Do you feel a longing when you see successful people around you? Does it make your mind wonder when you see someone accomplishing a lot in a short span?
In this post, I will be sharing with you the five secret recipes which can give height to your personal growth journey:
1. Surround yourself with more successful people
Why: As the saying goes, you are the average of the five people you spend your most time with; it becomes essential to choose the people who surround you for most of the day. While an ambitious, positive person can influence you with his well-organized lifestyle, a negative, drug-addict can derail you from your goal path.
Whether you realize it or not, people surrounding you shape your life consciously or unconsciously. Therefore, spend time with those whom you idealize in your life. They might not be the person with the highest bank balance but must be those who are hungry for knowledge and success.
How: You might be thinking that you can’t afford access to the people whom you idealize in your life. But you need not have them physically present before you. You can buy into their mind, by listening to the interviews of the top thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and experts.
You can read books authored by these intellectuals and gain from the underlying concepts. You can learn from their experiences by listening to Podcasts or watching Ted talks. There are innumerable ways to benefit from successful people; you just need to keep your eyes and ears open.
2. Plan your day well in advance
Why: Planning your day beforehand makes you have a razor-sharp focus on your goals without alluding to the world of distractions, inflated by sporadic social media all around. It makes you remain productive throughout the day without wasting time on irrelevant stuff.
You can finish off the most procrastinated task if you have planned your day well. Planning makes you stick to the set schedule, and therefore in the process, you build some good, lasting habits.
How: You must plan for both the short-term and long-term goals. Short-term goals can be for as short a period as a day, while long-term goals can extend for as long as a year. But I don’t suggest micro-management; instead, visualize a bigger picture and try to accomplish as much as possible within the comforts of the available time.
What I strongly propose is to have a definite plan having clear and precise goals with a deadline. You can also organize your day by categorizing your tasks into the important-urgent matrix. However, the critical thing is to evaluate the efficacy and completeness of your plan at the end of every day. This is what will keep you on track and inspire you to carry it on for the long term.
3. Invest your time pursuing things that challenge you
Why: Things that are challenging and hard to do bring you out of your comfort zone. It takes you to the learning zone where you explore the new boundaries triggering your growth. A constant challenging habit increases your willpower and, therefore, makes you in the game for a long time.
Challenging your body can make you physically fit while indulging in creative stuff can sharpen your mind. Breaching the comfort zone enhances risk adaptability and paves the path for vertical growth, leading to you becoming the best in several spheres of life.
How: It starts with assessing your current capabilities and then pushing the boundaries in small increments. Don’t try to make big jumps from the beginning because it might make you tired and not play the game for a long time.
You can challenge your body by doing an extra km of run or a different set of squats. You can push your limits in whatever you are doing- whether it’s your study or job or even your hobbies. Just try to do things today better than yesterday. This is the mindset which you should live with in everything you do.
4. Build good relationships with people
Why: Although society is moving towards an individualistic world, we are still social beings at heart. We depend upon our society for our several needs; therefore, we can’t afford to live in bad relations with the people in our surroundings.
Having a good relationship also helps us in our day-to-day life. Besides, several studies have shown that interactions in a good socially integrated society enhance the individual’s intelligence and longevity. If people around you feel good about you, their collective goodwill will take you much farther in your life.
How: You can earn people’s respect by respecting their opinions. Understand that everybody’s opinion is shaped by their own unique experiences; therefore, there is the slightest advantage in wasting time arguing over their views. Learn to show gratitude to people.
Inspire and motivate people with your words. Try to remain calm and positive before them. Be approachable and always ready to help with their problems. This is how you can gain their trust and develop a long-lasting relationship.
5. Detox your mind with positive thoughts
Why: As it is well known that a man is a slave to his thoughts, harnessing positive thoughts can bring enormous advantages to one’s life. Positive thinking leads to happiness through the secretion of feel-good hormones such as dopamine, serotonin, etc., and reduces stress hormones.
Positive thinking has also been proven to lead to creativity and a structured mind. This can help induce productivity in your life.
How: There are several ways to feed positive thoughts; one of the best ways is meditation. A regular workout also brings positivity to mind. Surrounding positive people and consuming positive content actually culminate in a positive impact on your thoughts.
Don’t indulge yourself in negative self-talk. Don’t take stress in your life. Celebrate small wins. This is how you can master positive thinking.