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Abstract

echnology made it possible to get anything in an instant.</h2><p id="797b">Thanks to the internet and smartphones, everything is within reach of our fingers.</p><p id="bd5d">Definitely, it made our lives easier. But, it also encouraged undesired habits.</p><p id="6d10">Technology has become a part of our daily lives. Thus, it is our responsibility to use it to our advantage.</p><p id="a90b">If it remains unchecked, it can become the reason for our downfall.</p><h2 id="d962">#2 Social media introduced new friends and ways of communicating with them</h2><p id="3829">We live in a world where the number of friends on social media matters more than in real life.</p><p id="7fc7">I used to have a couple of friends whom I met every day. We celebrated every event together in the physical world.</p><p id="5e0c">But, things are different now. I have a few hundred friends on Facebook. I never meet them. And I wish them my best at some events via a text message.</p><p id="9d97">The idea of social media was to connect people. But, it drew me further apart from my friends.</p><h2 id="cad8">#3 Raised by loving parents who fulfilled every wish.</h2><p id="a393">I am lucky to be raised by loving parents who fulfilled all my wishes. They provided everything I needed and wanted.</p><p id="a700"><a href="https://courthouseacademy.com/5-parenting-styles-that-cause-entitlement-in-kids-and-how-to-change-them/">They intended to do the best for me</a>. But instead of being thankful, I took it for granted.</p><p id="46a1">I thought that I was entitled to all the things my parents did. Unfortunately, this behavior sneaked into other parts of my life also.</p><h2 id="3172">In the end</h2><p id="78ca">It is easy to blame technology, social media, and my parents for my shortcomings. But, the root cause of everything is me and my mindset.</p><h1 id="e207">Actions I took to improve myself.</h1><p id="c8a5">In the root cause analysis, it was clear that I had to change my mindset. But, what mindset and how?</p><h2 id="df87">#1 Nothing in life is free</h2><p id="b1e2">I made myself understand that<a href="https://readmedium.com/price-of-life-changing-market-returns-a0acb02681a9"> everything comes with a price</a>. Sometimes, you can read the price on a label, and sometimes not.</p><p id="ae71">Only if I pay the price can I expect something in return. Additionally, paying the price does not guarantee the reward.</p><ul><li>So, I trained my brain to practice this mindset.</li><li>I identified the price attached to my desires.</li><li>I worked to pay the price.</li></ul><h2 id="6a88">#2 Success is a journey and not an event</h2><p id="788a">One of the vital lessons I learned is getting <a href="https://betterhumans.pub/7-success-mindsets-success-as-a-journey-and-not-an-event-3a8d2f2ed212">what you desire is an event. But, to acquire it, you have to go through a process</a>.</p><ul><li>You cannot expect to be the company CEO without putting in long hours every day for several years.</li><li>You cannot build a body like Arnold Schwarzenegger without hitting the gym every day for years.</li><li>Without investing consistently for years, you cannot be a billionaire like Warren Buffett.</li></ul><p id="8439">A single coin will not make you rich. But, keep adding a single coin to your pile. And one day, you will reach a point whereby adding a single coin will make you rich.</p><p id="a718">In the end, enjoy the journey, and the event will be a byproduct.</p><h2 id="2255">#3 Play the infinite game</h2><p id="929b">There are two types of games; finite games and infinite games.</p><p id="5166">Finite games have fixed rules and parameters to decide a winner. Infinite games have no rules

