Note: This is a guest post from Nabil Gulamani of Success At Reach
Many people want to be successful in their lives for more personal fulfillment and joy. The definition of success can have a different meaning for everyone. Although everyone has their own way of finding success, there are certain things that you need to be aware of in order to have more joy and fulfillment. Make a habit of practicing these fifteen points so that you can be the rock star of your life!
1. Do something you are afraid of doing everyday – When you make a habit of getting outside of your comfort zone, you will grow strong mentally and emotionally and will see yourself getting past a lot of mental blocks.
2. Don’t overplan – There is nothing wrong with planning your goals in life, however if you try to perfect your planning, you won’t take action on any of your goals.
3. Meet new people – When you constantly meet new people, you will see yourself learning a lot about yourself and others as well. You can then use the new knowledge to contribute and help others.
4. Practice being present – When you are engaged in a specific task/activity or are having a conversation with someone, make sure that you are fully present and not caught up thinking about the past or future.
5. Take leadership roles – Start taking leadership roles in every area of your life. Organize a workshop or plan a trip or a social event. When you start taking leadership roles, your self-confidence will rise.
6. Note down all of your ideas – Whenever an idea pops into your head make sure to write it down somewhere so you can refer back to it. There are going to be those times where your mind will suddenly get creative ideas, so make sure that you have a pen and paper handy.
7. Set aside “alone time” – Spend a half hour every day by yourself in a quiet place and take time to think about your goals for the future. Think about where you want to be in the next ten years.
8. Spend more time outdoors – Get outside the house/office more often. You don’t have to plan a big trip to get out. It can be as simple as going for a hike or walking by the beach. You will be able to think clearly and focus better on your tasks. Don’t become a workaholic and get burnt out.
9. Attend seminars – Start attending helpful workshops and seminars of topics that interest you. You will be surprised by the knowledge you will gain. You will also meet like-minded people and make new friends.
10. Read more often – Turn off the television and start reading more. Once you start developing a habit of reading, you will notice that your vision will expand and you will see the world in a whole different way.
11. Don’t talk about yourself too much – If you are ever interacting with close friends or at a social event, don’t make a habit of talking about yourself and your success. This is a sign of insecurity. Instead, take interest in others unless or until someone asks you more about what you do.
12. Spend minimum time browsing the web – When you constantly browse the web, your mind will be cluttered with different images and thoughts and you will get sidetracked from all your goals. You will start getting imaginary thoughts that will get you nowhere.
13. Go to the gym at least four times a week – When you make a habit of working out frequently you will have a lot of positive energy that will help you in other areas of your life. Put it on your calendar and make it a “must do” task.
14. Don’t delay to have fun – Some people think that they need to have a lot of money in order to have fun. They think that one day that big paycheck will solve all the problems in life. Life will have its ups and downs regardless of whether you have accumulated a lot of wealth. Don’t wait for that big day to arrive to have all your fun. Enjoy every minute of life.
15. Be honest with yourself – Be very honest with yourself about who you are and what you want out of your life. Spend time thinking about what your purpose is in life. When you are aligned with your purpose in life, you won’t get many conflicting thoughts that will leave you confused about who you are.
Nabil Gulamani is in Sales and helps businesses nationwide with their Direct Marketing needs. In the evening he works on writing and posting helpful articles on his Personal Development blog aimed at helping people take their lifestyle to a whole new level. You can visit his Self-Improvement blog www.successatreach.com.
Photo by Zach Dischner
Number 12 is a definite. It’s sooo easy to get distracted and waste a lot of time browsing the web. Damn you StumbleUpon!!!
Alex,
Totally agree..I try not to check all my personal emails in the morning (one email can get you off track for the day)..I have noticed that for some people it is a habit that is developed over time and it is tough to let go of the habit. However, if you make a habit of not checking personal emails a lot your mind will feel lighter:)…
Thanks for the comment..
Cheers,
Nabil
This is a great post Nabil.
I think a lot of these points boil down to simply being more present. If we stop planning so much, and allow ourselves to live in the moment and be spontaneous, we will achieve much more happiness than we would otherwise.
Having tried both over planning and living spontaneously, I can definitely attest that being in the moment is way more fun, and ironically can get more done too.
Thanks. 🙂
Fred,
Thanks for the comment..Great points you made. I feel like many people over plan based on fear. If more people knew how to be present and aware, they would go with the flow of life. I believe that as long as you are clear about your life purpose and have clarity, there is no need for over planning (as long as you are fully focused on your goal most of the time)..
