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DIGEST THIS! THE ESSENTIAL IDEA:
There is zero urgency and focus in a resolution that lasts a year – take small and consistent action now and watch the results compound.
Time is a resource
- It’s not about how much time we have but how much time we can extract to use towards our true fulfilment.
- It’s about resourcefulness not resources.
- Manufacture urgency – why not set a timed goal of 90 days rather than a year? Then see just how much you can achieve when you focus.
Freedom is dependent on discipline and structure
Complexity is the silent killer of our dreams
- Too many options lead to distraction, procrastination and inaction.
Importance of reflection
- Most people remain busy to cover up for the unhappiness of their lives.
- If we really slowed down and looked at our lives, are we truly happy? What would you like to change?
- Think about the last year and ask yourself:
- Did I really make progress last year towards my goals?
- Did anything exciting happen during the year or did I just continue to spin my plates?
- If today was your last day on earth – would you be doing what you are doing?
- Build in a weekly reflection e.g. Sundays, to review your successes, challenges and failures and get back on track; by doing this you live a life by intention and design, not by default.
- Reviewing the lessons learnt from your successes is just as important as from failures – we often do not do this and miss out on compounding upon what IS working in our lives -extract the things that worked and implement them to help you in other areas of our life.
- Reflection is not the same as judging … judging focuses on where we are compared to where we want to be or how far we still have to go; it keeps us stuck – reflection is forward facing and active; we look at what has gone right and what we need to improve (how we can take the next step to get better) and act on it.
- What was the biggest win this past week and what lesson can I extract? E.g. my biggest win was running further than I ever have in my life. The lesson I learnt was: e.g. That running in nature enhances my state and spurs me to go further.
- What was my biggest challenge this week and what is the lesson I learnt?
- By identifying lessons we do two things:
- 1) We get the challenge and the emotions that surround them out of our heads and will instantly feel better;
- 2) We identify steps to resolve them or act differently should a similar situation occur.
Clarity of goals
- Goals should be set with clarity so that you can say yes it was achieved or no it wasn’t e.g. “I am healthier than last year” is not as clear or easy to answer as “I can run 5km more than last year”.
Constant progress
- The momentum of wins along the way to your goal no matter how small spurs you on to the larger goal e.g. celebrate running 1km, then 2km, then 5km etc. on your way to your ultimate goal of 10km.
- What daily successes can you celebrate?
- Don’t underestimate the compound effect of daily actions and consistent successes, no matter how small.
- Acknowledge that there will be ebbs and flows and progress will not be linear – this will allow you to keep taking action and not give up when obstacles appear e.g. build in time for illness when training for a marathon, accept your inner laziness by building in rest days.
Fear as a reason to do something
- “Fear tells us what we have to do… the more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it” Steven Pressfield
Resistance and the Power of Environment
- Expect and overcome resistance – what stands between you and your goals is often resistance which is designed to keep you small and in your comfort zone … resistance is formed of your existing habits, beliefs, behaviours – often unconscious – and the more you are aware and expect this resistance, the more you can overcome it and not let it defeat you.
- Do not underestimate the power of environment to stop you achieving your aims … even if you are the most focused of people – e.g. negative people, noisy environments can keep you distracted more than anything else.
Examine your habits and beliefs
- Which habits serve where you want to go and which don’t? e.g. do you watch mindless TV for hours everyday or take 30 minutes to read an inspirational book?
- Your foundation is key to your success – if there’s only one thing you can do take the time to check your keystone habits – these are foundational habits that enable other beneficial habits e.g. getting enough sleep can allow you the energy to develop a consistent exercise routine, eat healthier food etc.
- Foundational habits include good sleep, meditation, exercise, food/nutrition/water.
- Examine your morning routine – this is so important for setting the tone for the day, for taking care if yourself first so you can truly help others … wake up earlier, take time to meditate, read something inspirational (Warren Buffet credits his voracious reading for his success and reads 500 pages a day non-negotiable; life can throw us curveballs but no-one can take away the gold between our ears which is knowledge and wisdom), exercise, reflect on gratitude, set your emotional state before launching into the world.
- Similarly, beliefs drive behaviour – what beliefs do you have that help or hinder you? Often these are subconscious – write them down and identify 3 drawbacks and then write a new belief e.g. I believe my past holds me back – drawbacks – I don’t deserve success, there is something fundamentally wrong with me, things never quite work out for me. New belief – I can change my path at anytime.
Creating a vision
- Make sure when creating a vision that you involve all of the 5 areas as they are interdependent: Health, Wealth, Spirit, Relationship, Experience.
- Don’t be afraid of setting bold visions just because you do not know “the how” e.g. Wright Brothers aircraft would have seemed crazy and impossible before it was made, Steve Job’s vision of a computer we all walk around with, JFK’s commitment to landing a man on the moon when at the time a human had only spent 15 mins in space.
- Live and breathe your vision daily … e.g. keep it in your wallet and read it daily, or send yourself a daily reminder … it will keep your vision as a breathing reality and keep you focused and move you to take actions needed to achieve it – achievements of goals is often a series of small (repetitive) steps, not one massive action.
- Do your goals excite you? Will you be more fulfilled as a person from achieving them?
Flow State
- Flow states occur when you are doing something that is so energetically connected to your purpose that you forget time, pain, and hang-ups; and you are completely present, on fire, and in the zone.
- In this state you are usually 5/10 x more productive and everything feels like its working for you – you are tapped into a greater force that permeates mind, body and spirit.
- Flow usually happens when you have deliberate focus and are being challenged – so ensure your goals stretch you enough.
Importance of accountability
- We tend to go much further when we are accountable to others … alone we can easily give up and no one will know.
- Being accountable to and therefore vulnerable before others will help you succeed as they will help you rise above your limiting stories, can see your blind spots, offer a larger perspective and help you believe in yourself.
Finding Your Tribe
- Who you surround yourself with and your environment are some of the most important factors in your success.
- You need people who will lift you, challenge you, set new standards and expand the reality of what’s possible for you.
- You are the average of the 5-10 people you spend most time with – look at the people in your life and answer:
- Do they inspire you?
- Do they challenge you?
- Do they love your big ideas?
- Remember that you choose to surround yourself by the people you do because there is a benefit to doing so e.g. perhaps you enjoy the gossip. However awareness of what you do is the first step of any transformation.
Your success capacity
- External successes do not make us happier in the long term … e.g. if we win £1 million pounds we are happier for the first 6 months and then return to the same state we felt before winning.
- This is because we all have an inner thermostat setting that determines how much love success and creativity we allow ourselves to enjoy … we will often do something to sabotage ourselves causing us to drop back into the familiar zone where we feel more secure.
- So to raise this inner thermostat setting to allow us to enjoy more success – do more things you love, challenge yourself more and get yourself out of your comfort zone, have more fun, nourish yourself– you are increasing the level of joy you allow for yourself and what you will accept for yourself.
Power of commitment and consistency
- It is not enough to be interested in change.
- You need to commit, and you need to act consistently.
- It’s better to pick one thing and act on this consistently than to choose 10 goals and do these half-heartedly.
- Make sure your goals excite and challenge you enough to push through the low times.
Digestible Book Summaries 