Eliminate the Word “Trying” from Your Vocabulary
Then watch how effortless it becomes to attain your goals
Do you know why companies give massive ESOPs and encourage employees to identify with their job?
It’s thanks to the principal-agent problem — the conflict of interest between the owner of an entity and a worker.
As an agent (employee), you’d care about your compensation, work-life balance, and perks. For the principal (employer), how much you improve the balance sheet reigns king.
But when your company makes you a shareholder and you default to saying, “I am a Software Engineer at Google” instead of “I work as a Software Engineer at Google”?
With a fat dollop of principal’s white poured in, the black of being an agent turns a shade of grey.
Life’s a principle-agent problem as well. While your current self and life are the principal, your dream life is the agent.
Become the Principal
When you say, “I’m trying to quit smoking”, you’re an agent. But with “I don’t smoke”, you’re the principal.
With the latter, there’s an identity and ego investment.
