Danny Miranda

for those in pursuit of their highest version

No. Matter. What.

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I study people.

Specifically, “successful” people.

It’s all I do. Constantly. Reading biographies, non-fiction books. Trying to figure out the answer to the question: “If we’re all human beings… How come some of these people have made more out of life than others?” 

Some people believe there are a select few “born different.” But I tend to think anyone can achieve enormous levels of success.

When I come across a connection, I like to make note of it. I write it down in my little Notes app.

But when I notice the same connection over and over again?

It’s startling.

“Success leaves clues.”  –Tony Robbins

There is a strand connecting everyone from Kobe Bryant to Steve Jobs to Kanye West to Mike Posner to Jim Collins. 

This principle of success spans generations, geography, and genres.

The first time I noticed it, I thought to myself, “That seems like something you should have.”

The next time I noticed it, “This is something you should have.”

And more recently, “This is the difference between success and failure.”

This principle is about finding a way. It’s about ingenuity. It’s about being so resourceful, so gritty, so willing to go the distance, you can’t help but achieve the result you desire. It’s falling 1,000 times. It’s getting up one more.

But it’s not just a matter of theory. This principle has been put to the test over and over again.

The “No. Matter. What.” Principle is quite possibly the most important element to your success – in any goal you set out to achieve.

What Is The “No. Matter. What.” Principle?

The “No. Matter. What.” Principle states: “You will accomplish the goal or task… No. Matter. What.”

It’s about going all in. Stacking your chips. And placing them in the center of the table.

Successful people think about whatever they’re trying to accomplish followed by “No. Matter. What.”

Don’t believe me?

Kanye West: “Never stop fighting no matter what anyone says. If it’s in your gut, your soul, there’s nothing, no worldly possession that should come between you and your expression.”

David Goggins: “Success is based off of your willingness to work your ass off no matter what obstacles are in your way.”

Jocko Willink:

Perhaps a couple of real life examples will better illustrate this principle in action…

The Walk Across America

Mike Posner wanted to walk across the United States of America.

It was something on his bucket list for a long time.

Then his dad passed away.

He realized he had less time than he thought.

So, in April 2019, Mike started his walk in New Jersey. To his friends and family, he told them he was going to walk across the United States.

But what he told himself is, “I’m going to walk across the United States… no matter what.”

Three little words that make all the difference in the execution of the journey.

Mike’s “No. Matter. What.” Principle came in handy about halfway through the journey. 

Mike had made it halfway across the country. Then, on August 7, halfway through his trek, he got bit by a rattlesnake. He called 911. He asked if they thought he was going to survive. The operator told him, “I don’t know.” He was airlifted by a helicopter to a local hospital. At first, the doctors told him they might have to amputate his leg.

Mike survived with two feet.

But he had to learn how to walk again. So, Mike spent the next few weeks rehabbing his foot.

He was slowly learning how to walk (using a walker) and soon became accustomed to the comforts of home. People were feeding him. And he didn’t even have to walk. Besides, he had an out. He didn’t need to walk across America. A rattlesnake had taken a chomp of his foot afterall!

That’s when he remembered his “No. Matter. What.”

So, after rehabbing his foot for a few weeks, he drove back to the same spot he started… and started walking.

Psychologically, it was difficult. But Mike refused to give in to the part of his brain that told him to quit.

It was the “No. Matter. What” Principle that helped get him through to the other side of the country.

Jim Collins’ Most Important Rule

Jim Collins is the bestselling author of Good to Great and Built to Last.

He has a rule:

Every 365 days, he has to have completed 1,000 creative hours… “No. Matter. What.” (His words, not mine.)

That means January 1 to January 1 the following year. Or April 14 to April 14. Or July 29 to July 29.

It doesn’t matter if he’s sick or tired or doesn’t feel like doing the work. If he hasn’t completed his 1,000 hours for that “year,” then he gets to work. (For those counting at home, 1,000 creative hours means a minimum of approximately 2 hours, 45 minutes per day. You can see how one can produce great work if they’re spending 1,000 hours yearly on creative hours.)

