We have all been here, have we not? You are working towards a goal and it seems nothing is happening. I certainly can relate. I am sure you can too. Even though it may not seem like anything is happening, there is much going on that we cannot see. Even the strengthening of character that is coming with the patience waiting to see progress. More often that not, when we look back we realize that we could not have accomplished what we did without the progress that was happening that we did not see.
It reminds me of the growth of the bamboo tree. Once a bamboo is planted, it must be watered and taken care of every day for five years. If it is not, it will die. During those five years, nothing visible happens. If you didn’t know better, you might think the seed was no good. Once is does start growing, however, it can grow up to three feet…a day! This can be like our goals we are working for. It can see nothing is happening, but if we do not continue to work nothing will happen. If we persevere, one day our growth will explode. Keep this in mind as you continue to strive towards your goals.
Today we celebrate a great milestone. This is the 2500th blog on this site. That means you could read one of these blogs everyday for almost 7 years and not repeat once. That is a lot of content. It has also spanned the course of 3 books written. Neither of these are the current goal that I am aiming for, but they are certainly worth celebrating along the way. Our current aim is to have a post for 1000 days in a row. We now sit at 873, which is very close. With your help and encouragement we will get there sometime next year.
When I sat down and made this goal on July 3, 2022, I never would have imagined we would be sitting here nearly 3 years later. There has been ups and downs. There has been writer’s block, illness, a busy work schedule and many other challenges. Yet there have been so many things worth celebrating along the way. We are now viewed in over 200 countries and on all 7 continents. That is quite an accomplishment. I have made friends in Italy, Lebanon, and many on the continent of Africa. Still looking for Greenland, but that will be another goal to celebrate.
In your life, when you are chasing goals, do not forget to celebrate along the way. Whether that is in your health, your career or your relationship. It is not all about the destination, but who we become on the journey. I would love to hear about the goals you are chasing and what you will celebrate along the way. Please share so we can encourage you and celebrate with you along the way.
Today, let us remember to focus on enjoying the journey. The goal is certainly worth keeping in mind, but 80% of the time will be spent on the journey. This is actually a conservative estimate. If this is the case, we owe it to ourselves to find a way to have as much fun during the process. After all, it doesn’t make much sense to be happy only 20% of the time?
How do we accomplish this goal? Two words – focus and adjustment. We can adjust how we go about accomplishing the goal. Say we are trying to get for, but hate going to the gym. We can adjust. Maybe start going for hikes? Dusting off that bicycle in the garage. Maybe there is a pool we couldswim at? The point is all of these will help us start getting fit and be a lot more enjoyable.
What happens when you can’t adjust? Maybe you need to get better at saving, but you really miss having Amazon visit your house more than your family? Switch your focus. Instead of being sad that you no longer get packages, focus on how good you will feel when you will get your financial situation in order. Focus on your bank account not draining as quickly.
Here is another thing to ponder. The more we enjoy the journey, the more likely we are to reach the destination! That should be motivation enough. Share any tips you have on enjoyingthe journey in the comments below!
Next to gratitude, which we discussed last post, clarity in one of the most powerful forces to improve your life. When you are clear as to where you want to go in life, you can always tell if you are getting closer or further away. Not sure of where you want to go in life? That can leave you feeling confused and that your life has no direction. I don’t know if you have ever felt that way, but I have and it is not any fun. How crazy is it to be unsure if your life is getting better or worse?
A clear purpose for your life actually reduces stress. Why? It can help you to better design the next steps and actions to take. Goals become easier to reach because they are attached to a bigger life purpose. Here is an important distinction. Goals and life purpose are two entirely different things. When we talk about life purpose, we are speaking of legacy. Why are you here? How do you want to be remembered when you are gone? How can you make the world a better place while you are here? These are the important questions to ask while you are here. They will give you the clarity you seek. Your life purpose is not something you can finish. Say you are a chef. Your purpose may be to supply the world with delicious food that brings smiles to people’s faces and joy to their stomachs. You will continue to do that with every meal you create, every cookbook you write or every cooking video you post. Maybe you are a future best-selling author who wants to bring joy to the hearts of millions. You will continue to do so with every book you write, every blog you post or every podcast episode you appear on.
