Why Time Investment Beats Time Management

By Shazad

“People are frugal guarding their personal property, but as soon as it comes to squandering time they are most wasteful of the one thing in which it is right to be stingy”

Seneca, On The Shortness Of Life

“Nothing great is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig, I answer you that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen”

Epictetus, Discourses

Time is a valuable commodity that we all wish we had more of. However, managing it can be a daunting task. What if we considered time as a precious resource rather than an adversary to battle with every day? By doing so, we could use it effectively to prioritize our tasks, decide where to devote our attention, plant the right seeds, and take enough breaks to recharge. I will guide you on how to achieve all of these things.

The chapter on Time Investment in the Awesome Life book has some great lessons to learn from. If you want the detailed version, I recommend you read the whole chapter. The first thing you need to do every day is to identify your MCAs (Most Critical Activities). What are the 2 or 3 highly important tasks that you must accomplish today? This helps you to know where to focus your energy for today. Everything else can wait until you finish your MCAs or until the next day. You can either delay, delegate, or delete any task from today’s To-Do list that is not an MCA. This way, you will develop a laser-focused approach to what needs to be done. You basically say NO to everything else.

Action Steps:

1. Define your MCAs for each day or at least the Weekdays if you don’t want to do this on Weekends as well.

2. What can you Delegate, Delay, or Delete off your daily list of To-Dos?

3. The night before each day, create an MCA list for the next 24 hours

To make the most of your time each day, it is important to organize your short and medium-term activities. You need to think of your life as a series of projects like finishing a degree, getting married, going on a vacation, planning a birthday party, and so on. Next, you identify the project you are working on and what the steps are to reach the finish line. Now you can just focus on completing the daily tasks related to each project and achieve success.

Remember, you should not just keep yourself busy each day without a clear purpose. You need to actively work towards completing one or more projects by completing required daily tasks to move things forward. If you cannot work on an important project, delegate some tasks to someone who can help you move it to the next milestone.

Action Steps:

1. Write out all your projects for 2024.

2. Define the key milestones for each of these projects and the steps to achieve each milestone.

3. Write out your daily action plan to complete the required tasks for each project.

The third big idea is to "Do Less to Achieve More". Stop doing so much and always being "So Busy". Cut back on your socializing or social media use. Stop mindlessly scrolling the internet for deals or watching the latest TikTok videos. We have all done this at some point in time and it’s toxic if you keep doing this as an adult. Reduce your talk and text time with those friends who just want to grab your ear for 3 hours each day. Also, don't work all the time and obsess over every single detail in your life's projects or your daily MCAs. Relax… refine your habits and nature to worry less and focus more on what matters. Let some trivial things and unimportant tasks just slide… hopefully, into someone else's inbox or To-Do list. When you say "NO!" more often to people and things competing for your attention, you get your time and your life back! You get to decide how you run the day instead of 100 things driving you around just for fun and someone else's profit.

Realize that attention is a resource just like time and many companies want yours for their gain. Don't be so generous with either of these things. Protect them like Gold and Diamonds!

Action Steps:

1. Write a list of all the people and things vying for your attention each day.

2. Decide which items on your list can you immediately cut down to 50% of your time.

3. What things on your list do you look forward to and want to do more of if you had the time and attention?  

So now you know the 3 key steps to making 2024 the year you truly feel you are getting the RIGHT THINGS DONE and feeling Awesome at the end of each day. You will develop strong "NO!" muscles this year, and it will become comfortable very soon to just say this N-word as a default response. This means you'll be able to give a resounding "YES!" response to the remaining few things that make you want to fly high so you can Live Awesome!

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Where Does Inner Resolve Come From?

By Ahsan

“It's driven me before, and it seems to be the way
That everyone else gets around
But lately, I'm beginning to find that
When I drive myself, my light is found

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
With open arms and open eyes, yeah
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
I'll be there!”

“Drive” song lyrics by Incubus

Imagine heading on a long trip to see your favourite place and going by a gas-powered car. How attentive will you be to the fuel gauge in the first 100 kilometres if you start with a full tank?

You are probably not attentive at all, but after driving for a few hours, you will likely glance at the levels and start thinking about filling the tank at the next exit.

Life is like this in many ways. We have goals and aspirations filled with enthusiasm, determination, and resolve. But over time, our excitement and inner resolve start to tank!

So how does an awesome person like you keep their tank full and constantly monitored?

You must understand how inner resolve is influenced and what to do about it.

From a technical perspective, I will share a few points that matter to the concept of having and maintaining inner resolve, and then I will share a basic fact that you will be able to use so you never feel like your sails have no wind behind them.

But first, let's consider an essential goal that I believe all humans should focus on: optimizing health as we age!

I am sure you will agree that that is an understandable and relevant goal. But why is it important?

You cannot enjoy life without a healthy, pain-free, and functional body. If you have ever been struck with a basic flu or back spasm, you will quickly remember that.

Now that we have established a relevant and common goal that we all have and can relate to, let’s look at the technical contributors to inner resolve.

Personal values and beliefs: when you know what is important to you, your resolve strengthens based on your ethics, moral standards, and code of conduct.

Having real goals: Most people feel that having a goal is enough. A goal must to be a commitment with a major overriding purpose. Then, it's a true goal that your subconscious mind will continue to bring to life, even if you face obstacles or lack the motivation.

Belief in your ability to handle challenges: The more you develop this mental view of yourself, the more you will gain inner resolve. If you think you can or can’t, as the saying goes, you are 100% right. So think you can and you will!

Recalling failures and not remembering successes in your life: We all stumble and fail at some things and succeed at other things. If you focus only on the negatives that happened in your life, you will permanently retreat from your goals. If you think about how you succeeded in the past, you are more likely to get back up, dust yourself off, and mount the horse once again to charge forward!

Self awareness about current thoughts and feelings: Humans think. Thoughts we experience are predominantly random and slanted towards the negative which causes us anxiety. Just see what you are thinking right now...if you feel off or experiencing pessimism, rethink your thoughts and make conscious effort to change directions. This will pull you out of your head so you don’t get all caught up in your bad mental loops.📬

Here is my secret tip to make my inner resolve to optimize my body. Let me know if you like it.

