Evolution

Introduction

Most people live their lives on autopilot.

They wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and feel that something isn’t quite right.

Perhaps there is a small sense of uneasiness about their finances, work, looks or family.

Perhaps there is a general unhappiness with how life has turned out — but it can often be difficult to admit this.

Or perhaps there is simply the recognition that there should be more to life than just this .

The problem with these feelings, is that they are easily brushed aside and lost in the busyness of everyday life. It is sad when this happens year-after-year and nothing changes.

Most people cannot articulate exactly what it is they feel.

Is it unhappiness? Sadness? Melancholy?

It is a feeling that things aren’t quite the way they should be, and that something should probably be done about it.

If you are reading this, you know the feeling and you want to do something about it.

You know you want better for yourself, your family, your friends and the people around you.

You want to live a life of your own choosing and terms, not that of others.

And you are not afraid to walk a harder path. You are not afraid to put in the work, the reps.

You’re just trying to work out what is missing.

Is it systems? Productivity? Mindset? Opportunities? More hard work?

Whatever it is, you aren’t sure, and haven’t quite figured it out yet.

That’s because what is missing is a paradox, a non-contradiction. It is nothing, and yet it is everything at the same time.

It is a model that I call Evolution.

Evolution

Why evolution?

When I was in the ninth grade, one of my teachers, Mrs Wright, asked everyone in my tutorial group what life meant to us.

It was a genuine question — my school was not big on touchy-feely subjects.

My classmates answered all the usual things: success, family, money, happiness, the prettiest girlfriend.

I mean, what do a bunch of 15-year-old teenage boys really know about life?

When my turn came around, I answered, “evolution”.

Mrs Wright looked a little puzzled, and moved onto the next student.

Perhaps it was the steady stream of science fiction novels I had been checking out of the school library at the time, but it made sense to me.

What I meant was this:

Every person should strive to evolve to the highest level that they can in life.

This is another way of saying:

You should become the best version of yourself.

Or:

You should develop yourself to your full potential.

I personally believe that this is what we were all put here on Earth to do — to evolve to the highest level that we can, and to contribute to the betterment of humanity in our own unique way.

The Highest Level

There is no definite “best evolved” version that everyone has to be. Not everyone needs to be a billionaire genius playboy philanthropist.

What the highest level is to you, depends on your purpose, your sense of hedonism and your ability to flow.

For some, this will be becoming the head of a family, surrounded by loved ones and raising children and grandchildren, and helping them succeed in life.

For others, this will be leaving a legacy behind, be it research in their field or building a company that changes the world.

For true artists, it will be going deep into their work and psyches, and creating works the human mind has not yet conceived.

For me, it is about asking the hard questions about why we’re here, what we do, how we do it, and if there’s a better way to go about it. And then answering those questions, both for myself and others.

This means not only showing others that the path is there, but also walking it myself.

It means being as fit and healthy as I can be. It means being financially free. It means being happy in my relationships. It means learning, applying and sharing knowledge, and experiencing the world and everything in it.

The Evolution Model

How do we go from being who we are now, to who we want to be?

We need the Evolution model :

It has three parts.

Our purpose is the destination we have in mind. It is something worthwhile that we believe in and want to work towards in our life.

Hedonism is about acknowledging our desires and enjoying life a little. It is also about protecting our own interests and living by our own standards. It can also be thought of as authenticity .

Flow is our ability to do things smoothly, fluidly and with minimal friction and distraction. It is commonly represented as productivity or time management.

To ascend to a higher level in our lives, we need a balance of these 3 principles.

The 8 Evolutionary Archetypes

Not everyone has all 3 principles in their life.

Those who do not, find that their lives are not progressing and usually aren’t sure why.

They become one of the 8 evolutionary archetypes — each unique in how they operate, and each (except the last) missing a crucial part of the Evolution model.

As you read the archetypes, ask yourself: Is this me?

1. The Vagrant: No Principles

A person with neither purpose, hedonism nor flow is the known as the vagrant .

This person is not really living.

We may be quick to dismiss this person simply as one of the unfortunates of our society, but they could be anyone.

Anyone whose life is set to autopilot and is simply running through the motions fits this description.

Anyone who finds themselves being pushed around by others and simply following trends fits this description.

You do not want to be this person.

2. The Crazy Prophet: Only Purpose

The person who only has purpose in their life is the crazy prophet .

Ironically, this purpose is usually not their own.

The crazy prophet lacks hedonism and thus self-interest.

They have no flow, meaning they have no real way to actualise their purpose.

This is the person who is most likely to stand on a metaphorical box in the town square, yelling at passers-by.

They have no true understanding of how purpose affects them, or an effective way to spread their message. And because of this, others simply ignore them.

