We all have a dream, at least I assume you have a dream, and we all want to attain that dream, but in this world it is so easy to get side tracked. Small things that are bumps in your lives will take your focus away from keep moving forward distract you from keeping your eyes on the prize at the end of the journey.
If you know what you want in life, I have a philosophy to take daily strides towards that goal. Every day you should at least do something, however small, to get one step closer to achieving your dream. But in order to know what steps leads to your dream you need to know exactly what your dream is, you need to know it in detail, you need to feel how it is to live that dream, the smells, the sounds, the light, the whole KAABANG….
Many people do not even write down their life goals, they keep it inside their mind, not exposing to the outside world, allowing themselves to fail without anyone knowing. Most of them are setting themselves up for failure. Personally I write down my goals, my life goals, my goals for a business venture, and my goals for today. I know what steps are required to move towards my goals. But remember goals can change as the circumstances changes and you need to adapt to them.
If you are young your goal might be to get a certain education, ride a certain car, and these may at the time seem like your life goals, but as you grow, as you reach your goals you will add to them. Even if you have your goal of a house by the beach, as you get closer you might even add to the goal or change it, maybe being too close to the beach is not really what you want. Feel free to change your goals, but don’t cheat yourself. Like changing a goal from being financially independent to just making sure you make it month to month. You might need to increase the time horizon, but don’t short sell yourself with the goals you are choosing and aiming for.
When you know what you want then I divide the end goal into milestones I need to reach along the way. These milestones I divide into step by step goals and I work myself towards where I am today. Then I know more or less what I need to achieve every month in order to get closer to my end goal.
And it becomes easier to take small steps towards your goals on a daily basis, knowing that following those steps you will get closer to the goal tomorrow compared where you where yesterday. But action and taking continuous action is the key to moving closer to your goals.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
How to get ahead in life?
You want the secret of how to get ahead in life? How to get back on your feet from where you are currently struggling? It is an answer most people do not want to hear so in fear of upsetting too many of you here I give my little 2 cents on how to get ahead in life.
Work hard, focus on what you do, and be determined. There is no thing as a free lunch in life, but there is always possible to get a huge discount on the same lunch. Many people say you must work hard and long and you will get ahead in life, but that is not the truth. The truth is that you must work focused, determined, never be afraid of working hard, and never give up.
Many times people are just focused on the situation around them, on the problems in their lives, their short comings, their failures in the past, etc etc. But it is important to have a clear focus on what you really want out of life, by knowing what you really want in life, knowing it in detail, knowing how it feels, knowing what you would do if you where there, you are half way there.
Many people have vague desires or dreams in life, like “I want to be rich”, “I want to live well off”, this just aint good enough my friends. You need to be specific, you need to get the feel of how it would be to have it, imagine yourself in it, and then focus on getting it.
I know I know, there is a lot more than just this to get there, but this is the start, and this is how you start getting out of the hole you are in, or start getting where you want to be faster. I have been on a rollercoaster in my life, from ups to downs to ups again. Most of the time the things hit you out of nowhere, but there is always a blessing in any situation. Ask me I know.
But the most important thing in life I have learned is to keep those you love and who love you close, tell them as often as you can how you feel, share a smile, laugh a lot, live life happily, enjoy the joys of life. Focus on start doing that and you will not only improve your life but also those that live around you.
I will go into other elements I have learned over the past years later, but know this, you have a destiny that is unique and great, don’t forfeit it by choosing not to reach for your full potential.
Just note I am not an expert in this field, I am rather a battle hardened soldier sharing his stories of the fighting in the trenches.
Work hard, focus on what you do, and be determined. There is no thing as a free lunch in life, but there is always possible to get a huge discount on the same lunch. Many people say you must work hard and long and you will get ahead in life, but that is not the truth. The truth is that you must work focused, determined, never be afraid of working hard, and never give up.
Many times people are just focused on the situation around them, on the problems in their lives, their short comings, their failures in the past, etc etc. But it is important to have a clear focus on what you really want out of life, by knowing what you really want in life, knowing it in detail, knowing how it feels, knowing what you would do if you where there, you are half way there.
Many people have vague desires or dreams in life, like “I want to be rich”, “I want to live well off”, this just aint good enough my friends. You need to be specific, you need to get the feel of how it would be to have it, imagine yourself in it, and then focus on getting it.
I know I know, there is a lot more than just this to get there, but this is the start, and this is how you start getting out of the hole you are in, or start getting where you want to be faster. I have been on a rollercoaster in my life, from ups to downs to ups again. Most of the time the things hit you out of nowhere, but there is always a blessing in any situation. Ask me I know.
But the most important thing in life I have learned is to keep those you love and who love you close, tell them as often as you can how you feel, share a smile, laugh a lot, live life happily, enjoy the joys of life. Focus on start doing that and you will not only improve your life but also those that live around you.
I will go into other elements I have learned over the past years later, but know this, you have a destiny that is unique and great, don’t forfeit it by choosing not to reach for your full potential.
Just note I am not an expert in this field, I am rather a battle hardened soldier sharing his stories of the fighting in the trenches.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Work or Fun?
