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It’s great to be inspired by role models. However, I believe that some people are inspired by role models without thinking of how they can reach the same level of success from the role model standpoint.
Get inspired by your role model, but also have a desire to become a role model. I’ll talk more about it in this video.
[Tweet “Myth Busting: The Role Model Status.”]
It’s easy to see other people who are successful on platforms like YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook and think, “It’s too late for me.”
With numerous options available already, how could I even compete with the leaders within my niche?
This myth dissuades people from trying the already established platforms like YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. However, regardless of how late you join the party, you can become successful on any platform.
The same goes for opportunities that still bring in a lot of results.
In this video, you will learn what it takes to become successful on a platform, just released or well-established, regardless of how late you join the party.
Prepare to get surprised. Living your ideal day each day is not as difficult as it sounds. It all starts with a decision to be a better you and then knowing and implementing the rest of the steps (don’t worry if you don’t know what those steps are. That’s what this blog post is all about).
Living your ideal day every day comes down to a four step formula that gets easier to implement over time. The best part about this four step formula is that you can always utilize it to live a more ideal day even when you reach your goal of the ideal day.
#1: Craft It
You can’t reach your destination if you don’t know where you are going. The first step of this formula is to simply identify what your ideal day is. For some people, this involves thinking outside of the box. Imagine if there was just one day when you didn’t have to do any work except for the work that you chose to do.
If you choose an ideal day filled with no work whatsoever and a day filled with watching TV, then this blog post isn’t for you. However, if you choose an ideal day where you are only addressing your most important work, then this blog post is for you.
My ideal day has slight variations based on my business’ path. Here are the main things I would like to do every day:
Some of these activities get split up and I manage to do them every other day. However, this is a general idea of what type of work I am doing on my ideal day. What does this mean?
Everything else is a distraction.
Bold, italics, and underlined—the whole package. I’ve never done that on my blog before, but I made an exception because this is such an important point. That brings us into the second step.
#2: Outsource Anything That Doesn’t Fit
Just a few months ago, scheduling tweets and following people on Twitter would have been on that list.
No longer. They were distractions that I outsourced a few weeks ago. Although they are important for the growth of my Twitter account, they were distractions nevertheless. Now my Twitter audience grows like normal, but I get a few hours back every week.
That’s how Udemy course creation found its way on the list. I also have more time to expand my audience on Pinterest and sending pins every day. My bad. I meant to say I outsource all of that Pinterest activity. If I had to spend hours growing my Pinterest audience and sending dozens of pins each day, I wouldn’t have as much time to live my ideal day.
So I’m outsourcing a lot of my activity to other people. Does that make me a lazy entrepreneur? It makes me lazy in the same sense as a billionaire. My guess is that most billionaires have outsourced 99% of their businesses. Billionaires still do a lot for their businesses, but no billionaire is a solopreneur of any kind. Their employees do most of the work.
It is easy to perceive someone who outsources most of his/her business as a lazy entrepreneur, but it’s quite the opposite. Many of these people are more productive than anyone else with their time.
Remember, your ideal day is super important. Anything that stands in the way is an obstacle that stands in the way of your ideal day.
#3: Turn Each Activity In Your Ideal Day Into A Habit
I can write blog posts with my eyes closed (but I don’t. That’s no fun). Writing thousands of blog posts across numerous blogs and writing over a dozen books allowed me to memorize the entire keyboard.
That’s what happens when you do the same activity every day for a long period of time.
One activity I listed in my ideal day that may shock people was playing the piano. It’s something I started recently, so I haven’t had much time to talk about it in my blog posts. According to science, it takes a little more than two months to turn something into a habit.
After playing the piano for over two months, it has now become a habit. I never go to bed now unless I play the piano (on vacations, I make an exception). On some days, I am only playing the piano for five minutes. On other days, I am playing on the piano for well over two hours.
What inspired me to play the piano was a reawakening of my passion for music. What inspired me to play it every day was a powerful case study of a girl who dances for 365 days straight. If you haven’t watched the video yet, leave this blog and watch it now. You’ll be glad you did, and the content will still be here.
