Podcasts > The Game w/ Alex Hormozi > Patience Is The Game | (on The Danny Miranda Podcast)

Patience Is The Game | (on The Danny Miranda Podcast)

By Alex Hormozi

In this episode of The Game w/ Alex Hormozi, Hormozi explores the crucial role of patience and sustained effort in achieving excellence. He shares his personal approach of breaking down larger goals into manageable steps and embracing delayed gratification, highlighting the substantial time and dedication required for true mastery.

The conversation delves into the necessity of consistently exceeding average effort levels, seeking expert feedback, and prioritizing incremental progress through careful iteration. Hormozi emphasizes the importance of developing foundational skills, tracking metrics for strategic adjustments, and embodying a growth mindset that treats setbacks as opportunities for learning and improvement. Throughout, he underscores the long-term commitment and mindset necessary for achieving exceptional results.

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Patience Is The Game | (on The Danny Miranda Podcast)

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Patience Is The Game | (on The Danny Miranda Podcast)

1-Page Summary

The Power of Patience and Persistence Over Time

For Alex Hormozi, true excellence requires a long-term mindset and embracing delayed gratification. He breaks down larger goals into steps for focus and motivation. Hormozi believes mastery takes substantial time and effort—he'll spend days dissecting a paragraph, invested in steady improvement for exceptional results.

Standards Rise With Greater Expertise

As Hormozi's expertise grows, his standards for "great work" elevate. He trusts that consistent effort amid setbacks leads to long-term gains, illustrating it takes months for his YouTube videos to improve. Yet Hormozi advocates persisting: putting in far more effort upfront for world-class outcomes by leveraging years of compounded experience.

The Necessity of Consistent Effort to Achieve Excellence

Success stories involve exceeding average effort by 10-20 times the perceived minimum. For his book, Hormozi dedicated six hours daily for two years, rewriting 19 times (around 2,000 total hours). Even small incremental gains require exponentially more input.

While effort is crucial, Hormozi stresses seeking expert feedback for continuous improvement. He prioritizes steady growth, careful iteration—not just repetition—as seen in planning Prestige Labs' successful launch.

Developing Expertise Through Incremental Progress and Feedback

Hormozi promotes teaching "meta-skills" like writing that enhance rapid cross-domain learning. He implies these compounding skills like communication improve public speaking and content creation abilities.

Over specifics, Hormozi advocates prioritizing foundational skills for long-term, accelerated expertise development.

Hormozi emphasizes tracking metrics for motivation and strategic adjustments. He embodies a growth mindset: treating setbacks as opportunities by immediately applying feedback. His decade-long commitment to processes underscores embracing gradual progress while being open to learning and improving from challenges.

1-Page Summary

Additional Materials

Counterarguments

  • While breaking down goals into smaller steps can be helpful, some people may find that focusing on the bigger picture is more motivating and provides a clearer sense of purpose.
  • Mastery may not always require substantial time and effort for every individual or skill; some people may achieve mastery more quickly due to natural talent, prior knowledge, or more efficient learning strategies.
  • Increasing standards with expertise could potentially lead to perfectionism, which might hinder progress if the pursuit of "great work" becomes an obstacle to completing and sharing work.
  • Consistent effort is important, but it's also necessary to recognize when a strategy isn't working and pivot rather than persisting in an ineffective course of action.
  • The idea that success stories involve exceeding average effort by 10-20 times may not account for the role of luck, timing, or other external factors that can contribute to success.
  • The emphasis on putting in more effort upfront may not be feasible or healthy for everyone, as it could lead to burnout or neglect of other important life areas.
  • While seeking expert feedback is valuable, it's also important to develop one's own critical judgment to avoid becoming overly reliant on external validation.
  • The focus on steady growth and careful iteration may not suit all industries or projects, where rapid innovation and the ability to quickly adapt to change are more valued.
  • Teaching meta-skills like writing is beneficial, but not all skills are equally transferable across domains, and some specialized knowledge may be necessary for certain fields.
  • The emphasis on foundational skills might overlook the importance of specialized skills that can also lead to accelerated expertise development in niche areas.
  • Tracking metrics can be helpful, but an overemphasis on quantifiable results may overlook qualitative aspects of progress and personal development.
  • While a growth mindset is beneficial, it's also important to recognize and accept one's limitations and not view every setback as a failure or an opportunity for improvement.
  • A decade-long commitment to processes may not be necessary or desirable for all types of goals or industries, especially in fast-paced environments where adaptability is key.

Actionables

  • You can create a "Future Self" journal to visualize long-term goals and the person you want to become, which can help reinforce a long-term mindset. Start by writing a letter from your future self, five years from now, detailing your achievements and the habits that got you there. Revisit and update this letter monthly to keep your long-term vision aligned with your daily actions.
  • Develop a "Skill Breakdown Workbook" where you deconstruct a skill you want to master into sub-skills and track your progress. For example, if you're learning to play the guitar, break it down into reading music, chord transitions, strumming patterns, and fingerpicking. Set weekly targets for each sub-skill and review your progress, adjusting your practice routine accordingly.
  • Initiate a "Setback Reflection Routine" by keeping a dedicated notebook where you record challenges and setbacks, then brainstorm potential improvements or lessons learned. After encountering a difficult situation, take time to write down what happened, how you responded, and what you could do differently next time. This practice turns setbacks into learning opportunities and reinforces a growth mindset.

