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Category: Progress
You Know Where You Could Be Doing Better
So start with that. Right now.
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Do Not Stop Until!
Do not stop until ! You reach your goal.
Your goal could be as simple as walking 10 minutes every day for the rest of your life, or as complex as developing a mission to land people on Mars before 31 December, 2024.
Today’s goal may be to make 7 phone calls. If you’ve only made 6 and the day is ending, you need to be quick and make one more. You won’t go home until the 7 calls are completed. This will help you build determination, grit and a spirit for completing things. This in turn will help you build your confidence.
Until is a powerful word, which I took more notice of when Jim Rohn used it and discussed it many years ago.
For me, I will not stop writing this blog until I have written and posted at least 365 blog posts in a row. I will write, and post, each day from 10 January 2020 until 10 January 2021. I will not stop until I have done this. I assume I will carry on after that even.
What are your daily or weekly goals for which you will not stop until? Post your replies on Twitter with #AchieveAnything
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Your Mind Is More Powerful Than Google – Be Very Careful
Type a question into Google and it will search, very quickly, and find the answer for you.
Your brain works the same way for questions. Your brain will search for the answer.
So be careful what question you ask it, especially out of frustration. For example, sometimes we use self talk, like, “Why am I so stupid?”, after having done something that seems a little silly to have done (Like forget our keys in the house, leave our tickets on the counter, or miss an appointment.)
Your brain is now required to search for, and find, an answer, or five, that could be correct, just like Google does. (Hopefully you don’t get 17,563,897 responses in one millisecond for that question!). Like Google, your brain tends to find answers that have been given frequently, recently or that others think is correct.
It does not mean it is correct, and the source of the answer may be a bit suspect (your sister or brother, that old boss who was a tyrant, your difficult classmate when you were eight years old, or an ineffective teacher from your past).
So please be very careful what you say, or ask, out loud, or under your breath. Your brain is compelled to give you an answer to that question. Rather, ask those slightly rhetorical questions that you would love to hear the answer to. Perhaps, “What makes me such a great friend?”, “How kind am I?”, “How can I set up my environment to succeed next time”.
Your brain is super powerful. Use it for good and to support you. Try preparing and practicing a few helpful questions right now, and then again throughout the day. Selecting better words, in a better order, and forming better questions, will be life-changing. Go on, give it a try.
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Your Body Is A High Performance Machine
So treat it like one.
Make sure you eat well, and just enough. Not too little or too much.
Get enough good sleep, consistently. Seven to eight hours per day is ideal for most people.
Water it. Eight glasses per day (ish).
Exercise it. Get it to move around. Quickly. Slowly. Use all the different muscles, big and small. Use it or lose it.
Exercise your mind too. Stretch it with new ideas. Sit with thoughts that might be uncomfortable and understand why. Think good thoughts. Practice being grateful. For everything you have and are.
Your body is a high performance machine. Treat it like one.
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Press On!
It may feel hard. The challenge can sometimes feel crushing. Sometimes you feel all alone. Press on!
The game may feel futile. The problems are piling up. The challenge seems insurmountable. You may be down on your luck.
Pick your head up and stay focused. On the goal you need to achieve. Start making some progress and headway. Take action and strongly believe.
Find inspiration deep down inside. Use a chant, a vision or song. You will get through this. You’ve just got to do this. No matter how tough or how long.
Pain is usually temporary. And soon this moment will be gone. Get through it. You’ll do it. Decide. Commit. You really must. Press on!
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You’ve Got This!!
You’re an exceptional person. Sometimes you forget that. Let’s get some perspective on this.
That you were born at all, is quite a statistical feat. Never mind the point that you wake up every morning, have thoughts, can organise yourself (reasonably well), breathe, eat, turn food into energy – without even trying, and your eyes are deciphering these splotches on this page, feeding back the signal, while your super-computer of a brain is interpreting what my brain has tried to communicate. All that alone is simply amazing.
Then there is the whole thing about you and your accomplishments. You probably played at something that you were reasonably good at like a sport or musical instrument. Possibly you were a good student and did well on exams or on the chess club. Maybe you got player of the match once, won a final, went to the county championships or got on the Dean’s list.
Then you may have learned how to drive a car. It’s an everyday thing but it requires exceptional hand/eye motor skills that we take for granted. Perhaps you’ve had a very good relationship, quit an unhelpful habit, made a speech in front of some people, applied for a role, got interviewed and landed a job. Maybe you travelled somewhere all on your own, gave blood, or won a ribbon, medal or cup.
In the big scheme of things, I am certain you have achieved quite a few things in your life so far. Write down a list of at least 10 things that you have had success with – any kind of success. If you get on a roll, keep going. See if you can get 20, 30 or 80 items on your list of things you have achieved, or at least feel pretty good about – for whatever reason.
