25 Steps to Success in 2019 and Beyond
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrEtD-KB7cY
Take Control of Your Life
Having improved my own life in many aspects, spent thousands of dollars on my own self-development, and studied successful people for a number of years — Here are 25 steps to success for 2019 and beyond.
Many of these may sound simple, but it is the consistency of actually doing them that is going to make a big change.
Repetition is the mother of all skill.
It takes consistent action over a period of time to create lasting change. Some of my friends over at ‘TheGoalsGuy’ have an amazing 100-day challenge that will help you stay on track, motivated, and keep you accountable.
1. Move more
What you do doesn’t really matter. Join a gym, take up a new hobby, or get outside and go for a run. Just begin to get into the habit of exercising frequently and taking care of your body.
Why: Exercise is essential for our overall physical and mental health. It also releases endorphins (our feel-good hormones)
2. Eat better
Specifically, consume more whole foods and less processed, high sugar, and trans-fat-based foods.
Why: The food we eat effects our energy, health, mood, and emotions. It is true when people say “you are what you eat.”
3. Focus on your sleep
By that, I mean get more of it. 7–8 hours of quality sleep. Try going to bed on a regular schedule to and allow your body to recover properly. Your body clock will also begin to adjust and know when it is ready to get a full rest.
Why: Sleep is absolutely essential for the quality of your life. Our health is deeply impacted if we fail to optimize our rest. Have you ever had a productive and amazing day following a poor nights sleep?
4. Create a priority to-do-list
Either before you go to bed at night, or first thing in the morning — write a list of 2 or 3 things that are most important for you to do during the day. Many of us can create gigantic lists with the intention of being super productive, but the chances of completing any of it is drastically reduced.
Why: Because making small progress is better than not making any progress. 2 or 3 priorities will ensure you are continually progressing each day.
You can learn more about prioritizing tasks on this article at rescue time.
5. Meditate
If you’re unsure on how to meditate, you can use the app Calm. It has a free and paid version and I’ve personally used both. You can also find out a little more info on how to meditate at how-tomeditate.org
Why: Meditation is an incredibly powerful practice that has a range of benefits including: relaxing the nervous system, creating inner peace, quieting the mind, and allowing you to connect fully with your entire being.
6. Take a hot & cold shower
Alternate between hot and cold when you take a shower in the morning. I have a regular shower and then turn it to cold for the last 30 seconds before getting out.
Why: They will increase circulation in the body, give you more energy, boost your immune system, and dramatically wake you up for the day. But another reason I personally have them is that it sets the intention for the day that I am in control of it, not those doubts or voices trying to talk you out of things. This has helped me in many aspects of my life and teaches me to take control of everything on a daily basis.
7. Invest in yourself
It’s been said that investing in yourself is the best investment that you can make. Take courses, listen to podcasts, hire a coach. Whatever it is, investing in yourself and your own development will enhance your life more than you can imagine.
Why: To live a meaningful and fulfilling life we must aim to be the best versions of ourselves. It doesn’t matter which area of your life it is. It could be fitness, finances, relationships… When we work on ourselves, we are actually improving the lives of those around us and the relationships with those closest to us.
8. Face your fears more
Get into a habit of doing things a little out of your comfort zone. So many people are crippled with fear and the inability to act on things they want. Maybe it’s once a week or even once a day. Regularly push yourself.
Why: Human beings like to be comfortable. We’re designed to survive. But in life we’re either growing or dying, and growth happens when we challenge ourselves. We would never achieve anything great or feel such joy if everything was simple, boring, and easy.
9. Do random acts of kindness
Compliment someone on their appearance, buy a stranger some coffee, feed a homeless person. It doesn’t matter what it is, but a kind gesture to another human is something that will improve your life.
Why: Giving is the secret to living. Many people are thinking about what they want for themselves, but true joy comes making an impact on someone else’s day. Not only that, but you will actually feel amazing for doing it. That’s what we’re all after at the end of the day, right? More happiness and meaningful lives.
10. Practice gratitude daily
This is one of the easiest and most powerful things that we can do for our lives. Before you sleep at night or for part of your morning routine, think of 3 things that you are grateful for in your life. I find that writing them down helps. The key is to actually feel the emotions of gratitude and not just say a bunch of words.
Why: Gratitude is one of the most powerful states to be in and when we feel gratitude, it is impossible to feel negative emotions at the same time. Not only that but when we train our minds to look for the good in things, it comes way more easily to us. Our lives begin to shift for the better.
There have been a lot of scientific studies on gratitude and its power. Psychology Today has listed 7 of them.
11. Journal
Journaling is a way to express and get your thoughts out on paper. There doesn’t even need to be a structure in doing so. You may want to journal purely as an expression of emotion, or you may also want to use it to brainstorm ideas you have.
Why: The process of writing our thoughts on paper is incredibly therapeutic and can help you organize your thoughts. This can be effective for depression and anxiety.
You can check out the amazing Best Self journal to help you maximize your journaling and productivity habits.
12. Start a mastermind
A mastermind is a group of like-minded people who get together to share ideas and help you collectively as a group. Imagine a problem you have in your life, and then you have a bunch of other people who are 100% focusing their energy on a solution. It is way more powerful than always trying to go at things alone.
