I’ll do it next year.
Whatever. You have been saying that for years.
“Next year, when I have more money”
“I’ll have time when X happens’’
I hear what you’re saying. I did it for years.
The sad thing is, every time you do this, you are sacrificing (and risking) the most sacred of all things we have.
Time.
Every day that passes, is a day you can’t get back.
My Dad died at 40. Way too young by any measure. He didn’t have the time to achieve his goals and ambitions. I read those in his letters from his deathbed.
Losing a parent at a young age gives you a different perspective on life. Most of us live and act like we are invincible. We choose to live a life with the expectation we will be able to do what we want when we retire.
For some of us, it will work out. For others, it won’t.
“The most dangerous risk of all the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later.”
You may feel validated and justified for not living a life true to yourself right now.
I get it – we have responsibilities and careers. Adult stuff.
What we forget is most of these rules are set by society’s expectations to play it safe. To make conservative, supposed safe decisions hoping it will pay off for us in the future. Only then, can we start living our true lives.
I say bollocks to that. What if you aren’t so lucky?
The evidence is clear.
From Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos to Steven Bartlett and Ryan Holiday, all successful people have achieved great things by being a little different.
They achieved their goals by ignoring the naysayers (of which there were many) and relentlessly pursuing their dreams, step by step.
Nothing is stopping you at this very moment from taking steps to set you on the path to a more fulfilling life.
Here are three key (and easy) strategies you can start today that I have used to start living a more fulfilling life.
Start a Journal
Do you have five minutes spare in your day?
Of course, you have.
Journaling has been around for thousands of years for a good reason. Journaling is the ultimate accountability tool.
By taking five minutes to either plan or evaluate (or both) your day, you can speak to your true self. What goals did you set yourself? Did you do (or not do) what you hoped? It is up to you how you do it.
The key is, to be honest with yourself. Your journal is not a place to make excuses or blames others for your circumstances. Being honest with ourselves is a difficult thing to do. But, like anything, with practice, it does get easier.
By removing the excuse barrier from your mind, you can instead focus on yourself and your actions.
For me, it only took a couple of weeks for journaling to become a habit. At first, I struggled with what to write. I would be staring at a blank page for a few minutes. It took discipline to stay in my chair.
Eventually, without anything distracting me, something changed.
When the pen got moving, so did my mind.
My journal ended up being (and still is) what keeps my goals achievable.
Five minutes a day is all it takes.
Set a Big Goal
Achieving big goals is a result of achieving small, almost insignificant ones.
In 2018, 69-year-old Chinese Mountaineer Xia Boyu climbed Mount Everest on his fifth attempt. Boyu lost both legs due to frostbite after a failed expedition to climb Everest when he was 25.
Most goals you can set for yourself are far more achievable. Especially with a smart strategy.
Every day, set a small goal to do something that contributes to your big goal. It might be sacrificing that second coffee and putting the cash into your travel fund. Or it could be a walk around the block or reading a chapter of a book related to your goal.
Let’s not go crazy straight away – start small.
By opening your eyes and ears to a learning mindset by learning and improving a little every day, the path to your goals begins to reveal itself.
It is not a complicated process. We can all do it.
So go on then – what will you do to improve your tomorrow?
Stop Worrying About Things You Can't Control
I wasted years doing this.
For most of my adult life, I was the typical procrastinator who cared so much about failing or people laughing at me that I did nothing productive with my life.
It was easier to do nothing. So, nothing changed. Neither did my unfulfilling life. It became a vicious circle.
It was only when I did something, changed careers and went overseas that the mindset shifted.
I realised that despite making such significant changes to my life, no one cared. That wasn’t supposed to happen.
Where were the pats on the back? The congratulatory text messages and likes on Facebook. Instead, it was, well, radio silence in a way.
That was a lightbulb moment.
Your life is about you. Not anyone else. Do you think I write these words on the internet to please everyone and get supportive messages ( which are nice, I’m not an emotionless robot)?
The answer is no – I do it for me.
But I learned most things the hard way. If sharing these words helps you avoid some of my crap, then that is pretty cool.
Life will happen to you – every single day. A crying baby, an angry boss. Regardless of whether you care or not.
The sooner you acknowledge that crap will happen to you, the better.
Your response is key. Your response is a choice.
When my Dad died at 40, the sorrow and confusion in my ten-year-old mind was overwhelming.
Instead, it has become a positive and fuelled a life of positivity and energy.
On that note, Dear Procrastinator,
What are you waiting for?
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