Decide — to cut off everything but what’s most important

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What it means to decide

As I was putting this piece together, I got curious about which words were similar (synonymous) with “decision” and which words were in direct opposition (antonyms) to it. Here’s what I found:

• Decision—Synonyms. Determination, conclusion, resolution, result, outcome.
• Decision—Antonyms. Indetermination, procrastination, postponement, delay, deferment, indefiniteness.

How fascinating …

“Determination.”

“Conclusion.”

“Results.”

Who doesn’t LOVE feeling determined? Who doesn’t LOVE getting results?

Here’s an even better question: would you rather feel determined, or the opposite? Conclusive, or the opposite? Do you prefer getting results in life, or the opposite?

Because the opposite is what we get when we can’t get ourselves to make DECISIONS!

The definition of “Decision” actually has Latin roots. The meaning of the word “decide” comes from the Latin word, decidere, which is a combination of two words:

• de = ‘OFF’ +
• caedere = ‘CUT’

CUT + OFF = DECISION!

To decide literally means to CUT OFF everything except the things that matter most.

This concept can be insanely powerful once we start applying it in our lives.

But to apply it, we need to know what we want MOST in life.

In other words, we’ve got to have an idea of

• what we’re ultimately after in life—our purpose.
• And then we need to know what to do on a smaller scale to ensure that we’re living out our purpose on a daily basis.

This isn’t as airy-fairy as it sounds, I promise.

Here’s an example from my own life:

• My purpose in life is: to inspire and inform people (through the written + spoken word) to fulfill their greatest potential, to live with passion, and to make a meaningful impact serving the greater good.

I’ve got a lot of different ways to fulfill this purpose, and my most important decisions on a day-to-day basis are in some way related to me making sure that I focus on maintaining a CONNECTION between my purpose + my projects.

• For example: take my podcast for instance, which is dedicated to helping you succeed in life. I do that by creating content that focuses on helping you better yourself physically, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually—so that you can live with optimal health, wealth, and happiness. BOOM.
• Another example—flashbooks. Our book summaries are aimed at helping you get more knowledge in less time. We take the actionable insights from the best business/self-help books and deliver them to you so you can start using them in your life, pronto… Notice how flashbooks fall directly in-line with my purpose:
  • fulfilling your greatest potential—the ideas from the books we summarize can help you learn powerful concepts quickly,
  • so that you can be inspired to take (passionate) action to
  • make a meaningful impact in life

Decide to Cut Off Everything but What Matters Most to You…

… in your life

… in your career/business

… in your relationships

… in every area of your life that actually matters.

There’s no shortage of good opportunities in life

People don’t miss out on living a fulfilling life because they somehow miss out on good opportunities … There’s no shortage of good opportunities… In fact, it’s the good opportunities that prevent people from achieving their greatness in the first place.

You want to be great? Stop settling for “good” opportunities.

Good is the enemy of GREAT. Don’t be too good to be great.

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PS: Trouble figuring out what the hell you wanna do with your life? Confused about your purpose? This might help:

• The ONE Thing