The Autobiography Method

We become the stories we tell ourselves. Our capacity for storytelling is both our blessing and our curse as a species.

As part of the Life of Focus course we are encouraged to create a narrative that serves me by using the autobiography method (imagining you’re writing a professional memoir of this phase of your working life).

The random friction of our everyday life is strong and it will suck you back into the frenzied struggle in the shallows.

Without a strong narrative to keep the wind at your back, Scott would go as far as to say that the deep, purposeful work you’re engaging in now is likely not sustainable.

My Narrative:

At the start of 2021 while the pandemic still raged, Eoghan moved to Birmingham to be closer to Nikki. With his move he stepped back from pharmacy to purse his own interests and learnings.

Inspired by Naval Ravikant, Cal Newport, Josh Waitzkin and Tim Ferriss, Eoghan sought to become a perpetual learner and live a life of focus. To do this Eoghan completely transformed how he worked and systematically removed all distractions and barriers in his way.

Most importantly, he for the first time in his life, got out of his own way. He had the belief in and love for himself, he previously lacked.

Eoghan built upon his previous success in physical performance and health and also introduced new routines and practices which strengthen his mental health and ability to focus.

His first challenge was learning the python and SQL coding languages in order to explore and use data. This process was a challenge but he succeed by never shying away from hard work, investing in loss and drill his weak spots.

Since a school boy Eoghan was inspired by internet startups and startup culture. He spend the January and February of that year applying for and interview at various different startups with no success. This perceived failure to be hired by any startup was the tinder needed to start the fire within him of starting his own business.

Around the same time, Eoghan began meeting with a therapist online. They worked through all the buried emotions and destructive tendencies and thought patterns. This crucial work helped Eoghan become a better son, a better brother, a better lover, and a better friend.

My Counter Narrative:

At the start of 2021 while the pandemic still raged, Eoghan moved to Birmingham to be closer to Nikki. With his move he stepped back from pharmacy to purse his own interests and learnings.

Now with an uncluttered calendar Eoghan focused on learning data science. As he approached it in an ad-hoc manner he failed to grasp the fundamentals of python and SQL. Eoghan was happy enough just to do the online lessons available to him, but when they got hard he just looked at the answer instead of figuring it out himself. This was a recurring theme of him not focusing on the fundamental just some arbitrary progress bar on the learning website.

During this time, Eoghan let his hard won gains and progress in the physical arena slide. He rarely worked out and his diet consisted mostly of connivence food. He would never reach his physical peak again but he didn’t realise that yet.

Eoghan’s quest to become a perpetual learner like his heroes started well, he covered lots of ground by reading, listening to podcasts and taking courses. He went an inch deep and a mile wide, the anthesis of what his meteors advocated.

Eoghan’s dreams of starting a business fizzled out again as he avoided the hard work and all feedback. His biggest failure was not believing in himself and having the courage to put himself out there.

As Tús Maith died a slow death so did his dreams on an uncluttered schedule. Eventually his money ran out and he went back into pharmacy full time.

Eoghan’s failure to tackle his emotionally issues and self-destructive tendencies resulted in him alienating most of his friends, at put considerable pressure on all his relationships. Forcing many of them to breaking point. He buried is pain in binge drinking and drug use.