“Life is not fair; get used to it.” ~ Bill Gates
Life is not fair. Or you have been conditioned to believe so. In fact, it is only as fair as you make it.
You rush around doing a whole lot of stuff every day for a simple reason: You want more from life (than what you have).
You get so busy chasing things that you miss to pause and introspect. You often forget to ask yourself why you are doing whatever you are doing and what you can do better to achieve your goals?
Ok, got the point. Now, where to start?
The right time to start doing something is right now and here’s what you can do to start making your life better:
1. Break the belief: I need a fancy title (e.g. CEO, or VP of Marketing) to lead.
In other words, start leading beyond your title. Be excellent at what you do and offer unfeigned servant leadership regardless of what your title is. The mantra of this age is: Provide matchless value or get lost.
2. Ask the right questions.
American author and self-help coach Anthony Robins emphases the importance of asking the right questions to get the right answers and hence the right results. For example, consider the following questions upon starting a new project:
Weak: Ohh…This is a difficult project. Would I fail again? What can I do to transfer this project to a colleague instead?
Strong: What would be the best way to start this new project? I have the history data to help me anyways, and I can consult that senior colleague who has experience of handling such tough projects. How can I bring best out of myself to combat this challenge?
Muse on what French dramatist Eugene Lonesco said,
“It’s not the answer that enlightens, but the question.”
Always ask the right questions. If you discover that you asked a wrong question, no problem. Make a note of it and ask the right question now.
3. Stop being mediocre.
Seth Godin made it well-known that you were trained to be a mediocre person. You were taught to keep your ships in safe seaports and still earn some profit, but that’s not what ships are made for, isn’t it so?
For example, why do people pay more for an iPhone? Jobs didn’t create just another mobile device. He created a completely different level of experience that almost everyone under the sun wants to have.
Why settle for less when you have a choice to use your unlimited power and to become excellent at what you do? Remember, energy put in being excellent is not an expense; it’s an investment that will give you the highest ROI.
4. Replace talking with doing.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: No actions, no results, that’s all. Everything else is commentary.
5. Find out how can you serve your tribes better.
A tribe is an approach to getting a change to occur. That change could bring a completely different level of perceptions that help you go to the next level, regardless of its cause which could be personal, organizational or social.
Take permission from your tribes. Network with them. Connect with them. Personally, relate to them. Collect data about how they want to be served and then serve them.
6. Bring a smile on someone’s face, for no reason.
And observe the internal joy that you experience. Buddhist monk and a peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh said,
“Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.”
Make someone’s life beautiful, make the world a better place and observe how this action makes your life feel better.
7. Celebrate that long-awaited rain.
The same drop of rain will never come again. The same moment of life will never come again. You may have spent months (or years) for something to happen. When it’s happening, just enjoy it. Be in the moment and leave everything else.
Settling for mediocrity and not making your life better is a poor choice. It might give you what is called a sense of security but certainly, it wouldn’t bring out the best version of yourself.
Maybe unknowingly but don’t plan for those well-known deathbed regrets. Instead, start being the best version of yourself, continuously improve and make your life better.
