SEQUENCE YOUR MOVES: THE GRAND PERSPECTIVE STRATEGY
Many people take on too many things not knowing that it is this very act that holds them back. Having too much to do in an impossible span of time is not a problem of time management, it is a problem of priority and focus. This problem stems from concurrently pursuing too many things that all demands your full time and attention. Instead of pursuing all things today and spreading your efforts too thin, it is far better to sequence your moves. Like moves in the chessboard, you should think several moves ahead. Every move you make should place you in a better position to win the game. Proper sequence of moves is essential.

THE SIX KEY AREAS OF LIFE
Whenever you are at the crossroads of life, having many open paths but unsure which one to take, you must view your situation from the grander perspective.
In life, there are six key areas:
- Personal life and key relationships
- Career and business
- Finances and investments
- Physical health and wellness
- Social and community life
- Spiritual life and inner peace
In making decisions, people often make the mistake of considering only one key area: money and finances. People choose the path that brings the most financial benefits in the moment. People go abroad instead of first conquering their board exams. Instead of focusing on review, people take on jobs that would soon weigh them down. Financial security is important, but this one-dimensional decision-making have led to the death of many dreams.
Sometimes this happens when the voices of others — parents, relatives, friends — infect their life decisions. Bronnie Ware, the author of The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, is a nurse who tended people with terminal diseases. What was the top regret of people already on their death beds? Regret #1: I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
Considering the grander perspective, here are better questions to ask:
- Personal: Which path, if I pursued, can ignite my passion? Which path can bring a better life for me and my family?
- Career and Business: Which path, if I pursued, will best propel my career or business for the long-term? Which path can give me more meaningful career or business options in the future?
- Finances and Investments: Which path, if I pursued, will help me achieve financial freedom?
- Physical health and fitness: Which path, if I pursued, can help me live a fuller life? Which path is healthier for my body and well-being?
- Social and Community: Which path, if I pursued, will allow me to contribute back to the community? Which path can help a cause that I value?
- Spirituality and Inner Peace: Which path, if I pursued, can give me inner peace?

Take your time to reflect on these questions. See beyond the short-term horizon of days and months, and project ahead in terms of years. In your current position, what one path can place you to your next best position? What one path has the ability to upgrade all your six life areas? Commit to that path. Make it your priority. Align your activities. Remove the unnecessary and retain the essentials.
The difference between the successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything. –Warren Buffett
COMMIT TO THE PATH
When I was preparing for my board exam, I stopped taking side projects. The money earned is not worth the cut in time and the added headaches. Rather than dividing my efforts in many activities, it was better to give my best aiming for the top spot. The lifetime upgrade weighed more than the short-term benefit of the paycheck. Surely enough, the path of the board exam elevated all six life areas.
Similarly, when I was writing this book I also have to quit my job. I just have to focus my key resources into this project. Months pass by when I was only living on break-even. Concerned family and friends told me to stop wasting my time. They told me to, instead, make money and pursue a real career. But life is not just about finding financial and material success; it is about curbing the hunger within. Exchanging one life area in order to satisfy the others was the sacrifice that needed to be done. There are always tradeoffs. If you want massive success in anything, you must be fearless in making these tradeoffs.

Turning dreams into reality requires a sacrifice. It is hard to pursue everything in the present. In planning your moves, you must see things from a grander perspective, projecting ahead in years or even decades. Sequence your moves and commit to one primary direction. Become a man on a mission — unconcerned with irrelevant things not on that path, or not yet part of that path. By funneling your efforts, you can turn the “impossible” into “difficult, but entirely possible.”
Engr. Rucel Virata
Civil Engineer | Author — Outsmart The Board Exam
