Category: VISUALS

Don’t let the people around you decide or define for you your life. Have your own priorities! We all have different ambitions. We all have different lifestyles. We all fail and we will all succeed. But just because one person is doing it differently to another, or is further down the path or still catching up… This does not give you the right to challenge or critique their journey. If they are already giving it all they have got, if they are out there to impress, out there to stand up for what they believe in – you have no right to interfere.

Don’t get me wrong. Challenge is good. It’s good for everyone to be challenged, but don’t challenge one’s ability to succeed, if they are already doing their best. Encouragement is the answer. Whether they are new or noble – success and lifestyle are not created overnight and through the journey, there are so many obstacles and paths to be taken that things will need to be sacrificed, things will need to be put on hold and things will need to be prioritized over others. If this impacts other people… well so be it.

As at the end of the day – we all have different ambitions and we all have different priorities. So don’t suggest that because you don’t do X then you must be Y. But encourage and support and understand.  If they are however practicing in something which is harming, hurting, immoral or of wrongful ways – well yes they need to be challenged. But do not judge someone based on their priorities. Priorities will always change through the seasons of life.

If you have a priority to clean up your life or get focused or embedded into a future path to your success. Then so be it. 

I learned that we can do anything, but we can’t do everything… at least not at the same time. So think of your priorities not in terms of what activities you do, but when you do them. Timing is everything. – Dan Millman

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Value or your happiness isn’t based on the amount of dollars you have, the wheels that get you from A to B or the size of the house you live in. Happiness is based on the reflection of your personal values. Yes, money is great and will make you feel happy for a time, but nothing beats your self-confidence, your appreciation of who you are and what you can do, affirmation of your skills and talents as well as when others give you attention or ask you for advice. Value yourself and you will be happy!

At each moment of the day, you make a decision, whether you realize it or not. It’s the result of your attitude towards life. And whatever it is—positive or negative—it affects all the events, people, relationships, and basically whatever it is that you encounter in your life.

So, if you’re living a complicated life with so many things to do and no time for yourself, it’s your fault.
If you have exactly what you’ve wanted and are thankful for it every day, you’re the one to blame.
If you’re surrounded by negative people, have a job you hate and can’t even sleep at night because of the many thoughts that pop up in your head constantly, no one else is responsible for that but you.
If you’re doing what you love, work hard but still find time for yourself and those you love, it’s due to a choice you’ve made at some point.

But there’s good news. Whatever your situation is, you can change it.

Happiness is absolutely possible at any time, it’s free, doesn’t depend on age, looks, career or income. Everyone deserves it and it doesn’t need to be found, reached, created, or anything else that requires an effort.

Three best things you can do with your life—let go of what was and will be, accept what is and be okay with it, thank for it and appreciate it.

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.” – Frederick Keonig

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The people around you will always let you down. Why? Because you are the only one who will truly ever understand your expectations – and no one will ever compare to them since we are all individually unique. But that is OK. We can’t go through life expecting everyone around us to keep up, especially if we are trying to fly ahead. This does not mean people will not be able to keep up and that you should not let them try. You should just set the expectation to yourself that people won’t always make you happy and neither will you to them. (it is a two-way street).

Set your own life rules, set your boundaries, set your limits and live up to these. If you set your expectations, your limits and capabilities with others before they set their own – then you should always make them happy as you know how to meet this level. Further to this; you shouldn’t be comparing your life to others either. The only way you’ll get where you want to be is if you live life on your own terms. And you can start by:

Staying out of other people’s business

Staying away from toxic people

Using your gifts to your advantage

Not working for external rewards

Letting your work speak for you

Not holding yourself back

I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine. – Bruce Lee

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Today I will be talking to you about point 3: Actual Action.

If you want to make something happen you need to apply 3 simple, yet big packing actions to your life and  I guarantee you will see results.

To set some context – I am essentially talking about lifestyle changes and personal dreams. This may be exercise, fitness, health, budgets, careers, your everyday life, routine, habits and so on. 

So what are these 3 simple yet big packing actions? Over the next few days I will be sharing on:

Definition, Discipline and Actual Action

Actual Action

It all comes down to choice. Your dedication to actually take action is defined through your choice – but also the reasoning of why you choose to take action. In most cases, it will be because you want to change.

Being successful is not necessity but choice. Most of the things that frustrate us and irritate us are completely self-inflicted. They are standards and goals we set for ourselves and if we don’t achieve them we are disappointed, upset and annoyed!

So, instead of saying things like “I have to finish this work” or “I need to write one chapter of my book before I can go have fun” change it to “I want.” When you empower yourself to make your own choices these jobs and tasks become easier. Here are some examples:

“I want to finish this work before I relax with the family because I know I can then devote my time and attention to them afterward.”

“I want to write one chapter of my book because I enjoy writing and I will be happy if I achieve this.”

While at the same time it comes down to accountability.

Why is it we value other people’s opinion of us more than we value our own?

