I Completely Changed My Life In Less Than 6 Months. Here Are The Seven Things I Did (Steal Them).
#6: I built my day around principles of the flow state
I almost crashed my one-person business six months ago.
I had just come back as a digital nomad from Asia and didn’t pay close enough attention to my business finances. I had taken on too much. Overspent. And had a massive tax liability that could ruin me.
I remember sitting in my hostel in Cambodia crying.
I felt like I was fu*ked. When I got back to Melbourne, I went to bed every night in March and April with anxiety. I had an elevated heart rate most of the time.
Fast forward 6 months, and I am in a completely different position.
I am now cracking more than $20k per month. Here’s what I did.
#1: I focused on problem-solving
Whenever I found myself overwhelmed, I asked myself one question:
What’s the biggest problem I can solve in the next hour?
I would identify the highest-leverage task and give it my full attention.
This would force me to suspend my anxiety and stress and just get to work.
I am surprised by how effective it was. Almost a form of productive mindfulness. It radically shortcuts my action threshold.
Instead of procrastinating I’m feeling overwhelmed or wallowing in my stress, I managed to knock off task after task.
After a full day of action-focused problem-solving, I would end up solving lots of problems.
Solve what’s in front of you, and the next step becomes easier.
#2: I found a creator community
A community is the #1 hack for growing as a creator.
Find a tribe with your vibe. They will help you get through tough times, solve your challenges, and provide a roadmap for what’s possible.
I joined a creator community in May 2023.
Since then,
- I’ve 4x my Medium following (4k to 16k)
- Consistently achieved 4-figures per month in income
- Released 2x digital products
- Started an email newsletter and grew my list to more than 1,300 subscribers
I did all of this in less than 6 months.
Not to mention the amount of psychological growth I experienced. I feel way less lonely. I’ve broken through so many limiting beliefs.
Humans evolved to exist in tribes. We are hardwired to join a community.
Don’t deny your biological needs, lean into it.
#3: I hired a coach
Every professional athlete has a coach.
Roger Federer, Cristiano Ronaldo, Conor McGregor.
The best of the best have coaches. Why do you have the arrogance that you can do it alone?
A coach shortcuts your learning curve, points out errors in your technique, and works to strengthen your mindset.
The one hour I spend with my coach saves me 10+ hours of trying something out myself.
It’s made my solopreneur journey so much easier.
Find a coach that has achieved the results you want.
#4: I went hard on active recovery
As a Type-A personality, taking time to relax can feel like being lazy.
I struggled with this for years. Refusing to recover and rest. I would get sick often, burned out, and take months to get back to peak performance.
But that’s only because I’ve had the limiting belief that recovery is a passive event, where you watch Netflix and binge shit food.
But the best recovery is active.
Here are some of my active recovery protocols:
- Nature-based walks with no technology.
- Daily exposure to heat and cold.
- Long walks, dynamic stretching, and mobility work.
I’ve found my mind is refreshed after an active recovery session.
#5: I finally resolved my childhood traumas
I have a blackbelt in emotional avoidance.
But avoidance doesn’t mean my problems go away. No. Quite the opposite actually. My tendency to avoid meant that my problems accumulated. And get bigger.
Your life will grow in proportion to the number of difficult conversations you have.
I took the hard steps of working through issues I’ve had with my dad. I talked to my therapist. Cried. And started the process of healing the relationship.
The results? Amazing. I feel so light.
The emotional and personal growth translated into business success.
#6: I built my day around principles of the flow state
I optimize my entire day to achieve flow states.
Flow is like magic. It’s that rare state of mind of being ‘in the zone’. You’ll frequently hear top athletes and artists describe this state of being completely immersed.
Time falls away. Judgment and anxiety are suspended.
They are completely in the moment. But flow is becoming more valuable at exactly the same time it is getting rarer.
Most people’s days are filled with endless distractions.
They doom scroll their phones, notifications constantly stealing their focus, and no routine or rules around how people can access their time. Their calendars get filled with other people’s priorities.
If you don’t set your own priorities, you will become part of someone else’s.
Stop this cycle. Your future depends on it.
Here’s how to get more flow into your day:
- Structure — Creative tasks in the morning. After a short morning routine, I get straight into writing. I set the expectations that I am unavailable for phone calls before 10:00am and I set my Calendly app to only allow bookings after 1:00pm.
- Duration — I time block my creativity for 60–90 mins every morning. I know that this period of time is only for writing. Nothing else. It’s enough time for me to dive deep and get words onto a page, without completely draining me.
- Limits — no social media, no phone, no emails. All these break up your potential for flow. And for the love of god, turn off all notifications on your phone.
Build flow into your life. And then flow will build your life.
#7: I’ve learned to let go of people.
Here’s a quick list:
- Unsupportive or toxic friends.
- Expectations of people to change.
- Traditional standards of relationships.
Every relationship serves a particular purpose in your life.
Some relationships exist for a reason or a season. Some relationships last your whole life.
There is nothing wrong with outgrowing people. I’ve even outgrown mentors.
Don’t get me wrong.
It can be so hard to let go of a relationship that’s been in your life for so long. But length doesn’t determine quality.
Learn to let go, or be prepared to be dragged.
Summary:
Looking back, this experience was the best thing to ever happen to me.
While it absolutely sucked at the time, it woke me up. It forced me to grow. I could no longer deny reality. If things didn’t get this bad, I wouldn’t have been forced to change.
Sometimes I feel that most people live close to the edge, but never fall off. So they continue to live a life that isn’t satisfying.
The pain of staying the same is still not as bad as the pain of change.
Sometimes you have to fall off to come back up again.
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