4 Tips to Moving Forward in 2014

         The greatest part about starting a new year is that you can psychologically start over on things you failed to make a priority in the previous year. Committing to be a better person tomorrow, next week, and next year isn't enough. You will need to assess where you stand currently, where you are going in life, and what are the areas you would like to exert effort to improve in. Here are my 4 tips to moving forward in 2014.

         

Tip 1: Leave the past behind – There is no doubt that you made mistakes in 2013 and in the years before that. We all make mistakes both big and small. We can sit around and paint the walls with speculation all day long to try and change history, but it won’t do us any good! The constructive way to deal with the past is to understand the lesson you learned to avoid repeating it and then move on. It’s impossible to succeed if you can’t psychologically forgive yourself of your past mistakes and move forward in life.

           You can’t relive a golden opportunity like buying Apple stock 15 years ago when somebody suggested it or getting a redo in the high school state football championship that would have assured your future in the NFL. You simply can’t redo your life trajectory from any point in the past without a time machine. Here’s looking at you Uncle Rico.

         You can only change your life trajectory from today forward. If there are obstacles that are hindering you from progressing, then work on those first (ex: finances, injuries, health, psychological issues, etc.) Good things come to those who persevere. You might not reach your goals in the perfect time frame, but you will eventually.

         Even if it appears that some of your peers have more to offer or have more innate gifts than you, you need to move forward in life with the hand that you’ve been dealt. You have a choice about whether to waste away years of your life complaining and making excuses about your childhood, your genetics, your family, your life circumstances or you can accept the gifts and talents that you have received and do your best to make progress in those priorities most important to you.

Tip 2: Defriend the monster inside of your head – You may be thinking of a certain #1 hit song who befriended a monster under her bed as my second tip. I disagree with her advice to get along with the voices inside of your head specifically the one belonging to the monster. Sure it’s possible that the monster looks like this:

         Most likely, the monster isn't as friendly as the picture indicates. There truly is a voice inside each of our heads that spews negativity sometimes. The great thing about being human is the monster has zero power over us, because we hold the power to veto anything he suggests. The monster doesn't force us to quit trying or to make bad decisions to hinder our progression. Those things were merely his suggestion.  

Tip 3: Plan ahead – To get somewhere in life, we need to lay the ground work to get there first. Stephen Covey says in his book 7 Habits  of Highly Effective People to  "Begin with the end in mind." People don't usually end up accomplishing big things by accident. Where do you want to be next year? in 5 years? 10 years? 30 years? Successful people spend countless hours creating the life that they envisioned for themselves brick by brick. As we work towards retirement or other long-term goals, remember that there are usually hundreds of little decisions that add up to favorable or unfavorable long-term life circumstances.

 

Tip 4: Go all in! – As legend has it, in 1519 Cortez set sail from Spain to Mexico with 11 ships and 600 men with the mission to conquer the Aztecs and claim all the treasure in the land. As soon as he arrived, he wanted to make sure that his men were fully committed to achieving his objective and ordered that the 11 ships be burned. Cortez changed the paradigm dramatically because he didn't leave room to fail! If his crew was fearful or having doubts, they didn’t have the option of retreating back to their ships. It was either conquer the Aztecs or die trying! This all or nothing approach obviously worked.

 

 

 

 

         The key principle that we can learn from this story, whether it’s true or not, is that a half-hearted approach to accomplishing any endeavor is much less likely to succeed than if you are 100% committed to being the best that you can. You have to decide you want it and then go for it with gusto! This may mean quitting the job you hate, going back to school, or simply making your goal a top priority and not being afraid to take risks. Most importantly, don't just "coast along" hoping that someday your minimal effort will pay off. Talent isn't enough to accomplish anything noteworthy.

 

Conclusion: 2014 is a second chance for each of us to assess where we are in life and where our trajectory is likely headed. Take the new year to strategically move forward with your life by learning from the past, living in the present, and preparing for the future. There are good things to come in the future for those who are not short-sighted in their approach to life decisions.