Self Improvement Daily Podcast

This advice is near and dear to my heart because it came from a recent piece published by Brian Rashid. Rashid is a role model and mentor of mine who has dedicated his life’s work to bridging the opportunity gap between the Americas.  He talked about a very dangerous mindset that I want to address, because I think it exists in too many of us. It goes, “I will X when Y”.

This reminds me on an "If then" statement, which is essentially a cause and effect.  However, these statements are often too rigid to be functional. Similarly, "I will X when Y" is dangerous for the same reason.  For example, I will be happy or fulfilled or successful when I make a certain amount of money or buy my dream car or whatever. This phrasing is ineffective because it places too much emphasis on the actionable part of the expression and sets us up for failure.

This happens primarily for one reason. We have nothing to measure our effort on until we are finished.  So, Brian proposes that we refresh our motivation often by acknowledging small victories more, because they give us something to grab onto and remind us that we are headed the right direction.  He also suggests to break big projects into mini projects, so that we don’t get overwhelmed by the large task at hand, and can focus our effort on the immediate action item. Last, he says to remove our preconceptions. An exercise he does is he writes the script of how everything would go in an ideal world, and tears it up to physically acknowledge that things won’t go to plan, which then liberates him from that thinking and helps him to make the best decision given the context he is presented.

In summary, avoid the expression “I will X when Y” because it isn’t an accurate representation of your path and the steps needed to accomplish your goal.

What things do you believe to be true in your life? Do you think people treat you well? Are you appreciated at work? Are you going to stick to your goals? Well best believe those things are true, because they are more likely to come true when you believe it!

No one has said it better than Alexi Panos, a former model turned personal development thought leader, who has made huge transitions in her life. 

The law of expectancy is a fascinating concept to me. And it works similar to the law of attraction which it seems to will its way into existence.  We can all choose to expect the best things to happen, and then wait and notice how they come to fruition in front of our own eyes!

In the last few years, there has been a growing trend that people identify themselves with their careers.  When asked the question, “What do you do?”, we often talk about our careers. We also look at the emails we use. For instance, we have accounts that are just versions of our name so that we come off as professional in outbound correspondence.

Well today, I suggest we shake that off a little bit, and take some time to be a kid again.  Whether we want to revitalize a relationship, find joy, or rediscover a passion, we need to get it out of our system  My two favorite ways of taking care of that are to go outside and to be active.  

We all have our inner child that is begging to be released, and a little shenanigans here and there, when appropriate, never hurt anybody. You should tap into that youthful side of yourself, and embrace the energy and carelessness you had as a kid.  In those moments when you act like there is not a worry in the world, there really are no worries in the world. It’s a powerful and refreshing feeling.

Lets dive into understanding those things that ruin your day. Is it really the end of the world, is it something big that needs resolving, or is it just a minor inconvenience?  

First, know that It’s perfectly okay to be upset. It’s a normal and natural response, and it shouldn’t be repressed because that only sets yourself up for more troubles in the future. Knowing the gravity of your concern must also be kept in perspective.

Don’t let something ruin your day when it’s not worth it. Here is a checklist to run through to evaluate the severity of the situation. What are the immediate implications, meaning how urgent is it that the situation is remedied? How significant are the implications? Does it really weigh heavy on the spectrum of things to address? Are the next action steps within your control, and what mentality do you choose to take in response?

Sure, something could be the pain of your existence for 30 minutes, but don’t let it ruin your day if it isn’t worthy. Take control of your problems, treat them accordingly, and give everything the attention it deserves.

What do you think of when you hear the word “no”? Does the words rejection come to mind? Or maybe a different negative word? Well. let’s change that, and let’s take a lesson from the elite sports marketer David Meltzer and his insight into the meaning of the word no.

This is something I know I need to work on a lot, and I love the way David provided perspective on the topic.  A “no” now just might be a necessary step toward the big “yes” you are seeking.

One thing that we fail to think about is our lifetime is made up of many consecutive days, some good, some bad, no two the same, but days nonetheless.  With this quote, there are two ways to think about it.  The first is from an emotional perspective. If we want to live happy, enjoyable lives, we need to make sure we prioritize moments of happiness and joy on a daily basis because life is best lived in the present, and fulfillment is a state not a lifestyle.

The second way to think about it is from the point of view of success.  However, this one is a little different. If we want to have a successful life, we can’t achieve that in a day.  It takes time.  However, you can take steps forward every day that build into a successful career and life.

Sometimes, life feels like one big game of tug of war where you make progress in one area, just to realize you lost ground somewhere else. As we know, perfection is impossible, but there is a perfect balance for us to find that is specific to our own lives.

The idea of a balanced living mindset was first brought up to me by Mark Lynch, the founder of the Instagram page "excellence.addiction".

Balanced living doesn’t need to be even, it just needs to be right for you. It requires some effort to come about that right level and balance, but nothing good in life comes easy. Explore that side of yourself in conversations. journal to uncover where your priorities really lie, and make a life that matches those intentions.

The end of the day is a great time to have a nightly routine. My nightly routine consists of doing push-ups, evaluating my goals, and journaling. I’m a big fan of positive affirmations. Matter of fact, I used to recite my core principles before bed, and maybe I should get back on that also. Positivity paints everything you did in a positive light and gives you hope that the next day will be great as well.

It reminds me of one of the lessons taught by Admiral William McRaven in his commencement speech at the University of Texas. McRaven stated,"everyday we should make our bed because no matter what happens, we will come back to a made bed, which gives us optimism that the next day will be better". Similarly, positivity at night can have the same effect, both, when reflecting on how we spent the current day and when we are thinking about how we are going to spend the next day.

So, always end the day with a positive thought. Fortunately, positivity can come in a number of ways. For example, some people pray and some people journal. whichever method works best for you. Throw a little gratitude in at the end of your day and see how much your life improves.