(For a more detailed description of what qualifies as “creative hours,” check out this brilliant podcast from him and Tim Ferriss.)

That wasn’t the only time he mentioned the “No. Matter. What.” Principle.

He also mentioned it in regards to relationships too. 

More particularly, the relationship with his wife. He described his philosophy as even through the tough times, his mindset is: “We will not fail at this marriage. No. Matter. What.”

Have Standards

Want to achieve anything?

Hard times are non-negotiable. Unexpected adversities are guaranteed.

Having a “No. Matter. What.” clause makes sure you don’t have an out. You’re in this fight until you can’t fight no more.

It’s the mindset of, “I’d rather die than not accomplish this task.”

And if your level of commitment is that high… success is almost a guaranteed outcome.

Of course, it won’t be easy. Of course, there will be times when you want to quit. When you want to give it all up and start something else.

Your No. Matter. What. keeps you going. Keeps you on the path.

It makes sure you have standards for yourself. 

That you’re upholding your promise to yourself. 

That you will do whatever it takes to achieve what you’re aiming to achieve.

What’s Your “No. Matter. What.”?

I don’t write this post to tell you some stories about some successful people.

I write this post because I want you to ask yourself: 

What are you currently committed to? What are the standards you are unwilling to compromise on? What will you succeed at “No. Matter. What.”?

If you don’t currently have a “No. Matter. What.”, start with a habit. Build a streak. Set a standard for yourself. And move forward. Every day. 

This is the way people have achieved incredible success for thousands of generations. This is the way you can create incredible success in your life. It doesn’t have to be complicated. It doesn’t have to be anything other than a simple habit or goal.

You may look at celebrities. Or people who achieved incredible success. You may think of them as somehow different than you. But they are human.

Very human.

They have simply committed to a simple task and completed it.

No. Matter. What.

Values for DannyMiranda.com

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  1. Create your own journey. Follow the beat of your own drum. Following what someone else wants you to do will lead to resentment and regret. If you want to go for something, do it… life is too short.
  2. The journey is the reward. Your journey, the path from Point A to Point B, is quite literally the reward of life. Often times, people who reach the peak get depressed. We expect happiness from victory. And we do get happiness from it. But the real reward is the process of trying to achieve.
  3. Be open-minded, compassionate, and kind. When you embody these attributes, you’re open to new information. They foster growth. Being open to new information allows you to learn.
  4. Embrace learning. To learn is to grow. To learn is to improve. To learn is to expand one’s knowledge. Learning is difficult but always worth it.
  5. Consistency over perfection (hat tip Mike Vacanti). If you want to make progress on a goal, don’t wait until you have the perfect plan. Just start. Consistency leads to better results than perfection. Set a schedule. Stick to it.
  6. You can choose any action in this moment. You miss a workout. You fell off your diet plan. You took the wrong action in the last moment. Now you sulk over it in this moment. But you can use this moment to improve. If you can do that, you can shape your destiny any way you want.
  7. Spread love. To yourself and others. Show love to yourself, it’s the only person you’ve got. On the other side, who else would benefit from receiving your love? We don’t call the people we love because we think they already know we love them. But a reminder is nice. A reminder makes the world a brighter place. A little bit of light can go a long way.
  8. Dream bigger. There are so many options for what you can accomplish. By “bigger,” I simply mean anything that expands you. Lean into that which will help you gain new perspective, wisdom, and clarity. Dreaming bigger is about learning something new, going to a new place, doing something that isn’t “like” you.
  9. Transparency. Telling the truth is at the root of improvement. Because if you are not honest, you can’t change. Lying to ourselves makes us feel better in the moment but worse in the long-run.
  10. Become the best version of you. It’s my goal this website will help you become the best version of you. That’s the basis of all my work and my life’s mission: To help you become the best version of you.

