How To Excel In Your Life By Focusing On This One Thing

We live in a world where we are constantly chasing something. Nothing is ever enough, if you got the promotion you were longing for then we are on to the next big thing not long after. It’s all about wants and goal setting in life. We get a sense of accomplishment from pushing ourselves to be better. While there is nothing wrong with seeing how far we can go and testing our potential, things seem to go wrong when you don’t prioritize what’s most important to you. 

I like to compare this to the anatomy of a car. I am far from a car expert so bear with me as I try to draw parallels here. The most important part of a car is an engine. Without it, the car just doesn’t serve its purpose. The filters are needed to remove dust from engine oil. Then there are other important things like Chassis. I read somewhere that If the engine is the heart then a Chassis is your skeleton. Then there is your stereo, GPS and other things. 

We need a lot of these for a smooth functioning of a car but not all of it. Would you prioritize the health of your engine or getting the latest stereo? Our life’s priorities in many ways get mixed up and we induce pain and suffering upon ourselves when we have the order wrong. 

The Inner Core

I like to compare what I call “Our Inner Core” to key parts of a car for a humorous spin:

1. Your Engine = You. Your mental health. Your peace and happiness. If you aren’t taking care of your core, basic functioning becomes difficult.
2. Your Chassis = Your friends and family. Without this to hold us together we fall part. 
3. Your filters = Your Extended Support. These are folks like your coaches, therapists, doctors, trainers. They are needed to make sure you are shiny and able to go on without too much trouble. 

When we forget to nurture our inner core and chase other bells and whistles it results in failure or poor functioning that would result in total halt and end up in servicing. 

Strong Core = Strong Performance

The work we do for most of us fuels us, rewards us in accolades. We like getting recognition for the work we put in. Recognition from our peers and society. For us to continue to excel in our work and perform at our full capacity however, we need a strong inner core.

Children Have It Easier Than Adults

As children, managing the inner core is easy. We have parents providing the support and rooting for our successes. As adults this inner core and support system becomes even more important. You are learning to balance your career, being a parent, a spouse, a sibling and a child. 

The responsibilities as an adult are magnified and we are expected to function as though all areas of our life are in perfect harmony. This isn’t possible unless we build ourselves a perfect inner core. In addition to building one over time, also making sure that we are prioritizing them or else we see devastating effects like losing precious relationships, fall outs with family, etc. These things scar us and make us operate at a much lower operating power until we rebuild our core.

There are times when we have to evaluate the makeup in our inner core. Especially if it’s unhealthy or costing us happiness. We may have to make adjustments given the circumstances. As we continue to power on with our lives, a healthy core gives us the strength to be fully functional. 

How Do You Want To Be Remembered?

Robin Sharma, Author of ‘The 5 am Club’  in one of his podcasts, ‘How to Produce Your Masterwork’ talks about how you want to be remembered in life. According to him, “Success without Soulfulness and Joyfulness and a Rich Heart is Tragedy’. Be a Warrior and a Poet he says. 

Hope this inspires you to prioritize your well-being and nurture the people who you value/who value you. Hope you prioritize them along with your life’s goals so you don’t lose them along the way. So they can remember you for what a good friend, partner, parent you were.