What It Means To 'Stay Hungry'

"Stay Hungry, Stay Humble."

"Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." 

I'm sure you've heard the phrase "stay hungry" all over the web. As cliché as it may sound, that phrase is actually a nugget of wisdom and quite important for us all to pay attention to. Let's take a few minutes to talk about how we stay hungry and why we even should. 

No Progression is Regression

Does the concept of staying hungry sound tiring to you? Would it not be much better to stay full and sit there all contented and finished? It might seem so, but not when we understand the figurative meaning of this phrase. 

To stay hungry means to always be alert and awake to new opportunities. It means to follow your passion and dreams with such a drive as if your next meal, or next breath depended on it. To stay hungry means to never get complacent, because once you get complacent you go downhill. 

When successful people give the wise advice to stay hungry, it usually comes from a place of insight and experience. Resting on your laurels and being complacent shows that you think you can just stay right where you are, forever. That's not how it works, though. And that's why you should stay hungry. 

Ultimately, in today's fast-paced world, no progression is regression. Every entrepreneur and business that wants to see continued success has to keep improving, keep assessing the market, keep seeking new ways to leverage a competitive advantage. This is an important principle that is beautiful brought out in the book, "Who moved my cheese?" by Spencer Johnson. I reviewed it a while ago, and I encourage you to read the book. 

The point is, if you don't stay hungry you'll end up disappointed when the world moves. You'll be left wondering what happened to the good times. If you don't stay hungry, you can be sure that other people will, and their dedication and commitment will take them a long way. Your competitors will get better than you because they'll find new ways to grow. Those who weren't as good as you will pass you by, because they will have learnt and put the knowledge into action.

To stay hungry is in your best interests, especially when there is so much out there to eat!

Staying Hungry on Different Levels 

As you likely know, this is primarily a personal development blog and in fact the whole concept of personal development is about staying hungry. 

We don't say: "Yes I've made it!" and fold our arms. We keep seeking ways to improve. We keep seeking to learn new things that can help us 'do life' better and help others too. 

To be a well-rounded person, you should aim to stay hungry on multiple levels. I aim to stay hungry when it comes to spirituality, developing better relationships skills, as well as in terms of business and learning. Staying hungry is fun when you view life as full of opportunities and challenges that you can discover and make the most of. 

Staying hungry requires two things: 

1. Willingness to learn.
2. Active effort in learning. 

You need them both. 

In the past I've talked about how important it is to be able to say 'I don't know', and really it is a necessary mindset for those who want to see success. You can't grow if you think you know everything. Staying hungry involves realising your strengths and weakness and not sitting back and relaxing based on strengths. You've got to look for ways to overcome the weaknesses and go from good to great with the stuff you feel OK about. 

Staying hungry is also about being open to lessons and occasionally, pain.

When you're a hungry person you don't hide and try to shield yourself from any hint of possible adversity. You have learnt lessons in the past that have helped you grow, and you look forward to learning more lessons in the future. It's just a part of life. 

Pains and gains tend to come as a package, so you've got to stay hungry for both. 

It's always incredibly motivating to be around those who are staying hungry, no matter how far they've already come. It's humbling. It makes you realise that there really is no limit to the improvements you can make and the results you can see when you're committed. 

Here are 10 ways you can stay hungry, starting today:

1.  Ask questions to learn more whenever the opportunity arises, don't be scared.
2.  Apply to volunteer or intern for a role that's always interested you. 
3.  Get an informational interview with someone who has a cool job.
4.  Find time to read books that will help you grow, even when you're busy.
5.  Look for (and enrol in) online courses that can helpful you develop current skills or learn new ones. Here's a course I launched to help you learn marketing.
6.  Participate in competitions and creative challenges.
7.  Do weekly research on the resources and steps need to reach your dream/goal.
8.  Learn about how others have overcome the same challenge you face.
9.  Write down ways to get better at what you're already good at. 
10.  Subscribe to blogs and accounts that can update you on your industry or provide you with new, interesting, thoughts and stories. Who knows where what you learn could lead you...

Thanks for reading! How do you 'Stay Hungry?' Comment below!

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