Cardone writes that what sets the elite apart is that that they’re obsessed with the end result, not just the effort of putting in the time.
The Results-Oriented Mindset
What sets successful people apart is that they realise trying is never good enough. Relentless focus on quantifiable outcomes is a defining trait of the pros. According to Cardone, below-average people take comfort in expending effort and investing time and money without any results at all, and this psychological comfort can interfere with their further development: Until you are totally, completely, with no shred of “trying” focus on everything but getting results, you will fall short of everything you desire.
A simple analogy in the book illustrates the point: if you try to take out the garbage but merely end up moving it to your front hall, the garbage is still going to pile up in your home. The effort is irrelevant; the result is all that matters. Cardone recommends driving yourself as hard as you can and holding yourself accountable until the results match what you desire.
Practical Application in Everyday Life
But then, I wonder, how does internalising the philosophy translate to daily life? Here’s a way in which, by shifting my perspective to a model rooted in outcomes rather than performance, I have been able to bring about some small-but-significant changes in my life:
Morning Routine
Before I’d discovered the 10X Rule – and was instead satisfied with the fact that I got up before the sun – my ideal was just a to-do list. But now, upon waking, I actually write a pledge to accomplish three major goals, before breakfast. Wow! Waking up early = getting major work done. 10X is a mental shift away from one, and towards the other.
Fitness Goals
I’d be happy just to spend an hour at the gym in the old days. Now the story is calories burned, weights lifted, personal bests beat. I’d probably do far less and work out far less effectively if I didn’t have data on how many times I lifted my arms to chest level or how many calories I burned in my last workout.
Work Projects
At work, I found that meetings are left without clear next actions – as a result of Cardone’s book, all my meetings end with clarity on every next step and what needs to get done. My team has gotten used to this more results-driven approach and it has resulted in better productivity and making sure that all projects get completed sooner and more efficiently.
Learning and Development
Rather than consuming passive knowledge, via books and courses, I determine what I wish to be able to do at the end of each learning session. This could be writing an exposé, or applying a new technique, or resolving a real world dilemma; either way, focusing on results makes learning much more actionable.
The Bigger Picture
When mere hustle has become a societal condition for work, when people have mistaken effort for impact, 10X quickly gets you back to the currency of success: results. In the blueprint of work, deserve has become a critical variable; it’s the price of entrance. Success cannot be guaranteed, but you can change how you enter the arena in which luck can roam. What happens when you start to celebrate results, instead of effort? What happens when you start to define and celebrate success on an unreasonable level? The mere shift in thinking positions you for real results, measurable results. If you work hard, you’ll make progress, but if you work 10X harder, that’s when you’ll make an impact.
But if you want to change your life, if you want to see real results, immerse yourself in the results realm. Stop rewarding yourself for effort and save the applause for results. When I put the 10X Rule into practice, I began to watch my days as they started to become a daily results-driven celebration – just as it can be for you.
