Everyone is different. It’s not reasonable to expect that everyone wants to live the same life. But, to step outside the options that society deems to be acceptable can be a little scary. Our need to impress and be accepted can be very strong.

Perhaps you’ve never really considered what your dream life would be. It’s hard to hit a target that you’ve never identified.

Follow these steps to imagine the best life you could possibly have and then live it:

1. Be true to yourself. You can’t live your best life if you’re pretending to be someone or something that you’re not. The first step in living your best life is to admit to yourself who you really are. Be honest about your likes, dislikes, and dreams.

> Maybe you would like to live in a cabin in the woods and grow all of your food.

> Or do you love the idea of minimalism and frugality?

> Do you prefer animals to people?

> Would you like to live in a commune?

> Do you love to play the accordion?

> Would you like to travel the world like a nomad without a home base?

> Do you want to spend all of your time and resources saving the planet?

> Does the idea of having children horrify you? Or would you like to try for 13 kids?

> Choose what appeals to you. Any admiration or scorn you receive from others won’t last long enough for your cup of coffee to get cold.

2. Make a plan. Relying on chance or luck is a losing game in the long run. If you want a specific life, it’s important to choose it and then make a plan to get there. Make a long-term plan that begins with something you can do today.

3. Execute your plan. Many people love to dream and plan. That’s the easy and fun part. Unfortunately, few people ever take the first step in their plan. They never get started.

> Take some sort of action each day outlined by your plan. You don’t have to do an amazing amount of work each day to make significant progress over time. A little each day eventually grows into substantial results.

> The hardest part is getting started, so ensure that you get started as soon as possible. There will never be a perfect time to begin. Begin now and make the best of it. Everything changes once you actually begin.

4. Learn from your mistakes. Neither you nor your plan is flawless. You will make mistakes and try things that don’t work. That should be expected. Decide that you’re going to learn from your mistakes, adjust your approach, and try again.

5. Focus. Keep your attention on those things that are relevant regarding your plans. Reject nearly everything else.

> Why are you gossiping about your coworkers or neighbors?

> Still upset about how your ex cheated on you 13 years ago?

> Annoyed by the price of gasoline?

> What do any of these sorts of things have to do with achieving your goals and attaining your dream life? (Nothing.)

6. Finish. You can’t live your best life if you give up on your quest to attain it. Keep going until you’ve arrived where you want to be.

Your best life is out there ready for you to claim it! Be completely honest with yourself, make a plan, and stick with it until you’ve arrived. The life you desire is attainable and within your reach. Do you have the courage to make it happen?

Take a chance on feeling happy and fulfilled. Chase after your dream life.

Fear of Failure: The Greatest Threat to Your Success

The fear of failure has killed more dreams than all other fears combined. The fear of failure is insidious, because it’s largely in your imagination. It can also prevent you from even trying in the first place, which guarantees failure.

It’s interesting that very small children have no concept of failure. They couldn’t care less if they fail to do something. They just try again. There are no negative thoughts or emotions involved. They just keep on going. Fear of Failure: The Greatest Threat to Your Success

But it doesn’t take long before children learn to fear the opinions of others. It’s usually around the time they start school. After that first day of school, we’re all changed forever.

It might not be possible to go recapture the mentality of a toddler, but you can come close. The fear of failure doesn’t have to impact your life significantly. Fear of Failure: The Greatest Threat to Your Success

Consider these facts:

1. Failure is temporary – unless you quit. Failure isn’t final unless you give up. All the most successful people have experienced a lot of failure. But they ended up being successful precisely because they didn’t quit. Failure is just a temporary state that means nothing, because it’s only temporary.

2. Failure is common. You’ve failed thousands of times and managed to survive. Consider how many times you failed to walk or to talk well. Babies have constant failure. Fear of Failure: The Greatest Threat to Your Success

> Successful people fail all of the time. It’s a huge part of how human beings learn. We realize that our approach didn’t work, we adjust, and we try again.

3. Failure is educational. You can learn something from every single one of your failures. Failure makes you more knowledgeable and capable. The more you fail, the stronger you become.

