Tag: Project 365

The story we tell ourselves goes along these lines. They’re different for each of us, but if we’re not succeeding at something, it’s quite probably because we are telling ourselves the wrong story.

Try it now: think of a habit change you’re trying to make or that you’ve tried but failed at in the recent past. Maybe exercise, meditation, writing, defeating procrastination, etc. Now think about what story you told yourself about yourself. What image did you see in your head of yourself? Was it a brave hero triumphing over all odds, never to be deterred by the forces marshaled against him by the cold harsh universe? Or was it of an ordinary character who probably would give in to the donuts and Netflix when things got hard?

Maybe you can’t hear the story you’ve told yourself. try to sense what feeling is in your heart as you think of yourself conquering this new habit change or life change. Does it feel full of doubt, anxiety, fear, dread? Or is it full of joy, triumph, deep caring? Whatever you are thinking – that is the song your heart is singing… what goes in will come out. 

We fail because of this story. It stands in our way, more than the actual thing we’re facing. When things get tough or uncomfortable, we tell ourselves: it’s OK to quit, it doesn’t matter, we’ll do it next time, we’re not disciplined enough, we suck at this, we can’t do it, it’s too hard and so on and so on. We make excuses… or try to justify our failure. 

So what can we do if our story is working against us?

Change the story. Create a song to sing about yourself as the epic hero of your dreams. Sing this song daily, and be proud of it. Go after the dream, fight the forces of distraction and dullness and self-doubt, rise up to be your best self. You are the writer of your story, the composer of your song, and every moment is a chance to rewrite it, a new draft ready to be crafted into something better.

“Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes”– Johann Wolfgang

Regardless of your background, all of us find ourselves too absorbed in day-to-day stresses. When the responsibilities of life weigh on you too heavily, however, it can be easy to obsess over where we’re going. Too much concern with our goals over our reality can be tiring and make you lose perspective. Learning to enjoy life’s journey is a critical part of being content and happy. To focus on enjoying your journey more, and every day stress less, these five life approaches are indispensable:

Live in the Present.

Enrich your life.

Stay positive.

Unplug.

Relax.

If you have made it this far in continuing to commit to your goals and resolution this final 10% is only going to grow and help strengthen your willpower more as well as build even better self-control. Each day is a chance to continue to grow and build your skills and character and in this case, consistency is as important as correctness. How can you ever be true to your word if your actions are constantly inconsistent? Inconsistency is inherently sketchy and causes people to believe you have an alternative motive. You wouldn’t want to have come so far this year to only end up proving to people you can’t deliver let alone prove to yourself you have what it takes. 

“I’ve learned from experience that if you work harder at it, and apply more energy and time to it, and more consistency, you get a better result. It comes from the work.”– Louis C. K.

There is a multitude of benefits that behaving in a constant manner will offer. Patterns are important to elevate your confidence, seeing as when you make a commitment to something and follow through, you learn to trust your intentions. Your reputation will also benefit from consistency because when your behaviors reflect your words and promises, people will trust what to expect from you. There is a saying, which reads, “your reputation precedes you.” If you are known to follow through, people will appreciate that and remember you for it.

Even if you don’t have a life plan, consider the direction that you are going.

“If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.” — Jim Rohn

We dream that we would have this or that by x in time – and usually this won’t be the case… Your life path should lead you to more clarity about who you are and what you want to do in this world. Rather than putting passions to the side, use your network and resources to really dive in deeper. More importantly, don’t forget about the people around you. They need to know that you love them. A good way to do this is to let them engage your passions with you.

Running is beneficial in every aspect:

• It is beneficial for overall health; it can raise the levels of good cholesterol;
• It can boost our immune system and it can help in every way, literally.
• Running can help us lose weight. Actually running is the second most effective exercise considering burned calories per minute. First is cross-country skiing.
• It act’s as a ‘positive drug’ giving you a sweet torture to your body, followed by a joyful experience

4 Lessons You Can Adopt From Running (you should run to feel this for yourself):

You Should Never Underestimate Yourself

“It’s not who you are that holds you back. It’s who you think you’re not.” – Denis Waitley

Fauja Singh is 102 and is believed to be the world’s oldest runner. Since taking up running, aged 89, he has run nine full marathons. Singh retired from competitive races in February after completing a 10K race in Hong Kong. But he still jogs every day in east London. He talked to Nadeem Badshah about what running means to him and how he keeps himself in shape. If this amazing man can do it – so can anyone else. Running can make us self-confident and boost our self-esteem. The experience in achieving a goal is widely known. Simply by the fact that we set and achieve a goal (to run 30-35 minutes or run 6-7 miles or roughly 10km) we feel much happier and empowered.