As mentioned earlier, this also helps you come up with goals to accomplish. If you are a chef, maybe creating a cookbook would let people try creating your amazing recipes at home. If you make cooking videos, it will help them feel like you are in the kitchen with them. As long as you know it will help with your life mission to bring joy to the world through food. Gain clarity in your own life. It will bring you joy. It will bring the world joy.
Today, many of us are looking for the one trick, or hack, that will allow us to turn our life around. Here is the good and bad news. There is a hack that will allow you to accomplish all of your goals, in all the areas of your life. Here is the bad news for many of you. That hack is self-discipline. Consistent focused action is what will allow you to reach, and in many cases surpass, the goals you are now chasing.
This should make you breathe a sigh of relief. There is no wondering “Is this going to work?”. There will be ups and downs, but every day you will be getting closer to your goal. It may seem like you take three steps back for every step forward, but even then there are lessons to be learned. In this way, you are still moving closer to your goal, even if it does not feel like it.
If you want to succeed in life, if you want to accomplish any goal or achieve that dream, know that it is self-discipline that is the key to getting there. If you are looking for a bridge from where you are to where you want to be, it is the discipline of consistent action. Start that journey today.
My fourth book will be dedicated to taking you from a life of striving, to one of thriving. As we all waitfor the release of this future bestseller, I wanted to get you a tip many of us skip over.
In our busy working world, we can become so focused on what we have to ‘do’ and ‘overcome’ that we forget to give attention to what we want to ‘be’and who we want to ‘become’. Which is why we are doing and overcoming those things in the first place.
Today, take a few minutes to focus on the goals and dreams you are working for. It will not only strengthen your drive, but refresh your spirit.It will also give you a moments break from all of the challenges.
This gent is Jocko Willink. One of the people I listen to for strategy and tools for improving myself. As a former Navy Seal, he has learned some valuable lessons. His book, Discipline Equals Freedom, is a must read for anyone looking to take charge of their life. He also has some very helpful YouTube videos I would recommend checking out. It was in one of these very videos that I got the idea for today’s post. In the video, Jocko discusses people’s need for constant motivation. Personally, I surround myself with as many motivating tools as I can. From pictures to playlists, I do my best to always have something motivating at arm’s length. It is so easy to slip, that I think we could always use a helping hand.
The point of his video was that he did not like what the words ‘self-improvement’, ‘self-help’ and ‘motivation’ have come to mean. In today’s world, rather than spend time working on themselves, people spend that time looking for a hack, or quick fix that requires very little effort. The time they spent looking for this hack, could have been spent in diligent effort on long-lasting improvement. When he came to the word ‘motivation’ that’s when something clicked. He mentioned that people think this means having someone acting as a cheerleader or standing behind them yelling at them to push forward. That is not at all what it means.
If you take the word ‘motivation’ apart, it means to find, or have, a motive. In other words, knowing your ‘why’. I heard a saying once that the difference between a warrior and a soldier is that a soldier fights because he hates who is front of him, but a warrior fights because he loves who is behind him. When you are reminded why you started your goal in the first place, and what you have to lose if you fail to achieve it, that is the best motivation.When you are working out, if you think of how important it is to be healthy to be around for those you love and who depend on you, it will be a lot easier to do that extra rep.
In addition to that playlist you have in your phone, on top of that speech you listen to in order to get fired up, remember to discover your motive. This will keep you going when all else fails.
It can be hard to revisit places that have sad or scary memories for us. I recall feeling bad that I was trying to get out of going to an event with my grandfather the day he died. I didn’t want to go to that event ever again. There was feelings of both guilt and sadness. However, with the help of my beautiful lady, I did make it back there and we created some awesome new memories.
When we cancel things out of possibility due to sad memories, I think we are doing a disservice to both ourselves and the person who we miss. They would not want us to miss out on something due to missing them. In fact, although bittersweet, it can be a great way to keep there memory alive!