To your success,

–Danny

The Practicality of Kindness and Compassion

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“The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know.” –Albert Einstein

There are three factors I kept noticing over and over in smart people.

Once I saw it, I couldn’t not see it.

(I’m not sure if these are the elements that make someone smart or if most people I associated intelligence with these qualities.)

The smartest people I know are:

  1. Great listeners.
  2. Compassionate.
  3. Open to new information.

In this post, we’re going to discuss:

  • The practicality of compassion
  • How kindness flows through society
  • A real-world case study of these principles in practice
  • Actionable ways to get “smarter”

How Compassion Helps You

If you can understand someone’s problem, you can potentially solve it.

If you can solve it, the person you’re talking to will trust you more. If they trust you more, they’re more likely to spend money with you.

The purpose of understanding someone’s problem is to understand it. Then, if you are ever in that situation, you will be able to better handle it… because you’ve already seen it!

This is how I used to look at compassion. Although they are true and practical, it is asking how you will benefit from the situation.

The real benefit of compassion is compassion itself. The next time you do something nice for someone, sit with your emotions for a second.

How do you feel? If you’re mind and body reacts anything like mine, I’d guess you have warmth inside of you. This is a natural reaction to spreading kindness to others.

Here is the where the real practicality of compassion comes in: you reward yourself.

(The reason it feels good to help others is that it feels good to help yourself. And we are all far more connected than we realize.)

How Kindness Flows Through Society

One random act of kindness can flow throughout society and create a brighter world for all.

Alex pays for the next person in line at Chipotle. Bobby sees Alex doing that and orders food for his 10-person office. Christine works for Bobby and tells her Derek, her father, that her boss bought lunch. Derek buys lunch the next day for his 100-person office.

Of course, this isn’t about a free lunch. This is about what the free lunch leads to. It leads to other people acting kinder to strangers. It leads to more compassion. It leads to more light.

Alex bought a free lunch for the next person in line. He thought that was all he was doing. But that’s never all we’re doing. Derek has no idea Alex exists. But Alex changed Derek’s life.

Like a virus, we often have no idea where kindness actually starts and where it ends up. The chain can start as an idea in your head and change the world.

Why Joe Rogan Is the Smartest Person I Know

“Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t.” – Bill Nye

Joe Rogan’s podcasts resonate with so many people is because he is a great listener, open to new information, and compassionate.

This allows him to (1) understand new ideas, (2) question whether those ideas are any better than his current ideas, (3) make connections with previous ideas. Because he has talked to so many people from such a wide range of expertise, he has explored a lot of ideas.

Additionally, his ego is not attached to any position. He is questioning his own thinking. (For example, he’s changed his mind on whether he believes aliens are real.) He is not afraid to contradict himself or come to a new conclusion. He is compassionate to the people he speaks with and isn’t trying to play any sort of role for the audience.

On the other side of the coin, let’s imagine a Harvard-educated rocket scientist.

Mr. Harvard Rocket Science got a perfect score on the SAT. He’s read every single textbook on every subject. He is a genius!

But when you talk to him about anything, he doesn’t listen to you. He doesn’t try to understand what you’re saying. He operates on the premise he has learned everything to learn so he can’t learn anything from you.

Would an outside observer think of Mr. Harvard Rocket Scientist as all that smart?

Probably not.

Actionable Ways to Become More Compassionate

So what should you do to actually become that person? To become someone who is open-minded, compassionate, and kind? Here’s what I’ve found helps me:

Strive To Become the Highest Version of Yourself

When you fill your bucket fully, you want to give to others.

The periods in my life when I was consistently acting in alignment with the highest version of myself, these were the times I was most compassionate and understanding of others.

To be selfless, first be selfish.

One way to be selfish is to start your day with a Morning Routine. When I do this, I’m priming myself to be a source of light and positive energy for all those around me. If I can first give myself energy, light, and excitement, I can then expand the world with these qualities as well.

Talk to More People

Talking to others allows you to explore different worldviews and perspectives. This naturally makes you more compassionate to anyone else you meet.

