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Hands-Down Best Advice About Improving Productivity

Hands-Down Best Advice About Improving Productivity

by | Jun 30, 2021 | Entrepreneurs, personal development, Success

 

THE HANDS-DOWN BEST ADVICE about IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY  

Here is advice about improving productivity

Achieving your to-do list is euphoric. Knowing that you ticked it and finished strong for the day, week and month is sensational. This is all about advice about improving productivity. You feel as if you are on the top of the world, but when you don’t do this it is as if you hit a ton of bricks. Productivity is something we all want to achieve. We want it as bad as ice cream on a hot Summer day. Even though, we know that obsessing about it won’t help we still want to be know we achieved something.

Here’s the best hands-down advice on how to improve your productivity. As someone who struggled with productivity my advice will give you a peace of mind that will help you to understand how to improve. Often, when we are in the thick of a problem, it’s impossible for us to be subjective. That makes it harder to fix the problem and you will end up chasing your tail or rather going around in circles. In today’s blog post, let’s focus on eliminating that and finding solutions that work and prepare you. Most productivity advice doesn’t work because it doesn’t give you advice that you can use. 

Let’s say you want to do mountain climbing. One of the first things you need to learn is how to do indoor climbing. Or let’s say you want to learn how to surf. The first thing you are taught is how to balance on your surf board. Not how to move it. No. How to balance. These simple techniques will help you navigate the complicated techniques later on. Foundation is so important when you are learning something. Keep reading. This is advice about improving productivity and will do that.  

Slow your row

 

Do you remember the first time you learned how to swim? Do you remember how panicked you were? Did you sway your arms? Did you swallow water. When I first got into the water, I was given a floaty and given the best advice ever. When you panic, you sink. When you panic you will never learn how to swim. I am telling you the same thing. You want to improve your productivity then slow your row.

What this means is don’t stress. Overcomplicate the process. This is the best advice I can give you because we have a limited number of hours in a day. And when we stress we lose those important hours, minutes and seconds. Those minutes can be used to find solutions for your problems. Take a deep breath and step away from what you need to do for a few minutes. It doesn’t have to be long. Five minutes will suffice. Once, you do that. Take a few breaths. Calm your center. This will help you improve your productivity. Why because when you go back to the problem you will have a set of fresh eyes.

Fresh eyes give you a different perspective. Now, once you do this we can go to the meat of the solution. I promised you I would give you the hands-down best advice for productivity and I want to deliver on that. This advice is about improving your productivity and helping you not get overwhelmed.

Also Related: How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

Eat the frog first

 

Most productivity gurus will tell you that you should eat the frog first and that’s true. This will improve your productivity. What this means is work on the most taxing and difficult task first. When you do this you put the taxing task up front and have more time to do other things. In the morning, this is when I plan out my day and I also write because I can focus better.

The king to productivity is focus. When are you the most alert and focused? Is it in the morning, afternoon or late evening? Whenever it is use this as your time to focus on the hard tasks or most taxing. It will be rewarding to do this because you eliminate the time you will spend time on one project. There’s a big difference between your most focused time and when were your brain is struggling to keep up. When you are in your zone it can take you less than an hour to complete something compared to it taking longer. So, eat the frog first. This should be a part of your morning routine and work through as well. This is one of the best advice I can give you about improving your productivity,

 

Morning routine is your go-to

You might not be a morning person. Very few people are. Want to know a secret I wasn’t a morning person, but what changed my life was improving my morning routine. It’s the simple things that can push you. It’s also the simple things that can help you improve your productivity. Fix your morning routine. This looks different for different people. For me, it was waking up earlier.

Something happened, I started becoming more productive. I achieved more things in my day. No longer did I get frustrated about not achieving X, Y or Z. Waking up earlier improved my habits as well. This simple tweak helped me in so many ways. This is simple advice about improving productivity and it starts with your morning routine. Here’s how you can work on your morning.

 

  •  Write your to-do list for the next day
  • Set your timer to wake up thirty minutes earlier
  • Go to bed thirty minutes earlier
  • Get ready for the day
  • Eat the frog first
  • Take a break
  • Now go down your to-do list

 This is what you should work on when you are starting out. Now, with time you can wake up earlier, but you need to help your body get used to waking up earlier. If you are used to waking up at 6 am, it will be challenging to set your alarm clock at 5 am. 

Also Related: 7 Things Holding You Back in Life

 

Use timers

 

Timers can help you improve your productivity. The best timer out there are the pomodoro technique timers. The pomodoro technique is a theory that states you should bulk your tasks into increments of twenty-five minutes. Between each of these increments you have five minute breaks. What this does is help you focus for twenty five minutes on the task behind. 

This technique works so well because it looks at human behavior. Do you remember sitting down for a test and the teacher was timing you? Our brains start working over time because we are competitive by nature. Listening to the ticking of the timer will motivate you to concentrate and focus on what you need to accomplish. This will of course take time to get used to. A lot of successful people use timers to push them and motivate them. If you want to improve your productivity then follow this advice. Don’t overcomplicate the process by pushing yourself too far. We can only go so far and if you want to achieve more you will need to learn how to pace yourself. You can use the five minutes as a mini-break and to also look at what you want to achieve.

