Rule #1 for Living a Super-Charged Life

I was reading “Can a Book Really Change Your Life?” on LifeRemix and started thinking about the books I have read and the impact they have had on me. As Tony points out in the article, a book cannot change your life. I love books and reading. Books inspire me, but inspiration is not action. YOU are the only one that can really change your life. The book may serve as a spark. It may provide you with a framework for achieving the results you desire, but until you decide to take action nothing will happen.

I am convinced from personal experience that the first step in getting what you want is to write it down. I don’t really know why, but there is something powerful about writing down your goals, dreams, desires, wants, prayer requests, etc. Whatever it is that you call what you want, write it down. I make a simple list in a notebook that I keep around for capturing ideas, thoughts, plans, etc. I write down what I want to do or accomplish and assign it a due date. I review and mark things off the list as I complete them. I think there are a few advantages to this approach:

1. It creates a definiteness of purpose. You wrote it down so you plan to do it.
2. It helps to keep you mindful of your most important objectives.
3. It builds confidence by creating a historical list of accomplishments.

Let me be clear about a few things regarding this list. It is not a to-do list of daily tasks. It is separate. This is a list of your most important goals. Keep it brief. I do not add more then 10 or 12 items to my list at any one time. I don’t necessarily refer to it everyday, but I do go back to it regularly. I use this list to keep my life on track. Do not use this list to beat yourself up. If something you put on the list doesn’t get done by the due date you assigned, then simply adjust the due date. Occasionally, I even take things off my list without ever accomplishing them. Goals change. Situations change. I change what I want. You control the list. Do not let the list control you.

I want to say that I didn’t create this technique. It is a synthesis of ideas that I have accumulated from numerous books. A few that you might want to consider are listed in the right-hand column. These are some of the all-time classics of success books. In addition, check out their websites: Brian Tracy, Napoleon Hill Foundation, As a Man Thinketh (free e-book), and Nightingale Conant. Now take action and make your list!