While
I was spring cleaning in my basement, slash man cave, I came upon one of my
many piles of To-Do lists and notes to myself.
I probably come upon this pile once or twice a year. I usually skim it, cross off some outdated
concerns or matters that came to pass, and refresh myself with the things I
still haven’t achieved. It’s not a
bucket list, but it is a list of things big and small that I’ve been meaning to
get around to do, if only the time, money and change in personality were to
present themselves. But one list that I spent
extensive time reviewing was showing 177 principles of wisdom to live
by. I had created it over a period of
time but last revised it at least a half-dozen years ago. A little repetitive, but inspiring and
motivational in tone, it reminded me of how to approach life – positively,
passionately, and with conviction. I
live with a sense of urgency, not wanting to wait to fulfill my dreams – or so
I thought. I may need a boost – just
like you – to make sure I don’t get off track with my writing career.
I
retrofitted these wisdom principles to appeal specifically to writers and their
pursuit of career happiness and a lifetime of satisfaction. Here are 93 principles that could or should
be applied to you:
1.
Strive
to live a balanced life – socially, financially, entertainment, charity,
health, obligations and chores – and of course writing. Set time limits and deadlines for everything
that you do – and then move on.
2.
Reward
your successes and give yourself time to play, relax, and rejuvenate.
3.
Don’t
be afraid to ask for help. In fact, your
first defense against feeling overwhelmed is to seek out assistance.
4.
Only
tackle what you can handle. Have a sound
foundation and then build on it.
5.
Life
is a collaborative effort, so lean on others and let them share your burdens.
6.
Don’t
take on too much at any one time.
7.
If
the end result of your thoughts, feelings, and experiences is to convert them
into a published piece, don’t concern yourself with the realities of your
life. Art before experience.
8.
Always
look at all possibilities from all perspectives and seek to put them into
context.
9.
Do
not let others set your agenda and do not look to meet anyone’s needs, desires
or expectations but that of your own.
10.
Allow yourself to start fresh. Clear the
slate -- move on from the past, dump your obligations, and get out of what I call:
“mind debt.”
11.
Decide
what you want, and go full steam ahead, see a way to what you want, claw your
way to the finish line, and fight for everything.
12.
Plan,
organize, execute. Repeat and rinse.
13.
Explore
how technology can help you – use software that dictates, translates, copies,
transcribes, etc.
14.
Accomplish
what gets done according to deadline and importance – not what’s most
pleasurable.
15.
Do
what brings in the most reward and avoid what could yield the most damage.
16.
Give
time for things to develop and incubate – invest now and plant your seeds.
17.
Confront
the choices you need to make, explore all of your options, see if you can
create an alternate opportunity, and then set your priorities and make
sacrifices. Know that you do have
choices – always – and that you can’t avoid choosing. Seek out the resources to resolve a
problem. Set high goals but temper with
reasonable expectations. Give yourself
permission to fail – and to succeed.
18.
It’s
great to nurtue your ability to see possibilities everywhere. But then nail down the probabilities and act
on a select few.
19.
Know
that you can reach your goals and be successful – you just need to work hard
and efficiently, to utilize your resources, mental capacities, physical
abilities, resources, and network of contacts.
20.
Order
and organization, not for their own sake, but for practical and functional
reasons. Organize not as a purpose in
itself, but the purpose of action and production. Order can please you psychologically and
spiritually, and so order serves many purposes.
Order, however, cannot take on its own life. You are not a slave to order; order serves
you.
21.
Try
something new or do something old differently.
22.
Find
shortcuts or lower your standards for certain tasks.
23.
Empower
yourself not just by thinking good thoughts, but by actually taking action.
24.
Unsaddle
yourself from the debt of yesterday. Don’t
let negative things pollute your mind.
Let the new day bring the promise of mystery and wonder, not
resignation, boredom, and repetition.
25.
Feel
you are working towards something meaningful.
26.
Write
as if seeking to leave your legacy to the next generation.
27.
Do
you invoke the freedom to do nothing? It is only then that you have the ability
to do something.
28.
Answer
these questions: Do I act out of desire, not fear? How do I make time for what is truly
important? What kind of payoff from my efforts do I want or need?
29.
Reassess
what you consider a must-have, a need, a goal.
30.
Stop
whining and do something about it!
31.
Free
yourself mentally and feel hope, optimism and
curiosity again.
32.
Create
new circumstances that could yield new results.
33.
Don’t
try to tackle everything at once. Break
things up into steps, the way you put your debt on a payment plan, attack your
priorities and tune out the rest.
34.
Confront
what bothers you and make a weakness a strength.
35.
Take
a risk – it’s worth it.
36.
Experiment
– you only live once.
37.
Live
as if – do as if you already are.
