It Took 28 Years to Learn These 6 Lifestyle Hacks, That You Can Implement Immediately

Death of the internal struggle.

I am a slower learner. But smart enough to identify shortcuts for success.

Imposter syndrome, your weirdness, and fears are paths to your success — when you have the key to unlock their power.

We are continually told to resolve these issues. However, these are the foundation of freedom, success, and happiness.

Act when you aren’t ready. Jump off a cliff.

A secret I stumbled across of “getting ahead” from those that are “ahead” is to jump off blindly.

• Throw yourself into opportunities that you haven’t done before.
• Acknowledge your imposter syndrome.
• Lean into your transferable skills.

When new opportunities come up, jump on them. New opportunities come about by:

• Being approached by someone. If someone granted you the keys to a new opportunity, this means they know you to be capable.
• You can see a gap. As you grow as a person, you look at life differently. That this transformation has taken place means you are capable.

I went from being an assistant manager at a gym to another job managing a portfolio of 78 buildings.

Trust yourself you can handle the leap. Forces around you will assist if you persist.

Embrace your imposter syndrome

Imposter syndrome gets a bad rap.

It’s a sign that you are throwing yourself into new opportunities. I worked with a CEO who would stumble over his words. I could tell sometimes he had no idea what he was doing. His rise to the top was quick. However, he had embraced his imposter syndrome. He was leading a multi-millionaire-dollar international company.

When you put yourself into a new opportunity, you will need to do things that you haven’t done before. This is where the anxiety of imposter syndrome jacks up.

Acknowledge that you have the transferable skills to get you through the unknown tasks.

I had run my first Circling event a few weeks ago. In the few days leading up to the event, the volume increased on the imposter syndrome anxiety level.

“Will they know I haven’t done this before?”

“What will they think if I don’t know what they say?

The self-doubt felt like little paper cuts in my upper abdomen.

On the morning of the event, it hit sky levels. I thought if I do nothing, this anxiety will ruin delivering of the event. I recalled the training I had done years ago on facilitating events. Thought about how I had been sitting in circles with various groups for years. How I had facilitated other group events.

I knew I was experiencing imposter syndrome.

But all at once, the imposter syndrome anxiety dropped.

Be your weird @ss self

I found a new problem when making new friends in my late 40s.

If you act differently from what you normally are, when you do act how you normally are, people drift.

A new friend is like when you meet a new partner at the start. You are on your “fake” best behavior.

But that is boring. People like your warts.

When you aren’t perfect and you show it, people can identify with that. They like that. And want that.

Cut off the fat for rewards

“Hack away at the unessential. Simplicity is the key to brilliance.”

— Bruce Lee

Get rid of what you don’t want and need. This is smart.

• It allows space for new things to get sucked into the vacuum.
• You don’t waste time managing shit that just isn’t serving any purpose.

I threw out my old clothes (including the undies with holes in them). This forced me then upgrade my wardrobe. There is a great feeling associated with getting around in new duds.

Joy in fear

When you peer through the veil of fear, you see a little light. When pursue your goals like a warrior, fear and self-doubt can stop you from acting. But they are illusions. Created in your mind.

This year I started a Men’s Walk and Talk Group, as a means to create a safe space for men to connect. Fear and doubt raised their heads. To give this project life:

• I spoke to some friends about the idea.
• Connected with a man that runs a men’s group, that I used as a model.
• He connected me with a Neighbourhood House to run the event.

One breadcrumb leads to another.

On the morning of the first event, fear and anxiety were a 10 on the Richter scale.

It was 7.55 am and the event was scheduled to start at 8.00 am. There were zero attendees for my first event. I recalled how Tony Robbins said his first event was a disaster because he only had 4 attendees. If his a disaster, this was going to be a catastrophe!

I sluggishly got up from my seat and I looked through the window at the end of the hallway.

Doh! Rookie mistake.

I have forgotten to unlock the front door!

With the key turning, a flow of men burst through the door.

Anxiety and fear exited. And were replaced with a lot of smiling faces.

Immediately, my attention shifted to being in service to other people.

3 staples

Master the basics. Whenever I go through a lot of change and my routine gets thrown out. I know exactly how to get back on track. I write 3 words up on my big a$$ whiteboard.

· Food

· Sleep

· Movement

Movement. Like my Aussie mate from Grease Oliver Newton-John used to say, let’s get physical. Get back into your regular exercise. Start small. Even if it’s a walk at lunchtime or around the block after dinner.

Benefits:

• Stops the pounds piling on
• Adrenaline kick after exercise
• Sleep better

Sleep. I see my sleep pattern going off the rails with a lot of change and stress. Staying up late watching Netflix to numb out the stress. To flip this, instead, I flick the switch on my before-sleep routine. Predetermine what your sleep time will be. Periodically, during the evening (until the routine is in place) mentally suggest to yourself you will sleep at this time. Turn on the fan or heater to get the bedroom cozzie. Get in bed to read for an hour before sleep.

Benefits:

• Feeling fully rested when I wake up
• I love the feeling of waking up early in the morning
• Energy levels are higher during the day

Food. When stressed and low on time, I am quick to buy food on the run. Which always ends in unhealthy disasters. This food gives me no energy. And 5 minutes later I am hungry again. Sometimes it can take me a few days to realize I have become a food-junky. So I stop and jump on my 3 food friends— fruit, vegetables, and vegan chocolate.

Benefits:

• Energy boost
• Increased concentration
• Satisfies my sugar craving (somewhat healthily.)

So jump into new opportunities to engage with life.

If you haven’t done them before, imposter syndrome anxiety may come up. It’s positivity. Embrace it.

Inside the illusory fears that come up inside your new opportunity, joy bubbles up — eventually.

Sleep, food, and movement will keep you grounded throughout these new adventures.

The things I love most this year have been the things that I have feared most.

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