Discipline is Overrated
The Amplified Impact Podcast
September 2nd, 2023
Ever felt held back by lack of focus, discipline, and willpower?
As someone with ADHD, I get it…the struggle is real.
I tried meditation, cold showers, and more to boost these traits. Progress was slow.
Then, a study on motivational posters caught my eye. Productivity surged 30% in their presence.
It hit me: why not reshape my environment instead of constantly building these traits?
I began redesigning my workspace and life to cut distractions and boost what I wanted to do. Results? Mind-blowing.
Here’s the secret: the easiest way to amplify any trait is through environment design.
Ready to unlock your peak performance? Start with your surroundings.
TWEETABLE QUOTE:
“Intentional environment design is the cheat code for peak performance.”- Anthony Vicino
LEAVE A REVIEW if you liked this episode!!
Let’s Connect On Social Media!
instagram.com/theanthonyvicino
Join an exclusive community of peak performers at Beyond the Apex University learning how to build a business, invest in real estate, and develop hyperfocus.
Learn More About Investing With Anthony
Invictus Capital: www.invictusmultifamily.com
Multifamily Investing Made Simple Podcast
Passive Investing Made Simple Book: www.thepassiveinvestingbook.com
Episode Transcript:
Anthony Vicino:
For years, I struggled to live up to this image I had of myself as being a peak performer. I thought my failures often stemmed from a lack of focus, a discipline, and willpower. And in a way, I was right. Like, I’ve talked about how my ADHD really did cause problems for me in my life, and the fact that if you were looking at my character stat bar, if I was a video game character, my Focus, Discipline, and Willpower, they were all, like, zero out of ten. I had attributed no stat points there. I had a lot of dexterity and maybe a little charisma, but that’s about and some strength. But I did not put anything into focus, discipline and willpower. And so in those years when I was like, I want to get my shit together, I want to tap into this potential, I want to live in alignment with this greatness that I feel I have inside.
Anthony Vicino:
I went about trying to solve the problem entirely wrong. And what I did was I went about trying to increase my personal capacity for Focus, for discipline, for willpower. So I started meditating to improve my focus. I started taking cold showers to improve my discipline. I started saying no to sweets to improve my willpower. And the thing is that these worked. You can increase your capacity. These things like your discipline, Focus, and willpower are muscles.
Anthony Vicino:
You can improve them, but it’s hard, and it’s going to take a long time. And the truth is, there’s no easy way around that. So I kept stumbling forward for a long time, making slow but steady progress. And then one day I read something that really changed how I viewed the problem. And just like that, the blinders came off. I realized there had been an easier way to tap into my potential, tap into this peak performance state. And it had been sitting right in front of me the entire time. I just didn’t realize I didn’t notice it.
Anthony Vicino:
And this is why having a perspective coach can be so valuable sometimes another person who’s lived been down the road that you’re trying to get down, and they can point out the obstacles in your way and help you understand. Like, that if you were just to shift your perspective two inches to the right, you would realize that’s not a wall, it’s a speed bump, and you could continue moving forward. But instead, you stopped where you are. And that’s how I felt at that time. And the realization I had was this is that focus is the ability to resist distractions. Discipline is the ability to make yourself do things that you don’t want to do, and then willpower is the ability to restrain impulse. So for those years, I tried increasing my capacity to exert focus, to exert discipline, to exert willpower. And it was slow laborious and wasn’t getting me to my goals as quickly as I wanted.
Anthony Vicino:
So from here the game really changed when I read this psychological study, which is the weirdest study I’ve ever read, about those motivational posters that you see on the wall, and they’re like the cat hanging from the tree that says Hang in there. Or it’s like teamwork. And then it’s like a guy handing another guy a baton. Like those really cheesy posters from the remember seeing those and always wondering what was the rationale behind them. I kind of just assumed that they were these non offensive pieces of art that businesses could put up, knowing that nobody was going to get upset about it. But when I read this study about this independent research company that found the productivity of a workplace was actually increased by 30% when in the presence of these posters, I was like, holy crap, I’ve been doing this the wrong way entirely. So the better solution it dawned on me was instead of trying to be more focused or be more disciplined or have more willpower it was to design my environment differently. So that those impulses towards the things that were good for me.
Anthony Vicino:
I wasn’t tempted by the sweets and that my life was filled with the things that I wanted to to do that I didn’t have to make myself to do it. And that the distractions, they never appeared in the first place. And it’s so silly when you think about it, but it’s like, man, instead of trying to increase my capacity to lift heavier things, why not just remove the need to lift heavier things in the first place? And that was a real game changer for me. This idea that intentional environment design is the cheat code for peak performance. Now, I put a lot of time and energy into how to design my workspace, my life space, so that it’s conducive for the traits that I want to have. And truly the easiest way to amplify any trait is through intentional environment design. If you want to walk more, get rid of your car. If you want to get jacked, go lift with jacked people.
Anthony Vicino:
If you want to get rich, hang out with rich people. If you want to get healthier, just fill your refrigerator with healthy food. And if you want to get focused, get rid of the things that distract you. It’s really that simple. Now, there’s a lot of aspects to environment design. I’m not going to gloss over it here. I’ve done other podcasts on it, so I’d recommend you go check those out. Otherwise, if you want them all just in one condensed place, go check out the Hyperfocus Masterclass.
Anthony Vicino:
You can find that@beyondthex.com hyperfocus. And that is 40 plus video modules that I’ve put together walking through the Exact systems frameworks. The environment design that I’ve used to really unlock my superpower of ADHD turn that highly distractable, impulsive nature into a laser guided weapon of mass accomplishment. So go check that out. If that would be of any value to you. Otherwise, a ton of free content is available on the YouTube channel at anthony Vasino or on the Amplified Impact YouTube channel tons and Tons, where I walk through in different environment design concepts. But definitely think about, yes, you want to improve your capacity to focus harder, to be more disciplined, have more willpower. Those are important.
Anthony Vicino:
I’m not saying don’t do those things, but understand that the biggest quickest gains to be had are going to be on how you design your environment. And so put your focus there first, put your attention there, and then go for the hard, slogging, grinding progress that comes with improving those other traits. So I hope this brings you guys and gals a little bit of value. As always, thank you so much for being here. It really does mean the world to me. I appreciate it. I’ll catch you back around these parts tomorrow, but until then, stay hyper focused, my friend.
This Week On YouTube
These 3 Daily Habits Made Me A Millionaire in 3 Years
Whenever you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:
1. Unleash your hyperfocused mind to dominate life, business, and everything in between? Here’s how:
→ The Hyperfocused Masterclass: the exact system I used to overcome ADHD, write 12 books, build 4 businesses, and acquire $70M of real estate.
There are a handful of spaces left in The Hyperfocus Masterclass for those who want to snag the early bird preorder special discount of $49.
Email anthony@anthonyvicino.com to let me know you want on the waitlist.
2. Learn to passively invest in commercial real estate with better returns, less risk, and zeo hassle.
→ Invictus Capital: my real estate private equity firm.
→ Multifamily Investing Made Simple: Top Apple Podcast.
→ Passive Investing Made Simple: Amazon Best Selling Book with 100 5 star reviews.
3. Want more like this? Check out these 3 popular articles from the vault:
