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Post written by Leo Babauta . “Follow your passion.” It sounds so easy. So why do so many people struggle to find the career they’re excited to wake up to every morning? Today, I held a free webinar with Jennifer Gresham, founder of the No Regrets Career Academy , called, “5 Shortcuts to Finding Your Passion.” Jen took a thoughtful look at how to “follow your passion” and find your “fire in the belly” with confidence, and shared: How to tell if your passion is career material or just a hobby Anti-passions (and why you can’t ignore them) Why passion isn’t everything The #1 mistake people make when choosing a passion Advice for the extremely passionate (do you have to choose?) Jen and I also answered a ton of questions about finding your passion. Watch the recorded videos here: Leo’s Intro Main Presentation: Jen Gresham Leo Answers Questions

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Editor’s note : This is a guest post from Michael Bungay Stanier of Box of Crayons . You’ll know Michelangelo’s comment about how he worked, so let me paraphrase: “I just carve away anything that doesn’t look like a lion, and I’m left with a lion.” In that statement is the fundamental choice at the heart of Great Work : focus on the No to become clear on the Yes; define the Yes by clarifying the No. I think it’s the essence of doing more Great Work; or at least it seems to be the critical lesson I keep needing to learn. (You do know we teach what we most need to learn, don’t you?) Here are four elusive pairs I’d like to do a better job at saying No and Yes to, and the four experiments I’m going to start to see if I can move in the right direction. 1. Saying No to Control … so I can say Yes to Freedom My very first boss was creative, prolific and a touch insane. I remember one of my early Career Limiting Moves when, in front of the whole company, I clicked into mouth-operating-before-brain mode and joked he needed to have a finger in every pie. I have become that very same person. Pies? I’ve got pies everywhere I look, way too many pies. Or perhaps it’s not enough fingers. But in any case, we – and by that I mean I – have reached a point where it can’t go on. If I haven’t dropped a ball yet, it’s only a matter of time. And hamster-in-wheel is not a job description worth much. I’m inspired by Chris Brogan whose philosophy, as I understand it, is to start something, hand it over and then get the hell out of the way. Here’s the shift in thinking that might make the difference for me. Realizing I am not Box of Crayons but that I only serve Box of Crayons. And I’m going to test that by staring one thing, something I’d normally hold on to, hand it over, move aside and see if it will be the end of the world (which has been my theory to date). How about you? Where has staying in control become your own mind-forged manacle ? 2. Saying No to Popularity … so I can say Yes to Friendship I’m not super obsessed with numbers, and in fact am pretty lousy at metrics. (I mainly go with “Is this the right mix of Great Work and Good Work?” “Am I having fun?” “Are we in the poor house?” I hope for Yes Yes No as the answers.) But the rise of new technology means that one way of spending time is hanging out in the social media mirrored rooms waving at many (Woo hoo! 14,000 people on Twitter!) but never really holding hands, looking into the eyes and having a real conversation with a few. I notice that this week, Gwen Bell is leaving Twitter and moving to Google+, because she feels it’s a place where she can create intimacy, community and digital sanctuary . And Scott Stratten , one of the Twitterati, has said his greatest mistake was to follow back blindly. My shift in thinking is to recognize it as a width vs depth thing, and see if I can find the hunger for the depth. I think it’s there somewhere. I’m going to start taking the Call a Friend option once a day to connect to people I love. You? 3. Saying No to Money … so I can say Yes to Impact For the last eighteen months I’ve been walking a fine line, working on the business that I love and that pays my bills, and working on my Great Work Project , a new book whose sale raises money for an important cause. It has been a constant struggle to give this Great Work the appropriate time and space to come together, and that’s primarily because of the seductive comfort of Good Work. Great Work, because it’s work that truly matters to me, makes me fret, gives me sweaty palms, and invites all sorts of doubt and self-sabotage. Good Work on the other hand is the relatively simple task of rolling up my sleeves and getting things done, having some fun and making some money along the way. And yet, Great Work – unsafe and uncertain as it so often is – is where I hang out on the edges of my own competence and ambition, learning what’s possible for me and for the world. Great Work is also where I can most easily invite other extraordinary people in to help me create the meaning and impact I’m hungry for in my life. The shift in thinking is to remember (and remember and remember) that Great Work projects take time and need time, and your calendar never lies about what really is most important to you. And the experiment for now is to look again at “the bottom 10%” of what I do, to see if I might say No to that in some way, to say Yes to Great Work. What is it for you? Where might you trade money (or time) for meaning? 