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Do those little things daily….

January 07, 2018

Is it just me or has this year hit the ground running, literally? It feels like the clock is ticking faster than usual, the minutes are shorter than usual and the days have less than 24 hours. It’s hard to believe we are already on the 2nd week of 2018. Week one is gone forever, never to be seen again; out of 52 weeks, we now have 51 remaining. If I may ask you, what did you achieve in that first week of 2018? Can you look back and say you have done something this last week to bring you closer to the dreams and goals you set for yourself this year?

To be honest with you, at first I wanted to take a chill pill and relax until tomorrow (8th of Jan, 2018) when my official year begins. Then I looked at my plans for this year and realized I cannot afford to lose even one day, so I pushed myself to do what I had to do and boy, am I glad I did!

One of the things I have purposed to do this year is to read 52 books in 52 weeks, i.e. one book per week for the next 52 weeks. As you read this article today I’m already reading my second book, having finished the first one. I didn’t want to do this by myself and so I started a book reading challenge called #52BooksIn52Weeks2018. Look for and follow this hashtag on Instagram  and Twitter and get regular updates on the books I and others are reading plus excerpts I’ll be sharing from those books.

I however have to acknowledge that I would not have been able to pull this challenge off without the support of my biggest partner in this challenge, House Of Wisdom in Dar Es Salaam, located at Samora Avenue, NHC House, Mezzanine Floor, from where I buy all my books. In support of this challenge, whoever goes to this bookshop and mentions the #52BooksIn52Weeks2018 challenge or my name (Liz), they will get their books at a 10% discount. The team there is also taking on the challenge and encouraging everyone else to do so. Even better news is that regardless of where you are in the country, they have the capacity to send whatever you purchase to you.

Going back to my week one, there are things I managed to accomplish that I was going to push till tomorrow to start doing them, but having done them now, I feel better and encouraged to even do more. Besides, getting that out of the way has given me freedom to focus on other plans that have the ability to bring me closer to my Q1 goals faster. I am vividly reminded of one of the articles I wrote towards the end of last year about “Tiny Moment”. It is a collection of those tiny moments that make the major moments happen. That one extra activity you do even when you are bone tired; that one more rep you do in the gym when you think you can’t pull that weight again; that one more chapter you read instead of watching TV or sleeping. Those are the things that will make a major difference in your life this year.

I am an ardent follower of Robin Sharma and every so often he sends mailshots to his followers.  The last week of 2017 he shared an email titled “the 67 things super performers do differently”. I mention this specific email because it resonates with what my thoughts were with regards to what I needed to do in order to make 2018 my best year yet. I’d like to share those things with you this early in the year so as to make sure that you too have the tools you need in order to make your 2018 a pleasantly different year for you.

