How to create a life of meaning, money, and impact (as fast as humanly possible).
— Thread —
I present to you The Creation Hierarchy
I have burned through books and research on performance, flow, and productivity to make sense of this concept.
If you follow, test, and iterate through this process — you will gain a sense of control over the outcome of your life.
This process happens naturally for some. They are born curious. They avoid mediocrity like the plague. They do anything in their power to do what they want with their time.
This happened for me. I took the time to understand why, and now I am here to give you the roadmap.
Read through this thread once for understanding, and a second time for implementation.
Write. Everything. Down.
You need an outcome, direction, clarity, and the ability to execute.
Do not waste this.
// VISION //
Visualization of a positive or negative potential reality gives you energy. It is your north star. Something to remind yourself of when you get lost.
You must write this down, refine it often, and make it as real as possible in your mind.
When I visualize my father’s death, I get teary-eyed. A ball of energy radiates in my chest. Emotional energy. Extremely powerful and ready to be released. Built-up tension.
This tension must be used to create. Not destroy. You can easily fall into a self-destructive pit.
Craft your vision through these questions:
What is your ideal day?
What kind of person do you want as a significant other?
How do you want to look? Feel?
How much money do you want to make? Why?
How do you want to act?
Let these questions spark more questions.
// PURPOSE //
Purpose is illusive. Everyone trys to "find" their purpose or wait for it to come to them. You must create this and refine it as necessary.
There are greater and lesser purposes we bust through within our lives, but here I am speaking of your life's purpose.
Think BIG here. What is the massive problem you want to solve in the world? What would you change if you could? (You can.)
Why do you want to solve it?
This will overlap with curiosity, which comes later in the thread. (Again, read all of this twice).
Your curiosities may intersect with your talents. What you are naturally drawn to. Where your strengths lie.
This is where you can have the most impact.
If nothing comes to mind, give it time and swap mindless consumption for skill acquisition & improvement. Then come back.
Keep in mind, the money you make is directly proportional to the *solution you build* for a big problem.
Money should be treated as a reflection of your impact. If you are not making money... chances are you haven't produced something of value.
P.S. Money is not your why.
// VALUES //
Your values form your life theme. A code to live by. A set of non-negotiables that keep you on the path.
Here we must separate the internal from the external. Intrinsically defined values VS intrinsically conditioned values.
You can start with generally well-accepted values.
These have been tested throughout time and lead to meaningful actions, resulting in a fulfilling life.
Again, you will refine these with time.
// GOALS //
Goals are how you make conscious progress within the game of life. Quests in the storyline, checkpoints along the path.
Goals are metrics for progress.
Progress and keeping momentum are arguably the most enjoyable aspects of life.
Set 10-year goals. Set 5-year goals. Set 1-year goals. Set monthly goals. Set daily goals.
You need clarity on how to actualize your vision. Goals are the answer.
Goals need to be challenging according to your skill level, else they are too difficult or too boring.
This implies the need for consistent skill enhancement.
Goals need to be achievable. Not "realistic" as you are unaware of your true potential. If they have been achieved by others, more can be achieved by you.
As long as they operate within the laws of the universe.
Getting specific is necessary, but not to be dwelled on. Goals are guides. Your focus should be in the present, on the task at hand.
Set goals that align with the improvement of your health, wealth, and relationships according to your vision.
// PROJECTS //
A structured, more understandable way of achieving your goals. You can endlessly learn and acquire skills while getting nowhere.
You get trapped in tutorial hell and do not make tangible progress.
Hence the need for projects. You need to BUILD something.
Your body is a project. Your work is a project. Your relationships are a project. All ongoing.
You will accelerate the creation process by building alongside your learning. Implement your learnings immediately.
But... the project must slightly exceed your skill level.
This is what makes it a challenge. This is what kicks you into flow. This is what turns all of this into a fun game.
A beginner won't enjoy playing against the expert and vice versa.
You need resistance that you know you can overcome through effort.
Building real-world projects (web apps, writing books, starting a business, etc) helps you connect the dots quicker.
You become aware of things you couldn't have by just staying in the learning comfort zone.
The author learns more than the reader.
// PRIORITIES //
Your priorities are what move the needle. The tasks and activities of the utmost importance. They move levers.
These give you something to focus and execute on. A reason to stop worrying about the unimportant external factors of life.
Understanding your priorities takes practice and refinement (as with all of this).
If you goal is to make money, you may not understand the lever-moving actions to do that.
You must become a student. Learn from those a few steps ahead of you, and determine what is important.
// INTENTION //
The why behind your actions. This does not only apply to your big aspirations within The Creation Hierarchy.
For now, your intention is your reason behind the different aspects of your vision.
Intentionality comes with experience.
When you are young, you do not date for marriage or family. You date because your biological urges are telling you to have a good time.
As you experience the flaws in this, your intention graduates.
This applies to all things, even the mundane. You need to practice awareness.
// ACTION //
Without action, everything in this hierarchy is useless.
By filling this out, you should have a path to execute on, but then comes the problem of procrastination and hesitation.
Here's a solution:
You need to make the action so stupidly simple that you would look stupid for not doing it.
If you want to hit the gym, the first stupidly simple step is to put on your shoes. Next, walk out the door. Next, get in your car. Bring your focus to the present.
// CURIOSITY //
Modern society has stripped this magical trait from many.
Curiosity is the catalyst for everything inside this hierarchy. It is the initial dopamine spike that leads to action.
That action leads to pattern recognition, momentum, and passion.
Curiosity kickstarts the neurochemical cocktail that results in flow state.
Creation. Starts. With. Curiosity.
Without curiosity, there is no possibility for creation. No potential to be actualized.
Again, let's come back to your talents and what you are naturally drawn to.
Sit down, pull out a notebook, and write down everything you would do if you had all of the free time in the world.
You may not realize it yet, but most of these can be pursued, turned into a business, and used to gain autonomy and have a meaningful impact on the world.
To further refine which curiosities you should pursue, consider their potential utility — or how they can be given utility.
If you want to pursue art, you will need to learn how to market that art and make an income (so you have time to pursue it further).
A good metric — if there is somebody who has already done what you want to do, that's all you need to know.
If your curiosities do not seem potentially monetizable or like they will solve a problem... boom, you have more curiosity to pursue.
Write out as many as you can. These can be skills, hobbies, activities, information you want to learn, and more.
Be specific with this. The more specific it is, the easier it becomes to research and make connections.
Books, videos, courses, articles, lectures, etc.
Immerse yourself in information via social media (you are in the right place on Twitter), real-world activities, meetups, and **scheduled time to research these.**
When you feel the pull to dive deeper, do not deny it. You would be denying a better future you.
Most people dig themselves into a hole of instant gratification. Self-deprecating memes, victim culture, a constant loop of negative mental reactions.
Escape this neverending self-destructive cycle now. You were curious enough to read this thread. Keep the momentum going.
// ALIGNMENT //
When all of these areas align in the present moment, you kick into flow.
You have clarity on how to achieve your vision and are fueled by the neurochemicals born from this chain reaction.
Your current actions are aligned with the person you want to become.
Systemizing this process through habits, routines, structure, and efficiency are how you show up day in day out.
You begin to pursue mastery, slowly unlocking levels of autonomy to pursue it further.
Given time, you will see that this is the only worthy path to embark on.
Here are the 3 things you need to do:
1. Re-read this thread and retweet the top tweet if you enjoyed it.
2. Check out MMHQ below. 154+ proven performance & one-person business strategies.