What’s indispensable is for you to try it and decide for yourself if unschooling is a suitable tool to use to achieve your learning goals. Do you prefer structure over freedom? Or a mix of both maybe?
A Most-Undervalued Aspect of Education
How to Write With Confidence and Not Feel Like an Impostor
The Top 10 Skills People Want to Learn in 2019 and How to Learn Them
It’s Okay If You Don’t Earn $5,000/Month From Medium
Now, some may call me a hypocrite since I’m selling books, tools, and services. To that, I say that I stand by what I said earlier: money is a side-effect to doing work that your audience appreciates.
34 Quick Tips to Turbo-Charge your Productivity in 2019
41 Things You Should Say “No” to for a Happier 2019
The One Simple Habit that Brings me the Most Happiness and How you Can Replicate It
3 Unspoken Skills you Need to Learn to Be the Best Non-Fiction Writer you Can Be for your Readers
A Time-Tested Approach to Get Rid of Procrastination
Here Is How You Know It’s Time to Move On to Another Skill
Life Changing Lessons Learned from Van Gogh, Steve Jobs, and Lao Tzu
3 Ways to Triumph Over Your Couch-Potato Habits
Cover Photo by Lukas Budimaier on Unsplash
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing — that’s why we recommend it daily” — Zig Ziglar
Even the best of us procrastinate sometimes. We are not programmed to do things that are hard for us. We’re creatures of habit. Creatures of comfort.
Almost everything we do, we do it to be in a state of comfort. And when we reach a satisfactory level of comfort, we stay there. We procrastinate doing things out of our comfort zone.
I’ve been there. You’ve been there. We’ve all been there.
In the last 9 months or so, I can’t think of a time when I’ve procrastinated.
I pondered how I stopped procrastinating, and it all came down to the 3 things that follow.
I should point out that none of these tips are new. Everyone talks about them. But I’ll share my own experience in hopes to illustrate just how good these tips are.
1. Sunk Cost Bias
This is a powerful one, and really, everyone knows it, but maybe doesn’t recognize it enough.
A sunk cost is a cost that has already been incurred and cannot be recovered.
Think about memberships. A gym membership is a good example.
You know why a yearly membership at anything sucks?
A year is just too long a period for a brain to “remember” the sunk cost. That’s why when you sign up for the gym in January, you stop going one or two months after.
It’s not frequent enough. By paying monthly, you’re always reminded that you are sinking money into the membership, therefore you’re more prone to do it.
I signed up for the gym in January. I went to the priciest gym in Málaga. Truth be told, I couldn’t really afford it. And that’s the point.
I had to do it. I sacrificed spending money on other things so I could afford it. I had to go.
15 days in, I wanted to go. It wasn’t just that I needed to. Now that it’s expired, I miss it. But I’ve built so much momentum that I created a fitness routine for myself that I can do from home.
But think about it though.
Think about things you’ve spent money on vs things you haven’t. Which one were you more motivated to do.
And it doesn’t have to just be money either. Anything that’s high stakes for you. Money is easy since it’s measurable, but basically anything you don’t want to part with should work.
2. Group activities
I’ve seen that almost on a daily basis back at the co-working space I was working from back in Málaga.
I accidentally started a fitness group in January.
I was so motivated in my fitness that I also did 100 pushups after work. That was a friend’s idea, which he had not executed on. But seeing me do it, he shortly joined in on my efforts.
Then people started joining. We grew from 2 “members” to 15 in one month.
And every morning, there was at least one person who didn’t feel like doing it. But then they see 7 other people go. And all of a sudden, they wanted to do it. They weren’t alone. The other’s motivation inspired them to also do it.
You see that effect in any team-based sport.
You see that effect in offices.
You see that everywhere.
A party where you’re alone is a freaking boring party. You just want to leave.
Surround yourself with like-minded people. Be accountable. Accomplish things with other people. Share your victories.
3. Point of no return
One of my favourite, but a harder one to pull off.
I’ll give three quick examples:
Getting a mortgage to buy a house;
Investing in your business or that of someone else; or
Having a baby.
