The Blueprint to Your Ideal Self: The Hemingway Post #4

"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out." — Robert Collier

Life is hard. We often have to do difficult things to achieve anything worthwhile, whether it’s building relationships, careers, or habits. However, doing something difficult is…well, difficult. 

I’m sure you’ve heard that the path to greatness is out of your comfort zone. And that sounds great and all, but how do we actually take that path? How do we create a plan and stick to it to build the life we want, especially when it gets hard?

Good question. 

To start, you need to establish what your ideal life looks like. Take some time with a notebook or computer(I highly recommend using pen and paper) and describe the person you want to be in 5 years' time. What would you do, how would you treat others, how much money would you make, how would you feel?

Now that you know who you want to be, we need to bridge the gap between you right now and the future self you just described. We need to create systems that will guide us in the right direction and compound into remarkable results. 

Let me give you an example:

If you want to build muscle in the gym, you need to create a system to achieve your goal. This system will give you the framework to consistently make progress and serve as the bridge to your ideal self. 

Your system could be: Work out on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 3 pm in my local gym. Pick four exercises each day and complete 3 sets of 10 reps of each exercise. 

Notice how specific this system is. It provides days of the week, a time, a place, and goes in-depth on what exactly needs to be done. This makes a seemingly hard thing as easy as possible for you to complete. 

This is just one example of how to take a goal and break it down into a system. Apply this framework to your goals to do the same. 

Now you know who you want to be in the future and you created a plan to get there. This may work for a couple of days or weeks, but how do we make it stick? How do we stay consistent?

There are many ways to do this. I will provide the three ways that worked best for me, but it’s important to do your own research and experiment to see what works best for you. 

1. You can get an accountability partner that checks in on your progress. Sticking with the gym example, you can give a friend, family member, or significant other 20 dollars every time you skip a workout without a valid reason. 

1. You can start small to create a habit, then slowly build it up over time. Try doing your habit every day for just 2 minutes a day, whether it’s doing yoga, reading, journaling, or anything in between. 

1. You can stack habits together by pairing a previously established habit with a new one. If you want to start reading and you have a habit of drinking coffee every morning, place your book on the kitchen counter and read 5 pages while drinking your coffee. 

All in all, building the life you want is actually pretty simple, but there is a big difference between simple and easy. It takes dedication, sacrifice, and perseverance to do so. But with a clear goal in mind, a system in place, and consistent effort, you may not be as far as you think. 

I hope you gained some value from this week's post. Remember, all this means nothing if you don’t apply it to your life, and that is completely up to YOU. 

See you next Monday,

The Hemingway Post