Even before writing the first chapter of Harry Potter, its author J. K. Rowling planned out the book series for seven years. What happened next, you know – “Harry Potter” became one of the most read books on Earth.
💚 ON TOPIC: Why is the dollar called a buck, denoted by the $ symbol and other interesting facts about the American currency.
Before filming the first film in the Star Wars series (and this was back in the 70s of the last century), George Lucas decided that he would shoot at least six episodes. And he started not from the first, but from the fourth. And what? Many years have passed, but people around the world are eagerly awaiting the release of the next film from the now legendary saga. This would not have happened if Lucas did not have a carefully thought out Plan.
The principle is simple: Don’t plant a tree. Plant a garden right away.
💚 ON TOPIC: 10 steps to starting your own business in parallel with your main job.
Very, very few people live this life
Each of us is the architect of our own destiny. But the profession of a blacksmith is quite complex, so few people cope with it well. As a result, people simply prefer to “go with the flow.”
What if we lived this year the way JK Rowling did it – as part of a grandiose plan for a period of 3, 5, 10 years?
All you need to do is set your goals correctly. Ready?
I can already hear what you are saying.
“Of course not! After all, the real world is not Hogwarts! How can you plan so far ahead!
Indeed, the world around us is changing very quickly. So it’s impossible to plan everything and achieve your goals. But there is no need for this – Tony Robbins, an American entrepreneur involved in the topic of self-development, once said:
“Stay true to your decisions, but be flexible in implementing them.”
That’s the difference. Most people don’t seriously promise themselves that they will achieve what they want. This is why only 8% of New Year’s resolutions come true…
Let’s say you know what you want in 1, 3, 5, and 25 years in different areas of your life (e.g. health, spirituality, finances, relationships, etc.). Ask yourself:
“Am I just dreaming, or have I given my word that I will achieve them?”
When it comes to simple interest, you will quickly begin to give yourself and others convincing reasons why you could not achieve such and such. But if you, so to speak, “signed up”, made a promise, then all this chatter goes out the window. You just take it and do everything to achieve the desired result.
💚 ON TOPIC: 13 healthy habits from the world’s best leaders.
Scientific proof
If psychology has truly learned anything about you and me in recent years, it is that people with high levels of belief in ourselves, in our ability to achieve goals and in the fact that we determine our own destiny, turn out to be noticeably more successful majority. While the “gray mass”:
- Does not set itself new and serious challenges;
- Does not take on the burden of leadership;
- Experiences a feeling of learned helplessness;
- More susceptible to depression and anxiety;
- Loses motivation to do anything;
- Looks to the future with pessimism;
- Dissatisfied with current work, resulting in decreased productivity;
- Dissatisfied with the way she lives;
- Passive at work and outside of it;
- Experiencing serious health problems;
- Feels stressed more often.
💚 ON TOPIC: What do billionaires read? 10 favorite books of global corporate executives.
The greatest lie in the world
Is the world changing quickly? Yes.
Are external factors unpredictable? Yes.
Do you have very little control over what happens in your life? No! This is the biggest lie you have ever heard in your life.
“An uncertain attitude towards the future is the biggest problem of the modern world…”
Imagine – you hired a builder to build a house, and he tells you:
“Well, don’t rely too much on the drawing. After all, you can’t take everything into account. So I can’t give you a guarantee that the house will turn out exactly like this.”
When you build a house, you have a plan. You follow it and the principles – for example, mathematical laws. As a result, the result will be predictable – you will get exactly what you wanted, and not uneven walls and a bathtub in the kitchen.
“Mental effort always precedes physical effort” (efficiency guru Stephen Covey).
💚 ON TOPIC: What helped Steve Jobs, Bill Gate, Larry Page and others achieve business success?
Responsibility is for the few
It is very easy to believe that you cannot be responsible for what happens in your life.
It is much more difficult to accept the fact that every second you make decisions. And they affect your future.
Even now, as you read this article.
Who is responsible for this?
Didn’t you click the link to open it?
The moment you realize that you are fully responsible for every aspect of your life will be your first moment of complete FREEDOM.