4. Saying No to Plans … so I can say Yes to Now Truth is, I’m unlikely to ever say No to plans. I love them – which is one reason at least that I hang out with Charlie Gilkey , who’s a master at them. I’ve got plans for the week, the month, the quarter, the year. When in doubt, I pull out a piece of paper and start sketching out a plan (which, it must be said, often looks exactly like the plan I’d done two weeks earlier and then “filed” somewhere safe and forgotten about.) But it’s time to plan a little less. Leo has been talking about No Goals for a while, and (following in his footsteps as I so often do) I am becoming aware that the price I pay for planning is that I spend more time in the future and less time in the here and now. For instance, the last few months I’ve been deep in the planning of today’s book launch. The price I’ve paid is that summer has slipped by largely unnoticed. I haven’t stopped enough to feel the heat of the sun on my shoulders, to hear the ice clink in my drink on the deck, to give myself up to the swing of the hammock. And as I write this now, the first of intimations of Fall are here and I know I’ve missed a season that I won’t have back. The shift in thinking is to realize that planning comes at a cost. A price I’m willing to pay, but perhaps to pay less these days. My action is to not fill up the final months of the year, but to try to wander a little in the white space that’s there. Got any non plans? Yes is too easy But a strong Yes is hard, and say a strong Yes to the things that really matter is harder still. So rather than starting with the Yes, start with the No. Get to the heart of the choice you want to make, then design your own experiments to see what might be possible. ? Michael’s Great Work Project is End Malaria a collection of essays on Great Work from 62 brilliant people and where $20 from every book sold goes to Malaria No More.

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Post written by Leo Babauta . I’m often asked how you can start doing work you love — how you can make a living doing something you’re passionate about. I don’t profess to have all the answers, but the answer for me has been fairly simple: Do one thing really well. People want a more comprehensive answer than that, but in my experience, if you learn to do this, the rest will follow. I write about simplicity. That’s all I do. Over the last 4 1/2 years of writing Zen Habits I’ve found success by focusing on that alone, and stripping away everything else that gets in the way. I’ve removed comments, I don’t do much social media (except for fun), I don’t do much email, I don’t sell ads, I don’t do consulting. I write about simplicity. By doing this one thing over and over, I’ve gotten much better at it. Good enough, anyway, for people to want to read my work, and as the audience for my work has grown, so have the opportunities to make a living in a non-spammy way. The ways I monetize (print books, ebooks, online courses) are less important than how I’ve grown the audience. Do one thing well. It’s really that simple. Narrow down what you do, and do it repeatedly. Learn, grow, improve, read, watch, do it some more. When you’re really good at that one thing, people will want to pay you for it, or to learn how you do it. It takes a lot of focus and practice to get good at doing one thing, but I’ve found that if you truly love it, it’s not really work. It’s play. And I never complain about playing at something I love. — Tweet

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‘Fear makes us feel our humanity.’ ~Benjamin Disraeli Post written by Leo Babauta . The moment my first daughter Chloe was born, I was filled with an overpowering joy — she was a living miracle! I was also filled with soul-trembling fear — here was a fragile new life, entrusted into my incompetent hands. It was overwhelming, this mixture of two powerful emotions. I call it Joyfear. Copyright pending . I discovered this word in an exercise on Sunday at the World Domination Summit during a talk by the amazing Andrea Scher and Jen Lemen of Mondo Beyondo (check out their site, it’s awesome). During the exercise I came up with the word and wrote it on my arm. Joyfear. It turns out that the birth of each of my kids was filled with Joyfear. And it turns out every single defining moment in my life has been filled with Joyfear, with a mixture of intense joy and intense fear into one ball of powerful emotions that both lift me up and make me see things clearly when I hadn’t before. My first marathon was filled with Joyfear (actually every marathon had it). I felt Joyfear when I quit my day job and became self-employed. Joyfear was there when I fell in love with my wife and then when I married her, when I moved my entire family with absolutely nothing to San Francisco last year, when I published my first book, and in a smaller way every time I create something new and put it out into the world to be judged. Having only joy is great. Having only fear sucks. But having both … that’s life-defining. Do not shy away from Joyfear. Seek it out. Recognize it when you happen upon it. Joyfear will change your life, and you’ll never forget the moment you find it. — Tweet

