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How can you improve your life in 2 years you ask... by taking premeditated actions that,a) Move you towards your goal and,b) Do so in the most effective an efficient manner possible.Before considering massive action plans for improvement or solutions for your current circumstances, it is important that take time to understand who you are and what you want. Identifying what beliefs or actions have held you back up until this point is also incredibly valuable.So with that said….Know who you are.1. Personality typing categorises people according to their tendencies to think and act in particular ways. It can help predict your behaviour towards others as well as identifying what strengths you hold and careers you may find fulfilling. Some great tests include DISC profiles, career aptitude tests, work values test, Jung personality test, team roles test, signature strength assessment, Myers-Briggs personality types. Most of which can be undertaken free online.2. Limiting beliefs are those, which constrain us in some way. Just by believing them, we do not think, do or say the things that they inhibit. In doing so we impoverish our lives. Prior to commencing your quest for self-improvement you want to address your limiting beliefs – excuses, negative thoughts, justifications, beliefs conditioned by culture or family, thought patterns etc. There are a number of articles, exercises and videos available online to assist you.3. Take ownership by addressing the choices you have made and acknowledging the impact they have had on your journey. Taking ownership of your own behaviour and the consequences of that behaviour will help you develop self-respect and an internal locus of control. Looking at your circumstances retrospectively will help you identify additional behavioural habits, limiting beliefs, coping mechanism, bullshit stories you tell yourself etc.Know who you are about to become.1. Mission, Vision and Values - Personal mission statements are an important component of personal development. They force you to think deeply about your life, clarify its purpose, and identify what is truly important to you.There is plenty of information on the net about these topics; as such, I won’t elaborate upon them here.2. Setting goals gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation. It focuses your acquisition of knowledge and helps you to organise your time and your resources so that you can make the most of your life.I have written an eBook on goal setting which can be found via my profile link.Some important things to note:a. Does your goal have a purpose, process and payoff?b. Is the goal in alignment with your mission and vision?c. Is it authentic?d. Do your goals evoke emotion and presuppose success?3. Prioritising your goals – “you can have anything you want, but you can’t have everything you want”. If you have multiple goals you wish to achieve over the next 2 years, now is the time to prioritise them.Which goal is most important to you? Which will have the greatest impact? Is there a goal the precedes another?My tip is to write down all of your goals and rank them. Ask yourself is it more important that I (goal 1) or (goal 2). Is it more important that I (goal 1) or (goal 3). Continue this process until you have all 10 ranked in order.4. Build & replace habits to support your goals. Habits are more effective than transient or intermittent motivation. Understanding the power of habits and how to develop, instil or replace them will be a game changer. I suggest you check out the work of Charles Duhigg or James Clears.Question to ask yourself.1. What do I want more of in my life?2. What have I had enough of and needs to end today?3. What is missing that I deserve to have?4. What is making me feel trapped? Isn't it time to break free?5. What did I do, who did I meet and how did I grow today?Based on your responses above, you may want to consider all or perhaps just some of what is written below.Universal applicable strategies.1. Eliminate the unnecessary and cultivate the essentials - the act of letting things go will help you to simplify, to focus on what is important, and to build the life you want.2. Develop an action bias – Knowledge is not the key to power and change. Applied knowledge is. I am not suggesting you develop a “just do it” mentality and leap blindly towards opportunities without full consideration. What I am suggesting is that you balance input and output to ensure your acquired knowledge and skills are given the opportunity to create the change you desire.3. Listen more than you talk – Nobody learns anything whilst they are talking.4. Take notes - Memories are notoriously unreliable.5. Dress well – If you want to get in, you must fit in. Something that starts with how you present yourself. Years of social conditioning means you will be judged long before you extend your hand or open your mouth. How you dress will determine how your message is received or if it is received at all.Invest in quality garments that are flexible and can be styled up or down depending on the circumstances.Productivity.1. Find minutes in your day – Wake up 15 minutes earlier every day. This simple task just created you an extra 4 days (close enough) of “free” time each year.Could you find 15 minutes from your lunch break? Why not leave home 10 minutes earlier to avoid being stuck in the morning traffic? Could you sacrifice 15 minutes worth of screen time each day? Now we are saving weeks, not days.2. Unplug to increase output – technology is amazing and if used effectively can rapidly improve your productivity. Unfortunately, most people let technology control them.Give yourself permission not to be reactive when it comes to your devices.Could you benefit from checking your phone once an hour, on the hour, instead of every 10 minutes? How about disconnecting the internet and switching your phone to silent for 2 hours of each day so you can get in some focused work.3. Minimise your distractions – Turn off your notifications. Manage your email inbox (check out Unsubscribe from emails, instantly. to unsubscribe in one click). Don’t read an email if you aren’t prepared to respond. Unfollow people on Facebook (you remain friends, but won’t see them in your news feed). If you find yourself losing time to sites that are not essential for work blacklist them using a tool like Self Control app (Mac), Cold Turkey (Universal) or Stay Focused (Chrome).Organise your space to remove distractions. This comes back to the notion of eliminating the unnecessary.4. Blocking or batching with a single task focus - Ultimately, multitasking is a myth that many of us fall for at some point. Instead of dividing your attention and rapidly switching between activities, commit your focus to the task and you will see your productivity rise.Task batching allows your brain to focus on one type of task at a time. For example, email correspondence and answering blog posts call for similar mindsets. Respond to all your emails, and then answer all your blog posts.5. Bookend your days – a lot has been written on the benefits of developing a morning routine but what about an evening routine. In the book The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy, he discusses the concept of bookending your days. Developing a well-established routine that positions you for success regardless of what happens during the middle of the day.If you want to know more about routines check out the books own the day or millionaire morning.6. Control your calendar – Time is your most valuable asset so you must learn to manage it. Learn to say no to people and opportunities that do not align with your goals. Learn to be efficient as well as effective. What would happen if you made all meetings 25% shorter in duration?Schedule time for growth (learning) and contribution (providing value). Do not leave them to chance.Try removing the number 7 from your decision-making. If someone asks you to do something or invites you to an event give it a number from 1 – 10. 8 or above you commit to, 6 or below is at your discretion. Removing the number 7 takes away the indecision about the value of the opportunity or experience.7. Build a daily to-do list - Do you often find yourself working tons only to find you did not get any “real" work done?Then you should try this tip. Separate your tasks into one of four categories:Important & urgent (e.g. presentation due tomorrow)Important & not urgent (e.g. exercise, working on a presentation two-weeks in advance)Not important & urgent (e.g. social media updates phone calls)Not important & not urgent (e.g. surfing the web)Now rank your “to do list” in order of most important & urgent to least.8. Eat the frog first - What you do at the beginning of the day will dictate the flow for the rest of the day.The way I see it, you have two options:Do the hardest task first so everything else feels easierDo the easiest task first to build up some momentumPersonally, I always feel better and perform better when I eat the frog (do the task that will move the needle the most, rarely the thing you want to do, but always the thing you need to do) first.9. Get a password manager – A chrome extension like Last Pass will save you time and mental energy by storing all your passwords in one location.10. Pomodoro technique – Google it, you will thank me.Book Suggestions:· The Power of Habit – Smarter, Faster, Better by Charles Duhigg· The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss· Deep work by Cal Newport· Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi· Own The Day by Aubrey Marcus· The Compound Effect by Darren HardyEducation.1. Identify your learning type. By recognising and understanding your own learning styles, you can use techniques better suited to you. This improves the speed and quality of your learning.The Seven Learning StylesVisual (spatial): You prefer using pictures, images, and spatial understanding.Aural (auditory-musical): You prefer using sound and music.Verbal (linguistic): You prefer using words, both in speech and writing.Physical (kinaesthetic): You prefer using your body, hands and sense of touch.Logical (mathematical): You prefer using logic, reasoning and systems.Social (interpersonal): You prefer to learn in groups or with other people.Solitary (intrapersonal): You prefer to work alone and use self-study.2. Identify your learning opportunities and outcomes – Knowing the purpose of your studies is important. Education for the sake of education is a waste of time. Education for the benefit of application is the goal. It’ll help keep you focused in your search for the ideal course or content that can contribute to your goals.It is important to recognise that not all learning is guided or formal. When it comes to career progression, employers often acknowledge formalised learning, not independent learning. If you are an independent learner look for ways to utilise your skills and build a portfolio of results which validate your knowledge and prove your competency.So where can you turn to expand your knowledge and hone your expertise - books, audio books, podcasting, mastermind groups, mentoring, formalised education, experiences, subscription learning sites like LinkedIn learning or Lynda etc.Note: Just because you got a book from the library, does not mean it is free. The time you spend reading the content is time that could be spent elsewhere. As a result, the book has an opportunity cost, not a financial one.3. Networking + mentoring - Knowing more people gives you greater access, facilitates the sharing of information, and makes it easier to influence others for the simple reason that influencing people you know is easier than influencing strangers.Networking, its benefits, and how to best approach it is all documented and discussed online, so I will not drill down into this one.4. Immersive education – There are two ways