Don't Panic - Kinsey Grant, Darren Paltrowitz - Episode 66

Darren: [00:00:00]The advice that I'd like to impart on people is not just that you can do anything that you set your mind to, but more so than you can do anything you set your mind to, if you plan.

Kinsey: [00:00:10] For me, my one last thought is that threefold number one, set goals. Number two, set priorities and number three. Set standards.

Darren: [00:00:19] Granted, a lot of things happen organically. You know, you meet somebody at a restaurant and strike up a conversation and exchange cards and talk, or you meet a friend of a friend. Things like that happen, but for the rest of us who aren't as naturally lucky, what I say is hit the thing that you want to work on, the thing that you want to do, the thing that you want to accomplish and then work backwards, break it down into little steps.

Kinsey: [00:00:43] Set small ones. So, you can have something to cross off your, to do list at the end of the day, to feel more empowered and like you've actually accomplished something, but it's equally important to set large goals.

Darren: [00:00:53] If you say I wanted the, biggest artist in the world, the biggest musician, the biggest painter, whatever it is now, that's going to take a lot of working backwards. Cause you have to think of philosophically. What it takes to get there and to be inspired, to do the best work possible and market yourself and what team you need to have. If you have a more definable goal that. Can be done. You can think backwards and take all the steps.

Kinsey: [00:01:19] Set the kind of goals you're not sure you'll be able to meet, but those very goals are the ones that are going to push you to be the best, hardest working version of it, of yourself. And like, I like to tell myself, well, from time to time, we never grow when we're not being challenged.

Darren: [00:01:33] So if you say, I want to get into great shape or what does it take to get into that great shape? You need to eat better, you need to exercise, you need to make better decisions in general. Well, if you want to get into better shape over the next four months, you can say, well, I'm going to lose, two pounds a week and I'm going to lose two pounds a week by doing X, Y, and Z.

Darren: [00:01:53] On the working end, if you say I'm going to get a new job, well, what kind of job do you want to get? So, you think about that a little bit. You take some steps back. What is it that makes the ideal job, the new job. So, it's not just a matter of figuring out what the job is, but then putting in the work.

Kinsey: [00:02:10] Number two setting priorities. This is important. It's important to know what matters most to you. Is it family? Is it friends? Is it work? Is it your Twitter profile? it doesn't matter what you prioritize but set those priorities and understand what is most important in your life. Because undoubtedly, there will be times when you have to decide what comes first and what gets put on the back burner.

Darren: [00:02:32] And putting in the work. When you break it down into little steps, I'm going to spend tonight to do a rough draft on my resume. And then tomorrow I'm going to redo the resume with a good proofreading effort and all that. And then the next day I'm going to have three or four people weigh in on it. And then the day after that, I'm going to sign up for two different websites. And the day after that, I'm going to get out five applications. And the day after that 10 applications a day after that 10 applications.

Darren: [00:03:01] When you break it up into that, it's a whole lot less overwhelming than just sitting around and going I'm gonna only do this, I’m going to binge on that. It makes it a more manageable kind of process to accomplish your goals when you're doing it right. Everything, 10 minutes a day or 15 minutes a day, something to that kind of effect doesn't seem as overwhelming. It seems doable.

Kinsey: [00:03:22] And finally setting standards, understanding what makes you, you are incredibly valuable and incredibly important. What values, what traits, what quirks make you, who you are.

Darren: [00:03:33] A lot of that just has to do with long-term planning, seeing the big picture, knowing where you're going. And also, a lot of that has to do with having good role models around you and people that encourage you to do the stuff you're doing.

Darren: [00:03:47] Sometimes you have to listen to yourself and everything that you're doing think is this going to get me closer to where I want to go? And for me personally, with goals, with planning, with making good decisions. A lot of it is calendar oriented.

Kinsey: [00:04:02] Now, the one last thought that I just gave, there is a long one setting goals, setting priorities and setting standards is a lot to do and in the lifetime, but I'm confident that you can do it. And I hope to do it myself.

Darren: [00:04:15] I keep a Google calendar and the day before I kind of plan what I'm going to be getting done that day. And I'll sometimes look ahead a couple of days, and it's not fun. It's not sexy to kind of plan your life in advance like that. But if the end game is to be accomplishing what it is that you set out to do, I can't really think of a better way of doing that and getting it all done.

Kinsey: [00:04:37] And I'll leave you with one parting thought of this one. Last thought my family has a rule of life that even when you feel completely overwhelmed when you can't set your goals or your priorities or your standards, the number one rule of life is don't panic.