless you want to be someone and be around people who are like that. For me, life works best when there’s a sense of lightness, fun, and flow. I think you can accomplish amazing things far beyond that killer instinct approach with ease and grace, without always being in “attack mode.”
Also, I don’t buy the idea that this kind of drive is purely something you’re born with. Everyone has their unique skillset. Once someone has the clarity about their own drive, their (human) potential is much more flexible and expansive than they could ever believe in. Repetition develops focus and resilience over time, and there are plenty of ways to succeed that don’t require a “killer instinct” mentality. I’ve seen too many getting run into the ground after a while...
I’m all for persistence, focus, and determination-I value those a lot. I’m also all for moving fast, full immersion and daring to fail fast. But I don’t believe you have to bulldoze your way through life or burn yourself out to achieve your goals. It’s actually exactly what probably differs my program from others. I don’t believe in brute force, manipulating and pushing - unless you want to be someone and be around people who are like that. For me, life works best when there’s a sense of lightness, fun, and flow. I think you can accomplish amazing things far beyond that killer instinct approach with ease and grace, without always being in “attack mode.”
Also, I don’t buy the idea that this kind of drive is purely something you’re born with. Everyone has their unique skillset. Once someone has the clarity about their own drive, their (human) potential is much more flexible and expansive than they could ever believe in. Repetition develops focus and resilience over time, and there are plenty of ways to succeed that don’t require a “killer instinct” mentality. I’ve seen too many getting run into the ground after a while...
A young girl was traveling with her parents and bragged that she was going to be an airline pilot, just like her beloved grandfather. I used to work for airlines, and I am a pilot, but I am not an airline pilot. Her mother took me aside and asked what I thought of her daughter's probability of success.
"Does she have a fire in her belly?" I asked. Because my experience with airline pilots in the 20th century is the ones who succeed have a fire in their belly. The rest are just recreational pilots. Like me.
I think you are absolutely correct when you talk about "killer instinct". I would deem this type of activity "focus". I have met about two or three really focused people in my life. And they were all sucessful! One was an mechanical engineer, went on to work for General Motors. Another one was an Army military officer, not quite the flashy finish, only made LTC. Me, I am the opposite of "killer instinct". I had to learn the hard way about getting my life in order and getting stuff done. I did get some focus a little later in life (between 25 - 30) and didn't look back. But I don't have classic "killer instinct". But now I know the importance of getting up, and getting after it with regard to my goals in life. Thanks Jared for writing this piece, i really enjoyed it!
"The minute you become content is literally the end of your life. I suppose I will get to that point someday, maybe at age 70 or 75—I’ve done enough here, time to relax—and then I will be dead within a year."
Ha Jared, I'm 73, I left school at 16 without a safety net. You'll still be thinking in exactly the same way at age 70-75.
I always wondered how people found time to have affairs. How on earth would I fit one more thing in?
I imagine life will throw your killer instinct a curve ball which will change what all you value - meaning here, that killer instinct - and getting everything done, running around trying to accomplish all kinds of things. You might find yourself at age 70 just wanting to have a decent dump for a change but of a hemorrhoid that's been wearing you out for months. I'm not joking.
When I was a young man entering medicine- all gung ho - wanting to be the BSD of my medical field I spoke with my older brother in law who WAS the BSD of his medical world - top of everything. He said " yeah, when I was your age I wanted to be the top surgeon of xyz in the world and accomplish xyz ( fill in DJ this, get rich that, write best seller, etc etc) and you know what? Now I just want to kill a turkey ( he was a turkey hunter and apparently it can be quite difficult to get one ). I'll always remember that.
And yes I agree with you about the cocktail convo w the attorney. 100%. Job is just a means to earn an income to do other interesting stuff in life.
Flame away. Hah.
Wow , thankyou for writing and sharing this , am just "retired" in the UK and and hungrier than ever , am building a business at 66 , love every minute of it, writing a book , creating a coaching resource for African entrepreneur's, I get it from my mother an Italian immigrant who passsed at 92, your writing made me look at my drive in a different way , thankyou.
