CHANGE ONE THING TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE:
I made a mistake- of trying to change many things- setting very ambitious goals- going to the gym; organizing my work; writing my blog; waking up early; going to Ladakh; mentoring students; winning a speech contest etc etc.
Every goal failed. I just blundered up doing too much, got overwhelmed and let it all sink back. Except one. I was going through some health issues and working out seemed to help. So I kept making time to go to the gym. ONE THING. No matter what, no matter how tired, I kept doing that one thing. Same time. Consistently.
My life changed, slowly but surely- professionally and personally.
- Organization & Time Management: I had to wake up 30–45 minutes early to pack my gym bag and this led to a ripple effect with every other agenda on the day. I went to sleep earlier as I was tired after a strenuous workout in the evenings. I had to get stuff done and organized or delegated so I would make the gym timings and not have to work after.
- Productivity: Working out gave me a lot more energy and my mood improved. I began to work faster and harder and creative ideas popped up while running on the treadmill.
- Clarity/Priorities: Gymming can be repetitive and non-challenging intellectually- that’s why it always gives you time to think and chart out other stuff mentally. Also, I needed to prioritise important work and complete it so I could get that two hours in a more relaxed frame of mind.
- Healthy eating: After exercise, I felt squeamish and too much in pain to bother about eating out. The very simple home food seemed appealing by necessity and slowly it became a choice. Win Win! :)
- Work/Life Balance: Calm and peace came back as I got my ‘me-time’. Stress levels reduced and I didn’t feel the need to compulsively check my mobile every half hour, bored out of my mind. I regained focus and clarity and could work more at home, with more energy.
- Self Esteem & Finances: Odd man out. Most important side effect though. Earlier, I was constantly stressed and did everything compulsively- eating; shopping; TV series watching; social media. Since I changed that one thing, I grew happier and my mood improved. My self esteem went up as I lost the rogue kgs. I spent less on fast food and impulsive buying and this helped my finances.
You can witness this ripple effect too. Change one thing in your life. Either wake up early everyday or start running or go offline for half the day. Have the discipline to go through that one thing and you will definitely go through the rest.