Success and Freedom

50 Ways Happier, Healthier and More Successful People Live on Their Own Terms - part 5

41. Track at least one habit or behavior you’re trying to improve.

“When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates.”  —Thomas Monson

Tracking is difficult. If you’ve tried it before, chances are, you quit within a few days. Research has repeatedly found that when behavior is tracked and evaluated, it improves dramatically. It’s best to track only a few things. Maybe just one at a time. If you want to track your diet, a fun approach is taking a picture of everything you eat. Everything. This allows you the time to determine if you really want to put that in your body. Your tracking can be creative. Do what works for you. Use a method you will actually do. But start tracking. As a consultant and executive coach, tracking and reporting behavior daily has been the No. 1 factor in my clients’ success. When you track something, you become aware of it. When you report something, you become accountable to it.

Most of my clients simply send me an email at the end of their workday with a few bullet points (e.g., I did four hours of work on my startup, I made three sales, I didn’t check social media before noon). Accountability to a spreadsheet or app is not the same as accounting to a person—particularly one you trust and respect.

42. Have no more than three items on your to-do list each day.

When you shift your life from day-to-day reactivity to one of creation and purpose, your goals become a lot bigger. Consequently, your priority list becomes smaller. Instead of doing a million things poorly, the goal becomes to do a few things incredibly—or better yet, to do one thing better than anyone else in the world.

“If you have more than three priorities, then you don’t have any.”  —Jim Collins

So, instead of trying to do a million small things, what one or two things would make the biggest impact?

Dan Sullivan, founder of Strategic Coach, explains that there are two economies: The Economy of Hard Work and The Economy of Results. Some people think hard work is the recipe. Although this is completely true, the effort is often misplaced. Most people focus on the process or work first, and the result second. Conversely, those who determine the outcomes they are seeking first better discern which strategy will be most effective. Sure, that strategy might be out of your comfort zone, but as Tim Grover writes in Relentless, “When you crave the end result, the hard work becomes irrelevant.” Tim Ferriss, in his book The 4-Hour Body, explains what he calls Minimum Effective Dose (MED), which is simply the smallest dose that will yield a desired result and anything past the MED is wasteful. Water boils at 100° Celsius at standard air pressure—it is not “more boiled” if you add more heat. What is the fastest way to get your desired outcome?

43. Make your bed first thing in the morning.

According to psychological research, people who make their bed in the morning are happier and more successful than those who don’t. If that’s not enough, here’s more:

• 71 percent of bed-makers consider themselves happy.
• While 62 percent of non-bed-makers are unhappy.

Bed-makers are also more likely to like their jobs, own a home, exercise regularly and feel well rested; whereas non-bed-makers hate their jobs, rent apartments, avoid the gym and wake up tired.

Crazy, right?

Something so simple. Yet, when you make your bed first thing in the morning, you knock off your first accomplishment of the day. This puts you in a mindset of winning. Do it! It only takes 30 seconds.

44. Make one audacious request per week. (What do you have to lose?)“

Rainmakers generate revenue by making asks. They ask for donations. They ask for contracts. They ask for deals. They ask for opportunities. They ask to meet with leaders or speak to them over the phone. They ask for publicity. They come up with ideas and ask for a few minutes of your time to pitch it. They ask for help. Don’t let rainmaking deter you from your dream. It’s one of the barriers to entry, and you can overcome it. Once you taste the sweet victory of a positive response, you’ll not only become comfortable with it, you might even enjoy it. But making asks is the only way to bring your dream to life.”  —Ben Arment

• I got into graduate school way after applications were due because I asked.
• I’ve gotten free NBA tickets by asking a few players I saw at a hotel.
• I’ve gotten my work published on high-tier outlets because I asked.

Very few things in life are just randomly given to you as an adult. In most cases, you need to earn it or ask for it. There are many opportunities currently available to everyone if they would muster the courage and humility to ask. The entire crowdfunding industry is based on making asks. Start making bold and audacious asks. What’s the worst that could happen? They say no? What’s the best that could happen? When you don’t ask, you lose by default. And you’ll never know the opportunities you missed out on. Don’t sell yourself short.

• Ask that beautiful girl on a date.
• Ask for that raise or big opportunity at work.
• Ask people to invest in your idea.

Put yourself out there. You’ll be blown away by what happens.

