From the time we are young, we learn that our actions have consequences, both good and bad. In school, if an assignment is not done, the teacher threatens to call your parents, whereas if you do well on a test, you are praised. This instills an understanding of what is expected of us. This principle is not only relevant when we are young— it remains influential over us as we enter adulthood. Once you’re older, there is now the added consideration of responsibilities like a family, job, mortgage, etc. 

These stages, however, are not a dead end, there is no cap on how much you can have or achieve, and there is no 9-5 trap so long as you don’t look at it that way. Although the pressure of providing, performing, and still expecting to have windows of freedom might cloud your perspective on what you are capable of. There may be something else you know you want and deserve.

When working for someone else, you can get so caught up in the responsibilities they give you that you forget about the things you need to enjoy your life. Yet it is keeping up with these responsibilities to yourself that build you to be better.

You never want to be complacent. Just because your career may be in a spot that is putting food on the table does not mean you should limit your skills to that. If in the back of your mind, you know you’re deserving of more, it is because your other boss is talking. That boss is you, and not tending to your needs will have consequences beyond anything anyone else could deliver. 

To rely on yourself, you’re going to have to be able to work while nobody’s staying on top of you or cares what happens but you. Recognizing that managing this can be difficult, here are some ways to get started:

Identify Your Ideal

Where do you see yourself in a year? 5 years? 10 years? Most people underestimate how much they can get done in just one year. If you avoid distractions as much as possible, keep your eye on the next target, and commit, you can set yourself up for success. This starts with visualization, imagining every day exactly what you’re out to get and moving the pawn a little bit every day. 

Talk About It

Although you may not want to sound braggy talking about everything you’re going to do, tell people you trust about what you want. In doing so, you will begin to see different perspectives. The same method applies to writing down concepts to understand them better. Affirming goals in your mind creates a sense of realness. You’re telling yourself “this is the standard, we’re not settling for less”.

Take Small Steps

Forget the end goal, focus on what you have before you, and deal with situations head-on. Even that thing that’s going to take less time and you’ll just get it done later… Nope, if it’s that easy, get it done right away. Don’t leave things on the back burner, you may forget about them and they’ll likely cause a fire. 

Keep Track

Some days will be more productive than others, it’s on the days where it feels slower or less exciting that you need to check back on your progress. Additionally, it will be beneficial to refer to your ideal to remember where you’re going. Everything is centred around this ultimate reality you’ve envisioned, the reason you’ve visualized it is because it’s real. You want to note any progress along the path to it no matter how big or small. This will also help in learning how to deal with the inevitable struggles. 

Conclusion

Great lives are not only for a select group of people, everyone has a chance to make something of themselves and experience the sweet taste of fulfillment. It will take sacrifice, it will not always be fun, and you will not always have people in your corner. The only thing that matters is that you commit to yourself, and outperform everyone in front of no one.

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