If you would have passed the marshmallow test as a kid, read this
You’re probably burning out right now. Here’s why.
If you would have passed the marshmallow test as a kid…
You’re probably burning out right now.
Here’s why.
In the Stanford marshmallow experiment, researchers gave young children a choice: You can have 1 marshmallow now, or you can wait 15 minutes and have 2 marshmallows.
The kids who could delay gratification and wait for the 2 marshmallows ended up with better SAT scores, better grades, higher incomes, and better life outcomes.
And if you’re reading this right now, you probably would have passed the marshmallow test. (You smarty-pants, you :)
So why are you burning out?
Because passing the marshmallow test requires a certain mental operating system.
It goes like:
👉🏽 Listen to authority figures and do what you’re told
👉🏽 Delay gratification - pain now for gain later
👉🏽 Have a singular focus - all you have to do is not eat the marshmallow
This operating model works GREAT.
Until…one of those 3 legs gets kicked out from under you.
💥 You no longer want to do what you’re supposed to do
Maybe it’s not fulfilling anymore.
Or maybe the authority figures didn’t keep their word, and you’ve lost faith in them.
💥 Your mind and body are no longer willing to accept “pain now for gain later”
Chronic stress and anxiety is turning into burnout and health issues.
💥 You no longer have the luxury of a singular focus
You’ve become a parent.
Or have a major health diagnosis.
Or are getting your side hustle off the ground.
Or in some other way, a major additional workstream has been added to your life.
This is when the Marshmallow Test operating model stops working.
And this is when high achievers burn out.
Because you’d rather push through these “broken legs” (and run yourself into ground)… 🔥
Than become a less stressed UNDER-achiever 😱
But this is not the time to push through OR give up.
This is the time to level up 🚀
It’s time to switch to the Outlier operating model.
It flips the Marshmallow Test operating model upside down:
❌ Listen to authority figures and do what you’re told
🌟 Listen to your intuition and trust yourself
❌ Delay gratification - pain now for gain later
🌟 Operate from flow - it feels good now AND it feels good later
❌ Have a singular focus and just crush it
🌟 Managed a balanced portfolio and build in strategic underperformance
The Marshmallow Test operating model gets you from “beginner” to “good” and even to “great”…
The Outlier operating model gets you from “great” to “exceptional.”
The Marshmallow Test operating model gets you a lot of As on tests and shiny badges from society.
The Outlier operating model lets you make your unique contribution to the world and leave your one-in-eight-billion legacy.
There’s nothing like the mindfuck of doing the the exact OPPOSITE of everything that’s brought you success so far.
But there’s also nothing like the mindfuck of the absolutely next-level results it can get you :)
Making this operating model switch is exactly what I help my clients do.
So if you want some help, come talk to me :)
You can drop by anytime for a no-strings-attached coffee chat ☕️
It’s not a sales pitch.
It’s just an opportunity for us to discuss whatever’s on your mind…
And I’ll give you some one-off coaching about your situation.
Or you can book a consult call, and we can map out a full coaching engagement.
So you can make this operating model switch permanent in your brain and in your life.
What my clients have to say…
“I would recommend Pooja’s coaching to people who, growing up, have done well in school environments.
Because people who do well in those environments, oftentimes in the real world, they place a lot of pressure on themselves to continue doing well.
Whereas the real world is quite different to the school environment.”
—Client | Solutions Engineer at Fintech Company
I help high achievers build their careers around flow.
This requires…
Internally, learning how to access your flow no matter what’s going on around you
Externally, designing a career strategy that angles your flow at a high-priority problem that someone will pay you good money to solve
Tactically, navigating the transition from the role you’re in to the role you want
Today’s article focused on #1.
For more writing on all 3 of these, check out my table of contents.
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