In this episode of the Modern Wisdom podcast, Greg McKeown delves into the evolving relevance of essentialism in the modern "influencer age." He explores the challenges that come with increased success, including the paradoxical need to remain selective even as more opportunities arise. McKeown also highlights the importance of learning to "turn off" and prioritize rest and recovery for sustainable high performance.
The conversation touches on the loneliness that can accompany reaching the highest levels of success, as fewer people can relate to the unique challenges faced at the top. McKeown emphasizes the need for successful individuals to cultivate an "observer's advantage," allowing them to navigate success as a system rather than becoming consumed by it.
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Greg McKeown indicates the transition from the distracting "information age" to the "influencer age," defined by disorientation - a more foundational challenge. Essentialism helps synthesize meaning from the overwhelming "noise," according to McKeown.
Over the past decade, influential figures like Steve Harvey, Maria Shriver, and Kanye West have interacted with essentialist principles. McKeown notes essentialism is now seen as vital for discerning meaningful engagement amidst the "noise."
McKeown observes how success breeds an "undisciplined pursuit of more," diluting focus and energy. He advises the "disciplined pursuit of less but better" to remain selective.
As Elon Musk exemplifies, increased success means decisions carry greater weight. McKeown states reaching one summit reveals tougher "mountains," and success breeds isolation as fewer relate to one's challenges.
Williamson discusses the amplified impact of decisions as influence expands. McKeown compares the restraint for essentialists to conserving energy for an endurance event.
The speakers assert that highest priorities require deliberate effort amidst distractions. McKeown advises the 90% rule: declining opportunities not meeting standards, despite others' lack of sympathy.
McKeown discusses "insecure overachievers" compelling themselves to struggle, risking burnout. Williamson notes "work harder" has limits before breeding misery.
McKeown references Norwegian explorers who succeeded by pacing daily travel, unlike overexertion by British rivals. Choosing the "easy" path sometimes allows consistent progress.
Williamson acknowledges struggling to enjoy leisure as an "inherent good," not merely recovering for more work. True rest, not just instrumental relaxation, is vital.
McKeown describes the "success vertigo" and loneliness leaders face with fewer true peers at the highest levels.
McKeown stresses viewing success as a system to navigate, not an identity. Gaining an outside perspective on the "construct" they've built allows wise advancement.
1-Page Summary
As we navigate from the "information age" to the "influencer age," Greg McKeown and his guests discuss the growing need for the philosophy of essentialism to help manage the new challenges that this era brings.
Greg McKeown indicates that we have moved from the information age, characterized by distraction, to the influencer age, which is defined by disorientation. This disorientation is seen as a more fundamental challenge. McKeown discusses the importance of sifting through the "noise" of the influencer age to create something meaningful. The guests elaborate on this, explaining how social media can induce a state of seasickness or nausea due to the sheer volume of information funneled through these platforms.
The conversation turns to the idea of "option anxiety," described by Williamson as disorientation arising from constant comparison to others on social media. McKeown emphasizes the need for a primary skill to connect the dots through this noise and indicates that essentialism assists in making sense of the information overload. In the face of overwhelming opinions, McKeown suggests periodically fasting from social media to cut through the noise and performing an annual "spring cleaning" of social media follows to focus on the most relevant voices.
Over the past decade, essentialism has made a significant cultural impact, with influential figures such as Steve Harvey, Maria Shriver, and Kanye West interacting with its principles. Harvey declared "Esse ...
The evolving relevance of essentialism in the modern "influencer age"
Greg McKeown, author of "Essentialism", illustrates how achievement can produce a paradox where success leads to unique difficulties, and offers strategies to navigate these complexities.
McKeown observes that success, while desirable, can result in an "undisciplined pursuit of more," creating challenges that might consume and overwhelm. Success often brings a plethora of options and opportunities, which seems like a positive outcome. However, without careful management, these options can lead to overcommitment and the dilution of energy and focus.
Success can lead to the temptation of pursuing everything, rather than being selective, according to McKeown. This undisciplined approach can hinder progress rather than fostering it. The drive to do more can be insatiable, even when it spreads resources too thin.
McKeown advises the "disciplined pursuit of less but better" to combat the urge to take on too much. This principle demands a highly selective approach to work and life, choosing to focus only on what truly aligns with one’s core goals and personal standards. He introduces the "90% rule," suggesting that individuals should engage only with matters that are of utmost importance, ranked 90% or higher.
Elon Musk is cited as placing an incredibly high value on his time, which highlights the increased weight that decisions carry as one becomes more successful. McKeown emphasizes that with elevated success comes an expanded scale and impact of one's choices and that every action has greater consequences.
