By Dan Warburton
Is it possible to choose and create your dream lifestyle without killing yourself in the process? The answer is yes. In fact, the journey to the top can be quite fulfilling. Here are my five top insights on how to leave a legacy without burning yourself out.
1. Display clarity and conviction
First and foremost, you need to be clear about what it is that you want to be recognized for being good at. Then choose and commit to it with such clarity and conviction that everyone around you clearly recognizes you for doing that one thing.
The truth is you will only ever become successful when you move in one direction, and one direction only. This is because it takes a lot of energy to create your dream lifestyle via one avenue, let alone via two or three. Choose one business, one skill, or one service, and do whatever it takes to become super skilled at delivering that one thing and in a way that no one else does.
Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead is sometimes attributed as saying, “Don’t be the best in the world at what you do, be the only one in the world who does what you do.” And he’s right. This is how you’ll leave a legacy without burning yourself out.
Expressing your chosen commitment with clarity and conviction, and through your own unique divine self-expression will cause you to stand out. By doing this people will be interested in you, really want to work with you, and want to receive your services.
On the other hand, if you try to be recognized for a series of different jobs, you’ll end up spreading yourself in too many directions and not have the energy required to get any one of them off the ground, or built up to a level that will allow you to leave a legacy.
2. Reverse your diary
Most people use their diaries to schedule work commitments and other things that they need to do to succeed. I use my diary to primarily schedule in relaxation and downtime—whether it’s going for a walk, watching a movie, or attending one of my yoga classes. I also schedule when I’m going on holiday or want to do the things that I love to do that make me happy. My relaxation, my downtime, and my hobbies are my number-one priority in my diary. This way I know that no matter what else might happen during the day, these important times to relax are already scheduled.
Having quality time to relax and rejuvenate, also ensures that I don’t burn out. The skill, of course, is to honor these times of relaxation, no matter what; it takes continual practice. Even if I don’t enter all my relaxation times, I have a certain time of day that I will switch off and relax and do something that is not work.
RELATED: Taking Care of Business by Taking Care of Yourself
3. Give on your own terms, not on the terms of others.
Organizational psychologist Adam Grant has written an absolutely amazing book called Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success. In his book, Grant compares the varying levels of success achieved by three kinds of people: givers, takers, and traders.