The reason Joe Rogan is open to so many perspectives is that he has seen so many perspectives. But you don’t need to be Joe Rogan to see the world in a new way. Be open to new people and experiences.

Meditate

Mediation is the practice of observing your mind. If you observe your mind for any period of time, you might begin to notice how fickle your mind can be (at least mine)! How it links certain things together and draws a conclusion.

If you are able to see how your own thinking is flawed, you might begin to laugh. Then, give yourself a break. If you can give yourself a break, you can give others one as well.

Yoga

Yoga is meditation for your body.

Yoga leads to compassion for many reasons.

One is because you’re probably not as flexible as you would like to be. The different positions can be uncomfortable, especially if you’ve never tried them before.

Many people who do yoga are also kind and compassionate. For whatever reason, the practice lends itself to these types of people. The more time you spend with those types of people, the more likely you are to become one of them yourself.

I’ve noticed a considerable difference between doing yoga in a studio and yoga online. In a studio, you are fully involved in the present moment. You can feel the energy of the room. When doing yoga at home, you might get interrupted by a phone call or a loud noise in your house.

That too, provides a good time for compassion.

Read

When I tried reading The Power of Now in college, I couldn’t get through the first chapter.

“What is all this woo-woo nonsense?”

When I picked it up a few years later, I couldn’t believe how profound and true many of the statements were.

The more I felt connected with all human beings, the more compassionate I became. And to get to that place, it helped to read a few books on the subject.

Reading allows you to learn from people who have thought about specific issues for extended periods of time. It’s almost like talking to new people.

Two books worth checking out in the same arena – A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose and The Untethered Soul.

Forgiveness

“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned. ” -Buddha

Forgiveness is the process of removing the anger you feel for someone. Although it can be difficult, it is always worth it. That doesn’t mean you have to speak to the person who wronged you.

Lay down at night. Forgive everyone who did you wrong during that day (or days past). Whether it was a dirty look or someone who didn’t say hi back to you. Or even yourself.

This practice will bring more compassion to your life. Because when you forgive, you are letting go. And releasing this energy will allow you to be more compassionate to everyone around you.

In Summary

  1. Compassion is practical. You are helping yourself with your own kindness.
  2. Your deeds don’t affect you; they have the potential to affect the world.
  3. Joe Rogan is the smartest individual on Earth. Bow down.
  4. If you’re looking to improve your compassion muscle, do the following: become the highest version of yourself, talk to more people, meditate, explore awareness, do yoga, read about spirituality, forgive.

Yes, Your Phone Is Making You Dumber

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I’m amazed.

Simply by my own ability to consume stuff that sucks.

When I say “sucks,” I mean anything “not improving my life in any way.”

What my high school acquaintances are doing is probably not making me smarter.

Watching people own pet tigers is probably not making me smarter.

Scrolling through Twitter for the gazillionth time today is most definitely not making me smarter.

The purpose of life isn’t for every piece of content you consume to make you smarter (obviously). I’m not suggesting as much.

But I’m surprised at how easily my monkey mind has been trained to use these platforms for mindless consumption rather than productive tasks.

Something tells me I’m not the only one.

The Ephemeral Nature of Technology

Technology leads us to mindless consumption. Mindless consumption is ephemeral.

It wasn’t until I read this article from Nat Eliason on the ephemerality of social media did I understand what really bothered me about Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram:

“The more ephemeral a piece of information is, the less likely it is to be valuable.”

How do you know a piece of content is ephemeral?

It’s gone quickly.

A Facebook status, tweet, or Instagram post will last for a maximum of two days.

Contrast that with a good book. It might last a few hundred (or thousand) years! Even a resource published ten years ago (that is still recommended today) likely has an incredible amount of value.

Why does it matter?

The goal of social media is to get and keep your attention. Ways to get someone’s attention include making outlandish claims, doing ridiculous stunts, or being controversial.

