All great things take time

You have more control than you think.

When something significant or insignificant happens you control your reaction to those situations.

It’s not always about staying positive. It’s about understanding why you reacted the way you did. Good or bad.

If someone cuts you off in traffic and almost hits your car, what would your initial reaction usually be?

You’d probably honk your horn and curse them out. You may start yelling in your car. You may let it effect you for the rest of your day. But why?

When you think about it, what really happened? Someone cut you off. They didn’t hit you. They probably didn’t do it on purpose. They kept on driving, unaffected by the incident.

Meanwhile you’re fuming. You’re ready to fight. You’re ready to crash into them.

Take a step back from the situation before you react.

Nothing really happened. No one was hurt. Your cars fine. You’re fine. Move on.

You’re in control of the way you respond to situations. Don’t make something as small and insignificant as someone cutting you off ruin your day.

When you take that step back and realize why you’re mad it almost makes you laugh.

You’re mad at someone because they almost hit your car. The funny thing is that they didn’t. They may have been close but ultimately nothing was damaged.

Why should you let it affect you? You shouldn’t.

Be more aware of your reactions.

If you feel yourself drifting towards reacting negatively stop yourself, take a breath, and be grateful nothing bad actually happened. Then forget about it.

You’re in control of your emotions and your reactions. Don’t forget that.

“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” -Charles R. Swindoll

“We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment.” -Jim Rohn

We all have dreams. We all have ambitions. We all want to succeed. We all want to do what we want, when we want. Why wait?

Timing will never be right. There will never be the perfect situation. Not everyone will agree with your decision all at once.

You’re delaying the inevitable. If you’re going to do it, why not start now?

So many people want to accomplish their dreams but never take the necessary steps because they’re afraid. Afraid of what others will think. Afraid of failure. Afraid of rejection. Afraid of missing out.

Would you rather live the rest of your life with regret or do something very few people will ever attempt?

You’ve probably been having this feeling for a while now. Something’s missing. You’re not entirely sure what it is but you feel it.

Act on that feeling.

That feeling will never go away unless you fill that void.

If you have other obligations – wife, kids, credit card payments, mortgage payments, etc. – focus on paying off outstanding debits and running your plans by your family.

Otherwise, you have more flexibility than you realize.

Worst case scenario you get another job if it doesn’t work out.

You can quit your job and start a business. You can go travel to Africa or Asia. You can write and publish your novel.

It takes guts. It takes commitment. It takes support.

Ultimately it’s your decision. You control your future. You control your actions. You control your time.

If you can’t make time now, why do you think that will change the older you get?

If you want something that bad, don’t wait. Go after it.

You’ve figured it out. You know what you want to achieve. You have your main goals in mind. Knowing is the first step and taking action is the next step.

Now it’s your turn to show up. 

If this is your dream you have to go all in.

Not just once or twice a week but everyday. Consistently show up to accomplish your goals.

Work your ass off to get what you want.

Don’t “try” to go after your goals. Give 100% of your effort and focus when you’re working on your goal.

Don’t half ass it.

If you’ve started any project before and quit it’s because you stopped consistently working on it. You started to miss a day here and there.

Next thing you know it’s been two months and you’ve done nothing. You’ve lost all the momentum you had.

Set aside time everyday to work on your goal. Guard that time. Don’t change it for anything or anyone.

If you really want this you’ll have to sacrifice some of your everyday activities.

You have the goal. Set the time. Work on your project. Give it your complete focus and dedication. This time, make sure you don’t stop until you finish what you’ve started.

“If you can dream it, you can do it.” -Walt Disney

There are a million things we can be working on.

We can study a new language. We can learn to code. We can learn to fly a plane. We can play an instrument. We can become a police officer. We can travel the world.

With all these options and so little time how do we choose? How do we know what we should be working on and what we should abandon?

You can choose the most appealing option first, or the option that you believe will benefit your ultimate goal. 

What if you don’t know what you want to do?

Try something. Try a bunch of things. Try doing an activity or studying a topic you never thought you’d be interested in. You never know until you try.