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Post written by Leo Babauta . It’s one of the most prevalent myths of our culture: self discipline. The myth is larger than life. Benjamin Franklin had it, with his waking early, his virtues checklist and his daily reflection. The best athletes have it, with the discipline to train harder than anyone else to win the gold. My readers often think that I am more disciplined, after reading My Story and the list of habits and accomplishments I’ve achieved, from exercise to waking early to saving money. It’s all a myth. I’m hoping that if you accept that it’s a myth, you’ll be released from the guilt of not being disciplined, you’ll be empowered to create the habits you want without the need of the mythical discipline. Why Discipline is a Myth I’ve written about the illusion of discipline for almost 4 1/2 years now (see my old posts on the topic ), but it’s necessary to revisit the topic now and then. Especially when I read otherwise excellent posts still spreading the myth. So I need to put an end to this myth right now. Here’s the thing — discipline sounds like a perfectly valid concept, until you dig a little deeper. Consider the first line of the post I linked to above: Discipline is not a mystery. Except that it is. What is discipline? How much of it do you have? How do you get more of it? If by practice, how do you practice if you don’t have any in the first place? If you don’t feel like doing something, how do you use discipline to force yourself to do it? I’ve had many conversations with people who believe strongly in the myth of discipline. It usually goes something like this: Me : What is discipline, exactly? How is it different than motivation (which is a set of actions we can actually do)? Friend : Motivation is like pulling you toward something, making yourself want to do it. Discipline is pushing you to do something, making yourself do something you don’t want to do. Me : OK, so if I have no discipline, how do I get it? Friend : You practice. It’s a muscle that gets stronger as you practice. Me : How do I practice if I have no discipline? Friend : Just do something small, then keep practicing over and over. Me : But it takes discipline to do that. What specific action do I take to make myself do something if I don’t want to do it? Friend : You push yourself to do it anyway. Me : But that takes discipline that I don’t have. OK, let’s say I’m sitting on the couch and I want to go out and run, or get up and write. How do I make myself do that? What specific action do I take? Friend : Hmmm. You visualize about the end result, something that you want. Me : That’s a motivation action, not a discipline action. Friend : OK. Then you set up rewards. No, that’s motivation. Hmmm. You psyche yourself up and tell yourself you can do it. No, that’s motivation too. You tell people you’re going to do it. No, motivation too. You focus on the enjoyable aspects of it … or, maybe you only do the things you like doing. No, those are motivation things. Huh. Every single specific action you can take to make yourself do something is motivation. Not discipline. And that’s why discipline is a myth. It might sound good, but it’s not a useful concept. When it comes to taking specific actions to make yourself do something, the only things you can do are motivation. Not discipline. I’ve challenged people to come up with a discipline action that isn’t motivation for years now, and no one has done it. If you’re interested in learning about motivation, I’ve written a book about it . Build Habits for Consistency When people talk about wanting discipline in their lives, they usually mean they want to be more consistent at something. Maybe that’s exercise, or meditation, or writing, or some other creative activity, or finances, or eating, or productivity at work. These are all doable without the concept of discipline. What you want is to build habits instead. Habits are not well understood by most, which is why I’ve created The Habit Course . In the course, I explore the concept of triggers, positive and negative feedback loops, consistency, motivation, accountability, support, and other things that help form habits. But none of these are nebulous concepts. They are all specific actions you can take to form a habit. If you want to be consistent about something, take the actions necessary to make it a habit. Start small at first, so you can successfully build the habit. Once it’s ingrained as an actual habit (which can take anywhere from a couple weeks to a couple months), you can expand on it from there. Habits are the key to consistency. Not discipline. And I can attest: once you’ve built a consistent, positive habit, it’s a wonderful thing. You feel disciplined, and strong, and good, even if you’re a living embodiment of a myth. It’s kinda like how the Greek gods must feel. — Mythical Tweet — The Habit Course : By the way, there’s just one more day to sign up for my new course . Deadline to register is midnight Eastern on Sunday, May 22, 2011.