Stop the perfection round about

 

I can be a perfectionist and because of that I tend not to do things. If it can’t be perfect, then the world can’t see it. That is my train of thought. I am learning that perfectionism kills dreams, ambition and productivity. No such thing as perfection. Look around you, the world isn’t perfect. Nature is by definition, but not human invention.

Overwork your laptop it crashes. Elevators can stop working. Public transport and cars can breakdown. We can get burnouts. So, why do we believe that we should be perfect. We aren’t. So, this advice will improve your productivity. Why because you will work on something getting down rather than it being perfect. And this here is the key to productivity. Instead of you spending a week to complete a task it will take you a day or two days.

Productivity is all about how much you can do in a certain time frame. The longer you spend on one task, the less productive you are. This advice will help you improve productivity as long as you are willing on pushing perfection to the curb. 

 

Have a birds view of your tasks

 

This advice will help you improve your productivity. It will help you manage your time and give you a boost of motivation. You need a birds view of your tasks. What this means is you should use a planner or calendar app. This will help you track your tasks easier. This changed the way I work on my tasks. It also helped me with productivity. I know all the things I need to work on and I can then decide when I should work on them.

When you do this you can then batch your tasks. I have a list of blog posts I need to write so what I have started doing is writing a blog post every day. The blog posts will last for two months. This frees up my time for the two months so I can do other things. Many people batch their content. Choosing to focus on other things. When you have a birds view of your tasks you will be able to have a clear progress report. Your progress report will help you understand where you are going wrong and how to improve. This will of course save you time and help you improve your productivity.

There are a lot of free planning apps that you can use to help you with this. One thing to note is that separate your tasks into sections. This will help you figure out what you need to do and then you down the list. For me, I separate my blog posts, YouTube posts and social media ideas into different sections. This will help you not get overwhelmed. 

Free Scheduling App

 

How do you think this advice will improve your productivity? Comment below

 

 

                                                                                                                     KEEP  PUSHING

                                                                                                       VANESSA

 

Shift Failure into Something Positive

Shift Failure into Something Positive

by | Jun 30, 2021 | Entrepreneurs, motivation, personal development, Success

 

shift failure into something positive

 

This is how you shift failure into something positive 

For failure there are two types of people. Those who handle it well and those who don’t. Many of us fall into the latter camp. Failure sucks. Working on something and it not working the way you want, stings. Pushing yourself and coming up with undesirable results can make you feel like a failure. It can push you into the corner and can cause everything to spiral out of control/

Very few people look at failure as a bridge to success. But it is. That’s why it’s important to shift failure into something positive. Why? Because if you don’t, that’s when fear settles in. Once that happens, it’s hard to push yourself back up. It’s difficult to face your fears because of the fear of failure or rejection. One thing I never thought would happen once I started my business was looking forward to failure. Who even does that? It’s crazy to imagine what life would be like. I’ve failed more times than I can count. I have had to work at something many times until I got it right. Learned new skills and sucked at those. 

Something happened along the way. I sucked less. I improved. It pushed me and I became better. Therefore, this blog post will change your life. Well, because it will teach you to shift failure into something positive. That isn’t easy. But nothing is. One thing people will tell you is that you’ll never be successful if you don’t do A or B or C. You’ll never make it unless you do this. I’m here to tell you that shifting your perspective will change the way you look at life and the world. 

 

 

Failure is the beginning and not the end

Stay with me. When you fail, it’s the beginning. It’s not the end. Remember, you got to shift failure into something positive. It starts with this. When you fail, pick yourself up. You tweak things up and move forward. Every successful person has failed in the beginning. The star tup companies that failed to garner traction. Blog posts or YouTube videos with no views. The marathon you lost. The promotion you didn’t get.

The mistakes you have made along the way. Many people give up when they don’t achieve what they want. They see it as the end of the road. X didn’t happen so I’m not good enough. They are seven billion people on the planet. More than half of that is on the internet. They are millions of blogs, YouTube channels and podcasts. Competition is stiff.

This isn’t to discourage you, but to encourage you. Did you know every day a blog, YouTube channel and podcast are launched? Yes. Every day. Did you know that most quit within three months? So. If you keep going, you’ll find the momentum and will make it. But if you can’t, you’ll give up. 

 

Failure teaches you invaluable lessons

Every successful person has a story of triumph over their failures. That makes them human. It resonates with us. Our thoughts connect. “If they have failed, then I can do this,” that’s what we think. And many of them say I struggled so I know you can do this. We look up to them because of this. And we connect with them more.

Failure teaches you can get up. Once the storm has gone, then you can make it out of it. Shift failure into something positive. Name anyone you follow who has failed. Success isn’t defined by victory, but by failure turned into triumph. Once you overcome your failures, you can teach someone how to overcome it as well. Look at Amazon books, courses, blog posts and podcasts. Many of them describe how to overcome x or beat y. Yes, they talk about how to achieve Z. But many of them strive to make you overcome something in your life. Our failure teaches us invaluable lessons. 

