Tag: Project 365

“If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself.” ― Albert Einstein

Does this mean the key to success is as simple as keeping it simple? Well I can tell you that without simplicity, things will be harder than they need to be. Here are 7 points that you can apply to your life, in the search to making living that much simpler, while at the same time it will reflect a bigger impact to your life.

1. Wake Up Earlier

Here is a challenge for you. It isn’t that hard really that hard… but basically instead of waking up and rushing to work scattered and stressed, make the time to take your time… However long you’ll need. I personally get up and enjoy a massive and healthy breakfast, I read/review my blog and then make my way comfortably without rush and prepare for my day. Seems pretty simple to me…

2. Smaller Goals, More Manageable Tasks

Sometimes we have the right intentions with the biggest dreams or plans, but having these so big, we lose focus on the required. What I recommend is to narrow down your life into important factors and focus on these. As you grow you can expand the focus pool and as a bi-product so will your success.

3. It’s Okay To Say No

It is great to be able to say yes to new life opportunities, new experiences, falling in love, new challenges and so on. But this doesn’t mean you should. It is more than okay and also very smart to learn to say no when necessary. Say no to mediocre relationships, opportunities that will sway you from your current one, say no to pleasing when all it is doing is draining you, say no to giving into temptations of bad habits or old ways. You get the point. Sometimes no will be the very simple thing you have been missing.

4. Just Breathe

We are in a world surrounded by chaos and surrounded by 7 billion people who all have their own storms and fires to manage. It is easy to start crashing into one another and things tend to come out-of-order. Therefore, it is very important to just breathe and focus. Literally take 3 seconds to breathe in via your nose, then 3 seconds to release this via your mouth. It is easy to spend your time jumping from A to B, but before you start the chase again, take a moment, breathe, sit alone and think it through.

5. There Is A Bigger Picture – You’re Actually Quite Small

This is very simple. In any decision you’re making, ask yourself if it will matter in 5 years from now. There is no point stressing and finding yourself lost over something which will have changed or not even be relevant sooner than you know.

6. Communicate With Brevity

Communication even in the smallest of instances can change everything. Maybe you left things unsaid, or you’re too scared to speak up, but really these are simple things which are usually hindered or suppressed by our own complex emotions, issues and pride. Less is more in this fast paced world. Make what you are trying to say small and packaged, so those on the receiving end will catch it before they miss the point or value altogether.

7. Find Beauty In A World That Ain’t All That Pretty

Christopher Aiff said:

I was recently reading an article relevant to the idea of; if only our own human brands existed and that there was nothing more than that to the business world. I mean look at it this way…

What if you could build a brand by living your purpose, setting goals, working hard and proving it. Then measure its success. Based on this, it would generate your income, your legacy, your social status and I guess who and what you are.

The article originally posted by John Buysee, goes on to explain his story and why and how he even came up with this whole idea. He further explains that to him, this is what a personal brand should look and feel like:

1. Rooted in purpose
2. Fueled by goals
3. Supported through (habitual) action
4. Proven with evidence

I wont go into the details, (read here for full article) but the whole point I am trying to get across is; you are you and you should always be you. 

If your personal persona/brand is to live a lifestyle of no work and all play, well than, good for you that you are able to do that and support your living. Or if you are someone who is solving problems day by day and running a small batch of subsidiaries hustles through the night, via your MacBook Pro, then this also is great.

There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living. – Nelson Mandela

Being you, and selling who you are and what you a do, will always be better than trying to be something you’re not and trying to sell something you cannot even do. There will always be a need for your hobby/passion as someone else will have the very same interest, but they won’t have spent their 10,000 professional hours focused on that very thing. Hence why you will be successful, following your passion.

Need a helping hand? Check out some of my previous posts:

If you enjoy hitting the snooze button for more shuteye, you might want to reconsider and learn the 11 reasons why the early bird catches the worm in the business world.

