Do the work

I've been having a lot of interesting conversations lately. Several of them have one theme: how to get what you want.

To get to where you want to be from where you are, you have to do the work required.

Want to become as fit as a fiddle? Check what you eat and put your reps in. Create a system that makes this a lifestyle so you don't rely on willpower.

Want to build a profitable business? Build something people want and give it to them. Follow a profit-first model and build great internal systems. Make them raving fans and they'll tell others about what you do.

Want to build better partnerships? Give first, and be generous about doing it. Find alignments in your collective vision and values. Be genuine and build trust. Make the other person win in your agreements. Propose only things within their wheelhouse that will make them better if they take it on. Let them shine.

Want to be better as a scientist? Question everything. Ask questions. Find some of the most interesting problems in your field and work on them. You may not solve them, but you'll find interesting patterns that will be useful in areas you least expect.

Want to be a better decision-maker? Bring your decisions - and the thinking behind them - to the forefront. Critique each of them. Understand the common errors in judgment we all are prone to and avoid them. Think through the first and second-order effects of your decisions. Think through the unintended consequences. Do a decision audit months after you have made the decision and check for which assumption was right. Check for which wasn't and why. Remove the need to make too many decisions so you can make fewer but better decisions.

For most things, you just have to do the work and let go of the outcome.

Nothing more. Nothing less.