The goal of a book is typically to inform or teach. Sure, a book can try to do the same as a social media post. But unless it is valuable, it is unlikely the book will be passed on.

There is also the cost of creating a book. It costs the author more time to create it. It costs the reader money to purchase. This higher cost of entry means it is already more likely to be valuable.

The Price of Social Media

Social media feels good. Apps make you feel like there’s always breaking news. Scrolling becomes a habit, an escape from reality – and often from what you really need to do. You almost never get long-term benefits from your use.

But the use of social media is costly. Take this study, for example, that tracked participants in 2018 before the U.S. midterm elections:

Facebook users, randomized to deactivate their accounts for 4 weeks in exchange for $102, freed up an average of 60 minutes a day, spent more time socializing offline, became less politically polarized, and reported improved subjective well-being relative to controls.

So, you could have more free time, more in-person relationships, less politically charged, and increase your wellbeing? Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

The Dangers of Multitasking

In a world of the past (the one without apps and screens trying to addict you), you were either focusing on one task or the other.

You could decide to read a book or watch a movie. Your mind wasn’t flipping between the activities every few seconds – it had one task.

But today, you can toss on Netflix, browse through the news, and find out about Einstein’s theory of relativity – all at the same time.

We have come to believe this is a positive.

That all this information has to be making us smarter and more productive. That we are consuming more, so we’re better off for it.

As it turns out, the evidence isn’t so clear.

Your Phone Is Making You Dumber

Some smart scientists set out to answer the question: what happens when your phone lights up while you’re doing something?

A 2015 study found that when people’s phones beep or buzz while they’re in the middle of a challenging task, their focus wavers and their work gets sloppier. (A different 2015 study showed when people’s phones ring but they are unable to answer it, their blood pressures spike, their pulse quickens, and their problem-solving skills decline.)

But then, some other ridiculously smart researchers asked another interesting question: what would happen to the quality of work when someone’s phone was merely present – not buzzing or ringing?

A 2017 study gave 520 undergraduate students tests that measured for focus and problem-solving. The students were placed in one of three experimental groups. They were to put their phones either: (1) in front of them, (2) in their pockets or handbags, (3) in a different room.

The results?

“As the phone’s proximity increased, brainpower decreased.”

Meaning? The further someone’s phone was from them, the smarter they got. 

They’re not the only ones to come to this conclusion.

Several creators have figured this out (David Perell, Tim Urban, and Mark Rober):

Ways to Decrease Mindless Consumption

We have determined ephemeral content leads to mindless consumption. What are we going to do about it? What are ways we can stop this cycle in its tracks so we can produce quality work?

Here are some of the ways I am attempting to decrease my mindless consumption:

Don’t check your phone, social media, or email before noon

This is a rule I’ve put into place over the past month, and I’ve seen the dividends almost immediately. My productivity has skyrocketed. I’m doing more of what I want to be doing. I’m getting more done.

Your phone, social media, and email are powerful tools for connecting with the world. But if you’re playing around with these powerful tools before you work on your own stuff, you’re risking getting sucked into someone else’s to-do list.  

Full screen mode (and only use one tab at a time)

For every tab you have open, the more your attention drifts from your one main task.

I believe full screen mode works because it signals to your mind: “This is the only thing we’re working on. Focus.”

Similar to how the mere presence of a phone makes us dumber, I wonder if the presence of a URL bar and open tabs make us dumber as well. A study on this would be incredibly interesting.

Eliminate all social media apps from your phone

The iPhone was originally only meant for a few functions: “to call, text, and listen to music.” Today, we are overwhelmed with the number of apps you can use. It’s the world’s most powerful computer in your pocket. Which makes it dangerous if you’re not careful.

Deleting social media from your phone is one way to make sure you’re not getting the “quick fix” of the drug.

Keep your phone on airplane mode 

Some people keep their default setting on Do Not Disturb.

I’ve found Airplane Mode is even more effective.

(Of course, one potential downside is this makes it harder to reach you. It’s best to let your family and friends know you’re doing this before you do it.)

