How would you like to achieve a life that you never dreamed possible? With a vision, focus and determination, what might now seem inconceivable may very well be achievable. Put these tips into practice to begin your journey to a life beyond anything you ever imagined.
Create a Vision and a Plan
Ultimately what do you want from life? Can you list the ingredients you would need for a perfect life? Where would you live? How would you spend each day? Imagine how you would feel about yourself and your situation. Put this vision on paper and place it somewhere where you’ll see it often, such as your bathroom mirror or your bulletin board at your desk. You could even add pictures of things you would like to have in the future, like your ideal place to live or a great re-do of your at-home office space. Make a plan detailing how you can achieve what you desire. You may have to edit the plan as you go along. After all, success rarely transpires in a straight line or an exact timetable. Check off the short-term goals that you achieve, but always keep the longer-term objectives in sight.
Avoid Negative Personalities
You can usually pretty quickly identify the toxic people in your life. Sometimes it’s impossible to avoid them totally. Still, one of the most important things to do for your advancement is to avoid counterproductive input as much as possible. Envy can encourage others to obstruct your progress. This attitude is often referred to as crab mentality or “crabs in the bucket.” These terms come from the reaction of crabs in a bucket when one or two brave crabs try to escape to freedom. Instead of assisting, the other crabs will pull the hopeful potential escapees back down into the bucket. The actions of these crabs ultimately seal the fate of the group. People with crab mentality don’t want anyone to succeed at something, or sometimes even at life in general, if they can’t succeed.
Surround Yourself With Positive People and Share Your Dreams
Share your aspirations and your plan with the supportive people in your life. By sharing, you ultimately hold yourself accountable for realizing your goals. Your supporters will encourage you, insist that you do what you say and are there to celebrate with you when you succeed.
Be Realistic and Avoid Getting Overwhelmed
As they say, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Have a sensible idea of what you can achieve short-term and where you want to go. Then, set realistic goals. Setting goals that are totally out of reach will only overwhelm you and lead to disappointment. It’s always good to challenge yourself, but be practical and honest with yourself. Also, take time to unwind.
If You Can’t Do It Joyfully, Don’t Do It at All
You can achieve many things, but if getting to the goal is drudgery, you haven’t done well living in the present. Misery is something that neither you nor anyone else within your orbit should have to suffer. Be the positivity that you want to see in others. It’s contagious. Productivity is not just an outcome; it’s a process. Be efficient, but strive beyond efficiency. Don’t wait to accomplish goals that are achievable now. Work toward your ultimate goal as much as you can now by doing what makes you happy. Injecting self-satisfaction into everything that you do will promote feelings of accomplishment. Nobody likes to spin their wheels, but make sure you’re making progress. Waiting for “the right time” could cause you to miss a potential opportunity. Success requires timing and occasionally taking risks.
Create an Inspiring Workspace
Build a workspace that inspires you to be creative and productive. Personalize it with items that mean something to you. You could decorate your cubicle at work or create a comfortable office in your home.
Step Out of Your Comfort Zone
Even though stepping out of your comfort zone can be anxiety-provoking, it’s a necessary part of growing as a person. Striving for success can be extremely uncomfortable. As you’re doing something that’s creating fear and anxiety, embrace the discomfort; without it, your life would stagnate.
View Mistakes as Growth
Mistakes may feel like setbacks when they occur, but that one closed door — the failure to succeed at one effort — will reveal others worth opening. They can be just what you need to redirect your life into something positive that you would never have considered otherwise.
Remembering where you’ve been and knowing where you’re headed is beneficial, but living as joyfully in the present will make the journey a reward in itself. The past is irretrievable, and the future is uncertain, but the present is available to enjoy.