Runners Meditation

Our brain is relieved from bad thoughts and it is forced to think on our left-right legged frequent steps. Although it feels automatic, the brain is forced to give commands to every part of our body. By the fact that it gives commands to the body and makes symphonically perfected movements, it is relieved from the aberrations accumulated from everyday life. After only a few minutes of running, the brain starts to relieve hormones that naturally improve our mood. One of them is the endorphin or so-called “feel-good” chemical.

The Accordance of Body & Mind

Imagine as the body argues with the mind that he is always the pessimist. The mind always hurts the relationship between them and the body always wins the argument. The best way to see body and soul as one is with running. It’s the balance between the physics and psyche. If we lurk a bit inside the process of running, we can conclude that by the process in the physical world, the body forces the mind to make ourselves feel good. By doing the movement of running, the body drags the mind’s attention away from the negativity and, in a positive way, forces the mind to produce feel-good chemicals.

“The Feeling”

Since we deciphered three of the codes, “the feeling” is the outcome of all three. It’s the feeling when we stop, when we stretch, eat a banana, and get a hot, steamy shower. While we are busy torturing our brain to release feel-good chemicals, we get prepared for the final feeling. I call it “the dessert”, except its not physical cake or something sweet. It’s like feeding the brain with the cake without touching a spoon.

We cannot explain how being in love feels or how being drunk feels. We can’t explain “the feeling” either, but we can give a pretty good example of how to get to it. GO RUN.

So before you can have this amazing new lifestyle you need to do two things.

1. Go through a process of SELF-DISCOVERY. It will be the best lesson you will ever learn.
2. Get a pen and paper and ask yourself a bunch of questions (listed below) and see your results.

From these, you can take a blueprint, a plan or food for thought and have something to move forward with. You can take action and actually start working towards a new lifestyle design. Make that passion happen! So let’s do this.

1. A process of self-discovery.

– original article by Isamar Avery

Sometimes we find ourselves so totally lost like you are following the path that has been designed for you, but you have no control or say, like a puppet, and still find yourself in the middle of nowhere without a map or compass to guide the way, or a mobile to call home. That is what life is: a paradoxical Bermuda Triangle. You have no one but yourself as a resource to stay afloat. (you do have God – don’t ever doubt it or him. Want more info on God? You can ask me about that anytime)

We spend the best years of our lives going to school to learn how to be something. After learning that something we go into a life long career to pay a mortgage or to be a cog in a machine, with a big dream to one day hit it big…. but with no plan on how you will. In the real world, books won’t lead you out of the woods. You can’t look for answers in the dictionary, and a map will never lead you where you ought to go. They can guide you but the answer comes down to the discovery of the self and how it is the most valuable lesson you were never taught.

Here are 8 Self’s you need to get to know: (read full article here)

• Self-taught

• Self-aware

• Self-drive

• Self-worth

• Self-realization

• Self-trust

• Self-hate

• Self-love

2. #askyourself

Finding your passion is never an easy process – but one way and a way which reveals the most is through pen and paper and your mind. So go grab some paper and write down these questions and get your mind in the right place for this process.

1. Make a list of things that you are good at. Skills and strengths. For example, are you good at sports? List the sports you’re good at. Other examples: reading, writing, filing paperwork, algebra, running, driving, caring for animals, etc. List any and all skills that you have.
2. Make a list of things that you enjoy. Things that are fun for you, or that you are passionate about. Anything at all…animals, reading, playing games, exercising, celebrities, helping people, algebra, etc. List any and all things that you enjoy doing and/or are passionate about.
3. Make a list of careers that you could pursue using the things from BOTH lists. If you like animals, you could list things like “veterinarian” or “animal shelter worker”. If you are good at math, you could list things like “math teacher/tutor”, “computer science”, or “finance”. Make a list of careers that you could pursue using either your skills or your passions.
4. Now look at your first two lists and ask yourself: is there anything that you are BOTH good at AND enjoy doing? If so, you are lucky! Not everyone has a skill that they also enjoy doing. Look at where this specific activity fits into the third list you made of possible careers. Ask yourself, is this activity something that you would like to pursue as a career? It can be very enjoyable to do something you love for work.
5. If there is NOT something that you are both good at and enjoy doing, don’t worry! Many people are in this situation yet are still able to live happy fulfilling lives. You’ll just have to think a little harder about what you want your future to be like. If this is the case, here’s what to do next:
6. Choose something from your lists to try. You cannot find out what you want to do without trying some things, especially when you are young and have less experience. The more experience you have, the more you will learn about yourself, your abilities, and what you want out of life. So choose a few things and pursue them as best you can.

