Endless tips, habits, advice, and life hacks are readily available for you to adopt, but will they work for you, your lifestyle, and your goals? Furthermore, do you need to implement certain aggressive habits to meet your goals? Often, you don't.
Habits People Flaunt
I never watch tv. In fact, I don’t even own one.
I read one book every week.
I publish 1 or more books daily.
I invest 50% of my income.
I go to bed by 10p every day.
I wake up every day @ 5 am.
I don’t consume sugar.
My diet is 90% clean.
I eat 100% vegan.
I work out 7 days a week.
I never use credit cards.
I don’t utilize social media.
I log every transaction into my budget.
I don’t buy things that aren’t an absolute necessity.
I work 12 hour days, 6 days a week.
I saved a million dollars by 30.
I travel to one or more new countries every year.
All of these are fantastic habits, but some of these habits may not be realistic for you. It’s important not to be threatened by other’s progress, level of discipline, and habits. We don’t need to feel less than because someone’s daily actions seem greater than our entire lifestyles. And we can’t forget that what works for someone else does not mean it will work 100% perfectly for us.
Habit Alternatives
What habits do you need to implement to reach your goals?
I wake up every day @ 5 am.
Alternative: Maybe you don’t need to wake up at 5 am, but instead, 7 am, 8 am, 9 am, 10 am, or even later.
I never watch tv. In fact, I don’t even own one.
Alternative: You don’t need to kill the television once and for all, but it helps to be mindful of how much time you invest in watching tv.
On average, Americans aged 18 and older spend more than four hours a day watching TV, still beating the three hours and 45 minutes they interact with their smartphone on an average day by roughly half an hour. — Felix Richter @ Statista
I don’t utilize social media.
Alternative: instead of wasting endless hours on social media, set strict timelines and guidelines.
On average, global internet users spent 144 minutes on social media sites every day. — Digitalmarketing.org
I eat 100% vegan.
Alternative: Not everyone is meant to be vegan, but a vegan meal here and there is not only healthy for you (we don't need to ingest meat daily) but beneficial to the environment.
I read one book every week.
Alternative: Instead of reading a book per week, how about reading one article per day or one book every 1–2 months?
I publish 1 or more books daily.
Alternative: This habit surely doesn’t make sense for everyone, but what might make more sense is to publish one book per week or one book per month.
I invest 50% of my income.
Alternative: Most people don’t invest 50% of their income or invest period. Start with 1% and gradually increase the percentage you invest until you can reach the monthly/yearly percentage required to reach your savings goals.
I go to bed by 10p every day.
Alternative: It’s nice to go to bed early, but each of your days might require different schedules and time management principles. You might even work better in the evenings. Everyone has a different highly-productive time frame that works best for them.
I don’t consume sugar.
Alternative: Not eating sugar is an excellent way to live, but there is also much joy that can come from consuming sugar in modest amounts.
My diet is 90% clean.
Alternative: Okay, so 90% is a pretty darn high rating. But why not try 60%, which amounts to 4 days of clean eats every week.
I work out 7 days a week.
Alternative: First off, we don’t need to work out 7 days a week. You need to give your body rest — especially if you do resistance training. Instead, try working out 3–5 days per week.
My Morning + Evening Stacks
Supplementation For Relaxation + Stress + Calm + Energy
What 16 Years In The Gym Taught Me
10+ Things
I never use credit cards.
Alternative: I can’t even name how many times I have seen this advice, and I think it's a load of sh*t. Do you know how many rewards and cash you can miss out on when you don’t use credit cards? Moreover, there is an excellent layer of security provided by credit cards that many debit cards don’t provide. I’m a firm believer in using credit cards — once you know how to handle them responsibly. All it takes is discipline; you’re in charge, not the credit card limit.
I log every transaction into my budget.
Alternative: I do believe logging transactions is beneficial so you can have complete transparency into your spending and savings habits, but it’s not always necessary — especially if you consistently reach the end of the month with considerable money leftover. You could try budgeting a majority of your transactions to become aware of your financial trends. But once again, it may not be needed for you and your goals.
I don’t buy things that aren’t an absolute necessity.
Alternative: Minimalism ultimately doesn’t hurt anybody — except for the people trying to sell you stuff. So, I guess that includes a lot of the world.
Enjoyment is okay. You don’t need anyone to give you permission to enjoy yourself and spend money (that you have) on experiences and things that add joy to your life. And don’t feel guilty!
I work 12 hour days, 6 days a week.
Alternative: Anyone that is always working is going to end up with a broken-down body eventually. Unless they are doing work that doesn’t feel like work, but you still need to take breaks so your mind, body, and spirit can recover and continue working at optimal levels.
I saved a million dollars by 30.
Alternative: Not everyone got a headstart in their finances. Not everyone learned about money early on. Not everyone knows about investing. Not everyone has the income-expense ratio to make this happen. However, you can become a millionaire if you set a reasonable goal, timeline, and shrewd plan of action.
I travel to one or more new countries every year.
Alternative: First off, not everyone even likes to travel, and this is okay. I don’t think you should avoid travel altogether, but you don’t have to travel the world to live a full life. Not sure who made up this rule, but it’s been canceled. Travel if you want and when you want. And make sure you don’t go into massive debt for a vacation; it’s usually not worth it.
Smart Action
We don’t have to take MASSIVE action. We only need to take SMART action that will benefit our lives. I wish I were vegan, but I love to eat fish, and I don’t know if I’ll ever want to give up other meats and burgers (especially). But I consume vegan meals every week — sometimes multiple times per week — to give my digestive system and body a break from digesting meat. I do what works for me, and when I come across vegans, I cheer them on and commend them for their dedication and discipline; I then continue living my life in a way that doesn’t demand daily resistance and unsatisfaction.
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