to achieve an immersive educational experience.a. You are placed in a physical or virtual environment that allows you to experience a real work scenario without influencing the real business processes.b. You immerse yourself into a task without distractions. Dedicating periods to a single task, event or goal. It is common to hear about writers renting a hotel for a weekend and writing. Leaving only if necessary. Why not use immersion to fast-track your education. Got a book you want to read or a topic you want to understand, why not set aside 48 - 72 hours and immerse yourself.5. Education over entertainment – if you want to get ahead substitute entertainment options for educational alternatives.Book Suggestions:· The First 20 Hours. How To Learn Anything Fast – Josh Kaufman· The Little Book of Talent – Daniel Coyle· The 4-Hour Chef – Tim Ferriss· Make It Stick – Mark McDaniel & Peter BrownFinances.1. Develop a financial plan and look to the futureWhere are you going to invest?How much are you going to invest?Can you consolidate your debts?What is your retirement plan?Do you have Budget (sorry for swearing)?This list goes on which is why you should either a) educate yourself or b) pay someone who already knows everything you want to know.2. Live lean - What I mean by this is live within your means. If you are spending less than you are bringing in, it is difficult to get yourself into bad financial positions.3. Track spending to see exactly where your money is going. This can be helpful to look at when deciding what areas of your spending you need to cut down on. My go-to is Tiller. Tiller connects your financial accounts to spreadsheets and automatically updates them with your daily transactions and balances.Once you know where your money is going you can develop a conscious spending plan. A plan that involves four major buckets where your money will go - fixed costs, investments, savings, and guilt-free spending money.4. Invest early - If you invest $5,000 every year (which is $417/month) for 10 years, from age 25 to age 35 and then never invest again, you would still have more money at retirement, than someone who starts at age 35 and invests $5,000 every year UNTIL they retire.The 25-year-old starter invests $55,000 and ends up with $615,000 (given an 8% annual return, which is close to the average return of the stock market per year). The 35-year-old invests $130,000 and ends up with $431,000.Reference – I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi5. Understand the difference between investing in an asset and purchasing a liability - The main difference between assets and liabilities is that assets provide a future economic benefit, while liabilities present a future obligation.There are also two types of assets.Depreciating assetsAppreciating assetsDepreciation is when the value of an asset decreases and appreciation is when the value of an asset increases. Therefore, a depreciating asset is an asset that continues to decrease in value over time whereas an appreciating asset is an asset that increases in value.6. Manage your debts and improve your credit rating - Establishing good credit is the first step in building an infrastructure for getting rich. Think about it, our largest purchases are almost always made on credit, and people with good credit save tens of thousands of dollars on these purchases. Credit has a far greater impact on your finances than saving a few dollars a day on a cup of coffee.7. Automate your savings - Automating your savings can make money management and reaching your savings goals that much easier. You will find it easier to adjust your spending to accommodate for this expense and will be building up that savings account without any effort.8. Sell unwanted material possession – According to research, the average household has $5,400 worth of unused items that they could sell. Why not pawn that on the Facebook marketplace, gumtree or craigslist etc.How would that money benefit you right now?9. Consider a no-spending challenge - No-spend challenges are not about not spending anything whatsoever. It is about not spending in problem areas you may have. Areas like shopping, eating out, entertainment, and big purchases.It teaches you patience and helps you uncover spending triggers you may have.10. Earn More - While most people can do better with their budget, it does not hurt to cut that budget from a bigger pie.Book Suggestions:· Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki· I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi· Money Master The Game by Tony Robbins· Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping by and Get Your Financial Life Together by Erin Lowry· The Barefoot Investor by Scott PapePhysical Health. If your goal is to lose weight, you would be well advised to read this blog post - https://liamanderson.quora.com/How-To-Lose-Weight-A-Beginners-Guide1. Exercises frequently – Without complicating it, move often and do so with purpose and intensity.To accelerate your results here invest in a program from a trainer or coach who can distil their industry experience into a personalised plan.2. Prioritise whole foods – “In a world of trending diets and food fads, don’t forget the benefits of simply eating whole foods.The term ‘whole food’ is normally applied to vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains and meats with minimal processing. It is not as simple as neatly dividing foods into two groups – either whole foods or processed foods. Most foods we eat have undergone some degree of processing, whether it is washing, chopping, drying, freezing or canning, and that is not always a bad thing. For example, freezing and canning food gives us access to a variety of foods all year round. However, as the degree of processing and refining increases, the foods nutritional value decreases. It is important to be aware of that.A 2014 analysis by Yale University researchers found that the claims of health benefits for many popular diets such as low glycaemic, Paleo and vegan were exaggerated. The one consistent finding was that “a diet of minimally processed foods close to nature, predominantly plants, is decisively associated with health promotion and disease prevention”.”Reference – HCF Health Agenda3. Portion control and energy balance - Energy balance is the difference between your energy input (calories that you put into your body) and your energy output (number of calories you burn each day). For weight loss, it is a basic, but an essential element.Portion control is the tool that allows you to “eat your cake and have it to”.4. Be consistent – Rome was not built in a day and your new body will not be either.5. There is more than one road that leads to Rome – When it comes to getting in shape or weight loss it is easy to compare your process to someone else’s. What you must realise is that you can get the same results by doing things your way.3 x 3 = 9 as does 3 + 6 and 7 + 1 + 1.What you want to avoid doing is going against the advice you have been given because Johnny or Mary are seeing results doing shakes, paleo, fasting, IIFYM, carb cycling etc.3 x 6 doesn’t = 9, nor does 3 + 1 + 1.Develop a process and stick to it, so long as it is working.6. The scale is not always accurate – a traditional scale only measures body mass, not body composition.When it comes to measuring your progress, a scale can be deceptive and a real buzz kill. See, when your body fat goes down but your muscle mass goes up the number on the scale does not represent the true nature of your results.For this reason, I suggest a combination approach.1. Photos2. Circumferential measurements3. Traditional scale4. BIA scale – Get access to over 40 different measuring parameters such as skeletal muscle mass, total body water, bone mineral content, protein, body fat percentage, visceral fat levels and segmental analysis, B.M.R and total energy expenditure​, age match to body (fitness age) and much more!7. Curb your cravings & learn to identify emotional eatingTips to help curb cravings:· Make sure you have protein and fibre in your meals to increase satiety.· Drink more water.· Plan your meals. This will help control both blood sugar levels and subsequent cravings.· Practice mindful eating.· Seek professional advice to identify, isolate and manage cravings.The difference between emotional eating and physical hunger.Emotional hunger comes on suddenly, craves specific foods, often leads to mindless eating, is not satisfied when you are full, stems from the head not the stomach and often leads to regret, guilt or shame.Emotional hunger is also triggered by situations, places, or feelings such as.· Anger, fear, sadness, anxiety, loneliness, resentment, shame, and boredom.· Your habits could also be linked to your childhood. Did your parents reward your behaviour with food or attempt to comfort you with treats?· Food choices can also be linked to nostalgia among other things.Questions to ask yourself surrounding emotional eating.· Does stress make you eat more?· Do your eating habits make you feel calm?· Does food make you feel safe?· Would you consider food a friend?· Do you ever eat when you are not hungry or already full?· Do you reward yourself with food?· Do you feel powerless or out of control around food?8. Sleep quality – Waking up at the same time every day will stabilise your circadian rhythm and optimising your sleeping environment will improve the quality of your sleep.Working on these two things will result in you being more productive during the day; recovering faster from exercise and balancing your hormones (those that regulate hunger and appetite and can contribute to weight gain).9. Some people benefit from a public declaration – Nothing like a little external accountability and pressure to keep you motivated. Do not ask for support, but say “I’m on this new thing where I’m going to…”10. Brush your teeth after dinner - It is a simple thing which will help control after dinner snacking.Book Suggestions:· The Fitness Mindset by Brian Keane· No Sweat by Michelle Segar· Becoming Ageless The Four Secrets To Looking and Feeling Younger Than Ever by Strauss Zelnick· Becoming a Supple Leopard by Dr. Kelly Starrett· The 4-Hour Body by Tim FerrissCareer.1. Be amazing - Regardless of what you are doing right now, do it to the best of your best ability. You never know who may be watching or what doors may open because of it.2. Develop skills and find ways to add value – Focus on fewer things, but get great at them. Workers are working nonstop to stay relevant in their careers and you should be too. What skills will you need in the future and how can you acquire them today?By adding value to your employer, not only are you displaying a strong commitment to your team and the business as a whole, but it also holds you in good stride when it comes to career advancement.If you are a contractor, consider value adding as a way of creating trust, credibility and authority in the eyes of individuals and companies you wish to work with.3. Network - By maintaining professional social networking profiles, talking to others in your industry, participating in forums, and attending networking events, you increase your chances of forging solid connections that can boost your career. Get your name out there and make sure those within your industry know who you are.4. Know your value - Even if you absolutely love your job and the company you work for, ignoring other opportunities could mean losing precious footholds as you climb the corporate ladder.Even if you don’t intend on leaving your current position, it is worth reviewing industry wage standards and your market value so you can renegotiate your current salary (provided you are performing).5. Curate your social media - You never know who’s checking them out, so be sure to scrutinise your Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn pages as if you were a prospective employer or job contact.What are your socials saying about you?6. Intern, volunteer – It looks good on your resume, it’s a great way to build your network and add value, it can help you determine your career goals, it allows you to develop and refine your skills and it will build your confidence.7. Invest in your resume – A professionally written resume and cover letter could be the difference between an interview and a missed opportunity.When it comes to your resume, select your formalised education based on gaps that need filling or strengths you wish to highlight for prospective employers.8. Put in the work – Getting ahead in your career requires you to put in the work. You can accelerate your career by building great relationships and delivering exceptional results (consistently).Book Suggestions:· Mastery – Robert Greene· What Color Is Your Parachute by Richard Nelson Bolles· So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport· The New Rules of Work by Alexandra Cavoulacos and Kathryn MinshewRelationships.1. Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.2. Work on your relationship with yourself – “You must love yourself and make yourself happy before you can extend that love and happiness to others.” While our feelings about ourselves can certainly influence our feelings about others (and vice versa), it is important to understand there is a delicate balance at play.People with lower self-esteem tend to underestimate their partners' love, report lower levels of satisfaction in relationships, are less optimistic about the future and spend more time monitoring their partner’s behaviour for signs of rejection.On the other end of the scale, extremely high self-esteem can shift towards narcissism. Which as we all know is not a positive trait.3. Develop your listening skills - Listening is a crucial skill in boosting another person’s self-esteem, the silent form of flattery that makes people feel supported and valued. Listening and understanding what others communicate to us is essential to building good relationships.4. Develop your communication skills - Communication occurs when someone understands you, not just when you speak. One of the biggest dangers in communication occurs when we work on the assumption that the other person has understood the message we are trying to get across.5. Two I’s make a Team - The foundation for a thriving, growing, mutually-supportive relationship is to be separate and connected. When you are separate and connected, each individual “I” contributes to the creation of a “we” that is stronger than the sum of its parts.6. Accept and value differences and learn from disagreements - We often gravitate towards people who have qualities and abilities we desire.Not everyone that you have to deal with on a daily basis will meet this criterion. As such, you must learn to be open minded whilst accepting and valuing that people have differences in opinions. Try to see things from people’s perspective or discuss their opinions before passing judgement. You will not always agree, but you may learn something along the way.7. Forgive those who have hurt you but change whom you surround yourself with.8. Develop your EQ – By definition, EQ is the ability to identify, use, understand, and manage emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathise with others, overcome challenges, and defuse conflict. Seems important to me.9. Learn the science of body language – Relationships are not always built with words. They are often the result of actions. Your body language is a sequence of actions that is saying a lot about you. What exactly? Read up on Vanessa Van Edwards to find out more.10. Learn the languages of love when it comes to improving your spousal relationship1. Words of affirmation – using words to build up the other person. “Thanks for taking out the garbage.” Not – “It’s about time you took the garbage out. The flies were going to carry it out for you.”2. Gifts – a gift says, “He was thinking about me. Look what he got for me.”3. Acts of Service – Doing something for your spouse that you know they would like. Cooking a meal, washing dishes, vacuuming floors, are all acts of service.4. Quality time – by which I mean, giving your spouse your undivided attention. Taking a walk together or sitting on the couch with the TV off – talking and listening.5. Physical touch – holding hands, hugging, kissing, sexual intercourse, are all expressions of love.Out of these five, each person has a primary love language which speaks more deeply to them than all the others. Discovering each other’s language and speaking it regularly is the best way to keep love alive in a marriage.Book Suggestions:· The Five Languages of Love by Gary Chapman· How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie· Captivate by Vanessa Van EdwardsMental and Emotional Health.1. Speak Up – If you need help, the best thing you can do is speak up.2. Develop mental fortitude and improve resilience – Another topic highly covered in the digital space. Take some time to explore this one.3. Develop an internal locus of control - Research has shown that those with an internal locus of control (they feel that they control their own destiny, rather than their fate is largely determined by external forces) tend to be happier, less depressed, and less stressed.There is a great article on this topic - Cultivating an Internal Locus of Control and Why It’s Crucial by Margarita Tartakovsky. Check it out.4. Practice gratitude - Tony Robbins once said trade your expectations for appreciations and your whole world changes and he is right. For this reason, many people practice the art of journaling. A process where they consciously identify and acknowledge the things they are grateful for in their lives.5. Stop Ruminating - Ruminating is where you repeatedly go over a thought or a problem without completion.There is a great article on how to stop ruminating called 10 Tips to Help You Stop Ruminating by Erica Cirino.6. Practice Meditation - Meditation is a practice where an individual uses a technique, such as focusing their mind on a particular object, thought or activity, to achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm state.Meditation has been practiced since antiquity in numerous religious traditions and beliefs and its benefits have been well documents amongst high achievers.Not everyone has the time or access to guided meditation, which is where an app like headspace can be very valuable.7. Fresh air, exercise, sunlight and gardening – 4 things science have proven to improve your mood and mental state.8. The power of language – There are countless studies on the impact of language on psychology. I am no expert, but there are plenty of experts out there and once again this is a topic worth exploring.Some simple tips on language change are,· If you tend to speak in absolutes, stop.· Phase out phrases like, ‘I have no choice’, and, ‘I can’t…” You can replace them with, ‘I choose not to,’ or, ‘I don’t like my choices, but I will…’· Use words to shift your perception and probability. I.E by ‘June 10 I want to lose 10 kg’ could be reworded to say ‘By June 10 I will have already lost at least 10 kg.’· Try replacing the words should, must and have to with words that are linked to needs and wants. I.E ‘I have to lose weight’ to ‘I need to lose weight’, or, ‘I should go to that event’ to ‘I want to go to that event’.· Add the words ‘before now’ or ‘until now’ at the end of the disempowering statements. I.E ‘I have never been able to get my finances in order, until now’.These are a couple of examples as to how your language can be manipulated to empower yourself and those around you.Book Suggestions:· Unf*ck Yourself by Gary John Bishop· Rewire Your Brain by John B. Arden· The Courage to be Dislike by Ichiro Kishimi· Unbeatable Mind by Mark Divine· The Power of Now and A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle

The answer provided is also seen on the question “How can I improve my life dramatically in 2 years”How can you improve your yourself in 6 months you ask... by taking premeditated actions that,a) Move you towards your goal and,b) Do so in the most effective an efficient manner possible.Before considering massive action plans for improvement or solutions for your current circumstances, it is important that take time to understand who you are and what you want. Identifying what beliefs or actions have held you back up until this point is also incredibly valuable.So with that said….Know who you are.1. Personality typing categorises people according to their tendencies to think and act in particular ways. It can help predict your behaviour towards others as well as identifying what strengths you hold and careers you may find fulfilling. Some great tests include DISC profiles, career aptitude tests, work values test, Jung personality test, team roles test, signature strength assessment, Myers-Briggs personality types. Most of which can be undertaken free online.2. Limiting beliefs are those, which constrain us in some way. Just by believing them, we do not think, do or say the things that they inhibit. In doing so we impoverish our lives. Prior to commencing your quest for self-improvement you want to address your limiting beliefs – excuses, negative thoughts, justifications, beliefs conditioned by culture or family, thought patterns etc. There are a number of articles, exercises and videos available online to assist you.3. Take ownership by addressing the choices you have made and acknowledging the impact they have had on your journey. Taking ownership of your own behaviour and the consequences of that behaviour will help you develop self-respect and an internal locus of control. Looking at your circumstances retrospectively will help you identify additional behavioural habits, limiting beliefs, coping mechanism, bullshit stories you tell yourself etc.Know who you are about to become.1. Mission, Vision and Values - Personal mission statements are an important component of personal development. They force you to think deeply about your life, clarify its purpose, and identify what is truly important to you.There is plenty of information on the net about these topics; as such, I won’t elaborate upon them here.2. Setting goals gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation. It focuses your acquisition of knowledge and helps you to organise your time and your resources so that you can make the most of your life.I have written an eBook on goal setting which can be found via my profile link.Some important things to note:a. Does your goal have a purpose, process and payoff?b. Is the goal in alignment with your mission and vision?c. Is it authentic?d. Do your goals evoke emotion and presuppose success?3. Prioritising your goals – “you can have anything you want, but you can’t have everything you want”. If you have multiple goals you wish to achieve over the next 2 years, now is the time to prioritise them.Which goal is most important to you? Which will have the greatest impact? Is there a goal the precedes another?My tip is to write down all of your goals and rank them. Ask yourself is it more important that I (goal 1) or (goal 2). Is it more important that I (goal 1) or (goal 3). Continue this process until you have all 10 ranked in order.4. Build & replace habits to support your goals. Habits are more effective than transient or intermittent motivation. Understanding the power of habits and how to develop, instil or replace them will be a game changer. I suggest you check out the work of Charles Duhigg or James Clears.Question to ask yourself.1. What do I want more of in my life?2. What have I had enough of and needs to end today?3. What is missing that I deserve to have?4. What is making me feel trapped? Isn't it time to break free?5. What did I do, who did I meet and how did I grow today?Based on your responses above, you may want to consider