Want More of It? Use More of It.

I saw a video that reminded me of a concept I haven’t been thinking about enough: if you want more of something, you need to use more of it.

For example, if you want more energy, you need to use more energy. The more you move your body, the better shape you get in; that gives you both more energy and more capacity to use it.

This applies to a lot of things.

One big one right now is focus. The more time you spend focused on a specific thing, the more capacity you have to stay focused. The problem now is our phones are doing the opposite. Social media apps have us switching from subject to subject, draining our ability to stay focused.

Some other examples:

• Confidence. If you want to be more confident, you need to do more things a confident person would do. I used to lack confidence when I was younger and this is exactly what I did; take small uncomfortable actions and build from there.
• Creativity. The more time you spend creating, the more creative you become. Sketches, blackbook, music, writing; it all adds up over time.
• Knowledge. The more consistently you read, learn, and study, the easier it becomes to learn. Your brain gets used to taking in and connecting information.
• Money. This one’s tricky. You can’t just spend money on dumb shit and expect to get more of it. But if you have a framework around money, you can use it in ways that create more. When money is tight, I ask myself: “Will buying this make me more money or actually improve my life?” If it’s no, I don’t buy it.

This list could go on.

Give it a try. Find an area in your life that needs improvement and use more of the thing you want more of, on purpose. Over time, your capacity grows.

— Bus