In today’s world most of us are getting an education so that we can get a job, which will allow us to retire after 40 odd years of service. Most of the time we are not doing what we love, what we have a passion for, but rather something that will generate a good or partially good income.
So you are trading 8 – 12 hours a day for a salary that can support you and your family, and most of the time it can only barely support you. You then look for an extra job, doing something you are most likely not passionate about, to add to your salary so that you can live better. But you are trading even more hours of your life away for cash, time that should be spent with your spouse, with your kids, with growing yourself, with doing what you love and have a passion for.
Breaking this cycle, I think, is difficult for many people; it is taking a journey out to the unknown, going on an adventure where you do not know that will face you around the next corner. It is a lot easier just staying where you are now and then reading about others living a better, a more complete, a more fulfilling life. Then telling yourself, it just isn’t possible for you.
I was lucky in this sense, I was working as a manager for 14 software developers, we were a new team, and we had a three year target we met within 10 months. Most of the guys and gals working for me were straight out of college, but we managed to create an environment in where we could achieve. Then it happened, business wanted to cut the team’s size because we were doing so good, why did we need everyone when we were breaking all targets and records?
I felt that all I had worked for, all the 14 hour days I had put in to make it a success, was wasted. In addition I wasn’t given the monetary recognition for my achievements with my team, that I felt I was entitled to. I got fed up and knew this is how it was always going to be.
I decided I didn’t want to stick around any longer. I needed to get somewhere I could get the recognition I deserved and where I could make some of the rules. My wife and I chatted about it and I got an opportunity as a contractor in Johannesburg, and my life changed around. I was doing what I was passionate about; I was working longer hours, 15 – 17 hours a day the first year, with commuting. But it was my passion and I loved it, I was no longer working my friends, I was flying, I was having fun working 36 hours straight.
And now I am again starting to work 15 – 18 hours a day, not just as a contractor, but as an entrepreneur that is starting off companies, loving the challenges, loving the endless hours of planning, loving the execution of plans, and loving to see the results.
I will tell you more about these businesses as the time progresses and also how I got the idea to start some of them. But you will see most of the time I took a long long long long long time before starting them and that is something I am busy changing in my life. Action is the operative word these days, ACTION.
Cheers,
The Action taking Viking
So you are trading 8 – 12 hours a day for a salary that can support you and your family, and most of the time it can only barely support you. You then look for an extra job, doing something you are most likely not passionate about, to add to your salary so that you can live better. But you are trading even more hours of your life away for cash, time that should be spent with your spouse, with your kids, with growing yourself, with doing what you love and have a passion for.
Breaking this cycle, I think, is difficult for many people; it is taking a journey out to the unknown, going on an adventure where you do not know that will face you around the next corner. It is a lot easier just staying where you are now and then reading about others living a better, a more complete, a more fulfilling life. Then telling yourself, it just isn’t possible for you.
I was lucky in this sense, I was working as a manager for 14 software developers, we were a new team, and we had a three year target we met within 10 months. Most of the guys and gals working for me were straight out of college, but we managed to create an environment in where we could achieve. Then it happened, business wanted to cut the team’s size because we were doing so good, why did we need everyone when we were breaking all targets and records?
I felt that all I had worked for, all the 14 hour days I had put in to make it a success, was wasted. In addition I wasn’t given the monetary recognition for my achievements with my team, that I felt I was entitled to. I got fed up and knew this is how it was always going to be.
I decided I didn’t want to stick around any longer. I needed to get somewhere I could get the recognition I deserved and where I could make some of the rules. My wife and I chatted about it and I got an opportunity as a contractor in Johannesburg, and my life changed around. I was doing what I was passionate about; I was working longer hours, 15 – 17 hours a day the first year, with commuting. But it was my passion and I loved it, I was no longer working my friends, I was flying, I was having fun working 36 hours straight.
And now I am again starting to work 15 – 18 hours a day, not just as a contractor, but as an entrepreneur that is starting off companies, loving the challenges, loving the endless hours of planning, loving the execution of plans, and loving to see the results.
I will tell you more about these businesses as the time progresses and also how I got the idea to start some of them. But you will see most of the time I took a long long long long long time before starting them and that is something I am busy changing in my life. Action is the operative word these days, ACTION.
Cheers,
The Action taking Viking
This is just a quick hi there….
Time passes so fast these days and even if I was of plan to update the blog every week, or even three times a week, it didn’t happen that way. I have several posts that are drafted and I wanted to post, but never got around to doing it.
I think instead of writing long posts I will try to stay to a shorter posts. I think that will be quite interesting and allow me to get more of the things that are happening in my life and with my ideas out there to all of you.
The last couple of months have been hectic and the months ahead seem to be even more hectic, but a good hectic. A lot of my plans are coming to action, and even plans I thought I had buried are springing to life as demand are there for them. I love this, money is being generated, deals are being struck and plans that I wrote down years ago are blooming.
This is surely a wonderful time to be alive, it is a blessing from the Almighty Lord that I have been given and now I have found my calling. What I love and what I am passionate about is building businesses, all kinds of them and then running them, tuning them, optimizing them, and allowing others to benefit from the profits that are made as well.
Thanks for sticking around this Viking…
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