I was listening to a podcast the other day and the host was talking about successful people and some of the habits that made them so productive. He touched on a few different topics, but the one that stuck out to me the most was that they all have non-negotiables.
He added that their non-negotiables were part of the reason they monitored their time so closely. If they know that something has to be done, they will not allow unnecessary tasks, calls, meetings, etc. to interfere with that.
Therefore, they rarely hang out with people that don’t add value to their lives or engage in activities that don’t help them push their agenda. Having non-negotiables forces them to be better managers of their time and more consistent with their daily activities.
Early Years
After listening to the podcast, that word (non-negotiable) was stuck in my head. I started thinking about my childhood and how “good” parents have non-negotiables for their children.
Think about it. Before you were old enough to know any better, your mother gave you non-negotiables. You weren’t allowed to go to bed before taking a bath and brushing your teeth. Deviating from the plan was not an option.
Fast-forward some years and think about your best teachers. Chances are, they had a routine or a system that you had to follow. Otherwise, there were serious consequences. Those were the non-negotiables for their students.
However, once people get to college, the teachers aren’t as strict and the students have a bit more leeway. When this happens, it’s up to the student to implement their own non-negotiables.
In most cases, the students that committed to a consistent study schedule and managed their time well were usually the most successful.
Adulthood
We continue to see this trend as we enter our professional careers. Peoples that commit to doing their job at a high level often go further than everyone else. If they’re in sales, they commit to X number of calls every week. If they’re in marketing, they commit to X number of emails every week. We can go on and on for each respective industry.
The late great Kobe Bryant once said in an interview, I’m not negotiating with myself…I signed that contract with myself…It’s non-negotiable.”
So, what are your non-negotiables? Leave a comment below so we can keep this conversation going.