#4: Always Anticipate Having Less Time
No matter how much I outsource my business, I always feel as if I have less time than I need. No, I’m not spoiled or unproductive with me time. Rather, this feeling makes me more productive. There are two types of people in the world:
Person #1: “I have all of the time in the world.”
Person #2: “I am running out of time. It’s literally like sand slipping through my fingers.”
Person #1 has no urgency to act and achieve. Person #2 on the other hand has a larger incentive. If I believe it will take me six hours to accomplish one of my goals, I only give myself four hours to accomplish that same goal. More action is taken, and I discover ways to streamline the process much quicker than if I were to have those extra two hours.
The less time you have, the more urgent something becomes. Urgency creates effective action.
In Conclusion
Living your ideal day is important. We know that, but living the ideal day every day is not a fantasy. It is quite possible with a mix of direction and effort. This four step formula is the direction you need. Now it’s just a matter of putting in the work.
Right now, I want to hear from you. Which step in this formula do you think is the most important? How do you see this four step formula happening in your life? How close are you to living your ideal day? Sound off in the comments section below!
Entrepreneurship has its ups and downs. On some days, you will feel invincible. On other days, you will struggle. It’s the nature of the game. Just ask any entrepreneur.
Successful entrepreneurs have two things in common. The first thing they all have in common is persistence. It has been a well-known fact that entrepreneurs need to have persistence. You’ve heard stories about Dr. Seuss getting denied by dozens of publishers, Steve Jobs getting kicked out of Apple, and Mark Cuban hunting for any job he could find before he became a full-time entrepreneur.
The other thing successful entrepreneurs have in common doesn’t get as much attention. Some people refer to this second thing as following your passion. To be more specific, it’s joy. Entrepreneurs enjoy what they do.
Successful entrepreneurs enjoy their work so much that they couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Asked whether they want to do their work today or hang out with Taylor Swift, all entrepreneurs choose their work (okay fine, that one was a big stretch. I’m shutting down my computer if I had the option).
At some point, the road to success will challenge our foundation. Our enjoyment will be put to the test. For some entrepreneurs in the thick of the road, work that was enjoyable for several weeks may suddenly appear as dull and boring.
The work doesn’t suddenly look dull and boring. The problem is a lack of joy that once existed. Each time you reclaim your joy, you’ll love your work again. Throughout my journey, I discovered that I perform at my best over a long period of time when my joy does not elude me.
With joy, there’s no reason to feel bad about yourself and focus on the shortcomings. Regardless of whether you feel joyful now or disappointed with where you are, you need a bullet-proof system that ensures joy.
Here’s what I have been able to come up with:
#1: Write Down All Of The Things You Accomplished In The Past Five Years
One of the biggest reasons people lose their joy is because they look into the ideal future too much. We focus more on the next milestone than the recently surpassed milestone.
For a long time, that was me. When I got my first 100,000 Twitter followers, I was ecstatic. When I surpassed 110,000 Twitter followers, I focused on surpassing 200,000 Twitter followers some day.
It’s good to set big goals for yourself. However, we rarely stop and take some time to acknowledge what we have already accomplished. We rarely take the time to stop and smell the roses. Maybe we should listen to the Travelocity gnome more often!
The first time I did this activity, I realized how much I had accomplished in the past five years. Writing all of the accomplishments between my 12th birthday and a few months after my 17th birthday allowed me to realize what I had accomplished.
I stopped and smelled the roses. And it was enjoyable. Every day, I look at this list of accomplishments, and it reminds me to enjoy my work. On this list, I did not write any of my shortcomings. I only focused on my accomplishments.
#2: Listen To A Favorite Song
There are certain songs, that no matter how many times I listen to them, I still enjoy them. And they make me happy. I’ve listened to some of these songs at the end of rough days. After listening to those songs, I always go to bed happy.
You need to create a list of songs that you would play to get you through a rough patch. The problem with rough patches is that when they are unattended, those patches turn into ditches. When you feel your joy slowly slipping away, play some of your favorite songs.