Once you receive your mortgage, it’s go-time. You have to buy the house. The only way you’ll rid of the debt is by selling the house back. That requires a lot of time and effort.
It’s easier to go forward than go backward from there.
That is the key here. Going backward being the harder choice of the two.
If you open up a physical store, you have to buy all the equipment in order to be operational. As soon as you buy, the material depreciates in value. Selling it back comes at a cost you’re likely not willing to pay.
What are some of the points of no return you’ve had in your life?
Did you procrastinate?
Do you ever intentionally create points of no return for yourself?
Conclusion
So I challenge you here.
The next time you have a goal you’d like to accomplish but are prone to procrastinate working towards it, think about these 3 tips.
When planning for executing your goal, answer these questions:
Can you sink money, or something else you care for into the process of achieving your goal? Like a membership for examples.
Can you find a partner or a group of people to do it with?
Can you make it so it’s harder to go backward than to go forward?
If you can do all these 3 things, it’s almost guaranteed you won’t procrastinate.
You can do this!
Thanks for reading! :)
How These 23 Key Principles Helped Me Overcome My Challenges and Made Me Unstoppable
Cover Photo by Benjamin Davies on Unsplash
The definitive guide to building lasting momentum
It’s Wednesday morning, 5:00am.
I’m pumped to start working. I did not hit the snooze button, and had no intention to.
For the past few days, I’ve felt it. I felt something was changing. Something positive was building up inside my mind.
The reason I hadn’t written much on that topic in the past few months is not because it was an untrue statement, on the contrary, it’s extremely powerful!
But I had lost it and couldn’t get it back.
Wanna know if you’ve ever felt it — True Momentum?
Have you seen the movie Limitless with Bradley Cooper? To a smaller degree, that’s how True Momentum feels.
But don’t get me wrong, it’s not easy to reach it. In Bradley’s case, he “cheated” with NZT. I’m talking about legit stuff here. Building it yourself. Doing everything you can to build it up.
Before we get into the guide on how to build it for yourself, here’s how I would define True Momentum in practical terms:
True Momentum is when you’re so invested in something that going in the opposite direction has become very difficult. Moving forward happens more easily and at a better pace.
It’s like pushing a boulder down a hill. At first, it goes slowly, but as it goes down the slope, it goes faster and faster, to a point where stopping it becomes much harder. It’s near-unstoppable.
Now that I’ve got True Momentum for the third time, it made me want to revisit the topic. I want to give you a definitive guide on how to build it yourself.
I wasn’t completely right in my first story on the subject back in January. I couldn’t see at the time. But now that I had lost it badly and regained it, I have a better idea of how it works to get it, and I’ll give you as many hands-on tips I can.
In this story, I’ll put other linked stories in-line, but please read the whole story first, then you can revisit the ones that interest you most. It’s better to keep the flow of reading.
Suggested Stories For After:
23 Key Principles For Building True Momentum
I’ll start by saying that doing everything on that list is near-impossible. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to building True Momentum, it’s a combination of many of the following things, and what works for one person may not for another.
So here’s how I would plan this if I were you:
Read the suggestions below and note those you think you can implement easily, or already have.
Try to implement them for 1 month straight.
At the end of the month, take note of what worked and what didn’t.
Read this guide again, start from 1.
It’s an iterative process, like most things in life. You won’t get it right the first time.
You’ll know it once you’ve reached True Momentum.
The list below is not in any particular order, pick and choose from there.
And take note of this very important thing:
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing — that’s why we recommend it daily.” — Zig Ziglar
You have to keep doing the things on this list to have lasting True Momentum. I lost it twice. I’ll lose it again. It’s inevitable. But I’ll do everything I can to keep it as long as I can!
1. Keep or Make Good Habits, Drop The Bad Ones
This is the starting point, and most likely the most important one. Habits are strong. We’re creatures of habits. Good or bad. Keep the good ones. Make new, better ones. Drop the negative or ineffective ones.
