CONTENTS
Not reinventing the wheel
Why do so many not follow this path?
Design and construct the person you want to be
How do I find these models?
What are other ways of being exposed to them?
Use a conjured up model
Read case studies of people who progressed from where you are
Find out specifics, doables
Do this completely enough to get results
Put it into a workable format to follow and use
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NOT REINVENTING THE WHEEL
One of the greatest principles of all: "Not reinventing the wheel." (As that would be pretty ignorant and a waste of time and life.)
If someone else has figured it out, harvest all their work. If you can get them to be your mentor, then that guidance and wisdom will propel you forward. If you can copy somebody else, use them as a model, your success will be better and sooner.
No great secret.
But you'll want to do it - for sure.
WHY DO SO MANY NOT FOLLOW THIS PATH?
If it is so smart, why are there so many who don't.
We want you to do it. We want to convince you that it is one of the very highest productivity tools there is.
We want to convince you that "ramping up", preparing, planning, and the time to make it happen are excellent uses of your time for the long term, with multiple payoffs and dramatically more results than if you didn't take all that time upfront and put in all that effort.
True, it is not immediate gratification, but it is one heck of a great long term, lasting gratification. That's the difference between a child and an adult - the ability and the willingness to assess and do what has the highest total long term payoff compared to the costs. (And choosing whether to stay with some left over ways from childhood or just deciding to be an adult is probably the biggest determinant of success in life.) The description of the adult, linked above, can serve as a model.
And our other challenge is convincing you that what we are recommending does work because if you don't "believe you can achieve" it, then you'll simply not do it.
One of the alternatives that is close to this idea is using a life coach, leveraging off of their wisdom, guidance, and methods. It is perhaps, with the right coach, the most powerful thing you can do.
More to be added later, but for now there is plenty in the productivity section.
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCT THE PERSON YOU WANT TO BE
You are who you are today because of a random process, mostly of what happened "to" you and around you, but without sufficient thought. If you'd have learned more earlier and given sufficient thought to where you'd want to be, I guarantee you that you'd be in a vastly different place.
Well, now is your opportunity to do one of the most logical, most beneficial things you can do in life: design it exactly as you would like it to be, including designing who you will become! (See also My Dreams For My Life.)
HOW DO I FIND THESE PEOPLE?
You've already been able to spot them as you've noticed people who seem to be more alive, stand taller and straighter, exude more power and compassion, be more awake and aware.
Once you spot them, figure out a way to be around them to pick up more about them and what they do.
That could be in many forms, such as:
1. Take their classes, go to meetings where they are at
2. Read things that they've written or are written about them.
3. Take them to lunch, simply stating that you noticed something about them that you would hope to learn to do.
Make your own list. In doing that, you can look at other lists from other people and also look at the People I Admire, People Who Inspire section. Derive your own list and specifying the qualities you admire about them, using the form: Which People I Admire. Set up a follow up plan to get enough contact or information about the ones you choose.
WHAT ARE OTHER WAYS OF BEING EXPOSED TO THEM?
Read the biographies of famous men and women, particularly the autobiographies.
Look at their practices and follow the ones that you think would be helpful. See the Practices For Your Life section.
Don't just do a little of this. Immerse yourself in being around models, reading about them, participating with them, hanging around them if possible.
USE A CONJURED UP MODEL
Being careful to stay grounded in reality, but not limitation, you could make up your own description of the model you'd like to achieve. As long as you are creating that, look for images of how someone in your body type and level of looks have done a great job.
The basic idea is to "design" the person you would like to be.
And you could use these "compilations" and ideas I've created:.
Look for others in the Missions, Callings, Purposes section.
READ CASE STUDIES OF PEOPLE WHO PROGRESSED FROM WHERE YOU ARE
FIND OUT SPECIFICS, DOABLES
Get down to the level of a specific about them. A specific belief, a specific practice, a specific way of behaving, anything that they think or do.... Then consider mimicking them and/or adding those to what you do and how you think. Perhaps some of their ways of thinking might be added to your affirmations section in your Reminders Notebook.
DO THIS COMPLETELY ENOUGH TO GET RESULTS
If you don't "go deeper" and more completely, you won't arrive at the destination you want.
Do it as an "intensive" for three months, spending at least 40 hours on it, and then set it up so that you do it as a regular practice throughout life.
PUT IT INTO A WORKABLE FORMAT TO FOLLOW AND USE
Without a "structure" people don't make much progress. The two key structures are a "plan" and a "reference system", so you have a place to put things as you deduce them. For this, although you'd use the Reminders Notebook also, you'd use the structure under the Life Plan, using the Contents outline to organize.
Set up your life plan notebook ahead of time so you'll have a place to insert things and so you'll see what's next to do and/or what is missing.
