The Dedication Method – A Peaker's Approach To Heartfelt Commitment

Aspiration Tagging, Moving Target Boards, And The Ubermind Agenda — Three Key Elements To Create Strong Convictions Held Lightly

This post is part of our epic series on vertical life sculpting, where I’ll guide you through the whole fractal spectrum of personal accomplishment, top to bottom. In the first episode we started at the very top with our aspirations. In this second part we move one layer down to then central level of commitment. Ideally, we commit to reapable aspriations. But it’s not quite as easy…

On January 12th, 2024, Johnny Ward — an “average Irish guy” — became the first person ever to visit all 197 countries, reach the North and South Poles and summit the Big 7.

He titled this two-decade-long odyssey of his The Ultimate Explorer Grand Slam.

I’ve been following Johnny for several years. He’s a real yet relatable inspiration, embodying what it means to pledge oneself to high-altitude pursuits (aspirations). In Johnny’s case, this is quite literal, as he actually climbs mountains.

So, how did he do it? How did an “average guy” set a world record?

Let’s let him speak for himself.

Shortly after reaching his goal, Johnny posted online:

The actual achievement came from the day I committed to the expeditions.
That was the key.
After the commitment, the training and the expeditions come naturally.
Taking action and committing was the real step forward.
It's too easy in the modern world to wait around and hope for things to happen. So please don't wait around. Life comes and goes fast.
Go make yourself proud. Commit to something difficult. Dream big.

The Ultimate Explorer Grand Slam is a superb example of an arc of aspiration. By crystallizing his dream into a lofty title, Johnny Ward motivated himself through his multi-decade effort. But what followed was even more critical: he committed to it.

A lot has been written about the “knowing-doing” gap. We can know something intellectually, but it is useless if we don’t act on it. Similarly, we can set out to do something but falter in following through. For many, the knowing-doing gap is the most challenging problem to solve in personal accomplishment.

Making real commitments is a crucial part of the solution.

Johnny claims that action “came naturally” once he had committed to his cause. While I believe there’s a little more to it, we can be certain that without commitment, it’s unlikely for anyone to bridge the gap between big aspirations and the countless tiny actions required to get there.

Since commitment seems crucial in achievement, we will deeply explore the concept and the two components that it is made from in this second episode of our series on vertical life sculpting. We’ll look at what it means, how it is built, and how to manage the various commitments in one’s life. We will see three practical methods — aspiration tagging, moving target boards, and the Ubermind Agenda — that form a three-layered approach for generating strong convictions inspired by authentic aspiration. Finally, we will examine the art of making and organizing commitments while holding them lightly.

Taken together, I call this the dedication method, and it well be the heart of a life lived under Productiveness.