3. The Addict: Only Hedonism

Someone who only has hedonism in their life is the addict .

This is the popular-culture definition of hedonism.

This person has no purpose and no effective means with which to do anything.

They live by instinct and simply do what feels good to them.

Unfortunately, the real world does not accommodate for this. You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality.

You may know this person.

It is the friend or family member who is always late, self-indulgent and over time, unreliable.

It is the self-loathing artist who is brilliant but unable to actualise their genius.

4. The Efficiency Obsessive: Only Flow

A person who has only flow in their life is known in the West as the efficiency obsessive and in the East as the faceless salaryman .

They know everything there is to know about what they do, and are usually masters of productivity as well. When handed something to do, they do it quickly and amazingly well.

They think they have a direction in life, but they really do not.

This person can be dropped into the corporate world and thrive in middle management in perpetuity, living out someone else’s purpose.

In reality, they are just going through the motions and not really living life. Deep down, they are dissatisfied but they busy themselves to avoid confronting this.

Their lack of purpose and self-interest will gnaw away at them over time, leading them to dark and undesirable places.

I know this archetype well, I used to be this person.

5. The Missionary: Purpose and Flow

A person with purpose, flow and good intentions is the missionary .

A person with purpose, flow and bad intentions is the zealot .

They both have a purpose, though it is usually not their own.

They are effective in organising and spreading their message.

But what they lack, is hedonism and a sense of self-interest.

At the end of the day, they are simply carrying out the marching orders of others, and carrying them out with frightening efficiency.

They do not truly enjoy life, and likely have issues around guilt, shame and self-flagellation. No matter how true they are to their adopted purpose or how effective they are at their work... it never seems enough to them.

6. The Cult Leader: Purpose and Hedonism

The person with both purpose and hedonism is the cult leader .

This combination of a strong purpose and hedonistic self-interest is very attractive. All this person lacks are the systems, structures, rationality and temperance that constitute flow.

We love these people in modern society.

In fact, we glorify them.

They are the charismatic leaders who lack substance but have a strong mission and exhibit traits of socially-acceptable narcissism.

To be effective, they need followers. They need armies of efficiency obsessives, zealots and faceless salarymen to spread their message and reputation far and wide.

They cannot operate truly independently in the world and when asked to personally deliver... they fail. Again, and again, and again.

7. The Mercenary: Hedonism and Flow

Someone with both hedonism and flow but no purpose is known as the mercenary .

Mercenaries are self-contained, and very good at what they do. They are also very self-interested.

But they lack direction and purpose.

They simply appear somewhere, complete what they have to do, and then set off again for somewhere new.

Their lives have no continuity.

These are the people who change jobs or industries every year or two, and never commit to a cause.

These are the “entrepreneurs” who jump from one business opportunity to another every couple of years, never finding something to call their own.

At certain times in my life, I have been this archetype as well.

8. The Evolved: Purpose, Hedonism and Flow

Someone who has purpose, hedonism and flow in their life is evolved , or self-actualised .

You may have your own term for this person.

I like to think of them as adventurers , which I believe captures the essence of who we truly are as human beings.

Whatever we call them, they have the formula for happiness in life: A purpose that is their own, actions taken in their own interests and the means with which to actualise them.

This is the person capable of taking their life to the next level. To becoming the best version of themselves. To evolve.

Whenever they are unhappy with their current circumstances, they simply harness their means, drive and direction, and improve them.

This is the person we want to be.

Principle 1: Purpose

What is your purpose?

Your purpose is:

Your why.

Your mission in life.

What you were put on this planet to do.

What you feel is worth spending your time on and dedicate your life to, even if you never achieve it.

No matter how you organise your life, purpose sits at the very top. Everything stems from your purpose.

Without it, we are truly lost, and susceptible to having others push their purpose onto us — and this makes us profoundly unhappy.

With purpose, we have direction and clarity. Our identity, values and goals all derive from our purpose.

Why We Need Purpose

Many years ago I reached a point in my life where I had most of what I wanted.

I was doing well in business, had an active social life and was in good health. But somewhere along the way, I had lost my purpose.

Waking up each day, using flow, I did the bare minimum I had to... and then didn’t know what to do.

There was one day in particular where I distinctly remember sitting in my apartment in San Francisco and stared out at the street below and wondered: What should I do now?

I began to look to others for purpose, direction and marching orders.

Because of this, on a whim, I found myself living in Europe. And then Asia. Every year or two I would adopt a new set of marching orders, pack my bags and go somewhere new.

I spent years working hard and pursuing other people’s purposes, both in business and in my personal life.

And at the end of it all, others had their purposes contributed to... and I was left with nothing but my own dissatisfaction.

