CURATE YOUR ENVIRONMENT FOR SUCCESS

Most people think discipline is about willpower — muscling through temptation with sheer force. But I’ve learned it's less about strength in the moment and more about structure before the moment ever arrives. The environment we build shapes our odds of success — it can tilt the odds in or out of our favor.

Do I give in to the sweets in the moment, or do I wait out the workday for something healthier? Simple solution: prepare. There’s that test in the moment but also the preparation or lack thereof that sets up the construct of that moment. I can set myself up for success so that when I feel hungry, I can eat and have it be healthy and conducive to my long-term goals. Pleasure, alignment of purpose, and “discipline” even though it’s the same action – giving in to the impulse for food – but it’s productive because I planned. It’s present in other areas of life too.

I can give in to the snacks on my countertop, but it’s a world of a difference if I eat an apple or eat a chocolate chip cookie. It’s the same action, same impulse, but the preparation marks one as a simple snack that’s healthy and the other is unhealthy, delivers a sugar crash, and isn’t optimal for the sculpting of one’s body.

The apple and cookie example plays to my health and fitness card but the same principle applies in other areas.

We can design the environment around us to align with our long-term goals. I used to spend way too much time watching TV. What I did was, after I moved out of my parents’ house, I didn’t purchase one streaming service, I sold my PS5, and I only spent $300 on my couch. It fits aesthetically in my apartment, but it feels like I’m sitting on a park bench. This is one of my clever designs. Not only do I save the time and energy required to pay for the console, a nice TV, a luxurious couch, and the streaming services, I also save TIME every single day by not doing those unproductive activities and instead I can reallocate my focus to something better. Our mental world is a strange mix of our conscious and subconscious minds. The goal is to align them — to make your environment and instincts both push you toward the same outcome.

You don’t want to apply pressure to yourself every day with temptation dangling in front of your face. That’s a lot of pressure applied to one’s decision making and sooner or later, you’ll crack just like I cracked. The solution isn’t to keep the temptation and just battle through. There’s a cleaner, easier way to live life. Look for efficiency.

The phrase “Out of sight, out of mind” perfectly applies.

Sometimes the best solution is subtraction — removing people, habits, or situations that don’t serve your long-term interests. Optimize your environment so it aligns with your end goal. Work smarter, not harder. Don’t make success more difficult than it already is. If every decision in both your conscious and subconscious minds directs you toward the finish line, you’ll stop at nothing to get there. If certain habits or a job isn’t aligned with that path, remove it — just like you would the cookies on your countertop.

The "Prime Minister of the Underworld," old mob boss Frank Costello, famously said, "I don't want to be a product of my environment; I want my environment to be a product of me."

Shape your environment and curate your reality for success in every realm you strive to be excellent in.