It’s easy to waste an entire year that you can never get back. 2023 may become that year for some of you. But it’s not too late.
A famous quote helps keep things in perspective: “It’s not how you start but how you finish that counts.” So don’t panic. Take action instead.
Here are a few ideas to get you back on track.
Re-read good books
Our content diet is mostly full of timely events.
That’s what the internet and social media did to our minds. Timely events give us the most dopamine because we feel more connected to them than we do to historical events from hundreds of years ago.
I find it hard to discover new books. That’s why I’ve made it a habit to re-read good books that have already proven their worth. Books like “Think and Grow Rich” and “Man’s Search for Meaning.”
What I find with timeless books is they teach you different lessons depending on the phase of life you’re in.
When I first read Think And Grow Rich I was in the middle of a mental health battle that nearly took my life. Now when I re-read it as a dad and successful business owner, the lessons are different.
Stop searching for new books.
Read what is old to you so it becomes new again.
Make a financial investment in your future
The last 2 years have been brutal.
A bear market has seen most major assets fall in price. Stocks, crypto, and even real estate took a tumble. Things are slowly recovering.
Tech stocks have made an almighty comeback. Even crypto is looking sexy again as innovation and much-needed regulation come to the industry.
I love this advice from a random financial guru I came across:
There is a bull market staring you right in the face.
All you have to do to make life-changing money is to buy, and wait patiently.
Don’t f*ck this up.
That’s the opportunity. Good times will return, and when they do you want to be invested in obvious trends like tech stocks, AI, and a little bitcoin/ethereum.
This next bull market fuelled by the productivity advances of AI will be incredible. I’m not going to miss out.
Start doing your research on what to invest in for 2023 and beyond.
Learn a new skill
Money problems are common.
The answer isn’t to reduce expenses or become a tightarse and get your mates to foot the bill for dinner every weekend.
The answer to money challenges is to make more money. It’s common sense. It’s logical.
More money comes from new skills. So for the rest of 2023, set up 2024 nicely by learning a few new skills.
Learn about AI, copywriting, web design, coding, leadership, emotional intelligence, or even financial markets.
Upgrade your self-education to upgrade your paycheck.
Interview for new jobs. Meet recruiters.
I’m a job interview Playboy.
I like to meet and greet. Not because I’ve ever needed a job — but because if I want a new career opportunity, I want to avoid job ads.
Job ads are full of automation. AI looks at your application and finds every way it can to screen you out based on a bunch of unfair factors such as location, looks, internet search history, what you posted on Instagram, etc.
To have a great career you need proactive opportunities. They come from recruiters who get a juicy commission for finding you a new job.
Win-win.
Once you have the job opportunity, then you’ve gotta nail the multiple rounds of interviews. The best way is to get practice at it.
Interview for fake jobs to get good. That’s what I did a few years back. I did interviews in investment banks to perfect my sales pitch.
The only problem was I got offered a high-profile job I never thought I’d get. There was just one catch: a math test.
I ran for the hills. I made up an excuse. Because if the recruiter found out I had 5th-grader math skills, my reputation would be toast, I tell ya.
In the next 6 months, meet recruiters via LinkedIn and become a job interview master.
Make a change to your diet
I’m a fat slob at the best of times.
I can’t resist donuts, deep-fried chips with tomato sauce, hot pies, and alcohol-free wine that’ll probably send me to an early grave.
The trick to improve your diet isn’t to go on a diet. No. It’s impulse control. One by one it’s best to limit your cravings and say no to nasties more often. It doesn’t mean you live like a caveman on nothing but red meat and salad.
Of course you can have some fun.
The solution is to find balance. 90% good stuff and 10% the stuff the doctor will be pissed at you for.
Diet change happens slowly.
Start a side hustle
This ain’t about being cool.
The point is that a side hustle can become a side business, main business, or even a new career. That’s what happened to me. I built a little online footprint after hours while working in banking.
9 years later it’s changed every aspect of my life. Even my lifestyle.
Slowly then all at once — that’s what success from a side hustle feels like if you stick at it for 1–5 years. Don’t overthink it.
Build your side hustle in 2023 to make 2024 a spectacular year of growth.
Find your flow state
Flow is a superpower.
Maybe for the first 6 months of 2023 you haven’t been that productive. It might feel like an uphill battle to come back from this low point. I get it.
What flow states do is they make 8 hours of work happen in 2–4 hours. It’s an extreme state of focus where the concept of time is lost.
What you do is limit distractions, throw your phone in a lake, pick one important task to work on, close your bedroom door, drink coffee beforehand, pump movie soundtracks, and start with a tiny task that almost feels useless.
This will kickstart a flow state.
Once you’re in flow, stay in flow for as long as possible. Don’t break the feeling. Avoid answering the door or going outside. It’s just you against the world without distractions and the type of shallow work we do in a 9–5 job.
Use flow to catch up. Flow can make the last 6 months of 2023 feel better than the last 5 years of progress. No joke. Try it.
This article is for informational purposes only, it should not be considered financial, tax or legal advice. Consult a financial professional before making any major financial decisions.