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“The people who are the hardest to love are the ones who need it the most.” ~Peaceful Warrior Editor’s Note : This is a guest post from Celestine Chua of  The Personal Excellence Blog . Have you ever dealt with negative people before? If you have, you will know that the experience can be quite a downer. I used to have an ex-colleague who was very negative. In our conversations, she would complain endlessly about her co-workers, her work and her life. She was also very cynical about people in general, often doubting their intentions. Talking to her wasn’t a pleasant experience at all. The first time we had a meeting, I felt very drained. Even though we talked for only 20-30 minutes, I didn’t have the mood or energy to do anything after our conversation. It felt as if someone had sucked the life out of me, and it wasn’t until 2-3 hours later that the effect wore off. The same thing happened the next few times we talked. Because she was so pessimistic, her negative energy often spilled over after the conversation, leaving me with a bad taste in my mouth. For a period of time, I was quite bothered by her. I would avoid speaking to her if I could. After a while, I figured I needed to work out an action plan to deal with negative people. After all, she was not going to be the only negative person I was going to encounter in my life. I thought: “For every 1 negative person I face now, there are probably thousands of them out there whom I’ll meet one day. If I learn how to deal with her effectively, I will be able to handle other negative people next time.” With this in mind, I then brainstormed on the best approach to handle negative people. Eventually, I developed several key steps to deal with negative people effectively. These steps have proven very helpful in making the best out of my relationships with them. While the people I face today are generally more positive, these steps come in handy when I’ve to deal with a negative person. If there’s someone negative in your life at the moment, don’t let yourself be affected by him/her. You’re not alone in your problem – I face negative people as well and dealing with them is always a learning experience. While people can try to get you down, you’ve a choice in how you react to them. Here, I’d like to share my 7 tips on how you can deal with negative people: Tip #1: Don’t Engage in the Negativity One thing I found is negative people tend to harp on the bad things and ignore the positive stuff. They also have a tendency to exaggerate issues they are facing, making their predicament seem a lot worse than it actually is. The first time you converse with a negative individual, provide a listening ear and offer help if needed. Provide support – let him/her know he/she is not alone. However, be sure to draw a line somewhere. If the person keeps harping on the same problems even after the first few conversations, then it’s a sign to disengage. For starters, try to switch topics. If he/she goes into a negative swirl, let him/her continue, but don’t engage in the negativity. Give a simple reply, such as “I see” or “Okay”. Whereas if he/she is being positive, reply in affirmation and enthusiasm. When you do it often enough, he/she will soon realize what’s going on, and will start to be more positive in his/her communication. Tip #2: Hang Out In Groups Speaking to a negative person can be extremely draining. When I spoke to my negative co-worker, I would be mentally drained for several hours, even though we talked for only 20-30 minutes. That was because I was on the receiving end of all her negativity. To address this, have someone else around when conversing with the negative individual. In fact, the more people, the better. This way, the negative energy is divided between you and the other members, and you don’t have to bear the full brunt of the negative energy. The plus point of having someone else around is that people bring out a different side to an individual. By having another party around, it may bring out a more positive side in the negative person. I experienced this before and it helped me to see the “negative” individual in a different, more positive light. Tip #3: Objectify the Comments Made Negative people can be quite critical at times. They tend to drop insensitive comments that are hurtful, especially if they are directed at you. For example, I once had a friend who was quite tactless. She would drop jarring comments which were dismissive and critical. Initially I was bothered by her words, wondering why she had to be so critical every time she spoke. I also wondered if there was something wrong with me – that perhaps I wasn’t good enough. However, when I observed her interactions with our common friends, I realized she did this to them too. Her comments were not personal attacks – it was just her being the way she was. Recognize that the negative person usually means no harm – he/she is just caught up in his/her negativity. Start by learning  how to deal with critical comments . Objectify the comments made – Rather than take his/her words personally, recognize that he/she is just offering a point of view. Sieve out the underlying message and see if there is anything you can learn from what he/she said. Tip #4: Go with Lighter Topics Some negative people are triggered by certain topics. For example, one of my friends turns into a self-victimizer whenever we talk about work. No matter what what I say, he’ll keep complaining about everything in his job, which becomes quite a conversation dampener. If the person is deeply entrenched in his/her negativity, the unhappiness may be too deeply rooted to address in a one-off conversation. Bring in a new topic to lighten the mood. Simple things like new movies, daily occurrences, common friends, hobbies, happy news, make for light conversation. Keep it to areas the person feels positive towards. Tip #5: Be Mindful of the Time You Spend With Them As Jim Rohn puts it – “You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with”. What this quote means is that who you spend your time with has an impact on the person you eventually become. I find it to be very true. Think about the times you hang out with negative people – Do you feel more positive or negative after that? Same for positive people – How do you feel after spending some time with them? Whenever I’ve an encounter with negative people, I’d often feel negative after that, like a bad aftertaste. Whereas with positive people, I’d feel extremely upbeat and exuberant. Clearly, there is a spill over effect that takes place even after the interaction! By spending more time with negative people, your thoughts and emotions will slowly become negative too. At first it might be temporary, but over time it’ll slowly become ingrained in you. If you feel certain people in your life are negative, then be conscious of how much time you’re spending with them. I recommend to limit the duration where you can help it. For example, if they want to hang out with you but you don’t enjoy their company,  learn to say no . If it’s a meeting or phone call, set a limit to how long you want it to be. Keep to the objective of the discussion, and don’t let it extend beyond that time. Tip #6: Identify Areas You Can Make a Positive Change Negative people are negative because they lack love, positivity and warmth. A lot of times, their negative behavior is a barrier they erect to protect themselves from the world. One of the best ways you can help a negative individual is to usher positivity into his/her life. Think about what’s bothering the person at the moment, and think about how you can help him/her in your own way. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate, and you definitely don’t have to go out of the way to help if you don’t want to. The key here is to be sincere in your desire to help, and to show him/her the upsides in life. A while back, I had a friend who was unhappy with her job, due to the stagnating environment and culture mismatch. There was a job opportunity that arose in my (now former) workplace, so I introduced that opportunity to my friend. She eventually got the job, and she has been working there for over 3 years now, and doing very well. Today, she’s a lot happier, forward-looking and proactive in life. She’s definitely a lot more positive than she was a few years ago. While I do not take any credit for what she has carved for herself in her career, I feel very happy knowing that I helped in a small way at the right time. Likewise, there’s always something you can do for others too – keep a look out and help where you can. Just a small act on your part may well make a huge difference in their lives. Tip #7: Drop Them From Your Life If all else fails, reduce contact with them or drop them from your life. Rather than spend your time with negative people, focus on the positive people instead. In the past, I spent a lot of time with negative people, trying to help them with their issues. It drained up a lot of my energy and was often futile, which led me to rethink my methods. Ever since then, I worked on cultivating positivity by hanging out with positive friends and business partners. This has turned out to be a lot more rewarding and fruitful. Remember that your life is yours to lead, and it’s up to you on how you want it to be. If there are negative people who make you feel bad about yourself, work on those issues with the 7 steps above. With the right actions, you can create a dramatic difference in what you get out of your relationships. Celestine Chua writes at  The Personal Excellence Blog on how to achieve our highest potential in life. Read her readers’ favorite  101 Inspiring Quotes of All Time and get her  free ebooks here . — The Habit Course Just a reminder: There are only a few days left to sign up for The Habit Course , my new course on how to create powerful habits for life. Last day to register is Sunday (May 22, 2011). We have a slew of experts helping the course members learn the skill of forming new habits, and $317 in excellent bonus ebooks and courses. Check it out, along with the recording of my free habits webinar at the bottom of The Habit Course website .

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‘As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world – that is the myth of the atomic age – as in being able to remake ourselves.’ ~Gandhi Post written by Leo Babauta . Just being in the same room as greatness inspires you to new levels of the possible. Recently on my trip to Paris I (of course) visited the Louvre and found myself for the first time in the same room with the Mona Lisa. Now, for many people this is a moving experience, but the man who painted that piece of work is the man I was named after. It was a remarkable moment for me. It was as if the roomful of tourists faded away until there was nothing but me and Mona. In some ways it’s not that different a painting — there were more realistic works in the same room — but as I stared at her face I became electrified. The more I realized this was one of the most famous faces in history, the more I looked into her knowing eyes … the more I felt moved by her greatness. I wanted to rush out and make something. To create, at that moment. And that’s just one tiny example of how being in the presence of greatness can transform us. How to Find Greatness Sometimes if you write to a great author living nearby, she’ll agree to have coffee with you. I went to a book reading/signing by one of my favorite sci-fi authors, William Gibson last year and felt inspired. I go to the public library … and am surrounded by Tolstoy, Shakespeare, Joyce, Fitzgerald, Emma Goldman, Bertrand Russell, Cervantes, Kant, Plato … an endless list of greats. A personal panel of greatness, urging me to create, urging me to be better. I read the columns of Paul Krugman (the most important blogger in America), the musings of Scott Adams , The Last Post by Derek K. Miller. On the web, you can find greatness in the oddest corners. I watch championship games in sports (including watching the Giants live in the World Series!), where the best athletes in the world will lift themselves up to accomplish feats of greatness. I look for it in the people around me — someone creating an amazing experience using tea , someone helping others find their dreams , my wife quitting her day job to homeschool our kids, people giving up cars in favor of bikes … greatness is all around us! You learn to see greatness when you happen upon it, and that is a true gift. It’s not just in famous people, but in commoners like us. If you learn to look. If you recognize it for greatness, and then use it to move you. And soon, you use the greatness all around you to reach for greatness yourself. And eventually, you realize that you’re always in the presence of greatness … because the greatness is within you. And learning that? That’s the greatest gift ever. — tweet chariots — My Free Webinar on Habits Success Please join me for a free webinar on how to use habits to change your life, and why most people fail at creating habits — the webinar will be on Monday (May 16, 2011) at 9 p.m. EDT. In the webinar, I’ll share with you: My story, and how I’ve used habits to change my life How to use habits to achieve any goal Why most people fail at creating habits A Simple Method for creating new habits And I’ll answer your habit questions in a Q&A at the end Join me in the webinar at 9 p.m. EDT on Monday May 16, 2011.