all or perhaps just some of what is written below.Universal applicable strategies.1. Eliminate the unnecessary and cultivate the essentials - the act of letting things go will help you to simplify, to focus on what is important, and to build the life you want.2. Develop an action bias – Knowledge is not the key to power and change. Applied knowledge is. I am not suggesting you develop a “just do it” mentality and leap blindly towards opportunities without full consideration. What I am suggesting is that you balance input and output to ensure your acquired knowledge and skills are given the opportunity to create the change you desire.3. Listen more than you talk – Nobody learns anything whilst they are talking.4. Take notes - Memories are notoriously unreliable.5. Dress well – If you want to get in, you must fit in. Something that starts with how you present yourself. Years of social conditioning means you will be judged long before you extend your hand or open your mouth. How you dress will determine how your message is received or if it is received at all.Invest in quality garments that are flexible and can be styled up or down depending on the circumstances.Productivity.1. Find minutes in your day – Wake up 15 minutes earlier every day. This simple task just created you an extra 4 days (close enough) of “free” time each year.Could you find 15 minutes from your lunch break? Why not leave home 10 minutes earlier to avoid being stuck in the morning traffic? Could you sacrifice 15 minutes worth of screen time each day? Now we are saving weeks, not days.2. Unplug to increase output – technology is amazing and if used effectively can rapidly improve your productivity. Unfortunately, most people let technology control them.Give yourself permission not to be reactive when it comes to your devices.Could you benefit from checking your phone once an hour, on the hour, instead of every 10 minutes? How about disconnecting the internet and switching your phone to silent for 2 hours of each day so you can get in some focused work.3. Minimise your distractions – Turn off your notifications. Manage your email inbox (check out Unsubscribe from emails, instantly. to unsubscribe in one click). Don’t read an email if you aren’t prepared to respond. Unfollow people on Facebook (you remain friends, but won’t see them in your news feed). If you find yourself losing time to sites that are not essential for work blacklist them using a tool like Self Control app (Mac), Cold Turkey (Universal) or Stay Focused (Chrome).Organise your space to remove distractions. This comes back to the notion of eliminating the unnecessary.4. Blocking or batching with a single task focus - Ultimately, multitasking is a myth that many of us fall for at some point. Instead of dividing your attention and rapidly switching between activities, commit your focus to the task and you will see your productivity rise.Task batching allows your brain to focus on one type of task at a time. For example, email correspondence and answering blog posts call for similar mindsets. Respond to all your emails, and then answer all your blog posts.5. Bookend your days – a lot has been written on the benefits of developing a morning routine but what about an evening routine. In the book The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy, he discusses the concept of bookending your days. Developing a well-established routine that positions you for success regardless of what happens during the middle of the day.If you want to know more about routines check out the books own the day or millionaire morning.6. Control your calendar – Time is your most valuable asset so you must learn to manage it. Learn to say no to people and opportunities that do not align with your goals. Learn to be efficient as well as effective. What would happen if you made all meetings 25% shorter in duration?Schedule time for growth (learning) and contribution (providing value). Do not leave them to chance.Try removing the number 7 from your decision-making. If someone asks you to do something or invites you to an event give it a number from 1 – 10. 8 or above you commit to, 6 or below is at your discretion. Removing the number 7 takes away the indecision about the value of the opportunity or experience.7. Build a daily to-do list - Do you often find yourself working tons only to find you did not get any “real" work done?Then you should try this tip. Separate your tasks into one of four categories:Important & urgent (e.g. presentation due tomorrow)Important & not urgent (e.g. exercise, working on a presentation two-weeks in advance)Not important & urgent (e.g. social media updates phone calls)Not important & not urgent (e.g. surfing the web)Now rank your “to do list” in order of most important & urgent to least.8. Eat the frog first - What you do at the beginning of the day will dictate the flow for the rest of the day.The way I see it, you have two options:Do the hardest task first so everything else feels easierDo the easiest task first to build up some momentumPersonally, I always feel better and perform better when I eat the frog (do the task that will move the needle the most, rarely the thing you want to do, but always the thing you need to do) first.9. Get a password manager – A chrome extension like Last Pass will save you time and mental energy by storing all your passwords in one location.10. Pomodoro technique – Google it, you will thank me.Book Suggestions:· The Power of Habit – Smarter, Faster, Better by Charles Duhigg· The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss· Deep work by Cal Newport· Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi· Own The Day by Aubrey Marcus· The Compound Effect by Darren HardyEducation.1. Identify your learning type. By recognising and understanding your own learning styles, you can use techniques better suited to you. This improves the speed and quality of your learning.The Seven Learning StylesVisual (spatial): You prefer using pictures, images, and spatial understanding.Aural (auditory-musical): You prefer using sound and music.Verbal (linguistic): You prefer using words, both in speech and writing.Physical (kinaesthetic): You prefer using your body, hands and sense of touch.Logical (mathematical): You prefer using logic, reasoning and systems.Social (interpersonal): You prefer to learn in groups or with other people.Solitary (intrapersonal): You prefer to work alone and use self-study.2. Identify your learning opportunities and outcomes – Knowing the purpose of your studies is important. Education for the sake of education is a waste of time. Education for the benefit of application is the goal. It’ll help keep you focused in your search for the ideal course or content that can contribute to your goals.It is important to recognise that not all learning is guided or formal. When it comes to career progression, employers often acknowledge formalised learning, not independent learning. If you are an independent learner look for ways to utilise your skills and build a portfolio of results which validate your knowledge and prove your competency.So where can you turn to expand your knowledge and hone your expertise - books, audio books, podcasting, mastermind groups, mentoring, formalised education, experiences, subscription learning sites like LinkedIn learning or Lynda etc.Note: Just because you got a book from the library, does not mean it is free. The time you spend reading the content is time that could be spent elsewhere. As a result, the book has an opportunity cost, not a financial one.3. Networking + mentoring - Knowing more people gives you greater access, facilitates the sharing of information, and makes it easier to influence others for the simple reason that influencing people you know is easier than influencing strangers.Networking, its benefits, and how to best approach it is all documented and discussed online, so I will not drill down into this one.4. Immersive education – There are two ways to achieve an immersive educational experience.a. You are placed in a physical or virtual environment that allows you to experience a real work scenario without influencing the real business processes.b. You immerse yourself into a task without distractions. Dedicating periods to a single task, event or goal. It is common to hear about writers renting a hotel for a weekend and writing. Leaving only if necessary. Why not use immersion to fast-track your education. Got a book you want to read or a topic you want to understand, why not set aside 48 - 72 hours and immerse yourself.5. Education over entertainment – if you want to get ahead substitute entertainment options for educational alternatives.Book Suggestions:· The First 20 Hours. How To Learn Anything Fast – Josh Kaufman· The Little Book of Talent – Daniel Coyle· The 4-Hour Chef – Tim Ferriss· Make It Stick – Mark McDaniel & Peter BrownFinances.1. Develop a financial plan and look to the futureWhere are you going to invest?How much are you going to invest?Can you consolidate your debts?What is your retirement plan?Do you have Budget (sorry for swearing)?This list goes on which is why you should either a) educate yourself or b) pay someone who already knows everything you want to know.2. Live lean - What I mean by this is live within your means. If you are spending less than you are bringing in, it is difficult to get yourself into bad financial positions.3. Track spending to see exactly where your money is going. This can be helpful to look at when deciding what areas of your spending you need to cut down on. My go-to is Tiller. Tiller connects your financial accounts to spreadsheets and automatically updates them with your daily transactions and balances.Once you know where your money is going you can develop a conscious spending plan. A plan that involves four major buckets where your money will go - fixed costs, investments, savings, and guilt-free spending money.4. Invest early - If you invest $5,000 every year (which is $417/month) for 10 years, from age 25 to age 35 and then never invest again, you would still have more money at retirement, than someone who starts at age 35 and invests $5,000 every year UNTIL they retire.The 25-year-old starter invests $55,000 and ends up with $615,000 (given an 8% annual return, which is close to the average return of the stock market per year). The 35-year-old invests $130,000 and ends up with $431,000.Reference – I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi5. Understand the difference between investing in an asset and purchasing a liability - The main difference between assets and liabilities is that assets provide a future economic benefit, while liabilities present a future obligation.There are also two types of assets.Depreciating assetsAppreciating assetsDepreciation is when the value of an asset decreases and appreciation is when the value of an asset increases. Therefore, a depreciating asset is an asset that continues to decrease in value over time whereas an appreciating asset is an asset that increases in value.6. Manage your debts and improve your credit rating - Establishing good credit is the first step in building an infrastructure for getting rich. Think about it, our largest purchases are almost always made on credit, and people with good credit save tens of thousands of dollars on these purchases. Credit has a far greater impact on your finances than saving a few dollars a day on a cup of coffee.7. Automate your savings - Automating your savings can make money management and reaching your savings goals that much easier. You will find it easier to adjust your spending to accommodate for this expense and will be building up that savings account without any effort.8. Sell unwanted material possession – According to research, the average household has $5,400 worth of unused items that they could sell. Why not pawn that on the Facebook marketplace, gumtree or craigslist etc.How