Suggested Reading
Books:
The Power of Habits, by Charles Duhigg
Stories:
A Morning Routine Really Does Set You Up For Success — Here’s A 6 Step Process To Create One
Habits Are Indeed Powerful, Don’t Fall Behind On The Good Ones
2. Reading Uplifting Content Before Going To Bed
Don’t let yourself go to bed in a bad mood, or by filling your brain with “crap”. I understand that you need to decompress before going to bed. I completely get that.
But what you do before bed affects how you wake up, and the state of mind you’re going to be in for the first part of the day.
My top recommendation here is to read biographies or self-help books. I find them so uplifting. It’s always nice to hear that even the inspiring people in our lives are just as imperfect as we are, sometimes even more so.
Suggested Reading
Books:
Any biographies. I personally really like Tai Lopez’s book recommendations: https://www.tailopez.com/books.php
31 Stories To Motivate and Inspire You To Work Harder And Build Momentum, by Danny Forest
Stories:
In Need Of Motivation? Try These Simple Tried And True Productivity Tips
3. Listen To Uplifting Music, Podcasts And People
It might seem strange, but my most productive days seem to be when I’m dancing to music on my chair. Great music puts me in flow state. I feel like I can do anything!
In terms of podcasts, nothing gets me more than the Tim Ferriss Show.
For people, I like to listen to people smarter than I around myself. Or TED talks.
Suggested Reading
Stories:
4. Keep Inspiring Quotes Near You
Quotes are insanely powerful. One thing I had realized early on when I started writing was that things people highlighted most in my stories were the quotes I put in them.
And I get it. People far smarter than me have said far smarter things I have.
Reading at least one good quote a day puts you in the right mood. Keep it on your fridge/desk. Let it be in your face as frequently as possible.
The one I kept the longest the last time I had True Momentum was this one:
“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” — Markus Aurelius
Suggested Website
https://addicted2success.com/category/quotes/
Suggested Reading
Stories:
5. Work Out, Even If Just A Little
The best months of my life was when I was doing physical activity. I was feeling great in my body.
I’ve always been a skinny guy, but when I’m working out and seeing even small gains in muscles, I feel incredible.
Whatever your goals are health-wise, be active, measure every little gain, and keep going.
Suggested Reading
Books:
Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Story, By Arnold Schwarzenegger
Stories:
6. Have Monthly Goals And Track Them
New Year resolutions suck. They’re near-impossible to achieve.
Monthly goals, on the other hand, are excellent. Committing to goals for a month is doable, and leads to building great habits. It’s great to experiment and see what works for you, and what doesn’t.
Suggested Tools
Suggested Reading
Stories:
Make Next Month Your Most Productive Month Ever Using This 3 Steps Strategy
7. Make A Clear Task List
I work on at least 4 projects on a daily basis. A lot of people would say this is insane and counter-productive, and they would be mostly right.
I’ve been disorganized and lost many times. I was using simple To Do lists and had a really hard time tracking my progress on the various projects.
A few weeks ago, I started using TeamWeek and my productivity sky-rocketed!
My task list on TeamWeek
TeamWeek is basically a Gantt chart. The colours are different project. You can see a lot of tasks in there. But you’re missing about half of them…
Suggested Tools
Suggested Reading
Books:
Getting Things Done, by David Allen
Stories:
8. Aim Freaking High
Always make your lists bigger than you can chew. We, as humans, like comfort. If we allow ourselves to be comfortable, we end up doing close to nothing.
Make your lists big. But make sure the tasks are small and achievable. I have about 15–20 things to do every day. Most are 10 minute tasks.
If I aim to accomplish 10 tasks. I will. And I will be “satisfied”. Now if I aim to accomplish 20 tasks and complete 15–18 of them, I’ll be pumped. I won’t see time go by and the dopamine rush I’ll get rush for accomplishing so much will strongly contribute to building that True Momentum up.
Suggested Website
Suggested Reading
Stories:
Can You Handle the Obsession Needed to Reach Your Most Insane Goals?
9. Prepare Your Next Day The Night Before
What I’m proposing you here is to simply make a list of things you want to accomplish for the next day a few hours before bed, and then review it shortly before “calling it a night”.
Don’t make it too complex. Just a simple list. It shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes. I usually come up with a list of anywhere between 10–20 things to do.