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“It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward.” – Old Chinese proverb Editor’s note : This is a guest post from Scott McIntyre of Vivid Ways . Think big. Live to the max. Change the world. All worthwhile aims, I’m sure you’ll agree. These high-flying statements are meant to encourage us to achieve great things with our lives. But, rather than being an inspiration, do such huge goals just leave you feeling overwhelmed instead? Sadly, many of us never begin developing new habits because we think a positive outcome will take too much effort. Or else, after we do start to improve our lifestyle, we give up far too soon because we don’t get what we want fast enough. It’s easy to be daunted by the size of the challenge ahead. I know what it’s like. For 15 long years, I tried again and again to lose weight and get fit. Eventually, I managed to shift nearly 100 pounds – and revamp other aspects of my life – once I realized the most effective way to tackle change is to view it with a small-scale perspective. Perhaps you’re struggling right now because you’ve set yourself targets that are difficult to reach, however hard you work. Maybe you’re focusing on the distant end result and are about to quit at any moment. If so, you could benefit from thinking small to help you transform your life. I’d like to share my experiences in the hope that you will do exactly that. Taking On Too Much “Think big!” may be the war cry of trail-blazing entrepreneurs but, surprisingly, it could be a limiting attitude for you to adopt straightaway. On countless occasions, I was full of hope that I’d finally be able to establish a brand new healthy way of living. I planned to deal with a wide range of habits all at the same time: low fat eating; better food preparation; more exercise, and so on. Inevitably, after a few days or weeks (sometimes just hours), I’d ditch the changes and return to my old unhealthy behaviors, Later on, I realized the problem was that I was taking on more than was feasible and expecting quick success. Overloading yourself with a variety of objectives is a surefire recipe for failure. I discovered that the best solution is to focus on only one habit at a time and to follow it slowly. Break Down the Big Stuff For me, the stumbling blocks to success were that I allowed myself to be overcome by the size of the task and how long it would take to get there. What really helped was to break down the overall journey into smaller steps and to stop looking as far into the future. Before you can achieve something in life, you need to decide precisely what it is you want. It could be you intend to stop smoking; improve your fitness; give up gambling; get a new job, or whatever. Avoid being vague when stating your ideal end result. The more detailed the description of what success looks like from the start, the better you’ll be able to divide it up into little steps. Ask yourself why you want this result . It’s extremely valuable to know these reasons because they will keep you motivated during what could be a lengthy journey ahead. Any reason is valid if it matters to you. Write every one down – you can make withdrawals from this ‘motivation bank’ when the going gets tough. Decide on an overall time frame . It’s essential that you set a realistic time frame for achieving your end result. If you set impossible deadlines, there’s a very strong chance you’ll fall short. On the other hand, if you have no end date in mind, you’ll be tempted to use delaying tactics and never get there. Once you have a clearly defined idea of the what, why and how long of your end result, you can break down the entire process. Here are a few tips to do this: 1. Pinpoint the steps involved . Let’s say, for example, that your end result is to get a job as a teacher in 5 years time. Ask yourself what individual steps are needed to get there. Are specific qualifications and experience required? How can you gain these skills? What can you do to study or re-train? Come up with all the steps you can think of. The purpose of this exercise is to flesh out what is still a large aim into smaller, detailed steps. Each one represents a stepping stone towards achieving your end result. 2. Create a pint-sized action plan . Think of the steps as actions. Once you understand what actions are needed to achieve your end result, you can pull these together into a plan. In my case, the end result was “to lose 100 pounds in 18 months”. In order to accomplish this, I had to be a lot more precise about the actions to take. These included cutting down on junk food, eating more fruit and veg, and preparing healthier meals. 3. Set mini targets and daily/ weekly tasks . When you create your action plan, work out a series of targets you believe it’s possible to reach on the way to your end result. For example, a healthy weight loss of between 1 and 2 pounds per week is advised. Although the big target was 100 pounds, I was much more able to comprehend the mini weekly target of one and a half pounds. Decide what you need to have done in six, three and one months’ time to achieve your end result. Then break it down into monthly and weekly chunks, and from here you can set yourself simple daily and weekly tasks that are easily reached. 4. Keep on track . If the mini target for a given week isn’t achieved, don’t despair. The small-scale approach is so flexible that it allows you to make instant changes. On a weekly basis, ask yourself what happened and whether you could do anything differently? Carry over the shortfall to the following week and tweak your daily and weekly tasks accordingly. Keep on completing these small-scale tasks and meeting the mini targets, and the end result will be well within your grasp. 