We let ourselves down regularly but are reluctant to let others down. If you want to take action tell somebody about it, tell someone you respect what you are going to do and ask them to check up on you. At the same time, it can do no harm to try to respect yourself more and deliver on your personal commitments. I have found that proving to myself and being accountable to myself to prove everyone else that I have what it takes, works better than simply telling people I will be better.

 “Action is the foundational key to all success.” – Pablo Picasso

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Today I will be talking to you about point 2: Discipline.

If you want to make something happen you need to apply 3 simple, yet big packing actions to your life and  I guarantee you will see results.

To set some context – I am essentially talking about lifestyle changes and personal dreams. This may be exercise, fitness, health, budgets, careers, your everyday life, routine, habits and so on. 

So what are these 3 simple yet big packing actions? Over the next few days I will be sharing on:

Definition, Discipline and Actual Action

Discipline

Discipline is what is required to be in place for actually getting your defined change in place. Good self-discipline will encourage and be formed under a framework of routine, structure, and dedication throughout your daily life to enable you to ensure you are doing what you have set out to do. But it is also more than this. It requires willpower and the power to conquer your mindsets to keep on keeping on regardless of the circumstances. As you progress into your change… it will get harder to control your mind, while at the same time it should also get easier as you form a habit and a routine structure in making your change a normal part of your life.

If you haven’t been able to implement ideas in real life on a small-scale, then the chances that you can do something big this week, such as kick a ten-year smoking habit, are pretty small. It can and has been done, but good luck trying. There are exceptions to every rule.

This is where the comparison of self-discipline to the use of a muscle is important because if you keep trying to tackle the big problems in your life from the get-go, you set yourself up to fail again and again. The more you fail on the big things, the more motivation you lose and the more it looks like the problems are too big to be beaten.

Start developing your self-discipline skills by conquering small problems; if you find yourself drinking excessively and want to handle it, then start your first drink after everyone else has finished their first couple of rounds. It’s a small change, but your success will set you up to succeed in the next stage, which may be cutting out one night of drinking per weekend altogether.

Gradually, the strength of your self-discipline increases and the greater your success will be in tackling problems and implementing new changes.

If you want to create a habit rather than defeat it, it’s a very similar process. For instance, if you find yourself constantly unable to maintain a new email processing system, start by making an end-of-week appointment every week that you force yourself to keep. Process all your messages and clear out your inbox during that session, and continue this until it is second nature. You can then try it on a more regular basis.

Don’t start out expecting unused muscles to be strong.

Self-discipline begins with the mastery of your thoughts. If you don’t control what you think, you can’t control what you do. Simply, self-discipline enables you to think first and act afterward. – Napoleon Hill

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Just stop and pause for a moment. You still have time to make a change this year! Take a breath and know that today you have entered the 80% mark of the year. Yep – you have 73 days left and how you spend and utilize these are entirely up to you.

I suggest buckling down and finishing up any of the goals you have been working on, while at the same time if you’re already on track, how about going the extra mile. What about extended goals? Push that little further and do better than you planned…

Maybe you didn’t do any goals… that’s OK as you can still move some mountains in the next 73 days and see some exceptional results. Once again, it comes down to how much you want it! Do you want it bad enough to stop being lazy and to take action in making a difference in your life? 73 days could be enough days to get you somewhere you could have never dreamed of being… or at least thought was possible.

Will you take the challenge? Will you dare to make a change, an impact or a new goal to accomplish by the end of the year?

Trust me. It is worth your while.

My father used to say that it’s never too late to do anything you wanted to do. And he said, ‘You never know what you can accomplish until you try.’ – Michael Jordan

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Definition, Discipline and Actual Action. It all comes down to how much you want them. How much you want to make the change, make the difference and make the impact to yourself big enough to reflect onto others. Yes, I am talking about your self-commitment to achieving your goals – or the goals you think you want, or dream of. But there is no point dreaming if you’re not going to be willing to get up, get out there and put in the hard work. Otherwise, dreaming is essentially like saying you’re not single anymore because you’re going on a coffee date with someone. Well do I have news for you – that is not how it works. If you want to make something happen you need to apply 3 simple, yet big packing actions to your life and  I guarantee you will see results.

To set some context – I am essentially talking about lifestyle changes and personal dreams. This may be exercise, fitness, health, budgets, careers, your everyday life, routine, habits and so on. 

So what are these 3 simple yet big packing actions? Over the next few days I will be sharing on:

Definition, Discipline and Actual Action

Today I will be talking to you about point 1: Definition.

Definition

Well if you have even made it this far in reading the blog I am guessing you already have a dream in mind. Maybe you have already kicked off the journey to actuating your dream into something tangible? Or maybe you have something which has been on your mind… Regardless, before you can really kick off your change in lifestyle you need to really understand what you want and this comes through defining what it is. Let’s start small… the biggest and probably the most common lifestyle change would be getting fit or losing weight. So how do you define this? Well, firstly you need to define it enough to know that you are serious about it in the first place and that this and not just another person saying “yep I am going to lose some weight too”. If you are serious – this definition of you losing weight will lead to the discipline and essentially the action you do to make it happen.