What about painful memories such as going somewhere you and that jerk of an ex used to go? Well, if we avoid certain places because we went there with someone we are no longer with, than we are giving them that power over that part of our lives. They don’t deserve that! No. As a matter of fact, creating new memories at that place proves that your life is moving forward and there is plenty of good to be had without them.
Braving these places can feel like reclaiming territory you thought was lost to you forever. It can be scary, but it can be liberating and powerful as well.
There is one activity that I believe we could all benefit by doing. This one activity alone could not only change our life, but the way we approach the world in general. Enough people did this, we would change the world. It does not matter if you live in Uganda, Fiji, The Bahamas or right here in Wisconsin where I do. This activity will work no matter what your gender, race, religion or political belief. It is not an expensive or complicated activity. You can spend as long as you like on it. Although, the secret is, the more time you spend on it, and the more often you do it, the more effective it will become. This activity can help you make better choices and help bring clarity to the choices you have to make. It can help you pick a career that suits you as well as a romantic partner that will best meet your needs.
This activity is introspection. As unexciting as that may sound, it is a skill not many people, if any, master today. Do not believe me? Look at anyone waiting in any kind of line. What are they doing? You know the answer to this one. They are on their phone. Sitting alone at a coffee shop? On the computer or phone. There is very little getting out in nature and spending time thinking about who we really are. We chose jobs based on money or advice from others. We chose romantic partners based on looks or charm. How many of us sit and write down a list of our most important values and what our goals are? How many of us really have a clear picture of who we are?
When you know what is important to you, your time is well spent. When you know what your goals are, you know what direction to move in. When you know this, you know what decisions to make. If you don’t know the first thing about the person in the mirror, these decisions can seem very complicated and confusing. Life will be more stressful. How much easier would your life be if you know exactly who you were, what was important to you and what goals you were chasing?
This week, spend some time really getting to know the person in the mirror. It will allow you to perform well above the average person. In addition, it will remove a lot of stress from your decisions and your life. Gaining clarity and your values and your self-identity is like spending time digging in a vein of pure gold. You may be surprised at what you discover when you investigate the most interesting person in the world – the one in the mirror.
Last post we discussed the importance of finding tools and strategies that we can customize to us and our particular journey. You are reading a website about living an amazing life, but what defines an amazing life? The answer will be different for each one of us reading this. First of all, this site is followed in over 200 countries with many different cultures, values and beliefs. Even in the same country, town and even family, people have different goals and ambitions. There is one thing that will make any goal you are chasing more likely to succeed. It doesn’t matter if that goal is a health goal, a financial goal or a spiritual goal, there is one element that people often miss when pursuing their ambition. That missing key to your success is to enjoy the journey.
Finding ways to enjoy the journey is not some added bonus you should look for, it is a necessity! No matter how much it may further our aspirations, if we cannot find something in the journey that could bring us joy, it will not be sustainable. We often use the example of physical fitness to illustrate points, so let us go with that. Many people absolutely dread fitness. Especially when you begin, it is important to find an activity that brings you joy. If gyms are intimidating, try going for a walk in nature. Maybe after years of sloth, your body is not able to do walking just yet. That’s ok. Try biking, swimming or even dancing vigorously around the house! Whatever you choose, have fun with it.
A great way to have fun is to look at your progress. That is why having goals that are measurable is so important. Look, it is no fun to wrap the measuring tape around your belly after years of pizza and beer, but know that the starting line and get excited for the progress. Make a point to stop and appreciate yourself, and your efforts once a month, or once a week. Whatever you need to do to keep yourself motivated. What happens when the scale hasn’t budged or the inches haven’t moved along despite your best effort? Celebrate the fact that you have shown the effort. Perhaps look at discovering a new, and fun activity to add to your efforts?
Whatever goal you are pursuing in life, make sure to add this question to your list. When writing the steps to accomplishing your goal down, ask yourself, “How can I enjoy this process.” Do not quit until you find, at the very least, one answer. When I go to work, every day I know I am putting aside money for both my retirement and my next vacation. That makes my day a little more enjoyable. I look forward to finding ways to make my coworkers happy and improve their days. This brings me joy. How about you? What are you working on? How are you going to make it enjoyable?
SECRET 2 AN AMAZING LIFE 