Do you ever feel like a day went by too fast and you didn’t get anything productive done? Well I do. For example, you may have went to bed later than usual and had to get up early. As a result, because you woke up late, you lost that time you could have gotten more done earlier in the day. There were times when I had every intention on getting certain things done. Although I ended up wasting time doing a lot of non-productive things instead. In this post, I’m sharing with you, 9 Secrets to Level Up Your 2020!
1. Write Down 3 Goals
Like most people, you have some personal or professional goals and you may find yourself completing them slower than you thought. If you’re a business owner, you have business goals too. If you haven’t laid out a game plan for 2020 yet, it’s not too late, however, you should do so as soon as possible. Think about the different areas of your life. That is to say, your Family, Relationships, Personal, Professional, Financial, and Health/Fitness.
Think about 3 major things that would make a positive shift in your life in any of these areas and let these serve as your goals. For example, you may have thought of some things like lose weight, get out of debt, or save more money. As you write down your goals, make sure they are S.M.A.R.T (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time Bound) Goals. Check out The Essential Guide to Writing Smart Goals for help.
After you read through this guide, make your goals visible by writing them down and reviewing your progress on a regular basis. As a result, this will make it easier for you to pivot whenever you need to.
2. Stop Making Excuses
We’ve all made them from time to time but how far do they get us? Not far at all. If you use an excuse long enough, it will become a crutch that will continue to hinder your progress. Because you’re reading these 9 Secrets to Level Up Your 2020, that tells me you’re ready to give up your excuses. When you begin working on the SMART goals you set above, decide today that you will no longer make excuses.
3. Do One Thing That Scares You
Fear has killed so much progress. I’ve had certain things in the past that fear has stopped me from accomplishing. Growing up, I was never scared of heights, but throughout the last several years, I realized I had began to develop a fear of heights. The truth is, it’s not the height that’s the scary part, it’s the fear of falling that gets me. Now that I’m aware of that, I do things that force me to face that fear. While on vacation, I zip lined for the first time. I’ve walked across certain bridges that I wouldn’t have crossed, all because I’m on a mission to conquer that fear once and for all.
Those might not be fears of yours. For example, you might have a different type of fear like public speaking, networking, or meeting new people. The only way to begin to conquer your fear is to make the decision to conquer it one step at a time. I challenge you to do one thing that scares you in 2020.
Set the date that you are going to face that thing head on and stick to it. Even if you have to have smaller defeats leading up to that big date, make it happen. Don’t try to go at it alone either. Get you an accountability partner that will be willing to help you. As you conquer each milestone of fear leading up to your date to face the fear, they will be your encouragement.
4. Commit to Weekly “Me” Time
This right here will help you keep your sanity. Trust me! This is especially true if you’re a person that wears many hats. Mom, Dad, Entrepreneur, Caretaker, Teacher, Student, Minister, Manager, Designer, or Artist. If you are always giving everyone else your energy and not taking out time for yourself, soon you will feel completely depleted and won’t have anything extra to give.
I don’t want that for you. I challenge you to decide on taking at least 2 hours/week to have your “me” time and let this be time for you and nobody else. This will be your 2 hours to spend it how you want. If you want to challenge yourself, get up about 30 minutes earlier each morning to have your “me” time. Do this before you put on your first hat for the day. If you can’t do it every morning, do it 3 mornings out of the week.
5. Decide to Read at Least 4 Personal Development Books
One thing I’ve learned is that reading has to continue throughout life, beyond our formal education years. To continue to grow, you have to be intentional with it because it’s not going to magically happen. I understand this even more, now that I am a business owner. If you want to maximize these 9 Secrets to Level Up Your 2020, focusing on your personal development reading will help you do that.
Think about areas that you would like to grow in, write them down, then research to see what books are available for that particular area. Then make a commitment to read at least four of them throughout 2020. To make it even simpler, commit to reading one book per quarter.
6. Exercise at Least 3 Days/Week
I have my Mentor to thank for this push. There was a time in my life when I used to exercise more regularly, but it wasn’t a constant routine for me later in life. I’m now learning the value and importance of an exercise routine, and make it a point to get no less than 3 days in every week. So that you can make sure you are always performing at your best in everything you do, having a regular exercise routine will help.
Look at your calendar and decide on which 3 days you can commit to doing at least 30-45 minutes of exercise. It doesn’t even have to be the same 3 days every week. Just make sure to get them in. It may be a challenge at first but, write down why this would be important for you and what it will take to make it happen. Then be intentional about getting it done. It may even help you to find you a workout buddy or someone that can hold you accountable and keep you encouraged.
7. Get A Mentor
Once you figure out your goals for 2020, find a mentor that already has experience in the areas you want to improve or grow in. They will be able to help you get on the path to executing the right actions so that you can hit your goals. The knowledge and experience your mentor will have will help you along the way.
As you seek out a mentor, be sure you have an understanding of why you want to develop the mentoring relationship with that particular mentor. Most importantly, you want the relationship to be beneficial to both you and them. Having a clear understanding in the beginning will help.
8. Call One Person Per Week to Tell Them You Love/Appreciate Them
This can be a family member, a friend, a colleague, a neighbor, or a peer. If you have people that you value your relationship with, let them know by checking in with them or calling to say “I love you/appreciate you.” Those words can have a bigger impact than you may realize. And to take it even deeper, you will be able to back up those words with your action of calling to let them know. It’s simple things like this that some people take for granted. In the midst of your growth, it’s also important to continually cultivate the relationships of those who are important to you.
9. Get On A Social Media Schedule to Be More Productive
Have you ever found yourself endlessly scrolling through your social media feeds? You look up and realize that you had scrolled for 45 minutes or even longer. That can be a big time waster and it will affect your productivity, above all, keeping you from making more progress.
Instead of endless scrolling, I challenge you to pick 3 different times throughout the day to check your social media accounts and notifications. You can even go into your phone settings to turn off your notifications. Doing this will decrease the urge for you to check your phone every time someone posts something or tags you in a post. Try it for at least one week and pay attention to how much of a difference it will make for you. And no cheating, you must stick to the 3 times that you designated to check it.
In conclusion, as you kick off 2020, remember that if you want something you’ve never had you must do something you’ve never done. I hope these 9 Secrets to Level Up Your 2020 has you ready to rock it out this year!
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