I think about this in the following way: my body (and hence my health) is my most valuable asset. Nothing I own competes with this first-place position, not my money, property, or even Ferarri (if I had one).

If I ever lose my resolve to eat healthy and exercise to build my overall health, I must remind myself of this basic concept. There is nothing more valuable that I own than my body. Therefore, all the excuses to stay on track disappear instantly, and my tank returns to full.

So, what is the source of inner resolve? The answer lies in the explanations described above, but it all boils down to understanding why something you want to achieve, be, do or have matters in the first place. Be clear and direct about how you want to live the rest of your life.

If you don't clearly understand why it matters, you will fumble and hesitate through life. That’s when you start to look outside of yourself for someone or something to “motivate” you. Some kind of external coach to keep you on track and avoid crashing.

But you know this is not the way. You don’t need someone else telling you to do the things your soul knows you must do. Your inner resolve is the main driver with full control of the steering wheel. You have to get in the seat and buckle up. And now you have the keys to your new “car”, which is always fully charged to get you to your destination. Have an Awesome journey!

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Why Self-Confidence Is Key To Your Success In Life

By Ahsan

If you walk around with the thought that you are not good enough, you will never truly enjoy your life, let alone do well at the things you are trying to achieve.

The more self-confidence you have, the more self-confident you will be. It is a positive loop that grows ever bigger and stronger with time.

Harbouring doubts and fears will destroy your self-confidence, which must be a virus against which you inoculate yourself. Period!

Developing self-confidence is a gradual process that involves both mindset and behaviour.

Here are a few ways to enhance your self-confidence:

Set Challenges For Yourself

Do challenging things, and if those include goals, make them challenging goals.

I can easily floss my teeth every night. This may make me a dental hygiene winner, but it is not the kind of challenge I think will matter much.

Instead, let’s say you find yourself sedentary and getting lazier and unhealthy: challenge yourself to walk in the morning before going to work. Even if it's dark outside, cold, wet and windy. That's the kind of challenge that will build your self-confidence.

As you achieve these goals, gradually challenge yourself with more audacious challenges.

Engage Only In Positive Self-Talk

Use positive affirmations instead of negative self-chats. You are doing the talking, so control what you say to yourself.

Start saying, "I know I can," just like the little choo-choo train, instead of, "I think I can." Encourage yourself. No one else needs to do it.

Put out the garbage of self-limiting beliefs and visualize them in a bag the garbage collector throws into the back of the garbage truck. That is their value, and that is where they belong.

Picture this as vividly as you can. Heave ho!

Develop Awareness Of Your Thinking

Your mental approach to life should be more of I am a diamond in the rough than I am a piece of coal.

So, if an intruding thought comes into your mind, cancel it with the phrase, "I am a diamond in the rough." or “I’m a work in progress and greatness in the making!”

Dedicate time to thinking about your thinking. Your life is a reflection of your thinking. What you think translates into what you feel and the results you get.

Be a thinker who is self-aware of what you are thinking.

And here is a next-level secret tip:

Pray for success because God helps those who help themselves.

Dear friends, if I have convinced you that self-confidence is essential to living a more joyful life, do me a favour and share this article with your friends. They might say thanks to both of us.

Building self-confidence is an inside job. You have to do it. Be patient, but not surprised if your self-confidence skyrockets day by day.

Keep polishing yourself and celebrate the small victories along the way.

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The 3 Stories That Can Change Your Life

By Shazad

“Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign. But stories can also be used to empower, and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people. But stories can also repair that broken dignity.” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, author

Life can be best understood when it is told through a story. It could be a brief one or a long and interesting journey, with many positive milestones along the way. Everyone can relate to things better when they are presented in the form of a story. Our lives are no different. In my opinion, there are at least three main stories that shape our lives and make us who we are today as well as influencing the person we will become. These stories have the power to transform us into happy, productive, loving members of society who change the world for the better.

“The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.”

Neil Gaiman

Our first story is shaped by our ideas, thoughts, and opinions about the world around us. It includes our perception of our home, city, or nation, as well as our general view of the world. These things have a significant impact on how we navigate through life and communicate with others, whether they are strangers or our loved ones.

Action Step: Write out your concept of the world in 2024. What are some words you would use to describe the current state of things and where we are headed? This exercise will tell you something about your point of view.

“We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories.”

Jonathan Gottschall, The Storytelling Animal

The second story is rooted in the life experiences and customs of our parents. This story plays a crucial role in the first story since it is through this that we initially begin to comprehend the world and our position in it. As autonomous thinkers, we move beyond the story of our parents to shape our own, but we must recognize how profoundly their story influences our own.

Action Step: Write out what your parents told you about the world, what is important in life, and what you should do when you grow up. Don’t judge anything they have told you. Simply write it down on paper and look at it to understand where they are coming from and how much of their story has impacted your current worldview and understanding of your place in the world.

“Story, as it turns out, was crucial to our evolution -- more so than opposable thumbs. Opposable thumbs let us hang on; story told us what to hang on to.”

Lisa Cron, Wired for Story

The third major story that we should pay attention to is what the world is thinking and talking about at any given time. This story is constantly evolving and is shaped by various sources like mass media, governments, lobby groups, and marketing agencies. It is a powerful story because it is broadcasted through various mediums like TV, radio, and the internet. This story is actually a collection of different stories like the environment, geopolitics, culture, and economics. Society is continuously exposed to data, video clips, and talking heads about what we should be concerned about, who to vote for, and how to live our lives. Both our perspective of the world and that of our parents are heavily influenced by this third story, which changes over time because each generation is exposed to more media and advertising. The type of advertising, lobby groups, and media programming also change over time, which means that the same stories about war, politics, and the economy can be told differently.

Action Step: Write down what the top 3 stories or themes are that you are noticing from the various voices of the world. What are the 3 big ideas and who is the main promoter of each of them? What is your opinion of each story and has it changed in the last 12 months? Just make a note of these points to better understand yourself and where you think the world is going based on these stories.

“Every story I create, creates me. I write to create myself.”

Octavia E. Butler

A good story is irreplaceable but an even better story is one where we are not only the hero but also the wise mentor or counselor to the next generation of hero candidates. To live our best lives, we must be aware of the three most common stories we keep thinking about. This will help us navigate each chapter of our lives, understand who the main characters are, and where the reward can be found. Once you figure out the main plot of your life's story, you can truly live an Awesome Life!

