Have you ever read The Tao of Seneca?  It’s a collection of Seneca’s writings that Tim Ferriss offers for free on his site.  If you don’t have it feel free to grab yourself a copy here. I’ve got the audible version and I enjoy listening to it on my morning walks. This morning, I was listening to Letter 89 - On The Parts of Philosophy.  Here are a couple of excerpts I felt were relevant to reflect on today:

Wouldn’t it be great if you had all the time in the world? In a way you do. As Marcus Aurelius puts it: "Even if you were destined to live three thousand years, or ten times that long, nevertheless remember that no one loses any life other than the one he lives, or lives any life other than the life he loses. It follows that the longest and the shortest lives are brought to the same state.

How often do you consider the etymology of a word?  Etymology is the study of the origins of words, and it can be a very revealing exercise.  Take the following words from the DAI Success Philosophy for instance.  We start with the Prime Directive.  The word Prime comes from the Latin word prim which means first.  The word Directive has its roots in two Latin words. It comes from Medieval Latin directivus, from direct-. As well as the past-participle stem of Latin dirigere “to set straight”. The modern view of Directive is "pointing out the proper direction." It is also known as "a general instruction on how to proceed or act."

How far would you say you are from your desired place in life?  In life, the gap between your current and desired states might be big or small. It might be the difference between $1 or $1 Trillion, 1 lbs or 100 lbs, 0 or infinite presence with your family.  You may feel the gap between where you are now and where you want to be is more of a chasm than a gap and that’s ok.  As I’d shared in a previous Reflection, focusing on the gap is pessimism. It's not about how big the gap is, how long it takes to cross, or the setbacks you face.  It’s about the opportunity we all have to close those gaps.

WARNING: While I do my best to keep this to a limit of 500 words (786), this one is a bit longer. My hope is that each extra word adds value and clarity. If you read yesterday’s Reflection (076) you know the gap analysis is one of the most powerful tools you have.  It’s simple in theory, but simple doesn’t always mean easy. As I’ve reflected on why that is, I believe it’s because most people lack a systematic way of going about it.  In its simplest form, a gap analysis consists of the following (and I’ll use a tangible example we all can relate to): 

How often are you performing a gap analysis? A gap analysis may be the single most powerful tool you have available to you today. And yes, that includes every piece of AI, smart phone, laptop, desktop, etc. Why? Because it engages the most powerful supercomputer on the planet. Your brain!

Have you ever gotten stuck trying to figure out what to write or say? As someone who creates daily content it happens to me all the time. Some people call it writer's block, some refer to it as the curse of the blank page. For those who record video it’s the subtle blink of the red light flashing back at you. You see the blank page. You notice the lights gone red and then… Poof! It’s like the lights go out and suddenly you’re stuck inside your head. Just you and your thoughts. The cursor flashes on the screen almost as if it’s daring you to engage your keyboard. It taunts your ego...

Have you ever taken the time to think about the questions you ask yourself? They say the quality of your questions dictates the quality of the response you receive. I.e. if you’re not getting the response you want, ask a better question(s). Questions have a direct correlation to your success. They help you determine good decisions from bad decisions. High quality vs. low quality. Right from wrong. Questions are the set of filters you use to make decisions. Whether you consciously ask yourself the questions or not, they’re there. And they’re guiding your decisions each step of the way. In Reflection 051, I shared The Fifth Key Assumption of NLP - The Map Is Not The Territory. In essence, your map is the set of filters you’ve created for yourself throughout the years. And without good filters, the system gets clogged. It gets bogged down. So, a key question is: how do I ask better questions so I can create better filters?

Have you ever looked in the mirror and thought, "I need a resource to do “x”. Whether you wanted a tool to do a job, a person to perform a task, or a system to simplify a process. Sometimes all we need is a new way of thinking. As Dean Graziosi like’s to say, we need to focus through the lens of opportunity not obstacles. Here’s an example:

Have you ever heard of the phrase “lead from the front”. It’s a common phrase in military vernacular, but it’s less common with civilians. It means that when you’re the leader, you go first. You’re the first in and the last out. You lead the way through your actions and the example you set. It doesn’t mean that you have to be out front in a literal sense, but it does mean you set the bar. As another infamous phrase says: “as goes the leader so goes the team”. I bring this up because earlier today I recorded a podcast with my good friend Walter Crosby.

Have you ever applied more weight to one step vs. another? You could argue that the way you weigh the importance of things is important. Hell, in a way, our entire success philosophy is built on it. Is this thing or action moving you in your intended direction? In a way, that’s weighing the importance of that thing. You’ll also find it to be true in the Pareto Principle or the 80/20 rule where 80% of the value comes from 20% of the inputs. But is that the case with Direct, Adapt, and Iterate?

I was reading The Daily Dad the other day and came across this quote on one of the daily pages. Day 47 - Feb 16th for anyone who wants to reference it. "Most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you’ll have more time, and more tranquility. Ask yourself at every moment, “Is this necessary?” —Marcus Aurelius Some of you may not know this. But Marcus Aurelius' Meditations inspired me to write Reflections. As I Reflected on the quote, I got more and more excited about what I've been sharing. Here's why...

Have you ever heard of the OODA Loop? If not, you’re missing out. Air Force Colonel John Boyd developed the OODA Loop back in 1986 and refined it in 1995. It’s an information-processing framework designed to help pilots improve their dog fighting. It’s now used by many organizations worldwide. I learned it in the Marine Corps, as it’s become a cornerstone for fast thinking processes everywhere. OODA, stands for Observe - Orientate - Decide - Act

Are you a fan of magic? If you are, you’ve likely heard of sleight of hand or misdirection. I had a friend growing up who was amazing at it. He was so good, in fact, that he was hand selected and spent a few years apprenticing under David Copperfield. He was a master at sleight of hand, and brilliant at figuring out other people’s tricks. I remember asking him once how he did it, and he shared with me the painstaking hours it took to break down someone’s trick. He’d spend weeks doing video analysis to figure out how the magic created their misdirection. Then, he’d spend weeks practicing the trick every chance he got. Once he had it down, he’d take it out and test it in public. Perfecting his misdirection every time...

The Prime Directive is your guide. As I highlighted yesterday in Reflection 065, no matter how you build out your Prime Directive it must include the three core elements. It must include what you want out of your health, your wealth, and your relationships. Once you have this the Prime Directive becomes your North Star and acts as the needle on your compass. It’s what sets the Direction in your life and helps you to know if you’re on or off track. If you’re growing in your career, but your health and family are suffering, it helps to bring you back on course...

Yesterday, in Reflections 064, I shared the concept of the Prime Directive. The order or mission which presents the overriding control over a course of action. Ultimately, determining your personal Prime Directive is up to you, but there are three core elements that must be considered in order for you to have true success. Leaving one of these three core elements out is the reason hundreds if not thousands of highly successful people end up feeling lost, depressed, and out of hope. Because when you achieve “success” without each of these three elements being present, the success is only temporary and on the surface.