You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Change your habits, change your life.”
But which habits matter most?
Which habits will best contribute to your long-term success?
My friend Brendon Burchard recently released a book on this topic called High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way.
He conducted the world’s largest study on high performers — people who reach long-term external success while still maintaining happiness, health and positive relationships — and discovered six habits that move the needle most in creating success.
This blog is about the particular habit that resonates most with me — Raise Necessity— and why this practice is critical for entrepreneurs who want to change the world.
In the book, Brendon identifies three concrete ways to raise necessity, which I’ve quoted below. If you enjoy this, be sure to read the other five habits by picking up your copy here.
Let’s dive in…
P.S. Send any tips to our team by clicking here, and send your friends and family to this link to subscribe to Abundance Insider.
“You cannot become extraordinary without a sense that it’s absolutely necessary to excel, for yourself and for others,” writes Brendon.
In my life, I do this by tapping into my Moonshots.
A Moonshot is going 10X bigger, while the rest of the world is pursuing 10% bigger.
I’ve had several Moonshots over my career… opening up the space frontier, extending the healthy human lifespan, and creating a million entrepreneurs focused on solving the world’s biggest problems.
By declaring a Moonshot to the world, you make a public commitment to solve a problem. And each time you share your Moonshot with others, you strengthen that commitment.
“When you verbalize something, it becomes more real and important to you,” Brendon writes. “Speak your ‘why’ to yourself out loud often, and share it with others. This will motivate you to live in congruence with your commitments.”
I often write about the importance of having an MTP — a Massively Transformative Purpose — that drives you, focuses your vision and attracts support.
I speak (with passion) my MTP every morning: “To inspire and guide the transformation of humanity on and off the Earth.”
This is what drives me. It shapes my life — what I do, and why I do it.
By declaring your MTP (your “why”), over and over, several times a day for years, I began to see different paths to materialize it (in my case, by starting companies)... XPRIZE, Singularity University, Human Longevity, Planetary Resources and Abundance 360/Abundance Digital.
“Emotions and excellence are contagious, so spend more time with the most positive and successful people in your peer group,” writes Brendon. “Then continue building your ideal network of supportive and empowering people.”
The individuals you spend the most time with directly impact your mindset. I believe in this so strongly that I added a new Peter’s Law (#30): Life is who you go through life with.
I’m blessed to live and work within amazing communities of exponential and abundance minded entrepreneurs.
When I’m with my abundance “tribe,” every challenge is solvable. My communities inspire me, challenge my thinking, and keep me focused on my MTP and Moonshots. (If you’d like to join a community like this, consider joining Abundance 360 or Abundance Digital.)
As Brendon’s research demonstrates, success is not achieved by hacks or luck. Success can be achieved by anyone who implements a specific set of practices.
The takeaways for me, in practicing Habit #3 from Brendon’s book, reflect the exact coaching I passionately deliver through Abundance 360 and Abundance Digital:
1. Discover your MTP.
2. Pursue Moonshots in service of that MTP.
3. Find or create a community that inspires you and helps you protect your mindset.
With this recipe, even the impossible becomes possible.
Also read: TOP 50 MOON SHOTS
This email is a briefing of the week's most compelling, abundance-enabling tech developments, curated by Marissa Brassfield in preparation for Abundance 360. Read more about A360 below.
At Abundance 360, Peter's 360-person executive mastermind, we teach the metatrends, implications and unfair advantages for entrepreneurs enabled by breakthroughs like those featured above. We're looking for CEOs and entrepreneurs who want to change the world. The program is highly selective. Apply now for Abundance360 Summit if you'd like to develop an Abundance mindset.
Know someone who would benefit from getting Abundance Insider? Send them to this link to sign up.
P.S. I've just released a podcast with my dear friend Dan Sullivan called Exponential Wisdom. Our conversations focus on the exponential technologies creating abundance, the human-technology collaboration, and entrepreneurship. Head here to listen and subscribe.