Push yourself outside of your comfort zone. Do something you’ve always wanted to but you’re afraid of. It could be public speaking or speaking a foreign language or starting a business.

Do something you’re not comfortable with.

You’ll start to find certain activities that interest you more than others. You’ll start to form passions for things you never thought possible.

Keep at it until you find something you’re willing to sacrifice your time to complete.

We have a finite amount of time on this earth. If we had 1,000 lives we wouldn’t be able to learn everything we want.

Don’t waste your time on activities and topics that you don’t like. You don’t have enough time.

Have fun learning new things. If you realize half way through completing a project that you’re not interested, move on.

Try learning something new this year. Focus on finishing the projects that truly interest you.

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” -Walt Disney

Where you think you spend your time and where you actually spend your time are two completely different things.

You may think you’re working towards your goals but in reality you’re spending more time on unproductive activities.

Track your time throughout the day.

Every time you start something new. Every time you catch yourself on your phone or surfing the internet. Every time you get up. Track how long you have conversations with colleagues or your boss. Track everything.

Once you get home have your friends or spouse track what you work on and how much time you spend on those specific activities.

You’ll start to realize how different your perception of the work you get done and what you actually get done is.

Track yourself for 2 weeks straight. Try to capture every interaction. Try to get as close as you can to the amount of time you’re spending on these activities.

Keep a journal close to you to document everything.

Finding out where your time is going will help you get more control of your days. It will help you realize the areas you need to improve and the daily actions you need to change. It will also help you reinforce what you’re doing right.

You’re likely wasting more time than you think.

At the end of he two weeks add up how much time you’re spending on each activity. Address the issues you find. Limit the number of distractions.

You do have the time. The first step is figuring out how you’re actually spending your days and altering everything from there.

“You can’t master time, but you have to work your hardest to manage it.” -Chuck D

Sometimes we go through an entire day working towards someone else’s dreams. We do what others want us to do.

We direct all our focus and effort to our job.

When we get home we’re exhausted. We do what’s easy. We watch TV or sleep or play on our phones. 

We tend to get stuck in an endless loop. Before you know it, you’ll be 60 wondering what happened.

What about your dreams? What about your goals?

If you want to accomplish your goals you’re going to have to make time. 

Nothing was ever accomplished by standing still. If you want something that bad you’ll find the time. 

Read your favorite book when you get home. Go get your workout done immediately. Write for your blog. Listen to your favorite music. Just do something that makes you happy.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be a project or business, it can be playing anything that makes you happy.

We only live one life. 

Will you wish you would have spent more time watching TV or going after your goals? 

Would you wish you would have spent more time at work or with your family?

Prioritize your life. 

You’ll find the time if it truly matters. 

It’s not going to be easy or always fun, but it will be worth it. Believe in yourself. Believe in your goals.

Find the time and make it happen.

It’s easy to complete a task or project when you’re motivated. You want to to push yourself. You’re excited about the project.

What about the days you don’t feel like doing anything?

Those are the days that matter most. 

The hardest part about being consistent and continually completing what you’ve started is getting through the dips and tough days.

When you least want to work on that project, work for an extra hour, or do one more set is when you need to the most. 

Pushing through the tough times will almost guarantee you finish your projects.

Of course, it’s easier said than done.

Try the reward system. 

If you finish x part of the project you get one hour of TV. Of you run one more mile you can eat anything you want for dinner. 

It’s important to figure out what motivates you and use that to push you when you hit a rough point.

What are the outcomes your looking for? What happens if you complete this project? How important is it for you to finish? What if you don’t finish the project?

Keep these things in mind.

If the goal or project really is that important to you, you’ll find ways to stay motivated and dedicated to finishing what you’ve started.

Find these reasons and you can push through any dip.

“I’ve never looked at myself and said that I need to be a certain way to be around a certain sort of people. I’ve always wanted to stay true to myself, and I’ve managed to do that. People have to accept that.” – Jay-Z

We’re all different. We’re all unique. We all have different goals. We have different upbringings. We’re all our own person. Stay true to that person.

