Inspiraelevation

All choices in life come with a price tag. There are costs associated with choosing opportunities. For some opportunities are few and far between, therefore there is an eagerness to accept that which first presents itself. All choices must be weighed. The cost of that which you choose is that of the opportunities lost in the process.

When in a position of sacrifice, when it is necessary to just survive weighing such options seem inane and almost insane. You must be willing to pay the cost of such decisions. An important key to achievement and living a fulfilled and accomplished life is being at peace with your decisions. When presented with opportunity we all have the same choice, whether to take or decline the opportunity. One thing that cannot be taken from you is the ability to choose  your own path. Each individual has to take accountability for the choices made, this is the only way to make peace with oneself. Life is not fair and opportunities do not sprout like trees. At times one has to make their own opportunities or put themselves in  a position to take advantage of what opportunities exist. There are risks associated with every decision that must be made. Sometimes sacrifices are necessary.

Before every decision one must contemplate the opportunity costs and must determine the willingness to pay the bill in full. 

All we have is time. Time is everything. There are only 1400 minutes in every day. One gets no more than this.  Even more,these minutes are lessened.  These hours are divided between those of dream and wakefulness. Each precious minute has incomparable value. Despite the ease with which one may spend the time, those 1400 minutes are used to determine a lifetime of possibilities.

Look at each minute as an investment, a potential deposit in one’s success account. The more invested the greater the return. The potential for wealth building is astonishing. There are no inequities. Not one individual is privileged with more time to spend than another. All one must do to succeed is, learn effective time management.  Never waste time, such a precious resource cannot be regained. Time wasted is a withdrawal of resources necessary to build a sustainable future.

One wastes time by failing to manage and plan. As a result, one loses all mastery and control. Life becomes less about achievement, fulfillment, and more about subsistence. This is the rat race, performance of cyclical activities to the ends of diminutive growth, and mere subsistence. One does not have to live in such a cyclical state. One simply has to desire to change and act upon that desire.

Those whom know better must do better. Those who make excuses for change remain fettered

Manage your time

1. Sit down with a copy of  your written goals (This includes the daily/weekly/monthly breakdown)

2. Write down all  activities performed on a  normal basis. (includes eating/sleeping/work/commute time)

3. Estimate the amount of time taken for each activity. (The total should culminate to 1400 minutes)

*not knowing how you spend your time is a bigger issue. In this case keep a log for a week or two to determine time commitment to daily activities.

4. Compare your goal schedule to your activity time sheet (Are you able to squeeze goal linked activities into your current schedule). If you can, without wreaking major havoc and strain, do so.

5. If you cannot fit your newly composed goal schedule into your current activity schedule, a rework is necessary. Look at the list again and prioritize (Which things must be done, which things are urgent, which  things are important but not urgent, which things are time wasters)

6. Remove or wean yourself off of all  activities which are wasting your time. Replace them with goal oriented tasks

7. Re-structure so that you are able to complete things which must be done with the inclusion of goal oriented tasks.

8. If your priorities take up too much of your time, re-evaluation is necessary. One can find ways to reduce quantity of  time spent but still keep added value. (example: Change commute route, systematize breakfast routine, pre-plan meals, set aside blocks of individual time with children, etc…).

*Never shortchange yourself when it comes to things such as work and family.

9. Stick to your management plan. Things come up and that’s okay but tabling your goals should not be a frequent thing. Your goals must be a priority. One can always find a reason not to commit.

*Media and entertainment only count as a priority if you are directing your goals in this direction. In such a case they should be used as educational mediums.

Everything that has ever existed or ever will exist has sprouted from seedlings rooted in the fertile soil of the mind. Every stride for mankind or atrocity against mankind was first formed in the mind.  Every battle ever lost or won was waged, won, or lost in the mind long before anyone ever stepped foot on the battlefield.

In striving for achievement one must remember that long before one commits to action he or she has entertained a thought. Action begins in the mind. Thus, our most powerful weapon is our mind. That is the engine that drives all behaviors. It is imperative that one train him or herself how to think. Then one must fortify against any strongholds, guard the mind with everything possible.

