You know. It’s kind of crazy – my life that is. I’m 20 years old. I run multiple online businesses that are wildly successful, and I make more money than everyone I know. I work less hours, and have more “free time” than many people will ever have in their entire lives. I can get in a car/plane and travel the world for as long as I want with anyone who wants to come along because I’ve realized the value of time, joined the New Rich, and enabled myself to work anywhere at anytime I wish. I’ve been able to this because I told myself I could.
I’m no different from you, that guy sitting next you, across the street, or the person your texting or IMing right now. All I am is someone who did things. I knew what I wanted, and I went out and I got it. I didn’t give myself a chance to fail or a “back-up plan”. Why? Because “back-up plans” are an incentive to fail. They are a safety net that allows you to give up. Allows you to stop trying and take the easy route.
Do you want to make $1,000,000? Then, don’t stop trying until you get it. Do you want to work less than 10 hours/week? Then, don’t stop trying until you’re doing it. Have kids and be a stay-at-home mom? Then, keep going until you’ve got it, and in that case, keep going some more. You’ve gotta raise those little things for 18 years.
With all kidding aside though, I live a very unconventional lifestyle, and it’s exactly what I want. I encourage you to go out and get the lifestyle you want. It’s never too late. There are people in their 70’s running marathons, and there are people in their 90’s skydiving. Why? Because they realized they wanted to live a different lifestyle, and they didn’t let the “you’re too old” stigma get in there way. I also want to mention, that you’re not too young either. I started my first business at 15, and I know people who have started as early as 12. Patrick, my awesome best friend and business partner, is technically one of them even though he didn’t start taking it seriously until a couple years later.
I see people posting on social media saying that they don’t like their life, and that 2015 is going to be a terrible year because it has already been incredibly bad. Here is what I say to you. Identify the things that have made this year so bad. Be honest, and make a list. Do this right now. I’m waiting….. Still haven’t done it? Why? It’s super simply, and it will go a LONG way in improving things. Trust me. Just freaking do it.
Now that you’ve gotten that done, we need to go through these things and answer this question with each of them: can you control, change, or make a difference in this thing that is dragging down your life? The more that answer “yes” to that question, the better, but don’t give up if it’s just one or two things.
Once you’ve got the things that you have control of identified, make sure those things don’t happen again in the future; take note of them. You don’t want to make the same mistake twice. If they are actively happening, make the change now. Seriously, do it now. Stop reading this and make them better; turn what makes them so terrible into something awesome. For some, this may be cutting out your current friends, breaking up with a significant other, or getting an app that tracks your food intake and activity levels to help you become a healthier person.
The next step is making sure you don’t fall back into the same mess you were in before. If it’s broke, don’t try to fix it. Move on to something else that actually works the way you want it to. Don’t let those old friends suck you back into a pit of unhappiness – find new friends that lift you up and make you better because you know them. The same can be said about spouses/significant others, and even weight loss and health management. Don’t fall back into that same pit again, and if you do slip up, don’t beat yourself up over it. We are human. The goal is to never have two days of despair or unhappiness in a row. If you fall down, don’t stay down. Get the fuck back up and keep going.
Before I move on to making a great year greater, I want to speak to those of you who only have one or two things that you control in your life, and in all honesty, everyone. There are some great tips here that everybody should know. Firstly, I want you to reanalyze things. Maybe you, for example, were considering friends dragging you down as unchangeable when it really is. If reanalyzing comes up empty however, it’s time to stop worrying. If you can’t control it, don’t waste energy on it. I know this is easier said than done, so here are somethings that have helped me and others stop worrying about the uncontrollable.
- Keeping a journal. By keeping a journal where you can be honest about what is going on in your mind and happening in your life, you’re getting to accurately express yourself and feelings without the worry of judgement. This alone can lower worry/stress levels and help you in working towards or maintaining your ideal lifestyle. For me, it’s all I need.
- Make a list of the uncontrollable every morning. By making a list of things you have zero control over every morning when you wake up, you’ll more actively catch yourself when you start to think about things that you can’t control. For this reason, you’ll just naturally start to brush it off. Doing this can help change mindset drastically.
- Start meditating. While I personally don’t need meditation because journaling works perfectly for me, I know many people that would go insane without it. While this may sound weird, don’t let social stigmas get in the way. Fun fact almost everything you think is taboo is normal place somewhere else in the world. Meditation included. Here is a great blog post from Tim Ferriss and Kevin Rose on why meditation is important to them and how you can get started check it out by clicking here.
So, you know how to start turning your life around if it’s going bad, but what if your life is freaking incredible? What if you look forward to waking up every morning because you just want to get your day started? For those of you, it’s about maintaining, and making things greater. Luckily, this is much easier, and I’m going to give you five simple tips on how to do it.
- Keep a journal. This is the only tip that will repeat from above, but it is a must. Keep a journal and take down how you feel everyday. If something negative happens in your life, and it will, write it down and make sure you mention how you feel about it. Get the emotions out so they don’t become pent up inside until you explode.
- Analyze your life using the 80/20 principle. This principle states that 80% of the results you see come from 20% of the effort you put in. This is how I’ve reduced my work week significantly and increased profits for my businesses across the board. You can do the same for your personal life. Ask yourself what 20% of your life is giving you 80% of your happiness. Whatever that 20% is focus on it more and cut out the rest. It’s good to revisit this every few months.
- Don’t sweat the small stuff. This is a good tip for everyone, but it is extremely important when you are trying to maintain happiness/the ideal lifestyle. There are thousands of small things that happen to us everyday that could drag us down and make us unhappy, and sadly, all it can take is one small things to make that happen. Thus, you can’t worry about the small stuff that could make your day bad. This is a great thing that I’ve been practicing for years, and it has worked beautifully.
- Get enough sleep. What? How does sleep help you stay happy? Well, luckily the answer is simple. The more sleep you get, the more energized you are in the day. The more energized you are, the more you’ll want to get done, and the happier you’ll feel. More energy almost always equals more happiness.
- Remember that you can only control certain aspects and to not worry about those that you cannot. You’re already not sweating the small stuff, but what about the big stuff? Big things will happen in your life that could set you off onto a track of unhappiness and even possible depression. With that being said, many of these big things you won’t even be able to control or have a say in. Thus, forget them. Meditate them away, or express them in your journal. Don’t let them ruin your happiness or lifestyle.
I honestly didn’t know what this post was going to turn into when I started writing it. It just kind of happened out to be about how to turn a bad year/unhappy life around into a great one, and how to keep a great life great. I’m known to some of my friends as “the guy who is always happy”. I’ve gotten this title because I practice what I preach. I haven’t had a “bad” day in over 3 years because I don’t let things bring me down. I only worry about what I need to, and in all honesty, I don’t worry. If I have a problem, I fix it. This allows me to be happy all the time. Strive for that; you can get there.
What is something that makes you unhappy in your life? Feel free to post anonymously if you wish. I understand that some of the things that make you unhappy might not be best aired out in the public. Also, if you like this post, please consider sharing it on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, ect.!