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Goal Setting and Achieving the Awesome Way!

By Shazad

“And man will have nothing but what he strives for.”

The Holy Quran 53:40

“A man is what he thinks about all day long”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.”

Confucius

It’s that time of year again! The calendar says January 2024 and if you are reading this, that means you are still alive and able to sort out what you want to do, think about, and become this year. You have the power to make this year a success by setting and achieving meaningful goals and I’m going to tell you the 3 Step solution to finally making it happen!

Chapter 1 of the Awesome Life book is titled “Goals Make Us Awesome” and anyone who has read the book will realize the many ways this statement is true. I will present some key points about goals from the book which I hope encourages you to set and achieve your personal Awesome goals for 2024. We would also appreciate readers taking the time to read the entire book so you can be Awesome in all aspects of your life every single year! Share it with others who could be a little more Awesome too! :)

First, we all need a Purpose or Mission in life otherwise we are just coasting along or, floating like a rubber ducky in the ocean. Each of us has to decide at every stage in life, what am I doing?! What’s the point of getting up and going to school or work or to my business, etc..? Once you have strong reasons or the BIG WHY figured out, you can start figuring out the HOW steps along with the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, and WHEN related to your goals. Only those people truly fail who have no aim or goal in life because they never become the Awesome person they were supposed to be.

Awesome Step 1: Take some time this week and figure out your current Mission in life. Write down the Grand purpose you want to achieve in your life. Write out your goals in super 4K resolution and imagine how you will feel when you achieve each of them. Visualize them with surround sound, and all your other senses. Imagine being successful from the very start and pushing forward with confidence.

Second, we will all face struggles, limitations, and the dreaded resistance. You and I both need to toughen up and sort out our mindset if we are going to get any meaningful work done that drives our goals forward. Discipline, consistency, planning, and overcoming must be in your daily dictionary and headspace.

Awesome Step 2: Tell yourself you can and you will, God Willing, achieve your goals in life. You are only going to become more ‘polished’ like a diamond through the trials and hardships to come. You will bend sometimes but not break or quit. You got this!

Third, build a small or large network of like-minded people working on the same or similar goals as you have defined for 2024 and the rest of your life. Being part of a group of people working on the same things you are is the best way to find motivation, guidance, and success in achieving your goals. It makes a big difference if you hang around with Sea Hawks vs. pigeons or chickens. Your peers can make or break your goal attainment this year!

Awesome Step 3: Find your community of people doing what you want to do. If you can’t find them, build a community with at least 4 or 5 like-minded friends or relatives. Meet regularly and share lessons learned. Motivate each other and tell the stories of your success once a week or a few times a month. Celebrate all the milestones on your journey to your mutually shared goals. This may require you to cut ties or reduce exposure to those other people who don’t support you and have no goals of their own. That’s ok and it might hurt temporarily but you need to work on yourself while they sort out their own lives.

If you have ever tried to set and achieve goals in the past, you know how challenging it can be. But don’t let that discourage you! Remember, every journey starts with a single intentional step in the right direction. Success is within your reach, and it can be as easy as following the 3 Awesome Steps described above. You are capable of achieving anything you set your mind to. Keep pushing forward and never give up on your Awesome Goals! 🌟

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"Once More Into the Breach, Dear Friends, once More!"

By Shazad

Many people have had a challenging year, and many continue to do so. However, for those fortunate enough to be enjoying some peaceful holiday time with their family and friends in late December, it’s a time of calm, recovery, and reflection. As the start of January 2024 approaches, we will be called to return to work or business or simply, our daily routines with school, children, and chores. We will be asked to show up ready, motivated, and passionate about whatever we are engaged in, and we must comply for everyone’s benefit.

“In peace there’s nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility:
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger”

‘Once More unto the Breach, Dear Friends’ Speech from Henry V

If you have the time to step away from the frantic pace of a busy life and all the issues, it’s important to think about the year that has passed. What did you accomplish? How prepared are you for the new year and the rest of your life? What are you going to do differently and with more resolve, passion, and courage?

Now is the time to build your strength, make bold plans for a new year, and become the disciplined warrior you know you can be. You may not be going to an actual war (I sincerely hope you don’t), but you will still need to be focused, determined to win, and prepared to keep pushing your life forward throughout the new year. Just like a professional soldier does in actual combat.

Some days will feel like a battle. Maybe it will be many days in a row. Some of the difficulties you face may even leave you with a kind of “PTSD” or trauma from the experience. I wish I could say it won’t happen or that everything will be fine. The truth is that I don’t know, and nobody does. Only when you face what’s coming can you know where you stand and how you will manage the situation? Many people are so close to victory when they run out of stamina, patience, or both. Don’t let that happen to you. Exercise your body and mind so you can prepare for the longer, more complex challenges coming your way. Realize that some things you face will be quickly resolved but other things will require more sweat, energy, and time. Don’t despair and push on!

No one can predict what exactly happens next at work, in the family, in the economy, or life in general. What we know for sure is that things will keep evolving, and we must be ready to adapt and thrive in the face of constant change. Remember, you are capable of achieving great things in 2024. With the right mindset, you can overcome any obstacle that comes your way by fighting your way through the walls that stand in your way.

Stay strong, stay focused, and stay positive! You got this, Tiger!

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Are You Still On The Hunt For More In Life?

By Ahsan

“Surround yourself with relentless humans. People who plan in decades, but live in moments. Train like savages, but create like artists. Obsess in work, relax in life. People who know this is finite, and choose to play infinite games. Find people scaling mountains. Climb together.”

Zack Pogrob

I recently listened to an investment podcast, and the speaker referenced something that stayed with me. He said the journey is all that matters because the destination is the same for all of us…six feet underground.

One of the themes in life that is super critical to know is that life is not a rehearsal. We are here for a brief time, and then we are not here.

As the sun sets on 2023 and a new year begins, what are you doing with the same zest for life so that the new year continues your vision of an extraordinary life?

If life is not a rehearsal, shouldn’t it be awesome, as you define it?

What are you on the hunt for? More success in your career? More money to invest and spend? More love with your family or that particular person you adore? Better health and vitality? Owning a positive attitude? Getting things done right so the results start coming?

