In my life, I feel like I have accomplished one of my biggest goals. This is the goal of being self-employed. Being self-employed and not having a boss is amazing, but at the same time, it comes with its downfalls as well. When you have a boss, you need to get your stuff done! If you fail to get your stuff done on a regular basis, you are going to get fired. When you work for yourself, and you are your own boss, you have a whole different set of expectations altogether. If you sleep in, who is really going to get on your case? Yeah, you might have a client who leaves you a nasty voicemail, but the consequences won’t be that dire.
When you work for yourself, you need to set and keep your own deadlines. I could spend this whole article going over the different time management skills that you need as an entrepreneur, but I will save that for its own article entirely. What I am talking about in this article is something that self-employed or employed people can use in their lives. In can be used in personal lives, or to advance your career.
Let’s take a look at the word Systematic.
adjective: systematic
Meaning- done or acting according to a fixed plan or system; methodical.
The part that really sticks out to me in this is “according to a fixed plan”. I have been listening to a lot of Tony Robbins, Jim Rohn, Steve Covey, and Napoleon Hill lately. The main theme in all of their audiobooks and seminars is that of having a plan. Now, this may seem like a very conservative way of thinking, but you can be very liberal with your plan. If you were talking to your parents or grandparents they might translate this into the plan of traditional education. Now that is a great plan for many people, but I’m not telling you that this is the exact way of “having a plan” for everyone. I think we need to look further beyond just your career plans before we move into a more specific meaning of a “fixed plan”.
There are certain things that are universally accepted in this world. For example, pretty much everyone will agree that drinking water is a healthy endeavor. Also, we can all agree that without sleep, our bodies will not function. I believe that there are also certain things crucial to living a successful lifestyle. When you are first working on your “fixed plan”, don’t get lost in the details of graduate school, certifications, and other things that will make you feel overwhelmed. Instead, you must first work on the basic fundamentals.
When I was young, I had to learn the fundamentals of basketball. You can have all the physical ability in the world, but you still have to know the fundamentals – Michael Jordan (Michael Jordan)
Practicing the basic fundamentals of living a successful lifestyle will help you have a fixed plan for success regardless of the method of which you choose to find your success. Having a fixed plan is truly the basic building block of being systematic. This fixed plan first starts in your mind. You must choose first to decide to be successful without anything getting your way. I have listened to hundreds of hours of success formulas from the brightest minds around the world. After listening to these people describe their versions of success, here are a few basic parts of a fixed plan that I find to be universal for success.
Focus Your Thoughts
If you are having harsh thoughts about yourself or others, you are going to have a very difficult time progressing towards your full potential. You will waste time stewing over things that do not matter. Likewise, if you have any goals or aspirations, you need to focus your thoughts towards those true things and let nothing else cloud your mind.
Simplify Your Life
If you have ever been in an extremely successful persons home you will probably notice that it is very clean and organized. This is usually because they just have what they need. They don’t have a bunch of useless stuff lying around. Purging all of your junk can make you feel much more organized because you simply do not have that much stuff to keep track of anymore. This can be true of all of the stuff that you are doing as well. If you find that you are too slammed during your day, keep a good schedule for yourself so that you know exactly where your time is going every day.
Make provisions for yourself
Making provisions for yourself is going to really pertain to money in this article. When you reach the end of the month and you have no money left, you are going to get stressed and be unhappy. You need to practice some money management skills so that you really know where your money is going. Nothing will throw you off of your groove more than being broke. Don’t do this to yourself.
Keep your body and your mind sharp
If you are letting your body go south, chances are you aren’t going to feel very good. This isn’t just about keeping yourself fit, it is also about your style and your hygiene. Make sure you aren’t just throwing yourself together for the day. Really take time to make yourself look and feel good. It will make a big difference. Your mind is the most powerful tool that you have, so take care of it. Reading is a great thing to do. Also, listening to audiobooks and other uplifting materials will help your brain to grow and develop.
