Your guide to a healthier perspective of life
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky
This quote isn’t just about hockey, or basketball, or any other sport for that matter This quote is a metaphor for life. If you want something more for yourself or your family, you have to take a shot at it. You might miss. It might be embarrassing. But if you don’t take the shot, and you “play it safe,” eventually you’ll realize that playing it safe wasn’t so safe after all.
Should courage be the foundation of everyone’s core values? I believe justice, integrity, generosity, and perseverance are also very important values to have, but without the courage to act on what we need to do, will any of those virtues be followed in times of trouble?
We need to be courageous to face uncomfortable situations. Without courage, we are more likely to default to whatever is easiest. Sometimes, to be courageous will require us to confront others, whether they are our peers, someone in a position of authority, or maybe someone you are supposed to be leading. Hopefully we don’t need to confront others often, but it will be necessary at some point in life, regardless of who you are.
Are we standing up for what we believe in, even if it means that we may suffer for doing so? Without courage, we won’t speak up when we see injustice. Without courage, we won’t do what we know is right just because there are roadblocks (like other people). Without courage, maybe we will be less likely to give because we fear we won’t have enough. Without courage, we will give up at the first sign of struggle.
Practice being courageous. It will take time and we will mess up many times along the way. But if we give ourselves some grace, and keep trying to do what is right no matter the consequences, eventually being courageous will become easier for us. Then, not only will we be able to sleep better at night knowing we stood up for what we believe, but we will also gain the respect/admiration of others.
Many people have heard of The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. I love that book and it helped to kickstart my career. But while that book focuses on starting your morning off right (which builds momentum to make your day right), I have a slight modification to it. The outline below helps to ensure that you are performing optimally throughout each day. Read below and let me know your thoughts!
1. Get your mind right
A) Pray / Be Grateful / Meditate
Wake up and be thankful for what you have – family, friends, health, shelter, technology, a career, etc. Whether you want to call this prayer, or if you want to call it a gratitude session doesn’t matter to me. The key is to focus on the positive things in your life. Whatever you focus on, you will begin to see more of it. So if you focus on death and despair, eventually you’ll become a “doom and gloom” person (which is why I absolutely do not waste my time watching the news).
Instead of saying, “I have to do X,” say, “I get to do X.” In theory, you don’t have to do anything, but you have been fortunate enough to be in the position of getting to do that thing. Even if that thing is getting up early to go work out, to get ready for work, to make a tough phone call, or to be up in the middle of the night changing a baby’s diaper. You are fortunate enough to have good health or work on improving yours, to have a job when so many are without one right now, to be in a position to help others even when they don’t want to hear it, or to have a baby of your own when others aren’t able to conceive and can’t afford to adopt. Change your mindset, change your life.
In regards to meditation, you can download apps like Calm or Headspace or you can just sit and focus on your breathing for 10 deep breaths. The whole point is to slow down. You don’t always need to be on the move! Sometimes slowing down and focusing on your breath is just the thing you need to get your mind right.
B) Review your goals.
If you want to go somewhere or do something, you have to keep the end goal in mind before taking action. Many of us have a vague idea of what we want to accomplish, but once the day starts we immediately go into reactive mode. Figure out what is the most important action step you can take TODAY to bring you closer to hitting your goal, then do it. Even if you only get one thing done today, make sure it is the most important thing that brings you closer to your goal.
Not sure where to start? Break it down into manageable chunks…your yearly goal(s) should be broken down into quarters, which should be broken down into months, which should be broken down into weeks, which should be broken down into days, which should be broken down to what you need to do right now.
C) Believe in yourself / Get motivated.
After reviewing your goals, read your affirmations. Review what you are capable of and read one motivational quote. Then count down. 3-2-1 go (do it). Visualize attaining your goals. What would that feel like?
D) Learn.
Read at least 10 minutes or 10 pages of a book each day, read one work-related article each day, and listen to one educational podcast each day.
E) Produce (write, draw, etc.)
Write something either in the form of journaling, a blog post, or contributing towards a book/e-book you’ve been planning on writing. If you have time or it brings you enjoyment, draw, color, or paint.
2. Get your body right.
A) Exercise.
Move your body for at least 30-minutes each day (cycle through strength, power, and conditioning programs while mixing in mobility, flexibility, and agility). For examples of this, you can follow me on Instagram (@Realtor_Caleb) where I post my daily workout.
B) Eat well.
No matter what you call yourself (vegan, vegetarian, omnivore, carnivore, etc) and no matter what “diet” you follow (if you follow one), we all know basically what we should and shouldn’t be eating. The key is to not keep the “bad” foods around the house, your work environment, etc. Avoid temptation. Don’t put yourself in compromising situations and you’ll do much better.
Another trick is to tell yourself that you’re not the kind of person who does/eats “X.” For example, “I don’t eat fast food.”
Lastly, set up rules for yourself. The rules can be anything you want. For example, “I will not eat after 8 p.m. or before 6 a.m.” or “I do not eat anything after I brush my teeth at night.” For the latter example, you can use it to your advantage by brushing your teeth earlier in the night to trigger the rule/stop eating.
C) Sleep well.
If you do many of the things above (eat well, exercise, and make progress towards accomplishing your goals), you’ll probably sleep pretty well at night. A couple of other tips include trying to stay away from screens an hour before bed (try reading instead), having a slightly cooler room, and installing black out curtains/sleeping in as dark a room as possible.
“All the benefits in life come from compound interest — money, relationships, habits — anything of importance.” – Naval Ravikandt
If you want to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger, you’re not just going to work out really hard for three months then have the body of a champion bodybuilder. You have to put in the time and effort for the long haul. The same applies to nearly anything in life. To become a master of anything, you must treat your training (and habits) as if you are running a marathon. Improve little by little. Improve just 1% consistently, working towards your goals everyday and you will go further than most of those around you. If you want to write a book, start by writing a chapter, a paragraph, a single sentence. Every journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step.
If you want to be the best mom/dad, it’s not about taking your children on that one vacation each year and then not really seeing them throughout the rest of the year. Instead, it’s about your daily interactions with them.
It’s not what you do once, but it’s the “compound interest” from your efforts over time that will make you rich.
1. Being active doesn’t necessarily mean you’re being productive.
2. Being efficient doesn’t necessarily mean you’re being effective.
3. Discipline doesn’t strip you of freedom, discipline equals freedom.
Don’t get caught up focusing on the wrong things. We can easily become distracted checking off items on out To Do list, but if they aren’t producing value in your life (monetarily or by increasing your happiness), why are you doing it?
Are you optimizing things that don’t matter (being more efficient, even though it doesn’t improve the end result of the goals you’re trying to achieve)?
Are you thinking negatively about restrictions others have placed on you or that you’ve placed on yourself? Some rules are meant to be broken, but if you set up the right rules to improve your time, energy, or health, stick to them! Reduce decision fatigue by sticking to your self-imposed rules so you’re more likely to consistently make good decisions.