I am not the only person who has done this.

Having no purpose is like getting in the car and driving with no destination in mind.

There is nothing in the GPS. Nothing in Google Maps.

You get in and you just drive, drive and drive.

It feels like you are going somewhere, but you are really going nowhere.

There is a turn here, a red light there and another detour there. The world pushes and pulls you around as you have no direction of your own.

And you drive until you run out of fuel and are left sitting there, looking out the window asking: What should I do now?

Lacking purpose is one of the most painful ways to realise that your life isn’t the way you want it to be. If you do not know where you are going, it is impossible to get there.

In contrast, life with purpose is driving with a clear and visible destination in mind.

Your purpose acts as a landmark that you can see in the distance, towering above everything else.

No matter how many detours you take or how many rest stops you make, you always know the general direction you need to go and that you will eventually get there.

Discovering Your Purpose

There are many ways to discover your purpose.

Some people have always known what their purpose is. They are the fortunate ones.

Some people need to think about the main driving forces in their lives.

Others need to “ask why” 5 times on one of their goals.

And others need to dig out their personal stories, identify the themes and craft them into a meaningful purpose.

However you choose to discover your purpose, you must do so.

Because when you have purpose, you have a clear picture of what the next level of your life is, and how to get there.

Principle 2: Hedonism

When was the last time you did something you really wanted to do?

Hedonism is the principle of pursuing what we enjoy in life.

It is being true and authentic in our desires, choices and decisions.

Like evolution, hedonism may seem an odd choice of words in a manifesto about improving ourselves.

It comes from this presentation slide:

Years ago, I gave a talk at a high-level mastermind event in Bangkok.

The attendees had flown in from all around the world — New York, Singapore, Hong Kong, London, Sydney and other places — and paid $xx,xxx for the privilege.

There were successful entrepreneurs, business owners, a Fortune 500 VP and a state-sanctioned arms dealer in the room.

And as the hotel staff set up bite-sized mango sticky rice portions outside, I gave a talk on “How to Get to the Next Level”.

During my talk, I introduced the principles of mission, flow and hedonism.

The term hedonism has philosophical origins, and I take as knowing what you enjoy in life and being OK with it .

When we do this, we have the freedom to live and do as we want. We have the freedom to enjoy what we like, regardless of what others think. And we have choice in our decisions.

Living Hedonistically

Most people will dismiss hedonism as simply seeking pleasure in a lascivious way, but it is much more than that.

Living hedonistically is about being flexible in our approach while remaining authentic to our desires and who we are.

As Bruce Lee said, “Be water, my friend.”

Water knows that it is water.

But it can take on any shape, any form. It can flow at times, and crash at others.

As you navigate through the world yourself, you have a strong sense of who you are. But you are also formless, and shapeless. You take on the form, shape, strength and intensity that you need for the situation at hand, and as demands are placed upon you.

You can do this, because you have chosen to live with hedonism — the freedom and choice to do as you please, and the ability to act in your own interests.

You cannot live with just hedonism alone. As we have seen, it needs to exist in a triad alongside purpose and flow.

Some people may prefer the term authenticity . This is believing in yourself, what you want and who you truly are.

Because the truth is, most people live by the standards of others and are not authentic in their desires and wants.

If you live hedonistically, or authentically, you know your own virtues. Your own vices. Your own standards.

You can actually enjoy life. There will be no guilt or shame because you own who you are.

Anything you do is out of authenticity and your own desires, not simply to please others.

This provides limitless motivational fuel for progressing towards your purpose, taking you from where you are now, to where you want to be.

True Independence

One of the best ways to pursue hedonism or authenticity is through a system of true independence .

True independence is where we choose to live life first-hand. Where we set out to experience the world for ourselves, rather than through the recollections of others.

Most people today do not do this. They would rather watch someone live their daily life on a video on their phone, than to live it for themselves.

But those of us who choose to live hedonistically and with true independence want to experience life in person, not vicariously.

I would much rather wander the streets of Shibuya, go on safari in Cape Town or surf Bondi Beach myself... than watch these experiences on a screen.

True independence is more than just living first-hand. It is also about being able to walk your own path in the world, even when others get in your way.

It is the recognition that people and society will get in your way... but like water, you can become formless, shapeless, and follow the path of least resistance around them, while remaining true to who you are.

True independence is making the decision to live rationally and to do what is good for you, even if others try to pressure you to do things against your own interests or enjoyment.

It means having minimal rules in your own life, and not trying to enforce rules on others — because at the end of the day, the only thing in life you can truly control, is yourself.

It means not playing the games of status and hierarchy that others choose to. It often means reluctant leadership.

