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This time of year always seems to be a time of change for me. Two years ago was when I realized that the chapter of my life titled “Failed Musician and Scholar” was over. On this day last year I got out of the worst relationship I have ever been in. It was at that point that I realized that I was better off single and happy than taken and miserable. It was also when I resolved to stop failing and start succeeding.
A year has passed since then and a lot has changed. I’ve loved. I’ve lost. I quit my job only to have another one two months later. I couch surfed. I travelled. I moved to a brand new town. And I finally became financially independent. The last year has been a whirlwind. I’ve gone through so many changes my head still hasn’t stopped spinning. I finally managed to succeed though.
In July I set some goals for myself. One was to be done working as a DJ/Bartender by the beginning of the year. The other was to be making $100 a day. I quit my job at the bar on January 9th. In my current job I make around $100 a day. Setting goals is powerful Achieving those goals is what makes everything worth it.
There have been a few takeaways from the last year as well.
1. Drastic changes happen when you are fed up emotionally with a situation.
This time last year I had just gotten out of an emotionally draining and hurtful situation. I resolved that I would never again let myself be in a situation where I was miserable.
I put in my two weeks at my job the day after my family got back from Mexico. I had just spent a week watching my brothers throw money around while I had 7 bucks to my name. I came back with resolve. I knew that the only way I was going to be able to live the life I wanted would be to quit my job.
Both of those situations were times when I had finally had enough. Both times were also driven by emotion, not logic. The first time I was emotionally raw, the second, embarrassed and frustrated. We can try and convince ourselves to change all we want, but unless it is backed by a strong emotional need or desire, then it probably won’t happen.
2. Setting goals is admirable. What you do with those goals is what makes you succeed.
I have set goals in the past that I never achieved. Last summer things changed. Instead of setting my goals and then going about my daily life, I made sure I immersed myself in them. I went over them every morning and evening. After a month I got so sick of seeing my goals I almost couldn’t face them. By then they were burned into my subconscious, and things started to happen. In the next few days I’ll be going into how I’ve managed to harness the power of setting and achieving goals.
3. You can be happy doing anything.
I loved working at the bar. As my time there was coming to a close, I realized that the part that I enjoyed the most was working with customers. I knew that if I found a job working with people, then I would be happy in that job as well. So I found a job in sales. And while I am working towards getting out of having a “real” job, I’m still doing something that I love.
4. If you want to succeed, get a coach.
I started learning about internet marketing a year ago. I’ve tried numerous things, all of them have not turned out how I had hoped. I do value the learning that I’ve gone through in the last year, but I would take less “book” knowledge for more success. In the last month I’ve started to go through Alex Jeffreys coaching program. This blog has seen more visitors (20+) and has more comments (50+) than any other blog I’ve put up. And I’ve only been doing this for 3 weeks. I also have a path to follow that others have followed and been successful with. If you have an area of your life you want to succeed at and don’t have a coach, get one. It will be worth it.
When I was in college I ran track and cross country. My last season I ended up racing the 800. The 800 may be the most difficult race to run. It’s too short to be a distance “run” but too long for an all out sprint. The amount of pain you go through in those 2 minutes is intense. Every time I stood at the starting line I would mentally prepare myself for what was about to come. I knew what was going to happen. I had to harden my resolve and accept my fate. It was something that I had to do. I’m facing the next year with the same apprehension. I have big plans and more changes are coming. The pain will be intense, but I know that it is something that I must do.
Hi Kevin,
I really like the 4 takeaways you’ve listed in your post. I couldn’t agree more.
I especially like what you said about immersing yourself in your goals – that’s what I’m working on now.
I can relate to the musician thing also. I used to play jazz drums all during high school and college. It was an awesome experience and I met a ton of extraordinary people along the way.
What instrument and what kind of music did you play?