Curate your feed

British anthropologist Robin Dunbar has proposed human beings can only maintain connections with anywhere from 100-250 other people.

The commonly cited figure for Dunbar’s number is 150.

Dunbar explains it informally as “the number of people you would not feel embarrassed about joining uninvited for a drink if you happened to bump into them in a bar.”

This applies as much to social media as it does to real life.

If you know you can only make real connections with 150 people, does it make sense to follow 1,000 people? Curate your feed so you’re following fewer, more valuable resources.

Stop following the news

Follow the news for any period of time, and you are certain to get depressed – or at the very least anxious about the future.

AllSides.com gives the left, right, and center perspective on different trending topics. Checking this once per day (or week) will keep you informed without having to drag your mind down.

Bill Maher said it best when he tweeted: “We need the news to calm down and treat us like adults.”

My typical rule is: If it’s that important, someone will tell you.

Set your phone to grayscale

Have you ever seen a slot machine? That’s what my phone normally looks like. Vibrant colors galore. Apps screaming – “CLICK ME!” 

This tactic is simple: you make your phone as boring as possible, you won’t want to use it. If you don’t use it as often, maybe you’ll get smarter?

How to do this on your iPhone: (1) Open Settings, (2) open General, (3) choose Accessibility, (4) choose Display Accommodations (5) select Color Filters (6) toggle Color Filters On (7) select Grayscale.

Chrome app: Kill News Feed

If you don’t want to engage in the latest political debate on Facebook, this is a great option. I forgot I had a News Feed after having this app installed for the past year. (This is a less dramatic version of deleting Facebook entirely. If you want to delete or deactivate your Facebook, you should check out this article.)

Chrome app: Hide Recommendations

YouTube can be a time suck. But it can still be useful. Downloading this Chrome app has made it less likely to get pulled into a YouTube black hole. Check out the difference:

Freedom.to

I caught myself instinctively typing in “gm” (for gmail.com) and “tw” (twitter.com) into the URL bar one too many times.

So I downloaded the Freedom app (recommended in Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport). I can never imagine myself not using this tool.

What Do You Consume To Make You Better?

We’ve determined your inputs lead to your outputs. We need to ensure that our inputs are helping us learn, grow, and expand.

Here are a few things I’m consuming that are (hopefully?) making me smarter:

  • Books. Interesting ideas that have been thought out, revised, and edited will typically outvalue tweets and Instagram posts.
  • For the Interested newsletter. This is a newsletter dedicated to helping you “produce, promote, and profit from your creations.” It’s really good, and I highly recommend it.
  • The Tej Dosa Letter. Costs $7/month but might be the best investment you ever make. Focus is on marketing/business, but truly any person would gain a greater understanding of life from reading this. 
  • Deep conversations with friends and family. Try reaching out to friends you haven’t spoke to in a while and get deeper than the surface level, “How are you doing?” Ask questions like, “Who’s influenced you the most?” or “What’s your greatest accomplishment to date and why?”

These tend to be longer form ideas, more thought out, and as a result, more likely to be valuable.

In Summary

  1. Technology leads you to consume ephemeral content.
  2. The more thought that went into a piece of content, the more likely it is valuable.
  3. Your phone makes you dumber. If you’re doing any type of creative work, the further it is away from you, the smarter you will get.
  4. Set rules in place in order to maximize the time you spend on digital devices.
  5. Utilize Chrome extensions and Freedom.to to decrease mindless consumption.
  6. Replace mindless consumption with interesting resources and ideas.

Introducing: Streaks

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This website is about you. It’s about optimizing your habits. And you becoming the best version of yourself.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You (and I) have heard everyone say that.

How can I prove it?

Introducing: Streaks

There have been two major themes when I’ve been at my best in life (“firing on all cylinders” as the kids like to say):

  1. I was on a streak — doing the same habit(s) day after day. Building a routine.
  2. I was accountable for my streak — other people were aware I was building this streak. I didn’t want to let myself down (or them!).