And don’t rely on the radio to play your favorite song. I look for the YouTube videos of my favorite songs and listen to them that way. Listening to your favorite songs will also help you during workouts. Speaking of workouts…
#3: Workout Every Day
Before I talk about working out, I want to clear one major point of concern. You don’t have to work as hard as LeBron James to get your joy back. Both a simple 5-10 minutes of stretching and shooting a basketball for a few hours will boost your joy. If you want to become a basketball player though, opt for the latter.
I make it a point to run for an hour on most days. If I don’t run, I am shooting the basketball around and chasing my rebounds with the occasional hot streak. When I return from a workout, I feel happier and more energized. Numerous scientific studies confirm that working out releases chemicals within our bodies that make us happier.
When we lose the joy of working, the last thing you should do at that moment is continue working. Many people decide to trudge through the work just to get it done. This is the worst way to approach your work. The work that matters is more than a task on your to-do list.
In my experience, the best way to release stress is by working out. When I run, I’ll take my iPhone with me so I can listen to my favorite songs.
#4: Break Loose From The Workload
Working out is a temporary fix to breaking loose from the workload. Breaking loose from the workload requires you taking a vacation from your work (minimum of one week). Entrepreneurs don’t become successful because they work 24/7.
And yet most people believe working 24/7 is an integral part of the process. You’ll hear entrepreneurs joke that they were working 25/8 or that we give up the 40 hour/week job so we can work 80 hours every week.
While it’s true entrepreneurs need to put in a lot of work, too much work can hurt. If you put in too much work, your productivity will diminish over time. If you work too long, you become less productive.
Even the super humans need breaks. Marissa Mayer, the CEO of Yahoo!, is one of the most productive people on the planet. When she worked for Google, she worked for close to 130 hours every week. That’s not a typo. It comes to a little over 18 and a half hours per day. She’s a super human.
But even Marissa Mayer believes in occasionally breaking loose from the workload. Every four months, she will take a one week vacation and get away from the workload. You should do the same. Just take a week off. Start outsourcing some of the work so your business can function without you.
You need to break loose every once in a while. You deserve it.
#5: Eat Salmon (Or Any Meal Proven To Increase Happiness)
The food we eat impacts our happiness. For the carnivores reading this blog post, do you feel happier eating a giant piece of steak or a bowl of peas? Unless you are a vegetarian, you’d probably opt for the steak.
According to science, eating some foods make us feel happier than eating other foods. There are several articles that talk about this topic and list different foods that make us happier. After reading a bunch of these articles, I discovered to my delight that one meal found its way on virtually every list.
SALMON!
I am the only person in my family who likes salmon. All of the salmon that enters my house is guaranteed to end up on my plate. Thinking about it now makes me salivate the taste and the (in my opinion) fresh smell.
I know if I said this at an event, some people would stand up, say salmon tastes disgusting, and complain about the smell.
Luckily, salmon isn’t the only food that boosts happiness. Fruits, vegetables, and green tea are some of the other options. Being more conscious of what ends up on your plate will allow you to live a happier, healthier life.
In Conclusion
Entrepreneurship is a challenging road filled with twists and turns. Some twists and turns will lead to dead ends and detours. However, at the end of the road is a massive treasure chest waiting for you. Going on the right path requires constant joy in what you do. When you find yourself going off-track, pause and reflect. Bring the joy back. Then continue on the right path.
Which of these tips did you like the most? Have any additional tips for boosting and preserving joy? Sound off in the comments section now!
In our busy worlds of goal setting and getting things done are many distractions that impact the amount of work we accomplish. Not only are there more distractions than ever, but not all of the work we do gets us closer to our dreams. To some, being productive seems impossible while other people do it effortlessly.
Since I am a high school student, I am technically considered a part-time writer and entrepreneur even though I have committed myself to those two areas. My productivity is one of the biggest factors of my success because it allows me to properly juggle being a high school student with being a writer and entrepreneur. In the summer, when I get more control over how long I can work on my brand, my productivity skyrockets primarily because of all of the extra time available. Right now, I will provide a case study on how I get my daily goals accomplished. Accomplishing the daily goals allows me to accomplish my goals for the week, month, and year. How am I this productive? Find out now.