5. Forget the long-term . Get into the habit of ignoring the end date, and try to stop dwelling on what’s to come in the future. Don’t worry – you already considered the overall task and how long it would take when you set the mini targets and the daily/ weekly tasks. Now you can put the long-term view to one side, and really pay attention to achieving these smaller, shorter-term targets and tasks. 6. Adjust your steps . Along the way, you might find that what you’re trying isn’t as effective as you hoped. Or, other factors – such as job and family commitments – could affect your focus. Be ready to tweak your targets and tasks, when necessary. It’s perfectly ok to revisit and revise them to ease the load. Better to pace yourself than be stressed out. 7. Celebrate the little wins . One success leads to another, so use all your wins to spur you on. As each milestone is passed triumphantly, it’ll boost your motivation and you’ll gain a renewed confidence in your abilities. Reward yourself with something which makes you feel amazing – a new pair of jeans, a trip to the park with your kids, a relaxing homemade spa day. Treat yourself to anything which reinforces your resolve to reach the end. It needn’t cost a penny. 8. Resist the urge to supersize . It’s human nature to want results fast. At times, you might be tempted to rush at things and bite off more than you can chew, ending up back at square one. If you’re tempted to give up, refer to your ‘motivation bank’ of reasons why you want the end result. Be determined and concentrate on only the current stage of your journey, and not on what’s next. Reflect on how far you’ve come and what a waste it would be to throw in the towel. Balancing Grand Ambitions with Manageability Some folk will tell you that it shows a lack of ambition to go for lifestyle change on a smaller scale. They prefer to adopt an all-or-nothing mindset, believing it’s a sign of weakness to be slow and steady in your approach. That’s fine … let them take on the whole world, while you manage your habits on your own terms. True, in order for us to grow, we’ve got to be prepared to stretch ourselves. But, there’s a fine balance to be struck between reachable and impossible goals, as they apply to you alone . Not everyone wants (or is able) to cope with overly ambitious goals, so don’t feel under pressure due to anyone else’s expectations. There’s no escaping the fact that long-lasting lifestyle change requires an investment of your time and effort, as well as a pinch of patience. You can, however, make the road to achieving great things less intimidating when you break down the end result into many smaller steps. You’ll feel fantastic when you finally complete the journey. Read more articles from Scott McIntyre on colorful living – and how ordinary people can do great things – by subscribing to the Vivid Ways feed . You can also add color to your life by signing up for the free Vivid Ways newsletter .

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‘Men must live and create. Live to the point of tears.’ ~Albert Camus Post written by Leo Babauta . It’s amazing how many people I talk to who tell me they want to create a new blog, write a book, start a new business, change careers, make something new. But they keep putting it off. Does that sound familiar? You’ve been wanting to do something different, but you don’t have the time (or maybe the energy) right now? A million things on your to-do list, a schedule packed full, meetings that keep coming up. You’ll get to your Big Thing, but later. There’s all the time in the world to do it later, right? That time will never come. Not if you don’t create that time yourself. Seize the bull by the horns, grasp it tenaciously, never let it go. Time has a habit of trampling over us, so softly we don’t even notice but so powerfully we become crushed over the course of weeks and years. I had two jobs, six kids and marathon training going on when I created Zen Habits. There was no time, but I put up a single blog post. The next day I did two posts, even though I had no time. That month I did about 30 posts (not all are still online), despite there being no time. I had no time, so I created it. Time is often said to be our most limited resource, but it’s not true. We can create time. It takes the sheer force of will to do it, but it can be created. Time doesn’t fall into your lap. It isn’t handed to you by a kindly old gentleman. You must create it, taking from the world the raw materials you need and shaping it with your bare dirty blistered hands, pushing the clay into form from its shapeless muddy glob. I had no time to create Zen Habits, and yet today it stands, alive and breathing with pattering heart. I created the time, taking some from television watching, some from meetings, some from saying no to the endless requests on my time by co-workers and wellmeaning friends, some from other important projects that I put off. I put off important things to create time for The Most Important Thing. I said no to others I cared about to say yes to the thing I needed to make. Say no to everything else. Put off what can be held at bay for the time being. And create time for what is necessary. Make something. Bring new creative life into the world, change the lives of others, and in doing so, change yours. You have the power to create time, and the will to create. Don’t squander it, my friend. — create a tweet — Read more about creating and un-procrastination in Leo’s book, The Little Guide to Un-Procrastination .

