I love reading books by successful people sharing their secrets. On one hand it’s so thrilling that an average Joe could do the things they do. On the other hand sometimes it seems like there is some special talent or skill that only a select few possess. It almost feels like it’s something unattainable.
But the message over and over in these books is that it’s something we all have the potential to do, and I’m going to give you a sneak peek into my day to prove it.
Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years. – Bill Gates
Momentum
In the last few weeks I have released a 5-part video scavenger hunt full of green screen work, special effects, and more, published two instructional videos on presenting, delivered a special birthday video, and given a presentation at a top ten university. In the last few years I have read scores of books, published 3 of my own, created dozens of videos, written hundreds of blog posts, and more. Bear in mind, none of this is my day job. This is all in my spare time.
If you are wondering how I can do all this, the thing I really want you to get out of this blog post is simply that you can do all this too! Or at least you can do the things you are passionate about too. There is no special skill or talent I have here. It’s simply finding the right ways to take the things I’m passionate about and make progress with them.
In fact, I’d like to show you what my day looks like. This is not my average day. This is what I have been doing every day.
Before you start feeling overwhelmed wondering if you can do the same, I have two things to say:
- You don’t have to: I am not showing you this list to tell you what you have to do. You can do whatever you want to do. I am showing you this list to tell you what is possible. If I can do all this in my spare time outside of my day job, imagine what you can do, even if it’s just writing a book or starting a club.
- This happened over time: I didn’t wake up one day and say “I’m going to do forty million things today.” I simply started to make small changes. Over weeks and months I added more things I wanted to do. Over years it became even more – doing the things I enjoyed doing. It’s not about an immediate life change; it’s about small amounts of forward momentum.
My Day
Forward Momentum
Get up at 5:30
Review my calendar, personal and company email, sales performance, Klout score
Record any purchases, deposits, etc. in my budget
Spend 5 minutes promoting blogs, 10 minutes creating/editing videos, and 10 minutes on a new project idea
Lay out my regular and workout clothes for tomorrow
Goals
Review 5 accomplishments and 5 things I’m thankful for in the morning and at night.
Review over 175 yearly goals, life goals, affirmations, quotes, etc.
Review yearly goals and inspirational quotes before bed
Record over 60 metrics such as time I woke up, how many minutes I played guitar, etc.
Improvement
Read a daily Bible passage, listen to an audiobook for 15 minutes, and review 20 cognitive biases
Pray, meditate 5 minutes quietly, spend 15 minutes disconnected from electronics, and mediate 5 minutes with music before bed
Play 35 minutes on the guitar, 5 of which is sight-read, watch 30 minutes of videos on various aspects of video production, and draw or learn about drawing for 10 minutes
Health
Lift weights involving 20 reps of one muscle group followed by 10 reps of another
Workout for 30 minutes
Perform 3 balance stances for 30-45 seconds each and perform 6 different stretches
Measure my arms, stomach, waist, thighs, weight, and body fat
Improve My World
Post one inspirational message on a special Facebook group
Write at least 20 minutes
Show important people in my life appreciation
Eat 3 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit or more vegetables.
Burn 600 calories
Stand and walk around at least 1 minute for 12 different hours
Easier than it Looks
I know this seems like a lot to do every day. I know it seems like it is overwhelming. However, I want you to know that It’s easier than it looks. There are a few tricks that I learned to make it easy.
I followed the Mini Habits principles and just did a little each day. I slowly built up over time. I made sure to find time to enjoy myself almost every day. I reevaluated what was working and energizing and changed time and time again. I also find ways to double and even triple things up. For instance, while I brush my teeth, I am reading life goals, and practicing my balance, or when I’m watching educational videos, I’m typically practicing guitar.
But more importantly than all this: you don’t have to do this. My point in this big, long list is to say if I can do all this in my free time, what’s stopping you from following your one dream or following your passion on one project or changing your life in one area? If I, a person who spent high school doing little if any school work at home, playing video games, and wasting time can do all this every single day, what’s stopping you from doing one thing that would change your life?
Three Steps to Unlock your Dreams
Drop the excuses. You can accomplish your dreams even if it’s just small steps at at time. Here are three simple steps to get you started:
- Move Forward: I didn’t do this overnight. I used the Mini Habits principles to make it easy to do small steps toward my dreams. You don’t have to write a chapter a day to publish a book. You just have to create a paragraph a day or maybe a page a day. You will be surprised how the momentum will propel you forward and energize you toward a finished book.
- Goals: My strongest motivators have been knowing that a) a deadline is around the corner b) I have done 90% of the work and c) I have met goals before. Goals have a way of helping us know how far we have left to go and how easily we can get there. Goals are a roadmap showing us where we want to go. Goals are easy to create and a powerful tool for success.
- Consistency: Knowing I have met my goals each month for the year or that I have a streak of 10 days of writing has helped me keep going. I now have a streak of over 600 days of writing 20 minutes a day by consistently making small steps until they became big ones.
You can do this. You can make the dreams you have come true. You can change your life for the better. You simply need to know what you want to do, and keep moving forward. You will be amazed at what you can do, and I look forward to one day hearing the amazing things you have accomplished.