 

Also Related: 10 Reasons Why Failure Teaches Us More Than Success

 

Give up control

Certain things are out of our control. The weather, for example. We accept that. We’re even prepared for it. What about the other stuff? You can’t control what people think about you. You can’t control failure or not making mistakes. None of us were born with a guidebook on how to beat the odds. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. And that’s true. A beginner piano player doesn’t become a virtuoso overnight. A new entrepreneur who launches his company doesn’t become a millionaire in a month.

You don’t have control when you make it. You don’t have control over what mistakes you make and when you make them. Give up the idea you have control. As hard as it is. That’s the blessing in the journey. You learn and grow. You develop. This will change the way you look at yourself and life. Keep shifting failure into something positive. In the beginning it will be hard, but it won’t always be that way. Everything changes. It doesn’t remain the same.

Look at what’s in your control. The dedication you have. How much time you spend building your skills. Your productivity. How much money you invest? Your mindset. When you focus on what you can control, it takes away the pressure.

Keep going

 

This is one way to shift failure into something positive. You learn how to never give up. When you fail and get over the heartbreak, it strengthens you. Successful people aren’t stronger than all of us. They become it. Failure teaches them how to do it. It isn’t easy. To fail and to keep failing. It hearts. But that’s the joy of failure. Knowing that regardless of how many times you fail, that you will be successful at it.

I wrote a book in 2017 and published it. I failed. It didn’t get any traction. My goal of becoming a New York Times Best-Selling author obliterated. But I survived. Was it hard? Sure. It hurt. Yes. But every day it hurt less and less until it became a blip on a radar. No more did it feel as if it was this big thing? And here’s the thing, I failed because I didn’t do the things I hoped to achieve. And that’s why I’m telling it’s okay. Keep going. Keep moving.

Look back. Not with regret, but with a smile on your face. Failure didn’t destroy you. It didn’t crush your soul. You survived. You didn’t curl into a ball like how movies depict. No. You are a survivor. So, if survived then it isn’t as bad as you thought it would. Putting yourself out there. Is hard. That’s true, but it doesn’t have to be. It doesn’t have to be brutal or scary. Remember that you can do this, you just have to remember that you got this. One thing failure taught me is that it doesn’t have a hold on you unless you allow it to. Don’t wallow in the mistakes you’ve made. Because even when you learn from them, you will make new mistakes. And you will keep on making mistakes. That doesn’t stop. Human error exists because we are flawed. Did you know even with the many edits’ books go through; many still will have errors? Most books have at least five editors, then they will have a proof-reader. Yet, they will still be mistakes. The same can be said with movies. There’s no such thing as a perfect film. Yes, they are movies that are great, almost perfect. 

You aren’t alone. Shift failure into something positive. Don’t expect perfection. Go for excellence instead. 

 

 

Also Related: 6 Brilliant Ways to Master Self- Sabotage

 

How will you shift failure into something positive. Let me known in the comments section. 

 

                                                                      KEEP  P USHING

                                                               VANESSA

 

How to Stop Chasing the Fake Image of Success

How to Stop Chasing the Fake Image of Success

by | Jun 23, 2021 | Entrepreneurs, motivation, Success

 

How to stop chasing the fake image of success

This is how you stop chasing the fake image of success

We all have chased the fake image of success at some point in time. Every one has a unique assessment of what success is. Many of us don’t realize that this is a fake image of success. Society has led us think we understand what success is. What it means to become successful? As a child, I thought success was this elusive or esoteric quality that only a few people possessed. I believed that you had to be gifted to become successful. Many of us see successful people in this light.

History shows us that we have always viewed the successful, rich or famous as better than us. Even though a lot has changed, our perception of wealth hasn’t. Those who don’t have it will always want it. Many of us view the world through a telescope. The world of the successful is too far out there for us to reach. That’s because we hold onto a fake image of success. My university professor once said that everyone has a perception of what success is. Maybe for you it’s being able to pay for mortgage, having thousands of followers, starting a business or getting awarded for an achievement.

These are big wins. Impressive even. We all crave that. Thinking that it is what it means to be successful.   Here’s the unrelenting truth. As impressive as those wins are for some it isn’t enough. We watch successful people and see metrics they’ve achieved. A conclusion is drawn that this is what it means to be successful. We rely on the fake image of success. Choosing not to look too deep. Afraid that we might not like what we see.

 

Comparison trap

 

What does success look like to you? Is it financial freedom? Numerous opportunities. Social media followers. What is success look like to you? Many of us can’t answer that question. Because we rely on what society says it is. Films and tv shows portray success and we want to live like our characters. We hear success stories and we want that. Overnight success stories either inspire or demotivate us. We wonder if we will ever achieve that.

There has to be something special about that person. How did they make it with $0. Questions surround us. This is where the comparison starts. Social media is our Achilles heel. I used to compare myself to my friends on social media. They were living the life while I had no clue what the future held. I believed I would be happier if I was living the life they were. All lies. Until you start chasing your dreams you won’t realize what it takes to be successful. Then you realize everyone’s journey is different. The road is either curved or straight. Their circumstances are different.

