3 Steps to a Get Ahead in Life.

In life, we all want to live our best life. This includes doing the thing that we love and spending time with the people we love. This usually involves being the best version of ourselves.

For most people being the best version includes:

• Doing work that matter to them, pursuing work that they are passionate about and work that excites them.
• In terms of relationships, it would usually be in a loving relationship with their spouse, significant other, family and friends.
• In terms of finances, it is often having sufficient money and funds to live a comfortable and happy life.
• For personal developments, it usually involves being able to pursue passions that one may be interested in, eg sports, music, art, sailing, hiking etc.

Productivity is very important. We can all agree on that. Productivity means being able to achieve more than usual within the same amount of time. You’re able to squeeze the most out of life. Unfortunately, being productive is often easier said than done, especially if you are juggling a few jobs, a family, kids, debts etc.

There are many constraints that hold people back, for eg money, time, negative personal belief, attitude and mindset. A lack of direction also contributes to not getting ahead and being stuck in a rat race.

3 Steps to a Productive Life

Having everything and anything that we want really boils down to:

1. Having a plan.
2. Executing the plan
3. Monitoring and adjusting the plan as needed.

Simple illustration:

Let's say you want to buy a $500,000 house. To be able to own the house someday you need to have a plan.

This means calculating how much you earn per year, how much you need to set aside, the estimated average return of interest and how many years before you have sufficient funds for a deposit on a house.

Then you execute this plan by taking a portion of your paycheck and putting it in a separate savings account.

Lastly, you monitor and adjust the plan as and when needed. For eg, if the interest rate charged is too high you may decide to change banks. Or for eg, you receive bonuses and raises, you may decide to contribute more to your savings to reduce the time period before you own a home

This is basically it.

Most people make it much more complicated than it needs to be or by not having a plan in place. They hope that someday they will have enough for a mortgage or that someday some external force will work in favour of them and deliver them home, but that usually always isn't the case.

Then many years down the road, they realise that they made a mistake of not planning, not executing their plan and they are no better off when they first started. I’m sure no one wants to be in such a position.

For anything that is hoping to get ahead in your finances, relationships, health, emotions, and mindset, having a plan and executing that plan is crucial.

The key here is to always plan ahead.

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"- Lao Tzu

Contingency plan

Secondly, is to have a contingency plan if things don't work out.

No one wants Plan A to fail but having a strong Plan B in place is the best way to be prepared for any situation. With a solid backup plan, you can effectively respond to unforeseen events effectively and get back on track as quickly as possible.

A contingency plan is a proactive strategy to help you ensure that you are never in a losing position that you cannot extract yourself from.

Build new income

Thirdly is to find ways to build new income streams, so that you can be self-sufficient and not reliant on a paycheck.

You build new income streams by enhancing your skillsets and talents. When you have an edge and are able to provide value to others you are able to capitalise on that and grow your income streams.

If there is anyone responsible for your wealth, your success and financial independence, it is up to you. After all, no one is more invested in your life and your situation other than you. So if you desire something better for yourself you need to find ways to acquire wealth and financial freedom.

Consistency

Live is a marathon, not a sprint.

Some of the ways that the wealthy and successful get ahead in life is to:

1. Plan the weeks at the start of each new week.
2. Network with people in the business/ work.
3. Increase human capital through self-learning.
4. Develop their personal development and social skills.
5. Focus on contributing and improving their craft/ skills.
6. Benchmark how they are doing against those that are in similar fields.

The rich and successful do not get to where they are by chance or coincidence. They take proactive actions to make things happen for themselves to get them to where they want to be. They don’t just let their situations, surrounding or people around them dictate who they are or how they should live their lives.

If you want something you’ve never had you need to be prepared to do work that you've never done.

Conclusion

To get ahead in life, to have control over your life, you need to have a plan in place and consciously review and monitor your plan. Even if things don’t go according to plan, you would have been ten times ahead compared to if you were just going with the flow.

Lastly, never settle for a mediocre life, I truly believe every single person is important and has value, it would be a waste to live an inconsequential life with no end in mind.

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