After spending 24 years observing the general masses (24 as we speak), I have made a shocking discovery.

The difference, and I mean the only difference between those who are successful and those who are not, is that they make and keep good habits.

What makes it even sadder is the fact that there is only a single hurdle that gets in the way of keeping habits.

So forget buying books or finding excuses, because no matter how desperate you are to find the magic pill, you still can’t run from the fundamental.

What am I talking about?

The only way to keep a habit is to be consistent.

Reporting in for duties

Eighty percent of success is showing up. - Woody Allen

Whether it’s hitting the gym, studying, working on a personal project, learning a new language, or writing, you want to be consistent. I call this reporting in for duties.

Imagine a 9-5. On some day, you perform less. Other days you perform more. But no matter how much you perform, as long as you show up, you’re almost guaranteed a paycheck.

The same goes for keeping a habit. It doesn’t matter if you perform less or more (though obviously the latter is better), what count is that you’re there for the work.

Drop some

If you have trouble with consistency, it may be because you have too many plans in hand. Consider dropping all unnecessary plans and focus on one. Since a new habit takes approximately 21 days to register, I recommend sticking with one new habit before making another one the next month.

Make a list

And in case you are forgetful, it doesn’t hurt to make a list. For a constant reminder, remember to place it in places you can see often.

And don’t make these mistakes

1. Getting excited – Is the mistake most beginners make. To improve by way of habit, you want to be at a constant pace, so don’t rush it. By that, I mean don’t go all out on the first day. Take it slowly. Assuming you can do 40 reps of sit ups, try 30 reps for a week before you increase the reps to 40.

2. Expecting immediate results – Once you have that kind of mentality, it is almost guaranteed that the habit won’t stick in the long run. Instead, if you treat it as a lifestyle, the odds will be in your favor.

3. Depend on discipline – Discipline is a lie. Without reason, there is simply no justification for us to make the effort. You know, the “Why am I doing this?” question. So instead of trying to get your plans going by sheer willpower, get motivation instead. It’s much easier.

Wrap up

So here’s the thing. It can be hard and it can be troublesome. But no matter what your opinion is, consistency is not something you can avoid. The good news? It’s the same for everyone. As long as you don’t skip the work, sooner or later it will turn into your habit.

Yep, it is that simple.

As part of my resolve to make improvements an everyday process (I focused on increasing physical strength and writing as we speak), I have been constantly keeping my new habits in check. When it comes to constant improvement, nothing beats keeping good habits.

Do you always struggle to get things done? Do you often find yourself hard to commit to your plans?

Been there done that.

Truth be told, no matter how hardworking you are, procrastination is not something we can completely get rid of., So there’s really no need for you to feel helpless about it. With that said however, reducing it to a substantial amount is not as hard as many come to think.

In any case, this is how to do it.

1. Get rid of distractions that take up most of your time – Distractions are there for good reasons. They are the remedies to stress, an escape from our busy reality. While distractions are never wrong to have, those that occupy most of our time are. If you can’t control the time spent, it’s best you get rid of it as soon as possible.

2. Get rid of unimportant goals – Goal gives us a purpose. It drives us to achieve excellence. While goal is nice to have, When we have more than one, our focus tend to get divided, and it’s easier to get overwhelmed by the amount of work, hence losing focus. When we lose focus, we tend to find excuses to procrastinate. I recommend dropping some of them and focus on what you really want instead.

3. Have smaller goals – Make the goal smaller. Work-shy people are often too easy to give up on their goals. They tend to look for shortcuts and go after goals that yield instant results. But when things don’t move as fast as it should be, they get demotivated. This should be avoided at all cost. Think about it. When we have smaller goals, the little things that make a difference become significant. But having that said, it’s not wrong to have big goals. Just make sure to break it down into stages, so the focus can be on the small steps to reaching the goal rather than focusing on the big picture.

4. Identify the bare minimum of work needed – In every goal, there’s always that minimum amount of work needed. Say if you’re inspired to be a blogger, that might be having a new post every 3 days. If your post is usually around a thousand words, the bare minimum of work per day would then be 333 words. This is the bare minimum of work needed that you must get done each day.

5.Make a to-do list – Once you have identified the bare minimum amount of work, it’s time to make the to-do list or chores, if you must. This works as a great reminder that there’s work to be done. To make full use of the list, it should always be hanging around places that you can see as often as possible. A better way is to stick the to-do list in a couple of strategic points around your house, so you can be constantly reminded. It may be annoying, but that’s exactly the point.