Here’s what happens when you prepare your next day the night before:
While you sleep, your subconscious is “working on” things you “fed it” before going to bed. When you feed it with things you want to accomplish for the next day, it will “prepare” you for them.
Suggested Reading
Stories:
This 5-Minute Habit Will Make You More Productive And Build Your Momentum
10. Write For Yourself
Writing has been a powerful medium for me to express myself. I never knew I had so much to say, let alone inspire people along the way.
I did it for myself, really.
Yet putting all my thoughts in writing has been a phenomenal way to free my mind and think clearly, ultimately leading to some momentum.
Suggested Website
https://findingtom.com/, by Tom Kuegler
Suggested Reading
Stories:
Should You Write One Story A Day? Here’s What I Learned From The Last Two Months
11. Delegate To People You Trust
This is WAY underrated! I thought people who delegated were lazy. I didn’t get the 4-Hour Workweek the first time I read it.
There was a guy I worked with who was so proud of letting others do the work for him. Turns out he was secretly a genius.
There are so many things I was doing that could easily be done by someone either more qualified, or with more time doing simpler things.
Since I hired my assistant in February, I was able to focus on the things I’m good at, and have increased my productivity up to 10x.
Suggested Reading
Books:
Stories:
12. Have A Semi-Strict Routine
My wife hates my daily schedule/routine. It’s pretty obsessive indeed. But damn it works. The more I stick to it, the more productive I am.
I tweak it every month. Here’s what it looks like for this month:
As you can see, most items in the list are not *that* detailed. I don’t say what I’ll be working on, what my workout is, what I’ll be eating, etc — that changes every day.
Suggested Reading
Stories:
Make Next Month Your Most Productive Month Ever Using This 3 Steps Strategy
13. Don’t Stop When It Hurts
How do you build muscles? You continue when it starts hurting.
And you know what? That’s how you grow in anything in life. No pain no gain.
If you stop when it’s hard, you just wasted valuable energy and will NOT build momentum. Recognize when you’re in a dip, and then get out of it!
Suggested Reading
Books:
The Dip, but Seth Godin
Stories:
When You Think You Are An Impostor, You Are On The Right Track
14. Surround Yourself With Motivated People
Here’s one of my favourite quote of all times:
“You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.” — Jim Rohn
This is so true.
I seek mentors. I seek positive people. I seek people who get stuff done.
I can only work from co-working spaces, mostly because of that. This, along with delegating, are the main cause for intense productivity.
Suggested co-working spaces
The Living Room, by Ben Kolp
WeWork, by Adam Neumann and Miguel McKelvey
Suggested Reading
Stories:
15. Walk To Work, and Limit Wasted Time
Walking to work is one of the most “meditative” things you can do. Going in, you can prepare for what’s to come. Going out, you can disconnect from work.
When back home, analyze how you spend your time. We all waste time on “useless” things. And I’m not saying to not watch TV or play video games, but realize that there’s a time when you need it, and a time when it’s a waste.
Suggested Reading
Stories:
Want To Be More Productive? Start This Simple Daily Habit
Analyze How You Spend Your Time, And You will Realize There Is Plenty Of Free Time
16. Constantly Learn New Things
That’s probably what I’ve written the most about, and what contributed the most to the changes in my life.
“The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways.” ― Robert Greene, Mastery
Everything I’m doing today — my “successes”, my “failures” — it’s all because I had decided I wanted to consciously learn 3 new skills every month back in September 2017.
Suggested Website
Suggested Reading
Books:
Unlimited Memory, by Grandmaster Kevin Horsley
How We Learn, by Benedict Carey
Stories:
How To Learn 108 New Skills In The Next 3 Years
Learn More Skills, For Your Future’s Sake!
Improve Everything In Your Life by Learning 3 New Skills Every Month
17. Learn To Power Nap
Power napping is a skill, and it’s hard to master. I’ve mastered it over the years, and it’s been a key ingredient to my productivity.
We can’t be alert 100% of the time during the day. When my energy levels are low, I power nap. Once. Twice. Three times a day! Who cares.
