Back in ninth grade, my best friend wrote down a list of qualities she found on the internet and felt I had. The only proof of this list exists in my senior yearbook. I took pride in the list she had made for me, but I did not understand how deeply I internalized the meaning until I was in medical school. I came up with ideas for projects and executed them with brute force. I felt unstoppable.

While science has shown that multitasking is inefficient, I still feel like working on multiple projects is essential. Earlier this week, I spent an afternoon making strides with varied projects. I did some studying to improve my financial literacy, I worked on a podcast, and I also began outlining the strategy for a future mobile app project. This was sandwiched between by clinic responsibilities, my workouts, and my social life. The slow steady march towards results seems to be working. The key is to work on one project and one task at a time until completion before switching to the next task.

I reflected on my friend’s list this week, in the midst of feeling good about myself. And so I decided to finally search for them online to see where they originated. They turn out to be part of a greater list of the words of Peter Diamandis, Chairman of X Prize Foundation and best-selling author of Abundance and Bold.

Peter’s Laws

I ended up reading his Wikipedia page and, suddenly, the excitement I felt about my progress completely dissipated. Diamandis founded the International Space University when he was 26 years old. In his third year of medical school. He also founded a microsatellite company, co-founded the Singularity University, and Human Longevity, a company dedicated to finding genetic solutions to enhancing the human lifespan. Did I mention he is also a doctor??

It is humbling to realize that, no matter what, there will always be someone smarter, stronger, richer, and more successful than you. I generally understand this notion, but reading about Diamandis stunned me. It pissed me off. His rules inspired me and I want to pick his brain as much as I want to strive for and crush the bar that he set.

What does it take to become wildly successful? Like I mentioned in my last post, the key is to be prolific. Take enough shots at the moon and you only need one idea to take hold. One idea to be wildly successful. One idea to make a major difference in the world.

That is why I believe in the importance of multiple projects. It allows you to attack your goals from many angles. It keeps you from going all in on one idea. The key is to maintain focus, stay organized, make a schedule, and track your progress. Believe in your goals and stay motivated. Who knows, you might find that moonshot.