People talk about “new year, new me” all the time. As you probably know, that attitude typically lasts for about 12 days. Then most people end up falling right back into their old routines.
Well, if you’re reading this site, odds are you ain’t one of those people. Or, at the very least, you are doing your best to not be one of them anymore.
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that it took a lot for me to get to this point in my life. I had a lot of shit to overcome and helped plenty of people overcome their shit too.
Today I want to share with you my “rules” to overcoming whatever shit you’re faced with so you too can accomplish anything you want in 2018, instead of just talking about it.
So here it goes!
- Sleep 7-9 hours per night
Most people don’t take their sleep seriously enough. If you want to be a high performer you need adequate sleep, even if you don’t think you do. Be sure to get your sleep in check if you want to have a chance at changing your life.
- Eat well
Like sleep, your nutrition plays a huge roll in your day to day actions and performance. Everything from your mood, energy, and performance are affected by the food you eat, not to mention the way you look. Eat lean sources of protein, unprocessed carbohydrates, healthy sources of fats, fruits and a fuck-ton of veggies consistently and cut out the crap. Nutrition doesn’t have to be so complex and complicated. Just stop eating shit and start eating clean.
- Train hard
If you want to achieve any fitness goal you have to be willing to put in the work. Don’t worry too much about fancy programming or high-tech facilities. What’s more important is consistent, hard god damn work and a clear goal which you can focus on. That goal may change after 12 or even 16 weeks, but you need to focus on one specific goal for a long enough duration (12-16 weeks typically) which you can accomplish it. Be relentless in your pursuit of this goal and do everything it takes to achieve it. There are too many pussies out there. You’re not going to be one of them!
If you’re going to accomplish any goal you need to have rules 1-3 in check first. Without abiding by them you’re only setting yourself up for failure, regardless of the goal you’re pursuing. Create a plan to get these first three in check. If you’re already there then let’s move forward.
- Educate yourself
Most people stop learning the day the graduate college or sometimes even high school. The most successful people on the planet make time for seminars, events, podcasts and books. There is so much FREE information out there that there is literally no excuse to not know how to do something. Or to AT LEAST get started.
Highly successful people read up to 60 books per year. Average people read one or less. Which category do you want to be in?
- Find a mentor
Want to know the best way to accomplish something? Seek out the people who have already done it and pay them to teach you how! Solutions to your problems are very simple, however most people refuse to pay for a service because they say it’s “too expensive”. That’s a lame excuse. If you want something you need to be willing to do whatever it takes to achieve it, including paying top dollar. This can be difficult at first, especially if you don’t have a ton of extra cash to spend. However, you have to think about the return you’ll get from your investment. Most of the time you can find a program that is either free or less expensive to get the ball rolling. Once you get started and see the results, it will be easier for you to invest in a higher end program.
Either way, having a mentor to show you the way and hold you accountable is crucial to your success.
- Set goals, write them down and read them everyday
It’s important to set goals. But if you forget what they are then they’re useless. Be sure to write them down and read them every day to keep you on the path to reaching them.
Keep in mind that when setting goals you need to be very specific. Write down exactly what you want in detail, and the time frame in which you will do it. Then, write out a thorough action plan in what you will do to achieve each goal. Be specific here as well, you’re going to need to give yourself clear action steps.
- Find your why
Having a goal is important. Knowing why you have that goal in the first place is more important. You need to spend some time trying to understand your purpose. Once you understand it, your purpose will become the driving force which will light that fire inside of you and gets you out of bed in the morning.
Shallow goals like “I want to make more money” are meaningless. But if you have a goal that’s specific and set for a specific reason then you have a much greater chance of accomplishing it. For example, if you’re goal is “I will earn $200,000 in my business this year so I can change the lives of x amount of people. With this new platform I created I will be able to raise $10,000 for charity. This will create fulfillment in my life, help provide for my family and help me support those in need” then you will be more inclined to take the massive action it takes to accomplish something.
When goals are set that are in line with your why you’ll wake up excited and ready to crush them!
- Get comfortable being uncomfortable
If you are going to achieve success, you’re going to have to do things that make you uncomfortable. That involves taking risks, investing money, speaking, giving your opinion and putting in consistent hard work. You’re going to have to get up early and be willing to do things that others are not.
With that, personal growth will also come. That growth is a major part of what it takes to achieve your goals.
- Create good habits
Human beings are creatures of habit. Unfortunately, many people have plenty of bad habits. Habits are hard to break, regardless if they’re bad or good. The best way to kick a bad habit is to replace it with a good one. Once you use discipline to do something consistently enough, it will then become a habit. The problem is most people run out of discipline before that happens. Be aware of this and do not stop putting in the work to develop your new good habits.
Take a step back and look at your life. Are your habits aligned with your goals? Which habits do you need to kick, and what do you need to do in its place? Think long and hard about this and decide what you need to change. Then, DO IT!
- Spend your time with the people who lift you up
You are the product of the five people you spend the most time with. If you want to achieve greatness then you have to spend your time with the people who will only support you on your mission. There’s no time to waste on the crabs.
Whether you realize it or not, you will develop the traits of those who you spend your time with. As difficult as it sounds, you’re going to have to limit the time you spend with certain friends and family members. If they are going to hold you back from living the life you want then you can’t be around them. At least most of the time. Or, at the very least you have to limit your conversations with them and only discuss meaningless BS, rather than your mission.
This rule is an absolute game changer and I highly recommend attending events, conferences or meet up groups to meet more people that will support your vision.
- Take MASSIVE ACTION
You can write out the best plan possible, if you don’t take action you will never accomplish anything. If you want to be successful then you have to consistently take massive action. You do not have to be the smartest, most educated or most outgoing to accomplish things in your life. What matters most is the level of effort you put into achieving what you want.
Talking about shit will get you nowhere. You have to work your ass off every day, then, results will come. There are no secrets or shortcuts here. The “secret” to success is to relentlessly put in the work day in and day out.
2018 is here and can easily be the best year of your life. Or it can be another year where you were motivated for about 5 minutes. The choice is completely up to you. I truly hope that you make the choice that will change your life for the better.
Good luck on your journey and here’s to a very happy, healthy and successful 2018.
Happy New Year, folks!