When you think of your dreams, what thoughts come up for you? Do you feel joy, excitement, motivation, anxiety, dread, overwhelm? Wherever you are on your journey, we’ve all been in a place in our lives where we may have felt stuck or so consumed with our dreams that we feel directionless + like we don’t know where or how to get started. This may result in us staying stagnant, unable to move forward with anything we’ve had planned for ourselves.
To other go-getters who seem to have a handle on how to execute their plans and dreams this may come off as lazy. I used to think that a lack of direction meant that I was lazy, but later I learned that that wasn’t true. I had ambition and vision. For those who are visionaries, we are typically the kind of people who are able to see the big picture of our purpose, but have difficulty creating productive, quality goals that will align with our vision. Laziness, doesn’t exist. It’s essentially a lack of motivation and fear that keeps us stifled. We come up with a number of excuses as to why we can’t move forward with something, i.e: “what if it won’t work?” “I don’t have the tools or the resources” “what if I actually succeed?” and my personal favorite, being afraid to do the work. The bible says “Faith Without Works is Dead” - James 2:14 meaning that you have to put action behind your dreams, your belief and vision can only take you so far.
A few weeks back on Instagram, Will Smith dropped a few gems about self-discipline and material success. He shared a story about a man who came up to him, enthusiastically, saying he wanted to be an actor just like Will. Will gave him an encouraging word but later thought and then shared “99% of people who say stuff like that are not willing to do what it takes to make their dreams come true. The marines have a saying “everyone wants to go heaven but nobody wants to die” and that’s just real. At the center of bringing any dream into fruition is self-discipline. Something as simple as food and eating- it’s not about your body and more about your mind, it’s getting command of your mind to be able to choose actions that are in your best interests. Everyday we are choosing shit that is not in our own best interest. So if the world is attacking you and the world wants to fight you and hold you down so you gon’ kick yourself in the balls? you’re going to stop yourself from getting what you dream? Self-discipline is the center for all material success. You can’t win the war against the world if you can’t win the war against your own mind”. Woo, that was a word!
Here are a few ways to boost your productivity and increase your self discipline”
WRITE OUT YOUR GOALS: Often times we are unable to get things done because we have too many thoughts, plans, and miscellaneous tasks to accomplish during our day with work, family, school, and extra curricular activities that we lose sight of the bigger picture. Get clear about what you want out of this life, who you want to be, and where you want to go and then write it down and make it plain.
IDENTIFY YOUR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES: We all like to see ourselves in a positive light, but we are all flawed, evolving, human beings. Critical analysis of oneself can be necessary and beneficial. Don’t think of it as being negative about yourself, but as an exercise to practice self reflection. What areas of your life can you improve in? What are some habits that are holding you back from being your best self and accomplishing the goals you’ve set? For example: if you are chronically late, and it’s affecting your personal or professional relationships, that could be a “weakness” that can be improved by planning your days better
ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS: We live in an age where distractions are within arms reach at all times. In a world of technology overload, it’s very easy to pick up our phones and scroll on Instagram, binge watch Youtube videos, or refresh your Facebook feed for hours on end to avoid doing what we need to. We do these things out of habit, but bad habits can be broken. If technology is a distraction for you, try deleting your apps or turning your phone off for a few hours to allow for optimal focus and productivity.
Humans are wired to only process about one to two tasks at a time. Multitasking is a fallacy and is actually proven to be less effective than one may think. Try focusing your attention on one task at a time, and give it all that you have. Take breaks frequently to give yourself time to recalibrate, which fosters an increase in focus and energy. We are all capable of achieving the lives we dream for ourself. It all starts with a clear, positive, can-do mindset.
JAHMILA SMITH
Contributing Writer & PrettiPassionate Member