I really enjoyed reading this, great writing! bring on the bestseller
I’m all for persistence, focus, and determination-I value those a lot. I’m also all for moving fast, full immersion and daring to fail fast. But I don’t believe you have to bulldoze your way through life or burn yourself out to achieve your goals. I don’t believe in brute force, manipulating and pushing - unless you want to be someone and be around people who are like that. For me, life works best when there’s a sense of lightness, fun, and flow. I think you can accomplish amazing things far beyond that killer instinct approach with ease and grace, without always being in “attack mode.”
Also, I don’t buy the idea that this kind of drive is purely something you’re born with. Everyone has their unique skillset. Once someone has the clarity about their own drive, their (human) potential is much more flexible and expansive than they could ever believe in. Repetition develops focus and resilience over time, and there are plenty of ways to succeed that don’t require a “killer instinct” mentality. I’ve seen too many getting run into the ground after a while...
Just wanted to share my two cents:)
I’m all for persistence, focus, and determination-I value those a lot. I’m also all for moving fast, full immersion and daring to fail fast. But I don’t believe you have to bulldoze your way through life or burn yourself out to achieve your goals. I don’t believe in brute force, manipulating and pushing - unless you want to be someone and be around people who are like that. For me, life works best when there’s a sense of lightness, fun, and flow. I think you can accomplish amazing things far beyond that killer instinct approach with ease and grace, without always being in “attack mode.”
Also, I don’t buy the idea that this kind of drive is purely something you’re born with. Everyone has their unique skillset. Once someone has the clarity about their own drive, their (human) potential is much more flexible and expansive than they could ever believe in. Repetition develops focus and resilience over time, and there are plenty of ways to succeed that don’t require a “killer instinct” mentality. I’ve seen too many getting run into the ground after a while...
Just wanted to share my two cents:)
I’m all for persistence, focus, and determination-I value those a lot. I’m also all for moving fast, full immersion and daring to fail fast. But I don’t believe you have to bulldoze your way through life or burn yourself out to achieve your goals. It’s actually exactly what probably differs my program from others. I don’t believe in brute force, manipulating and pushing - unless you want to be someone and be around people who are like that. For me, life works best when there’s a sense of lightness, fun, and flow. I think you can accomplish amazing things far beyond that killer instinct approach with ease and grace, without always being in “attack mode.”
Also, I don’t buy the idea that this kind of drive is purely something you’re born with. Everyone has their unique skillset. Once someone has the clarity about their own drive, their (human) potential is much more flexible and expansive than they could ever believe in. Repetition develops focus and resilience over time, and there are plenty of ways to succeed that don’t require a “killer instinct” mentality. I’ve seen too many getting run into the ground after a while...
Just wanted to share my two cents:)
This is great. But I 100% disagree that instinct is something you're born with. Human potential is far more expandable than we think.
" attorneying" Nice verb, keep up with the creative writing. Keep playing with words.
A young girl was traveling with her parents and bragged that she was going to be an airline pilot, just like her beloved grandfather. I used to work for airlines, and I am a pilot, but I am not an airline pilot. Her mother took me aside and asked what I thought of her daughter's probability of success.
"Does she have a fire in her belly?" I asked. Because my experience with airline pilots in the 20th century is the ones who succeed have a fire in their belly. The rest are just recreational pilots. Like me.
I think you are absolutely correct when you talk about "killer instinct". I would deem this type of activity "focus". I have met about two or three really focused people in my life. And they were all sucessful! One was an mechanical engineer, went on to work for General Motors. Another one was an Army military officer, not quite the flashy finish, only made LTC. Me, I am the opposite of "killer instinct". I had to learn the hard way about getting my life in order and getting stuff done. I did get some focus a little later in life (between 25 - 30) and didn't look back. But I don't have classic "killer instinct". But now I know the importance of getting up, and getting after it with regard to my goals in life. Thanks Jared for writing this piece, i really enjoyed it!
Perhaps. One day you might look back and change your mind. As we all often do.
"The minute you become content is literally the end of your life. I suppose I will get to that point someday, maybe at age 70 or 75—I’ve done enough here, time to relax—and then I will be dead within a year."
Ha Jared, I'm 73, I left school at 16 without a safety net. You'll still be thinking in exactly the same way at age 70-75.
I have this.
Generated podcast-voice-over for this article → https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/03c60104-bded-4750-a508-b4906647fe5b/audio