1. Creating what you want is less to do with the programme you’re on, the method you’re using, or the resources available to you, and more to do with your level of determination, motivation, and belief in the possibility of success.
2. You need a Dream. It shows you where it is you want to end up. Make it clear and real in your head and your mind will start looking for how to make it real.
3. You need a Plan. You must connect the dots between your dream and your now. This is what your plan needs to do! You don’t have to plot every step, but you must give your mind a vehicle to take you to your dream.
4. Focus next on the small steps that build something real. Look at your plan and ask yourself each day ‘What is the most useful thing for me to accomplish today?’ Work on that.
5. Finish what you start. Break down complex elements into small pieces. Finish a piece at a time. Don’t get 10 things half done, get 5 finished and you’ll find your motivation and drive will be sustained way more than if you have as much work done but nothing finished.
6. Be consistent. Schedule useable blocks of time regularly and make use of them. Don’t try and work in bursts or fits and starts. Regular and steady is what wins!
7. Set realistic goals, then aim a bit higher. Go for better, but count what you achieve, not what is yet to do. Take pride in what you do get done. Mark them off on your list so you can see and feel your success building. As you build things, look at where you used to be and look at where you are now. That’s where pride, success, and happiness live.
8. Take time off. We use up concentration, motivation, and willpower like using up a battery. It needs time to recharge. Always make time off a priority in your schedule. Work when you’re working, but just as important is to enjoy time off – so don’t let work bleed into that time. Keep them separate!
9. If you’ve been trying different things or repeating the same one, stop looking at what is wrong with the system and start looking at what is holding you back. What avoidance behaviour are you doing? Worry, self doubt, anxiety, and a bad feeling in your gut will hold you back even if everything else is right. Change your hesitation into motivation first, then life can get easy.
10. You are your most valuable resource. Treasure and invest in that. Where do you come in your list of priorities? What is more important? Until you value yourself, success will stay difficult to achieve. Others value us more when we value ourselves too, and that comes across unconsciously. Take care of yourself, your mind and body are the only assets you’ll be using all your life. Treat them well, look after them, and take opportunities to improve them.