It’s uncanny the extent to which we all know that what we do today will determine what we experience in our future yet most of the world continues to take inconsistent action to create the reality they most want – success, happiness, joy, optimal health, quality relationships and more!
People spend so much time and energy worrying, stressing and complaining about their life but doing very little to actively create the changes they want to experience. All that does is drain you of your vitality today with no change in outcome for tomorrow.
Why is this? I believe a large part of the problem is that people are overwhelmed by what to do, think it is harder and more complicated that it actually is, believe they have to change many things at once or just aren’t willing to put in the necessary and consistent effort required. The result – they stay stuck exactly where they don’t want to be.
Dwight D. Eisenhower expressed this so well when he said: “Our real problem, then, is not our strength today; it is rather the vital necessity of action today to ensure our strength tomorrow.”
Consistent, intentional action needs to be taken! So here are 10 simple, time-efficient PROVEN steps you can take every day, starting today that will absolutely improve the rest of your life if you just commit to doing them consistently.
So here are 10 ACTION steps that if you take consistently today will help you create a better tomorrow:
1. Start today! Enough with the stories and excuses for why you can’t start now! Be honest with yourself and realize that if you aren’t willing to take action then you clearly don’t want the desired result badly enough. So make the decision – decide what you truly want in your future and then begin taking action towards it today!
2. Be yourself! Embrace what makes you different, what makes you you and stopcomparing yourself to others’. Every person in this world has their own journey to travel, their own lessons to learn and their unique wisdom and insights to share. So share your voice with the world, follow your dreams and live the life you want. You will never find peace and fulfillment trying to live someone else’s life. You will never please everyone so don’t try. Just show up every day as the absolute best version of yourself and live your life, following your dreams and passions. Don’t ever settle and live someone else’s life. Let your light shine and be proud of it.
3. Invest in your personal growth! I believe even if fulfilled we are never complete – there is always something for us to learn, opportunities for us to stretch ourselves and grow, to open our minds and become more connected, authentic and real. Find a way to make this happen for yourself – either by working with a coach, taking some courses, reading more books – select whichever works for you but commit to mastering yourself.
4. Take care of your health! You know this, you’ve heard it but are you doing? Here are some simple steps to get you on track: eat only natural, whole food; use a tracking device like Fit Bit or Jawbone to motivate you to move more and monitor your level of activity each day, use guided meditations to help you implement this daily practice, make sure you are getting enough sleep every day so that you can recharge and recover and make sure you have your go-to stress management techniques which should always include deep breathing. Take these on and watch your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health soar!
5. Manage your day-manage your night! The evidence for having solid morning routine of meditation, exercise, planning and reflection to ensure a productive and successful day is well documented and proven. Just as important and what is often overlooked is having an equally solid evening routine so your day is book-ended with success strategies. At the end of the day wind down, unplug, meditate and exercise if you did not do this in the morning, acknowledge what you are grateful for and reflect on your day and identify what worked, what didn’t; and what you could do better tomorrow. Spend time with family and friends and be disciplined in going to sleep early enough to make sure you are getting the optimal amount of sleep you need. And to overarch all of this, always focus on being present and engaged in all you are doing.
6. Listen more than you talk! Be an active, sincere and engaged listener. Really hear what others have to say, ask plenty of questions and you will probably be surprised at how much you learn. I truly believe that everyone can teach us something if we just take the time to listen to what they are saying (and not saying) and respect their perspectives without judgment.
7. Forgive! Notbecause you should but because you can and because you value your peace of mind and wellbeing. This does not mean that you accept what someone has said or done, that you forget about it or that you will stick around for more if it continues – it just means you value yourself enough to let go of things so you can free yourself of it’s draining negative energy and move on in your life.
8. Smile more, laugh more and have more fun! Always. You don’t have to be happy to smile but if you smile you may just feel happier. Find something to laugh about every day and get out there and have some fun – put aside the responsibilities, the seriousness, the challenges and stress and rock it out! Be adventurous, try something different and new, travel, do something you’ve been putting off for way to long. What’s it going to be for you? Find your fun factor and make sure you have a daily dose!
9. Be thankful and grateful! It’s so easy to get caught up in the day to day responsibilities of life and the constant drive forward to where you want to be that you can so easily overlook all your blessings that you do have, from the biggest to the smallest. Don’t let this happen. Make time every day to notice and appreciate not only what you have but also what you don’t have because even in that there is growth and opportunity for you. Make sure to stop and smell the roses and let the significant people in your life know how much they are appreciated. If you wait to long they may just be gone so write a note or pick up the phone and make a call – today!
10. Be charitable! Not just with your money or your time but with what is most valuable to you and also with what costs you nothing. Be charitable not just when it’s convenient to you but by showing up every day as your most authentic and real self and doing little things that will make a difference in someone else’s day – a friendly smile to a stranger, letting someone through in traffic, giving up a parking spot, a kind word to the person serving you wherever that may be ….you get the idea right? Try it on and see how your day and mood is impacted.
“I know that I have the ability to achieve the object of my Definite Purpose in life, therefore, I demand of myself persistent, continuous action toward its attainment, and I here and now promise to render such action.” ~ Napoleon Hill
Until next week – embrace your inner truth, live your purpose and make your contribution in the world.
With gratitude and appreciation,
Lauren
Hi Lauren
This is so uplifting and powerful, I’m deeply moved by these steps and will definitely use them to guide me daily.
How does one become a life coach?
Thanx and stay blessed
Thanks so much Siphokazi. I’m thrilled this was useful for you. There are many, many different courses and programs for Life Coaching. I would research them and see which seems best suited to you.