Let’s take some inspiration from the picture you see above. I had it generated by AI by asking for a Seahawk flying over the ocean with the sunset in the background.

The picture looks rather impressive.

As I was admiring it, it dawned on me that in nature, this bird is doing what it must do to survive: hunt before it gets dark or risk going hungry. Then, I realized I must remember this attitude because nature demands it.

My friends, the end of the year is like the sun's setting, and we are technically getting older and closer to the shared destination. That realization can either be a downer or a source of extreme motivation to keep hunting.

Lately, I find myself reflecting on the comments from the people I meet, like a lovely lady named Evelyn who is 82 years young and who was my pickleball partner. She kept saying we would win this when we were down 7 points during an exciting match we were trying to turn around. We eventually caught up and won the game! I thanked her for saying, "We can do this." She replied, with the most serious expression, "Never give up!"

Another recent instance was during a call with my mentor, who coached me on my business. I asked him why he kept working when he could enjoy his retirement and take it easy. He quickly responded that he enjoys what he does and wants to keep giving.

What an excellent attitude for me to adopt!

So here is the recap:

• Stay focused on the hunt as the sun is setting

• Our shared destination is inevitable. Let that motivate you to hunt!

• Take on a new attitude that is positive, and never give up on the hunt!

• Enjoy your life, and keep giving!

May the sun never set on you, and may your hunt be full of success, challenges, life lessons, and Awesome memories!

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The Power of Year End Reviews

By Shazad

“For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning."

T.S. Eliot

It’s almost that time of year. The number of days is running out on the 2023 calendar and a new year is about to start. Rather than waiting until January 1st to do something, why not start now? Start an end-of-the-year review. What were you able to accomplish and what were you proud of this year? Where could you improve and what’s left unfinished in terms of your goals or projects? What are you doing to set up 2024 to be more successful than this year? Who are you going to enlist on your team to help you next year?

Start asking these and related questions about the year that is almost over and you’ll be ahead of most people when the new calendar year starts. You’ll also have a better feeling about where you are going next. All the best for an Awesome New Year!

Want more Awesome writing from us? Go to this link and order your copy of the Awesome Life book today! Click Here to Buy The Awesome Life Book By Clicking Our Affiliate Link Here!

How To Achieve Your Goals In 2024

By Ahsan

“If you set goals and go after them with all the determination you can muster, your gifts will take you places that will amaze you.”

Les Brown

Everyone has goals, even if it’s to get to tomorrow and the day after that.

But what about achieving your bigger goals, like improving your health (getting rid of visceral fat), increasing your wealth (adding to your investments regularly), or getting your career in high gear (taking a course to get a higher-paying skill)?

All such goals you hope to achieve will only happen if you do something simple but often left out of the equation.

Any goal you ever achieved had a certain quality: those goals were commitments with a vital purpose behind them.

Any other goals you had were mere wishes. It's all a dream. It's something nice but not a serious commitment. Otherwise, you would have achieved it!

So here is what you might do if you are a committed sort of goal guy or gal:

State your Goal; declare it; own it, but make it a commitment. Just spend an hour with yourself and write down your Goal (read Commitment) in a notebook.

Now imagine the feeling you will have once you achieve this Commitment…I mean Goal.

Finally, determine the steps and the price you will pay to achieve this feeling from having genuinely committed to your Goal with a tremendous purpose.

Keep this simple.

You don't need an accountability partner. Because you are committed. You don't need to meditate, do affirmations, or do a firewalk! You don’t need to persevere. You don’t need to maintain motivation. You don’t need steps, check-ins or celebrations.

You will not need this because it will be automatically built into your intuitive way of being fueled by the energy of having a commitment that you are pursuing so you can feel awesome for having done what few people ever do.

All you need to do is raise your level of conscious awareness that what you are after comes from a commitment aligned with your purpose. Have that kind of thinking. Have that kind of discipline and make 2024 the year you finally know the power of having commitments, not dreams.

Need more motivation to achieve your goals in 2024? Here it is. Life is short. You only have so much time left on the planet. Your one-way ticket for departure could come anytime. So do what you can. Now!

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It's Always a Good Time for Human Transformation

By Shazad

“The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control. Where then do I look for good and evil? Not to uncontrollable externals, but within myself to the choices that are my own . . .”

Epictetus

Life is challenging and constant change. There’s always something going on in our personal lives along with some big issue in the world if not a bunch of them. It seems like we never have enough time or preparation for what comes next. The best way to navigate is to transform and refine yourself on a daily basis.

Life has always been hard and humans have always faced uncertainty in a constantly changing world. This realization should help you understand that you and I are not in some strange period of time where ‘nothing like this has happened before’. We’re just like the past generations and we can make it through just like many of them did. It’s true our world is faster-paced than previous generations. It’s also true that the world is more interconnected today than ever before. The fundamental stresses and worries we have are the same as all humans have experienced in the past and the way forward is known to us. We need to be adaptable and continuously improving ourselves. I will offer some guidance on this below.

“Fire is the test of gold; adversity, of strong men.”

Seneca

The Role of Resilience

The first step is to be able to endure change without breaking. We need to understand how to navigate the winds of change and even use them to our advantage. By learning to stretch, regain balance, and even grow during hard times, we come out on top.

“Just as nature takes every obstacle, every impediment, and works around it—turns it to its purposes, incorporates it into itself—so, too, a rational being can turn each setback into raw material and use it to achieve its goal.”

Marcus Aurelius

Strategies for Transformation

To become the person we need to be and constantly adapt to change, we need to have some strategies we can work on each day.

Your Mindset is the first of these strategies. Cultivate a positive but realistic attitude about where you are in life and what’s happening around you. Focus on what is in your control and realize what is not in your control.

The next strategic tool is Self Care. Make it a point to check in with yourself on how you are doing mentally, physically, and spiritually each day. What’s working for you and what’s not? How can you dial up your well-being in each of these 3 things so you are at least an 8/10?

The third tool you need is a good Support Network which can include professional help, family and friends, mentors, and even the natural environment you live in. Make sure you regularly engage in discussions about the changes and what you are facing. Spend time in green spaces or in water to help you orient yourself to the big picture. Get professional coaching or take a course to help you move forward in life. You don’t have to do this alone and the most successful people as well as those moving the fastest in their transformation journey, have a network of people and environments so you should too!

