The fact that you are reading this proves that you are not only curious but you are taking charge in improving your current state. We can let nature mold us and wait until our environment pushes us to drive progress forward but some of us are ready to take the steps even before it is needed.
Maybe it is you, the curious one, the one who wants to design his or her own life despite the situation you are in. You maybe doing ok and surviving but there is more to life if you seek and get a little curious and courageous. Sharpen these values and observe yourself progress in ways you never imagined.
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
– Abraham Lincoln
1. Optimism
People who accomplish worthwhile goals are optimistic. Make time to cultivate an optimistic attitude on life. There is always two sides of the story. How you approach everything that happens to you is a skill that can be turned into a habit. Kill the ANT (Automatic Negative Thoughts) before they send you down on a spiral. An optimistic attitude will bring more opportunities to you. There is always a positive side to everything. Instead of complaining “Why is this happening to me?” Turn it around to “How is this the best thing that ever happened?” or “What is this situation teaching me”. Give everyone and everything a space where in you can shift the negative to neutral to positive. 3 long deep breaths are one of the good tools to create space to respond with more optimistic choice.
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”
– C S Lewis
2. Adaptability
Everything is in constant motion and change. We suffer when we resist this natural law. The mind loves to stick to what it knows and is afraid of what it doesn’t know. Accept that everything will change, it will or it won’t, it may or may not. Most people are afraid of loss, not necessarily a physical loss but it can be a loss of rhythm, relationship, authority, etc. Being adaptable will help you become more stable along these unpredictable changes. Stretch your psychological flexibility. Think of who you were 5 years ago and compare it to who you are today? In what ways did you adapt? Adaptation breeds resilience and if you intentionally develop your adaptation capabilities, you will open up and will be able to connect yourself to new exciting experiences.
“The wise adapt themselves to circumstances, as water moulds itself to the pitcher.”
– Chinese Proverb
3. Passion
Make time to know what you are passionate about. Find it through engagement, most things that you think is your passion might not be after a couple of days of doing it. Know beyond the surface, try the law of 100. Doing it a hundred times and ask again if you are still in love with it. Passion can also be the way you look at life, an endless discovery and trial and error. Most importantly it is not what you do but why and how you do it. Try where your curiosity is at, engage in it and stay flexible on where your muse takes you.
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
– Harriett Tubman
4. Self – Confidence
Having purpose and passion as your foundation. Following frameworks for disciplined practice. You are going to develop confidence. Dan Sullivan’s 4 C’s is a good framework. Commitment, Courage, Capability then Confidence. To achieve the power of self confidence, start with intrinsic motivation. What motivates you? What do you stand for? Who are you? What needs to happen today for you to become fully you?
“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.”
–Vincent Van Gogh
5. Self Discipline
Learn to be self disciplined by being clear with your goals. When you got what you desire on paper, identify steps you need to take to be able to be that type of person. Self discipline is being a pro, putting your goal in the highest regard. Doing what needs to be done is more important than your feeling about it. Action precedes inspiration. When you are self disciplined, you don’t wait till you feel like it, you do it regardless. Try an experiment where in you do something within a certain timeframe say (walking for 20 minutes daily) for 66 days logging in your progress. You’d be surprised by its compounding effect. There is a version of yourself you haven’t met yet.
“Happiness is dependent on self-discipline. We are the biggest obstacles to our own happiness. It is much easier to do battle with society and with others than to fight our own nature.”
– Dennis Prager
6. Courage
If you want something to happen that has never been, you must be willing to do things you have never done. Summon up the courage to try that thing you’ve been wanting to do. Courage is the ability to try and pursue knowing that failing is a possibility. Fail fast, learn quick, don’t take anything personally and keep on going with a growth mindset. Do it afraid if you will, feeling the fear but doing it anyway will develop courage in you. So cut the overthinking and just go.
“You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor.”
– Aristotle
Conclusion
Pay attention on how you are developing these qualities. Know that it is in your power to improve and change the way things are for the better. These are values you can cultivate for free, all you need is a little intention and consistency. From time to time ask yourself; how am I being optimistic, adaptive, passionate, confident, disciplined and courageous right now?