1. Limited Distractions

In the early hours of the morning, it’s a whole new world. Fewer people around, cooler environments and even faster travel times. Most of all there are fewer distractions. You can own the morning by planning it your way which will lead to some of your most productive work. Works for me.

2. Strategic Planning

With limited distractions, you have the perfect time to catch up on all your daily do’s, your tasks and plan your day ahead. The quietness during the early morning will give you time to even plan for the long-term future. Monday can be used to set the week, even setting aside a few extra 30 minutes a morning, can enable you to work on things for the future. A new business, some self-education, personal admin tasks and so on…

3. Offensive over Defensive

Waking early and starting early will naturally enable you for the day for the better. Having an early start to the day will make you feel less overwhelmed to start the day. You’ll feel fantastic about the work you got out-of-the-way by 9 am, which will lead to a more productive day. You will enter in to the day owning it, like you have just conquered the first battle of the day!

4. Creativity

Use the morning time and a productive mindset to enable you to focus and work on those creative projects you have. Whether this is a side gig you are running or maybe you like to do some early painting of the sunrise. Whatever it is, dedicating 30 minutes of time each morning to imaginative ideas can lead to some of your best project suggestions. The morning is where your imagination will prosper.

5. A Competitive Edge

Getting to the office before your peers will show the dedication and commitment you have to your line of work. As you know the early bird gets the worm. You may have never enjoyed the early mornings, but you will soon start to enjoy the vibe it brings. Own the passion!

6. Don’t Miss Out

With an early start, you should be able to head home earlier too, leaving more time for the things you enjoy. You will even have more time with friends and family. You won’t feel like you are missing a beat by getting to the office before sunrise, not leaving before sunset.

7. Avoid Traffic

Commuting to work will be quicker and sometimes even cheaper. Giving you more time and more dollars… Brings a whole new meaning to time is money.

8. Better Response

By getting your message out and having it on the top of the inbox pile in the morning instead of the bottom in the afternoon will lead to more people getting back to you.

9. Work It Out

Hitting up the gym before work will make you feel more upbeat during business hours and lead to a healthier overall lifestyle. This all depends on your work as well as your costs. But working out will get the blood pumping for the day ahead. You may not even need to do this to have you jumping out of bed, but it won’t do you no harm.

10. Quiet Time

You’ll come to appreciate the one to two hours in your office when it is peaceful and quiet before the rest of the workforce arrives. Oh the productivity!

11. Set Schedule

Waking up early requires discipline, especially when it comes to the time you go to bed the night before. By getting at least eight hours of sleep per night and going to sleep earlier, you’ll feel more refreshed in the morning while maintaining a consistent sleep routine.

I don’t know about you, but when I was younger I had this idea that as you grew up things would just seem to fall into place, like everything would figure itself out…

Well I was wrong.

There is no point in life where we can just hit fast track and zip forward to when we would like it to be, let alone how we would like it to be.

To build a successful future for now and beyond, forget about comparing your life to others, and start putting your energy into mastering theses 15 habits.

Great people, no matter their field, have similar habits. Learn them and use them in your own quest for greatness. – Paula Andress

1. Self-Validation

Finding validation from within means that you are freeing yourself to trust in your life’s purpose, when no one else does. Once you begin to trust yourself, more people will want to hear what it is you have to say.

Successful people seek self-validation by:
– Embracing their own self-worth, even when someone is trying to tear them down.
– Remember their life purpose and they always believe in their abilities.
– Don’t take negative comments too seriously

2. Body Empowerment

As you get older, your body can start to slow down. One thing that you should always stay true to, is looking after your body, as if it is a temple.
– Don’t let physical limitations determine the rest of your life

3. Living In The Now

You want to live in the present because you can’t change the past and the future is yet to come. Anything can change instantly, which means you will need to adapt and be prepared to take multiple paths to success.
– Don’t believe there is only ONE way to success

4. Organisation

Routine, structure and a good schedule will enable you to have things in order, things simplified and set on a productive track. Starting each day with goals and objectives to complete, can really give you something to work towards.
– Do make time for hobbies, reading, traveling, and relaxing (this is important for your creativity and well-being)

5. Time Management

As you age, time gets shorter. Meaning time is becoming more valuable each day. To use your time wisely ask yourself, “Am I doing anything right now that is amounting to my life goals?” If not, ask yourself, “What can I be doing right now to help myself succeed?”