The fourth and most powerful tool in your strategic journey is Goal Setting. Adapting and improving is an aspect of Human Transformation but you need to have some clear sense of where you are headed and what you need to become in the short term as well as over time. You will need to clearly identify milestones along the way which are the goals you plan to achieve so you know you are headed in the right direction at the correct pace. Once you do, you’ll have the confidence to move forward toward each goal and a clear reason that compels you to stay on course in your journey.

Life will never be easy, except looking back in time. We live in a world of constant and rapid change that doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. The only way to thrive is to move forward with some strategic tools and an understanding that we are all becoming the next and hopefully best person we can be, one day at a time. Happy Awesome Transformation to each of you!

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How Would Your Life Be If You Had No Negative Thoughts?

By Ahsan

"Negativity is an addiction to the bleak shadow that lingers around every human form--you can transfigure negativity by turning it toward the light of your soul."

John O'Donohue

Imagine what your life would be like if you had no negative thoughts! How would things be different for you?

What would your day-to-day experience of life look like?

Aside from being happy and enjoying peace of mind, what would it mean to the quality of the life you live¾the very finite life you take for granted? Life is not a rehearsal. Consider this: our enjoyment of living comes from the quality of our thinking. NOTHING else.

I have asked myself this question, and here is what comes to mind.

If I had no negative thoughts, I would enjoy three things at a different level than I do now.

My confidence would rise and rise. When we are in a positive state of mind, we sink more putts when we golf; we approach more people to make new friends with, and we enjoy more mental and physical health because our mental radar is receptive to ideas and actions that lead us to a stronger body and mind.

My peace of mind would flourish and grow. It is not possible to have peace of mind and hold negative thoughts. When our state of mind turns positive, and our thinking is positive, a feeling of ease and peace takes hold. The experience of life we feel, whether good or bad, comes from our thinking. Having positive and uplifting thoughts generates resilience towards the ebbs and flows of life. Life will not go your way, but your thinking about it can go your way.

My productivity and creativity would climb and blossom. The positive state of mind fosters good feelings and a can-do attitude. I love being productive when I focus and surprise myself with how much I get done in an hour. I also know that my creative projects never feel like work if I am optimistic. Time stands still, and I feel like I am having fun while I come up with ideas to improve the finished product I’m after.

Your mind is a powerful force. When you fill it with positive thoughts, your life will change.

But your mind is like a garden. No garden is weed-free. Weeds find their way into the garden not soon after you plucked the last one out. It stands to reason that you need to tend the garden and be constantly aware that you either have flowers blooming in your mind or weeds that need to be eliminated. Your awareness makes your garden and life the way it is. Your daily choices can make it beautiful and maintain that beauty over time.

It’s important to cultivate awareness that you are a thinking being. Design and the Designer of human beings put this thinking in you. Depending on your thinking, you may feel good or bad, positive or negative, at any moment in time. And now you know how to become enlightened. I consider myself to be an “Enlightened Gardner”. What about you?

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The Power of Planning: A Path To Success!

By Shazad

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Teachers and business people do it. Parents do it. Even small kids do it. I’m talking about Planning which is a crucial aspect of life. Why? Because it prepares our minds for unexpected events and gives us hope when facing some hardship. Plans are rarely perfect and many of your plans won’t go exactly as you intended. There is still a lot of benefits in the process of planning as we will discuss below.

Preparing for the Unexpected

“An hour of planning can save you 10 hours of doing.”

Dale Carnegie

Life is unpredictable. We can’t foresee every challenge or opportunity that will come our way. However, planning equips us with the mental readiness to handle unexpected situations and some very well-known or expected ones headed our way. Planning allows us to anticipate some potential obstacles and devise strategies to overcome them. Preparing our response for some unlikely or unexpected scenarios also helps us feel more confident when the situation arises.

Reducing Stress

“Failing to plan is planning to fail.”

Alan Lakein

Planning can significantly reduce stress about the next steps when a certain outcome occurs. When we have a clear intention about where we want to be, we know exactly what needs to be done and when to get out of the situation we are in. This clarity eliminates a lot of the anxiety that often accompanies decision-making in times of crisis. We don’t have to make up entirely new plans and next steps out of the blue while we are under great pressure to do something.

Adjusting to Current Events

“The planning fallacy is that you make a plan, which is usually a best-case scenario. Then you assume that the outcome will follow your plan, even when you should know better.”

Daniel Kahneman

While planning is essential, it’s equally important to remain adaptable during planning creation and execution. Current events may require changes to our plans after they have been developed. For instance, a global pandemic might require us to shift our business online or adopt remote working to continue operations for the short term. Maybe a cultural shift in the way people spend time and where they choose to live results in a permanent change in work-life. Therefore, our plans need to be flexible enough to accommodate such changes while keeping the ultimate goal in mind. The plan should be focused on the Business or Personal goals to be achieved and not blind obedience to a set of rules or policies.

A Common Trait of Successful People

“You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.”

Zig Ziglar

If you look at all successful people, you’ll find one common trait - they all plan their days and their lives to a certain degree. Very few are throwing the dice each day regarding what they will do or where they will go. Successful people have a vision about the kind of life they want to live and some idea about the goals they want to achieve. Planning is the tool that can help you realize your personal vision. If you set clear goals, devise a strategy to achieve them, and regularly review your progress, you have a winning plan!

In conclusion, planning is not just about preparing for an uncertain future; it’s about shaping it in some way that makes sense for you! It empowers us to take a certain amount of control of our lives and steer it in the general direction we want to go. One day at a time and one action at a time. Plans are not fixed or written in stone with no flexibility. They need to be living documents or processes that can pivot and adapt as needed to the circumstances. Goals must be the focus of our plan execution. So, let’s embrace all the benefits of planning and pave our own path to success, one step at a time.

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Living Beyond Your Comfort Zone

By Shazad

I like a nice comfy chair or a cozy sofa at the end of the day. I also like soft pajamas or leisure pants when I’m just puttering around the house with no specific goal in mind. We all enjoy comfort and ease and have been doing so for decades. Today’s middle class has more comfortable lives than some of the very rich people did just 30-50 years ago. We have so many convenient and time-saving tools or services. That’s the big problem with our lives!

