1. Stop Asking “What should I do?” → Start Asking “How does this work?”
High-level thinkers are systems thinkers.
Instead of:
- “How do I make more money?”
Ask: - “What systems reliably produce money?”
Instead of:
- “How do I stay motivated?”
Ask: - “What conditions make motivation automatic?”
👉 This shifts you from effort to design.
2. Replace Opinions With Models
Upgraded thinking = fewer opinions, more mental models.
Examples:
- Leverage (time, code, capital, media)
- Compounding (skills, audience, money)
- Second-order effects (“then what?”)
- Incentives (people do what rewards them)
When you feel stuck, ask:
“What model explains what’s happening here?”
3. Trade Willpower for Environment
Old thinking: “I just need discipline.”
New thinking: “I need a better environment.”
Upgrade your environment by:
- Removing friction from good behaviors
- Adding friction to bad ones
- Designing defaults that work even on low-energy days
This is why successful people look “consistent.”
They engineered consistency.
4. Think in Inputs, Not Outcomes
Beginners obsess over results.
Advanced thinkers obsess over controllable inputs.
❌ “I want 10k subscribers”
✅ “I publish 3 high-signal posts per week”
❌ “I want to be wealthy”
✅ “I build assets that earn while I sleep”
Outcomes follow inputs + time.
5. Upgrade Your Identity, Not Just Habits
Your behavior will never permanently exceed your identity.
Shift from:
- “I’m trying to learn tech”
to - “I am a builder”
From:
- “I’m trying to make content”
to - “I am a publisher”
Ask:
“What would someone who is this do today?”
Then do the smallest version of that.
6. Replace Fear Questions With Leverage Questions
Old questions:
- “What if I fail?”
- “What if people judge me?”
Upgraded questions:
- “What’s the asymmetric upside?”
- “What’s the cost of doing nothing?”
- “How can this work even if I’m wrong?”
Fear shrinks when upside gets clearer.
7. Think Long-Term, Act Short-Term
High-level thinkers hold long time horizons and short execution cycles.
- Long-term vision (years)
- Short-term experiments (days/weeks)
- Fast feedback
- Ruthless iteration
This is how confidence is built without certainty.
8. Curate What Enters Your Mind
Your thinking is upgraded or downgraded every day by:
- Who you listen to
- What content you consume
- What conversations you repeat
Ask:
“Does this expand my options or shrink them?”
If it shrinks them — unfollow, mute, delete.
9. Practice “Meta-Thinking”
At least once a day, ask:
- “What am I assuming?”
- “What would this look like if it were easy?”
- “What would a calm, powerful version of me do?”
This single habit compounds fast.
10. Build Evidence, Not Just Belief
Confidence doesn’t come from affirmations alone.
It comes from proof.
Small wins → evidence → identity → better decisions → bigger wins.
Start tiny.
Finish often.
Track progress.
One-Sentence Upgrade Rule
Design systems, think in leverage, act from identity, and let time do the heavy lifting.