Always Have Significant Things To Do Throughout The Day
If you are not taking the time to build your brand throughout the day, then you need to put in more work. I can’t remember a time I got to bed before 11 pm because I always do work for my brand throughout the day. Even during the summer, I am putting in the work for my brand past 11 pm. Of course, if I see the value of my work suffer as the day continues, I stop putting in the work. When I am not working, I am doing research or reading a book to learn more about my niche. If you don’t give yourself many goals, you may find yourself surfing the web or your television. Surfing the web and your television are two methods of escaping boredom.
Many people see procrastination as a temporary way to escape work and boredom. For many people, watching television is more entertaining and less boring than putting in the work. However, if you appreciate your work and give yourself enough work for yourself to do throughout the day, you’ll find less time to procrastinate.
Do I Really Get Everything Accomplished?
I get many goals accomplished in a given month, but in reality, I don’t get everything accomplished. However, the reason I don’t get everything accomplished is different from most reasons. When I don’t get a series of goals accomplished, that is because I give myself so much to do in a given week that even if I work non-stop for long periods of time, I would only get some of my goals accomplished.
I tend to give myself challenging goals to complete in one week that most people would give themselves an entire month to complete. For instance, I gave myself one week to publish a training course that I didn’t even start (I didn’t even have notes), proofread and publish a book, write five blog posts, outline my next course, complete five YouTube videos, and do a few other things. Right now, I am aiming to launch one new training course every week. I may launch three training courses in a month. I may launch five. By raising the bar so high and sincerely believing in my ability to accomplish everything on that raised bar, I get close or even exceed my expectations and do in one week what most people would do in one month.
Wake Up Early
Not only is it challenging for me to remember a time I got to bed before 11 pm, but it is also challenging for me to remember a time I woke up after 8:30 am. I like to sleep for 7.5 hours every day because 7.5 hours is my optimal sleeping time for productivity and high performance. Waking up early is very important because we have more willpower in the beginning of the day to get our goals accomplished. If you sleep too long, try waking up an hour earlier. Then try waking up two hours earlier. If you wake up an hour earlier and go to sleep at the normal time you go to sleep at, then you gain an extra hour that can be used to get your work done. Of course, sleep is important and not getting enough sleep will negatively impact your work, but getting too much sleep isn’t good for your health either.
Attack The Work Right Away
One of the worst things to do is to know that you have work but not do anything about it. People are fearful of starting their work partly because they don’t want to do the work and partly because the work may be complicated. This fear is caused by the uncertainty of not knowing the amplitude of the work being put in. The only way to attack this fear is to start the work NOW so the cloud of uncertainty slowly clears up until the sun of certainty shines through it and eliminates that particular cloud of uncertainty for good.
Small Achievements Lead To The Big One
When I give myself daily goals, I typically give myself 1-2 big goals and a wide range of smaller goals. I tend to get the smaller (easier but still impactful) goals accomplished first so I have the right mindset for that day. Getting the smaller goals accomplished are the equivalent of small wins, and a string of small wins put together will give you the mindset firepower to accomplish all of the more challenging goals for the day. Giving yourself a series of smaller goals and getting them accomplished will boost your self-esteem which is important to being more productive and producing valuable work.
In Conclusion
We all want to be more productive, but going through the same motions we went through yesterday and the day before won’t make us more productive. Being more productive requires a gradual shift that impacts the way we view our work, and possibly, our lives. Investing the time now to be more productive later will allow you to get your goals accomplished in record-breaking time.
What were your thoughts on the case study? Do you have any tips to be more productive? Please share your thoughts and advice below.
The first day I launched this blog, it got 0 visitors.
The first day I created my Twitter account, it had 0 followers.
The first day Jeff Bezos decided to start Amazon, he had no customers or forklifts.
The first day Steve Jobs decided to create the Apple, no one was paying attention.
The first day is always the most challenging. We often look at the people before us who have become very successful. We look at the Jeff Bezoses and Mark Zuckerbergs of the world wondering if we will ever get there. If you make it through the first day, your chances of making it through the entire week will go up. When you make it through the entire week, your chances of making it through the entire month go up. Then, you keep on sticking with something for many years, and you eventually become the next success story.