Question to own the struggle:

What will you do with your 1-second decision?

Last weekend, I ran my first marathon in 2:57:31.

I had never run more than 3 miles before March 2023, but decided I was going to push myself to achieve an ambitious goal of running a sub 3-hour marathon within 6 months of starting to run.

During the run, I hit the proverbial "wall" at Mile 21, but a single concept allowed me to burst through it and achieve my goal: The 1-Second Decision.

American ultra-runner, author, and motivational speaker David Goggins coined the concept of the 1-Second Decision.

The idea is simple: When you are doing something hard in life, you are making a second by second decision to keep going. If you lose one of those seconds, you've lost. Each second is an opportunity to keep going or to quit.

In that one second, you have to force your reason for continuing to be bigger than the pain that is pushing you to quit.

If you can win that 1-Second Decision, over and over and over again, you'll be unstoppable.

So the next time you encounter a great challenge in your life, think about it: What will you do with your 1-Second Decision?

Will you let the struggle win out over your why for being there? Or will you force your why to be bigger than that struggle?

The 1-Second Decision is yours. Own it.

Quote on earned genius:

"Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see." - Arthur Schopenhauer

Many have talent, few become genius.

Talent is given, genius is earned.

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Framework on decision-making bias:

Maximizer vs. Satisficer

Psychologists distinguish between two types of decision-makers:

1. Maximizers: People who want the absolute best option.
2. Satisficers: People who want the "good enough" option.

The idea is that the way you make decisions is largely determined by where you land on the spectrum between extreme Maximizer and extreme Satisficer.

An extreme Maximizer will constantly seek to optimize every aspect of every decision. An extreme Satisficer will accept the first credible option as good enough and move on.

The majority of us fall somewhere in between these two extreme ends, though with a clear bias towards one end.

In a 2006 study, researchers followed 548 college seniors and found that the Maximizers got better jobs with higher salaries, but were less satisfied with their jobs than the Satisficers.

This leads to an important point:

The constant search for the best possible option can lead to better outcomes, but more unhappiness.

One of the researchers, Dr. Barry Schwartz, notes, "The maximizer is kicking himself because he can’t examine every option and at some point had to just pick something...Maximizers make good decisions and end up feeling bad about them. Satisficers make good decisions and end up feeling good."

Both extremes have downsides:

• The Maximizer may leave happiness on the table.
• The Satisficer may leave achievement on the table.

In my view, the goal should be to develop an awareness of your natural decision-making bias, and then to work on balancing it out with deliberate effort.

If you're naturally a hard Maximizer, how can you soften that tendency on certain lower-stakes decisions to reduce stress and focus on important things?

If you're naturally a hard Satisficer, how can you push yourself to take a bit more time with certain high-stakes decisions to improve your potential outcomes on important things?

Where do you sit on the spectrum? Take an online quiz or use the image below to get a frame of reference.

Tweet on avoiding realistic goals:

This is a really interesting paradox: If everyone is chasing after the "realistic" goals because they underestimate themselves, that is where there is the most competition.

My two favorite take home quotes from this tweet:

• "Do not overestimate the competition and underestimate yourself. You are better than you think."
• "The fishing is best where the fewest go, and the collective insecurity of the world makes it easy for people to hit home runs while everyone else is aiming for base hits."

Powerful reminders for life.

Article on the subconscious mind:

​This 3-Minute Subconscious Mind Exercise Will Change Your Life​

Really good read on the power of tapping into your subconscious mind to shape your reality.

The method the article proposes is simple and efficient:

• Slow Down: Close your eyes and slow down your thoughts.
• Visualize: Goals, dreams, and aspirations. Details.
• Affirmation: Speak the positive statement about yourself.

Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, swears by these methods, so I figure they are worth taking seriously.

In my view, some of the power comes from using confirmation bias to your advantage: By vocalizing these beliefs in yourself, you start finding evidence that supports that belief. Momentum slowly starts to build—you start stacking wins. Winning begets winning.

If you need a boost, try it!

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