5 Ways to Improve Your Life
Last week, I received three emails with the same subject line: “Changing my life,” from three trainees in my course, and this synchronization certainly caught my attention, as the emails of each of these students detailed their life situations, and they all talked about the same basic topic and the question: “I don't know what I want to do with my future, but I want to be successful; what do I do?”
Note: This article is taken from the writer Marc Chernoff, in which he tells us about 5 ways to change your life.
It's hard to answer such a broad and comprehensive question, but here's my attempt to answer it: a short list of 5 ways and strategies that my wife, Angel, and I live by that are worth working on regardless of your age or what you decide to do for the rest of your life.
5 Ways to Improve Your Life
1. Focus on the present more than the future
It is good to plan for the future, but not at the expense of your entire present. No matter how smart you are or how hard you try, you can't know the future accurately. Even people who have a systematic plan don't know what's going to happen in the future, and if they have any certainty, they're naive. Life rarely goes as planned.
Of all the people who succeeded in doing exactly what they planned to do in the specific timeframe they set to do so, there are dozens of others who started strongly but did not achieve their goals. If this happens to you, this is not a bad thing; there may be new obstacles and opportunities to change your view, strengthen your resolve, or change your life for the better, and the goal you once sought may not be present today.
For example, just a few years ago, the work that most people wanted at companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter didn't exist, so if you can't plan your entire future, what should you do? Focus more on the present than the future, which will benefit you no matter what the future brings.
For example, read, write, learn, practice valuable skills, test your skills and ideas, be adventurous, seek out real-world experiences, and form healthy relationships. These efforts will help in any future circumstances that come your way, and I think one of the best ways to start all of this is to build something small in your free time.
Most people spend their free time doing unimportant things, such as watching TV, playing video games, browsing social media, etc. A year later, you won't get any benefit from these habits, but if you're drawing every day, practicing your web design skills, writing a blog, creating a YouTube channel, starting a business, or spending more time connecting with the right people, by the end of the year you'll have built something important.
You'll also have some great experiences you can mention and say, “I made it, I learned it,” which, unfortunately, most people can't do, and it may seem more accessible for young people to do these things. Still, we can all take small steps in the right direction every day for the rest of our lives.
2. Focus more on the journey
The most productive and valuable experience is not in achieving something you want but in striving to achieve it; what matters is the journey towards an endless horizon and the goals that go forward with you as you seek them. It is all about striving and what you learn in the process. The most important reason to move from one place to another is to see the road between them, in the middle, where you find love and passion, gain strength, and make memories. You cannot live any of that without living your journey; in other words, the right journey is the destination.
3. Do Difficult Things
Making excuses is what hinders your progress, and if you want to move forward, do things that make you uncomfortable, things you are not good at; there is no excuse to stay stuck in your place, and there is no excuse to make the same mistakes over and over again; life is too short. You have to expand your limits to be free, and one of the most important skills you can develop in life is to accept a certain level of discomfort because it is often difficult to get the best things.
If you run away from difficulty and discomfort, you will lose the experience. Mastering a new skill is difficult; building a business is difficult; writing a book is challenging; getting married is complicated; raising children is, too; and keeping fit is difficult. Still, all are wonderful things and worth every effort you can make.
If you're good at doing hard things, you can do anything. How are you good at this? Deliberately do uncomfortable things today; start with small steps, try to exercise for ten minutes, even if it is difficult, and repeat this practice every day for a month before increasing the exercise duration even for a few minutes.
Try blogging or meditating every day for ten minutes, and when you find yourself avoiding annoyance or procrastination, push yourself more, but do not work for more than ten minutes. It is all about starting on a small scale and building daily rituals that gradually strengthen your mind and body and allow you to do difficult things effortlessly in the long term.
4. Accept Uncertainty
The skill of doing hard things is related to accepting uncertainty. Starting a business, for example, is a great thing to do, but if you're afraid of uncertainty, you will not be able to achieve your goal. You may not know exactly what the outcome will be. If you need to know the results, you will avoid opportunities, career projects, life-changing relationships, etc.
But if you are receptive to the feeling of uncertainty, you will open the door to an infinite range of possibilities, but you will not achieve them easily. Sometimes, you will not be able to know where you are going; each step will seem uncertain, but know that as long as you follow your intuition and take small steps, your inner feeling will guide you to your goal. You will find that you will be the right person, in the right place, at the right time, and do the right thing at the right time. Trust your instincts and relax; you know what to do.
Life means learning as you go, and it is risky. You take a little risk with every decision, every interaction, every step, and every time you get out of bed in the morning. Life means getting out of bed, and you are sure of your ability to face any risks, while not getting out of bed and clinging to illusions of safety means that you have condemned yourself to a slow death.
Suppose you ignore your feelings and let uncertainty control you. In that case, you will never know anything, and in many ways, this ignorance will be worse than discovering that your intuition was wrong because if you are wrong, you can make adjustments and move on with your life without looking back.
When you accept the discomfort and uncertainty, you can do all the wonderful things that seem impossible now; travel the world, live sparingly while blogging about your adventure, write a book, start a profitable small business, move to a new city, learn to play a musical instrument, get a job with a start-up you like, and much more. All of these ideas can be achieved in a relatively short time, but you have to accept discomfort and uncertainty, and you have to start sooner rather than later.
5. Build and nurture appropriate relationships
Some people are suitable, and some people are not suitable for you; there are fake people, and there are those who are true friends and loyal companions. You have the option of deciding who to spend time with. Real friends in your personal or professional life have sincere hearts and will do their best to help you when needed. So keep the people who have never failed you and have fulfilled their promises.
Suppose you spend your time and energy on pointless relationships or many other activities that force you to neglect good relationships. In that case, you may end up in a boring cycle of fleeting friendships, superficial, meaningless romance, a general sense of wonderment about why you're not growing, and a constant pursuit of affection and admiration.
Since this is a topic of professional success, talk to many people every day; even if you feel uncomfortable, talk to bosses, colleagues, employees, professors, social club members, neighbors, and friends to form a network.
As for me, I have worked for three employers since I graduated from college, and I left all three employers by my choice and in good condition. I started my own business, but I only interviewed the first employer. The other two offered me jobs even before I had a formal interview on the recommendation of the hiring manager, a person I had communicated with over the years.
When employers seek a position, they often ask people they trust if they know someone suitable. If you start building your network today, you will be ready in the coming years. Over time, you will continue to talk to new people you meet through your current network, and the associated opportunities will continue to increase throughout your life.
Again, this may seem more accessible for young people, but it is possible for all of us; it requires only effort. The key is to be trustworthy in your relationships. When someone is given a job opportunity, the biggest fear is that this person is not trustworthy; the person who has made a good reputation over the years is likely to be more reliable and more likely to be recommended than others.
So learn to be trustworthy through honesty, admitting and fixing mistakes, and doing more than your duty in your personal and professional relationships whenever possible. If you stick to this, you will build a good reputation, and people will appreciate and support you. This is the best way to get a job, a business investor, or another good friend.