You don’t have to change because of peer pressure. You don’t have to conform. You don’t have to listen to what other people think of you. You can be you.

What people think of you doesn’t matter.

Take a step back and think about why we care what other people think of us.

As humans, we all want to be liked. We try to connect with everyone we meet. We don’t want to be hated. So we change ourselves to try to appease everyone.

That doesn’t work.

You can be open to other views and beliefs but don’t go against your core beliefs.

Don’t change who you are to make people like you.

If you believe you can accomplish anything you want stick to that. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

If you meet someone and sir core beliefs don’t match your beliefs then why does it matter what they think?

They have different views on life. That’s completely fine. They can be who they want and you can be who you want. You wot connect with everyone you meet.

Don’t change because you think you’ll be more likable. Be yourself and you’ll naturally attract people like yourself.

That’s the key to attracting like-minded individuals – being yourself.

Your life is controlled by you. What you do on a daily basis is controlled by you. Your habits are controlled by you.

Your successes and failures are for the most part controlled by you.

You are your biggest limitation and your biggest benefactor.

Take ownership of your own success. Once you realize you control your life and your outcomes you’ll start to have a more focused effort on your days.

You’ll notice your shortcomings and focus on improving them. You’ll notice where you waste the most time in your days. You’ll start worrying less and focusing more on what truly matters.

If you want to get better at a certain skills you can.

If you want a specific job you can get it.

You’ve controlled almost every aspect of your life so far. You’ve become the person you are today because of the choices you’ve made up to this point.

Your choices will change your outcomes. They will change who you become and what you can achieve.

Focus on reading more and watching less tv. Think about exercising instead of lounging. Get up early instead of sleeping in.

You are your controller. You will be the person you decide to be. 

Make a concerted effort to value your time. You only live one time. 

Be the person you want to be.

If you don’t know how to do something, figure it out. 

It may seem overwhelming at first because you’ve never done it but in reality it’s usually easier than you think. 

Think about all the people you know who have already don’t it.

It could be starting a blog, a business, a new language, or an instrument. It’s going to be hard at first but it’s very possible to do.

So many people have already done it, why can’t you?

You have to take the first step and commit yourself to figuring out how to start. Figure out what’s worked for the people who have done it already. It’s perfectly normal to ask how someone has done it.

It’s important for you to figure out ways of completing tasks and goals.

Your ability to be resourceful in the beginning and when things hit a dip is crucial. You can’t always rely on others people figuring it out for you. You need to be the one to take charge and solve the problem.

Most things we’re afraid of doing end up not being as hard as we thought. It’s still hard, but the worst case scenario is not even close to what we came up with.

Figure out how to start something, get a decent start, ask for continuous feedback and ways for improvement, ask questions to people who have done it before you, focus on the most critical tasks first, and stay consistent.

Figuring out how to start may seem like the biggest challenge but it’s not.

It’s you getting over your self-doubt and ignoring what the naysayers tell you.

You can figure anything out if you are resourceful enough and are willing to do whatever it takes to start.

“The reason a lot of people do not recognize opportunity is because it usually goes around wearing overalls looking like hard work.” -Thomas A. Edison

You have to grind it out. You have to put your head down and do the work most aren’t willing to do. 

It’s not particularly fun or flashy but it’s necessary.

Hard work isn’t the only factor but it’s a critical factor.

The ability to work harder than everyone else will separate you from the pack. To know you’re not the most talented or the smartest but knowing you’re willing to work harder than everyone else will drive you to become better.

The grind should never stop. There’s no easy way to becoming better. It’s through hours and hours of continuous work that you achieve your goal.

That’s the best part about learning something knew. You start back at the bottom, not knowing anything, having to work your ass off to get better.

The more you work at your craft the better you get.

Look at the grind as a necessary evil. It’s something that can’t be skipped. It’s needed for you to reach a certain point.

Instead of complaining about embrace it.

You control your ability to work hard. You control your ability to succeed. It may be a difficult process but it will be worth it.