| Here’s the problem with most of my dreams. Probably with yours, too. Everybody’s dreams.
Making them a reality depends on tiny little habits that must be performed every day without fail.
The hard part about that is most of those habits suck.
At least in the short term.
For example, if you want to have nice 6-pack abs in six months, and you’re not in reasonable shape already, let me tell you that the next 6 months of your life are going to suck. Hard.
You’re going to find time to go to a gym. You’ll figure out ways to eat fewer calories than you spend - and do it in a way that doesn’t leave you so hungry you could eat a horse. Hooves and all.
Now if you stick with it for six months…
You’re going to love the long-term effects of your habits. You’ll have more energy, you’ll look awesome, and people will think you’re smarter. It’s a fact - studies demonstrate that individuals who look fitter are perceived to be more intelligent.
The insulting part, of course, is that to keep this up, you’re going to have to keep up the habits. Now, I wish I could tell you it becomes easier. But does it? Only kind of. You get used to it… but in the short term, you’re still going to have to sweat and watch what you eat.
In other words, you can’t outsource your pushups.
I digress.
What if your dream is to make $20,000 per month from your side business online? Or $5,000, or $100,000 - whatever figure you’re comfortable with? (By the way, I’m curious about this. Hit reply to this email and tell me… what would you consider a comfortable side income?)
A dream like that - very much like our health example - is going to require you to install some habits that will, once again, completely suck in the short term.
You might have to stay up late to set up a funnel for your digital product. Or, you’re going to have to deal with packaging designers for your e-commerce store. Or it’s going to require less than pleasurable interactions with disgruntled customers. (By the way, you should cherish those. You can learn so much from that!)
If you keep this up for 6 months or a year, worst case scenario… you are going to be a LOT closer to your target income. You might achieve it, and you might overshoot it too.
Pretty amazing any way you want to spin this… But the day-to-day habits that make that dream a reality?
Still not super enjoyable.
Which makes most people quit.
I know it better than most.
Every time I tried to establish a routine or a habit that would benefit me in the long run…
Such as exercising daily, writing daily, eating healthy food, learning something new every day, and so on…
I would - almost inevitably - FAIL.
It’s not like I suddenly decided to stop. Way more subtle than that.
I would start one day with the best of intentions, take care of all the urgent stuff, kept myself busy… and before the day was over I’d realize that the most important stuff never got done - I didn’t go to the gym, I didn’t read a single page, I didn’t write another email to a potential partner, etc.
So I’d just think, “Screw this. I’ll make up for it tomorrow”.
Tomorrow comes and is somehow just as hectic. Day after? Same thing. Soon, I’m back to my old ways.
I concluded that there’s just not enough time in the day.
That my dreams should wait. That’s BS!
How do you turn this around? How do you make time for what’s important?
It’s a two-part process.
First, you need to set priorities and decide what’s important to you. Weirdly, it’s the hardest part. Something that trips up about 90% of people.
Second, you need to start adding those little, “short-term-unpleasant” habits to your life.
Sounds very simplistic. Because it is simple. However, the trick is in the implementation.
Everyone knows they should eat broccoli. Yet, most people choose fast food because it feels good going in.
Deciding On Your Priorities
Most people don’t like to hear this. The cold hard truth, however, is that you just don’t have the time for everything in your life. For example, it’s not very likely you’re going to find the time to work, read, exercise, build your own business, and watch Netflix for 4 hours every day. Something’s gotta give.
How do you decide if something isn’t right for you?
One thing I’ve always found useful is to spend a couple of weeks taking stock of how I’m feeling when doing this or that activity… and reflect on the short and long-term value of it. Is it something that only feels good at the moment and would later fill me with regret? Or is it hard, but it fills me with joy and inspiration, so I enter the state of flow whenever I’m doing it?
Do this little exercise and start eliminating activities that only feel good at the moment.
You don’t have to let go of all at once. Just pick something small. And drop it.
Drop picking up your phone 96 times a day (that’s average in the U.S.!)... Drop-checking Facebook. Drop one hour of the two hours you spend watching Netflix… use that hour to build something.
You’ll start getting some extra time and focus.
Your next step is to take a step back and remove even more stuff… so that only what truly matters to you is left.
Then, your dreams will come to you. That’s the best feeling in the world… one that makes all the difference.
To Your Success, Paul Hanson
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