Yes, But I have something he will never have ...Enough"

pg. 39 Psychology of Money Moran Housel

"At a party given by billionaire, Kurt Vonnegut informs his pal, Joseph Heller that their host, a hedge fund manager, earned more money in a single day, than Heller earned from his wildly popular novvel 'Catch-22' over its whole history. Heller responded "Yes , But I have something he will neve have ...Enough"

Say you are going to a 5-star hotel - it serves an extravagant buffet- 100s of dishes- you are hungry - you eat and eat - at some point the appetite comes down - mind gives up. you cannot eat more - is it not? 

because , body has a control system - closed loop - that signals that it has had enough ; I wish we have such a closed loop mechanism when it to dealing with money, fame , position and material pleasures!

In the book, Your Money or Your Life, author Vicki Robin helps us to identify the point of enough , when it comes to Money. 

the concept is called Life Energy - amount of time you are trading off for the money earned; 

At the point of enough, fulfillment breaks through the roof and reaches infinity!

Thoreau says " For my greatest skill - has been to want but little - so little distraction from my wonted moods- and so little capital required" Walde pg 37

Any fool can be ambitious ; it takes a genius to feel contented and enough!

It Takes time!

I have been having miscued sense of progress and achievement so much that i feel that i have arrived only when i got the results - be it position, best-seller, BMI of 25!

I am focused on outcomes ; outcomes and outcomes and i often fail to see the process; 

In calculus , I was taught the standard function y= f(x)

Y is the outcome;Effect;  amateurs focus on this , too much; 

X : is the drivers : Cause(s);  Great performers identify and focus on Drivers;

Now there is another parameter : dx/dt : ie., progress with time on the drivers; rate of change; Genius performers focus on it; 

Take example of body weight loss : 

weight loss = function (diet, exercise) ; Low-carb diet => Calorie intake low ; Exercise means Calorie output high! and naturally weight loss occurs! the weight loss score will take care of itself!

But what do amateurs do ? a little exercise and little dieting and they keep checking weight : 

they purse out the lips and claim nothing changes

On the other hand , Great performers , focus on drivers  : diet and exercise

genius performers: focus on tracking the improvement in diet and exercise day after day; They keep improving on their diet and exercise regimens!

No prizes for guessing,  who will get the results; 

not certainly the ones who focused on outcomes only!

Everything takes time : BMI , best-seller, Scaling Himalayan peaks;

I need to focus on the drivers of the outcomes and create habits that improve the drivers with time;

Plutarch tell story of a rich ship-owner ,who was asked , how he built his fortune: " The greater part came quite easily; but the first smaller part, took time and effort" ; This is the classic Compounding effect that Einstein calls out as the 8th wonder of the World!

"Don't stop doing something , just because its going to take time; Time shall pass anyway" 

I need to Start today - where ever I am ; However I am  ; Set the goalpost but Focus on the Drivers! 

A man swimming in the lake, who keeps his head-up looking at the other shore shall never reach the shore!