Bulletproof your Success! Forget Motivation... This is the way!

It's 2020! Can you believe it? Hope your year is off to a great start. Follow these steps and I am positive it will not only be a great start but a great year, all round!

If this is you?

Always exhausted and busy with an endless to do list. You find yourself leapfrogging from one existential crisis to another and life just feels like a constant struggle.

Don't throw that towel in. I've been there too! I get it! Most of us do!

If I was able to turn things around, you can too! The steps I share are practical and if you carry them out with consistency, you will see results in as little as a week.

So Here goes:

1. Identify your stress triggers and deal with them:

Write down exactly what pushes you into stress mode.

Identifying and writing down your stress triggers, means you pinpoint exactly what holds you back, so you can then deal with them.

Here are a few of mine, maybe these are yours too:

My stress triggers:

* Feeling short on time.

* Going to sleep wishing I could have done more.

* Not having nutritious meals prepared on time for my family.

* Relationships with family and friends falling apart due to the time factor.

* Not sleeping at all and then exhausted all day.

* Not progressing at the pace I want to.

* Feeling really unhealthy and fatigued.

* Avoiding chores and falling behind on everything.

Now deal with that stress! This will help you focus, prioritize and get rid of obstacles in your path towards your goals. Stress triggers also point out smaller goals you need to accomplish, to feel competent about taking on bigger goals. Stressing however, takes up precious time and clouds your judgment about your competence. Competence builds confidence. Can you imagine having more time, clarity and confidence?

Sometimes dealing with one stress trigger can have a domino effect and eliminate others. As often what stresses us out, are all connected. Now isn't that convenient!

Here's how I dealt with mine and you could to: 

- * Don't Procrastinate! see more on this below

- Get more Sleep! I cannot emphasize this enough! Sleep earlier, rise earlier. Sleep definitely solves alot of problems, that many experience today from less time, low energy, high stress, bad moods and excess weight gain, yet it is still underestimated. Try to get more sleep and see what happens.

- Multi-task: Most of us are so busy getting chores done, that we neglect our personal health. I use a face mask when I'm doing mundane chores or workout while the food cooks. Sometimes my chores are my workouts. My fit bit watch registered over 7000 steps from just cleaning in 2hours, my aim was 10000 steps a day.

- Just do it! Whether its work or a workout, don't think too much. Do what you love! Keep workouts varied so they remain effective.

- Limit television and social media consumption: These are huge time sucks so don't fall for them! Be selective about what you consume as it shapes you as a person, affects your moods and influences the decisions you make!

- Drink more Water: Like sleep, it is yet a multifaceted solution to many of our problems. So drink up for vitality, natural mood boosting and a glow that no highlighter on earth can give you.

-Avoid comparison: It really doesn't matter what others are doing or the pace at which they are growing. You don't have to be the first or the best to have a truly amazing life. Focus on what growth and success means to you and develop your own voice and strengths. You are your own competitor and what you prioritise is where your focus goes.

Changing one habit at a time can have lasting benefits to your health and mental well being. The most important thing is to "START" . Start atleast with more sleep, shower early and practice good eating. Whatever is stressing you out , there are probably many solutions and easier than you think.

2. Identify your goals and schedule tasks to achieve them:

Adopt goals that are unique to you and stay on "your path". Success means different things to different people and what it means to us changes with time and life experiences. You must figure out why you want to achieve your goals. What will achieving them do for you? This will push you! Know yourself well enough to know that even the methods you choose to achieve may need tweaking from time to time so they are more effective. Every time your method fails, don't give up on your goals, change your methods. Planning to succeed and grow is so important, yet most people don't plan at all.

1. Write down your goals and group them into eg. personal, business and relationship goals.

2. Then sort them into short and long term goals. Short term are any goals that will take less than a year, long term are more than a year.

3. Break down your goals. What would you need to do to achieve it? be very specific!

5. Either way, schedule all tasks, whether to meet your short term or long term goals. Always break your big goals into smaller more achievable ones, make time for them and remain disciplined and committed to achieving them.

6. Map out the new year with a year planner or Vision board (for the bigger picture) and keep a journal to keep track of everyday tasks you need to carry out, that will achieve your short and long term goals throughout the year. Consolidate between your journal and your year planner to check if you are on track.

Do all the things you need to do irrespective of how you feel. Say No to everything else and never make promises as this leads to over committing yourself.

Most people seek motivation to start doing, but it is in "doing" that we find the inspiration to do more and thus we create momentum.

As long as you keep working towards your goals, you are still further than you were before.

Failures will always be a part of life, it's how we learn what works and what doesn't. Everything starts with belief!

* Don't Procrastinate! I was never one to procrastinate, but in recent years, it just crept up on me. When you over commit, it becomes second nature to put things off for later. When you fear the outcome, you never start. Before I knew it, I was pushing off important conversations, work, self-care and other commitments.

Here are ways to avoid procrastinating and get things done:

*You have to Just do it! Just start! Adopt discipline instead of motivation. Motivation just doesn't last. Always remind yourself that nothing comes from just thinking about it, you have to do it to get it done. Action fuels action. When you see results from your actions, or feel great on accomplishment, you will leap at getting more done! Sometimes just getting started and completing your mundane chores can boost you to do bigger things you've been putting off.

*Don't over commit yourself. It's the quickest route to playing victim and feeling sorry for yourself. Say No if you must. Always let others know you need time to check your schedule or think about it. Take the time necessary to decide if you can follow through or would rather turn the task down.

*Don't jump at every opportunity, you need to know which ones to pursue and which one's to leave. Opportunities that advance your goals are better than those that distract you from them or make you procrastinate. Not every opportunity is "your" opportunity.

*Be strict with your time. Be conscious of where and how you spend your time everyday. Unplug devices and limit time on social media. Identify your time wasters and change bad habits. Choose how to spend your time or others will decide for you.

*Face your fears or let it join you: most of us put things off because of our fears. Identify your fears, analyze it, break it down and find ways to deal with them. At other times we must move forward and do what we have to do, despite our fears. It's always really insightful to get feedback from those who have dealt with and overcome similar fears. Don't let fear be the author of your life. That responsibility is yours.

To summarise: To crush your goals :

1. Identify your stress triggers and deal with them. Remove daily annoyances, and reasons to procrastinate so you can focus and gain clarity.

2. Identify your goals and schedule and prioritise tasks to achieve them. Stay committed and disciplined so you keep moving forward.