Ways to take control of your life

bybigheadjoe

322 followers

Updated 2 years ago

Back in 2010, I had a life changing event that made me take stock on how I was living my life. I suffered a stroke while playing men's league hockey and luckily was able to live to tell the story.

My health issue that caused the stroke was because I was stubborn and not willing to go see a doctor for my yearly physicals. I had been dealing with high blood pressure for quite a few years and always tried to do my best to control it through diet and exercise and not through medication… unfortunately (and obviously), it wasn’t working very well and I refused to go see a doctor and get help with it (because I knew he’d tell me to go on medication). Click here to read my Facebook Post from 2011.

High Blood Pressure is the “Silent Killer”… and what an appropriate name. I’ve read that numerous times over the years and for some reason I just wasn’t motivated enough to take it seriously because i “felt fine”. Boy, did I learn the hard way and that one needs to take action to control it RIGHT AWAY. Now this blog post isn’t about my stroke, but does beg the question,

Why is it that most people only make meaningful changes in their life when they’re scared?

There are 3 main areas in your life that you have total control over:

1. Your Health
2. Your Wealth
3. Your Mind

I will go over each of these areas in a bit more detail and give you some simple strategies you can follow to help you take control of your life.

Your Health

You can work as hard as you want to make as much money as you can, but really what good is it in the long run if you aren’t able to enjoy it because of failing health?! Take control of your health now!!! If you are overweight, then take the steps necessary to reverse things. I have set a goal this year of taking control of my health and "I will weigh 167lbs on the last day of 2023". I know that following the habits of “good” eating and staying disciplined will be key in accomplishing my goal.

Here are some steps to follow to take control of your health:

1. Measure and Watch Your Weight
2. Limit Unhealthy Foods & Eat Healthy Meals
3. Drink Lots of Water To Stay Hydrated and Limit Sugary Beverages
4. Exercise Regularly and Be Physically Active
5. Go Easy on Alcohol and Stay Sober
6. Get Enough Sleep

Your Wealth

I think what the most important thing for everyone to realize IS: “it doesn’t matter how much money you make, what matters most is what you do with the money you make”. A couple sayings come to mind when I think of making money: “most people end up living within their means” AND “keeping up with the Joneses”. Wikipedia states the following, “keeping up with the Joneses….. is an idiom in many parts of the English-speaking world referring to the comparison to one’s neighbor as a benchmark for social class or the accumulation of material goods. To fail to “keep up with the Joneses” is perceived as demonstrating socio-economic or cultural inferiority.

Take control of your wealth and follow these simple strategies:

1. Automate your savings (ie. pay yourself first)
2. Contribute To An RRSP
3. Buy Stocks via TFSA
4. Buy Dividend-Paying Stocks via TFSA
5. Buy a Rental Property
6. Start a Business
7. Set Up Multiple Streams of Income

Your Mind(Set)

The fact is, no matter where you are in life, you’ve got the ability to set goals for yourself, effectively change your mindset, and achieve them. I like the quote by Frank Zappa, “A mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it isn’t open.” For some people, being open-minded is as easy as breathing. Think of it as having a “Growth Mindset”.

If you feel this doesn’t describe you then ask yourself, can you really change your current mindset? A surefire way to determine whether you need a mindset tune-up is to answer the question: Are you regularly accomplishing your goals and living your dreams?

A strong mindset is what allows you to stay focused on your goals, instead of allowing negative thoughts to creep in. True strength of mind comes from a combination of awareness, focus and resiliency. Having a positive mindset is also a series of self-perceptions or beliefs that one holds about themselves. These determine behaviour, outlook and mental attitude. It means that what you believe about yourself impacts your success or failure.

Your beliefs play a key role in what you want and whether you achieve it, and ultimately plays a significant role in determining achievement and success. It can be powerful as it enables us to reframe challenges, see potential and helps us rebound when dealing with any set backs. Strong-minded people are confident, resilient, strong-willed, and clear on who they are and what’s important to them.

When people say that “mindset is everything”, what they really mean is that your mindset serves as your foundation. Your mindset will be the guiding force behind your decisions and the actions you have to take. It will help to improve your health, decrease your stress and become more resilient to life’s challenges.

Here are some characteristics of a growth mindset:

1. Intelligence can be developed
2. Embrace challenges
3. Persist in the face of setbacks
4. See effort as a path to mastery
5. Learn from criticism
6. Find inspiration in the success of others
7. Be open-minded
8. Be comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty
9. Take ownership
10. Seek to eliminate mediocrity and complacency

My Goal Is To Help You Take Control

Wherever you are in your life just remember this quote from Benjamin Franklin, ““Change is the only constant in life. Ones ability to adapt to those changes will determine your success in life.” It is never too late to embrace change, and learn ways to take control of your life. Ultimately my goal is to help YOU, through things that I have learned over the years and the techniques and ideas that have helped me hopefully you may find some value as well.

Lastly, I want you to feel like you can reach out to me if you ever have any questions or want to share any ideas you may have….. OR, just drop me a comment to say hey, that is cool too :)