4. Others are far less concerned about your failure than you think. A few people might notice your failure, but they quickly turn their attention back on themselves and their own challenges.

> There’s nothing to worry about. Feel free to fail as much as necessary. Fail enough and you’ll quickly see that no one relevant cares. Fear of Failure: The Greatest Threat to Your Success

5. Focus on how great it will be when you succeed. Instead of worrying about possible failure, consider possible success. Make yourself feel excited and positive about taking action.

> With high enough expectations, you’ll do just about anything without worrying about failure.

6. Redirect your thoughts. Put your attention on what you’re doing. If a negative outcome isn’t going to cause any real harm, forget about the outcome. Stay focused on your actions or something positive. Thinking about failing will freeze you in your tracks. Fear of Failure: The Greatest Threat to Your Success

7. Consider the cost of doing nothing. Taking action might be a little scary, but what will happen if you do nothing?

> What will you feel about failing to take action?

> What if you’re stuck in your current life for the next decade or more?

> Maybe taking a risk is far more attractive than remaining where you are.

What would you do if you weren’t afraid of failing? Probably a lot more than you’re currently doing! How much has the fear of failure limited your life?

We’ve all allowed the fear of failure to influence our decisions. We’ve allowed this fear to stop us from trying new things or taking risks. We all have smaller lives than we could because we’re too concerned with what others think. Fear of Failure: The Greatest Threat to Your Success

Rejecting the fear of failure is one of the greatest things you can do for your future!

You can start today. What are you going to do today that you’ve been afraid to try?

Fear of Failure: The Greatest Threat to Your Success

Wasting Time With Micro Timewasters

We notice how and when we waste time on a large scale. We notice that we spent an hour on social media or that we watched TV for three hours. However, these aren’t the only ways we waste time. We waste time in dozens of ways each day. Wasting Time With Micro Timewasters

Many of this time wasters aren’t always obvious, but the time can really add up over the course of a day, a week, or a decade.

Don’t let your time just be frittered away! Imagine how much you could accomplish in that time! What could you do that really matters to you? Wasting Time With Micro Timewasters

Guard your time from the micro timewasters with these strategies:

1. Have a phone charger with you. How many times in a week do you need a phone charger and have to go into the other room to fetch it? Have multiple chargers and keep them handy in the locations you spend the most time.

> It’s not just the time it takes to get the charger. It’s the disruption to your thoughts and workflow. Plus, once you leave the room to locate your charger, who knows what else will grab your attention along the way. Wasting Time With Micro Timewasters

2. Internet speed. How much time do you spend waiting for a web page to load? Or a movie to stream? You might not think you’re waiting for very long, but it all adds up. If your internet is noticeably slow, your time is being wasted.

3. Checking e-mail. It just takes 10 seconds to check email, right? Hardly. That quick look alters your concentration, and there’s no telling how far down the rabbit hole you’re going to go. Wasting Time With Micro Timewasters

> You might open three emails, respond to one one them, and then remember that you have another email to answer.

> What if the email is a link to a video of a cat chasing a dog?

> There’s no telling when you’ll get back on track.

4. Beverages. How many times do you get up from your desk to get a drink? However many times it is, it’s too many. Keep a beverage handy when you’re working. Take a sip and get back to work. Wasting Time With Micro Timewasters

5. Snacks. Keep something healthy available. If you have to go to the vending machine for a snack, you can’t be sure who you’ll run into or how long you’ll be gone.

6. Get gas for your car on the weekend. You don’t want to be rushed on Tuesday morning and realize that your car needs gas on the way to work. Plan ahead. Wasting Time With Micro Timewasters

7. Meals. We spend a lot of time thinking about meals, planning meals, buying food, cleaning dishes. If you have to stop on the way to work for breakfast, go out for lunch, and then pick up something at the store for dinner, you’re wasting a lot of time.

> Go to the store once a week, at most.

> Have food that can be prepared quickly and easily and doesn’t require multiple pots and pans to prepare it.

8. Looking for “lost” things. This could be your keys, purse, wallet, a pen, your shoes, jacket, umbrella, or anything else you’ve temporarily misplaced. Keep the essentials in a particular place. Wasting Time With Micro Timewasters

> For example, don’t ever put your car keys anywhere but in the decorative bowl by the front door. Your pen should be on your desk. Your shoes should be where your shoes belong if they’re not on your feet.