6. Get started – Since everyone else is moving forward and having a head start over you, just get started already. Start now. Not tomorrow, not the day after, not later.

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Have you ever wondered how far you can focus before the pressure is too much to handle? Do you know the true limit to your focus?

The lost fight

The year was 2002. I got into a fight with a friend I least expected with. And to cut the story short, I said the wrong thing, and I got pushed. In between his fist connecting to my face, there’s 3 seconds for me to make up my mind on the next course of action, but the only thing that came out back then was, “what’s going to happen next?” It goes without saying that the fight didn’t end up pretty for me.

Thinking back, the scene would be different if I decided to hurt and overpower him right from the start. I’m not saying it’s the right thing to do, but clearly I wasn’t focused. I know the fist is coming and yet I hesitated. The thought on the consequences of my action if I were to hit him first has certainly got the best of me.

The guided steps

Sometimes, we all get thrust into a situation where we did not anticipate. And even if we did, there are those moments where the pressure is too high for us to focus. Think public speaking, 100m sprint competition and the likes.

In normal circumstances, focus can be achieved provided you get rid of distractions. However, the same cannot be said when you are thrown into an unfamiliar zone. In this situation, you need something different, and hopefully this step by step process below can help you with exactly that.

1. Calm yourself – Often than not, most of us are too focus on the consequences of our action, competence or lack thereof. The habit of making assumptions can sometimes give us unnecessary pressure and results in our inability to focus on the moment. You can clear your thoughts, pressure and emotional states by closing your eyes, deep breathing and try to listen to your own heartbeat.

2. Don’t play to win – Winning is not about being number one. Nor was it about being the best. That is the mentality needed when you are practicing for the competition. When you are at the moment of truth, what you really want is only to do your best and that is all. Anything more and you end up hindering your true potential to unleash.

3. Find your focus point – In order to reach maximum focus, you would want to fixate your eyes to the finishing line or goal, and pay no attention to your surroundings. This is to avoid any distractions that may find its way to your mind. At this point, the mind needs to be empty from any unnecessary thoughts and emotions.

4. Smile – Many didn’t seem to know the wonder of putting up a smile in the face of mounting pressure. Well for one, it works great as a confirmation from the body to the mind that you are in control and everything is going to be ok. People often forget that life is for the most part, just a game and how well you play it depends on how you approach it. And like any other things in life, this is just another game. But unlike before, you are now playing it like a champion. So be sure to put up a smile even at the face of your terror.

While focusing is easy most of the time, getting to the point of ignoring any pressure, distractions and unnecessary emotional state of mind can be a hard task.

Though with that said, it is certainly rewarding. Once you managed to master true focus, you can easily overcome any fear that you may not have been able to before, like walking up to a stranger and get to know the person, for example.

Man, alone, has the power to transform his thoughts into physical reality; man, alone, can dream and make his dreams come true. – Napoleon Hill

For many, a dream will always remain just a dream. To a certain minority of people however, it is a destination. Depending on which group you’re in, the latter can either skip this post or otherwise.

Now that you are still here, have it ever occur to you the difference between the two? Let’s not focus on the difference in characteristic today and instead focus on the dream itself.

“Make your dream a reality”

While there is no changing your reality overnight, you can change your dream almost instantly.

Think about this, if your dream provides you with the road map you need to reach it, now wouldn’t you be a step closer to your realizing your dream already.

After all, everyone wants to make their dream a reality. Right?

Assuming this is the case, which I hope it is, these are some of the biggest mistakes you want to avoid making with your dream.

1. You dream big – Some are going to argue with me on this one. My point is this; If you dream big, you are most likely to be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work needed, luck, expertise and contacts to make it happen. On the other hand, if you dream something less remarkable, the chances are more likely that you might work on it. It is more important to encourage first step than discourage action. Think small, act big!

2. You dream the destination and not the journey – Everyone is guilty of this. I know I am. It’s so much better to dream a happy ending than it is working your way in realizing your dream, in your dream! “Am I not already paying my dues with 9-5 and you still want to harass me in my sleep?” Fair enough. But if you only dream the destination, you won’t be putting too much thoughts on the journey in making it happen, which is bad.

3. Your dream is not focused – Some people are indecisive, which are shown in the number of different dreams they come to have. You need to make up your mind which one you want to roll with.

4. Your dream has no questions -Assuming your focus is money, some questions you should ask yourself are:

• How much are you making in your dream?

• What job are you holding in your dream?

• What line of business are you doing in your dream?

5. Your dream does not provide direction – Direction plays an important role in determining whether you will take action or sleep it off like any other night. Questions to ask are:

• What skills do I need?

