Apply these to increase the chance of achieving your goals.
When you’re reading this, you’re probably looking for a way forward.
Feeling stuck in the same place for prolonged periods of time is something we all experience some time.
But actually, the solution lies within the problem itself.
Yes, read that again.
What is progress?
To understand the following steps, we should first create a basic understanding of progress in itself.
Because progress isn’t always about blindly moving ahead. It will either wear you down, or the world will stop you.
Progress is also isn’t defined by change.
But to quote H.L. Mencken from The Meaning Of Progress:
“Change is not progress, but progress requires change”
To get a better grasp, the opposite of progress is stagnation.
You feel like you are stuck in the same place for too long.
Let that be the reason you are reading this blog, remember?
So to understand the meaning of progress, you should know what it’s like to experience it.
When you’re progressing, you should have a feeling of advancing your well-being.
Feeling a little bit better every day means you’re changing but in a positive manner.
This is progress.
Now let me take you through 8 ways to constantly improve your life, as that is where you find the joy of life.
1. Master self-discipline
If you want to constantly improve, you should put in constant effort.
You will achieve nothing by lying on the couch all day, no matter how wonderful that may sound.
No successful person in history has ever achieved greatness by doing things just when he/she felt motivated, so neither should you.
This is just the reality of becoming successful in life.
But how can one master the art of discipline, you may wonder?
Well, this will take years.
A pursuit of virtue is what the Stoics call it.
But it’s a grind at the same time.
You will need to balance self-limitations with indulging yourself in joy and pleasure, to lead a happy life.
And this is the hardest part. Because once you indulge yourself, it is hard to get back on track.
Yet, you should always strive for this as it is the meaning of progress. Every time you try and get back into disciplining yourself, it will become easier. This is a sign of progression.
So master discipline to get the essentials done every day, and you will see results.
But don’t forget to enjoy your croissant every once in a while,
You’ve earned it.
2. Master your time
You might think this thought often:
“I am so busy, I can’t get anything done”
If this is you, then good. Read further.
If not, then good. This might still be beneficial to you.
Now, ask yourself this:
Are you busy, or are you just bad at setting priorities?
You probably know the answer.
So, how do you become a master at setting priorities and how do you take control of your time?
The answer is found in what you feel is important to you.
Want to achieve your goals?
Then you should make time for them.
So spread events throughout your week:
- Plan extra time to work on that project on Thursday night
- Plan that party on Friday night
- Plan to see that friend on Saturday
Reserve time for what is necessary for you, instead of living someone else’s agenda.
3. Set small goals
When asked what your goals are, you might answer something like:
“I want peace of mind”
or
“I want to be a millionaire in 10 years”
or even
“I want to have lost 50 lbs by the end of the year”
These are all big dreams, but how are you going to achieve them?
They’re abstract.
If I were to ask you what you’re going to do today to achieve your long-term goals, would you know the answer?
You need to funnel your big dreams into small, daily tasks.
Take the time for this because if you do it right, it will make daily progress a lot easier.
4. Write it down
If you are an overthinker, you aren’t alone.
Most of us are. It’s human nature to use our intelligence to dwell on subjects far beyond their realistic potential.
This can be a beautiful thing, in the form of visualisation and affirmation.
But to make progress, you should stop doing this.
Dwelling on what could be will get you nowhere.
Instead, write down your streams of thoughts.
Or even record them to write them down later.
Either way, get them out of your head.
This has many great benefits like:
- Lower stress
- Remembering ideas
- Doing one thing at a time (and staying focussed)
So get your thoughts into your (digital) notebook and out of your head, to focus on the task at hand.
5. Detach yourself from results
When you are getting started with something new, let it be copywriting or other forms of business, you will be obsessed with getting results. As was I.
I started a Twitter account at the beginning of October 2021, and grew it past 1000 followers within 2,5 months.
At the start, I was focussed on every post and keeping track of the amount of likes it got.
When a post did well, I felt pretty good about it.
But when a post flopped, I felt terrible.
Yet, both feelings had no influence on the result of the post.
The only thing that influences the outcome of a post is me studying what workes and what doesn’t, not dwelling on the actual result.
Once studied, it’s crucial to apply that knowledge and start writing more relatable content.
By now, I have seen some results. But it doesn’t stop me from improving my content.
There’s a lesson in that.
In combat sports, if you throw a punch and try to watch it land on your opponent or even enjoy the moment after it hit, you can be sure you’re getting punched in the face.
The same applies to social media content.
Whenever I post a tweet that goes (somewhat) viral, I try to stay away from monitoring the amount of likes and retweets, as this would result in me sitting around all day monitoring my success.
This would stop me from actually improving my writing.
So don’t dwell on your success.
Enjoy it, but not for too long.
Because life moves on.
And so should you.
6. Pursue wisdom
If you always strive to be right, you refrain from acquiring knowledge.
Because being wrong can lead to new insights.
So focus on learning new things.
It will make you wise.
And wisdom is one of the greatest virtues life has to offer.
With wisdom you can do so many great things.
You can teach your wisdom to others.
You can apply your wisdom to build your brand.
You can apply your wisdom to do something good for humanity.
All it takes is a conscious decision every time you face a challenge or encounter an argument.
Easier said than done, I know.
But try it some time.
You will be surprised at how easy it’ll become over time.
7. Keep track of progress
It’s good to focus on your goals.
But how do you tell if you are actually progressing?
The best way I found to do so is to keep a log to monitor the daily improvements you’re making.
Map out your goals for the year (or 10 years) and then funnel these into weekly goals. From there, create daily goals and tasks.
At the end of each day, take 15-30 minutes to evaluate your day and plan the next.
Then at the end of each week, do the same but then for the past and coming week.
By keeping weekly and daily goals, you can monitor your progress and take action if need be.
This is crucial if you want to become successful.
8. Seek community (with similar goals)
If you want to achieve goals for yourself, sometimes you’ll encounter the challenge of ‘who am I doing it for?’
It’s at these moments, you need someone to hold you accountable.
The moments in which you can’t hold yourself accountable, but you need to push through.
To have a person, or a group of people, who can say:
“Hey, I know it’s tough right now, but if you just keep going you will achieve your dream”.
Someone just needs to remind you of that sometimes.
So imagine if there were 20, 50 or even 100 of you?
You become unstoppable.
You will put in the work every day, since you’re reminded of your dreams every day.
So seek the right tribe that will hold you accountable, and crush those goals.
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