10 Steps how to start a new chapter in your life
How do you want to work in the Future? Sitting with the laptop on the beach, drinking cocktails, checking some e-mails and earning passive income with a few clicks? We all have this illusion of working from home. Or working remotely somewhere in the world on our terms. I was sure, I could set this up quickly. I mean, all you have to do, is to put in Google Search: “How to work from home and make money”. Skip the first ads and dive right in. For sure no one else had this idea before. I guess you know where we are heading….
Do your homework, keep your head down, don’t ask for permission
There’s a reason why we know just a few people who are having this lifestyle. To be honest, I had no idea what I was looking for. I never
heard about terms like E-Mail Marketing, Drop Shipping, Click per View, Kindle Self-Publishing, Facebook Ads, Online Arbitrage, Shopify, Affiliate Marketing, Leadpages and so on. So, I tried everything at the same time and obviously, I failed big time. Some essential steps were missing. I didn’t take into consideration to fix the most important part, first: …Me.
Some of the points may seem a bit silly and obvious but, believe me, they are not for everyone.
(Disclaimer: There will be some Affiliate Links in the text below. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)
Here we go the 10 steps how to start a new chapter in your life:
- Get a Job (preferably fulltime.) It will be a short-term sacrifice. There’s nothing worst then stay without a stable income. It will distract you if not.
- Get some routine in place, start to build positive habits. Do meditation, drink enough water, do “Oil Pulling”
- Buy a powerful laptop/smartphone. They are your most important daily tools. It is unbelievable that many people are not aware of how much time they are losing with slow hard and software. Have a look at the laptop I am using, it is designed for processing edited videos fast. A lifesaver. I wouldn’t miss it anymore.
- Start journaling. Be aware it’s not a diary. Track your process, detect your values. Write down everything you are learning and how you feel about it. It takes a bit of practice, but the long-time benefit will amaze you. I am using this journal(#ad), but any notebook will do the job.
- Stop complaining and gossiping. Yes, we all do. And we are certainly not aware of it. Have a look at this book. Page-turner.(#ad)
“There is good in everything if only we look for it.” Laura Ingalls Wilder
- Stop drinking. Stop smoking. Stop watching Walking Dead. Stop playing Candy Crush. Stop gambling. Replace No with Never.
- Take action. You don’t “need to prepare”. You don’t need to give it some “thought”. You don’t have to clear space in your calendar. You don’t need to wait for the “New Year”.
- Understand your strengths and weaknesses. Be aware that you don’t become the new Jay Z or Mark Zuckerberg, but if you are going for the things you are good at (even if they are not “sexy” and appealing now) you will have success along the way.
- Start small, dream big. Read this book. It has only 20 pages but it changed my mindset.(#ad) And don’t tell anyone about your goals yet. (A big mistake I made the last year)
- Buy some good running shoes and go out for a daily run. Do it today. It’s the easiest sport you can find (you can do it anywhere, it doesn’t require a membership or teammates, plus you feel the reward quickly). Go to the gym, do yoga or just walk around the hood for 10 minutes.
Read it again!
Bonus:
- Get enough sleep. In the beginning, I slept only 5 hours a night and because of this I was always tired and unproductive during the day. Like Gary Vaynerchuk says its not important how many hours you have during the day, it's more important how you use them…
- Invest in your education, buy books and courses in your field. Attend meetup groups, find Facebook groups, watch YouTube (but not for entertainment), use Udemy or Skillshare. Listen to Audiobooks.
- If you want to see your future, have a look at your friends closely. “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Jim Rohn
Try to implement your own small ideas in your daily life. Don’t worry about what other people will think about you. Try to learn every day something new, read 10 pages, do 15 sit ups and learn 5 new words in a different language. With confidence, it will all add up over time. And remember: Awareness is the beginning of a transformation.
I will go more in detail with some of the points in the upcoming weeks. Please let me know in the comments which you prefer.
Yours,
Dan Draper
2 Comments
Claudia
You are doing a great job, I am encouraged by your words. You know the traps of working too long in hospitality, and I like when you write about your mistakes. I prefer to learn from people’s mistakes than my own. But either way, as long as you go forward, it’s a win. I used to listen to well known entrepreneurs , but somehow, the way you write seems more accessible to me.
Dan Draper
Hey Claudia, thank you very much for your kind message! Its always motivating to read such empowering words. I had the same issue when I started with all these “experienced” entrepreneurs. They preached and taught lessons I couldn’t really relate in the beginning and that’s where many people switch off and lose interest. So my approach is like my headline: Don’t focus on the finish line, just make your way to the Start Line, that’s hard enough!