After you’ve eliminated the big wasters of time in your life, start looking at the tiny wasters of time. You’ll quickly realize that the impact on your life isn’t so tiny.

Every disruption has a greater impact than just the amount of time the disruption robs from you. Consider the loss of focus and momentum. It takes time to get back on track mentally after you’ve scoured the house or your workplace for a pencil. Wasting Time With Micro Timewasters

Guard your time with your life – the life you really desire!

Change Your Life by Implementing These New Habits

“The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” – John C. Maxwell

What is the first thing you do after you wake up in the morning? Maybe you check your phone, or you get out of bed to brush your teeth. Whatever it is, you might not think twice about it. Change Your Life by Implementing These New Habits

Habits are learned behaviors that become a part of your routine over time. They can be subconscious. And habits are not always good.

Yet some of the most successful people attribute their success to their routine. Those people took time to integrate good habits into their life. Change Your Life by Implementing These New Habits

To change your life, you can change your habits. Habits do not have to be large changes in order to have an impact. You can also integrate small, good habits into your routine.

These habits might seem small or insignificant, but they can carry into your life in unexpected ways. Change Your Life by Implementing These New Habits

Implement these habits into your routine to change your life:

1. Make your bed. Starting your day by making your bed is one of the simplest habits to integrate into your daily routine. You reward yourself by starting the day off with an easy win. Change Your Life by Implementing These New Habits

> That simple accomplishment can subconsciously act as a domino effect as you generate other wins throughout your day.

2. Set an intention. At the beginning of your day, set an intention. You can also set intentions for the week, month or year. Setting intentions regularly guides you with a reminder of how you want to live each day.

3. Practice gratitude. Studies have shown that when we practice gratitude, our brains release dopamine. Gratitude helps shift your mind to positive thoughts, which can help you feel more positive. Change Your Life by Implementing These New Habits

> At the end of the day, write down three things you are grateful for to build your gratitude habit.

4. Exercise. When you exercise, your body releases chemicals that relieve stress and spark euphoria. In addition to being a natural antidepressant, exercise also builds your confidence. To build your confidence and happiness, make it a habit to exercise each day.

5. Express gratitude to others. When you express gratitude towards others, you strengthen the connection you have with them. Change Your Life by Implementing These New Habits

> Write a thank you letter to a mentor who has guided you in the past or to someone who made an impact on your life.

> After you spend time with someone, send them a message thanking them for their time and include one specific thing you loved about that time.

6. Read. Just like exercise builds your physical muscles, reading builds your brain’s muscles. Reading consistently builds your ability to focus, concentrate, and remember things.

7. Switch to positive language. Practice using positive language, from your self-talk to the things you say to others. Change Your Life by Implementing These New Habits

> Say, “Thank you for your patience,” instead of, “Sorry for the wait.”

> Pay attention to the negative things you say to yourself. Would you speak that way to a friend? Speak to yourself more positively too!

8. Take the stairs. In a digital age where most of us are tied to our computers, choose the option that gets you moving! Take the stairs instead of the elevator. When you need to run an errand, walk or bicycle to the shop. Change Your Life by Implementing These New Habits

Follow these tips to successfully implement new habits:

1. Make each habit timely. For example, “make my bed daily” or “express gratitude to someone else once per week.”

2. Avoid long breaks when building a new habit. If you have a habit you want to do daily and you miss one day, do your best not to let yourself miss two days.

3. Be compassionate with yourself. If you forget to exercise one day, avoid beating yourself up! Learn to be compassionate and understanding of yourself.

4. Find an accountability buddy. You are more likely to stick to your habits if you have someone holding you accountable. Find someone to hold you accountable or support you throughout your journey! Change Your Life by Implementing These New Habits

5. Reward yourself. Rewarding yourself as you hit milestones will help you enjoy the process.

You don’t have to make drastic changes – like starting a new career – to change your life. The small changes habits have in your routine can make a huge impact!

Change Your Life by Implementing These New Habits