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Patience Is The Game | (on The Danny Miranda Podcast)

The Power of Patience and Persistence Over Time

Alex Hormozi illustrates the formidable impact that patience and persistence have on achieving success over time, advocating for a long-term mindset and the transformative potential of delayed gratification.

Long-Term Mindset and Delayed Gratification Are Key to Excellence

For Hormozi, excellence is rooted in the ability to envision progress over time rather than expecting immediate rewards.

Breaking Goals Into Steps For Focus and Motivation

He approaches his objectives with precision, breaking down larger goals into manageable steps. This methodical strategy provides both focus and motivation, allowing him to maintain commitment to his long-term projects, such as taking two years to write and edit a book, even when the results are not immediately apparent.

Mastery Requires Time and Effort, Not Quick Fixes

Hormozi presents a candid depiction of the laborious effort required for mastery—a notion devoid of shortcuts and quick fixes. He recounts investing significant time on seemingly small components of his work, like spending four days dissecting a paragraph or 20 hours on a single page, emphasizing that such dedication is not only necessary for mastery but also for achieving outstanding work.

Steady Improvement Leads To Exceptional Results

Through persistence, Hormozi has raised his standards for what constitutes "great work," revealing that as one's expertise and experience broaden, the benchmarks for exceptional work invariably ascend.

Standards for "Great Work" Rise With Expertise and Experience

Hormozi's standards for "great work" have escalated in tandem with his expanding experience. He portrays the powerful cycle of diligent effort and attention to his craft yielding increasingly positive feedback over time. He demonstrates endurance, constantly evolving, and ready to compete with content creators with years more e ...

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The Power of Patience and Persistence Over Time

Additional Materials

Counterarguments

  • While patience and persistence are important, they must be paired with adaptability and flexibility to respond to changing circumstances.
  • Immediate rewards can sometimes provide necessary motivation and feedback, and not all endeavors require a long-term mindset.
  • Breaking down goals into steps can be helpful, but overly rigid planning can stifle creativity and the ability to capitalize on unexpected opportunities.
  • While mastery often requires significant time and effort, there are instances where talent, intuition, or innovative approaches can expedite the process.
  • High standards are important, but they can also lead to perfectionism, which can be counterproductive and hinder progress.
  • Consistent effort is valuable, but it's also important to recognize when a strategy isn't working and pivot accordingly, rather than persisting in a flawed app ...

Actionables

  • You can track your daily habits to reinforce patience and persistence by using a habit-tracking app or a simple calendar. Mark each day you stick to your chosen habit, like reading for 30 minutes or practicing a skill. Over time, this visual representation of your consistency will illustrate the cumulative effect of your efforts.
  • Create a "progress scrapbook" to visualize long-term excellence. Start by setting a broad goal, then document your journey with photos, notes, and milestones. For example, if you're learning to play the guitar, take a picture every week with the chords you've mastered, or record a 30-second clip of your playing. This tangible collection of progress will keep you focused on the long-term vision rather than immediate rewards.
  • Develop a "micro-goal" system to break down your larger goals into smaller, actionable steps. Write do ...

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Patience Is The Game | (on The Danny Miranda Podcast)

The Necessity of Consistent Effort to Achieve Excellence

Alex Hormozi highlights the importance of consistent, substantial efforts in writing his book and outlines the process necessary for achieving excellence through exceeding average efforts and embracing feedback and iteration.

Exceeding Average Effort For Peak Skill and Achievement

Success stories often revolve around the exceptional efforts put into projects that far exceed the average.

Exceeding the Minimum By 10-20 Times

Hormozi reflects on his early marketing efforts for his gym, where he learned that his perception of sufficient effort (distributing 300 flyers) was vastly lower than what was truly necessary. His mentor's advice—testing with 5,000 flyers—underscored that achieving significant outcomes often requires doing 10, 20, or even 30 times the work one initially assumes is sufficient.

"Exceptional Output Requires Exceptional Time and Energy"

Drawing on his book-writing experience, Hormozi discusses dedicating six hours a day for nearly two years and rewriting his manuscript 19 times. This resulted in an estimated 2,000 hours of work—far more effort than most would invest. Hormozi suggests that to double an outcome, one might need to work five times harder, and for triple, ten times the effort might be necessary. He acknowledges the diminishing returns on input versus output but underscores the outsized value of small improvements.

Feedback and Iteration Turn Effort Into Expertise

Simply putting in the work isn't enough; it must be coupled with a process of seeking expert feedback to refine and improve.

Seeking Guidance and Critique From Experts For Improvement

Hormozi stresses that consistent effort achieves proficiency and emphasizes seeking external fe ...