If you are not sure what to try, here is an answer about passions and strengths that might help you to narrow it down: How do you get to know your passion?

Still, don’t know? Have a look here: How do I discover my passion?

Want a book to read about it? –  $100 Startup: Reinvent The Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love and Create a New Future by Chris Guillebeau

An Active Body

An active lifestyle enhances blood circulation throughout the body and energizes the brain to think stronger & deeper. It does not mean you have to burn sweat like insane; just a daily 20 minutes of brisk walking would be fine to keep you sharp. However, different exercises work for different people. I have found getting out for a HIIT Sprint for 2km will get my mind back on earth, refreshed and ready to rumble!

Organize The Data

Your brain loves order & it gets tougher for it to remember things if there is a severe lack of order. Thus, you must take time out to organize the needed data so that it gets easier to recall in a proper meaningful way. More complex is the subject matter, more important is the organization.

Challenge Yourself

This is one of the most important things when it comes to sharpening up your thoughts. If you are too much into playing safe & keeping the brain in comfort zone, you would soon be losing out on your mental edge. The brain gets lazy in too much of comfort and hence you have to stimulate it from time to time with new challenges. So, never be scared of plunging on the new projects or campaigns in your company. Take a growth mindset and see what you can do, see where you can go.

When you have two good options, always go with the one that scares you the most, because that’s the one that’s going to help you grow. – Unknown

Brain Exercises

There are some typical exercises that supply the needed stimulation to your brain which in turn helps to hone up your thought process. It could be solving a maze or a crossword puzzle or a game of scrabble. You can even take out your old high school math book for a practice session as math problem solving is one of the best exercises to stimulate your brain power. The main point here is to keep your brain proactive, energized and alert.

Read Well

1. He accepts failure

“I can accept failure, everyone fails at something.”

2. Always try again

“…But I can’t accept not trying.”

3. Practice daily

“I set another goal…a reasonable, manageable goal that I could realistically achieve if I worked hard enough. I approached everything step by step.”

4. Take action

“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.”

5. Enjoy the game

“Enjoy every minute of life.”

6. Let go of expectations

“If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome.”

7. Be dedicated

“He didn’t miss games. He played hurt, with pain, when he was sick. He came out and performed at an intense level. I don’t think anybody ever went away disappointed after watching Michael.” – Phil Jackson

8. Be humble

“There will be a player greater than me.”

9. Stay focused on your goals

“The game has its ups and downs, but you can never lose focus of your individual goals and you can’t let yourself be beat because of lack of effort.”

10. Leave fear behind

“Limits, like fears, are often just an illusion”

1. Remind yourself of your Why! When you feel like quitting, think about why you started it in the first place.

2. Do it for your family, mates and fans. You have started your journey to doing what you love. Along the way, people are starting to follow and engage with you. You don’t want to let them down.

3. Find inspiration. Find people with the same journey and connect. Bounce ideas and do this together!

4. Stick to The One. Whenever I feel unmotivated it’s because I have too much distraction that’s going on, I lack clarity, or I am putting too much pressure on myself to deliver. Pick one goal and make it your focused priority.

5. Put on your favorite music playlist. Music does wonders!

6. Share your Goal with People. As humans, we don’t like to lose face when we’ve committed to doing something. Help them keep you accountable.

7. Shine among the Doubters. In the end, you have got to believe in yourself. And the bonus is shining among those who never believed you could.

8. Mind Your Own Business. Remove distractions and get into some scheduled time which is just for you.

In the journey to living your dream you will find:

1. It’s not always fun
2. You have to keep pushing
3. There will always be struggles
4. Sometimes you have to settle
5. It can overwhelm your life without you realizing it
6. You start to wonder if this is what you wanted the whole time
7. Once you reach the top of the mountain, you keep going and keep climbing

Based on the above – even when you get to your destination of fulfilling your dream (the top of the mountain), you should have a plan for something more… There is always a new level – a new goal, a new achievement. This life is not meant for those who want to be happy with little. No matter what – the minute you decide you are satisfied is the minute your dreams start to slow down. Look for new dreams and realize that though this is hard – it is always worth it. Remember a dream doesn’t need to be a lifestyle change.