Have you ever met somebody who just seems to have his/her life all together? He/she is confident, financially secure and loving life, not to mention in good physical shape, always smiling and optimistic regardless of the possible outcome? I am sure everyone has met someone like this, and if you are like me, you are slightly envois, but more than anything, become motivated to improve my own life. Ultimately, we all want the above mentioned, but what does it take to be that kind of person? I have asked myself this question many times, and through observation of people who inspire me I have discovered several reoccurring themes and would like to share them with you this month.
#1 Set Goals
I know you have heard me say this a million times, so let’s make it a million and one. Successful people set goals!! Why you ask? Goals give you a vision of where you want to be and what you are working towards. If you have never set a goal before, it is simple. Sit down for 20 minutes and day dream about what you really want to achieve. Keep the goal realistic. Visualize it as if you were truly living it. Now, hold onto that thought and begin developing your vision, how you want to achieve the goal, what it will do for you. Set a reasonable deadline, one which allows for unforeseen obstacles that may develop yet a deadline that still forces you to work hard. Develop a plan for each week, adjusting for weeks where you see a lot of improvement or for ones which hold you up slightly. Keep making those weekly plans until you achieve the goal. You must stay intense through the entire process. Reaching a goal is not easy, if it were, more people would be successful and living their dreams. You must preserve and work hard, not allowing obstacles to stand in your way. To learn more about this method, I recommend the book Flight Plan by success guru Brian Tracy.
#2 Develop a Passion
Every successful person I have met or observed has passion for what they do. You can just tell by talking to them or reading their books that they love what they do because of every word they speak or write has a spark to it. Conversations with passionate people are enjoyable and usually inspiring. Some people are born with their passion and others develop it over time. If you are not already passionate about something, visualizing a dream or goal that may help build that passion, and once you get it, focus on achieving your goal so it will become a priority.
#3 Fuel the Body
Everyone needs to fuel their body, but to be a success you have to make sure you are running on all cylinders. I am not just talking about eating right, although that should be number one on everyone’s list because without proper nutrition, you won’t have the necessary energy to push through all the challenges that face you on a daily basis. I am talking about more than food, I am talking about fueling your mind with education and intellectual conversation, fueling your body with nutrition and physical activity, fueling your soul with family, friends, and fun. When I say fuel your body, I mean fuel everything from head to toe, inside and out. Taking care of yourself will ensure you are physically and emotionally able to achieve the goal you set to achieve.
#4 Renew your inner faith
Life is hard and at times you may feel like mentally or emotionally you are not all there. You may have picked up that bad habit you quit years ago, you may have stopped participating in an activity you once enjoyed, or maybe you are just stuck in a rut without a way out. In the fast pace life we lead it is easy to lose track of who we are and more importantly where we want to go. Don’t forget to take time out for yourself regardless of what is happening in your life. There is a time and place for what I like to call self meditation or ‘getting back into the zone.’ Self meditation can be different for everyone – for me it’s taking a run, hitting the heavy bags, training my dogs, or hunting, whatever helps me get back to me. For you it might be hitting golf balls, playing basketball, listening to music or anything else. Inner faith keeps you balanced and on schedule, without it, time and life will pass you by endlessly.
#5 Self Discipline
This is a topic that gets my blood boiling quickly. Being a martial arts/fitness instructor it drives me absolutely crazy when people have NO SELF DISCIPLINE!! I feel the need to Thai kick people in their cranium to help them realize they need SELF DISCIPLINE if you want to succeed! Your path in life is not always glorified, in fact it hardly ever is and most people won’t ever see your successes. If you are waiting for other people to recognize your success it won’t happen, so understand that now. To better yourself, you need to be self disciplined. You need to develop positive habits to change your lifestyle one step at a time, like taking a run when you wake up, making your bed, eating breakfast daily, reading a inspirational quote daily, saving a $1 a day and the list goes on and on. If you just do one of these things each day for 30 days you would be surprised with the changes you would see. Now turn those new things into a routine and you are on your way to a self disciplined better you. Successful people always talk about making positive changes in their lives, making them habits. To get on track with you self discipline, I recommend the book “Becoming a Better You” by Joel Osteen.
Take these 5 tips to heart and start your new and improved life today. This is what martial arts is all about, Self Improvement. Martial arts is a physical and mental tool to improve ourselves on a daily basis!