would that money benefit you right now?9. Consider a no-spending challenge - No-spend challenges are not about not spending anything whatsoever. It is about not spending in problem areas you may have. Areas like shopping, eating out, entertainment, and big purchases.It teaches you patience and helps you uncover spending triggers you may have.10. Earn More - While most people can do better with their budget, it does not hurt to cut that budget from a bigger pie.Book Suggestions:· Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki· I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi· Money Master The Game by Tony Robbins· Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping by and Get Your Financial Life Together by Erin Lowry· The Barefoot Investor by Scott PapePhysical Health. If your goal is to lose weight, you would be well advised to read this blog post - https://liamanderson.quora.com/H...1. Exercises frequently – Without complicating it, move often and do so with purpose and intensity.To accelerate your results here invest in a program from a trainer or coach who can distil their industry experience into a personalised plan.2. Prioritise whole foods – “In a world of trending diets and food fads, don’t forget the benefits of simply eating whole foods.The term ‘whole food’ is normally applied to vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains and meats with minimal processing. It is not as simple as neatly dividing foods into two groups – either whole foods or processed foods. Most foods we eat have undergone some degree of processing, whether it is washing, chopping, drying, freezing or canning, and that is not always a bad thing. For example, freezing and canning food gives us access to a variety of foods all year round. However, as the degree of processing and refining increases, the foods nutritional value decreases. It is important to be aware of that.A 2014 analysis by Yale University researchers found that the claims of health benefits for many popular diets such as low glycaemic, Paleo and vegan were exaggerated. The one consistent finding was that “a diet of minimally processed foods close to nature, predominantly plants, is decisively associated with health promotion and disease prevention”.”Reference – HCF Health Agenda3. Portion control and energy balance - Energy balance is the difference between your energy input (calories that you put into your body) and your energy output (number of calories you burn each day). For weight loss, it is a basic, but an essential element.Portion control is the tool that allows you to “eat your cake and have it to”.4. Be consistent – Rome was not built in a day and your new body will not be either.5. There is more than one road that leads to Rome – When it comes to getting in shape or weight loss it is easy to compare your process to someone else’s. What you must realise is that you can get the same results by doing things your way.3 x 3 = 9 as does 3 + 6 and 7 + 1 + 1.What you want to avoid doing is going against the advice you have been given because Johnny or Mary are seeing results doing shakes, paleo, fasting, IIFYM, carb cycling etc.3 x 6 doesn’t = 9, nor does 3 + 1 + 1.Develop a process and stick to it, so long as it is working.6. The scale is not always accurate – a traditional scale only measures body mass, not body composition.When it comes to measuring your progress, a scale can be deceptive and a real buzz kill. See, when your body fat goes down but your muscle mass goes up the number on the scale does not represent the true nature of your results.For this reason, I suggest a combination approach.1. Photos2. Circumferential measurements3. Traditional scale4. BIA scale – Get access to over 40 different measuring parameters such as skeletal muscle mass, total body water, bone mineral content, protein, body fat percentage, visceral fat levels and segmental analysis, B.M.R and total energy expenditure​, age match to body (fitness age) and much more!7. Curb your cravings & learn to identify emotional eatingTips to help curb cravings:· Make sure you have protein and fibre in your meals to increase satiety.· Drink more water.· Plan your meals. This will help control both blood sugar levels and subsequent cravings.· Practice mindful eating.· Seek professional advice to identify, isolate and manage cravings.The difference between emotional eating and physical hunger.Emotional hunger comes on suddenly, craves specific foods, often leads to mindless eating, is not satisfied when you are full, stems from the head not the stomach and often leads to regret, guilt or shame.Emotional hunger is also triggered by situations, places, or feelings such as.· Anger, fear, sadness, anxiety, loneliness, resentment, shame, and boredom.· Your habits could also be linked to your childhood. Did your parents reward your behaviour with food or attempt to comfort you with treats?· Food choices can also be linked to nostalgia among other things.Questions to ask yourself surrounding emotional eating.· Does stress make you eat more?· Do your eating habits make you feel calm?· Does food make you feel safe?· Would you consider food a friend?· Do you ever eat when you are not hungry or already full?· Do you reward yourself with food?· Do you feel powerless or out of control around food?8. Sleep quality – Waking up at the same time every day will stabilise your circadian rhythm and optimising your sleeping environment will improve the quality of your sleep.Working on these two things will result in you being more productive during the day; recovering faster from exercise and balancing your hormones (those that regulate hunger and appetite and can contribute to weight gain).9. Some people benefit from a public declaration – Nothing like a little external accountability and pressure to keep you motivated. Do not ask for support, but say “I’m on this new thing where I’m going to…”10. Brush your teeth after dinner - It is a simple thing which will help control after dinner snacking.Book Suggestions:· The Fitness Mindset by Brian Keane· No Sweat by Michelle Segar· Becoming Ageless The Four Secrets To Looking and Feeling Younger Than Ever by Strauss Zelnick· Becoming a Supple Leopard by Dr. Kelly Starrett· The 4-Hour Body by Tim FerrissCareer.1. Be amazing - Regardless of what you are doing right now, do it to the best of your best ability. You never know who may be watching or what doors may open because of it.2. Develop skills and find ways to add value – Focus on fewer things, but get great at them. Workers are working nonstop to stay relevant in their careers and you should be too. What skills will you need in the future and how can you acquire them today?By adding value to your employer, not only are you displaying a strong commitment to your team and the business as a whole, but it also holds you in good stride when it comes to career advancement.If you are a contractor, consider value adding as a way of creating trust, credibility and authority in the eyes of individuals and companies you wish to work with.3. Network - By maintaining professional social networking profiles, talking to others in your industry, participating in forums, and attending networking events, you increase your chances of forging solid connections that can boost your career. Get your name out there and make sure those within your industry know who you are.4. Know your value - Even if you absolutely love your job and the company you work for, ignoring other opportunities could mean losing precious footholds as you climb the corporate ladder.Even if you don’t intend on leaving your current position, it is worth reviewing industry wage standards and your market value so you can renegotiate your current salary (provided you are performing).5. Curate your social media - You never know who’s checking them out, so be sure to scrutinise your Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn pages as if you were a prospective employer or job contact.What are your socials saying about you?6. Intern, volunteer – It looks good on your resume, it’s a great way to build your network and add value, it can help you determine your career goals, it allows you to develop and refine your skills and it will build your confidence.7. Invest in your resume – A professionally written resume and cover letter could be the difference between an interview and a missed opportunity.When it comes to your resume, select your formalised education based on gaps that need filling or strengths you wish to highlight for prospective employers.8. Put in the work – Getting ahead in your career requires you to put in the work. You can accelerate your career by building great relationships and delivering exceptional results (consistently).Book Suggestions:· Mastery – Robert Greene· What Color Is Your Parachute by Richard Nelson Bolles· So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport· The New Rules of Work by Alexandra Cavoulacos and Kathryn MinshewRelationships.1. Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.2. Work on your relationship with yourself – “You must love yourself and make yourself happy before you can extend that love and happiness to others.” While our feelings about ourselves can certainly influence our feelings about others (and vice versa), it is important to understand there is a delicate balance at play.People with lower self-esteem tend to underestimate their partners' love, report lower levels of satisfaction in relationships, are less optimistic about the future and spend more time monitoring their partner’s behaviour for signs of rejection.On the other end of the scale, extremely high self-esteem can shift towards narcissism. Which as we all know is not a positive trait.3. Develop your listening skills - Listening is a crucial skill in boosting another person’s self-esteem, the silent form of flattery that makes people feel supported and valued. Listening and understanding what others communicate to us is essential to building good relationships.4. Develop your communication skills - Communication occurs when someone understands you, not just when you speak. One of the biggest dangers in communication occurs when we work on the assumption that the other person has understood the message we are trying to get across.5. Two I’s make a Team - The foundation for a thriving, growing, mutually-supportive relationship is to be separate and connected. When you are separate and connected, each individual “I” contributes to the creation of a “we” that is stronger than the sum of its parts.6. Accept and value differences and learn from disagreements - We often gravitate towards people who have qualities and abilities we desire.Not everyone that you have to deal with on a daily basis will meet this criterion. As such, you must learn to be open minded whilst accepting and valuing that people have differences in opinions. Try to see things from people’s perspective or discuss their opinions before passing judgement. You will not always agree, but you may learn something along the way.7. Forgive those who have hurt you but change whom you surround yourself with.8. Develop your EQ – By definition, EQ is the ability to identify, use, understand, and manage emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathise with others, overcome challenges, and defuse conflict. Seems important to me.9. Learn the science of body language – Relationships are not always built with words. They are often the result of actions. Your body language is a sequence of actions that is saying a lot about you. What exactly? Read up on Vanessa Van Edwards to find out more.10. Learn the languages of love when it comes to improving your spousal relationship1. Words of affirmation – using words to build up the other person. “Thanks for taking out the garbage.” Not – “It’s about time you took the garbage out. The flies were going to carry it out for you.”2. Gifts – a gift says, “He was