2015 Reflection: 15 Ways to Get Your Breakthrough This Year
How My Struggles Can Help You Have Your Breakthrough Year
What do you have to show for yourself in 2015? Did you have a breakthrough or do you look back with regrets as you see opportunities wasted?
Reflect and Get Your Breakthrough
I can confidently look back on this past year and say I've made a bit of a breakthrough in discovering who I am and what my purpose is. I've made massive growth as an artist while inching my way towards achieving a greater business acumen. Why would I need to make a year in review when I’ve clearly had my best year yet?It’s simple, writing a year end reflection helps you log and measure your progress from the previous years goals. It allows you to compare each year and journal things that did and didn’t work -- preparing you for optimized success. As I write this, I realized that you and I both have a lot of room for self-improvement. I’m using this as an opportunity to share the valuable things I learned that I still may struggle with or wish I would have discovered sooner.The following 15 guidelines will help you have your best year yet and get that breakthrough you deserve.Let’s go into 2016 prepared to dominate.
Realize You Are in ControlI can’t tell you how many times I’ve played a victim and let others dictate my happiness. However, this year I gained awareness that I’m in control. When you realize that you’re in the driver seat, it’s easy to let go of the things out of your control. You’re only in charge of your attitude, how you respond to adversity, your circumstance and your happiness. Everything else is insignificant and will hold you back.
Show Up Every DayThere is no such thing as an overnight success. Success stories come from individuals who consistently show up every day. Showing up every day for 2 years has revealed a life where it’s possible to do what I love and what I’m good at. It's not easy but you must show up when it’s hard and when you want to quit. It can't be a show up when you feel like it thing either. The difference between a professional and a hobbyist is showing up when it’s not convenient.
Consume WiselyThis was the game changer for me. There are so many things designed to beg for our attention and I admit I can get wrapped up in browsing my Facebook and Instagram mindlessly. However, understand that you become what you consume so you must make a conscious effort to consume wisely. Focus on consuming material that empowers you to become the best version of yourself. I share mytop learning resources as I owe much of my success to applying the wisdom I soak up.
Put People FirstZig Ziglar states, “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” Shifting my life’s work to serving people like you has done nothing but provide growth and fulfillment. You and person you are helping both win and get to reap the rewards together. This will inspire them to help someone else causing a chain reaction of positivity in the world. Being selfish and focusing on yourself will only get you so far.
Set S.M.A.R.T. GoalsI’ve set plenty of goals but most were never accomplished because they weren’t specific. You and I set goals with hopeful aspirations that aren’t followed up with strategic action. Achieving what you want is possible by setting S.M.A.R.T. goals which are: Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Time-Bound. Without properly setting this criteria for each goal, you will never accomplish anything and find yourself in the same place full of aspiration.
Find BalanceI am a workaholic — I’m addicted to my life’s work as it doesn’t feel like work. I struggle to find the balance between my full time job, my passion job, relationships and faith and I’m thankful I’m not blind to it anymore. From 2014 to this present day, I became addicted to the growth and validation within the realm of Perspective-Collective — I lusted for more as it was my oxygen. I put relationships with my wife, family and friends on the back burner so I could make time for what I thought was most important, but I was wrong. Don’t let your work define who you are, let the kind of person you are when you are with the people that matter the most define you.
Elevate Your Circle of InfluenceBreakthroughs happen when you surround yourself with people who are doing what you want to do. You won't go anywhere hanging around people who aren’t helping you achieve your goals — cut out the bad influences but realize you can’t do it all yourself. In May 2015, The best thing I did was join the seanwes community. Every day I am surrounded by people that are doing what I want to do and they are all more than happy to help you out. You may want to check out the community and get those pressing questions you have answered. Surround yourself with people who share the same vision and this will be your best year yet.
Your Work MattersIt was a hard pill to swallow but I’ve finally accepted that not everyone is going to like what I’m bringing to the table and I’ll never be able to compare myself to my idols. This understanding has enlightened me that what I do is unique and no one can replicate it. You must realize that what you create isn’t for everyone, but it is for the right people who are currently in your audience now. No one on this planet is capable of doing what you do as you are one of a kind. What you do matters to someone.
