What if There’s No App for that?
– Bill Bachrach
I recently read a really great blog post written by Bill Bachrach, a coach and author who specializes in consulting with Financial Advisors. Bill is an extremely insightful writer, and I thought you might enjoy the following excerpt from his recent piece called “What if there’s no app for that?”
I love the modern world. I love the computer, transportation, TiVo, and my iPhone.
Perhaps one of the reasons technology is so quickly embraced by us human beings is because we struggle to delay gratification. We spend more than we earn to live a lifestyle we can’t really afford, we get duped into believing we can get rich quick and without risk, we waste billions of dollars a year on fad diets that promise weight loss without effort, and we do the same with fitness equipment and programs that promise to make us fast and strong without breaking a sweat.
The “app” is the ultimate promise of instant gratification. Just download the app and you’ve got a way to do something you want done right now. It’s very cool. I love apps! Wouldn’t it be great if there was an app for everything? And of course they are either free or only 99 cents and there is very little effort involved in using them and the results are guaranteed.
What technology can’t change, not even the brilliance of the iPhone or the iPad or the many apps, is the fact that there are universal laws and principles that govern real and lasting success in life. No matter how cool the technology becomes there will never be an app for those things that require mastery.
There’s no app that will make you a black belt martial artist. Becoming a black belt will require a good instructor, lots of practice time, commitment, implementation in the real world, and dedication over several years.
Scratch golf? Sorry, no app for that.
Triathlete? Sorry, no app for that.
Tennis? Sorry, no app for that.
Guitar? Sorry, no app for that.
Piano? Sorry, no app for that.
Successful businessperson? Sorry, no app for that.
Good Spouse? Sorry, no app for that.
Good Parent? Sorry, no app for that.
Engineer? Sorry, no app for that.
Doctor? Sorry, no app for that.
Lawyer? Sorry, no app for that.
It’s all do-able, but there is no shortcut or silver bullet to produce results at the most important things in business and in life.
There’s no app, but there is a formula: a good instructor, lots of practice time, commitment, implementation in the real world, and dedication over several years.
I thought this post was a wonderful reminder about something really important, that is easy to forget in today’s world. Not everything in life can be taken care of by an app, outsourced, or delegated. In fact, most of the things in life that are really important require you to do it YOURSELF. You can’t use an app, or pay someone else to become a great parent for you, to master your profession, or to spend time with your spouse for you. You also wouldn’t want to outsource the enjoyable things in life – you can’t pay someone else to read a great book for you, to take a walk on the beach for you, or to travel the world for you. All of the best most important things in life require your personal time and energy, and can’t be outsourced to an app.
The key to living a really great life is figuring out the things that are really important to you, and spending 100% of your time and energy on those things, and either eliminating or delegating anything that isn’t on that list. The beauty of life in America today is that technology has combined with our “service based” economy to yield thousands of creative ways you can delegate away all of those things that aren’t on your “Most Valuable” list.
Is spending time and energy managing your money on your “Most Valuable” list?
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