Options

nor any parameters to determine a winner.</p><p id="4817">The purpose of the players in the infinite game is to keep the game running.</p><p id="4b2a">Life is an infinite game. You are not competing with anyone but yourself. There are no parameters agreed upon by everyone that defines who the winner is.</p><p id="8186">As there are no winners in the game of life, you should focus on getting better than yesterday.</p><p id="33cf">Do that, and you will outlive your competition.</p><h2 id="75e5">#4 Stop blaming others for my shortcomings</h2><p id="2ece"><a href="https://betterhumans.pub/4-toxic-mindsets-that-restricted-me-to-use-my-full-potential-35151981c077">Blaming others or pitting myself</a> didn’t solve anything for me.</p><p id="0134">When I started taking responsibility for the outcomes, it automagically triggered the necessary change.</p><p id="f1a5">For example,</p><p id="d896"><b>Situation</b>: I wrote an article, but no one read it.</p><p id="c259"><b>How I behaved:</b> I took responsibility and tried to figure out what can I improve.</p><p id="4da3"><b>Actions I took</b>:</p><ul><li>I read articles of successful writers on how to find success in writing. Then, I compared how viral articles are different from mine.</li><li>I reformatted my article. Instead of writing bulky paragraphs, I now write small paragraphs. Each paragraph consists of 2 to 3 sentences.</li><li>I made the article scannable by adding headings, sub-headings, bullets, and section dividers.</li><li>I used an eye-catchy main image.</li><li>I experimented with different titles and subtitles. Finally, headline Studio by CoSchedule helped me find out the best title I could use.</li><li>I started submitting my work to various publications. Publications can help your work reach a large audience.</li></ul><p id="0f0b"><b>Result</b>: I saw the number of views on my article, readers liking my work, and subscribing to my newsletter improving. Furthermore, I felt my self-confidence, motivation, and happiness rise.</p><h2 id="59ff">#5 Regular reflection and continuous improvement</h2><p id="6780">Continuous improvement is the key to mastering any field. But, to improve, you need to reflect on your habits, mindset, plan, and activities regularly.</p><ul><li>Set a frequency that suits you. It could be weekly, monthly, yearly, etc.</li><li>Reserve 1 to 2 hours to reflect. Ask yourself questions that will make you think. You can use <a href="https://retromat.org/en/?id=106-80-95-13-40">this website</a> for ideas.</li></ul><p id="c67e" type="7">Right questions lead to the right answers.</p><ul><li>Note down the actions you want to take to improve. Writing down the steps you plan to take can do wonders for you. Give it a try.</li><li>Identify ways to measure your progress.</li><li>Implement the actions you came up with within the next cycle.</li><li>Reflect on the actions you took. Measure the progress you made and repeat these steps.</li></ul><p id="32d1">It is crucial to choose the right frequency. It should not be too often nor too less.</p><p id="c9e3">You may overanalyze things by reflecting too often. On the other hand, you may miss easy improvements by reflecting too less.</p><p id="3f58">I hope you enjoyed reading this article. If yes, <b>s<a href="https://ankit-goyal.medium.com/subscribe">ubscribe to my email list</a></b> to receive an email when I publish a new juicy article.</p><p id="45b7">If you are looking for ways to support me. Well, buy me a cup of coffee from <a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/masterinvestmnt"><b>here</b></a> or join Medium using my affiliate <a href="https://ankit-goyal.medium.com/membership"><b>link</b></a><b> :-)</b></p></article></body>

4 Toxic Mindsets Inherited by Millennials. Here Is How I Dumped Them?

I replaced 5 habits found in Millennials to turn my life around.

Millennials are those born between 1980 and 2000. We are the first generation to grow up in the digital age.

I am a Millennial, and I observed a few things that I absolutely wanted to improve.

You may or may not relate to them. But, if you do, I hope it will encourage you to reflect and improve.

Things I observed in me that were holding me back.

#1 Instant gratification transforming into impatience

I wanted everything in an instant. I can order anything from clothes to food from my couch while sipping tea. On top of it, I can do it for free.

I am hungry, order something online, and it will be on my door’s step in 30 mins.
I want to buy clothes, electronics, books, etc. I can order it on Amazon in a few seconds. I will receive it tomorrow.
I want to watch a movie. I can download it or stream it on the internet.

I live in an environment where I can get anything I desire instantly. I practiced instant gratification for so long that it became a habit.

Unfortunately, I applied this habit in other parts of my life, which led to my downfall.

Career: I want the highest-paying job today.
Investment: I want to convert $500 into $500k overnight.
Success: I want to be successful now. I want a big house, a big car, and all the luxuries this world has to offer in this instant.

Did you observe that I “WANT” everything? It reflects my 2nd behavior, which I WANT to change. Ironic huh!

#2 I felt entitled

The most destructive behavior of mine was feeling entitled. I WANTed everything good in life.

I presumed people were scheming against me if I didn’t get it. So instead of improving myself, I blamed others.

In the worst case, I pitied myself.

Feeling entitled and blaming my shortcomings on others didn’t help me. Instead, they pushed me into a downward spiral.

#3 I was self-centered

So far in the article, you can see a lot of “I”s and “me”s. Everything was about me.

What can “I” get?
What is it in “me”?

As I was self-centered, everyone around me could also see it. It resulted in having few to no friends and jealousy.

No one wants to be around people who only think about themself.

#4 Running after money

I wanted all the luxuries this world has to offer. But, to gain access to those luxuries, I needed money.

Thus, I started chasing after money. But, the problem is, the more I chased money, the faster it ran away from me.

Who to blame? The environment I grew up in?

What are the reasons that supported these behaviors? Here are a few reasons worth mentioning.

#1 Technology made it possible to get anything in an instant.