Stop chasing the fake image of success. What you see often isn’t the reality. What people want you to see sometimes isn’t true. That’s hard to swallow. But it’s true. You have to figure out what success means to you. Research on it and figure out how you can achieve it.

Also Related: How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others?

 

Growth mindset

 

The fake image of success doesn’t last. True success is all about a growth mindset. Creating opportunity where there was none. They are a lot of ways to make money, but none of them are sustainable. Often, these money making methods can cause mayhem instead of success. You need to have a growth mindset to truly become successful.

What this means is you need to work on yourself. You build yourself up. People with growth mindset understand that success is a journey and not a destination. That is what many of us consider success. We see it as a destination. A end goal to achieve, but success is the result of actions we have taken. For example, starting a business is a action. Financial freedom is the end-result of the action you took. Many of us have to alter our perception of success and what it means to us. The journey to becoming successful is filled with road blocks. Finding ways to solving the problems you encounter is how you become successful.

There are a lot of people who have money, but have no idea how to solve their problems. This is a fake image of success. As I said this isn’t sustainable.

 

 

Set backs empower you

 

 The fake image of success sets a narrative that there are no set backs. True success is painful. They are numerous set backs. You are pushed down time and time again. You lose sleep, time and money trying to follow success clues. Remember success leaves clues. And that is what you do. You pay thousands of dollars on courses, books and programs. All to become successful.

It’s hard. Stressful. Painful. But it’s worth it. You can’t become successful without going through set backs. These set backs will empower you. Make you see things differently and it will help you solve problems. Every set back can be used as a turning point. In 2016, I hired people to help me build a website. That website failed. Two years I taught myself how to do it myself. People started paying me to help them build their website. That was my first turning point. What do your set backs teach you? Use that to empower and push you forward. The fake image of success will tell you set backs will stop you from becoming successful. This isn’t true. Set backs actually help you to grow a lot faster.

Also Related: 13 Habits of Self-Made Millionaires

 

No get rich schemes

 

The fake image of success has held you back for far too long. There’s no substitute for work. Many of us are looking for ways to make money without the heartache or the pain of pushing yourself. True success builds you up. It changes the way you look at the world. Success has changed it’s approach. Now it is all about servitude. But you won’t know this if you don’t work on it.

Starting something new creates changes in you that you never considered. Your habits shift as you work on your dreams. You start to wake up early. Chase your dreams with more vigor. Become more confidant as you realize you want more. Though you wanting more is also about making a difference. You relish in that. Those interested in get rich schemes never become successful. They are people who make money from it, but that doesn’t last. There’s a right way to do things and a wrong way. How many blogs are they on how to make money from get rich schemes? Not everyone makes money from it. But they are people who do. But you won’t make any difference and you can’t replicate your results. That means you have to start from scratch.

When you try to become successful the wrong way it won’t change you. New habits won’t form. Your mindset won’t change. Therefore, it will be a struggle to build yourself back up. This the problem with the fake image of success.

Also Related: 7 Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs

 How will you stop chasing the fake image of success? Let me known in the comments section. 

 

                                                           KEEP  P USHING

                                                               VANESSA

 

5 Tools Needed to Improve the Entrepreneur’s Edge

5 Tools Needed to Improve the Entrepreneur’s Edge

by | Jun 2, 2021 | Blog, Entrepreneurs

 

5 tools needed to improve the entrepreneur’s edge

Here’s how you can improve your entrepreneur’s edge. 

Being an entrepreneur is challenging. The competition is stiff. So, how do you stand out if you are competing with numerous people? That’s what we’re going to talk about today. When you are first starting it will be hard to stand out. Every entrepreneur has an edge. Something that they are good at compared to their competitors, but depending on who you are that’s still not enough.

To truly stand out you have to improve your entrepreneur edge. You have to pile on the skills. What separates the newbie entrepreneurs from those who have been in the game a lot longer is that they have realized they needed to constantly improve their entrepreneur’s edge. Every entrepreneur needs a toolbox so that they can improve. Not only that but when you improve your entrepreneur’s edge, that makes you more marketable. Using what you got is great, but adding a new skill will be worth your while. Look at Ramit Sethi. He learned psychology at College, but when he was starting his business he learned Finance. That makes his approach different from his competitors. Who would have thought of pairing psychology with finance? Well, he did that was his entrepreneurs’ edge. You can always improve your entrepreneur’s edge.

What will make you different from your competitors is how you sell your story or what your approach is. Keep reading to find out how you can improve your entrepreneur’s edge.

 

Your circle

Who do you surround yourself with? Are they other entrepreneurs or are still working on getting more entrepreneur friends? Entrepreneurship is hard. It’s great if you have friends who are in the same industry as you. What also helps is that you can grow a lot faster. You can learn how other entrepreneurs are doing effective sales or how they are growing their community. Your circle determines your influence. It shapes the course you are on.

It helps solve your problems. It can also motivate you to go after what you want. This will improve your entrepreneurs’ edge without hassle. It’s the easiest way to improve your entrepreneur’s edge. Why? Because you are learning from others. You are taking what works and throwing out what doesn’t. For example, challenges work. Have you ever noticed that the challenges you joined always consist of influential people? They then sell you a course to speed up your results. A lot of the time this can be a scam, but having someone give you the blueprint to success is a gift.  