15 minutes after power napping, I’m back in peak state and accomplish so much more than if I didn’t nap.
Suggested Reading
Stories:
Quick Tip On How To Stay Awake During The Day When Waking Up Really Early
18. Learn To Meditate and Journal
I knew meditation would be hard when I decided to start doing it. But what I didn’t realize was that it’s a skill and it needs practice. I quickly learned that I had the wrong expectations, and that held me back. Meditation is not about “not thinking”, it’s about being aware.
When I started journaling, I had the preconception that it was a dumb idea and that I wouldn’t have anything to say. I could not have been more wrong. On my first journaling session, I wrote for 3 hours without even noticing.
It’s a powerful tool that frees up your mind and aligns your goals together. You become more aware and focused.
Suggested Tools
Suggested Reading
Books:
Willpower Doesn’t Work, by Benjamin P. Hardy
19. Take A Well-Deserved Vacation
It’s hard to brake when your pedal is all the way back. But you know what, sometimes that’s exactly when you need to brake.
You can’t function at peak state when you’re constantly under pressure.
Dare take vacations, you need them!
Suggested Reading
Stories:
Resting Really Is A Crucial Part Of Your Success — Embrace It
20. Don’t Be Alone
I’m an introvert. I like solitude. I’m so drained whenever I’m surrounded by people.
But I need to have people around me once in a while, to share my stories, my experiences, my “successes”, my “failures”, etc. Everyone does.
Everyone needs to be uplifted, and you can’t (easily) do it alone.
Suggested Reading
Stories:
We All Need Someone Who Truly Understands Us
How Many Meaningful Relationships Do You Have, And Why Does It Matter?
21. Meet New People, Attend Events, Do Things Outside Of Work
Meeting new people and doing things outside of work is very important both for your sanity and for making important connections.
I voluntarily go out to seek and talk to people that are now helping with some of my projects. And of course, I help in return!
You gotta have things outside of work. You can’t be all work and no play. Work hard, play hard. Cliché I know, but it’s true.
Suggested Reading
Stories:
22. Do Good, Be Grateful
I don’t know of anyone who has True Momentum and are not doing good. Doing good is so rewarding and gives you such a high.
And when someone does good to you, be grateful. Gratefulness is almost as powerful as doing good yourself.
Suggested Reading
Stories:
I Helped Someone, And I Liked It
Become Happier By Recognizing And Thanking People Who Inspire You
23. Celebrate The Small Wins
If you’re like most of us, you don’t get many big wins in a month. It’s hard to keep our motivation when we don’t win frequently. It’s not by accident that people, including myself, rush to video games — you are constantly being rewarded. That’s also why we’re trying to gamify everything now.
So I say to you, every time a small event happens where it could be considered a “win”, acknowledge it. Take note of it. Have a “success” journal. Here’s an example of things I saved yesterday:
Comments on one my Instagram photos, by Erin Zaikis and Julia Gao Miller
That’s it! These are not big wins, but they totally uplifted me, and is the main reason I’m writing on this topic today!
Suggested Reading
Books:
Reality Is Broken, by Jane McGonigal
Stories:
Conclusion
Here’s what I suggest you do:
Bookmark this, and refer to it regularly.
Here’s a quick recap of ideas to build True Momentum (makes for a good list on your fridge!):
Keep or Make Good Habits, Drop The Bad Ones
Reading Uplifting Content Before Going To Bed
Listen To Uplifting Music, Podcasts And People
Keep Inspiring Quotes Near You
Work Out, Even If Just A Little
Have Monthly Goals And Track Them
Make A Clear Task List
Aim Freaking High
Prepare Your Next Day The Night Before
Write For Yourself
Delegate To People You Trust
Have A Semi-Strict Routine
Don’t Stop When It Hurts
Surround Yourself With Motivated People
Walk To Work, and Limit Wasted Time
Constantly Learn New Things
Learn To Power Nap
Learn To Meditate and Journal
Take A Well-Deserved Vacation
Don’t Be Alone
Meet New People, Attend Events, Do Things Outside Of Work
Do Good, Be Grateful
Celebrate The Small Wins
Be consistent in working towards your goals. Don’t skip. Do. Even when you don’t want to. Every small gain builds your momentum. Momentum makes you unstoppable!