So why not use this website as a way to create that process for myself and YOU.

Here’s how it works:

  1. You email danny [at] dannymiranda [dot] com with the streak you want to create. Title: Streak: [Insert Your Habit Here]
  2. Include your social media handle (or your website) and time zone.
  3. Every day, respond to your initial email and say you’ve completed your task. If you fail to respond to the thread each day, your streak will be removed. You have until 11:59pm to report your submission. If you report you’ve completed your streak at midnight, this will NOT count. You can submit a new one any time you’d like.
  4. Streaks will be updated at 3 p.m. EST the following day at dannymiranda.com/streaks – you can track your progress (and others) there!

What streak should you try?

This is about what you’re trying to accomplish right now.

It could be as simple as one minute of meditation. It could be 75HARD. It could be 10 pages of reading. It could be waking up every day at the same time. The possibilities are endless in terms of ways to improve yourself.

Here are a couple of recommendations:

  • Make it something you can control (“10 minutes meditation” > “Feel more peaceful”)
  • Make it something you can measure (“45 minute workout” > “Workout”)
  • Make it an action, not a result (“Clean diet” > “Lose 20 pounds”)

Why Streaks?

If you want to change your life, change your habits.

A lot of people want to change their life. But they fail to change their habits because they don’t (1) build momentum by creating a streak and (2) are not accountable in public if they fail. (I’ve been there too many times.)

Streaks changes that.

You are publicly incentivized to stay on the top of the leaderboard. Every day you continue to build your streak, you will be changing your identity (and changing your life). You will also have an updated spot on the leaderboard.

The more reasons you have to do a habit, the more likely you will be to do it — even when you don’t feel like it (which will create discipline). Soon enough, you’re someone who does what they need to do, even when they don’t feel like doing it.

I’ve experimented with all types of ways to improve. But I’ve found the best way to get better is by building momentum while being accountable to others.

Why am I doing this?

The goal of this website is to build a community of people who are in pursuit of a better version. I am interested in getting to know people who build positive habits. I want to talk to these people. I want to learn from these people. “These people” could be you.

What if you lie?

The only person you’re hurting is yourself.

In Summary

  1. Shoot me an email at danny [at] dannymiranda [dot] com with the habit you want to track.
  2. Title of email: Streak: [Insert Your Habit Here]
  3. Include social media or website.
  4. Send me an email every day by midnight (your time!) saying you completed your task.
  5. Track yours (and others) streaks on this page.

To your success,

Danny

Medium-Term Goals

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Have you ever had a massive goal but then took no action on it?

There is one big reason why I believe people don’t even attempt a goal.

The goal seems too big.

Set Huge Goals?

Common advice:

Set massive goals.

It’s typical to hear someone say… “You can accomplish anything you set your mind to.” And while this is an important mindset to harness – especially when doing difficult things – it can seem almost patronizing if you haven’t even started your journey.

Take an individual who is trying to get into running.

Let’s say it’s difficult to run around the block without getting winded. But you hear people say, “Make your goal huge!”

So, you decide your goal is going to be to run an ultramarathon.

One question you could ask is: “How am I supposed to set a goal of running an ultramarathon if I can’t even do a lap around my block?”

That’s a great question.

And my answer to that is: “You shouldn’t… if the huge goal demotivates you. If it excites you, carry on.”

When you set goals so big, so far away from your current reality, it’s easy to look at that reality as impossibility. Because it is impossible. Right now.

The truth is setting a goal of running an ultramarathon might push you in the opposite direction. It might paralyze you from taking action in the day to day.

This is the same for any type of massive goal.

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t set it.

So, change your focus.

Notre Dame PLAY LIKE A CHAMPION TODAY sign

Should I Focus on the Day-to-Day?

One way to do that is to just think about that day or that week.

Notre Dame football is known for a phrase:

“Play Like A Champion Today”

Today.

There’s no reason to worry about if you didn’t go running yesterday.

