Getting What You Want Out of Life

Hi friends! How was your weekend? Yesterday was super sunny and bright and today is pretty rainy and gloomy. But I actually don’t mind the difference between the two days…sun makes me want to go out all day and do things, while rain makes me feel like a nice relaxing, lazy day is in order! The perfect balance for a weekend.

[A little PSA before I get into the fun for todays post: Have you entered my Skout Bar giveaway yet? They aren’t available in a lot of places and they are AMAZING so this may be your only opportunity to try them out!]

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I have been listening to the Nerdist podcast for a few weeks now (slowly making my way through their million and one episodes!) and while they usually have comics or people from the entertainment industry on, this week I listened to one with Tim Ferriss as the guest. I had never heard of Tim before so I didn’t really know what to expect. But after listening to his interview I was happy that I randomly stumbled upon his episode….he’s pretty much the man! Not only is a highly innovative entrepreneur but he has the COOLEST resume I have ever seen…

• Princeton University guest lecturer in High-Tech Entrepreneurship and Electrical Engineering
• Finance and Entrepreneurship advisor at Singularity University at NASA Ames, co-founded by Peter Diamandis and Ray Kurzweil
• First American in history to hold a Guinness World Record in tango
• Speaker of 5 languages
• National Chinese kickboxing champion
• Horseback archer (yabusame) in Nikko, Japan
• 2009 Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute
• Political asylum researcher
• MTV breakdancer in Taiwan
• Hurling competitor in Ireland
• Wired Magazine’s “Greatest Self-Promoter of 2008″

1. Set small goals 

When you set smaller, more attainable goals for yourself you are more likely to stick with what ever you are trying to achieve because you can consistently see progress. Also, its common that when you set a small goal, you end up exceeding that goal and doing more anyway. It’s like that old trick when you go to the gym “only commit to ten minutes of exercise”…by the time most people get to ten minutes they end up just doing a full workout because they feel so good!

2. Find the outliers 

Chances are you aren’t built for swimming like Michael Phelps or have a photographic memory that helps with learning languages, so that means that you can’t expect to accomplish something in the same way that the top people have done it. You have to look for people who aren’t naturally skilled or talented in what they wanted to accomplish and see how they did it. It takes a very individualized method for each person so get something done, so its best to focus on the underdogs who had everything against them but were still able to accomplish their goals.

3. Seek advice from the most passionate people

Instead of looking up people at the top of their field and people who are in the limelight for whatever they do, seek advice from the people that literally could not live without their particular passion. These are the people that can give you the best advice for how to do whatever it is you want to do. Not only are they more accessible because they are under the radar, but their advice will be more helpful because they are so invested into whatever it is that they do.

4. Don’t imitate the common

This goes hand in hand with number 2. The common way of doing things is just a base line.  Everyone has individual strengths, weaknesses, and needs so by relying on the status quo method of accomplishing something chances are it won’t work. You have to find what works for you and think outside the box! People that do the standard thing never rise above the rest…its the people who are innovative and creative in their thinking that leave a lasting impact.

5. Positive directional movement 

Don’t let setbacks, well, SET YOU BACK! Small bumps on the journey to getting what you want don’t mean anything as long as in the grand scheme of things you are moving in the direction of your goals. As long as you are consistently making positive efforts to accomplish what you’ve set out to do than that’s all that matters. Positive directional movement over a longer period of time is much better than attempts at quick successes that leave you unfulfilled in the long run.

Pretty good info I’d say!

I am going to pick up Tim’s book I think. I really love when I find people with such awesome outlooks on life and who I feel I can really connect with. Can’t wait to learn more about his perspective!

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Have you ever heard of Tim Ferriss?

Fan of the Nerdist podcast?

What’s one thing on your life bucket list that you definitely want to accomplish someday?

Kaila 

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Today’s Healthy Help: Took care of my neighbors dog while she’s gone for the day!