You can do this!
Thanks for reading! :)
How Being Accountable Got Me Off the Couch Once and for All
Cover Photo by Naomi Hébert on Unsplash
And it’s not as hard as you think
“There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow, so today is the right day to love, believe, do and mostly live.” — Dalai Lama
It was a hot summer, 16 years ago, I still see the image in my head. I think about it frequently, especially when I reflect on what I’ve become.
I was laying on the couch, playing my video games on my Gameboy Advance. That was my ritual after school or after work.
My older brother came back from work and saw me there. He looked at me and said this sentence I can never forget:
“You’ll never do anything in life.” — nameless brother
Ouch.
But he wasn’t completely wrong though. After all, all he was seeing was this kid “wasting” his life playing video games on the couch every single day.
From that moment, I decided I would do something with my life. I had to prove him wrong. It’s been 16 years, and every time I think about a new achievement in my life, I think of that moment and can’t help but think to myself: “Ha! Proved you wrong!”.
I’ve actually never told him that story. He probably doesn’t recall telling me this anyway.
My point is, I had something to prove to someone, and that has carried me far.
Accountability in the More Recent Years
I was in a similar dip a little over a year ago when I was still working at my 9–5 job. It was a great job, but I really needed to satisfy my entrepreneurship itch.
Everything changed when I received a grant to work on Soul Reaper, my company’s first ambitious game project. And around the same time, my wife was about to start a new adventure and go on her first Medecins Sans Frontiere mission. That meant we would be apart for 6 months.
It’s around that time I started making all my goals public, with the people around me at coworking spaces, but also publicly on Medium.com. By telling people about what I set out to do, I couldn’t let them down. I didn’t want to be perceived as someone who’s all talk and no game.
Essentially, I started being more accountable for my actions and goals.
In the short span of six months, I was able to accomplish the following:
I learned 18 new skills, including fiction and non-fiction writing, drawing, NGO photography, storytelling, public speaking, day-to-day Spanish conversations, learning to learn, eComm management, and more;
I got involved in more than 7 projects, most of which I’ve started;
I met prolific writers and other personalities;
I gained 7kg of muscles;
I wrote and published 2 books;
I released a video game;
I opened up the world’s first and only story-driven online store;
I diversified my revenue sources, getting paid for 4+ different projects;
I got published by top Medium publications like The Startup;
I contributed to Entrepreneur Magazine, Thought Catalog, and Thrive Global;
I became a top writer in 15 categories on Medium;
and more!
That’s the power of accountability!
How YOU Can Be Accountable Too and Get Out of Bed
Step 1: Low-risk, low-effort, low-effectiveness
Involve a friend in you weekly and monthly goal-setting. Meet weekly and discuss what went right, what went wrong, how you can do better, what your goals are for next week, and what actions will you take towards these goals.
Step 2: Medium-risk, medium-effort, medium-effectiveness
Make your goals and progress public, just like I did around the coworking space and through my writing on Medium. No one wants to look like a fool in public.
Step 3: High-risk, medium-effort, high-effectiveness
Join an accountability program. An accountability program is a system that puts incentives for you to do things. There are many different approaches to this, including gamification, fear of loss, social recognition, coaching, and more.
Conclusion
Being accountable changed my life forever. I went from a completely unambitious kid to a serial entrepreneur. I went from having no credibility to being a mentor to people.
If you feel stuck in life, start being accountable. It’s a great first step towards taking back control of your life.
Start by involving friends. Then make your goals and progress public. When you’re ready for the next step, give an accountability program a try.
Like me, you CAN get out of bed and achieve more!
You can do this!
Thanks for reading! :)
Visualize the journey, not the reward
Cover Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash
Sometimes you really want something in life. You see yourself having it and it brings you joy:
Losing weight, gaining mass, stopping smoking, buying a new house or car, speaking a new language, etc.
The problem is, you never end up getting it and it ends up being another wasted dream. It happens to the best of us.
But I have good news for you!