thinking about me. Look what he got for me.”3. Acts of Service – Doing something for your spouse that you know they would like. Cooking a meal, washing dishes, vacuuming floors, are all acts of service.4. Quality time – by which I mean, giving your spouse your undivided attention. Taking a walk together or sitting on the couch with the TV off – talking and listening.5. Physical touch – holding hands, hugging, kissing, sexual intercourse, are all expressions of love.Out of these five, each person has a primary love language which speaks more deeply to them than all the others. Discovering each other’s language and speaking it regularly is the best way to keep love alive in a marriage.Book Suggestions:· The Five Languages of Love by Gary Chapman· How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie· Captivate by Vanessa Van EdwardsMental and Emotional Health.1. Speak Up – If you need help, the best thing you can do is speak up.2. Develop mental fortitude and improve resilience – Another topic highly covered in the digital space. Take some time to explore this one.3. Develop an internal locus of control - Research has shown that those with an internal locus of control (they feel that they control their own destiny, rather than their fate is largely determined by external forces) tend to be happier, less depressed, and less stressed.There is a great article on this topic - Cultivating an Internal Locus of Control and Why It’s Crucial by Margarita Tartakovsky. Check it out.4. Practice gratitude - Tony Robbins once said trade your expectations for appreciations and your whole world changes and he is right. For this reason, many people practice the art of journaling. A process where they consciously identify and acknowledge the things they are grateful for in their lives.5. Stop Ruminating - Ruminating is where you repeatedly go over a thought or a problem without completion.There is a great article on how to stop ruminating called 10 Tips to Help You Stop Ruminating by Erica Cirino.6. Practice Meditation - Meditation is a practice where an individual uses a technique, such as focusing their mind on a particular object, thought or activity, to achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm state.Meditation has been practiced since antiquity in numerous religious traditions and beliefs and its benefits have been well documents amongst high achievers.Not everyone has the time or access to guided meditation, which is where an app like headspace can be very valuable.7. Fresh air, exercise, sunlight and gardening – 4 things science have proven to improve your mood and mental state.8. The power of language – There are countless studies on the impact of language on psychology. I am no expert, but there are plenty of experts out there and once again this is a topic worth exploring.Some simple tips on language change are,· If you tend to speak in absolutes, stop.· Phase out phrases like, ‘I have no choice’, and, ‘I can’t…” You can replace them with, ‘I choose not to,’ or, ‘I don’t like my choices, but I will…’· Use words to shift your perception and probability. I.E by ‘June 10 I want to lose 10 kg’ could be reworded to say ‘By June 10 I will have already lost at least 10 kg.’· Try replacing the words should, must and have to with words that are linked to needs and wants. I.E ‘I have to lose weight’ to ‘I need to lose weight’, or, ‘I should go to that event’ to ‘I want to go to that event’.· Add the words ‘before now’ or ‘until now’ at the end of the disempowering statements. I.E ‘I have never been able to get my finances in order, until now’.These are a couple of examples as to how your language can be manipulated to empower yourself and those around you.Book Suggestions:· Unf*ck Yourself by Gary John Bishop· Rewire Your Brain by John B. Arden· The Courage to be Dislike by Ichiro Kishimi· Unbeatable Mind by Mark Divine· The Power of Now and A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle

*This is a long read, packed with insights and advice. Not all of it will be relevant to you. As such you may need to scroll to the relevant sections.How can you improve your life you ask... by taking premeditated actions that,a) Move you towards your goal and,b) Do so in the most effective an efficient manner possible.Before considering massive action plans for improvement or solutions for your current circumstances, it is important that take time to understand who you are and what you want. Identifying what beliefs or actions have held you back up until this point is also incredibly valuable.So with that said….Know who you are.1. Personality typing categorises people according to their tendencies to think and act in particular ways. It can help predict your behaviour towards others as well as identifying what strengths you hold and careers you may find fulfilling. Some great tests include DISC profiles, career aptitude tests, work values test, Jung personality test, team roles test, signature strength assessment, Myers-Briggs personality types. Most of which can be undertaken free online.2. Limiting beliefs are those, which constrain us in some way. Just by believing them, we do not think, do or say the things that they inhibit. In doing so we impoverish our lives. Prior to commencing your quest for self-improvement you want to address your limiting beliefs – excuses, negative thoughts, justifications, beliefs conditioned by culture or family, thought patterns etc. There are a number of articles, exercises and videos available online to assist you.3. Take ownership by addressing the choices you have made and acknowledging the impact they have had on your journey. Taking ownership of your own behaviour and the consequences of that behaviour will help you develop self-respect and an internal locus of control. Looking at your circumstances retrospectively will help you identify additional behavioural habits, limiting beliefs, coping mechanism, bullshit stories you tell yourself etc.Know who you are about to become.1. Mission, Vision and Values - Personal mission statements are an important component of personal development. They force you to think deeply about your life, clarify its purpose, and identify what is truly important to you.There is plenty of information on the net about these topics; as such, I won’t elaborate upon them here.2. Setting goals gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation. It focuses your acquisition of knowledge and helps you to organise your time and your resources so that you can make the most of your life.I have written an eBook on goal setting which can be found via my profile link.Some important things to note:a. Does your goal have a purpose, process and payoff?b. Is the goal in alignment with your mission and vision?c. Is it authentic?d. Do your goals evoke emotion and presuppose success?3. Prioritising your goals – “you can have anything you want, but you can’t have everything you want”. If you have multiple goals you wish to achieve over the next 2 years, now is the time to prioritise them.Which goal is most important to you? Which will have the greatest impact? Is there a goal the precedes another?My tip is to write down all of your goals and rank them. Ask yourself is it more important that I (goal 1) or (goal 2). Is it more important that I (goal 1) or (goal 3). Continue this process until you have all 10 ranked in order.4. Build & replace habits to support your goals. Habits are more effective than transient or intermittent motivation. Understanding the power of habits and how to develop, instil or replace them will be a game changer. I suggest you check out the work of Charles Duhigg or James Clears.Question to ask yourself.1. What do I want more of in my life?2. What have I had enough of and needs to end today?3. What is missing that I deserve to have?4. What is making me feel trapped? Isn't it time to break free?5. What did I do, who did I meet and how did I grow today?Based on your responses above, you may want to consider all or perhaps just some of what is written below.Universal applicable strategies.1. Eliminate the unnecessary and cultivate the essentials - the act of letting things go will help you to simplify, to focus on what is important, and to build the life you want.2. Develop an action bias – Knowledge is not the key to power and change. Applied knowledge is. I am not suggesting you develop a “just do it” mentality and leap blindly towards opportunities without full consideration. What I am suggesting is that you balance input and output to ensure your acquired knowledge and skills are given the opportunity to create the change you desire.3. Listen more than you talk – Nobody learns anything whilst they are talking.4. Take notes - Memories are notoriously unreliable.5. Dress well – If you want to get in, you must fit in. Something that starts with how you present yourself. Years of social conditioning means you will be judged long before you extend your hand or open your mouth. How you dress will determine how your message is received or if it is received at all.Invest in quality garments that are flexible and can be styled up or down depending on the circumstances.Productivity.1. Find minutes in your day – Wake up 15 minutes earlier every day. This simple task just created you an extra 4 days (close enough) of “free” time each year.Could you find 15 minutes from your lunch break? Why not leave home 10 minutes earlier to avoid being stuck in the morning traffic? Could you sacrifice 15 minutes worth of screen time each day? Now we are saving weeks, not days.2. Unplug to increase output – technology is amazing and if used effectively can rapidly improve your productivity. Unfortunately, most people let technology control them.Give yourself permission not to be reactive when it comes to your devices.Could you benefit from checking your phone once an hour, on the hour, instead of every 10 minutes? How about disconnecting the internet and switching your phone to silent for 2 hours of each day so you can get in some focused work.3. Minimise your distractions – Turn off your notifications. Manage your email inbox (check out Unsubscribe from emails, instantly. to unsubscribe in one click). Don’t read an email if you aren’t prepared to respond. Unfollow people on Facebook (you remain friends, but won’t see them in your news feed). If you find yourself losing time to sites that are not essential for work blacklist them using a tool like Self Control app (Mac), Cold Turkey (Universal) or Stay Focused (Chrome).Organise your space to remove distractions. This comes back to the notion of eliminating the unnecessary.4. Blocking or batching with a single task focus - Ultimately, multitasking is a myth that many of us fall for at some point. Instead of dividing your attention and rapidly switching between activities, commit your focus to the task and you will see your productivity rise.Task batching allows your brain to focus on one type of task at a time. For example, email correspondence and answering blog posts call for similar mindsets. Respond to all your emails, and then answer all your blog posts.5. Bookend your days – a lot has been written on the benefits of developing a morning routine but what about an evening routine. In the book The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy, he discusses the concept of bookending your days. Developing a well-established routine that positions you for success regardless of what happens during the middle of the day.If you want to know more about routines check out the books own the day or millionaire morning.6. Control your calendar – Time is your most valuable asset so you must learn to manage it. Learn to say no to people and opportunities that do not align with your goals. Learn to be efficient as well as effective. What would happen if you made all meetings 25% shorter in duration?Schedule time for growth (learning) and contribution (providing value). Do not leave them to chance.Try removing the number 7 from your decision-making. If someone asks you to do something or invites you to an event give it a number from 1 – 10. 