  1. Believe in your vision and gifts when no one else believes in your vision and gifts.
  2. Start your day with at least 20 minutes of exercise.
  3. In a world with so much toxicity, be the kindest person you know. 
  4. Remember that until your vision becomes your obsession your mission will never grow into a movement. 
  5. Be a celebrator of other's talents versus a critic. Haters never win. 
  6. Stop watching TV in 2018 and definitely delete the news from your days. Instead, invest your time and resources into your pro and personal growth. As you become better at your craft and more exceptional as a person, you become indispensable to your industry and society. 
  7. Be the rare-air performer who does the project no one else will do.
  8. Remember that your nutrition affects your mood plus your production so eat like an elite athlete.
  9. Spend an hour a day without stimulation [no phone + no social + no people]. Get to know, develop and love your self. 
  10. Release the energy vampires and dream destroyers from your life. They are sucking away your genius. 
  11. Write in a journal every morning. And record gratitude every night. 
  12. Start doing projects that scare you and embrace the pursuits that terrify you. Where your fear lives is where your transformation lies. 
  13. Make the choice to let go of your past. It's dusty history. And polluting your future. It all happened for a reason; to get you to here. So you make 2018 YOUR year. 
  14. Trust and know that hard work beats talent, every day of the week. 
  15. Smile more. 
  16. Do a collage filled with images of your ideal life. Look at it once a day for focus and inspiration. 
  17. Ritualize the habit of reading for 60 minutes every day. Victims have large televisions yet small libraries. 
  18. Stop gossiping [average people love gossip; exceptional people adore ideas], complaining and condemning in the New Year. It drains your cognitive bandwidth and fills you with dangerous emotions. 
  19. Read As You Think by James Allen. 
  20. Read The Go-Getter by Peter B. Kyne. 
  21. Don't just parent your kids—develop them. Grow their perspective, fuel their curiosity and introduce them to what's most inspirational in our world. 
  22. Remember that victims are frightened by change. And leaders grow inspired by it. 
  23. Take a nature walk every day. It'll clear your mind, boost your fitness and feed your spirit. 
  24. Forgive the unforgiven in your life. They did what they thought was right based on the level of their consciousness, at that stage of their personal journey. If they could have been more loving they would have been more loving. 
  25. Measure your success by your impact instead of your income. 
  26. Embrace your eccentricities. Everyone seems normal until you get to know them. 
  27. Do something that makes you feel uncomfortable at least once every 7 days. 
  28. Say "sorry" when you know you should say "sorry". 
  29. Say "please" and "thank you" a lot. 
  30. Remember that to double your income, triple your investment in learning, coaching and self-education. 
  31. Drink more water in 2018. And get more rest in the New Year. 
  32. Achieve 5 little goals each day [The Daily 5 Concept I shared in The Leader Who Had No Title]. In 12 months this habit will produce 1850 little goals–which will amount to a massive elevation. 
  33. Write handwritten thank you notes to your customers, teammates and family members. 
  34. Be slow to criticize people and fast to affirm their gifts, talents and worth. 
  35. Plan a trip to Robben Island to experience the prison cell Nelson Mandela spent 18 years in. Just do this. Please. 
  36. Give your customers x10 the value they pay for. You see, generosity is the foundation of prosperity. And it's also the ethical and decent way to conduct business. 
  37. Use the first 90 minutes of your workday only on value-creating activities [versus checking email or surfing the net]. 
  38. Breathe. Deeply. Constantly. 
  39. Keep your promises. You trade in your credibility. And you diminish it each time you say you'll do something and don't do it. 
  40. Remember that ordinary people talk about their goals. Leaders get them done. With elegance, brilliance and finesse. 
  41. Watch the inspirational documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi if you haven't seen it yet. Also check out Notorious, the film revealing Conor McGregor's remarkable rise to world-class. 
  42. Know that a problem only becomes a problem when you choose to see it as a problem. 
  43. Brain tattoo the fact that all work is a chance to change the world. And your life matters. To all of us. 
  44. Learn to meditate in 2018. Just get this ritual locked in. No more excuses. 
  45. Remember that every person you meet has a story to tell, a lesson to teach and a dream to do. 
  46. Risk being rejected. All of the great ones do. 
  47. Spend more time in art galleries. Art inspires, stimulates creativity and pushes boundaries. 
  48. Read a book a week, invest in a course every month and attend a workshop every quarter. 
  49. Remember that you empower what you complain about. 
  50. Travel often. It's fantastic education. 
  51. Read Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. A few times. 
  52. Know your values. And then have the guts to live them—no matter what the crowd thinks and how the herd lives. 
  53. Become the fittest person you know. Multiply your vitality and you'll increase your creativity, productivity and prosperity. Exponentially. 
  54. Become the strongest person you know. Just battleproof and fortify your inner core so nothing can defeat you. All victory is an inside job, I think you'll agree. 
  55. Know your "Big 5"—the 5 goals you absolutely must achieve by December 31 to make this year your best yet.
  56. Know that potential unexpressed turns to pain. So live your talent by applying it and polishing it through study and stretching it via doing difficult work. 
  57. Build a strong family foundation while you grow your ideal career. 
  58. Stop being selfish. Contributing to the lives of others is a great move for more joyfulness and peacefulness in your days. 
  59. Remember that the quality of your friends will predict the size of your fortune. If your parents are alive, go honor them. You'll miss them tremendously when they're gone. 
  60. Learn to say "No". If your next project or pursuit isn't going to wow the world or be The Sistine Chapel of your industry, have the bravery to focus monomaniacally only on what you truly believe will be a game-changer for you and your team. 
  61. Make Mastery a non-negotiable standard in 2018. 
  62. Remember that quality is remembered long after price is forgotten and cheap costs more. 
  63. Become a purist. Just a few books but great books. Five true friends versus 5000 fake ones. A simpler, quieter life with more beauty. And bigger meaning. 
  64. Know that rising into the rare-air of best in the world isn't easy. Anything extraordinary demands rigor, sacrifice and extreme courage. And yet, it's worth it. 
  65. Trust that in the end, everything will work out. And if it hasn't all worked out, it's not the end.
  66. The world needs more love. Be it. 
  67. Remember that life's just too short to play small with your gifts. Commit to your best life today. 

All the above are "tiny moments" which when added together will bring about your big moment in your life in the year 2018. But only if you choose to do what Robin Sharma among many other success gurus have recommended for this year. 

They say success leaves clues. Robin Sharma is a definite success and a big influencer in the world today. If he says the above 67 points encapsulate what will make my year different from all the years I’ve been on earth, then I will believe him. In view of this, I have decided to print these 67 points and frame them in my bedroom and my workspace. I need to see them constantly and consistently so I can truly be reminded what I need to do in order to ascend into world-class status.  I have shared them with you because I believe you too can ascend into that space.

Remember to join the #52BooksIn52Weeks2018 challenge and get a 10% discount from House of Wisdom for each book you purchase. Watch my YouTube channel to see the intro for this challenge. Just so you know, the books of the month of January are:

  1. Week 1 – Put your dream to the test – John C. Maxwell
  2. Week 2 – How the Mighty Fall – Jim Collins
  3. Week 3 – Richest Man in Babylon – George Clason
  4. Week 4 – The Power of Character in Leadership – Myles Munroe
  5. Bonus book – The Present – Spencer Johnson (author of who moved my cheese).

Let’s make this year the best year yet. How? By transforming our mindsets, skillsets and heartsets through books!

Be Ignited. Be Inspired. Be Influenced. Become the best version of yourself you can ever be.

 

PS: This article was originally published in Tanzania's Guardian On Sunday on the 7th of January, 2018, under my weekly column "Thoughts in Words".

 

 

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