So you want to make your life all that it can be. I am often asked by my readers for direct action plans to take them to the life they want to live. It is a difficult question to answer, because everyone has a different dream. Here are a few things that can be a great asset and should be incorporated into your daily plan for life.
1. Read something new every day. I can not stress this enough. I have read every single day for the last twenty years and have found that it creates several wonderful effects. The first thing it does is exercises my mind. When you are constantly taking in new information, your mind will stay sharp. You will be more aware of emerging trends and be able to act on them from a good knowledge base. The more you read, the better you will write. Writing is an asset to you no matter what you want to do in life. You will be a more interesting person. Having new things to talk about keeps you refreshing to those around you. Have you ever been around someone who says the same old things every time you see them? Also, vary the subjects that you read. The more diverse your knowledge, the more you will be able to be a trend setter, rather than a trend follower. I have many times come up with truly powerful ideas by taking several bits of information from different subjects and finding new ways to combine them.
2. Gear your mind towards solving problems. The people who are most successful in life are the people who make it their job to solve problems. Problems exist all around us. Everywhere we go there are things that can be done better, cheaper, or faster. Opportunities are all around you. Open your mind to the idea that you can solve the world's problems one at a time.
3. Write down your goals at least once a year. I like to work backwards on this. I project my goals far into the future and then plan my actions from that point to the present. Also, I always set my goals farther than I really believe I can achieve. This is for two reasons. The first is that I will not be the same person a year from now. I will have aquired new skills, gained new experience and refined my tastes. The second is that I can achieve far more setting my goals higher than if I kept them reasonable.
4. Study management at every opportunity. You can begin this one with observing your boss at work. Start asking yourself what makes them a manager. Figure out exactly what they do. Employees think in terms of what they have to do to complete tasks. Managers think in terms of who they need to get tasks done. Managers also think of ways to combine tasks, eliminate steps in a process, reduce costs and increase productivity. If you learn to think like a manager, you will immediately see your life getting better.
5. Always give yourself the first cut of any money you aquire. This applies to dividends, paychecks, gifts or any other money you receive. If you set a percentage that you routinely take out of all money received and set it aside for yourself, you will always be one step ahead. Use this money to invest in investments that provide a good rate of return and allow the power of leverage to spring you forward financially!