Cheers,
Nabil
Rule #1 is #1 for a reason. Getting out of the comfort zone is important for any sort of growth in life in general.
Face your fears and be your own hero.
Bojan…
Agree with you. In addition to your comment I also think that most people should make a habit of getting outside their comfort zones in all areas of their life (not only one area)..
Thanks for the comment..
Cheers,
Nabil
Great post Nabil!
I agree with Fred on the importance of being present. It is important to be organized and have a plan, but at the same time we have to live the present life.
For example, If we are consistently thinking about the presentation that we have to give in four days or the client who has not paid yet, these thoughts will become negative energy that will effect us both in productivity and our happiness.
I hope to read more of your work on this site, Nabil.
Thanks
Houman,
Great example…I have been in a situation before when my mind got occupied thinking about problems that hadn’t even occurred yet and my focus on the present totally disappeared. The mind has a habit of creating problems. The sooner you can practice observing your thoughts, the better you will get catching unnecessary thoughts as they come a long.
Thanks for the comment..
Cheers,
Nabil
Hey Nabil,
I relate to the fifth element in your list. I started organizing social cocktails and it indeed gives me more confidence!
It automatically gives me status as I’m the one who organized the gathering. And I get to practice my leadership skills by inviting.
And I also invite people I met at business networking events, so I can build the relationship with them at the cocktails.
Great post!
Matt,
That is amazing you are doing this..I am sure you have noticed that has been building your confidence in all areas of your life!!…In the past I organized workshops and also did a lot of door to door selling..Although door to door selling is very old school it sure gave me A LOT of confidence. I was more confident in social events also..,.
It’s always good to put your eggs in different baskets in your social life and meet all kinds of people. You will get past a lot of limiting beliefs also:))
Thanks for the comment..
Cheers,
Nabil
Good example. For anyone who has any kind of social fear, leading something like a small party or cocktail is a great way to make steps towards being more confident in social settings. It’s almost like we have to prove to ourselves that we can do something or are comfortable doing something.
I love what you said about being in the present, its important to slow down in life and appreciate every minute we have…they say life is what happens when you are thinking about tomorrow.
Ever wondered why most people who experience near death experiences say time almost stood still, and a second felt like days?
Nabil,
You have listed great points which are practical and true.
I just want to add another; Patience.
One need to have patience. Because sometimes things don’t happen overnight and take their own course of time. That doesn’t mean that wheel has stopped.
It’s spinning in the background 🙂
Well written post. Keep it up.
Naveen,
Yes, patience is very important. Great things don’t happen over night, it takes years and years of hard work. As long as you know what you want out of life and are working towards that direction, you will make a breakthrough eventually:)). You may be faced with bumps and dissatisfaction on the way towards your journey but if you still keep the eye on the ball you will get what you want..
Thanks for the comment..
Cheers,
Nabil
Veeh,
Thanks for the note..I have also noticed that when you build the discipline to slow down in life, you will also be more aware of opportunities that surround you because you will be really alert…
Cheers,
Nabil
I really enjoy your blog, it really looks like a very motivating and very clear cut website that I will look forward to reading and posting about on my blog.
Thanks for the kind words Matthew…..Will check out your blog also:)
Thanks for sharing this list. I would hope that people would quickly run out of stuff to do re: the #1 item on your list – doing something you’re afraid of every day. Because the more you step outside of your comfort zone, the more confident you become.
Rich,
Yes! And I have also realized that the more uncomfortable you feel, the more limited beliefs you will pass everyday. You will start to see a whole new world everyday!
Thanks for the comment
Cheers,
Nabil
I like number 1 the best. I can’t remember when I started doing it but sometime, maybe a year ago, I stopped caving into my fears and I started confronting them head on. When you confront your fears, you conquer them. When you avoid those things that make you afraid, you never give your mind or more importantly your subconscious the ability to know that what you’re scared of isn’t actually that bad.
Bennett,
Yes..Great point..Once you face your fears and get past them, challenges become fun because your mind gets programmed to deal with fear:))..
Cheers,
Nabil
Solid Solid Advice.
I especially like #6 and #10. I need to implement a better system where I am always able to write down any other ideas. As for books I can’t recommend them enough. I think books have done more for me than my college education!
What a nice lifetime advice that you have given me. I will certainly make sure i carry out all these points with my determinations, because i believe it will keep me going. Thanks alot.