Don’t Get Wrapped Up in ValidationWhat a year, so many likes, shares, features and new followers -- this is what a breakthrough looks like right? With the swarm of affirmation, I caught myself checking my Instagram easily over 20 times a day. But why? I was in constant search of finding that validation to know that what I created mattered. I could’ve spent this time consuming or creating things that would propel me forward instead of wasting hours on something I’ll never get back. Understand numbers don’t mean anything; what matters is the value you deliver and if you enjoy what you are doing. People will be attracted to someone who loves what they do and helps others.
Stop Trying to Be PerfectI struggle with perfectionism. I feel the need to invest 120% into each piece which holds me back from delivering more value and reaching larger goals. I realize that I’m in the slim minority of creators on this Earth and that my 90% far outweighs those who don’t create at all. If you’re a perfectionist, strive to give that 90% as that is still 100% in your audience’s eyes. That extra 10% in the fine details will go unnoticed by the majority! Don’t hold yourself back from a breakthrough because your expectations are unrealistic.
It All Starts With WritingThe catalyst to my growth this year was writing and I started this in June! I never saw myself as a writer but I wanted to position myself as an expert and help people -- I didn’t realize that writing helps you figure out your identity. We don’t write just to write, we write to figure out what we have to say. Writing helps bridge the gap between your thoughts and dreams while letting you visually have something tangible to take action on. We think, write and speak ourselves into existence so start writing to build influence and gain clarity on what your purpose is in life.[video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://perspective-collective.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Reflect_WIP.mp4"][/video]
Focus On What’s Most ImportantDon’t get this confused with life balance as I mentioned earlier. Focusing on what’s most important from a business aspect comes with sacrifices. This means loss of sleep, toxic relationships, video games, partying, Netflix, etc. When you have a vision and a plan of action, the only thing stopping you is you. When you narrow in on your goals and eliminate distractions, you will start to see daily progress. This builds momentum as you begin to realize that achieving goals isn’t as complex as people make them out to be.
Schedule Your SuccessI found the most success and growth when I scheduled allotted chunks of focus time. I’ve adopted a calendar and planner to set the tone of what needs to get done. Scheduling in this focus time has allowed me to cut distractions and say no more often to things I would once give into. Start taking the time to schedule your success the week or even the night before because what gets scheduled gets done and that is the key to your breakthrough in 2016.
Set Up a RoutineDoing a lot of little things over time leads to greatness. Doing these little things over and over establishes a routine. When you have your week and days planned out you are able to function mindlessly towards your goals without having to over think. It allows you do to things when they aren’t convenient because they have become things you just do by second nature. Waking up at 4am and writing every morning wasn’t easy but it’s become a staple in my routine. Going to the gym after work and drawing at nights could be a hassle but not when it’s scheduled. These are just things you do and they make staying on track far easier then winging it each day with no plan.
Wake Up EarlyTransitioning from a night owl to an early bird has quadrupled my productivity and I wish I made the switch sooner. I feel attacking what’s most important in the morning is the most opportune time. Waking up before the world alleviates you from all the distractions. You start your day feeling productive which spills into the rest of your routine. However, working at night was difficult. You’ve had a whole day of being being pulled back and forth between things fighting for your attention — it’s tough unwind and focus when you’re trying to process everything that happened. If you’re productivity is struggling, try getting up earlier — I guarantee a huge boost in your work flow.
So what are some areas you can improve on? What’s holding you back from getting your breakthrough?It’s time to have your best year yet. Start implementing these into your life and get the breakthrough you deserve.-Are you receiving value in this post and find that you have questions in regards to finding your creative purpose? Your input and questions are what I build my content around so by joining my team, you have direct access to me for questions and advice. Your struggle will not only allow me to keep this focused on delivering targeted value, but can also help others who deal with your same issues. Let's grow together.