Give me a bookshelf full of self-improvement or self-help books and I can spend hours if not days sitting in one place, devouring the tips and tricks to living the most successful life possible.
What’s the latest ten tips to being happy? What’s the life hack that will make all my problems go away?
Which is all nice and dandy, and without this discovery process, you won’t get very far.
But, I believe there comes a time when you need to stop doing all this reading, analyzing and listening to others. You need to stop learning and start doing?—?or at least have the scales tip towards the latter. Because what happens is that the reading and learning becomes a crutch. The crutch is the Steven Pressfield’s “Resistance” defined. We want to look at the shiny new book / idea / life lesson, versus looking inward and making tough decisions and taking action.
Overall objective: 1% per day. If you grow by 1% per day, the math works out to be that you are completely transformed in something like 3 months. It’s the power of exponents.
This is where I am now in my life. It’s time to start taking massive action and improving myself 1% per day. Here’s how:
Define your schedule.
Have a strict routine that you follow for maximum productivity. It’s okay to break it every now and then, but there is freedom in not having to make decisions. Productivity follows as a result. Schedule creative time in the morning. Do the heavy lifting before noon.
Realize the fear.
Fear is the absolute killer of creativity, productivity and it’s downright exhausting. Being mindful of that resistance you feel when doing something difficult is the first step to labeling the fear.
What to do when feeling overwhelmed.
If fear is the wicked witch of the east, then feeling overwhelmed is the wicked witch of the west. Let’s douse her with water and get control again. Break things down in micro-components and celebrate the wins.
Say no to the crappy people.
Acknowledge the crappy people in your life. They have a surprising ability to suck the air of you. Stand your ground. Say no to that terrible feeling of being judged. Breathe and let it go. Feel sorry for them. Pretend they will die soon and feel sorry for them (spoiler alert…we are all going to die soon).
Say yes to joy.
This is a huge area for improvement! Eureka. Every single day, see the beauty in life. See the moments that make up this wonderful thing we call the universe. Know that miracles exist and expect them. When you expect them, they come by the dozens.
Surround yourself with only things that bring you joy.
Read the book “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up” again. Discard. Edit your life by ridding yourself of clutter. Say thank you to the beautiful things that surround you as a result. There is energy in everything.
Seek ways to help others.
Every single day, try to find someone you can help. Not in a condescending way, but in a genuine outreach, want to help, kind of a way. Even if it’s just a simple smile.
Exercise the idea muscle.
If James Altucher has said it once, he’s said it a thousand times. He truly believes this is one of the keys to success. And I’m starting to agree with him. In “Choose Yourself” he talks about coming up with ideas…10 per day…on any subject or question so that your brain will start to sweat after idea 6 or 7. My last 10 ideas list was for a friend’s business. I’m certain that most of them are bad ideas, but the point is not to have all of them good ideas, the point is to exercise the muscle. After six months, I will graduate to an “idea machine.” Stay tuned!
Align with your values play-list.
I was recently asked what my top five values are. An important self-reflection that I recommend for anyone. I ask myself now, however, is whether or not I actually live up to those values every day. I will challenge myself accordingly.
Rinse and repeat.
This list may or may not get me to my goal of becoming a better person in three months. And, I know for a fact that even six months ago, this list would have been different. The idea is to take stock of your progress, reorient and charge on.
UPDATE: THE 11TH AND PROBABLY MOST IMPORTANT STEP OF ALL
Authenticity.
“I’m not for everyone. And neither are you.”?—?David Leddick
With love and gratitude,
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