Karl Dieterich recently posted..Blog Posts and uh … (I can’t remember)
I played trumpet… I specialized in baroque music while I was working on my masters. I really wish I had played the drums (that was my first choice a long time ago too). If I had spent the amount of time playing drums as I did trumpet, there’s a good chance I’d be working as a drummer. Everybody needs a drummer.
“Drastic changes happen when you are fed up emotionally with a situation.”
That is so true. I used to work at a Supermarket where management treated me like crap. Since I was on the verge of being fired, I put in my one weeks notice, and then I went on vacation in Mexico. As of right now, I have a few opportunities I’ve taken advantage of. I’m currently on the waiting list for cooking, I had a job interview for Healthcare, and I have an interview tomorrow for a web design job. To make things even more interesting, I’ve been occupying the majority of my time either at the gym, hanging out with friends, or working on my blog.
So basically, things have gotten better for me and for the first time in a long time, I’m optimistic about my future!
Justin recently posted..To Make A Living as a Web Designer
That’s good to hear! Where in Mexico did you go for your vacation? After I quit my job at the bar I spent some time hanging out… it was the best 2 months of my life. I can’t wait to get to the point where that is my life instead of the break between jobs.
Hi Kevin,
Very motivational post you listed there today.. While I can’t say I have experience in all you’ve mentioned I can def say “Drastic changes happen when you are fed up emotionally with a situation” – in this case I would be talking about a job I’m in.
A good job, some might even say a great job but not something I want to be for too much longer. I’ve set myself the goal to have “Killed off the Day Job” by the end of the year and that’s a huge motivator for me. Money isn’t overly important but having the freedom to live as you wish is a big factor for me.
Looking forward to your next post,
- Noel.
Noel Cunningham recently posted..By: Noel
That’s what I am finding out too. Recently I have been missing my old life… the one of less responsibility and more fun. I also had time to indulge in everything that made life worth living. Unfortunately being financially secure is important to me, and that is something I wasn’t able to do in the life that I miss.
Hey Kevin
Very open and honest post, it made me think about my last 15 months and what has changed in my life
You are so right about getting a mentor. It has made me focus more on business this year. Thanks for sharing look forward to your next post.
Cheers
Paul
Paul Conway recently posted..Goal Setting
Change is good, even when it doesn’t seem like it at the time. Getting a mentor is huge, and something I will tell anybody to do in any area of their life, whether it’s their job, something online, or even something like cooking or working out. If you want to improve fast, you need as much help as you can get.
Hi Kevin, thanks for an honest and informative post. It is true that we do not often make changes until we are so fed up with our current situation that making the change becomes the easier option than staying in our comfort zone.
Best wishes,
Gerald.
Gerald recently posted..The Journey
Thanks for the feedback. I’ve been trying to figure out how to create the feelings of being fed up without the negative situation that has caused it in the past. So far I haven’t had any progress, but I’ll be sure to post about it when I figure it out.
Hi Kevin,
Great post. I agree with the bit about burning goals into your subconscious. I learnt this many years ago from Stuart Goldsmith. If you want something bad enough you will get it. If you don’t get it you didn’t want it bad enough.
Keep positive
All the best
Roger
Roger Weavers recently posted..How Important is Keyword Density?
Good to know I wasn’t the first one to come up with this. They say that good ideas are just a repeat of an idea that someone has had in the past.
My mom teaches violin on occasion. When somebody says “I’ve always wanted to learn…” Her response is “If you did, then you would.”
Hi Kevin, I really like point No.2
We really need to immerse ourselves in order
to achieve our goals. I did the same thing as you did
and went all out to achieve my goal, one at a time.
Thanks for sharing in this wonderful blog post.
-Muhsin
Muhsin recently posted..My First Visit To Bali!
True story. Good to see that total immersion worked for you as well. I’ve been finding that it’s what makes it easier to move past the hard times and move towards my goal. I’m so focused on the end result that the rest doesn’t matter.
you are definitely a great writer, i will follow you.