Many already live in pre-programmed states. Yet, live in constant wonder regarding their failure to grow beyond where they are.  They have solidified their thoughts until every action is  routine,  habits are entrenched and seem unbreakable.  They continue to feed their minds seeds of negativity, discord, and failure. The resulting factors of an uncontrolled thought life are inevitable such leaves the  heart fallow, spirit malnourished, and the mind weak. Such are swayed by every wind and steadfast in nothing. It is steadfastness, drive, and commitment which bring about success.

Reprogramming

1. Question your thought life

2. Monitor input and states of reaction (keep a log of what you write, read, listen to , who advises you)

3. Determine the fruitfulness of the input (What purpose do they serve, and are those inlets serving you)

4. Rid yourself of everything that is not serving you positively in some fashion (make a list of pros and cons if an impact is heavily negative get rid of it)

5. Replace those negatives with positive influences (deliberately replace those negatives with positives and  do this as quickly as possible).

6. Realize you may slip but hold your self accountable. A slip up is not a failure (find an accountability partner who will serve to support you and help you stay on course.

7. Before reacting to anything take a step back. Write down your feelings and desired reaction. Go breathe and meditate. Come back and read what you wrote and weigh the rationality of such a reaction and the possible consequences.

8. Only act on those things you are willing to pay the consequence for.

8. Build your thought life. Flood your mind with input that will take your forward. Do this everyday relentlessly. Creating a habit is a lengthy process but worth it.

Purpose is a deep current of understanding and self-knowledge which directs an individuals steps towards their manifested destiny. It is the directive in which  one finds his or her being and rationale for existence. It is essentially a mission or calling. All people have  a purpose. It is up to each individual to find it. Those whom do are the most successful.

Discover who you are

Our talents, gifts, skills, and character all come together to power our individual missions. We each are given the tools we need to succeed in our personal missions we simply must discover them and hone them. Those who seek to function in positions that do not fit their skill sets, gifts, or talents, may not fail, but may never succeed at the level to which they desire.

Discover your mission (write it down)

Every hero has their own theme music. Every achieve should have their own mission statement. Craft your mission statement. Write down your purpose for being and moving. Frame it. Let it serve as a reminder of why, you do the things you do. Let it motivate you and stir you to keep on keeping on even in the bleakest of hours.

Need help building your mission statement:

Visit the Franklin Covey site for crafting your very own mission statement.

http://www.franklincovey.com/msb/inspired/mission_statement_examples

A Deeper Purpose

All of our individual missions tie into a deeper communal mission. Growth, success, and achievement as whole can only be realized when we find our individual purpose and then give back.

Begin with the end in sight.

Visualize the end. Before one can venture anywhere he or she must first have a destination.  Visualizing the end is the first and most important step in building a strategic path for achievement.  The average person must see a concrete representation of the intangible before he or she solidifies the possibility that it can be realized.  Materialization results from visualization. Vision precedes actualization.

Write it down

Write down what that end looks like. Illustrate or find visual representations of what your desired end goal looks like.  This helps determine all  resources and paths one must take to reach that end. Once it has been written down, post it where it can be seen everyday. Keep that image in the forefront of your consciousness. Solidify the possibility in your mind.

Start with the big picture then shrink it down to size

Research to determine what efforts are required for achieving your  goal. Break those big goals into smaller components. Create a time-table which includes yearly goals, monthly goals, weekly goals, and daily goals. You can find a model to determine the length of time it took to accomplish a particular goal. Use this information as a guide.

All goals must tie in to the end goal. 

Example:

Goal: Language fluency

1. Yearly goal: Learn how to read in Spanish (Measurement: Read a lengthy Spanish Novel)

2. Monthly goal: Read one Spanish book every month.  (easy/intermediate/moderate/challenging)

3. Weekly goal: Immerse myself in Spanish for beginners (2 audio books every week )

4. Daily: Work with Duo-lingo application and website to learn (1 to 2 hours everyday)

Most successes start with a vision.

Inscribe yours . Illustrate yours.  Hold to yours. Plan yours. Commit to yours and achieve.