  

Try new things

 

 You will never know what works and what doesn’t if you don’t try new things. You got to try out whether that new sales tactic works. How effective is video marketing or Facebook lives? As scary as it sounds, if you keep yourself in a box you will never improve your entrepreneur’s edge. You will never go past a certain stage. Staying the same is terrifying because in entrepreneurship that can lead to the death of your business.

Keep trying new things and then figuring out what happens or what the results are. Entrepreneurship is more than performance. It’s about your lifestyle. Your routines. These can shape the course of your business. Do you practice mindfulness or what’s your morning routine like? Many of us get entrepreneurship wrong. Entrepreneurs are a special breed. Not because they were born special. No, they do things everyone doesn’t want to do. They are willing to step out of their comfort zone. They are also working on themselves. So, try out uncomfortable things, but that will help you improve.

 Learn new skills 

 


While you are trying out new things add this to your do-to-list. Learn new skills. These skills will help you improve your entrepreneur’s edge. I have always been able to write, but starting my business I had to learn a bit of graphic design. video editing, SEO, and marketing. It doesn’t stop there. Does it? You want to be your boss, you got to keep learning. 

The skills you learn depend on what you need help on. Maybe, you want to market your business better. Do you need to learn about social media? What are the skills you need to learn? Write them down and commit to learning one new skill every 100 days. That’s not an easy feat. But it’s one I am trying to incorporate. Why 100 days? It takes 100 days for something to stick. So, if you decide for 100 days you want to focus on social media. Before the 100 day mark, you will get better at it. Commitment starts with doing what makes you the most uncomfortable and then it won’t be as terrifying as it was.

Everything of course takes time so why not give yourself 100 days on a new project, venture, or skill. This will improve your entrepreneur’s edge. This is one tool you need in your toolbox. 

 

Also Related: 7 Tools to Improve Your Entrepreneurship Hustle

 

Confidence

  


What separates advanced entrepreneurs from newbies. Their confidence. Do they struggle with imposter syndrome? Yes. Do they question themselves? Yes. But here’s the thing that doesn’t deter them from doing what scares them. Often we get the definition of confidence wrong. It simply means stepping outside your comfort zone despite your fears. 

You can boost your confidence by stepping out of your comfort zone. Another way to boost your confidence is by asking yourself a few questions. What’s the worst that can happen? Then ask yourself how that would make you feel. Here’s another question. What will happen if you don’t do it? How will that make you feel? Not doing something will push you out of your comfort zone. Why? Because it will encourage you to take stock of what you need to do and why. You can’t let fear control your life. You can’t let it stop you from going after what you want. Because that’s when regret settles in. That’s a terrifying thought. No one wants to live a life of regret. 

Regret can stop you from going after what you want. So by adding confidence to your toolbox will improve your entrepreneur’s edge.

  

Also Related: 10 Ways to Boost Confidence

 

Progress report

 Your entrepreneurship journey doesn’t end or stop once you get better at something. No, you will need to keep progressing. Write or journal your progress. This can be a progress report or simply an app you use to determine how much you’ve progressed. Why do you need to do this? Reason one is this will improve your entrepreneur’s edge. Reason two this will boost your confidence.

When you see how far you have come this will motivate you to keep going. You need to keep moving to stay ahead of the game. So, you do that by writing your progress. Let’s say you are terrible at organization. Have you gotten better? I get overwhelmed with all the tasks I need to do. One thing I have done is batch content. Batch my blog posts and videos. What this means is that I have two months of content on the go so I don’t have to stress. This helps me because I can focus on other things in my business. I don’t have to worry about A, B, or C. I can just focus on what matters. You can do this as well. Focus on what matters. Focus on what you need to work on. This can help you work on other areas in your business. But I wouldn’t have realized what the problem is without thinking about my progress. Your progress report will also identify areas you have to work on. 

 

                                                                                              KEEP  PUSHING

                                                                                                  VANESSA

 

 

What is your takeaway from the blog and what methods are you going to implement first. Comment below

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life Lessons I Learned in 2020

Life Lessons I Learned in 2020

by | Apr 28, 2021 | Entrepreneurs, motivation, personal development

 

life lessons I learned in 2020

These are 10 ways you can improve your life in less than 30 minutes.  

Where were you when the world changed? Do you remember how it felt? They have been many events in history that have shaped the course of our lives. Those events could have been on a larger or shorter scale. When everything shifts and your perception changes. Those moments move us in a direction we never thought would ever happen. There are a few life lessons I learned in 2020.

However, few moments in history can change the course on a global scale. In 2020, a different tune was sung. As a virus spread throughout the globe and the world went into lockdown, the world was still. We watched as the world we loved came to a halt. Shops closed. Travel stopped. Companies closed down. And home-schooling became a critical point in our lives. We all learned invaluable lessons in 2020. Many of us have carried those teachings with us. Our world changed. How could we forget how it changed our lives? We couldn’t. For months, we watched our four walls, praying for answers, and now we’re in 2021.