Thanks to the internet and smartphones, everything is within reach of our fingers.

Definitely, it made our lives easier. But, it also encouraged undesired habits.

Technology has become a part of our daily lives. Thus, it is our responsibility to use it to our advantage.

If it remains unchecked, it can become the reason for our downfall.

#2 Social media introduced new friends and ways of communicating with them

We live in a world where the number of friends on social media matters more than in real life.

I used to have a couple of friends whom I met every day. We celebrated every event together in the physical world.

But, things are different now. I have a few hundred friends on Facebook. I never meet them. And I wish them my best at some events via a text message.

The idea of social media was to connect people. But, it drew me further apart from my friends.

#3 Raised by loving parents who fulfilled every wish.

I am lucky to be raised by loving parents who fulfilled all my wishes. They provided everything I needed and wanted.

They intended to do the best for me. But instead of being thankful, I took it for granted.

I thought that I was entitled to all the things my parents did. Unfortunately, this behavior sneaked into other parts of my life also.

In the end

It is easy to blame technology, social media, and my parents for my shortcomings. But, the root cause of everything is me and my mindset.

Actions I took to improve myself.

In the root cause analysis, it was clear that I had to change my mindset. But, what mindset and how?

#1 Nothing in life is free

I made myself understand that everything comes with a price. Sometimes, you can read the price on a label, and sometimes not.

Only if I pay the price can I expect something in return. Additionally, paying the price does not guarantee the reward.

So, I trained my brain to practice this mindset.
I identified the price attached to my desires.
I worked to pay the price.

#2 Success is a journey and not an event

One of the vital lessons I learned is getting what you desire is an event. But, to acquire it, you have to go through a process.

You cannot expect to be the company CEO without putting in long hours every day for several years.
You cannot build a body like Arnold Schwarzenegger without hitting the gym every day for years.
Without investing consistently for years, you cannot be a billionaire like Warren Buffett.

A single coin will not make you rich. But, keep adding a single coin to your pile. And one day, you will reach a point whereby adding a single coin will make you rich.

In the end, enjoy the journey, and the event will be a byproduct.

#3 Play the infinite game

There are two types of games; finite games and infinite games.

Finite games have fixed rules and parameters to decide a winner. Infinite games have no rules nor any parameters to determine a winner.

The purpose of the players in the infinite game is to keep the game running.

Life is an infinite game. You are not competing with anyone but yourself. There are no parameters agreed upon by everyone that defines who the winner is.

As there are no winners in the game of life, you should focus on getting better than yesterday.

Do that, and you will outlive your competition.

#4 Stop blaming others for my shortcomings

Blaming others or pitting myself didn’t solve anything for me.

When I started taking responsibility for the outcomes, it automagically triggered the necessary change.

For example,

Situation: I wrote an article, but no one read it.

How I behaved: I took responsibility and tried to figure out what can I improve.

Actions I took:

I read articles of successful writers on how to find success in writing. Then, I compared how viral articles are different from mine.
I reformatted my article. Instead of writing bulky paragraphs, I now write small paragraphs. Each paragraph consists of 2 to 3 sentences.
I made the article scannable by adding headings, sub-headings, bullets, and section dividers.
I used an eye-catchy main image.
I experimented with different titles and subtitles. Finally, headline Studio by CoSchedule helped me find out the best title I could use.
I started submitting my work to various publications. Publications can help your work reach a large audience.

Result: I saw the number of views on my article, readers liking my work, and subscribing to my newsletter improving. Furthermore, I felt my self-confidence, motivation, and happiness rise.

#5 Regular reflection and continuous improvement

Continuous improvement is the key to mastering any field. But, to improve, you need to reflect on your habits, mindset, plan, and activities regularly.

Set a frequency that suits you. It could be weekly, monthly, yearly, etc.
Reserve 1 to 2 hours to reflect. Ask yourself questions that will make you think. You can use this website for ideas.

Right questions lead to the right answers.

Note down the actions you want to take to improve. Writing down the steps you plan to take can do wonders for you. Give it a try.
Identify ways to measure your progress.
Implement the actions you came up with within the next cycle.
Reflect on the actions you took. Measure the progress you made and repeat these steps.

It is crucial to choose the right frequency. It should not be too often nor too less.

You may overanalyze things by reflecting too often. On the other hand, you may miss easy improvements by reflecting too less.

I hope you enjoyed reading this article. If yes, subscribe to my email list to receive an email when I publish a new juicy article.

If you are looking for ways to support me. Well, buy me a cup of coffee from here or join Medium using my affiliate link :-)