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‘There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth…not going all the way, and not starting.’ ~Buddha Post written by Leo Babauta . How do you start something new? Whether it’s beginning an exercise program, getting going with a task you want to complete, or creating a new business or product from scratch — how do you get started? It’s one of the most intimidating things. It’s the lack of starting that kills most tasks and projects. Procrastination is putting off the start. Your new venture gets put off because the start is too hard. How I Started When I started Zen Habits, I had no idea how to start. I looked at other blogs and it was intimidating what they’d accomplished: not only thousands of readers but hundreds of articles, a killer blog design, their own domain name, all kinds of services and ebooks and T-shirts and other things going on. I couldn’t do all that — I had a job (two actually) and a family with six kids. So I skipped it all and did one thing: I chose a random name that felt right, and created a free account on blogger. That was incredibly easy, and I felt great. Then I did one more thing: I did a short post reflecting on some things I’d been doing. Basically just a journal entry. I was out in the world for the first time! This was my start. It wasn’t hard — in fact, so easy I couldn’t refuse to start. Eventually I did all the things everyone else did, but that came later. At the start, I did just one thing, and then another. Start a Task If you read my Un-Procrastination ebook , you know how easy it was to read. Short chapters, easy reading, you could be done in a short amount of time. I purposely made it easy, so you wouldn’t procrastinate. But then someone said, “It’s easier to read the book than implement it!” Too true. Unless you make it even easier to get started. How do you start on a task when you’re procrastinating because it’s too hard? You make it super easy. First, pick a task. Is that too hard? Randomly choose one, to make it easy on yourself. If you’ve picked a task and it seems too hard to get started, make it even easier: just do one minute. If that’s too hard, just do 20 seconds. That’s so easy you can’t say no . Whatever the task, if you’re procrastinating, make it easier. The key is to just get started. If you want to go beyond the 20 seconds, keep going. If not, do another 20 seconds after you’ve taken a break and wiped the hard-earned sweat off your brow. Start a Habit How do you start a habit? Some people have no trouble starting — it’s the sticking-to-it that’s hard. But others have been wanting to do something for years and just can’t get into it. Either way, you want to start as easy as possible. Starting is the key to a habit. If you don’t start, you won’t ever make it a habit. So make it as easy as possible. Want to exercise? Just lace up your shoes and get out the door. Even just 5 minutes is all you need. What if you want to do much more, because you’re excited? Don’t. Start as simply as possible. Why? Because the sticking-to-it is made much, much easier if you are doing a tiny habit. Try forming the habit of running for 30 minutes a day, and then try the habit of 5 minutes of running a day. Which do you stick with longer? I can already tell you the answer: the easy one. If you want a habit to stick, start so incredibly simply that you can’t fail. Later, you can iterate on the habit until it’s at the level you really want. But start easy. Start a New Venture You’re finally ready to channel your powerful creative energy into a new project. Not just an ordinary work project, but one that will be a new venture for you — one that will start a new business, a new life, and make your mark upon this dense earth. But you’re putting it off. There’s too much to be done, and you’re already busy. It’s intimidating to get started. Start as simply as humanly possible. How simple can you make this new business? How simple can you make the product? Make it even simpler. Let your new business or product do just one thing. And then make it do less of that one thing. Sure, later you can iterate and add a feature or two, but as you get started, do as little as possible. You won’t be able to start, and in the start is everything. It is where new worlds are created, new journeys begun, new lives born. ‘There are two kinds of people, those who finish what they start and so on.’ ~Robert Byrne — Tweet Start

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