And it also means having a strong belief in yourself and your own self-interest, because you have chosen to live with hedonism and authenticity.

When you are able to truly incorporate hedonism into your life through a system like true independence, life becomes much more fun and enjoyable. And in your efforts to take your life to the next level, this can make all the difference.

Principle 3: Flow

Flow is the ability to do things smoothly, fluidly and with minimal friction, interruption and distraction.

It simply means that you have all the organisational basics in your life handled .

This means you have the systems, strategies, habits and mental models to optimise what you do. It means you are one of those “productive people with good habits”.

It means having emotional control and mastery, and the ability to make rational decisions, even when you don’t feel like it.

It means you take the right actions and do the right things most of the time. You know which things are good for your long-term benefit and you do them.

You know that not everybody’s opinion matters, and sometimes there really is one optimal and effective way to get something done.

When you have flow, the right things in life happen effortlessly. You have the systems and processes you need to take you from where you are now, to where you want to go.

What is Flow?

Imagine waking up in the morning, before the sun is up.

There is no hitting the snooze button or lying in bed with your phone. You get up, run a morning routine and have an amazing and productive start to your day.

Coffee is not needed, and things just happen on autopilot.

Before you know it, you are focused and starting deep work on your most important items for the day.

The day flies by effortlessly. You take all the right breaks. You even manage to fit in some exercise.Your diet is clean, to the point where others complain because it makes them look bad.

There is no stress, and no burnout.

Tasks are completed with discipline, focus and motivation.You produce more than you consume.

And as you finish up your day, you find yourself satisfied that you have given it your all, and are able to fall asleep easily.

This is not a fantasy.

This is what most of my (and others’) days look like, because we have flow.

To understand flow, you can think of life as an obstacle course.

As you progress through it, each time you come across tyres to navigate, trenches to crawl through or ropes to swing across, you have to stop, and use a different skill to progress.

Having flow simply means you are well-trained in all these things — swinging, climbing, crawling, running, disarming nuclear devices and building rocket ships.You have the systems and structures in place that make it easy to flow through the obstacle course.

You can also take this one step further: High-level flow is like having a superpower that reconfigures the entire course into a straight, smooth track that you can simply stroll through.

How to Achieve Flow

How do you achieve flow?

Achieving flow is a non-contradiction.

Flow is both the easiest and hardest of the 3 principles to attain.It is the easiest because there are abundant materials and knowledge available that can teach you flow.

It is the hardest because there are many, many different areas that you need to know to truly master flow.

From habits, to productivity, to social skills, to your professional skills and more — you need it all.

When you have these though, you have flow.

You will be able to operate smoothly and effortlessly in whatever you do. You will have the means with which to achieve your purpose.

The Next Level

Getting to the next level of your life requires all 3 principles.

Here’s the Evolution model again.

The principles work together and also hold each other in check.

Purpose gives you the landmark, the destination for where you are going.

Hedonism gives you the fuel for your vehicle, and the drive you need to act in your own self-interest.

Flow gives you the vehicle, the means to get there.

You have likely started thinking about each principle in your own life.

Perhaps you have a strong mission and purpose and some self-interest, but are just not organised. In this case, you are missing flow.

Or perhaps you have goals and have even broken them down into projects and tasks. But you lack the drive and conviction to follow through on them, because you are weak in hedonism.Whatever situation you are in, if you wake up and look in the mirror and realise that you aren’t where you want to be in life yet, then it is one of these 3 principles that needs to be developed.

What To Do Next

The best way forward is to pick your weakest principle and work on that first. Then move onto the second weakest principle, then the final principle. And then go back to the first, because there are likely more levels you want to ascend to.

My own work in life is helping you and others develop your purpose, hedonism and flow. As you can imagine, there are many pieces to these otherwise simple concepts.

You can find many of these pieces covered in the essays, articles and trainings on my website.

You don’t need my help to start with this. With the Evolution model in mind, you can start on your own, right now.

If you want to get a head-start on your flow, I have two short courses and systems that may be of interest to you.

The first is Resilient, which is a short, 87 minute online course that will teach you everything about productivity, flow and purpose that you need to know, right now.

You can find out more about Resilient here.

The second is the Perpetual Journal System, which is a combination world-class journalling system and related training built into Notion.

You can find out more about the Perpetual Journal System here.

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My writings on purpose, hedonism and flow are written for business owners and professionals and are available without charge for everyone on my website.

In my professional practice I work with business owners and entrepreneurs to bring evolution and performance into their businesses.

If you run a business with a team and are looking to improve your performance and systems (people, technology and processes), you can contact me here.

Evolution

Maria Flynn • Opinion | The A.I. Economy Will Make Jobs More Human - The New York Times