On its own, conveniences are a good thing, and having some comfort in life is well deserved for many of us. The problem is we can have “too much of a good thing”. This should be obvious to everyone just like we all know that we can’t just eat as much as we want or spend as much as we want. Comfort seems to be something many people take for granted and feel they ‘deserve’ a lot of as some kind of reward for doing daily chores or merely existing. A certain amount of ease and nice things in our lives is okay as long as we appreciate it and reflect on how blessed we are. The problem is when we take comfort for granted and seek even more comfort all the time. We’ll never have the “perfect” suit or sleep schedule. We will also never have the exact amount of time or money we need. Our energy and other resources will also fluctuate over the days and weeks so it’s not about chasing perfection but rather, chasing an ideal or optimal amount of something. It’s not a “sin” to want some occasional luxuries in life like a nice hotel stay, a birthday feast, or a once-in-a-lifetime purchase of a nice watch or gold jewelry. These can be nice things to aspire to and work hard on to achieve. Most of our lives should include us chasing and adapting to challenges and uncertainty which is what life is about. We should be moving our bodies, stretching our minds, and keeping our emotions in check on a consistent basis to learn, develop, and grow as better human beings. This is what humans have been doing for thousands of years and THIS is what gives life a better meaning. Satisfaction in life comes from doing things well including some Hard Things. It could be a strenuous weekly workout or run. Maybe you finally write that book you have been trying to finish or perhaps it’s that backyard deck you have been meaning to renovate? Whatever your HARD is, make it worthwhile and work on it until it’s done. Don’t just sit in comfort when you’ve done your difficult task. Seek out a new challenge next week, next month or, next year at the latest. Make sure you line up tough things that stretch you but also benefit others when you achieve them. Accomplishing hard things on a regular basis will not only give you mental agility, resilience, and confidence. You’ll literally be getting things done and changing the world for the better by demonstrating what’s possible to those around you.

Here are some tips to get uncomfortable so you can adapt to life:

1. Take a cold shower up to 30 seconds after your warm shower is done.

2. Get up 30 minutes earlier each day and do some reading or meditation exercises.

3. Park your car in the furthest spot from the entrance of the building or home you are going to and walk the distance.

4. Walk up and down stairs whenever instead of taking the elevator.

5. Skip a meal and just eat 2 meals with no snacks.

6. Listen to someone else talk for 15 minutes without interruption and then ask if they have anything else to say for another 15 minutes.

7. Stand in line or sit on a public transit vehicle without looking at your phone. Just look around you instead.

8. Go sit in a Sauna (if you are healthy) for 10 minutes and just let your mind experience the heat.

9. Give a 5-minute talk to a group of new people at your school or work. They must be total strangers to you and you have to look them in the eyes.

10. Put some heavy things in a backpack and walk around for a few miles with that load on your back.

Find your slightly hard to very hard things and frequently go out of your comfort zone. There’s nothing better than feeling truly alive and grateful once you have achieved something difficult. Make the commitment to challenge yourself often and step away from the cozy chair, the comfy clothes, and the convenient lifestyle so you can truly appreciate these comfortable things even more. You deserve to become much more than just ‘comfortable” so why not pursue your Awesome Life?

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5 Life Lessons From Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood

By Ahsan

“All of us, at some time or other, need help. Whether we’re giving or receiving help, each one of us has something valuable to bring to this world. That’s one of the things that connects us as neighbors—in our own way, each one of us is a giver and a receiver.”

Fred Rogers

What a fantastic show we got to see growing up! Mr. Rogers was a kind fellow who wore his signature red cardigan and blue sneakers. What style! He also taught me a few great life lessons.

Here are five that I recall and wish to share with you:

The Power of Imagination: The neighborhood of Make-Believe was a segment where kids were encouraged to not only use their imaginations but to be creative in their thinking. As we grow, we should remember to do more of this! Why? Because thought is how we experience our moment-to-moment reality of life.

Patience: Mr. Rogers taught about the virtue of patience. As we have come to know from growing up, there are times when life is topsy-turvy. This is when we need to be patient. What may feel extremely difficult today will fade away if we practice being patient.

Self-Esteem: Mr. Rogers repeatedly taught me that you are special and unique in your own way. This was a massive lesson for me, and I’m sure for you, too. Children need to know that they don’t need to be someone else and that they are fine just the way they are. What is remarkable about this? You go through life feeling positive about who you are and who you can be. Mr. Rogers instilled personal growth and development!

Learning: The show often featured field trips. This inspired learning about the world and curiosity about things. As I have grown up, my interests have changed in various ways, and I feel most alive when I get to learn about something. I am fascinated by a lot of things.

Empathy: Mr. Rogers taught us to be kind and to have compassion for others. In a world that is so vast and full of people with various backgrounds, cultures, religions and differences, being kind avoids tensions and fosters friendships. I’m all for that!

Well, I’m sure if you were lucky enough like me to have watched this show that ran from 1968 to 2001, you will have benefitted from these and many other lessons.

What life lessons from this list resonate with you? What life lessons would you teach children today? Feel free to comment and let us know.

Stay Awesome in your Neighborhood!

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What Game Are You Playing?

By Shazad

“Life is like a game of cards. The hand you are dealt is determinism;

the way you play it is free will.”

Jawaharlal Nehru

There are many games in life. Status Games, Money Games, Relationship Games, and Power Games, to name just a few. Most people you know are playing one or more of these games whether you realize it or not. When was the last time you stopped to think about your life and how you are behaving to understand what game or games you are involved in along with why you are even playing them? Do you fully understand the rules of your chosen game and do you have a clear understanding of what “WINNING” looks like?

For me, the only game worth playing is the Long Game. I like to look to 5 years and beyond into decades to imagine what my life could be like and how to position myself today to achieve Victory over and over again in the long run. I do this with my health, career, my relationships, and overall life satisfaction. I examine the process of successful outcomes over time that compound so the idea of a WIN is not an event like the score of a hockey game in a championship tournament but rather, a continuous engagement or state of play like in business and personal relationships. The idea of small WINS over time that forms bigger WINS when you add them up really appeals to me. It’s like working out consistently in the gym and eating well, most of the time. You can’t help but become a WINNER with robust strength, endurance, and happiness. Playing the Long Game is also not about ‘defeating’ others. Instead, you look for mutual WINS or at least opportunities where your WIN doesn’t come at the cost of someone else so no one has to LOSE when you WIN. Long Games are sustainable, practical, and even enjoyable because they are based on your values in life, your long-term vision for your life, and your desire for continuous improvement rather than a single but hollow or temporary “victory”.

