Inputs Only: A Focus On First Principles

There has been a lot of talk around inputs in my social circle lately, and I've loved it!
I'm not sure if it's due to frequency illusion, (Baader-Meinhof phenomenon) or the recent podcast launch...
... but it has sparked some fascinating conversations, which have led to the expansion of some of my 'io' concepts.

Rather than breaking down one in today's newsletter, I'd love to share a few that have come up repeatedly.

1. Remove Recognition

We, as a society, are caught up in a perpetual game of 'look what I did, celebrate me.'

Status, significance, and perceived self-worth are at the forefront of reasoning behind action... which sucks.

If you must do something for someone else, you shouldn't do it at all.
This is because you'll never stick around long enough to get the returns you hoped it would bring in the first place.

What you must do is shift your focus.

Inputs are an inside job - and they are the only thing you actually have control over.
The quality of your inputs over time are what dictate the outputs you'll be celebrated for.

Want more? Be better - not for anyone else but yourself.

2. Subtract To Grow

Our world has conditioned you to believe you must 'do' more to get more... nothing could be further from the truth.

Yes, you must take massive action - as this is the only way to get anything, but not in the way you are taught.

When we break it down to the inputs, most people are doing too much.

Spending 20% of your energy in 5 arenas is the reason you have 1/5 of what you thought that thing would provide.
Those who have outsized returns do so because they don't have something that you do - scattered attention.

The input is saying no to everything you would like to do, and focusing on what you know you must.

Want more? Do less - focus on one thing and become the best.

3. Motivation Is A Lie

I was in a taxi the other day and the driver shared a story about his son.

He shared that growing up his son was a rebel and frequently in trouble with the police.
He was worried his son would amount to nothing and be a "lazy sack of shit."

Following high school, of which he was almost expelled, he enlisted in the military.
... an organization that beats first-principles into you until it is all you know.

When he returned, he was a changed man... and ended up building a business and life in Los Angeles.

I asked the taxi driver what he thought changed it all for his son... which he shared very succinctly. 

He said, "He shifted from doing what he thought was fun, and instead found fun in the fulfilling."

The input is doing the thing regardless of the reasoning.
Motivation may get you started, but dedication is what will allow you to finish.

Want more? Do it anyway - the only time it truly matters is when you don't want to.

Inputs Only Podcast:

Shaun Birley is a men's style advisor, travel influencer and hair transplant advocate.

Are you as stylish and confident as you can be?

In this episode, expect to receive tactical tips to elevate your style, learn how getting a hair transplant made Shaun’s confidence bulletproof, and a surprisingly easy loophole for getting it done for less, and more.

Confessions From A Men’s Hair Transplant Recipient - Shaun Birley | E04
Tap here to watch on: YouTube | Spotify | Apple

P.S. Enter to win a trip for 2 on our upcoming retreat to Greece ($12k Value) by clicking here.

Quote On My Mind:

"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man.
True nobility lies in being superior to your former self."

﹣Ernest Hemingway

You'll never be celebrated for your outputs...
... if you don't hold yourself accountable to your inputs.

Share This On X/Twitter

In Case You Missed It:

In last weeks edition, I wrote about pattern recognition.

It's an input I've come to cherish... and I think a trauma response as well.
Yet it's become one of the things I attribute the majority of my successes to.

Tap here to read the full article.