If someone else or something else is responsible for your health, you will not do anything to be healthy.
If someone else or something else is responsible for you and your family, you will do nothing to be responsible for yourself and for her.
If someone else or something else is in charge of your future, then, like most people, you will become a product of external circumstances.
“Let others live a small life, but not yourself. Allow others to swear over trifles, but don’t do it yourself. Let others cry over small problems, but don’t participate in it yourself. Let other people put their future in someone else’s hands, but don’t give away yours.” (Jim Rohn)
💚 ON TOPIC: How to work less but be more productive.
3 rules for those who choose
“When I look into the future, I see it so bright that it blinds my eyes.” (Oprah Winfrey)
The ability to make decisions has three components:
- The right to choose;
- Responsibility for choice;
- Results (consequences) of the choice made.
If you don’t believe you have the power to make a choice, you’ve been lied to. You make choices every day. You are making a choice right now.
When you take responsibility for your decisions, you will realize that you will no longer be able to remain neutral. You will notice that every decision has its own meaning and consequences. Every decision you make will also reflect what you believe – much louder than the words you speak.
Finally, the results. Stephen Covey, an American consultant on leadership and life management, said:
“We control our actions, but the consequences they cause are controlled by our principles.”
Every decision (and lack thereof) has consequences. Telling your child or spouse “I love you” can be much more important than you think – a kind word not only lifts your spirits, sometimes it changes your entire life!
💚 ON TOPIC: 50 universal tips for achieving business success.
Live a conscious and planned life
“The best way to predict your future is to create it” (Abraham Lincoln)
If we summarize everything said above, we get the following:
1. You must believe that YOU CONTROL what happens to you.
2. You must believe that YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO ACHIEVE what you want.
3. You must believe that you are RESPONSIBLE for what you choose.
4. You have to HOPE it will work out.
There is a whole theory of hope in psychology. Scientists have found that this feeling helps you set better goals, develop creative strategies for achieving those goals, and stay motivated in the process of achieving them.
From a spiritual perspective, hope is much more than just dreaming about what you want. This feeling of confidence is even a guarantee! – that “everything will be fine.”
“Once you make a decision, the whole universe moves to make it happen.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson).
Very few people make decisions and undertake to do everything to implement them. Instead, they prefer to say “I would like to become a healthier and happier person.”
💚 ON TOPIC: 15 quotes from billionaires that will change your attitude towards money.
Again, have you made a commitment to achieve this? Or are you “just curious”?
5. You are MOTIVATED – even when life is hard.
According to one theory of motivation, the latter includes three components:
- The value you have “assigned” to the desired goal;
- Your belief that specific behavior will make it easier to achieve it;
- Your belief in your own ability to successfully complete the necessary tasks in order to achieve your goal.
If you don’t truly believe in the goal, you won’t be motivated. If you don’t believe in yourself, you won’t be motivated. If you’re not willing to do what you have to do, you won’t be motivated.
Just believe that good things will happen – and so it will (in general) happen.
And one more thing: surround yourself with people who expect great things from you. They won’t let you relax :).
💚 ON TOPIC: How can you change your life for the better? Advice from successful IT businessmen.
Conclusion: Humility and Awe
Is everything in your life going as you planned? Of course not.
So here’s the same principle “adjusted for reality”: just believe that good things will happen. Be happy even if you’re not.
If events do not develop as you planned, this does not mean that you are not in control of them. You made decisions, didn’t go with the flow, and determined your own destiny.
When you take responsibility for your life and begin to live not “by default”, but as you decided for yourself… You will constantly live in humility and fear. You will be amazed by life without a beautiful wrapper (the way you imagined it in your head before).
BUT!
You can easily live your life the same way Rowling wrote Harry Potter and George Lucas made Star Wars.
You can dream and take EVERYTHING from life.
You can live the way you want.
You can expand your world indefinitely.
BUT first YOU NEED TO THINK EVERYTHING through. Don’t plan just for 2024. Think one step, two, three ahead!
So what will your year 2027 be like?
🔥 See also: