We don’t have to be smarter than the rest.
We have to be more disciplined than the rest.
—Warren Buffett
We live in a world of distractions. They are all around you, and always with you in your pocket. The opportunities for instant gratification abound, and there is always a new shiny object to go after. Why then, would you trouble to go after hard-to-get goals?
The internet is full of black holes sucking your attention, and many companies are investing millions in making their products more addictive. Everyone is fighting hard to distract you: they all want your attention, even if only for a few seconds. Make no mistake: there is undeniable economical interest in doing so. These people are motivated, brilliant, and extremely well-funded.
And you know what? This is only going to get worse in the next years and decades. Which means that everybody will be more distracted, with shorter attention spans, and lower resilience for pursuing long-term goals.
In the 21st century, survival of the fittest means survival of the focused.
Self-discipline will continue to become more difficult and rare. Having even a little of it will give you a big advantage and take you a long way. You won’t need to be more talented than your competitors; you’ll just need to be more focused.
That is why I say that the disciplined shall inherit the earth.