It’s a new year and so much has changed. In this blog, I will discuss what life lessons I learned last year. As we go into the second quarter of the year, carry these life lessons with you. It will help you move forward a lot quicker in 2021. Not only that, but you understand that often the lessons we learn pivot us to greater heights. 

 

No guarantees

Many of us take advantage of the time we have. The experiences that have formed us. We never take these things into consideration. Every experience has shaped you into who you are today. Why not take advantage of that? Tomorrow isn’t a guarantee as much as we think it will be. We need to stop living as if we have all the time in the world. All your dreams can come to a crashing halt. 2020 happened, and it changed things for me. I realized that life is precious. Any second or moment can slip away. Why not go after what you want today? Why not start a business today? 

This life lesson I learned made me realize tomorrow isn’t a guarantee, but today is. Take full advantage of what you have and make the best out of it. Follow your dreams and your heart wherever it takes you.

 

Invest in yourself

 

Invest in yourself. This is one of the life lessons I learned in 2020. If you didn’t do this, then you need to learn how to. In the beginning, investing in yourself won’t be easy. In time it will get easier. One thing you should realize is that you matter. What you do matters. If you want to improve yourself, then you should invest.

What are your dreams? The things you wanted to achieve in 2020. Pick up a few books. Buy a course. Learn a new skill. Travel when it becomes safer to do so. Invest in yourself. Why? Because you matter, and if you want to have a good life, invest in yourself. This will push the needle forward. 

 

 Also Related: How to Invest in Yourself

 

Have hobbies

Many of us see hobbies as stupid activities. Life can get hard. If that’s the case, then you need your dopamine levels increased. By doing that, your stress will be reduced. This is a great life lesson I had in 2020. Have four hobbies. One that enriches your life, or that makes you money. One that can exercise your creativity and imagination. Hobbies that can keep you moving and hobbies that help you engage in learning. 

There are many benefits to hobbies. It is great for your mental wellbeing and can help bring a sense of satisfaction to your life. People who have hobbies are happier than those who don’t. People who have hobbies are also more successful than those that don’t. Why? Because having hobbies can give you a sense of purpose and relief. It can help you understand life and yourself better. Once you do that, you’ll be in a better place than most people. 

 

Pursue your goals

 

 We all have dreams, but many of us don’t go after what we want. One of the best life lessons I learned in 2020 is it matters to go after your dreams. Dreams fuel you and give you a purpose. Life is precious. There are 365 days in a year. 12 months in a year. 48 weeks. Go after what you want and you do that. There’s enough time to discover what you want to do.

You can’t guarantee anything. If that’s the case, then why not put both feet forward? Pursue your goals and dreams. Go wherever they take you. One thing that I’ve realized is that if you don’t go after what you want, you’ll regret it. Life lessons make us wiser. They’re supposed to guide us, so we make better decisions. 

  

Face your fears and do it anyway

 

We all have fears. Many of us learned this life lesson in 2020. We had to face our fears as the world came to a standstill and everything we thought we knew stopped. Everything that we thought we understood became a mystery. Numerous questions were asked. When would the world become normal? What would happen a month or three months from now? Would we live to see Christmas?

Then everything became normal. Quarantine was no longer strange. Still, we held onto the fear. You might know this quote well, “feel fear and do it anyway.” Fear is something that can’t be controlled. You will be afraid of a lot of things. That doesn’t matter. Why? Because it’s normal. There’ll be things you will be afraid of and if you let it affect you it won’t stop. There’ll always be things you will be afraid. Feel the fear and do it anyway. Let that be your mantra for life and allow it to sink in. Alter the way you look at life. This life lesson is important because it will push you. Allow it to. 

 

Also Related: How to be Fearless by Doing it Anyway

 

Cherish your relationships

 

We all have fears. Many of us learned this life lesson in 2020. We had to face our fears as the world came to a standstill and everything we thought we knew stopped. Everything that we thought we understood became a mystery. Many questions were asked. When would the world become normal? What would happen a month or three months from now? Would we live to see Christmas?

Then everything became normal. Quarantine was no longer strange. Still, we held onto the fear. You might know this well, “feel fear and do it, anyway.” Fear is something that can’t be controlled. You will be afraid of a lot of things. That doesn’t matter. Why? Because it’s normal. There’ll be things you will be afraid of and if you let it affect you, it won’t stop. There’ll always be things you will be afraid of. Feel the fear and do it, anyway. Let that be your mantra for life and allow it to sink in. Alter the way you look at life. This life lesson is important because it will push you. Allow it to. 

  

Have numerous side-hustles

 

Side-hustles will help elevate you. There are many side-hustle ideas. Why struggle to pay your bills? Most entrepreneurs or successful people have many side-hustles. This isn’t part of their principal business. If you are looking at becoming an entrepreneur, you can start a side-hustle. With time, then grow it into a fully fledged company. This is one of the life lessons I learned in 2020.

Not everything has to be clear in the beginning. Sometimes it takes time for things to concretize. What you must do is start small then grow your brand or company, What counts is your idea. There are so many things you can do with that. 