Instead of thinking about the mountain you’re going to climb, think about the next step. If you can take a single step, you can keep going.

The reason this works is because it is inherently practical.

Your goal is to win the moment. You can’t win that moment by focusing on yesterday or tomorrow. In order to get better, to get to where you want to go… you need to lock in on that single day.

Although this is good advice, I believe it’s incomplete.

The Notre Dame football team can play like a champion today because they have the long-term goal of winning the College Football Playoff. They already put the practice on a daily basis.

The reason “Play Like A Champion Today” works is because it narrows their focus to what they can control – that day.

But if you haven’t started your journey, or you’re just getting started…

There’s something missing from the equation that most people don’t talk about.

That is…

Medium-Term Goals

Everyone talks about short-term goals (daily or weekly). Everyone talks about long term-goals (the big win).

These are both important.

But from my experience, when you’re just getting started, “medium-term goals” are the best way to get from where you are to where you want to be.

What do I mean by “medium term goals”?

These are goals that help you connect the day and years. They are the goals in between the short and long term. Hence the name. Medium.

For example, let’s go back to the running example. You know on the day-to-day, you want to run. You know in the long term, you wanted to be an ultramarathoner.

But what’s something that helps connect the short-term goal with the long-term goal?

It just so happens there’s a 5K Run in your area in 12 weeks.

That’s your medium-term goal.

“I will run a 5K race in 12 weeks” would be a perfect medium-term goal.

It helps give you a vision for where you want to be. You can see how your daily actions will lead you to where you want to go. And it helps connect your aspirations of long-distance running to the day-to-day.

The medium-term goal makes sense because it is practical. You can wrap your head around it.

Eventually, you’re going to complete your medium-term goal though.

What Should You Do After the Medium-Term Goal Is Complete?

Set a new medium-term goal.

In the above example, it could be as simple as running a 10K in a few months away. Take the next step up. Or it could be a half-marathon.

The medium-term goal (5K in 12 weeks) is NOT the long-term goal. That’s where it’s easy to make the mistake – and not follow through with your plan of becoming an ultramarathoner.

Feel good about accomplishing your goal. Be happy and proud of yourself. Then go to the next step.

Short, Medium, and Long-Term Are All Necessary

If you don’t have short, medium, and long-term goals, it’s much more difficult to stay with a habit.

If you only focused on the day-to-day, you’d start running one day.

“Wow, this is fun!”

You’d get excited because it was a new activity. Then, you might quit after it got difficult because you had nothing to look forward to.

If you only focused on the long term, you’d start running because you had this big goal.

“Wow, I’m going to be an ultramarathoner one day!”

You’d be excited to take some steps to achieve it initially. And then you’d stop once you realized how hard it actually was.

Let’s imagine you had the short and medium goals but didn’t have the long-term goals. You’d run daily, complete your 5K and stop running. You would need a longer-term goal to keep pushing you forward.

If you had a medium-term and long-term goal but had no short-term actions, you’d never actually get your butt off the couch.

When Your Reward Is the Action (When You Don’t Need Medium Term Goals)

Are medium term goals always necessary? Are goals always necessary at all?

Here’s my theory: when you’ve been doing an activity for a while, medium-term and long-term goals will still help motivate your behavior, but you’ll find the process of doing the activity turns out to be the reward.

When you can find joy in doing the activity, you find less need for goals.

And that should be the level we all strive for, right?

To get to a point where doing the activity itself is the reward.

Summary

  1. Setting huge goals can lead you to paralysis by analysis. They can demotivate you and eventually hurt you when you’re first starting out.
  2. Daily goals, focusing on what you can control, are good but insufficient.
  3. Long term goals are beneficial as well but setting them without medium term goals can be costly.
  4. Medium-term goals are goals that connect your short term and long term. They are neither daily actions nor are they the “end state” you’re hoping to achieve.
  5. If you’ve completed your first medium-term goal, you should set another one to build momentum.
  6. Eventually, you get to the point where the action becomes the reward.