You can turn that around. You can get the reward, provided you apply the necessary mind shift. The answer is in one of Steve Jobs famous quote:
“The journey is the reward” — Steve Jobs
It’s simple, instead of visualizing the reward, visualize the journey. Visualize the steps necessary to get to the reward.
For example, for this month, I have a crazy goal of gaining 5 kg of mass while losing about 3% body fat. That is the reward. I can visualize what my body would look like and the satisfaction that would bring, but that would never help me get to the goal. As an ectomorph, gaining such mass in such little time is an extremely hard task.
But I will make it!
I will make it happen because I spent time researching the best workouts for my body type. I researched the nutrition I need and prepared meal plans for the month. Down to the little details.
I will make it because I can now visualize my journey clearly: I see myself eating my protein bars in the morning, running to the gym, feeling the pain of lifting weights, filling my workout sheets to track results, measuring the gains, taking my protein shake after, etc.
The reward is already pleasing. You need to visualize yourself succeeding at the pain points, like lifting the weights. That way, you have a clear view of how to get to the reward and be motivated to do the painful work to get there.
If you’ve been good at visualizing the journey, feel free to visualize the reward as well, but it’s not what will make you achieve your goal.
And now it’s your turn!
Next time there’s something you really want, try this method out. Apply it to all your hard goals. Apply it to your New Year resolutions. It’s a simple but powerful mind shift that you can start applying now!
Thanks for reading! :)
2018 is the year I will fail the most
Cover Photo Credit: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-abeyta/three-things-you-should-know-about-failure_b_5405061.html
…and so should you!
In 2017, I set out to do lots of things. It was a year of doing, whatever the result was: “success”, “failure”, it didn’t matter. I wanted to stretch what my brain considered limits.
I’m afraid of heights, so I started rock-climbing. I may have failed to become as good as I had hoped, but just the fact that I had the guts to even combat this fear is a win.
I’m afraid of downing, so I started “surfing”. Nothing as glorious as what you see in videos online, but I body surfed in Thailand. I failed to do “proper” surfing, but I had the guts to go on a board and “risk” drowning.
I did many little things like that to mess my brain up. To tell it: “You know what, you can do this.”. Try, “fail”, try harder, “win”.
So now I know. Failure is just an experiment. You learn from it. It’s not a negative experience.
It’s all about the growth. Any progress is progress. The higher you aim, the higher the growth and the more epic the failure will seem. Yet in reality, higher growth is the underlying goal.
“However, “failing” to meet the expectations you set for yourself when aiming outside your comfort zone actually moves you much closer towards your goals than if you were to “achieve” something easily within reach.” — Nicolas Cole
And this is my mentality going into 2018. Here are my goals for January 2018 alone (unedited from my notes):
Gaining 4.5kg of muscle while losing about 3% body fat for an ectomorph in one month is INSANE!
Yet I set myself up for “success”. I researched workouts catered to my body type. I researched supplements. I researched nutrition. I know exactly what I’ll be eating for the month. And I mean that to the nutrition facts level. How many grams of proteins, carbs and fat for each ingredient of a dish. I know the proportions I need for growth.
In the end, I’ll be eating 4500 (good) calories every day. To put that into perspective: Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson eats 5000 calories a day! How insane is it to think I’ll eat almost the same and weigh 61kg only!
I will likely fail.
In that same list, I’m mentioning multiple business ventures: Become a writer, Sell a video game, become an investor, revive an eCom site I turned off and revive a web app I had stopped doing.
Pretty likely that I will fail.
Writing one article on Medium a day? While going to the gym and working 9.5 hours a day? And while doing other side-businesses?
What are the chances of me succeeding?
Now that’s one month in the year. I plan for all my months to be that insane. Maybe I’ll need one or two months of rest though haha!
“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” — Robert F.Kennedy
“What defines us is how we rise after falling.” — Conor McGregor
I will fail all year, yet all the growth I’ll accumulate will be unparalleled. I will learn more in that year then I’ve ever learned in my entire life.
Now that’s what I call success!
Who’s ready to you fail alongside me?
Thanks for reading! :)