The Way You Do Anything, Is the Way You Do Everything

There is a group of people in the world that want to get promoted. I have seen lots of analysts and senior managers struggle to discover the key to making progress. These people are motivated, ambitious, and hungry. They have the fire, but they make a mistake.

They mistakenly think all that matters is the work and what they do at work. However, people’s perceptions are holistic (admittedly or subconsciously). It is the folks that elevate themselves in all areas of their lives that stand out. It’s the ones that are actively trying to improve not only their status at work, but also their health, relationships, and side interests. This is how you upgrade your life. That’s how you get promoted at work. Why? Because the way you do anything is the way you do everything. 

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If you are someone that does extra reps at the gym, you are someone that does extra reps.

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If you are someone that waits until the last minute to merge into traffic to take the exit, you are someone that cuts the line.

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If you are someone that cooks with a focus on making an even better dish each day, you are someone that embraces continuous improvement. 

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In his book Confessions of an Advertising Man, advertising legend David Ogilvy shares: “If one client asks me what results I have been getting with a campaign for another client, I change the subject. This may irritate him, but if I were to give him the information he asks, he would probably conclude that I would be equally indiscreet with his secrets.” In this case, the way you treat anyone is the way you treat everyone.

When you practice a certain behavior in one facet of your life, you are increasing the odds that you will demonstrate that behavior in the other facets of your life. We know this, either admittedly or subconsciously, and it influences our judgment. 

I studied economics in college. I’ve long been skeptical about hyper-specialization. A small minority of people are comfortable doing the same thing all day every day. Most people need variety. The great inventors were always taking ideas from one domain and applying it to another. For instance, Leonardo da Vinci used insights from the flow of water to inform his studies on the dynamics of human anatomy. The same is true when it comes to the intersection of work, relationships, health, and side projects. Intentionally improving one of these has spillover effects on the others. Practicing discipline in one automatically means you are practicing discipline, which can be applied to all of them.

Someone that intentionally focuses on improving all four categories of their life is seen as someone that will be intentional about being successful in their job. 

You are definitely someone that fits this description. So, start putting some data behind it by getting started with Slow Velocity.