For example…

If you are overweight and you want to lose weight – but you don’t have a goal of how much you need to lose, that is fine. I would focus on actually starting in the first place but understanding how you plan to do it. The common one today is a sugar-free approach (as seen in ‘That Sugar Film‘). So when defining this you are saying I will be on a sugar-free diet. But you must understand the parameters and boundaries of this as people will always challenge you. So if you are going sugar-free can you have fruit? Honey? What about milk and bread? What about snacks such as chips… let’s be honest… everything has some sense of sugar… Here you need to understand your plan and boundaries. The more detailed and structured you are – the more impact it will have on your result… but the key here is once you have the definition in place you need the discipline. (more on this in part 2)

To recap – definition is essentially your baseline, your blueprint and your guide in staying true to what you want to achieve. Remember it is your goal and your dream so if you set this definition up front and take the oath to yourself to achieve it, then you only have to impress one person. Yourself. Yes, you can share and gather support from others, but I can honestly say, they will try to pick up faults and errors on your behalf… why? Because I believe they are jealous that you are making a difference to your life and it is working. But do not worry about them. Focus on your mission, focus on your goal. You’ve got this. 

We are at our very best, and we are happiest, when we are fully engaged in work we enjoy on the journey toward the goal we’ve established for ourselves. It gives meaning to our time off and comfort to our sleep. It makes everything else in life so wonderful, so worthwhile. — Earl Nightingale

Author and motivational speaker Nightingale’s quote sum up meaning, which is what you need to make this goal happen through definition. I can guarantee you will be happy as you start to see some results. Sure, there will be days that are long and challenging, but when you’re devoted to something you believe in, the meaning defines the effort and the journey becomes wonderful.

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What is your focus? Do you even have a focus? If you’re in your 20s or even 30s, heck maybe you are in your 40s. Honestly, regardless of what age you are, you might feel a lot of uncertainty all the time — you aren’t sure what your life purpose is, or your uncertain about what path you should take in life.

This is normal.

• We all want to know what our driving ambitions should be in life.
• We all want to have a certain life purpose.
• We all want to feel we’re on the right path.
• We all want to perfect our habits, our routines, our productivity.
• We all want to feel more certain, and perfect what we’re doing.

Let me let you in on a secret: no one is free from this struggle. Look at the most successful people you can think of — Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Obama, Taylor Swift. Do you think they have it all figured out? Do you think they have certainty and a feeling of reaching perfection? Not a chance. There is not one of us alive, not me or anyone else, whoever feels certainty about their purpose or path. If they do, they’re fooling themselves. But if they’re honest, they don’t feel that certainty.

No one ever feels they’ve found the perfect productivity routine, the perfect version of themselves … because it doesn’t exist.

You can’t know what the perfect path will be, you can’t know what the perfect you should be, you can’t know what your purpose in life is until it starts to uncover itself. You can’t know your destination until you get there. So instead of spinning your wheels with the unknowable, focus on what you actually have right in front of you.

“The heart is a muscle, and you strengthen muscles by using them. The more I lead with my heart, the stronger it gets.”  – Mark Miller

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If you can create, you can conquer too. Here is a reminder that success, happiness or the reality of dreams will take time, effort and a rough and windy road. The below will remind you there is going to be some hard work ahead – but if you want to see it through to the other side… then you need to conquer through. 

Most things in life don’t come easy. The sooner we understand this, the faster we’ll roll up our sleeves and get to work. Every single decision we make either propels us toward our dreams or away from them. Put one foot in front of the other in pursuit of your dreams.

Likewise, we shouldn’t let pain get the final say in our lives. Instead, we should use it to motivate us: Push harder, rise higher, and loosen pain’s deadly grip.

Take a page from Taylor Swift and just “shake it off” and people who do so are more likely to reach their goals than people who dwell on their problems. Which is why resiliency, the ability to bounce back, adjust, and cope with life’s disappointments is key to success.

Aspire for greatness, and don’t settle for less.

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” – Les Brown

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As the final and 7th key to start living your dream – this one becomes the greatest of all and it all happens at the top of the mountain. 

It is all about when getting to the top of the mountain – keep climbing. As you rise to living my dream every time you think you have reached the peak, you should decide to keep going, and you will see how things end up even better than you possibly could have imagined. Even once you get to what you think is the top – there is no actual upper limit to what can be done in this world and you need to take full advantage of that as you push your way forward.

No matter what you do – as long as you maintain your honor and integrity it’s pretty hard to screw up badly enough that you get sent back to square one. Or come tumbling down a hill. There may be rests and breaks required and maybe even some route changes or doubling back to find a better path. But remember to always keep pushing and know that with this key and all the previous 6, that you might just be able to do something great!

Never measure the height of a mountain until you reach the top. Then you will see how low it was. – Dag Hammerskjold

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