- Letters of Alchemy
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- How to Perform Real Alchemy
To bring our visions to life, what must we do?
In our last letter, we introduced the idea of alchemy.
Alchemy is the art of transformation.
We will utilise the art of alchemy to conjure our dreams.
This is not in any mystical sense. I'm talking about real, practical alchemy that is used to achieve the goals we set. Alchemy that can be used to become better and to achieve more.
To reiterate, there are three principles to self-improvement alchemy:
You must know where you are going.
You must always develop your path.
You must be prepared to change.
We must internalise these pillars to ensure we are always on the right path when conducting self-alchemy. Revisit the previous letter if you are unsure of what I am talking about.
With the principles in mind, let's learn the four steps of alchemy.
Step 1: Create Your Vision
A journey requires an end goal.
Without a vision or destination in sight, you will wander aimlessly and become frustrated at the lack of visible progress or achievement.
Thus the very first step will be to conjure a vision of your desires.
What do you truly desire?
Ask yourself:
Who do I want to be
What do I want to do
Where do I want to go
Who do I want to be with
Don't hold anything back, write exactly what you wish life to be if you weren't held back by money, time, or expectation.
What kind of life do you dream about constantly?
What visions frustrate you because it is not your reality?
We are going to begin the journey of a thousand steps toward that vision, so make sure it's one that emotionally charges you.
The success of your alchemy is tied directly to the emotional intensity of your vision.
Example
Let’s say I desire a toned and ripped physique. I truly wish for it as I am unhappy with the current state of my body as it is flabby and unattractive. It impedes my confidence and self-esteem which affects all areas of my life.
Even though I do not know how to achieve the physique, I truly desire it and believe that I am worthy of it. I am emotionally charged by the vision and can see myself embodying that physique.
Step 2: Research Your Vision
The next stage will be to envelop yourself in reading and research.
There will be many things regarding your vision that you won't know, so spend time:
Reading books
Reading articles
Watching videos
Simply pondering
If your vision involves having an attractive body, spend time researching on what it takes to attain it. If it involves creating a business, read books regarding your topic of interest and research articles on what skills you will need to bring it to life.
Build that interest, follow that curiosity.
What you are aiming for is enough information to confidently answer these four questions:
What does success look like?
What does success require?
How long would success take?
Am I willing to endeavor forward?
The last is most important, as you will no doubt be overwhelmed by the abundance of information gathered. However, if you choose to proceed despite it all, then you know that you are in for a worthy pursuit.
Example
I research what it takes to have a ripped physique. I spend hours researching articles on Google, and Reddit, as well as watching countless videos on YouTube. I even pick up a book on fitness, and even though I only skim a few pages, I can feel my interest piquing.
After many hours of research, I come to understand that the physique I desire is a result of building muscle through resistance training as well as fat loss primarily through diet. I learn that success will require weekly effort to go to the gym, perform exercises in a structured plan, diet correctly, and maintain consistent habits. I learn that this can take many months to a few years to hone the right physique, however, results will show up as early as a few weeks.
I decide that I am willing to go forward with this pursuit.
Step 3: Create Goals
Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.
Now we will pave the way forward - it's time to create tangible goals.
It's time to create SMART goals.
You may roll your eyes at the term 'SMART', but understand that we must have a framework to formalise this process.
Our goals CANNOT be up-in-the-air and wishy-washy. We need our goals to give us a clear sense of direction with measurable progress.
These are the stepping stones towards the realisation of our dreams - they cannot be full of shit.
Recall that SMART stands for goals that are:
Specific - what needs to happen, for who, and how.
Measurable - quantify something, ANYTHING.
Achievable - be realistic.
Relevant - why is this goal important
Time-bound - when is the goal reached, and when do I start.
It is the perfect framework to form our visions into goals that can be tethered to reality.
Example
Specific: I will achieve a toned and ripped physique by following a structured resistance training program and a balanced diet tailored to my fitness goals.
Measurable: I will track my progress by taking body measurements and photos every four weeks, aiming to lose 0.5-1 kilograms of body weight per week while gaining strength through resistance training.