• Where do I learn?

• How much must I have to invest?

• How do I get the money?

• Who must I approach?

• Where do I start?

Your current reality is the accumulation of choices you made in the past. To dream your new reality simply means making new choices that will bring you closer to your goals. But before you can put things into action, you need a plan. This is exactly that. Now that you have a specific dream, a direction and a plan, all that is left is for you to execute it. Check out 22 mistakes you should not make with your goals and you’re good to go.

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment box below. Remember to subscribe me if you haven’t

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Working on reaching goals can be frustrating at times. And it wasn’t the work needed that demoralize us, more the element of luck and uncertainties in making our dream come true.

Everything needs to fall in the right place, and if it doesn’t, you have to do something about it.

Regardless the element in which we have no control over, it is firstly important to have the right equipments before setting sail.

Did you make any of these mistakes with your goals?

1. You don’t have one – (Insert goal here).

2. You didn’t do your homework – Research your market, competitors and possible allies if you have any. What when wrong, what went right, location, marketing strategies and etc.

3. You don’t have a plan – Plan provides steps necessary to reach your goal. Without a plan, a goal is nothing but a dream.

4. You don’t have a detailed plan – How, where, why, who, when, what. These are all questions you want answers for, besides coming up with the appropriate questions. Smart people ask smart questions. *hint*

5. You plan too much – While detailed planning is necessary, if you spend too much time planning, the chance is high that you’ll delay the plan or worse, not carrying out the plan. The thing about planning, things always don’t go according to plans. It is therefore, better to work on the steps and prepare for the unexpected than spending time jotting down details after details of worthlessness.

6. Your goal has no stages – Feedback is essential to measure if you are doing everything right, for the most part, so any necessary changes can be made if it doesn’t perform as well as you wished. Without dividing your goal into stages, it’s hard to obtain feedback necessary to make changes and adapt.

7. Your goal has no deadline – Every goal should must have a deadline. This is because a goal without a deadline does not motivate and provide the stress level necessary to command action.

8. Your deadline is unrealistic – While it’s nice to be optimistic and confident, too short a deadline only encourages you to give up when the result doesn’t come as fast as you wish it would.

9. Your deadline is too long – The right deadline is the industry average, more or less.

10. You don’t have the confidence to make it happen – Instead of worrying about things you can’t control, you should be worrying about not putting your best into action.

11. You’re not persistent – Anyone who reached their goal had met setbacks along their way. Winners are those who are persistent. The majority however, are not. Which category do you fall into is a choice you have to make.

12. You lack focus – Focus is a constant work in progress. There is always distractions to hinder you from working on your goals. It is a responsible for everyone who wants to achieve success to get rid of these distractions.

13. You focus on taking (money) and not giving (services provided) – Money is the result of success. Providing quality services are the one which determine if you could make it in the first place, which is why giving should always be prioritized over taking first.

14. You didn’t put your heart into producing – Half assed is no assed. Either you go full assed or don’t bother.

15. You’re not passionate about it – It’s easy to lose focus if your goal is not something you are passionate about.

16. You didn’t tell anyone about your goal -If you have a goal, share it with your friends. This ensures you have sufficient stress level to work on the plan.

17. Your goal is too small – While it’s not wrong to have small goals, but it does not motivate you into taking action. The picture of you reaching the goal does not drive you into taking action, and that’s a big problem.

18. Your goal is too big – Too big a goal, and you will get overwhelmed and demoralized when things get tough. Have many stages if you wish to have big goals.

19. You focus on your goal and not on the steps – While it’s always nice to motivate yourself by picturing your success, focus should always be on the steps in making it happen. This ensures you don’t lose focus on what’s important.

20. You didn’t make contacts – Sometimes, it’s not about how good you are, it’s about having the right contacts. It’s almost as if you don’t have any, you are bound to fail. It’s therefore, important to established contacts, obviously not just for the sake of taking advantage of the relationship. Build friendships and sincerely help them with what they want that is within your power. Check out How To Get What You Want From Others for more details.

21. You don’t spend – While there are goals that may not require investment, there are some which work better with investment. Although frugality is a celebrated practice in this time of economy downturn, don’t mistake it as not spending at all. Check out Seth Godin: Pay For Stuff.

22. It ain’t your goal, it’s your momma’s goal – A career/goal is like marriage, you want it to be with the partner of your choice, or you’re going to marry your problem soon.

Having the right equipments and mindset ensures an easier and safer journey to your destination. Happy sailing.

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