You’re reading 3 Ways to Still Make 2017 your Standout Year, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
I think a lot about making this year better than the last.
But lately, something’s hit me. What about making the year better than – the next one, and the one after that, and so on? After all, if all we ever do is base our improvement on what’s already happened, then we’re severely limiting our perspective.
This year could be the year that changes your life forever. It could galvanize who you are in a way no other time has or will – in your lifetime.
Yet, none of that will happen if your perspective is based solely on improving on what you’ve already accomplished.
- Start Comparing the Present to the Future
By comparing your year to what it was last year, it’s easy to make small changes. Instead of creating a revolution in the way you lead your life, you’re only likely to create a mere evolution.
Perhaps you:
– Go to the gym a little more frequently
– Pitch more clients and apply for more jobs to improve your salary
– Spend more days out with your family
“If this was the best year of my life, what would have to happen?” ~ Brian Tracy.
Whatever the case may be, even if you decide to step things up by a huge amount, because you’re only using last year as your template for what this year could be, you’ll likely only improve by 5-50%.
But if you look beyond what you’ve already accomplished, you’ll be in a much more empowered position to reach your full potential.
Last year, for instance, I only wrote eleven articles on self-improvement. If i try to build on that, then I might only try to double that at most this year. But if I drop the model of linear growth, I can force myself to jump into a position that allows me to take a ‘quantum leap’.
Under this model, if I consider that I may be 10x as prolific in three years, there’s nothing stopping me from attempting it this year. And even if I don’t reach it, I’ll be better off by the end because I would have attempted to do more than I otherwise would have.
- Combine Activities to Gain Momentum
I’ve found that I enjoy life more when it’s a little fast. At the same time, I don’t want to it to be going so fast that I lose my state of calm. But I want it to be just speedy enough – that I’m more naturally drawn to the present moment.
Ever notice how slow time goes when you’re bored and not progressing? It’s challenging to be immersed and joyful. On the opposite side, when you’re going fast, you’re pulled in like nothing else. So, you enjoy life more, while moving faster towards what you want.
To gain momentum, look at the different little time blocks in the day where you can combine activities. Let’s say you usually plan your day in the morning on paper – perhaps you can skip that process and mentally plan your day out while you’re taking a shower. If you, for instance, take a commute, you can speed it up by listening to an entertaining and highly educational audiobook.
When you combine, you speed up life, and paradoxically you slow it down because you’re far more immersed in your daily activities.
- Upgrade your Life with Technological Levers
Archimedes once said: “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.”
With the aid of technology, you can accelerate you can make your goals easier to achieve. Whether it’s with a new laptop that allows you to accomplish your work faster, or something as simple as listening to the right music for your productivity.
The more you can introduce levers in your life, the easier building momentum will be.
You don’t always need to work harder to get more of what you want. Instead, consider and purchase the right physical and digital technologies -so that you move towards where you want to go, more easily.
Summary
Making progress based on what you’ve experienced last year is a step in the right direction. But looking at the past keeps you tunneled in. Looking into the future makes you think outside the box and act on outlandish possibilities.
Getting to where you want to go this year doesn’t have to be hard. Start making your present better than your vision of the future.
Samy Felice is a writer who is passionate about unique ideas related to living a meaningful life. His Free Guide explores ways you can make weekly success easier.
You’ve read 3 Ways to Still Make 2017 your Standout Year, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
Sig Nordal 