Alain de Botton once said, “Anyone who isn’t embarrassed of who they were last year probably isn’t learning enough.”
Of course, most people probably aren’t embarrassed of who they were last year. They haven’t been learning enough. They haven’t evolved and gone to the next level of their life — spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally.
However, if you’re someone who’s accidentally slipped into a plateau, how can you know when you’re finally ready to go to the next level?
This article will explore the 7 awakenings that happen. Here we go.
1. You’ll Begin to Resent Your Current Use of Time
At first, a crucial yet simple awakening happens; you realize that the way you’re living your life isn’t you.
You’re off track. The habits and behaviors you currently keep aren’t congruent with the values and standards you hold for yourself.
Often, you’ll catch yourself mindlessly slipping into habitual behaviors and feel sickened with resentment. As bestselling author, Darren Hardy writes,
“Nothing creates more stress than when our actions and behaviors aren’t congruent with our values.”
However, this is exactly what you need. If there was no resistance, you wouldn’t be able to grow. It’s these feelings of discomfort and resentment that tell you it’s time to finally go to the next level.
As Jerry Weintraub writes, “As soon as you feel comfortable that’s when It’s time to start over.”
2. You’ll Shift Your Focus Back to Your Big Picture Dreams Rather than Short-Term Distractions
The next pivotal shift is you gaining clarity again.
You’ve realized that your current priorities are a reflection of your short-term wants like comfort, entertainment, or pleasure at the expense of your longer-term goals and vision.
Therefore, you shift your focus back to connecting with your WHY, your values, and your true goals.
In a moment of clarity, you’ve seen and felt what your life would be like if you let go of the behaviors and people holding you back.
This new burst of vision fuels you with the hope and excitement to keep marching towards the life you seek to create. As Dr. Benjamin P. Hardy writes,
“Your life and behavior immediately shift when you begin imagining a different future and stridently striving for it.”
3. You’ll Create An Environment That Matches Your Vision
“If you’re truly committed to something, you will shape the circumstances which support your commitment. You’ll let go of even things you once loved, which contradict the ambitions you truly want.” -Benjamin P. Hardy
When you’re serious about taking your life to the next, you stop playing around. You stop allowing silly little distractions and inconsiderate people to pull you from your path.
More and more, you’re seeing the truth of Cal Newport’s words all over your life: “Clarity about what matters provides clarity about what does not.”
Thus, if something doesn’t add to your life, then you just get rid of it. The foods in your cupboards, apps on your phone, and friends in your life start to look very intentional.
4. You’ll Start Crushing The Fundamentals
“People do not decide their futures, they decide their habits and their habits decide their futures.” -F. Matthias Alexander
For months or years, the compound effect has been working against you. What started as a small and seemingly innocent behavior has become a much larger part of your life.
Looking back, the words of Jim Rohn are becoming very real to you: “What’s simple to do is also simple not to do.”
However, this time you’re done you’re lying to yourself. No longer are going to say you’re going to change your habits and then watch yourself not do it. Instead, you’re now resolved and committed to following your plan.
As Carol Dweck writes, “Vowing, even intense vowing, is often useless. What works is making a vivid, concrete plan.” Similarly, Vince Lombardi once said,
“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but a lack of will.”
5. You’ll Expand Your Vision 10X
“Most people will admit that their goals are well below their potential — because most of the world has been convinced, persuaded, and even educated to set small, attainable, and realistic goals.” -Grant Cardone
After nailing the fundamentals and seeing the simplicity of progress, you realize that you can actually go a lot further and bigger than you originally thought.
So, rather than keeping your goals realistic and easily attainable, you bring the timeline forward. You start to think a lot bigger about your impact and stop being limited by the social constructs of those around you.
Wrote Benjamin P. Hardy,
“If what you’re pursuing right now isn’t so big that you’d be embarrassed to share it with most of the people in your life, I challenge you to take a step back and really think about it.”
6. You’ll Seek Out People Who Can Help You Along Your Path
“The people you’re closest to change how you think, what you believe, and how you act. Their influence can be an anchor that holds you back, or a sail that moves you forward.” -David Osborn, Tribe of Millionaires
Before you were ready to go to the next level, you thought you could do it alone. You kept your goals a secret and tried to hustle in silence.
However, now that you’re serious about improving your life, you’re realizing that the lone wolf approach is only holding you back. Says Helen Keller,
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
So, you do get a team around you. You join new groups. You connect with like-minded individuals. You begin to collaborate and take everything to the next level.
Says Robin Sharma, “The bigger the dream, the more important to the team.”
7. You’ll Realize How Far You’ve Come
“Small, seemingly insignificant steps completed consistently over time will create a radical difference.” -Darren Hardy
While you might have started from a dark and disastrous place, you’ll look around you one day and suddenly think, “Wow, was that old me really me?” “How was I really living in that way?”
Because you’ve now evolved and gone to the next level, you’ll look at your previous-self not only with embarrassment but even more so with empathy.
It may have only been a short few months ago that you were resenting your use of time and being washed away in distraction. However, those days are now behind you.
You’re a new person. You’ve built a new vision, started new friendships, developed new habits, and created a better life for yourself.
So, are you ready?
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