Starting on Your Life’s Work

“I want to do more in life, where should I start?”
Getting started is never easy. You may have many ideas or you may have none. If you are lucky, you may already know what you want to focus on e.g. starting your own cafe, working on technology. But if you are like most of us, clue-less, here’s some tips I’ll like to share.

Number one #1

Find your Value Proposition.

You need to know what you stand for. What you want people to know you as. Never define yourself by your job title, or plot your career path based on the next job with a higher pay. After a while it gets meaningless. Instead, ask yourself what you would like people to know you as.

It could be, the go-to person for good advice on strategic marketing solutions for B2B products. Create a personal brand for yourself.

For myself, my personal brand would be- to be the thought leader for the field of health and wellness. To be the catalyst for people who would like to come fully alive. To be that spark to reignite that fire in them - Body. Mind. Gut.

Number #2

Know your Strengths

For the longest time, I made the mistake of focusing on my weaknesses instead of my strengths. I did not want my weaknesses to become a stumbling block for me, so I spent a lot of my time ‘preparing’ myself. Working on my weaknesses instead of really starting on my life’s work.

The truth was I was scared to start because starting actually meant the possibility of failure. If I did not start, I always had the potential of succeeding instead of being proven a failure.

Take some time to notice your strengths. Gather feedback from your close ones- they may be able to offer new insights to your strengths. For example, I always thought I was slightly above average in the looks department and am shy and not good at public speaking. I love writing and creating and thought that that’s nothing special and creating content comes easily to anyone. Apparently that was not the case.

Over time, I got to learn that people find me pretty attractive! Their perception of me is also that I am well spoken and confident. It was so different from the perception I had of myself. As what they say, fake it till you make it. I have come to learn that it doesn’t really matter what you really feel inside (e.g. that you are not good enough) but what people perceive you to be. Knowing your strength would allow you to turn that strength into your advantage.

Just like for me, knowing my strength allowed me to strategically position me to become an influencer in the health and wellness field.

Number #3

Create a Success Loop

Systems systems systems!! It’s all about creating a system that works for you. Because as you probably know by now, success is not created overnight. It is the accumulation of your daily habits. The Compound Effect is very real, and it really adds up over time. Don’t neglect what a simple and seemingly innocent decision can do to you in the long run
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I used to think that I need to be ready before I begin. I was constantly accumulating resources, never actually taking action. Some of you may be like me, just stuck at preparing yourself for that battle, be it starting your own business, taking up a new hobby, basically doing anything out of your comfort zone.

You know what I have realized? If you are like me, we have got it all wrong! It does not work like that. The secret is that there are actually many many many cycles of the loop. And it’s usually an upward spiral.

What this means is that with whatever resources you have...however limited, you should just take action, and when the action generates results, the results actually provide you with more resources! And building on the resources you just do more and more results will come. This way you form a success loop.

What does this mean- Instead of saying no time to pursue what you are supposed to do, even if you have just 15 min, just write, more often than not, you will gain more energy and inspiration once you start writing leading to you wanting to write more. (This is what I am sharing from personal experience. I just started writing and before I know it, it has been an hour since I started)

Always remember that it is very important to create a success loop, it will help you to sustain your actions and grow results over time despite perceived limitations.

Number #4

Plant Seeds

This is another important principle which was made very clear and real in this book- the Diamond Cutter. It is a good read if you have not read it yet. Basically the book talks about the power of planting the right of kind of seeds, without expecting anything in return. Like if you want more money, if donating to charity without expecting anything in return.

If you want to find clarity in what you do, focus your energy on what helping others find clarity. It’s interesting how the laws of the universe works.

Number #5

Keep doing the work. Have faith!

It takes time. Success takes time. The most important part is really to enjoy the journey. I have come to realize that at the end of the day, pessimistic as it may seem, we will all die. What we have, what we do, may one day no longer matter. We are all just dust in the wind. However, what will be reaped is the experience in the moment, cliche as it may sound, it’s not the destination that really matters, but who you become as a result of taking that journey.

So keep doing the work, don’t be afraid to make tweaks along the way, you do not need to have all the answers from the start, and have fun!

“Loosen up a bit- laugh more, get involved with people around you, do simple things. If you only do important things, you will be dead serious.” - Sadhguru

All the best! Let me know if you have other tips to share in the comments box below.