5 Essentials to Your Improvement Journey
Welcome to Edition #14 of THE BLUEPRINT
This is the finale of our 14-weeks together - what an incredible journey filled with creativity, deep thinking, and action! Enjoy my final thoughts below:
I was asked this fantastic question the other day and it leads to a perfect ending:
“What are your five most important takeaways from your self-improvement journey?”
Every person has their own philosophy and beliefs and you can find one hundred different responses to this question - I firmly believe these five points are central to all of the readings, research, and practices around self-improvement and have remained relevant through centuries of philosophical thought. Here we go:
Practice Gratitude
Marcus Aurelius, a symbol for Rome’s Golden Age, is widely known as both a Roman emperor and stoic practitioner and philosopher. Marcus would collect his personal ideas, frameworks, and reflections revolving around self-improvement and guidance in a diary, eventually becoming the ‘Meditations’ we know today.
In the beginning of ‘Meditations’, Marcus thanks each individual that played a role in his development as a person. Whether a teacher, friend, advisor, coach, or so on, he calls out how they influenced him and how he changed because of it. This is an act of gratitude and I hope the introduction to one of the greatest men in Roman history proves the importance of this practice. Above all, practice gratitude and accept your role in a great ecosystem that certainly does not revolve around yourself.
Everything You Do Matters
Our brain is consistently forming new neural connections based on our daily activities and thoughts. Because our mind prioritizes energy over effort, it is constantly trying to turn everything into an if-then function. If body wakes up, then get out of bed. If body sits down, then pull out phone. By doing this, it starts to create habits so the brain uses less energy for functions. Habit building at its core is creating a firm connection in your mind between two activities to ease the brain’s energy use. Simply, every activity you partake in is making neural connections, so be aware of what you are doing - it matters!
Focus Is Your Greatest Asset
Contrary to the common phrase, “Time is Your Greatest Asset,” focus is more fundamental to our success. I will build on the back of two key concepts:
Give yourself six months to complete a project and it will take six months. Give yourself 2 months and it will be done in two.
Everybody has the same amount of time each day. It’s what you do with it that matters.
Time is not the issue, but rather the optimization of time. So, limit your distractions and set clear, ambitious goals to hone your focus.
Discomfort Is Essential For Growth
Everybody recognizes this concept but rarely knows what it ACTUALLY means or how to practice it. First, the brain categorizes things as difficult when we don’t have neural connections around the activity or it uses a lot of energy; usually both! Begin to recognize when you don’t want to do something or when you make excuses for not being able to do something.
‘I can’t publicly speak because I am an introvert’
‘Working out daily takes too much of my time’
When you connect an excuse to an activity, you also attach an emotion to it, validating yourself and convincing your mind that you are right to think this way! Instead, I want you to process differently. First, consider the activity or skill - how would it impact you if you had this skill? If it has a beneficial impact, consider the cost (time, energy, money) to learn or engage and determine how to move forward.
This process removes mental barriers from decision making and allows you to grow forward fast.
You Are in Control
You are the leader of your life. You get to make the decisions and determine where you end up. Others get as much say in your life as you allow them, so don’t give too much of yourself away. The greatest shift in my life is when I began taking full responsibility for my decisions - it wasn’t my parents, my family, my friends, or any other circumstances that put me in my current situation. I may have allowed them to influence me, but it is certainly me who stands in my own shoes.
Two points that fall under this:
God created free will; therefore, he is the giver of opportunity. It is up to you to take advantage of it.
Many people ‘get lucky.’ This is the nature of the world and there is no leveling the playing field; some people are given advantages that others are not. But - you can get lucky too if you just play the game. Embrace the world, dive into opportunities, learn new skills, be focused and driven and you can improve your chances of becoming lucky.
Overview:
Practice Gratitude
Everything You Do Matters
Focus Is Your Greatest Asset
Discomfort Is Essential For Growth
You Are In Control
Until next time,
Spencer A.
