In the intro to the chapter “How I Got into College” we mention and pay homage to Grant Cardone. To our knowledge Grant Cardone does not have ADHD, but he sure thinks like someone who does! In his book The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure he states:
“Most people fail only because they are operating at the wrong degree of action. To simplify action, we are going to break down your choices in four simple categories or degrees of action. Your four choices are: 1. Do nothing. 2. Retreat. 3. Take normal levels of action. 4. Take massive action” (Cardone 48).
While Leigh is the avid Grant Cardone follower, having taken the courses at Cardone University, read all his books, and attended last year’s 10X Growth Conference, I couldn’t help but become a Grant Cardone fan when I read his work. This quote about the choices we make got me thinking about what each choice looks like. Here is how I broke it down:
Choice 1. Do Nothing. How many people do you know operate in choice number 1. Do nothing? Think about the people in your life that seem to almost take pleasure in constantly complaining about their situation but yet do absolutely nothing to change it. Do you know those people? Come on, we all do. And if you’re thinking “Nope. I don’t know anyone like that.” then maybe that person is you! It is easy to sit in choice number 1. I daresay that some people are even comfortable resting there forever. I am probably of guilty of staying there for too long in some aspects of my life, but when I catch myself in that woe-is-me mindset, I know I have to get out.
Choice 2. Retreat. It sounds so cowardly, doesn’t it? But is more cowardly than doing nothing? I don’t think so. At least with retreat you are taking some course of action, albeit the wrong course of action, towards (or in this case, away from) something. When I think of retreat I think of the people who have started something and then deemed it too challenging, too difficult, too slow-going, etc. to carry on. Thus, it is easier to retreat than to acknowledge that you might have to change the way you’re approaching something. I have certainly felt this way recently about our book…yet I type on and hope that the word will continue to spread. What is something that you’ve retreated from and can you go back and try it again? Why not? What have you got to lose?
Choice 3. Take normal levels of action. This is where I tend to fall. It toes the line of being daring, but it is really just barely enough of what you should do to be moderately successful. You’re out there though. You’re doing something. It shows you care enough to make a change, try something new, or complete your task. If you commonly find yourself operating in choice 3, then give yourself a pat on the back. A normal pat on the back. Huh. Normal. That doesn’t sound all that great now, does it?
Choice 4. Take massive action. If choice 3 is normal then consider this, do you know anyone who isn’t “normal”? I watch my ADHD husband take massive action about nearly everything in his life. If he is passionate about it, he is all in. In Spaz: The True Story of My Life With ADHD we talk a lot about how hyperfocus can actually help you. Here is one place that hyperfocus can help you find success because if you’re hyperfocused on something, you better believe you aren’t satisfied with taking normal levels of action for, on, or towards that something. Can a “neurotypical” person choose to exist in choice 4? Of course they can! But you have to consciously make that choice. It’s scary. It’s challenging. It’s time-consuming. You may look like a “Spaz.” But do you know what?
You’ll be a successful one and I will take that over choice 1, 2, or 3 any day.
Spaz Book 