 

Also Related: Quick Side-Hustle Ideas to Start at Home

 

 

Take care of yourself

I remember someone once said to me that self-worth and health once gone are hard to get back. This is so true. Did you know it takes much more effort to combat the negative words you tell yourself? It takes five positive affirmations to change one negative belief. That’s how much power negativity has.

This is one of the best life lessons I learned in 2020. Take care of yourself. Your self-worth and your health. Once your health is affected, getting back on track will be challenging. Many of us never consider this. We take advantage of this, but once it’s gone, it will difficult getting back what you lost. So many people lost a lot of things in 2020. Everything we have we need to appreciate because when it’s gone it will be hard to accept.

 

Count your blessings

You are blessed. We live in an incredible time. Yes, there are problems. But every time had its own problems. Think of any time and you will realize it came with opportunities, but also disadvantages. Count your blessings. Every day is a blessing. The people in your life are blessings. The fact you can go after your dreams is a blessing. Cherish the moment and appreciate that you can go after what you want.

Even if life is hard, look at your blessings. Why? Gratitude will make you realize that they’re so many things in your life you should appreciate. It will also help you see opportunities. If you focus on the negative, that’s all you will see. If you focus on the negatives, you will complain about what you don’t have. This is a life lesson I learned in 2020. One that many of us need to learn. The reason people complain is that they focus on the problems. If you appreciate your life, this will push you to find solutions to your problems. There’s always an answer.

 

Enjoy the journey

Enjoy the journey. Life is a process. A road that we travel on with many routes and you will wander on the wrong route. That might take you on a journey you never wanted. That makes life exciting. We all take routes that we never thought we would take, but something happens. A powerful discovery. We meet people we never thought we ever would meet. We see the world from a new perspective. From the time I was ten, my favorite saying is that everything happens for a reason.

That’s true. Everything happens for a reason. There’s a reason you went down that road. Maybe you don’t know the answers now, but you will. What you need to understand is that enjoying the journey will impart wisdom. You will discover things about yourself that you never thought possible. It all starts with one road. One route. Enjoy discovering what makes you happy and your purpose. This is a life lesson we all need to learn. Enjoy the process. 

 

 Also Related: Why You Shouldn’t Let Your Past Define You

 

What is your main takeaway from this and what life lessons affected you the most. Please comment below.

                                                                                     

                                                              Keep Pushing

                                                             Vanessa

 

 

The Truth About Becoming Comfortable With The Uncomfortable

The Truth About Becoming Comfortable With The Uncomfortable

by | Mar 31, 2021 | motivation, personal development

 

the truth about becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable 

Here are a few ways you can become comfortable with the uncomfortable

 

We all love our comfort. The safe zones that protect us from stepping too far in the outer zones. That’s why we call it the comfort zone. It offers us protection. It gives us an extra layer of safeguards that keep us from getting rejected or failing. Many of us prefer comfort over the uncomfortable. 

Here’s the problem, if you want to become anybody you have to get used to becoming uncomfortable. You want to start a company get used to becoming uncomfortable. Being comfortable stops us from going after what we want. Why? Because we’re used to certainty. Used to set up and the obstacles we have to face. We’re used to relying on pillars. What happens if we take that away? What happens if you are starting from scratch? It’s uncomfortable, right?

More than that it feels as if you have nothing to protect you. You have to face things by yourself and that isn’t easy. But it is possible because we all have to start from scratch. We all have to climb the first step to get to the top. That’s life. You can’t escape that. You have to embrace it. As painful as the realization is becoming everything starts with the first step. It also starts with becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable.

 

Start

“If you never start, you never will,” a friend said that to me when I was thinking of starting my business.

“I have no idea where to start from.”

“That’s the point, isn’t it? Starting is scary, but it needs to be done. You can’t allow fear to stop you from going after what you want.”

So, I listened to her advice and I did just that. I started. The hardest thing to do is start something especially if you no idea what you are doing. It’s uncomfortable. But this is a start we all need in the beginning. In the beginning, it will be uncomfortable. You have to unlearn certain things and figure out what steps you should take next.

I had to unlearn that I didn’t need a business degree to start a business. I didn’t need to have it all figured all out and I had to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. When people would ask me questions I had to find the answers for myself. But my friend was right, if I never started I never would.

Your life begins today. So, often we push what we want to the back of our mind. Whether it’s procrastination or fear, time slips by and it gets harder to start. Go for what you want today because time has a way of making us forget. 

 

Don’t dare quit

 

Don’t quit. Our default is to quit when it gets hard. Life is a beautiful mess with obstacles. It is so easy to quit and throw in the towel. But quitting will become easier if you choose to allow yourself to quit. One of the most uncomfortable things I had to do was wake up early. It sounds easy. But I’m a heavy sleeper. 

If I had chosen to quit I would never have broken through. For weeks, I had to figure what would work for me. Nothing seemed to work the way I wanted it. Not the five alarms I set or my nighttime routine. I had to change it. In time, I figured it out. We all have excuses for why we quit. It’s too hard. I’ve no idea where to start from. I don’t have money. But you can’t give up because once you do that will become part of your life. It will become your default. When life gets hard you’ll quit. Every decision you make, there’ll be an easier option.