Why: The collective power and consciousness of other people will create greater depth and insights into possible solutions and outcomes.
13. Hire a coach or mentor
Is there any particular area of your life that you would like to dramatically improve or speed up a particular result? If so then hiring a coach to help you will fast track your way to success.
Why: If you need your car fixed, do you try and figure out how to do it yourself or do you take it to an expert and get it fixed faster? It’s the same with any area of life you want to improve.
14. Learn something new
When we learn something new, we are expanding our skill set and exercising our brains to grow and to serve us better. Maybe there is an instrument, language, or sport that you have always wanted to try, but never fully committed to it.
Why: Variety is the spice of life. We become excited and grow more from new experiences that we have. Life is about moving forward, not standing still (or sitting).
15. Create a vision for your year
Most people have a very vague, if at all idea of where they are heading next month, let alone for the year. Having some clarity around what you want to achieve will help you get out of bed in the morning to take that cold shower.
Why: A vision for where you are going will help you actually get there. A person doesn’t get into their car and just drive around aimlessly. They have a vision for where they are going. They may need a GPS to help them, but they have a destination in mind. That’s what you need in your life if you want to achieve great things.
16. Set goals and milestones
To achieve your vision, you need specific goals and milestones to help you along the way. Think about some big goals that you’d love to achieve for the year and ask yourself why they are important to you.
Why: A vision without a plan is just a dream. The goals are the achievable things with daily consistent actions. For example, a goal of losing 50lbs of body fat is quite some distance. Setting goals of losing 1–2lbs per week and a goal of consistently attending workouts is something that can be monitored. Eventually, these smaller habits and goals will create a long-term vision.
17. Be more kind to yourself
Oftentimes we can be our own worst critic. Take note of all the great things you have done and continue to do and praise yourself.
Why: Self-praise and self-love will improve your overall well-being and help you stay motivated to go after more in your life.
18. Live in alignment with your values
Firstly, figure out what your values are if you don’t already know them.
Why: A lot of unhappiness and unfulfillment comes from living out of alignment with our values. It is also why many people are in conflict or disagreement — when our beliefs and values are different. Consciously living in alignment with what’s important to you will naturally make you feel happier.
19. Go after your dreams
Too often, too many people don’t believe in themselves and never achieve their hearts greatest desire. Just forget your current situation for a moment and think deeply about what you truly want in your life. What excites you? How do you want to live?
Why: we are on this planet to live life fully and create a life full of joy and happiness.
20. Spend less time on social media
I know it’s difficult, but many people are addicted to their phones and social media. Jay Shetty speaks about how our phones are destroying our relationships.
Why: Real human interaction and real life is happening outside of our phones. Too much social media is actually bad for our mental well-being. Many of the apps are designed to keep you on them. Notifications going off constantly to give you another hit of dopamine.
21. Nurture your relationships
Relationships are a huge part of our overall happiness, health, and well-being. Humans are meant to interact and be together. Try and make time for the important people in your life. Have you been avoiding talking to family members? Has it been too long since you spoke with a good friend?
Why: The relationships in our lives are incredibly important. Whether it’s romantic, family, or friendships. We need to nurture the ones we have and put time into them. When life is difficult, who do you turn to for help?
22. Shift your perspective
Try and expand your thinking a little. In times of disagreement or when people get under your skin, rather than become defensive — try and see things from a different perspective.
Why: Understand that everyone’s model of the world is different. People come from different backgrounds, experiences, and life situations that have built up how they see the world. It doesn’t mean one is right and one is wrong, but know that people only know what they know.
23. Be less reactive
When someone does something or says something that triggers something in you, breath for a moment and try not to always react.
Why: If you react to things, you are giving your personal power away and letting other things or people control your emotions and actions. I’m not saying it is easy, but the more you practice this, the more you realize you have a choice and it feels amazing when you feel your own control.
24. Save some of your money
One of the hardest things for people to do is to save their money. Get into the habit of putting aside a certain percentage of what you earn and feel can manage without putting too much stress on things. I would argue that paying yourself first is a priority, regardless of any debts you have. But that is just my opinion, so please do your own research before making any decisions that could dramatically impact your life.
Why: You will never get out of financial trouble if you cannot save any of your money. The same goes for if you want to become extremely wealthy. A person who is always into their overdraft will always be that way unless they change their mindset and approach. Even if that person increased their income by $30,000 a year. They would find a way to spend it all and still be in their overdraft.
25. Read more
Set yourself a realistic goal for yourself of how many books you’d like to read and make it a consistent practice. I personally started consistently reading just 10 pages each morning. It can be more and often is, but the habit of doing it will create momentum.
Why: Reading books can increase your knowledge and skill set hugely. Taking in information from experts on specific subjects is a great, affordable way to grow. Imagine if you read a book a month one subject for an entire year. 12 good books will have given you so much knowledge on a subject that others will be asking you for advice.
(Here are 3 books that could change your life.)
Conclusion
So that’s 25 steps to success in the new year and your life. Just remember that things take time, but we all have the ability to make positive changes.
I’d love to know which are your top priorities for the new year.
Let me know below in the comments what changes you’re planning on making.
Let’s make it an awesome year!
PS — if you are looking to speed up your results, you can apply to work with me directly as your personal coach here.
Originally published at intralifestyle.com on December 17, 2018.