6. Separation From Technology

It may be a convenience, but it does not bring success being held captive by a small device.  The trick is to find balance and to not forget the reason why you began your path to success in the first place. This one is a hard one!

7. Selecting The Right Relationships

It’s not about cutting everyone out of your life who has ever done you wrong; it’s about surrounding yourself with like-minded people who will put in as much energy as you.
– Don’t think that you owe anyone your time if they stump your growth or drain your enthusiasm.

8. Open-Mindedness

Being open-minded allows to you take criticism and apply it in positive light. Successful people are accepting to new ideas and by keeping an open mind they put more energy into their self, rather than the business of other people.

9. Supporting Others

Inspire, encourage, motivate… these are what the successful focus on, when trying to build unity and working as a team to become successful together.
– Don’t lead someone for solely your own benefit, be respectable

10. Getting Uncomfortable

Step out of your comfort zone. In order to take risks you need to stop worrying about what might happen if it doesn’t work out. The key is to: don’t stay stagnant if you are not growing.

11. Letting Go Of Perfection

The main ingredient to success is failure, so it’s no surprise that most successful people have the capacity to let go of perfection to take their first steps. They know that success is ongoing and learning never stops. Success consists of going from failure to failure without the loss of persistence and passion.

12. Addressing Problems

Before anything gets out of hand, successful people like to source the root of their problem as soon as possible. This helps them bypass hours, days, or even weeks of troubleshooting a situation. There is no point hiding these things under a rug… soon enough they will make a bump and you will end up tripping over these…

13. Being A Leader

Look at it this way: Most successful people are successful because they lead and encourage, rather than bully others around with their “superior” status.

14. Working Hard

Work hard. play harder. But work smart. Successful people don’t always know what they are going to be successful at, but with healthy lifestyle habits anyone can find success in new or old passions. Keep on keeping on!

15. Perseverance

The goal is to not let any hiccup or roadblock discourage your passion to dream big. Turn that dream into reality and never give up on yourself. The only limit is you and what you say there is. Get out there and make your failures launching pads into something better and greater than before.

Here are 4 great reasons you really should believe in yourself:

You were created to be successful.

As Shakespeare said: “What a piece of work is man…”

Your mind, body, and soul are the finest examples of a true work of art with capabilities you have yet to even imagine. The more you grow and learn, the more you will understand just how AMAZING you are. Don’t be afraid to trust yourself.

You’re better/stronger than you think.

We all have a tendency to remember our defeats and lowest moments much more clearly that we recall our triumphs. But if you dig deep enough into your mind vault you will find all the heroic acts of kindness, bravery, nobility, creativity, loyalty, and more that you have generated. Taking a look back now, you ain’t that shabby aye!

You’ve been lied to about yourself.

In your head, 24/7, there is a voice narrating the action of your life. It can be positive and supportive… but most of the time it s a critic and the problem is – that voice says things that just aren’t true about you Like any voice in your life, you need to choose who influences you and who does not. Are you going to let this insecure voice continue to control your decisions and thoughts? Fight back and prove this voice wrong. 

You are in charge of your experience.

You want to be successful? Decide that you are. Success is not measured by material possessions, nor is happiness. Are you in charge of how you feel? It’s your life… it’s your choice. It is your choice to believe in you or not to. What better measure is there of beauty,  value, health, and other important elements of life than how you feel?

That is the question.

Once again I am here to remind you of just how important each day is. This is important not only for your mindset, but also for the expectation and tone you set for the day’s ahead of you.

