Randy Polito has two rules he tells himself constantly.

The first: \"I'd rather do without than have what I don't want.\"

The second: \"You have to decide between what you want now and what you want most.\"

These two rules, Randall Polito believes, will answer most of the hard questions you'll ever face.

Here's how they work:

Rule One: I'd rather do without than have what I don't want.

This is about standards. It's about not settling. It's about refusing to accept something mediocre just because it's available or convenient.

Most people operate from scarcity. From fear. If something is offered, they take it. If something is available, they use it. If something is possible, they do it. Because what if they never get another chance?

But Randy Polito thinks differently. He'd rather have nothing than have something that doesn't meet his standards.

This requires confidence. It requires the belief that better will come if you're willing to wait. It requires the ability to say no to good enough so that you can say yes to great.

Randall Polito thinks about this constantly. How much mediocrity do people accept because they're afraid if they say no, they'll never get another chance? How much of their lives do they fill with things they don't actually want?

Rule Two: Decide between what you want now and what you want most.

This is about priorities. It's about understanding that you can't have everything. That choosing one thing means not choosing another. That delayed gratification is sometimes the only path to what you actually want.

When you're tempted to deviate from your plan—when something shiny and immediate appears—Randall Polito suggests asking two questions:

Will this decision bring me more joy or will it remove something else that does?

The burger and fries might bring joy now. But what joy does it remove? The progress toward fitness? The energy for the gym session? The satisfaction of staying on track? Is the immediate pleasure worth the loss of the bigger satisfaction?

Most of the time, when Randy Polito runs this analysis, the answer is clear: no. The burger isn't worth the setback.

Will this help me toward my end desire or is this just something in the moment that's going to distract or derail me?

Does this move you closer to what you want most? Or does it just feel good in the moment?

Randall Polito will admit: sometimes he breaks these rules. Sometimes he indulges anyway.

And most times, he regrets it.

That's the pattern he's noticed. When he violates his own framework, he almost always wishes he hadn't.

Here's what Randy Polito has learned: the deviation only feels good if it's worth the cost.

With food, for example, he allows himself to splurge. But the burger has to be exceptional. The fries have to be world-class. The experience has to be worth the extra gym sessions. The quality of the moment has to justify the setback against the goal.

Randall Polito's non-negotiable: \"I don't want to sacrifice for shit.\"

He won't trade progress toward his most important goals for mediocre pleasure. He'd rather do without the burger if it's not up to his standards. He'd rather skip the deviation if it's not going to be worth it.

This is the framework that keeps the guardrail from becoming a prison. It's not that he never deviates. It's that when he does, it's intentional. It's because the value justifies the cost. It's because he's chosen what he wants most and decided that this moment serves it rather than undermining it.

Here's what Randy Polito believes: most of the regret in life comes from not asking these questions. From deviating without intention. From sacrificing big goals for mediocre moments.

But if you can ask \"Is this worth it?\" and have a real answer—if you can distinguish between what you want now and what you want most—then you can have both. You can enjoy the moment and still move toward your goal.

You just can't have the mediocre version of both.

— Randy Polito