Since the world as we knew it imploded in March of 2020 (has it been almost two years now?) there have been countless memes doing their best to distract us, humor us, and most often simply help us make sense of everything that has changed in our lives. But this meme below pretty much sums everything up in a single phrase and still takes the cake for me:
Have you ever wondered why it’s so difficult to take the actions we know we should be taking but just don’t?
Whether it’s trying to control our diet (no really….this time January is when it’s all gonna change),
Exercise regularly (yeah, that gym membership is getting some use next month),
Get more sleep (no seriously…just one more episode),
or build relationships & network during a gig (instead of waiting until you’re desperately looking for the next one),
We just never follow through the way we imagined things in our heads.
We have all the information. We know what to do!
But often what we lack is a better understanding of how we are wired and what our own unique “Tendency” is towards taking certain actions.
That’s where Gretchen Rubin’s NYT bestselling book The Four Tendencies has the potential to completely change the game for you as it has for hundreds of students who learn all about this concept in my Optimizer coaching & mentorship program.
Which brings me to the third of this month’s 5-part series with my Top 5 interviews to help you set goals, make a plan, and take action in 2022.
This Month’s ‘Top 5’ Countdown – #3
Gretchen Rubin is a NYT bestselling author who has sold over 3.5 million copies of her books, some of those titles which include Outer Order, Inner Calm, Better Than Before, The Happiness Project, Happier at Home, and the book that we discuss in-depth in today’s conversation: The Four Tendencies.
In my 10+ years of research, study, and implementation with productivity, focus, and human behavior and psychology, The Four Tendencies is quite possibly the most impactful and actionable concept I’ve come across. As we talked about in this conversation, understanding and using The Four Tendencies to better understand yourself (as well as those around you) is like becoming Neo and being able to see through the endless random numbers to read the Matrix of human relationships and behavior. Just be warned: In this episode I’m giving you the choice between the red pill or the blue pill, because once you understand The Four Tendencies, there is no going back. You will see the world and every single interaction in a completely different way.
If you’re interested in understanding why you can or can’t take certain actions, why you procrastinate, or why you do or don’t get along with your friends, family, spouse, or colleagues, learning The Four Tendencies is literally a GAME. CHANGER.
Ready to Make a Change in 2022?
As 2021 winds down and we approach the New Year, it’s so easy to get caught up in the chaos of the holiday season and write off the end of the year as a loss, putting our goals and intentions aside and telling ourselves “We’’ll start fresh again in January.” But then inevitably when the new year hits and we create resolutions, life still gets in the way which leads to over 92% of New Year’s resolutions failing. (Don’t worry…I’m just as guilty as anyone else.)
If you intend to make things happen for you next year friend, you don’t need resolutions → you need a plan.
That’s why for the last 5 weeks of this year I’m sharing with you my top 5 interviews on designing a more fulfilling life, setting goals, building habits, and taking actions that get you long term results.
Imagine if instead of crawling to the finish line the next five weeks in a haze of holiday indulgence you instead took the time to identify your true values, prioritize your life down to only the essential, learn to set habits that you’ll stick to, and ultimately focus on doing important work that matters to you? How much further ahead of the game would you be?
I’m not saying you have to start exercising 5 days a week, stop eating sugar and carbs, wake up and meditate at 5am every morning, or add 20 new activities to your daily routine during the most stressful month of the year…but wouldn’t it be awesome starting 2022 with a clear plan and the motivation to get started?
If this sounds like a better alternative, then stick with me for the next five weeks as I and five of the world’s foremost experts on setting goals and getting things done help you design a plan so 2022 can be the year that everything finally came together for you.
Next week in part 4 of this five part series I’m sharing another of my favorite interviews of all time with bestselling author James Clear who is considered one of the world’s foremost experts on understand how to build habits who’s literally sold millions of copies of his seminal book Atomic Habits.
Until then, have a great holiday!
Be well.
Zack Arnold
Creator, Optimize Yourself
Zack Arnold
Zack Arnold (ACE) is an award-winning Hollywood film editor & producer (Cobra Kai, Empire, Burn Notice, Unsolved, Glee), a documentary director, father of 2, an American Ninja Warrior, and the creator of Optimize Yourself. He believes we all deserve to love what we do for a living...but not at the expense of our health, our relationships, or our sanity. He provides the education, motivation, and inspiration to help ambitious creative professionals DO better and BE better. “Doing” better means learning how to more effectively manage your time and creative energy so you can produce higher quality work in less time. “Being” better means doing all of the above while still prioritizing the most important people and passions in your life…all without burning out in the process. Click to download Zack’s “Ultimate Guide to Optimizing Your Creativity (And Avoiding Burnout).”