This is a list of the top ideas and habits we have implemented and the benefits it has yielded. These are in no particular order. They all work well together and have changed our lives for the better!
1. Positive habit reinforcement
This has been a great way for us to create habits we want. Bad habits are the core of the biggest problems we experience in our personal lives. Often times, we feel stuck in these habits and we have ALL BEEN THERE.
Bad habits take hold of our minds. We tell ourselves we won’t eat McDonald’s today, we get hungry, we say its okay this one time. We cave, and eat the greasy fast food.
Later, we get a stomach ache. We set private time on the calendar for self-loathing and commit to start our diet tomorrow… For real this time! But we’ve said this since we gained the freshman-fifteen.
Positive Feedback for good behavior (give yourself a reward) helps break the bad habits. Read more about it here. It has helped me create a solid morning routine of meditation, yoga, and weightlifting.
Most of the other actions I have implemented are connected to this idea.
Check out baldy’s morning routine here.
This book is a must own for those serious about being in control of their own life.
2. Six-month Personal Vision Statement
Don’t let the title intimidate you. It’s industry-talk for writing down your goals and it is incredibly impactful.
There are 2 keys to make this work:
- They have to be YOUR GOALS, not someone else’s.
- You have to read them everyday, multiple times a day.
Your Goals:
When I first learned about this technique, it was during my time as a financial adviser. I read the book “Think and Grow Rich” which calls this the design Statement
My mentors and I created the design statement, which is what many of them labeled as their key to success. I filled it with sales goals I wanted to hit and things I wanted to buy, but it didn’t get me fired up.
I tried it for a year and a half. I tweaked it but could never get the motivation I desperately needed from it.
Then I filled it with what I wanted to accomplish instead of what my bosses wanted. Now it gets me motivated every day, all day.
It is a simple technique but not always easy to perform, especially if your aren’t on track for your goals. That is when you need it most!
3. Focus on Value
This is simply setting aside time to think about what truly brings you joy, happiness, and inspiration. What do you value and what is keeping you from it?
Focusing on what brings value has truly changed our life.
We asked ourselves questions and wrote down answers to the following to help us start the journey:
- What we like to spend our time doing? (hiking, making videos, working out, etc.)
- How much time per day do we spend doing these things?
- What activities/ commitments limit us from doing these things? (chores, bad habits, etc.)
- What will we do about it?
The funny thing is we can all answer these questions easily! But you have to ask yourself these questions to elicit an answer!
Here is what I found out about my own life:
- I like to spend time working out, being outside, blogging, pod-casting, or making cool videos and photos.
- I spent about 0 to one hour a day doing these things! (That sucked donkey nuts.)
- Running a business I wasn’t passionate about, poor eating habits, social media, online gaming, television, and tons of chores!
- Stop doing number three! Read more in depth here.
4. Extreme Ownership
This is a concept from the great mind of Jocko Willink. This is simply (but not easily) taking control of your life by OWNING everything that happens to you and those you care about.
For me it has come in the form of admitting my mistakes early, speaking with intent, and taking the blame for issues especially when it hurts. This builds trust with friends and family and helps you lead from behind by creating an example.
READ MORE HERE.
5. Getting Uncomfortable on purpose
Getting uncomfortable usually comes in a few flavors:
- Trying something new.
- Doing something you dislike.
The reason it is so important is because it is these two experiences that are ALWAYS on the path to achieving a specific goal.
For example, If you want to lose 25 lbs of fat you will have to try something new.
- If you have never lost 25 lbs before, you have to revamp your caloric intake, diet, and exercise.
- If you have lost 25 lbs before, you need to revamp your routines and create sustainable ones to keep it off.
You will also have to do things you dislike:
- You will have to give up certain foods or amount of foods.
This type of scenario can be replicated in any number of ways with any number of activities. BEING uncomfortable is an opportunity for growth and progress.
Read more about it here.
6. Journaling
This has been huge. Journaling allows you to examine your thoughts in a different medium (expression medium examples; speaking them aloud, writing, drawing, music, etc.) which is extremely valuable when trying to create or problem solve.
It became a liberating experience when Baldy first started this technique as an assignment in a college course. He was told that the only assignment and 90% of the grade was to write 200 pages, by hand!
But the cool thing was, we could write about whatever we wanted!
To most, this sounds like a nightmare. And to most, it was. But for the creative person, it was freedom! Baldy wrote business plans, personal stories, issues, solutions, and even scripts for an adult movie!
All our lives we are taught to write about certain topics or books with page quotas, citations, MLA format, page breaks, font requirements, and other nauseating limitations.
This numbs creativity and innovation. It’s putting the horse in the pen.
Get a notebook and write whatever you want.
7. TM
This stands for transcendental meditation. READ MORE HERE.
This is a technique that requires no skill and little focus. The best way I can describe it is with my own interpretation:
I imagine that the human mind is similar to a giant cartoon snowball (stay with me!).
When we wake up, we push the snowball down the hill and it starts to collect more snow (information, news, stories, updates, messages, etc.). Eventually it is so big that it picks up rocks, sticks, dirt, and eventually little kids and small mammals.
It does not take long for the snowball to get overwhelming and unmanageable.
As we go through life, our brain does a lot for us and is often over whelmed and unmanageable. Transcendental Meditation or TM is basically sitting still in silence while you are awake, 2 times a day, for 20 minutes each time.
This allows the ‘giant snowball’ (a.k.a. your brain) to melt (truly rest) so it doesn’t get out of control and hurt someone (a.k.a. you and your future). This time of uninterrupted silence helps zero in on what is bringing you value in your life and what is important to pay attention to!
8. Photography and Videography
When I was younger, I hated being in pictures. I’m not sure why. But as time has passed, I always look back and wish I had documented more of my life to share with those I care about and frankly, anyone who wants to see it!
I bought a camera and fell in love with creating photographs and videos. I create podcasts, youtube videos, and much more. With the ability to share on social media, it is a truly revolutionary time.
9. Intentional Reading
I made it a point early in the year to read one book a month. I have exceeded that with much pleasure thanks to what I call intentional reading. This is simply reading with a specific purpose.
Much like writing, our reading has been stunted by the limitations of outdated educational systems. Intentional reading means read and learn WHATEVER THE F*CK YOU WANT.
This was eye opening for me when I first tried this with biographies. Super successful people actually documented how they got to where they are! Plus the information is free with a library card!
10. Creative Time Blocks
Spending time THINKING about what you want life to look like and if you are making progress towards it.
This allows you to create a “plan of attack (MORE HERE) to write out what you will do in the very near future to make progress.
All you have to do is set aside a few hours to focus on what you want your life to look like and how to get there. What can you do right now?
I got this idea from Timothy Ferriss and the 4 hour work week.
This is my Saturday morning. We do it at that time because it is typically the most relaxing point of the week. This is what it looks like:
- Read personal goals
- Look at progress on workouts (weight, cardio, mile time, etc.)
- Check out journal notes from the week.
- Journal on the progress being made towards particular goals.
- Blog, edit videos, make a podcast.
- Connect with people who help keep me accountable (parents, friends, business partners, mentors).
These things have truly changed our lives. It is our attempt to develop personally and create habits to live the life that makes us happy and helps others along the way!
Live a Great Life 