You’ll never go far if you always quit when it gets hard. 

“It’s too hard. Nothing seems to work out the way I want it to,” I’d complain to my father.

“Nothing worthwhile is easy.”

He had a point. I took what he said to heart, if it was easy then I’d never go far so I had to learn that the challenges make it worthwhile.  Keep moving forward and you will realize that challenges make life worthwhile. Becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable makes the journey so satisfying. It might not feel like that at the moment, but you will realize that if you never started you would have never learned what you do know now.

 

Relish in your suck factor

When you start anything new you will suck. No way you can run from that, but that doesn’t mean it will always be like that. There will be times when you don’t suck. You will have your ups and downs. It will be uncomfortable at first. That’s why you have to embrace becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable. 

The one thing you have to do is appreciate sucking. When I first started blogging I sucked. That isn’t news, everyone goes through that. At first, they suck. Think of anyone who was ever great. Picasso. Einstein. Richard Branson. Madonna. The list goes on. They all have one thing in common, they sucked at something. It could have been marketing, personal branding, or even what they are known for. Maybe, their suck factor is different from ours, but the emotion is still the same. They could have felt they weren’t as good enough as they wanted to be.

What matters is they changed their perspective and embraced what made them. They embraced becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable. That changed their whole lives. They were no longer playing defensive, but offensive and it cultivated an inner strength that they didn’t have before. 

If you want to be great then you must do what they do. Relish in your suck factor. It’s okay to not be as good as you want to be. You can improve on that. Those who refuse to relish in their suck factor will forever remain stuck. Not because of a lack of potential, but because you can’t improve if you believe there’s no room for improvement. 

 

Also Related: How to Get Good At Things By Being Bad First

  

Find your community

 

Okay, so this took some time for people to figure out. There are seven billion people in the world. A lot of people won’t agree with your viewpoint, but they will be people who do. It’s all about finding your group of people. This will take some getting used to. The whole point of becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable is you got to change the way you do certain things.

For example, you got to venture out of your bubble. Join groups whether that’s Facebook or conversations on Clubhouse. This won’t be easy because you are used to dealing with your friend group. It doesn’t mean you should let go of your friends, but you need to prop yourself up. People who will believe and push you to do what you want. You can’t change your life if you aren’t surrounded by people who motivate you.

Will all this be hard? Yes. At first, it will be difficult. But that’s the beauty of life, beauty can be found in moments of absolute pain and the uncomfortable.

 

Celebrate your small milestones

 

For me, this was hard to get my mind around. Every milestone you make should be celebrated. Take the opportunity to embrace becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable. Yes, for many of us this is uncomfortable. Celebrating the small milestones. My English lecturer once told me that any achievement is a sign of success. Didn’t understand that. Now, I do. Celebrate waking up 30 minutes earlier. Celebrate saying yes to yourself.

You should celebrate standing up for your beliefs. When you choose to celebrate every small milestone, you are opening yourself to opportunities and becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable. It might take time for you to incorporate this into your daily life. But once you do, you will discover you’re happier and achieve more at a faster rate. Why because when you notice your improvements this motivates you. You can’t see your progress if you choose not to celebrate your small milestones.

 

Push yourself further

 

Are you uncomfortable yet?

If not then you need to find ways to become uncomfortable. Crazy. I know. We all need to be reminded that becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable will help us to grow. You can’t grow if you don’t push yourself to be uncomfortable. Maybe, that’s appearing on camera or working on your Instagram game, or learning a new skill.

Keep pushing yourself and you will find a rhythm. This will help you to progress fast. It will be hard, I get that, but you must always push yourself. You need to confront what fears you have. When you do that you will excel. Keep reminding yourself whether something makes you uncomfortable. Choose to push yourself further. I’ve had to learn that often we need to not cling to what is known, but push ourselves further. Many will look at this as stepping out of your comfort zone. That’s what it is. You have to step out of your comfort zone. Embrace the unknown. It’s not as scary as you think it is. 

 

 Also Related: 6 Brilliant Ways to Master Self-Sabotage

 

Rinse. Repeat

 

One thing you need to do to keep progressing is to rinse and repeat. Keep working on becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable. This is going to work in your favor. Successful people are constantly working on themselves. You need to do the exact thing. Work on yourself. So, here’s what you got to do. Start working on yourself or a project. Don’t quit when it gets hard. It is a guarantee that it will get tedious, but don’t allow it to. If you have to relish sucking at first. That is normal and will help you improve. No one starts being good at something. The first time you do something, it won’t be easy or you won’t be as good as you can be.

The next step is to find your community that will motivate you. Push yourself further so that you can achieve more. Then you rinse and do it all over again. This is how you can become comfortable with the uncomfortable. 

 

What is your main takeaway from this and how will you become comfortable with the uncomfortable? Please comment below.

                                                                                     

 

                                         Keep Pushing

 

                                                          Vanessa

 

 

 

 

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