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The Necessity of Consistent Effort to Achieve Excellence

Additional Materials

Counterarguments

  • While consistent effort is important, it's also necessary to recognize the role of talent, resources, and opportunity in achieving excellence.
  • Effort alone does not guarantee success; strategy, timing, and market conditions also play significant roles.
  • The idea of exceeding average effort by a large multiple may not be applicable or sustainable for everyone due to varying personal circumstances.
  • The concept of working five to ten times harder to multiply outcomes may not account for the law of diminishing returns, where after a certain point, additional effort yields progressively smaller gains.
  • Hormozi's approach to rewriting his manuscript 19 times may not be the most efficient process for everyone; some may achieve excellence with fewer iterations.
  • The emphasis on seeking external feedback might overlook the value of self-assessment and internal critique.
  • Prioritizing steady growth over immediate results may not be su ...

Actionables

  • You can track your daily efforts with a "progress multiplier" spreadsheet to visualize the scaling of your work. Start by setting a baseline of what you consider average effort, then each day, aim to increase your effort incrementally. For example, if your baseline is one hour of focused work, aim for 1.1 hours the next day, then 1.21 hours, and so on, compounding your efforts. This visual tool will help you see the exponential growth of your work over time.
  • Create a "feedback loop" group with peers from different backgrounds. Meet weekly to present your work, whether it's a new business idea, a piece of art, or a personal project, and give each other constructive criticism. This will provide diverse perspectives and help you iterate on your work more effectively than if you were to rely solely on self-assessment.
  • Implement a "daily growth diary" where you reflect on the day's work every evening. ...

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Patience Is The Game | (on The Danny Miranda Podcast)

Developing Expertise Through Incremental Progress and Feedback

The discussions by Alex Hormozi emphasize the importance of developing meta-skills, such as writing and adaptability, for rapid learning, committing to continuous improvement, and the crucial role of feedback in the journey to mastery.

Embracing a "Meta-Skill" Mindset Over Domain-Specific Knowledge Accumulation

Hormozi advocates for an education system focused on teaching meta-skills, which allow individuals to become adaptable and capable of learning a wide range of specific topics quickly and effectively. He mentions meta-skills such as being a good writer, which can enhance general communication abilities across various applications like writing copy, emails, captions, and scripting tweets. His focus on general improvement, as well as his long-term perspective, suggests a prioritization of foundational skills for rapid learning.

Writing, Public Speaking, and Content Creation As Compounding Meta-Skills

Although not mentioned directly as compounding meta-skills, Hormozi's discussion of writing as a meta-skill underscores its applicability across domains and its potential in enhancing broader skills. His dedication to meta-skills implies that through improving foundational skills like writing, one can influence public speaking and content creation, leading to compounded benefits over time.

Prioritizing Foundational Skills for Rapid Learning Over Short-Term Outcomes

Hormozi's approach supports the idea that prioritizing foundational skills, such as the ability to delay gratification, serves as a robust base for quicker and more substantial learning. He alludes to the importance of long-term learning strategies over achieving short-term metrics through his own journey in project completion and developing a book.

Monitoring Progress and Accepting Feedback Is Essential

Recognizing and addressing feedback is essential for mastery, which becomes clear through Hormozi's iterative approach to learning and his dedication to tracking progress.

Tracking Progress Metrics to Stay Motivated and Adjust

Hormozi emphasizes measuring inputs on a shorter timeframe and outputs on a longer one, tracking immediate actions to gauge progress. He wants to see video performance month over month, indicating that monitoring progress metrics is key to his motivation and willingness to adjust strategy as needed. Hormozi cites his experience in consistently tracking progress as a method for ensuring he is always improv ...

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Developing Expertise Through Incremental Progress and Feedback

Additional Materials

Counterarguments

  • While meta-skills are valuable, domain-specific knowledge is also crucial in many fields and cannot be overlooked.
  • Continuous improvement is important, but it's also necessary to recognize when to pivot or change direction instead of persisting on an ineffective path.
  • Feedback is essential, but it must be the right kind of feedback—constructive, specific, and actionable—to be truly beneficial.
  • Foundational skills are important, but they should be complemented with specialized skills to ensure competitiveness and expertise in a specific domain.
  • Monitoring progress is key, but overemphasis on metrics can lead to a narrow focus on quantifiable outcomes at the expense of qualitative growth.
  • A growth mindset is beneficial, but it's also important to maintain a realistic perspective and understa ...

Actionables

  • You can enhance your adaptability by setting a "change challenge" for yourself each month, where you deliberately alter a routine or try a new approach to a common task. For example, if you're used to writing reports in a certain format, switch it up next time, or if you always run the same route, find a new path. This practice will train your brain to become more comfortable with change and improve your adaptability.
  • Start a "skill swap" with friends or colleagues to work on foundational skills in a social and reciprocal manner. Each person teaches something they're proficient in while learning from others. For instance, if you're good at public speaking but want to improve your graphic design skills, find someone who is looking to boost their speaking skills and exchange knowledge in regular meet-ups.
  • Create a personal "feedback loop" by asking a trusted friend or colleague to review your work or behavior ...

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