8 or above you commit to, 6 or below is at your discretion. Removing the number 7 takes away the indecision about the value of the opportunity or experience.7. Build a daily to-do list - Do you often find yourself working tons only to find you did not get any “real" work done?Then you should try this tip. Separate your tasks into one of four categories:Important & urgent (e.g. presentation due tomorrow)Important & not urgent (e.g. exercise, working on a presentation two-weeks in advance)Not important & urgent (e.g. social media updates phone calls)Not important & not urgent (e.g. surfing the web)Now rank your “to do list” in order of most important & urgent to least.8. Eat the frog first - What you do at the beginning of the day will dictate the flow for the rest of the day.The way I see it, you have two options:Do the hardest task first so everything else feels easierDo the easiest task first to build up some momentumPersonally, I always feel better and perform better when I eat the frog (do the task that will move the needle the most, rarely the thing you want to do, but always the thing you need to do) first.9. Get a password manager – A chrome extension like Last Pass will save you time and mental energy by storing all your passwords in one location.10. Pomodoro technique – Google it, you will thank me.Book Suggestions:· The Power of Habit – Smarter, Faster, Better by Charles Duhigg· The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss· Deep work by Cal Newport· Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi· Own The Day by Aubrey Marcus· The Compound Effect by Darren HardyEducation.1. Identify your learning type. By recognising and understanding your own learning styles, you can use techniques better suited to you. This improves the speed and quality of your learning.The Seven Learning StylesVisual (spatial): You prefer using pictures, images, and spatial understanding.Aural (auditory-musical): You prefer using sound and music.Verbal (linguistic): You prefer using words, both in speech and writing.Physical (kinaesthetic): You prefer using your body, hands and sense of touch.Logical (mathematical): You prefer using logic, reasoning and systems.Social (interpersonal): You prefer to learn in groups or with other people.Solitary (intrapersonal): You prefer to work alone and use self-study.2. Identify your learning opportunities and outcomes – Knowing the purpose of your studies is important. Education for the sake of education is a waste of time. Education for the benefit of application is the goal. It’ll help keep you focused in your search for the ideal course or content that can contribute to your goals.It is important to recognise that not all learning is guided or formal. When it comes to career progression, employers often acknowledge formalised learning, not independent learning. If you are an independent learner look for ways to utilise your skills and build a portfolio of results which validate your knowledge and prove your competency.So where can you turn to expand your knowledge and hone your expertise - books, audio books, podcasting, mastermind groups, mentoring, formalised education, experiences, subscription learning sites like LinkedIn learning or Lynda etc.Note: Just because you got a book from the library, does not mean it is free. The time you spend reading the content is time that could be spent elsewhere. As a result, the book has an opportunity cost, not a financial one.3. Networking + mentoring - Knowing more people gives you greater access, facilitates the sharing of information, and makes it easier to influence others for the simple reason that influencing people you know is easier than influencing strangers.Networking, its benefits, and how to best approach it is all documented and discussed online, so I will not drill down into this one.4. Immersive education – There are two ways to achieve an immersive educational experience.a. You are placed in a physical or virtual environment that allows you to experience a real work scenario without influencing the real business processes.b. You immerse yourself into a task without distractions. Dedicating periods to a single task, event or goal. It is common to hear about writers renting a hotel for a weekend and writing. Leaving only if necessary. Why not use immersion to fast-track your education. Got a book you want to read or a topic you want to understand, why not set aside 48 - 72 hours and immerse yourself.5. Education over entertainment – if you want to get ahead substitute entertainment options for educational alternatives.Book Suggestions:· The First 20 Hours. How To Learn Anything Fast – Josh Kaufman· The Little Book of Talent – Daniel Coyle· The 4-Hour Chef – Tim Ferriss· Make It Stick – Mark McDaniel & Peter BrownFinances.1. Develop a financial plan and look to the futureWhere are you going to invest?How much are you going to invest?Can you consolidate your debts?What is your retirement plan?Do you have Budget (sorry for swearing)?This list goes on which is why you should either a) educate yourself or b) pay someone who already knows everything you want to know.2. Live lean - What I mean by this is live within your means. If you are spending less than you are bringing in, it is difficult to get yourself into bad financial positions.3. Track spending to see exactly where your money is going. This can be helpful to look at when deciding what areas of your spending you need to cut down on. My go-to is Tiller. Tiller connects your financial accounts to spreadsheets and automatically updates them with your daily transactions and balances.Once you know where your money is going you can develop a conscious spending plan. A plan that involves four major buckets where your money will go - fixed costs, investments, savings, and guilt-free spending money.4. Invest early - If you invest $5,000 every year (which is $417/month) for 10 years, from age 25 to age 35 and then never invest again, you would still have more money at retirement, than someone who starts at age 35 and invests $5,000 every year UNTIL they retire.The 25-year-old starter invests $55,000 and ends up with $615,000 (given an 8% annual return, which is close to the average return of the stock market per year). The 35-year-old invests $130,000 and ends up with $431,000.Reference – I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi5. Understand the difference between investing in an asset and purchasing a liability - The main difference between assets and liabilities is that assets provide a future economic benefit, while liabilities present a future obligation.There are also two types of assets.Depreciating assetsAppreciating assetsDepreciation is when the value of an asset decreases and appreciation is when the value of an asset increases. Therefore, a depreciating asset is an asset that continues to decrease in value over time whereas an appreciating asset is an asset that increases in value.6. Manage your debts and improve your credit rating - Establishing good credit is the first step in building an infrastructure for getting rich. Think about it, our largest purchases are almost always made on credit, and people with good credit save tens of thousands of dollars on these purchases. Credit has a far greater impact on your finances than saving a few dollars a day on a cup of coffee.7. Automate your savings - Automating your savings can make money management and reaching your savings goals that much easier. You will find it easier to adjust your spending to accommodate for this expense and will be building up that savings account without any effort.8. Sell unwanted material possession – According to research, the average household has $5,400 worth of unused items that they could sell. Why not pawn that on the Facebook marketplace, gumtree or craigslist etc.How would that money benefit you right now?9. Consider a no-spending challenge - No-spend challenges are not about not spending anything whatsoever. It is about not spending in problem areas you may have. Areas like shopping, eating out, entertainment, and big purchases.It teaches you patience and helps you uncover spending triggers you may have.10. Earn More - While most people can do better with their budget, it does not hurt to cut that budget from a bigger pie.Book Suggestions:· Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki· I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi· Money Master The Game by Tony Robbins· Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping by and Get Your Financial Life Together by Erin Lowry· The Barefoot Investor by Scott PapePhysical Health. If your goal is to lose weight, you would be well advised to read this blog post - https://liamanderson.quora.com/H...1. Exercises frequently – Without complicating it, move often and do so with purpose and intensity.To accelerate your results here invest in a program from a trainer or coach who can distil their industry experience into a personalised plan.2. Prioritise whole foods – “In a world of trending diets and food fads, don’t forget the benefits of simply eating whole foods.The term ‘whole food’ is normally applied to vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains and meats with minimal processing. It is not as simple as neatly dividing foods into two groups – either whole foods or processed foods. Most foods we eat have undergone some degree of processing, whether it is washing, chopping, drying, freezing or canning, and that is not always a bad thing. For example, freezing and canning food gives us access to a variety of foods all year round. However, as the degree of processing and refining increases, the foods nutritional value decreases. It is important to be aware of that.A 2014 analysis by Yale University researchers found that the claims of health benefits for many popular diets such as low glycaemic, Paleo and vegan were exaggerated. The one consistent finding was that “a diet of minimally processed foods close to nature, predominantly plants, is decisively associated with health promotion and disease prevention”.”Reference – HCF Health Agenda3. Portion control and energy balance - Energy balance is the difference between your energy input (calories that you put into your body) and your energy output (number of calories you burn each day). For weight loss, it is a basic, but an essential element.Portion control is the tool that allows you to “eat your cake and have it to”.4. Be consistent – Rome was not built in a day and your new body will not be either.5. There is more than one road that leads to Rome – When it comes to getting in shape or weight loss it is easy to compare your process to someone else’s. What you must realise is that you can get the same results by doing things your way.3 x 3 = 9 as does 3 + 6 and 7 + 1 + 1.What you want to avoid doing is going against the advice you have been given because Johnny or Mary are seeing results doing shakes, paleo, fasting, IIFYM, carb cycling etc.3 x 6 doesn’t = 9, nor does 3 + 1 + 1.Develop a process and stick to it, so long as it is working.6. The scale is not always accurate – a traditional scale only measures body mass, not body composition.When it comes to measuring your progress, a scale can be deceptive and a real buzz kill. See, when your body fat goes down but your muscle mass goes up the number on the scale does not represent the true nature of your results.For this reason, I suggest a combination approach.1. Photos2. Circumferential measurements3. Traditional scale4. BIA scale – Get access to over 40 different measuring parameters such as skeletal muscle mass, total body water, bone mineral content, protein, body fat percentage, visceral fat levels and segmental analysis, B.M.R and total energy expenditure​, age match to body (fitness age) and much more!7. Curb your cravings & learn to identify emotional eatingTips to help curb cravings:· Make sure you have protein and fibre in your meals to increase satiety.