Then keep this list nearby. Add to it when you can. Review it once a week for the next 5 weeks; or every night before you go to bed. Remind yourself how you have done all sorts of pedestrian and amazing things to get you here, to this point, in life. Whatever is ahead for you, you will succeed with it.
You are an exceptional person.
You are an achiever.
You’ve got this!!
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Discipline Or Regret – Which One Do You Have?
Building a discipline can be a wonderful feeling. That daily routine of getting up early for some quiet time before the day gets going. Or maybe you go for a run, like I do. Some people head to the gym.
There are other healthy and beneficial disciplines too, such as standing up straight, having good posture, drinking 8 glasses of water every day, eating appropriately, getting 7-8 hours of good sleep at night, reading something positive, having positive thoughts and self-talk, and journaling. ?✍️??♀️?♂️
There are even disciplines we completely take for granted such as breathing. Thankfully our body takes care of this one.
Having some positive disciplines, like those listed above, can keep you mentally and physically strong and healthy. These disciplines all take a little effort and they can be harder for some people. But you always have a choice of which pain you are willing to endure. Short term pain for long term gain? Or vice versa? You can push back on the discipline, and think you have cheated the system, for a little while. But the harmony in the universe will snap back into place at some point.
”We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.”
Jim Rohn
Without some good disciplines things can go in the wrong direction. We can see this with our physique and hear our minds’ challenges through the words we speak. This is when regret creeps in. It takes some time before we notice the changes, but by then, less helpful habits have joined us and impact our every day. We start to regret those little indiscretions, those one off moments where we let our discipline lapse. ?????
The good news is you can turn this around! You just need to apply your disciplines again – little and often – until you are back on track and seeing and hearing that better version of you again.
Take a few minutes today and commit to one of the actions above and do it every day this week. Next week try adding a second one. Continue with both disciplines for a couple of weeks before trying to add in the third and forth ones. Good luck! ?
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There Is Always A Way!
I was watching a Diddy and Dalio chat on YouTube this morning, while doing some exercise, and I was interested to hear that they both have this philosophy – that there is always a way. It’s always nice to hear other people say things you believe, whether they are famous or not.
This point of view reminded me of a quote that is on a plaque I bought when I was about 16. I had it on the wall in my bathroom at my Mom’s house back then, and it is still there today. The quote is, “The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can’t find them, make them.”
There is always a way to get closer to your goals. Start with getting better informed. This can begin with a Google search, a magazine, a book, YouTube or a conversation. Then use that information to grow a little more and gather more wisdom and connections in your space. When a door shuts, look for an open window. Keep pushing forward on your quest.
I’ve used this philosophy to go from growing up on a dairy farm in rural Ontario, Canada, to having lived and worked on four continents before I was 30. Twice I have taken time out, for a year or more, to travel and explore the world: Once while at university and again in my mid-30’s.
Start living with this philosophy when you are young. Know that there will be speed bumps but always continue on towards your goal. If you are reading this, and you are not as young as you once were, even more reason to focus and go after your big goal with concentrated action and determination.
Try this today on one or two things that you feel is very important to you. Find a way to move it forward, even with just a phone call. Sometimes you’ll be amazed at how a little effort can get the universe on your side. And that is sure to get you smiling. ?
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What Ten Words Describe You?
Can you describe yourself? It’s a great exercise. Try it right now.
Grab a pen and paper or toggle into your notes section of your device.
Write the numbers from 1 to 10. Then see how many single words (or short phrases) you can write about yourself, up to a maximum of 10.
These words should describe what you think of you, right now. It’s not what your best friend thinks of you or what you think your mother might say. Be as objective and honest/realistic as you can. You don’t have to show anyone.
To get your mental gears going, here are a few examples:
- Olympian
- Tea lover
- Clean Air Advocate
- Student
- Soccer/Football fan
This is not a forever list. It can change as your life changes or your perception changes.
For those of you in the advanced class, now write 10 words/short phrases you would like to describe you by 1 January 2022.
If you had put smoker today, you may want to become a Clean Air Advocate by 2022. If you had put Olympian, you may want to describe yourself as a gold medalist after this summers’ Olympics. You may wish to move from ‘good father’ to ‘world class dad’.
These two lists are good steps to help you learn about yourself and see what you can achieve.
Many people will spend far more time planning their holiday than they will discovering who they are and what changes they could make to bring more joy to their life.
Consider this the first step towards becoming the person you would most like to be. Still yourself: Just a better version of you.
Go make those lists!
(If you get stuck, go into the Facebook group pages and I can help you out.)
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