Toward the end of the year (and in the early days of January), people are beginning to formulate their New Year’s resolutions. Others have entirely given up the process, residing in the co-existing dimensions of both self-loathing and self-acceptance. What a sad place to be – accepting that you’ll be unhappy indefinitely. Those people who still have the faith that they can keep a New Year’s resolution may still have some positivity left in them. They want to commit to losing ten kilograms or to give up their afternoon junk food pattern. Terrific goals. What’s the secret, eh?

And to think, my goals weren't anywhere near as concrete as they are now and we had a ball in Canada. Imagine how much more we'll be enjoying life once we hit planned goals!

How many of you decided that you want to become more self-disciplined as your New Year's resolution?

I did a quick search of the “top fifty New Year’s resolutions” and found a Lifehack article listing everything from learning more about art and music to “reinventing yourself”. Only until I waded through the rest of the list did I find a brief mention and a link to ‘sticking with good habits’. I’m not going to even bother redirecting you to it because you could Google a better answer. In fact, go to this video created by Thomas Frank. You’ll probably subscribe to his channel once you appreciate the advice he has to give (if your reasons for change are strong enough).

The sticking with good habits is what’s most important here. We are all wondrously good at sticking to comfortable habits (like driving to work, flopping on the lounge upon arrival home from work and reaching for the sugar when driven by cravings), so clearly we are geared for repetitive action. I would be interested to know how many people choose to park their car some distance, let’s say 3 kilometres away from their workplace and walk the rest of the way. Maybe you get home and instead of going for the lounge, you pick up your guitar or knitting needles. You’ve even cracked your crystalline white powder habit (you sugary fiend!) and dig for some dates or a handful of cashews. We are geared for repetition so whether you're geared for the green smoothie or you're reaching for the Reese's, you're likely to continue the habit. However, if you've decided to jolt a change in direction, that requires a concerted effort against inertia.

The frustrating realisation is that most people can't switch from regression to progression.

I’m calling it frustrating because I see the potential of so many people all around me. I have seen people eat their way into hospital beds after living their youth as athletes. Athletes don’t gain 40 kilograms and turn into big-boned individuals. They succumb to their autopilot. They eat poorly, don't exercise and as a consequence pile on fat. I’ve seen the same people working in the same job for years and I’m certain it isn’t because they love their job. Most people don’t grow up wanting to be a cashier or a garbage man. These are essential services and need to be provided of course, but I cannot fathom a world where everyone thinks like this as a child. Imagine Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Oprah, Jerry Seinfeld or Adele working in mundane jobs with no one filling their space at the top of their respective fields. Clearly, we don’t all think we are stuck. Some people just execute their dream, no matter how long it takes. The best of bed-buddies are persistence and self-discipline.

These are choices we make. We choose to become actively engaged in our lives or we allow ourselves to drift along our bowling lane with the bumpers up acting as a safety net. More bowling balls get stuck before even getting to the pins than those balls of bowlers who take the risk of releasing the ball at the wrong time or at the wrong angle and watching it head for the gutter as though it were magnetised. Those bowlers know the ball will return soon enough and they’ll get another try. The ones with the bumpers up have to meekly and embarrassingly ask the fifteen year old to walk out onto the lane and retrieve their ball. Don’t be that sad sack. That’s probably a good lesson for your kid. Bowling with the bumpers up might just be setting your child up for a world where failure doesn’t exist. And that's not the world the rest of us live in.

I’m going to hazard a guess and say if you’re reading this article, you've probably read some of my others. I treat my audience like adults. To the point and without the possibility of invoking the tooth fairy to make your sore gum feel better

Self-Education and Your Reasons.

You are headed to the moon; Your self-education is your ship and your reasons are your rocket fuel.

If the body can be trained to become stronger and more resistant to fatigue, so too can the mind. Habitual activities reinforce what you practice. If you’ve decided to work towards that big goal of losing 10 kilograms or more, what is it that you really need to do to get to that goal? Well, you need to learn what you’ve been doing wrong and you’ve got to put the new, correct way of thinking into action. Two simple constituents that are at the heart of change. If you don’t know why you’ve put on a heap of belly fat, chances are no matter how much you want it to change, it won’t. You have to know what to do. While this isn’t a guide on how to lose weight, if that’s what your goal is, I would certainly go and start your learning journey with Dr. Greger at NutritionFacts.org. Anyone who knows me is tired of hearing it, but when you’re learning from the best, why not share it, right?

Play the long game. One day at a time.

Once you are learning what you need to do, now’s the time to put it into action. The key here is to play the long game. Whether you want to get rich, get fit or become more of a risk-taker (educationally or otherwise, positively), you need to wedge specific actions in your day to move you towards that new position in which you want to see yourself.