Achievable: I will start with three gym sessions per week, focusing on full-body workouts, and gradually increase to five sessions as my fitness improves. I will also consult with a personal trainer for guidance on proper form and technique.
Relevant: Achieving this goal is important to me because it will boost my confidence, improve my self-esteem, and positively impact other areas of my life, including my relationships and career.
Time-bound: I will begin my fitness journey next Monday and aim to achieve noticeable results in six months, with a commitment to reassess my progress and adjust my plan every four weeks.
So I will write my SMART goal as:
“Starting next Monday, I will achieve a toned and ripped physique within six months by committing to three structured resistance training sessions per week, tracking my progress through body measurements and photos every four weeks, and following a balanced diet that supports fat loss while gaining strength, ensuring I lose 0.5-1 kilograms of weight weekly to boost my confidence and self-esteem.”
Notice how much information has been packed into this goal. It is not "I will achieve a toned and ripped physique" but instead has multiple elements of specificity, achievability and time embedded into it. That is why the pre-research was necessary, as it allows for us to be able to answer the nuances in the SMART framework.
Do not be afraid to do more research and to revise the SMART goal multiple times - the more refined the better.
This is how we will anchor our vision and tether it to reality.
This is how we will achieve our goals.
This is how we will win.
Step 4: Create Projects
When you have goals, you must create projects.
Goals are only milestones, however, projects will entail the actions to take.
Actions are the bricks that build your path to success.
Actions are the movers to your goals.
Actions are everything.
We will go through a framework that will house your actions, but first, let's go through some definitions.
Project: a label to house your tasks and habits
Task: an action to take
Habit: a recurring task
A project is simply a label for one component of your goal. With the physique example we have been going through, our projects can be diet and fitness.
A task is an action that is needed to progress our journey. This can entail anything from research, purchases, travel, physical movements etc.
Example
Tasks to achieve my goal of having a ripped physique:
- Create workout plan
- Create diet plan
- Sign up for gym
- Complete the first workout
Your first set of tasks will be crude and will not capture everything. This makes sense, as there will be tasks that will only be realised as you complete a prerequisite task.
Example
I find that after “Create diet plan” there are succeeding tasks such as "Purchase groceries", "Prepare meals" and "Track calories". These were only uncovered after I had created my diet plan.
Eventually, you will find that there are necessary tasks that we will have to perform on a frequent basis. Upon repetition, we gain confidence in completing these tasks routinely. These are habits.
Example
I find that "Complete workout" is a task that I am completing routinely each time (3 times a week). After a few weeks of repetition and routine, I will classify it as a habit (be it I am consistently completing the task).
We will need a place to capture this all. I recommend using a note-taking software such as Notion or Obsidian.
You can choose to use pen and paper, however, given that you will be adding subsequent tasks later on, a dynamic note-taking tool is preferred for convenience.
When you are ready, lay out your projects, tasks and habits like the below.
Example
If we were to lay out our physique example in the framework, it would look like the below.
Note
The blue asterisks refer to habits. In the example, our habits have already been predetermined, however, it would be best to only label a task as a habit once you are completing the task routinely.
With your projects created, all that is left is to take action.
Follow the timeframe and instructions you left for yourself in your goal.
Tackle one task at a time and don't try to multi-task, it is far less efficient.
You might ask yourself, “What if I don't make it in time?".
With diligent effort each day, you will certainly achieve success.
However, know this -
No matter what happens, it is guaranteed that you will be at a level far beyond where you are now.
Recall our three principles,
You must know where you are going
You must always develop your path
You must be prepared to change
By following these four steps, you would have created your vision (Principle 1) and developed the beginnings of your path (Principle 2). However, you must be prepared for the process of change you will encounter in both yourself and your path as you progress through your tasks and habits (Principle 3).
The change in lifestyle, attitude, body, mind, and soul is the true treasure that lies behind the veil of success that you deem as your goal.
This is how you will always win.
Alchemist, I will see you in the next letter.
— Lachlan