Moreover, McKeown states that reaching one summit merely reveals newer and often more challenging mountains to climb. Success is not a final destination, but rather a series of escalating objectives, each presenting ...
The paradox of success - how success can lead to new problems and challenges
As individuals achieve greater levels of success and impact, they often encounter a paradox—their capacity to influence becomes greater, yet so does the temptation and difficulty to manage the myriad of opportunities that come their way. McKeown’s articulation of the essentialist’s challenge is a reminder that with growth comes complex decisions.
Chris Williamson and McKeown delve into the challenges rising influencers face in today's era of limitless choices, highlighting the amplified impact of each decision. Williamson discusses the essentialist mindset, which stresses the importance of prudent decision-making to avoid critical errors that could derail success.
McKeown compares the restraint necessary for an essentialist to the discipline required in training for an Ironman, where it's crucial to know your maximum sustainable power output and avoid exceeding it—attractive as it may seem—to conserve energy for long-term performance.
Williamson points out that, later in one’s career, each effort produces a dramatically larger impact than at the beginning. This makes opportunities harder to refuse, as each presents the potential for significant advancement or contribution.
As their impact grows, successful people often have to learn new skills and adopt new ways of thinking, further complicating their decision-making process. The implication is that as they rise, the pressure to sustain and grow their success can become overwhelming, making it difficult to remain focused on the essential.
The speakers assert that the highest priorities on any given day are the least likely to occur unless one makes a deliberate effort to attend to them. They explore the risk of being sidetracked by urgent yet ultimately non-essential demands, which can stand in the way of more significant, goal-oriented tasks.
McKeown advises essentialists to adhere to the 90% rule: if something isn't a clear yes, then it should be a clear no, thus encouraging the declin ...
The difficulty of saying "no" to attractive opportunities as influence and impact grow
In the pursuit of success, the ability to pace oneself and embrace periods of rest is becoming increasingly acknowledged as essential for sustainable high performance.
Greg McKeown speaks about the mindset of insecure overachievers who feel compelled to make things hard, believing that if they aren't struggling, they're doing something wrong. This mentality can lead them to push themselves relentlessly, sometimes to the point of burnout. Chris Williamson adds that while "work harder" may seem to solve problems outwardly, it can breed misery and result in joyless, burned-out relationships when taken to the extreme.
To illustrate the wisdom of pacing oneself, McKeown references a historical case study from the 1850s involving two teams racing to the South Pole. The British team, led by an advocate of maximum effort, strove to cover as much ground as possible daily, but their approach led to adverse outcomes due to poor weather and exhaustion. In contrast, the Norwegians, following indigenous advice, limited themselves to traveling just 15 miles per day to avoid overexertion, which led to consistent progress and ultimately success in their venture, even during bad weather days.
Williamson is intrigued by the idea of learning to trust the easy path sometimes, rather than always taking pride in doing the hardest things. McKeown echoes this sentiment by discussing how the Norwegian team's consistent 15-mile-a-day travel plan allowed them to avoid the "boom and bust" method and exemplified the benefits of occasionally choosing an easier approach.
The need to learn to "turn off" and not always operate at maximum effort
Greg McKeown addresses the paradox of success at the highest levels, revealing how it can lead to a sense of isolation and the critical importance of gaining perspective to navigate this landscape effectively.
Reaching the apex of success brings an unexpected sense of disorientation and loneliness, which stems from the thinning crowd of peers who share similar experiences and challenges.
McKeown talks about the "success vertigo," a phenomenon where individuals feel disoriented upon achieving high levels of success. This disorientation is due to a significantly reduced peer group at the top, leading to uncertainty and isolation. McKeown illustrates this further by discussing the daily confusion and chaos experienced even at top brands like Apple and Google, which reflects the solitude faced by high-level executives managing the unknown.
The discussion emphasizes the loneliness that often accompanies leadership and success, a significant issue many leaders face as they rise higher and find fewer people occupying the same levels of success. These individuals are likely preoccupied with their own endeavors, exacerbating the leader's sense of isolation.
To effectively manage the complexities of success, leaders must detach from their achievements and adopt an outsider's perspective towards the systems they've created.
McKeown stresses the importance of viewing success not as an identity but as a complex system that must be navigated. This perspective allows for an "observer's advantage," where one can recognize the intricacies of the structures they've built, which may have turned into a "complex prison." Leaders need to understand that the system and success are not the essence of themselves; ...
The loneliness and difficulty of navigating the highest levels of success
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