45. Be spontaneously generous with a stranger at least once per month.

Life isn’t all about what you can achieve or acquire. It’s more about who you become and what you contribute. Interestingly, research conducted at Yale University found that people are instinctively cooperative and generous. But if you stall and think about being helpful or generous, you’re less likely to do it. And the longer you wait, the likelihood of you being helpful diminishes. This principle applies to other areas as well, like creativity. The longer you wait to do something, the less likely it is you’ll do it. So be spontaneous.

• When you get the wild thought of buying the person’s food in the car behind you, just do it. Don’t think about it.
• If you’re driving down the road and see someone with car trouble off to the side, just do it. Don’t think about it.
• When you want to say “I love you” to a loved one, just do it. Don’t think about it.

Paralysis by analysis is dumb. And Malcolm Gladwell explains in Blink that snap decisions are often far better than well-thought-out ones.

46. Write and place a short, thoughtful note for someone once per day.

The messages of handwritten letters impact deeper and are remembered longer than electronic messages. There is no comparison to this traditional form of conversation. Handwritten messages are so powerful that people often keep these notes for a long time. Sometimes a lifetime. Jack Canfield teaches that writing three to five handwritten notes per day will change your relationships. In our email world, it can seem inefficient to handwrite and mail a letter. But relationships aren’t about efficiency. Not only will handwriting letters change your relationships, it will change you. Research has shown that writing by hand increases brain development and cognition more than typing can. Consequently, the things you write will be seared into your own memory as well, allowing both you and the recipient to reflect on cherished moments. Writing handwritten notes spices up your relationships, adding an element of fun. It’s exciting placing kind and loving notes in random places for your loved ones to find. Put a note under the windshield wipers of your loved one’s car to find after a hard day’s work. Wait until they come out and watch them from across the street. You’ll see their eyes light up and a smile spread across their face.

• Other fun places include:
• In the fridge
• In the closet
• On the computer keyboard
• In their shoe
• In their wallet
• The mailbox

Anywhere that makes the experience a surprise…

47. Become good friends with your parents.

Many people have horrible relationships with their parents. I once did myself. Growing up can be tough and sometimes our parents make horrible decisions that negatively impact us. My parents have become my best friends. They are my confidants. I turn to them for wisdom and advice. They understand me like no one else. Biology is a powerful thing. Although I don’t see things the same way my parents do, I love them and respect their viewpoints. I love working out with my dad and talking about big ideas with my mom. I couldn’t imagine not being close to them. If your parents are still around, rekindle those ties or increase the flame. You’ll find enormous joy in those relationships.

48. Floss your teeth

About 50 percent of Americans claim to floss daily. My guess is that’s a large overestimate. Either way, the benefits of flossing are incredible. Doing so daily prevents gum disease and tooth loss. Everyone gets plaque, and it can only be removed by flossing or a deep cleaning from your dentist. Plaque buildup can lead to cavities, tooth decay and gum disease. If left untreated, gum disease can be a risk factor for heart disease, diabetes and a high body mass index.Yes, not flossing can make you fat. Not only that, but it greatly reduces bad breath.

49. Eat at least one meal with your family per day.

If possible, eat a sit-down meal with your loved ones daily. It doesn’t matter if it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner. We’ve become so high-paced in the world that everything we do is on the go. We’ve forgotten what it means to just be with our loved ones. Eating together creates a sense of community like nothing else. Teens who have fewer than three family dinners a week are 3.5 times more likely to abuse prescription drugs and to use illegal drugs other than marijuana, three times more likely to use marijuana, more than 2.5 times more likely to smoke cigarettes and 1.5 times more likely to try alcohol, according to the CASA report.

50. Spend time reflecting on your blessings at least once per day.

Gratitude is the cure-all for all the world’s problems. It has been called “the mother of all virtues” by the Roman philosopher Cicero. When you practice gratitude, your world changes. There is no objective reality. All people perceive reality as they selectively attend to things that are meaningful to them. Hence, some people notice the good while others notice the bad. Gratitude is having an abundance mindset. When you think abundantly, the world is your oyster. There is limitless opportunity and possibility for you. People are magnets. When you’re grateful for what you have, you will attract more of the positive and good. Gratitude is contagious. It changes not only your world, but everyone else’s you come in contact with.