Regardless, I can not empathize with you enough of how important it is to get up, get out there and give it all you’ve got. You will be so amazed by how capable you really are and once you realize this and experience it for yourself you will think, why did it take you this long to see you’re so much greater than you thought. All you need to do is be willing to get out there and push that little harder.

Don’t get me wrong. Today or even tomorrow you might get out there and fail. But you get out there the next day and fail a little closer to where you want to be. Then you get out there again the following day and you do that until you don’t fail anymore and until you make it to the level you have been aiming for. Then you start again. Sometimes it will be quick. Sometimes you’ll shoot right up… sometimes it may take multiple attempts before you even get close to making it to the next level.

The point is. The more you get out there and give it a shot, with the intention to get to where you are trying to succeed, you are more likely to get there sooner than later.

“You have a choice. You can throw in the towel, or you can use it to wipe the sweat off of your face.” ― Gatorade

Don’t be overwhelmed, consumed and hindered by the voice that tell’s you that you’re not good enough, strong enough, fast enough or whatever it may be. You can overcome that voice by simply choosing to prove it wrong. It might take a couple of proving points or attempts, but you will prove it wrong, and soon enough you will be good enough, you will be strong enough and you will be fast enough.

So will you pick yourself up today and get out there to conquer the week? Or will you sit around, lay around and choose to let another day slip by.

What separates us from the pain of discipline or the pain of regret is our mindsets. Basically a fixed vs. growth mindset.

Ultimately: 

A fixed mindset:

Minimal effort and when things get tough, it is time to give up

A growth mindset:

Extra effort and when things get tough, it is time to step it up and push forward

As you can see above, there are some quite obvious differences between a fixed and growth mindset.

You must always remember:

Intelligence is not static. Maybe you have certain traits, talents and skills that have always come more easily than others, but you can always learn more and continue to grow in which ever direction you please.

We can always become more intelligent, rather than appearing more intelligent.

EMBRACE CHALLENGES

Even if you are falling flat on your face, you are still moving forward. That itself is embracing the challenge, even if you don’t succeed at first, you are giving it all you have got, with the intention and courage to climb to a higher ground.

PERSIST THROUGH OBSTACLES

Obstacles are tricky. They are meant to be that way. They are meant to stretch you, challenge you and push you out of your comfort zone. As these come, look at them as a test to really determine how much you really want your end result/reward. Sometimes a good obstacle will allow us to stop and think of what we are doing and how we should be doing it. As these thoughts and questions come, if you answer them strongly, you wont give up. In my opinion the euphoria of your rewards will always outweigh the pain of an obstacle.

PUT IN THE EFFORT

Today’s society is full of instant gratification which has started to wash away the importance and value of hard work. These days, it will take an incredible heart and determination to push through the pain of discipline. However, once you do, seeing the rewards reaped can become as addictive as alcohol or even drugs. We tend to get a natural high, however this leaves us with a much clearer and healthier perspective.

ACCEPT CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM

Criticism is easy to ignore, especially when it is hurting our (yes I said it) egos… It kills our sense of pride, so we tend to shove it under a rug and walk away. However, avoiding it will keep you static. Take feedback, understand it and apply it and keep moving forward. Let go of the ego (as hard as it can be) and this will be one of the best things you can ever embrace.

BE INSPIRED BY THE SUCCESS OF OTHERS

Seeing those around us moving and shaking and changing the world can be the best kind of inspiration. Yes we can tend to become overwhelmed and even jealous by it… But if you can learn to harness this influence, learn to applaud the success of others, as much as if it was your own, these will become an inspiration rather that a pressure or some kind of weight holding you down. You need to remember, your time will come if you keep your heart in the game and focused.

There you have it, the  5 Mindsets of the Mentally Strong. The question I have for you is; what will you do about it?

Are you ready for opportunity? Maybe? Well it is time to be ready for it.