· Drink more water.· Plan your meals. This will help control both blood sugar levels and subsequent cravings.· Practice mindful eating.· Seek professional advice to identify, isolate and manage cravings.The difference between emotional eating and physical hunger.Emotional hunger comes on suddenly, craves specific foods, often leads to mindless eating, is not satisfied when you are full, stems from the head not the stomach and often leads to regret, guilt or shame.Emotional hunger is also triggered by situations, places, or feelings such as.· Anger, fear, sadness, anxiety, loneliness, resentment, shame, and boredom.· Your habits could also be linked to your childhood. Did your parents reward your behaviour with food or attempt to comfort you with treats?· Food choices can also be linked to nostalgia among other things.Questions to ask yourself surrounding emotional eating.· Does stress make you eat more?· Do your eating habits make you feel calm?· Does food make you feel safe?· Would you consider food a friend?· Do you ever eat when you are not hungry or already full?· Do you reward yourself with food?· Do you feel powerless or out of control around food?8. Sleep quality – Waking up at the same time every day will stabilise your circadian rhythm and optimising your sleeping environment will improve the quality of your sleep.Working on these two things will result in you being more productive during the day; recovering faster from exercise and balancing your hormones (those that regulate hunger and appetite and can contribute to weight gain).9. Some people benefit from a public declaration – Nothing like a little external accountability and pressure to keep you motivated. Do not ask for support, but say “I’m on this new thing where I’m going to…”10. Brush your teeth after dinner - It is a simple thing which will help control after dinner snacking.Book Suggestions:· The Fitness Mindset by Brian Keane· No Sweat by Michelle Segar· Becoming Ageless The Four Secrets To Looking and Feeling Younger Than Ever by Strauss Zelnick· Becoming a Supple Leopard by Dr. Kelly Starrett· The 4-Hour Body by Tim FerrissCareer.1. Be amazing - Regardless of what you are doing right now, do it to the best of your best ability. You never know who may be watching or what doors may open because of it.2. Develop skills and find ways to add value – Focus on fewer things, but get great at them. Workers are working nonstop to stay relevant in their careers and you should be too. What skills will you need in the future and how can you acquire them today?By adding value to your employer, not only are you displaying a strong commitment to your team and the business as a whole, but it also holds you in good stride when it comes to career advancement.If you are a contractor, consider value adding as a way of creating trust, credibility and authority in the eyes of individuals and companies you wish to work with.3. Network - By maintaining professional social networking profiles, talking to others in your industry, participating in forums, and attending networking events, you increase your chances of forging solid connections that can boost your career. Get your name out there and make sure those within your industry know who you are.4. Know your value - Even if you absolutely love your job and the company you work for, ignoring other opportunities could mean losing precious footholds as you climb the corporate ladder.Even if you don’t intend on leaving your current position, it is worth reviewing industry wage standards and your market value so you can renegotiate your current salary (provided you are performing).5. Curate your social media - You never know who’s checking them out, so be sure to scrutinise your Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn pages as if you were a prospective employer or job contact.What are your socials saying about you?6. Intern, volunteer – It looks good on your resume, it’s a great way to build your network and add value, it can help you determine your career goals, it allows you to develop and refine your skills and it will build your confidence.7. Invest in your resume – A professionally written resume and cover letter could be the difference between an interview and a missed opportunity.When it comes to your resume, select your formalised education based on gaps that need filling or strengths you wish to highlight for prospective employers.8. Put in the work – Getting ahead in your career requires you to put in the work. You can accelerate your career by building great relationships and delivering exceptional results (consistently).Book Suggestions:· Mastery – Robert Greene· What Color Is Your Parachute by Richard Nelson Bolles· So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport· The New Rules of Work by Alexandra Cavoulacos and Kathryn MinshewRelationships.1. Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.2. Work on your relationship with yourself – “You must love yourself and make yourself happy before you can extend that love and happiness to others.” While our feelings about ourselves can certainly influence our feelings about others (and vice versa), it is important to understand there is a delicate balance at play.People with lower self-esteem tend to underestimate their partners' love, report lower levels of satisfaction in relationships, are less optimistic about the future and spend more time monitoring their partner’s behaviour for signs of rejection.On the other end of the scale, extremely high self-esteem can shift towards narcissism. Which as we all know is not a positive trait.3. Develop your listening skills - Listening is a crucial skill in boosting another person’s self-esteem, the silent form of flattery that makes people feel supported and valued. Listening and understanding what others communicate to us is essential to building good relationships.4. Develop your communication skills - Communication occurs when someone understands you, not just when you speak. One of the biggest dangers in communication occurs when we work on the assumption that the other person has understood the message we are trying to get across.5. Two I’s make a Team - The foundation for a thriving, growing, mutually-supportive relationship is to be separate and connected. When you are separate and connected, each individual “I” contributes to the creation of a “we” that is stronger than the sum of its parts.6. Accept and value differences and learn from disagreements - We often gravitate towards people who have qualities and abilities we desire.Not everyone that you have to deal with on a daily basis will meet this criterion. As such, you must learn to be open minded whilst accepting and valuing that people have differences in opinions. Try to see things from people’s perspective or discuss their opinions before passing judgement. You will not always agree, but you may learn something along the way.7. Forgive those who have hurt you but change whom you surround yourself with.8. Develop your EQ – By definition, EQ is the ability to identify, use, understand, and manage emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathise with others, overcome challenges, and defuse conflict. Seems important to me.9. Learn the science of body language – Relationships are not always built with words. They are often the result of actions. Your body language is a sequence of actions that is saying a lot about you. What exactly? Read up on Vanessa Van Edwards to find out more.10. Learn the languages of love when it comes to improving your spousal relationship1. Words of affirmation – using words to build up the other person. “Thanks for taking out the garbage.” Not – “It’s about time you took the garbage out. The flies were going to carry it out for you.”2. Gifts – a gift says, “He was thinking about me. Look what he got for me.”3. Acts of Service – Doing something for your spouse that you know they would like. Cooking a meal, washing dishes, vacuuming floors, are all acts of service.4. Quality time – by which I mean, giving your spouse your undivided attention. Taking a walk together or sitting on the couch with the TV off – talking and listening.5. Physical touch – holding hands, hugging, kissing, sexual intercourse, are all expressions of love.Out of these five, each person has a primary love language which speaks more deeply to them than all the others. Discovering each other’s language and speaking it regularly is the best way to keep love alive in a marriage.Book Suggestions:· The Five Languages of Love by Gary Chapman· How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie· Captivate by Vanessa Van EdwardsMental and Emotional Health.1. Speak Up – If you need help, the best thing you can do is speak up.2. Develop mental fortitude and improve resilience – Another topic highly covered in the digital space. Take some time to explore this one.3. Develop an internal locus of control - Research has shown that those with an internal locus of control (they feel that they control their own destiny, rather than their fate is largely determined by external forces) tend to be happier, less depressed, and less stressed.There is a great article on this topic - Cultivating an Internal Locus of Control and Why It’s Crucial by Margarita Tartakovsky. Check it out.4. Practice gratitude - Tony Robbins once said trade your expectations for appreciations and your whole world changes and he is right. For this reason, many people practice the art of journaling. A process where they consciously identify and acknowledge the things they are grateful for in their lives.5. Stop Ruminating - Ruminating is where you repeatedly go over a thought or a problem without completion.There is a great article on how to stop ruminating called 10 Tips to Help You Stop Ruminating by Erica Cirino.6. Practice Meditation - Meditation is a practice where an individual uses a technique, such as focusing their mind on a particular object, thought or activity, to achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm state.Meditation has been practiced since antiquity in numerous religious traditions and beliefs and its benefits have been well documents amongst high achievers.Not everyone has the time or access to guided meditation, which is where an app like headspace can be very valuable.7. Fresh air, exercise, sunlight and gardening – 4 things science have proven to improve your mood and mental state.8. The power of language – There are countless studies on the impact of language on psychology. I am no expert, but there are plenty of experts out there and once again this is a topic worth exploring.Some simple tips on language change are,· If you tend to speak in absolutes, stop.· Phase out phrases like, ‘I have no choice’, and, ‘I can’t…” You can replace them with, ‘I choose not to,’ or, ‘I don’t like my choices, but I will…’· Use words to shift your perception and probability. I.E by ‘June 10 I want to lose 10 kg’ could be reworded to say ‘By June 10 I will have already lost at least 10 kg.’· Try replacing the words should, must and have to with words that are linked to needs and wants. I.E ‘I have to lose weight’ to ‘I need to lose weight’, or, ‘I should go to that event’ to ‘I want to go to that event’.· Add the words ‘before now’ or ‘until now’ at the end of the disempowering statements. I.E ‘I have never been able to get my finances in order, until now’.These are a couple of examples as to how your language can be manipulated to empower yourself and those around you.Book Suggestions:· Unf*ck Yourself by Gary John Bishop· Rewire Your Brain by John B. Arden· The Courage to be Dislike by Ichiro Kishimi· Unbeatable Mind by Mark Divine· The Power of Now and A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle