Boost your 2018 plans with 10X thinking

"Everything is possible for one who believes" – Jesus Christ

I hope you had some time to read my last mail about taking time to reflect on how your experiences in 2017. I received some excellent feedback on the email. I encourage you to read and answer some or all of the questions to enable you learn from your experiences of this year. This is a follow up to that email on finishing strong.

The end of the year is usually the time most people start thinking about making some new year resolutions, create a start and stop doing list in 2018. I will come in from a different angle and share with you some of what I have been pondering on as I look to put some definition to my next year plans. And this is the power of 10X thinking!

10X thinking is a provocative idea. The process of 10X thinking, according to Google, results in a 10X change in something, rather than a 10% change. It's about big ideas, new ideas, and the ability to seek large scale impact.

"Think little goals and expect little achievements. Think big goals and win big success"

• David Joseph Schwartz

The X in 10X thinking can be in one to three areas of your life that you desire to really amplify your results. The most popular areas are usually in income (revenue), customers, a healthier life. However it could also mean the number of free days for very busy people. When I first learnt about this thinking, I could not conceptualize how I could step up by income by 10X. Some of the questions I asked myself were – How can I generate 10X what I made in 2017 – If I asked you the same question, you also may jump to the results (just like I did). However the more time I spent thinking about this concept, the more ideas I was able to generate.

I spent some time last week researching on how to uplevel my thinking by 10X and these were some of my findings:

10X thinking is commonplace in Google. The employees are taught to think 10X on a regular basis, as opposed to incremental thinking. To be successful in 10X thinking, you have to reimagine the way you work, new possibilities and thinking begins with a clean sheet of paper as opposed to thinking from your current reality.

It’s important to identify 1 or 2 areas that you can focus on and apply 10X thinking to it.

Focus on the process of achieving the result and not the result itself. For example, one of my 10X focus areas is in how and where I add value to people. While my desired result is to inspire and add value directly to 5000 people next year, I will need to focus on who and what I need to become 10 times more effective in achieving this goal. To achieve this goal, I will need to acquire new skills to become a better writer and more effective communicator, improve my skills in social media to enable me reach 100,000 people, follow and learn from the world's best thinkers in my space.
Your focus area could be in your personal life, for example - to up your game as a spouse by 10X. What will you need to become and do to achieve that?

10X thinking starts with the future state and incorporates the present and develops actions plan to meet the desired goal. This is unlike incremental planning that usually starts with the past and present and then projects into the future. The problem with this thinking is that it could be very limiting, but this is how our brains are used to functioning.

Apply 10X thinking in the areas of your greatest strengths - areas that you are passionate about and what you find motivating. It will be a waste of resources and sub-optimal to amplify your weaknesses.

10X thinking is not easy, but you can start small in areas that you can have some quick wins. For example – how can you have create some more free time in your schedule next year to think, spend time with your family or in solitude?

What two focus areas can you apply 10X thinking to your 2018 plans?

August 2018 bring you a peace and joy filled life, much personal growth and prosperity!

Best wishes,