Focus on growing yourself and you run into what is destined for you

It is very clear in life that we need to help ourselves first before assisting others. Even our Air Hostess (AKA cabin crew) tells us to tie our Oxygen mask first before helping your neighbours. In short, be more selfish. I know, society frowns upon it, but it is the best thing you can do for yourself. Try and get up an hour earlier (might have to start 15 minutes earlier, then 30, 45 and then 60) and dedicate that time to you

You are your world and nothing else. This is like “paying yourself” first, which you should do with money as well. When you’re in an airplane before taking off they do their little safety spiel. Like in life, you must take care of yourself before you can truly help others. When I wake up in the morning, before email, Facebook or anything on my phone I sit at the kitchen table with my coffee, notebook and a pen. I write out 2–3 things I am grateful for first thing that comes to mind. I then write out daily intentions, which are phrases where I write them as if I’ve already accomplished. For example…I have no loan instalments (EMI) to be paid which means I am debt free and I am proud of myself.

Then I journal out myself. I write out what's on my mind and post it on social media. Sometimes I write a couple sentences, sometimes it's a couple pages. It just depends on my mood. Now this all takes me about 20-30 minutes, but it is a non-negotiable for me. This is done 7 days a week and I keep track of it this is because you cannot improve what you do not measure. I set attainable goals and every year I see people set New Year resolutions that are unrealistic. It is tempting to wipe the slate clean and attempt an “all in” mentality. But the reality is you need a far more pragmatic approach.

How do you do that? Set both near and long-term goals. If you think about where you want to be in six months, what do you need to do in the previous months to get there? You can’t eat an entire steak with one bite. Goals are the same way. Give yourself a chance to make “bite-sized” progress. Share your goals with others and set check-ins to keep yourself honest. Provide plenty of transparency, so they can help motivate and calibrate your progress.

Be mindful to live in the present tense. I believe people need to find a way to live in the present. I realize this is easier said than done, but if you can find a way to maximize each day across the things that matter most -- family, health and work, to name a few -- you will find yourself in a happier, more productive, and more fulfilled state of mind. How do you do that? Manage your day so you can make the most out of it. Set routines and give yourself the flexibility to live within a schedule.

Give yourself more credit. Not every day will be perfect. Maybe you don’t have time to go on a five-mile run. If you can find time for a 30 minute walk instead, great. Give yourself credit for establishing good habits and behaviors. Make your health a priority and focus on achieving good health and good immunity build up. Think about the areas you really need to focus on. Perhaps it is diet, exercise or getting more sleep. The best thing you can do is to get educated. For example, don’t jump into a hardcore diet. Instead, try and meet with a nutritionist to develop a program that is tailored to you.

Leave behind negative influences of people around. I know my triggers. I know the types of people, situations and mediums that negatively impact my mood. But how do you do that? You know people who are negative, always complain, are overly skeptical and generally don’t support an ongoing positive attitude. Ignore them. Don’t spend your energy with them. Learn your triggers and deal with them. For me it was listening to too much mainstream news. Now when I drive to work in the morning I don’t listen to talk radio, I listen to instrumental jazz instead. If you can zero in on your triggers, you can make immediate and impactful changes.

Then pace yourself and make all 365 days count for your focus. If you can find a way to make all 365 days count in a year, you will have achieved something huge. If you are looking to make sustained career or lifestyle changes you need to pace yourself. How do you do that? Leverage the seasons. For example, if you are focused on your health make the winter a time when you focus on diet. Leave the spring to get into running shape, so by summer you will be rolling. Think about the principles you want to reflect every day. Write them down and read them every day. If you can give yourself regular reminders, by the 365th day of next year, you will have turned your desired changes into permanent ones. cheers!