As we approach the end of the year, it’s important to set aside some time strictly for self reflection. Examine your inner world and how it has impacted your outer world. Who have you been? What have you been doing? In the New Year, who do you want to be? What do you need to do become that person? Remember that your self discovery is worth abundantly more than imitating others or being someone else others want you to be.
We’ve all heard the saying that you have to risk a lot to make a lot, however, that’s not always true. It is possible to find investment opportunities with big upside and very little risk. These are called asymmetric risk/reward opportunities. These investments may be elusive and harder to find, but they do exist. For example, I’ve invested in online businesses with other more experienced investors, which allowed me to risk less capital and leverage the knowledge/experience of others to reap greater rewards. Begin with increasing your financial IQ, surrounding yourself with the right people, be able to identify the right opportunity when it presents itself, and take action!
Making small progress every single day will eventually lead to achieving large results. Want to get in better shape? Want to earn more money? Want to strengthen your relationship? Then commit to making small positive progress on a daily basis. Even if it’s just one single step in the right direction, it’s ultimately a step towards your desired destination.
In these times of increased instant gratification and decreased patience, we often underestimate the impact of slow but steady, cumulative progress. If I wanted to strengthen my body, would it be smart to go to the gym and on the first day attempt to bench 500 pounds? The smarter strategy would clearly be to start off with smaller weights that are closer to my current limit and to steadily increase weight over time.
This strategy of consistent activity is nothing new. It’s simple but it may not be easy to implement. We’re constantly being bombarded by distractions and temptations that take away from our commitment to progress.
For me, I’m taking it back to basics and committed to writing 20 minutes every single day. That’s it. I’m intentionally writing for quantity first, quality second. My aim is to create and to develop the habit of writing daily no matter how I feel. Discipline is the ability to get yourself to take action regardless of our emotional state. Not doing something because you don’t feel like it is a sure sign that you’re heading in the wrong direction. Consistent, small victories added up will lead to success. Conversely, small losses added up over time will lead to failure. Remember, consistency is key!
Today I attended a workshop on bullet journaling. I’ve heard about this technique before as a planning tool, but never really understood the details. Fortunately, I saw a flyer at my local library last weekend and had the chance to learn more. Read below for more details!
What is bullet journaling? Bullet journaling is a customizable hand-written organization system. This planning tool is intended to be used with a physical notebook where you have complete freedom to decide how your journal is used. You can use it to plan your days, weeks, months, and years. You can also use it for project, goal, and habit tracking. Additionally, your bullet journal can be used for meal planning, chores, budgeting money, and travel lists. It’s totally up to you.
The bullet journal format uses a specific symbol system to help keep track of your entries. Below are the symbols you can use at the beginning of each new line entry:
The key is to organize your journal so the bullets are easy to read, understand, and organize. If done right, you’ll have a visual system that allows you to quickly review your plan at a glance.
What do you need to start your bullet journal? All you need to get started are a notebook, pen, and ruler. If you want to get fancy, you can also use colored pens, stickers, and sticky notes.
Is bullet journaling right for you? In short, a bullet journal is a system for organizing whatever areas of your life you want to track in a hand written-format with visual symbols to organize your thoughts. For more information you can check out http://bulletjournal.com/get-started/. I also recommend checking out #bujo on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/bujo/) or Pinterest to get a better visual understanding.
As for me, I know that there are benefits to keeping a physical planner (e.g. tangible, less distractions, ultimately more portable than digital, etc.), however, I’ve experimented with this in the past and haven’t incorporated the daily habit of using a physical planner.
Just like with everything else in my life, my aim is to pick, choose, and apply the right knowledge that works for me. Currently, I’m using a combination of iOS Calendar, Reminders, and Notes. I’m still fine-tuning my system and I’m eager to explore how I can incorporate aspects of bullet journaling into my own digital planning system.
In the end, there is no one-size-fits all planning method. The important thing is that you find a planning system that works for you. Also, keep in mind that you will need the flexibility for your planning system to change and grow as you do.
Today, I tagged along with my fiancé to a workshop on HTML and CSS coding in Downtown San Jose. Although I’m not particularly interested in learning how to code, I must say it feels great to be surrounded by others who are hungry to learn and level up their skills.
I’ve realized that I’ve allowed myself stay stagnant in an extended creative hibernation. I’ve been asleep and now I’m finally ready to eat.
It’s time to start warming up my creative muscles and get back to being a producer of work. I am hungry and ready to hunt down big ideas to share with the world around me.
I know I’ll likely start small and the work I produce first will suck at first, but at least I’m ready and willing to make mistakes until I am a creative beast.
Who’s hungry??