My friend Bob lights up every room he walks in. He has an aura about him - he’s passionate, he’s energetic, he’s engaging. On a scale of 1-10, he performs at a 12 every day. No matter where he goes, people are drawn to him like a magnet. He makes the most of every moment, and he lives life to the very fullest. To top it off, he’s successful in business, he’s successful with his family, and he loves life. Let’s take a look at some common characteristics of highly successful, happy people.
Passion
Motivational guru Anthony Robbins says it best, “Live with passion!” Do what you love, love what you do. When you don’t love what you’re doing, find aspects that you do love, and focus on those aspects. Treat every personal encounter as an opportunity to positively impact someone's life. Treat every task as a challenge and an opportunity to shine. Be excited about the here and now, make it count, and let your passion be contagious. Then watch how quickly people are drawn to you.
Rest
It’s hard to perform at a level 10 when you’re mentally and physically exhausted. It’s been scientifically proven many times that the human body requires 7-8 hours of sleep. That’s not a target, that’s a minimum. It’s what it takes your body to go through the sleep cycle and recover from the daily stressors. Not only do we need sleep, but we also need relaxation. Some practice yoga, some meditate, some withdraw and read, some pray, and others sit in hot tubs. Relaxation requires you to put down the phone, turn off the TV, and take some quiet time away from screaming kids, depressing news, and smart phone notifications. Just relax...
Diet & Exercise
If you want to perform at a level 10, you need physical and mental energy. God created us to be continually energized by eating the food He created. Any good nutritionist, like my nutritionist Carly Secoy, will tell you that your energy will come from good, whole, natural food choices. A modestly portioned diet with 5-6 evenly spaced meals throughout the day will improve mood, energy, and metabolism. On top of diet, your body needs exercise to energize. There’s nothing like 5-6 days of 30-60 minutes of combined strength training, yoga, and cardiovascular exercise to reduce stress, improve health, and exponentially drive mood, energy, and metabolism. Just remember, you can’t out-train a bad diet, so don’t think that exercise gives you a pass to eat junk.
Focus
Everything these days seems to be demanding your immediate attention. At work it’s meetings, emails, ad hoc conversations, and instant messages. At home it’s smartphone notifications, emails, errands, and keeping up with the kids. Make it a point to focus your 3-Ts on your 3-Ps. That is, to the extent possible, focus your time, talent (energy), and treasure (money) on your purpose, passions, and priorities in life. Chances are, the latest facebook notification isn’t relevant to your purpose, passions, or priorities. Yet somehow it always grabs our attention. Focus on what you’re doing, here and now, and make a difference. As my father always taught me, “When you’re doing something focus on it 100%. When you’re not doing something, focus on it 0%.” There’s no value in dwelling on what happened yesterday or worrying about tomorrow. Be present, be focused. The rest is just noise.
Make It Happen
Some days, we’re just exhausted. We didn’t sleep well, we ate too much of the wrong foods, we feel sluggish, we’re pulled in too many directions, and we can’t seem to catch a break. Now imagine the following day at work: you got 7-8 hours of sleep, you woke up and exercised for an hour, you ate modestly portioned, healthy meals, you’ve resisted the countless distractions, and you’re laser-focused on your work priorities. Does that sound like a recipe for success? What about your personal life - how would you feel if you were sleeping well, eating right, exercising, and passionately focusing your 3-Ts on your 3-Ps. Do you think you’d be happier and more successful? Try it. I promise you won’t regret it.
Welcome to the new you. Enjoy the journey...
Check out Enjoy the Journey on Amazon.com at https://goo.gl/G9BM8O
Learn more about Dave VanEpps or request a speaking engagement at www.davevanepps.com
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