Nothing changes if nothing changes

Dear reader,

Did you know that you cannot change your life unless you change something?

Common sense, yes. But seriously, think about it:

“If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got.”

This week’s article is focused on improving our lives by targeting the weak points.

We all have things that we struggle with.

It can be with productivity, relationships, facing our fears, building a habit, and whatever you struggle with.

Most of us have a sense of our weak points, the things we know we could improve.

We all have an idea of what would improve our lives.

You know very well that if you worked on those things you’ve been putting aside or struggling with, your life would be that much better.

But the problem: we don’t do anything about it.

That is what I invite you to change this week.

Here’s how we will do it.

1. Identify your weak points

First, we will identify our weakest points.

To do this, let’s write down on paper or in your notes app a list of the things we could work on.

Yes, you might already have an idea of what it is.

But let’s take a strategic approach to it.

The list doesn’t have to be long, it can be rough and short. Also, nobody else needs to see your list, just you.

This will help us to work on those things individually, one after another.

2. Prepare your tools

After we have the list, we know what we need to work on.

So, we will find out what we need to do in order to improve at those things.

If you struggle with motivation to begin working on the important things, you might need to find a system like Pomodoro timer.

Pomodoro is working for 25 minutes, taking a 5-minute break, again 25, 5, 25, then a 30-minute break, and so on.

If you feel like you don’t give much time to your family and friends, you might need to set a reminder to call them twice or thrice a week.

If you struggle with academic reading, you could maybe practice reading for 20-30 minutes outside of your regular study/work.

If you know you could be in better shape, you might need to either do 10-20 pushups every morning and evening. You could also go to the gym for 30-60 minutes every weekday.

This step is crucial, because without a direction, you wouldn’t know what to do.

But the most crucial step is the next one.

3. The bias for action

“No amount of great advice can substitute showing up and doing the work.”

I know it is tempting to learn.

Learning and researching makes us feel safe, we think that we are making progress.

You will learn more in the first 60 minutes of doing something than you will from 100 hours of learning about doing it.

Once you have a brief idea of what you need to do in order to improve a certain part of your life, it is time for action.

4. The obstacle is the way

As you’re working on improving your life, you must realize that it will be difficult.

If you’re reading a dense book/paper, you will lose focus and will struggle with comprehension.

If you’re trying to work on something, you will face roadblocks. There will be steps that are hard.

You will feel like, “I’ll just do it later. I don’t feel like doing it right now.”

That is when you need to recognize that “the obstacle is the way.”

It is when you struggle that you are making progress.

Be fine with difficulty. It is a part of the process.

The best part is that it won’t be hard all the time. It will keep getting easier as you stick with it.

Here’s what I want you to learn from this article:

Takeaway: Nothing in your life will change if you change nothing. As you try to make a change to improve your life, the obstacle is the way. It will be hard but that’s a part of the process.

This week’s question for you: What do you struggle with? What will you do about it?

Drop a comment down below to let me know you read to the end.

Appreciate you being here.

I’ll write again next week.

See you!

Warmly,
Suraj