Figure out your game, and all the rules, and then play it to the best of your abilities. Make sure you understand what the costs are and how the best players in the world got where they are so you can avoid some big mistakes as well as being prepared to make the necessary sacrifices or investments of time, money, and other resources. Go on the playing field with open eyes, ears, and minds so that WINNING is ultimately a series of intentional moves you make and not a matter of dumb luck or random timing. I hope you WIN in the best games of your life and that you keep on WINNING!

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The Life-Changing Power of Living According To Your Rules!

By: Shazad

“Define success on your own terms,

achieve it by your own rules,

and build a life you're proud to live.”

Anne Sweeney.

Rules are everywhere you go. Rules for driving. Rules for sports. Rules for spiritual practices and even rules for gift giving.  So many aspects of life have some kind of rule to be followed and they are usually for our benefit.  Clear and consistent rules in your personal life can make it easier to navigate social situations as well as life choices. Having some key rules gives you a framework for decision-making and helps others understand your behaviour which can reduce friction while increasing success.

It doesn’t make sense to have strict rules for every single thing in life to the point where you would have to consult with an encyclopedia to know what your next steps should be. People who can recite every single civil law by heart or know every passage of some operating manual are not the kind of people we should envy or become. However, there are some fundamental rules for living that can give you a general outline of how to conduct yourself. The 3 key components of Rules for Living that I believe you should consider as the frame or backbone for your life are:

1. Health

2. Relationships

3. Time

These 3 aspects of life are related to each other which can help reinforce your rules even further. There will be overlap and sometimes, one part of life will pull a little stronger than the other parts. That’s okay because these rules are meant to be a solid guide you can reference for clarity.

For Health, you should know what you will do and not do that affects your physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. For example, are you the kind of person who enjoys eating a certain way at home or are you the kind of person, like me, that avoids any alcohol at all times? That’s an example of a clear and hard rule that cannot be broken. Another health rule could be about how many times you will work out each week. If it’s a minimum of 3 times a week, you know you have to find the time for that. You can vary the length of each workout if something comes up that requires more of your attention but you should not violate your rule if you want the results. You may have a rule about weekly meditation practice or daily prayers that are literally sacred times for you to maintain or further develop your overall health. Be clear on this and then firmly adhere to that rule.

Regarding Relationships, your rule could be straightforward discussions with everyone at all times. No drama or intentional games where you are bargaining for something you want but saying something else. You could clearly establish that you will never be saying one thing but actually pretending to care about another issue. Another rule could be that you put family first and then friends, neighbours, and work colleagues. This helps when you have to decide where to spend your limited time and resources each day. Knowing which relationships matter the most and how you want to conduct yourself with the people you care about makes it easy to enjoy the moments you have together.

Time is the third thing you need to have rules around. How will you spend it? When do you get up and when do you sleep? How much time do you want to spend as a minimum, with your family and friends?  Are you punctual all the time for everything you are invited to? When you say you will finish something by a certain time, is that a statement of conviction or a polite response to someone asking with no intention of following through?  Do you accurately estimate deadlines and manage your time to make things happen when you said you would? Do you know how to save time on important things and can you delegate less important things to someone else? Time rules define a lot about a person’s overall character and also determine long-term success in life. Make sure you figure out things like what an hour of your time is worth during the weekdays or perhaps any day of the week. Knowing this will help you delegate better and get the most out of the time you have each day.

There are so many other places you can have clear and consistent rules in life and these include, money, work/business, education, entertainment, travel, and so on.  I think the 3 core components such as Health, Relationships, and Time (HRT for short) will help you define your rules in those other areas as well.  

Living according to your rules may not sound fun but trust me, it works and saves you a lot of hassle in life!  You won’t have to explain yourself to others nearly as much as the person with no rules to live by.  Also, nothing stops you from genuinely changing your mind on some things and then developing a new ruleset so don’t think you are stuck with the rules you created 10+ years ago. The burdens of decision-making are greatly reduced and less willpower is needed when you have clear rules for life. Treat your personal rules like a checklist or filter for your daily behaviour and you’ll quickly begin to see the benefits. So now it’s your turn. Write some rules for your Health, Relationships, and Time, and share them with the people you know. It can transform your life immediately!

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Unlocking Your True Potential: A Journey To Self-Discovery

By Ahsan

“Strangers waitin'

Up and down the boulevard

Their shadows searchin' in the night

Streetlights, people

Livin' just to find emotion

Hidin', somewhere in the night

Don't stop believin'

Hold on to that feelin'!”

Don’t Stop Believing Song by Journey

Are you feeling like life is passing you by and you could be, do, or have more?

How many milestones and achievements do you wish you had under your belt at this stage of your life?

You may be content and comfortable and take things in stride.

You might even believe that one should not get too attached to such things as realizing one's full potential or achieving one’s life goals because this can only lead to discontent.

On the other hand, you might be someone who appreciates the idea that all of life is about realizing who you are. Your ideal could be to push yourself to a higher level so it feels like you are truly living life to the fullest.

For many people, the effort and discovery are the reward, and the results are just feedback of successful outcomes.

Here is an example of three things that most people, when asked, would love to see improvement in:

Mental Well-being: a feeling of truly enjoying life moment to moment with a sense of ease. Having the resilience and wisdom to manage all events and seasons of your life without getting stuck.

Financial Security: organizing your money so you have enough to spend on living your best life. No large debt burdens that you are struggling to repay.

Physical Fitness: Having good health and fitness that allows you to enjoy your daily activities. Being strong enough to do what you love without straining and using painkillers.

Are you at your true potential in these areas of life?

If you feel your full potential is yet to be realized, all you need to do is expand and increase your self-belief.

You will never know what your true potential is until you believe in yourself.

The key to realizing your full potential is knowing that you have it in you. To the extent that you believe you have “it” in you, achieving your potential will be just a matter of time.

