How to upgrade your life in 3-5 years

Just a few years right, can turn life on a new path. You clearly define what you want, give up unnecessary things and work with concentration. You move away from noise and distractions, create a new routine for yourself, and focus on productivity. After some time, you begin to get results that are rare for your field. You go to a new level, everyday life and your very identity change. This is gradually becoming the new norm.

You can stay at this level or (which I advise) use it as a springboard to climb a few more levels up. In this article I will discuss the basic principles of moving from level to level in short intervals of 3-5 years.

Note: don't get hung up on status. Once you receive it, you will stop growing. Goals should be a means to development, not an end point. Having reached one, place another and move on.

1. Pick only one target that ignites you

Chances are, your problem isn't that you don't know what you want. It is that you want too many different things. Therefore, the most difficult thing will be to choose one thing. Yes, you will lose something. But avoiding decision making, you will not move forward at all.

So choose one big goal. It must be measurable, concrete and visualized. The more clearly you represent it, the better. She will become a filter through which you look at the world. For example, if you are a writer, your target might be a certain number of readers of your blog. If the consultant is the number of clients willing to pay well. If a runner, the time in which you want to run a marathon.

When you have one goal, it is easier for you to focus. And if it is large, under its influence your behavior and your identity will change, as well as absolutely all areas of life.

2. Identify sub-goals that flow from it

Between you and your goal is the path. To overcome it, remember the Pareto law. According to him, 20% of the work brings 80% of the results, and vice versa. So try not to waste time and immediately identify the key steps.

For example, when I decided I wanted to become a professional writer, I set the goal of getting a six-figure book contract from a large publisher. Having understood this, I could already look for specific methods: ask experts certain questions, google, in the end. It turned out that to achieve this goal, you need to have a blog with at least 100,000 email subscribers. Everything cleared up a bit. I started looking for how the author can get 100 thousand subscribers.

When you have a clear goal, you can chart a clear path. And he gives confidence and motivationthat help you focus on the actions that really matter.

3. Focus on results, not process (to begin with)

Look at your life. The result that you get demonstrates what you are responsible for. Your big goal will become your new responsibility, your new priority, the new yardstick for all your actions. The law that governs everything you do.

If you seriously tune in to some result, then you will take the process seriously. You will focus on getting things done, not just working hard.

4. Create your success story

In doing so, rely not on what kind of person you were before, but on what you will become.

• What will your life be like if you really achieve this goal?
• What kind of person would you need to become to achieve it?
• What circumstances must come your way for you to achieve it?

Remember, your story and identity are now based on one big goal. You go to her, and it is no longer as important as you were before.

5. Make sure circumstances are based on goals, not goals based on circumstances

Don't let the goals you set come from your current circumstances. On the contrary, circumstances must be the result of new goals. Think about what is in your environment, relationship, routine should now change. Use a large target as a filter.

As you move towards it, circumstances will change. In the end, you will find yourself in the circumstances of a fulfilled goal. On this new platform, set the following goal that reflects the desired future. So you will start to move forward over and over again.

6. Make Identity Based on Goals, Not Vice Versa

We like to put labels on ourselves to explain and justify our behavior. But the more you have, the less open you are to change. You stop noticing alternatives and set goals based on the labels that you assigned to yourself.

Instead of setting goals based on your current identity, give yourself a new label to help you move towards what you want. For example, you want to become a writer. Tell yourself that you are a writer and act accordingly. Labels should serve a purpose, not the other way around.

7. Set aside an hour or two in the morning for important tasks

I often ask people how much time per week they spend on their main goal, and many answer that less than five hours! If you have a big goal, you need to make time for it. Desirable every day.

The goal should be your priority. You must allocate resources in such a way - time, attention, mental strength, finances - so that they are enough for her. Don't forget that things are urgent and important. If you only spend time on urgent ones, you will remain in the same place as now.

Try to do important tasks in the morning while you fresh mind. Take an hour or two and work on things that move you towards your goal. Only after that, proceed to the rest of the duties. Many will say that in their current circumstances this is simply not possible. I understand, nevertheless I succeeded. I have five children. I started my own business and started my writing career at the same time as my PhD. I'll tell you more about how this happened in paragraph 11.

8. Avoid overconsumption of information in the evenings

The end of the day is a time for relaxation and reflection, not for unhealthy consumption. I'm not saying that you should never watch your favorite TV show anymore. You just have to be careful. Chances are, mindlessly watching TV shows and social media is at odds with your big goal and new identity. It will interfere with your development. It is better to stay with loved ones, it will help recharge your energy and relax much better than the consumption of information.

9. Make a short to-do list the next morning

Think about what you need to accomplish to make your morning two hours a success. List these tasks and go to bed with peace of mind. In the morning you will not need to think about what to do, you just take the first paragraph of the notes.

If you put off such decisions until the last moment, you are much more likely to be distracted by unimportant tasks. For example, parsing mail or consuming information.

10. Go to bed an hour or two earlier and get up an hour or two earlier

In order to have time in the morning for focused work on important things, you need to wake up earlier. And to wake up earlier, you need go to bed earlier. It's simple. If you can't change your bedtime by two hours at once, start falling asleep 10 minutes earlier and gradually increase the time.

In general, going to bed early is just amazing. Yesterday I went to bed at 7 pm because I knew I wanted to be focused in the morning. I knew that I would have a lot to do. Why then waste energy in the evening?

Getting up early and immediately doing whatever brings you closer to your dream creates confidence and energy that will fuel you for the rest of the day. If you wake up and immediately engage in an endless race to complete all urgent tasks, then days, weeks and years will fly by without tangible progress.

11. Create transformative relationships with loved ones

To achieve a big goal, you will need the help of other people, as well as what I call transformative relationships. In them, both sides are united by purpose. Moving towards it, people change. The opposite of such relationships is transactional. With them, the existing state of affairs does not change, and the parties receive no more than what they invest.

Talk with loved ones, tell us what you want to achieve. Offer to divide responsibilities so that everyone has time to move towards their own goal. Most likely, they will meet you halfway. This is what helped me.

12. Do bold deeds regularly to pump your subconscious

Our subconscious is trying to stop us on the way to bold decisions and unusual actions, because they do not fit into the idea of ​​ordinary life, are associated with risk and potential losses. But your big goal is also outside of the norm and routine.

Imagine what would happen if you do something unusual for yourself on a regular basis. For example, every week. Or even every day.

Gradually, such actions will become the norm. Your life circumstances will change, and you yourself will become a different person. You will have confidence, you will stop defining yourself with your past. You will start to think more flexible. You will be more willing to try bold things. Your life will change.