What most people really want (even if they don’t know it) is freedom. When you see a photo of someone standing by their brand new expensive car with their beautiful husband/wife, and the best attire, it’s not that you necessarily want that. You want the freedom that having that kind of money can buy. You want to be financially free! Freedom brings happiness. Whether it’s the freedom to choose what work you’re going to do or not do, where you want to live, or what your plans are for the day, you want to have the choice (power/freedom) to make that decision completely on your own, without any outside influence. You’ll soon find out that material possessions only buy fleeting happiness. You’ll be happy for a short period of time, but it will not last.
Tag: decisions
Four keys to success (inspired by a recent BiggerPockets podcast episode)
1. Decisiveness – clearly define what it is you want. Then ask yourself, will whatever action you’re about to take bring you closer to that goal? If yes, do it. If no, don’t do it. Not sure? Give yourself a set period to decide then take action.
2. Build momentum. Does an airplane start the engine then it’s up in the air flying? No. It has to build up speed to take flight. Once in the air, it’s easy to maintain. Determine what is the most important next action step, then do it (preferably, it should be easy to implement so you can “check it off the list” and build momentum). When you do that, figure out the most important next step and do that. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
3. Measure what matters. Keep track of the most important numbers. What are the lead measures and lag measures you need to hit to achieve your goals? Budget your time, actions, money, etc.
4. Become an expert. What did I do yesterday? How could I have done it better? What did I do that I should stop doing? What do I need to learn to be considered an “expert” in my field.
Random thoughts
A few simple tips to live by…
Be kind, but don’t be a pushover.
Be content, but never stop striving to be better.
Be humble in winning, but gracious in losing.
Be confident, but not arrogant.
Be a good listener, but don’t be afraid to speak up.
Forgive, but don’t forget.
Find a way to positively contribute to others every single day.
Lastly, don’t pay attention to how others think or feel about you. That’s their issue. This is not to confuse being mean or rude to others. Do what you believe to be right, which includes treating others with respect and being nice. But don’t change who you are or how you act because you think people will respond better to it. Most people will like you more for being genuine, which means you’ll make mistakes sometimes, but at least you’re not a robot. At least you’ll be real. And if you do make a mistake or realize you’ve wronged someone, own up to it. Apologize.
Influence vs. control
You can influence others, but you can’t control them. Others can influence you, but they can’t control you. You get to decide what you do or don’t do. Don’t blame someone else for “making” you do something or feel some way. They may have influence over you, but only you get to determine if they control you or not.
Let’s take that a step further and apply it to life circumstances. We don’t get to control what happens in our environment. We can influence it to an extent and it can influence us but we don’t control it and it doesn’t control us.
Don’t blame the economy, the government, the president, your boss, or anyone else for something that isn’t right in your life. They’re only a small part of the problem. The bigger part of the problem is your attitude and your actions.
The good news is that if you’re the majority of the problem, you’re also the majority of the solution. Work on fixing yourself and your life will get better. No matter the circumstances, you can always try to improve your situation by improving your attitude, being prepared, working hard, and being kind to others. If you do this everyday, you’ll soon find out that outside circumstances eventually have less and less influence (and absolutely no control) on your life.
Embarrassment
Never be embarrassed by where you are in life – by what car you’re driving or what house you live in. Everyone has to start somewhere. If you’re going to be embarrassed about anything, be embarrassed about if you’re taking a victim mentality and blaming others for your situation.
Instead of being complacent, how are you using ambition and drive to improve your situation? Just because you’re somewhere right now, it doesn’t mean that you have to stay there. But if you don’t take action, chances are you’re not going to be in a very different spot a few years from now.
So if you don’t like where you’re at, again, you shouldn’t be embarrassed or ashamed of it. But that means that you’re not happy with the results of what you’ve done so far. Now is the time to change. Take action everyday to improve and you’ll be amazed at how far you’ll go in a short period of time.