So get going. Write down what you want even though you have not done it yet. Then, brainstorm what you need to do and how you will feel when you achieve it. And start the self-discovery journey to prove that “it” is in you and always was.

The more we understand that we are far greater than we imagine ourselves to be, the closer we come to hitting our goals and living a more Awesome Life.

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It Was Always You vs You!

By Shazad

“You have competition every day because you set such high standards for yourself that you have to go out every day and live up to that.”

Michael Jordan

Life is a competition they say. You have to WIN and beat everyone as the story goes. Second place is for losers according to some. It’s an “Us vs. Them” battle every day and we can’t lose. So much of this combative drama plays out in the world and we all feel its influence at some point in time but does it even make sense and is it at all true?

Like most people in their youth, I used to believe those lines about competition and winning by beating my peers and everyone else in society. I was totally buying into this notion of my life being some kind of ‘war’ for resources, attention, and such. As I grew older and became a man, these themes had less appeal to me. Now that I’m middle-aged I realize the true battles were not with others in the world - near or far, but with my own ideas, thoughts, and the previous versions of myself. I am not trying to outshine someone or conquer them. I’m actually just trying to be a better, more Awesome human being as I grow and learn more. My former self had youth, speed, and cleverness for assets. This evolving person that I accept myself to be is stronger, wiser, and more patient about things. I am not trying to ‘defeat’ people or things as much as I’m trying to grow throw life’s experiences and trials.

Only those people who don’t reflect, adjust, and improve their lives over time are the ‘losers’. You are clearly not one of those people because you are reading this blog and probably doing other things to make your life better.

Growing old is about improving and becoming better through the refinement of ideas. As I look back on my youth, I feel a little regret that I didn’t understand these ideas sooner. I would have changed my focus immediately to face my own flaws and ignorance so that I could conquer myself and the need to beat others to prove some point. It was never about them or the rest of the world. The competitive drama was really in my head and all I needed was within me. It’s the same for you. You are already a winner and have the blessings to level up your game, shine brighter, and live a better life once you accept the rules of winning on your own terms. Live Awesome!

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Wisdom, The Third Pillar of an Awesome Life

By Shazad

“Leave the past behind, let the grand design take care of the future, and instead only rightly guide the present to reverence and justice. Reverence so that you’ll love what you’ve been allotted, for nature brought you both to each other. Justice so that you’ll speak the truth freely and without evasion, and so that you’ll act only as the law and value of things require.” 

Marcus Aurelius

In the previous 2 posts, we discussed Health and Wealth in the truest sense. This post will talk about the third key ingredient for a fulfilling, happy, and Awesome Life and that’s called Wisdom. It is the key aspect to everything else in life including holistic Health and authentic Wealth. Wisdom teaches us WHY we should be doing or not doing something. The Why kind of questions leads to deep thinking and mindful behaviour. We begin to live intentionally and with purpose in all aspects of our lives whenever we apply Wisdom.

Look around you and consider if the world is behaving more wisely now or less than before. Consider how we can truly fix our problems and advance humanity by becoming wiser people and communities. With the passage of time, a person can and should become wiser but it’s not automatic or natural. Only through reflection on our life and study of the wise leaders who came before us can we become enlightened with age rather than merely a year older every time the Earth goes around the sun.

So how can you become wiser in your life? Here are a few ideas:

1. Read ancient wisdom from Stoicism to Chinese Taoism. Try to understand what the key themes and messages of all major religions are.

2. Study modern people and what they wrote about the challenges of life. How much do you have in common with such people and where is your life very different from theirs?

3. Look at your own life experiences and those of close family. What lessons can you learn to be a better human being, going forward?

To become intelligent, clever, and educated is good but to become wiser in each phase of your life is Awesome! May you always be blessed with increasing wisdom that guides you to your personal best in life!

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How Wealthy Are You?

By Shazad

“A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone.”

Henry David Thoreau

In today’s culture, like in the past, people are constantly seeking and even lusting after money, wealth, and power at all costs. Having more money, gold, or fame is the big target and even life goal for so many people. What does being rich or ‘wealthy’ really mean?

The dictionary definitions of being rich or wealthy involve having a lot of material possessions and currency to buy more. It’s all about physical stuff and having the power to acquire the finest things or go to the best places, eat the most decadent food, and wear luxury clothes. I think it’s really a state of mind and the concept of freedom is the most important part of it.

The truly wealthy people don’t have to worry about doing everything because of their material riches and many of us will never be as rich as a billionaire CEO or member of a royal family. We can still be wealthy in terms of what we are concerned with and have to do. If you lower your gaze from celebrity lifestyles and Internet influencers and instead focus on what you really want, you’ll find your personal ‘rich life’ as famous financial author, Ramit Sethi calls it, is quite achievable.

Do you just want to take a full month off for vacation each year? How about being able to hire a gardener to cut your lawn and trim your bushes/trees in summer? What about being able to get groceries delivered to you each week or, driving on the toll highway once in a while without worrying about the toll charges? It could be that “expensive” gym membership at $100/month that you dream of affording. It’s all within your reach if you make other adjustments. Many people stress out about the smallest things and think they need to make a Million dollars or more. Some think they need to accumulate $10 Million dollars minimum to retire in “comfort”. It would be comical if people weren’t so panicked about having and making money all the time!

Instead of trying to live like a big movie star or pop icon, imagine what your ideal life would look like. What is your ideal house/apartment and what kind of car would you really be happy to call a daily driver? Actually downsizing some of your assets and skipping some of your current indulgences can help you achieve your true wealth faster because you don’t actually want a gold Rolex Daytona watch or a custom Lamborghini Urus Performante SUV. You just want to have some weekly chores taken care of and need to skip worrying about ordering too many appetizers the next time you are out with the family. It’s those little things that you can achieve despite not having the wealth of Elon Musk or a Saudi prince. By really focusing on what you want to skip doing or handing over to someone else so you can enjoy life more, you become wealthier. You get the most valuable thing back. Your Time! Use it to live better and worry less about what you don’t have or what others are promoting.

Many people flex online using rental cars and fake friends to get you to pay attention or even buy their products. That’s how they are actually trying to get rich! You know better and don’t need all that noise in your life. You probably don’t want all the things they are promoting or bragging about. Live your own life at your own pace and on your own terms. That’s how you Live Awesome!

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