RANDOM IDEAS ABOUT LIFE.
RANDOM IDEAS ABOUT LIFE.
In the
grand scheme of things, I have little to nothing figured out.
But just in
case I've stumbled on something that could help you, here are a few ideas about
living well, doing good, and making life better.
If you want to change your life, then change your
identity.
All behavior is belief driven.
—Jim Kwik
The type of
person that you believe that you are and the type of things that you believe
you are capable of — in other words, your identity — is what determines the
actions you perform.
The
limitations in your life are framed by the box of your mind. If you want a new
life, then start building a new identity.
Start
small. Prove your new identity to yourself in a thousand tiny ways. Soon it
will become real in a thousand big ways.
Further
Reading: Identity-Based Habits: How to Actually Stick to Your Goals
It's your responsibility to pick the direction for
your life.
A lot of
smart people waste years thinking, “If I just work hard, then things will work
out for me.”
Maybe.
Maybe not.
It's your
job to decide the direction for your life. The world is filled with good people
who want good things for you, but they are busy with their own lives. It's not
their job to find opportunities for you. They won’t help you unless you can tap
them on the shoulder and say, “I’d like to get here. Do you know how?”
Purpose is
everything. If you know where you want to go in life, then people will either
help you get there or get out of the way. Both of those are useful.
Further
Reading: The #1 Regret From the Lives of Dying Hospital Patients (And How to Avoid
It)
Focus on average speed, not maximum speed.
Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest
of us just show up and get to work.
—Chuck Close
Most people
only work hard every now and then. You can blow past them simply by showing up
every day. While everyone else is waiting to get inspired and motivated, you
get to work. It doesn't take a monumental effort to achieve incredible results,
just a consistent one.
Professionals
set a schedule for their work. Amateurs work when it's convenient.
Further
Reading: What is Your “Average Speed?” and The Difference Between Professionals and Amateurs
Give yourself permission.
You don’t
need permission to make yourself better. The typical standard doesn’t have to
be your standard.
You don't
need permission to love someone or something. If you love them, you love them.
If you love it, you love it.
You don't
need permission to create something you're excited about, to quit your job and
travel the world, to pursue a dream, to give up on a dream, or to do just about
anything.
If you want
to do it, do it. You don't need to be tapped, appointed, chosen, or nominated
to live a good life. You don't need to be selected for greatness, just start
living it.
Start before you feel ready.
If you have
a goal, the most important thing is to start. Do not wait for motivation. If
it’s not there, it will come after starting.
Most of us
begin at the same place: no money, no resources, no contacts, no experience.
The difference is that some people — the winners — choose to start anyway.
Having the
courage to start is more important than succeeding because the people who consistently
get started are the only ones who can end up finishing anything. If you can't
find anyone to support you, be bold and start anyway. You'll find supporters
along the way.
Further
Reading: Successful People Start Before They Feel Ready
Push yourself physically.
We live in
a physical world and we're meant to live a physical life.
Challenging
your own body is the greatest method for discovering the strength of your mind.
Nowhere is this more true than with strength training. There will be days when
you don’t feel like coming into the gym. There will be sets that you don’t feel
like finishing. There will be times when everyone else in the gym will see you
fail.
And if you
keep showing up anyway, then you’ll develop the mental fortitude to get past
failure, work when you don’t feel like it, and discover what you’re really made
of mentally and physically. Too many people are soft mentally because they're
soft physically.
Further
Reading: Why Everybody Should Lift Weights
Create something rather than consuming something.
When you cease to make a contribution,
you begin to die.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Too often
we spend our lives visiting the world instead of shaping it. It is through the
act of creating new experiences that we discover who we are and what is
important to us.
Cook a meal
instead of buying one. Play a game instead of watching one. Write a paragraph
instead of reading one. Don't just consume, create.
Further
Reading: The Easy Way to Live a Short, Unimportant Life
Live authentically.
You have enemies? Good. That means
you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.
—Winston Churchill
You have no
responsibility to live up to someone else’s expectation of you. Don't waste
your life chasing what someone else says you should want instead of doing
what’s right for you.
Take a
stand for something you believe in. Sometimes you need to look society in the
eye and tell the world to stuff it. Never compromise your values or your
dreams. It’s not the easy decision, but it’s the right decision.
Give away your ideas. Take no credit. Share your
victories.
Team
accomplishment is far greater than individual achievement. To make your work
matter, share it with someone. Giving is the greatest joy.
There's no
sense in pointing fingers, making claims, or demanding recognition. Pretty much
every idea you've ever had isn't yours — it's the result of something you read,
something you were taught, or something that happened to you.
Embrace the
learning experience that is life and share the knowledge you stumble across
freely. Ideas that are hoarded help no one. Success follows generosity.
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