Are you ready for something new? No? Well you need to be.

Everyday we wake up, we do what we do, or don’t do what we should do and we make a split second decision to either EMBRACE today or simply SOOK about it. 

But then there is the excuse that… my life is tough, everything is falling to pieces… everything is breaking. Well you know what! Get down on the floor and start picking these pieces up. Start pulling your weight. Start lifting yourself up. Life will always be tough. It isn’t easy for those who seem to have it altogether, but they are EMBRACING IT, They are TAKING OPPORTUNITY. They are open to CHANGE. They are ready for the NEW.

Pull yourself together. If you want something or wish you could be something, do or have something, then you need to stop doing nothing about it and get out there and find it. Get out there and start making noise and progress…

Have you ever thought: 

When we are in a particular situation, we take lots of irrelevant factors into account. But when we’re external to it, we sometimes look at things more objectively. – Unknown

The problem is…

We hesitate to look inward to find solutions for a problem, two major things happen: one, we don’t hold ourselves responsible for solving the problem, which makes the problem last longer; and two, we don’t take any of our own advice to solve said problem, mainly because we haven’t consulted ourselves at all.

If you gave yourself the same tough love that you’d give someone else, perhaps you’ll solve your problems faster than you think — and perhaps you’ll realize that, yes, the solution really is that simple.

Get out there, take action and take control of the moment. Take control of today. 

Setting yourself a daily quota to do something will enable you to more likely stay dedicated. Examples:

• “Do 20 math exercises a day”
• “Read a textbook chapter a day”
• “Write 500 words a day”

Or if it was something that scared you:

• Talking to one new person each day
• Asking for a discount whenever you make a purchase 
• Telling someone new each day that they look beautiful

Make this a priority for each day for 365 days. Or even for the next 6 months.  Then you need to just evaluate what this can do for you. Remember make sure you pick something realistic.

I say keep it smaller to enable consistency.

My question to you is… what are you going to do about pushing, challenging and training yourself to further stretch and grow? Put it this way… As I have blogged before, if you increment by 1 each day for 365 days. By the end of the year you have done 66,795 push ups in a year. Now that seems quite intense.. But how about pushing yourself just to the end of the year.

Think of it like investing your dollars. The more you put in over time the more it grows in the long run.

I SAY START TODAY!

So today you have 5 months, 4 weeks and 1 days remaining. [Plus one more day being a leap year]

• 26 weeks
• 182 days
• 4,368 hours
• 26,2080 minutes
• 15,724,800 seconds

Yesterday we touched on some of the smaller details, which alone seem like nothing, but together through consistency they stand out and actually make quite the impact to your life.

I gave some examples yesterday of what you can apply daily, however I have some more small changes you can make that can completely transform your life…

Daily:

• Read 10 pages of a good book (15 minutes)
• Listen to 30 minutes of an instructional CD
• Eat 125 calories less each day then you normally eat
• Drink two bottles of water a day
• Walk 2,000 steps a day, roughly 1.6 kms
• Make date night with your significant other a priority

Now for no reason at all, lets ask ourselves where would we be in 27 months… (6 months)

• Read 47 books (7 books)
• Listened to 465 hours of audio on success and improvement (69 hours)
• Saved 117,500 calories = lost 15.2 kgs. (17,407 calories, 2.25 kgs)
• Drank 3,720 gallons of water (551 gallons)
• Walked 1448 kms = an additional 13.6 kgs lost (170 kms, 2 kgs)
• Had 124 dates with your partners = a better relationship (at least 18 dates)

Now these may seem like a lot or not a lot at all, but these are only examples. Imagine if you add your finances, your actual time spent in gym and other areas of your life. These things start to add up quickly over time, and in the short-term things might not seem like they are progressing, but the routine of consistency will IMPACT you more so in the long-term.

I want to leave you with this thought the next time you think success isn’t within reach: consider implementing these small steps, they will leave you living the life of your dreams.