38.
Always
think ahead, map it, and act in advance.
Take steps now to prevent problems later.
39.
You
can’t control outside factors, but you can respond to them by taking control of
what you know and do best.
40.
Set
expectations for yourself.
41.
Tune
out fears, complaints, losses, and competing obligations. Compartmentalize what needs to be done. Be in the moment of whatever you are doing.
42.
Avoid
the situations and people that cause you stress.
43.
Be
organized, but don’t be a slave to it.
44.
Why
delay your enjoyment of the journey of life?
Act now.
45.
You
can change the world by changing yourself.
46.
Be
open to all possibilities and let the few that naturally become probabilities
rise to do so.
47.
Remember,
everything is business – and it’s always personal.
48.
Practice
the art of casual conversation, active listening, and communicate by observing.
49.
Accept
people as they are – but always help them when they are open to changing.
50.
Don’t
let the reality of life tarnish the fantasy of your dreams or the optimism and
idealism of your soul.
51.
You
are a winner because you won’t stop until you get what you want, because you
deserve it, and because life cannot be lived any other way but to go for what you
must get.
52.
Be
focused, have a plan, allow for adjustments to the plan, and to take a
happy-go-lucky approach to things.
53.
Set
a dollar value for your time.
54.
Give
back to society via charity -- time, money, resources.
55.
Get
out of your rut by changing your thoughts.
It’s all in your head.
56.
Travel
and go on an adventure. You need to see
new places and get fresh input.
57.
Explore
your fantasies, intellectual pursuits, and primordial passions.
58.
Lean
on the support of friends and family.
59.
Build
on yesterday for tomorrow – but live in the moment.
60.
Control
what you can control.
61.
You
got breaks through the people you know, so take a break and get to know more
people.
62.
There
is just so much that you can accomplish, so do what you do real well, with
pride and brilliant execution.
63.
Always
keep things in the pipeline – think and plan ahead while executing current
projects.
64.
Good
enough is not good enough for you. If
you don’t want to just be as good as someone else, do better.
65.
Convert
a fear or failure or loss into a cause, a drive, a mission to success. Face
your fears by taking action and doing things differently.
66.
Act
as if you are doing something for the very first time. How would you approach
it? If you had to, how could you do the
task twice as fast? Do you even need to do the task?
67.
Dream
big and reach far 10-20% of the time.
Otherwise execute the core basics to get stuff done.
68.
Find
a way to utilize your time, resources, connections, and money of others.
69.
Balance
risk and reward.
70.
Check
your ego – you need to have confidence but don’t sicken people with
self-centered focus.
71.
You
may not know how things will happen, but know they can, should, and will.
72.
Take
in some rah-rah motivational seminars from time to time.
73.
Develop
your own system or set of standards to live by – stay grounded.
74.
Remember
a lack of planning on someone else’s part shouldn’t mean an emergency on your
part.
75.
Determine
what you are willing to give now to get what you want later.
76.
Have
a sense of desperation to achieve – but not fear.
77.
If
you’re not getting rejected frequently, you are not asking for enough.
78.
Take
an apprentice approach to getting things done.
79.
Sometimes
you need to back yourself into a corner in order to rise to the occasion.
80.
If
you make money for others, they’ll help you do the same.
81.
Believe
that what you want or need can happen – it’s just a matter of solving what
appears to be an unsolvable (but really solvable) puzzle.
82.
Diversify: pursue multiple opportunities in a multitude
of areas.
83.
Enjoy
the process as much as the destination.
84.
Have
a vision, a mission statement, a back-up plan, and a list of goals: daily,
weekly, seasonally, annually and long-term.
85.
Learn
to relax –- but don’t waste time.
86.
Just
change your thoughts, habits, and intentions – and new results must happen.
87.
Always
ask questions, even when you think you know the answers. Talk to people at all levels in all fields so you can discover new things.
88.
You
can’t wait for a green light to cross the street.
89.
Run
through walls, break barriers, and know no boundaries. No limits, no restraints, no excuses, no
complaints. Find a way to win. No
victory in the trying, only in the victory. Life is an adventure – pursue
happiness. Don’t sabotage or defeat or
undermine or inhibit yourself.
90.
Success
will come from great effort or luck.
It’ll come from being smart – or knowing the right person. It’ll come from displaying a good attitude,
extra effort, humor, confidence, and conviction. Or others may just love your new shirt. Embrace success however it finds you – or you
it.
91.
Don’t
negotiate with yourself – on anything.
92.
Live
life with a purpose and a standard.
93. Be aware of what’s out there – in the marketplace – and find your niche. Don’t replicate; innovate.
Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2016
93. Be aware of what’s out there – in the marketplace – and find your niche. Don’t replicate; innovate.
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