I’ve got more exciting goals than I care to list right now (believe me, they’re accumulating quickly!), but I am working towards them all. Take for instance my interest in learning French. When I decided to learn the language, I took immediate action. Now, this does not mean I booked myself a seat on the next available flight to Paris! It just means you need to write it down. Next to where you’ve written it down, add a few of the most important reasons you to want to develop the new skill or habit. What you’re doing is turning a fleeting thought, or wish into the infancy of real life change that you can see. Isn’t that exciting? For me, I want to learn French because I want to effectively communicate with people the next time I’m in France, Switzerland, Eastern Canada or another French-speaking country I choose to visit. Next, I wanted to show myself that I am capable of it (the ‘I can do whatever I set my mind to’ mentality). Think of this as my own personal challenge where the reward is a new personal best. Thirdly, I want to impress people. How many people do you ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ over when you hear they play the flute, can fly a plane or speak more than their own native tongue? Personally, I’m impressed by that. Now’s my time to impress others! It’s all about getting your own hot air into your balloon.

There’s nothing wrong with blowing hot air. After all, you can’t soar above the mountains and revel knowing you’ve got the best view without blowing your own hot air into your balloon to reach those heights. Developing confidence in your own ability to thrive is the best gift you can give to yourself.

Here’s where 99% of people droop to the ground. Sadly. [Record your daily activities that get you another step toward your goal into an exercise book.]

You’ve read the books, you know what you need to do and you have some pretty good reasons. You’ve even made it through the first few months persisting. Kudos to you! What may happen next is that your mind has found a loophole. You will be your own worst enemy if you don’t get this under control. Here’s what I’m doing. I have notebooks. I have an exercise book that I’ve dedicated to my own self-development. I write down a selection of things I need to do the following day and check them off as I go. I have big goals and small goals I want to hit. After all, it’s the small goals that get you to the big goals. Many of my mentors (they don’t all know me yet, except Matthew Reilly!) have guided me through this process by sharing their process. Whether it’s a big personal goal like transforming your body or a huge global goal like building three game-changing companies (I mentioned Elon earlier, so why not mention two of his babies; Tesla, SpaceX and The Boring Company?), the mentality and process is very similar. Hit the small goals regularly.

When the small goals are reached, they combine, as if by magic to blink into existence the realisation of your ultimate goal. Elon Musk didn’t end high school with fifty million dollars. He ended with ideas and various visions and a pretty strong work ethic. He chose to focus on the most important to him at the time, secured confidence in people, read the books and studied his craft (one day at a time, just like the rest of us). He began a company (long forgotten now) called Zip2. This was in the mid 1990’s. He needed to reach small goals. Just one at a time. Brainstorming and sharing ideas with his team, planning and developing the product, making and attending meetings. Think of those minutes. Maybe the notes that were taken. I’m not trying to overwhelm you (or I!) with the epitome of excellence here. In fact, I’m humanising Elon. He’s just great at managing his time and focussing intensely on one thing at a time, until it’s time to address something else that is equally as important and deserved of dedicated time to completion.

It's still January. It isn't too late!

Even if you're reading this in September, it doesn't matter. It's never too late. While you are breathing you can achieve your goals. Use your imagination. Visualise them. Dream big. Write down your goals, review them daily. Break the big goals into smaller parts, that when combined, get you to your dream. You'll never be a pro tennis player at forty-five if you don't bother buying a racquet and showing up to lessons. Prioritise your goals. Put the important stuff up the top and get it done.

Don't forget, when you achieve your big goals it's time to dream bigger.

To Your Success,

Nick.

Please UPVOTE this article. Your vote keeps me writing my best content.

All content is original and belongs to @nickmorphew. [3 January 2019]

Disclosure: This article was not a paid promotion and was not self-upvoted. Nor were there any affiliate links.

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You didn’t think you’d leave here without me shamelessly plugging my other work, right?

Our Trip from Adelaide to Melbourne.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7

Restaurant Reviews (and Tesla Showroom)

[100% VEGAN] Shift Eatery Surry Hills

[100% VEGAN] Matcha Mylkbar, St. Kilda

[100% VEGAN] Lentil as Anything, Newtown

Da Orlando Wood Fire Pizzeria, Wollongong

Kürtősh, Wollongong

Nan Tien Temple, Wollongong

Blank Canvas, Batemans Bay

Tesla Motors, Martin Place

Do you enjoy gory mystery-thrillers?

Two devious, psychopathic minds go head-to-head trying to out-kill one another. Who will die at the hands of the two and how far will it go until the entire state is on the hunt for the duplicitous duo?

Check out The Coroner. Part 1 and Part 2 are linked.

So, you're a Star Wars fan? I almost wasn't.

In a two part micro series, learn of the devious practical joke my uncles played on me as a child. You'll never think of Darth Vader the same way again.

Part 1

Part 2