The human mind is truly incredible,
and we should all strive towards creating a tenacious memory we can rely on.
Many lucrative professions or hobbies require such a trait—actors, musicians,
artists and entertainers in general do countless drills, just so the required
information can be embedded in the memory with certainty. Clearly numerous
doors that lead to a successful future are unlocked if one has a great memory.
Although beneficial, it is not an essential ingredient within the success
formula—what you lack in memory can always be compensated with diligence.
Keeping track of crucial elements in
your life through list-making is still an unrivaled tactic for counterbalancing
feeble recollection. By utilizing constant reminders, we can have significantly
greater organization, we won’t be under the impression we have forgotten
something, and we will have a clear insight into which task has a stamp of
immediacy attached to it. Here are ten suggested lists that warrant
implementation, in order to track achievements and nurture ambition.
1.
List of Goals
“What you get by achieving your
goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”
—Zig Ziglar
Goals and ambition is what drives us
and motivates us, but we need to ask ourselves what is it that we want in order
to feel truly accomplished. Your list of goals should consists of all the items
that you deem are necessary to truly respect yourself. It can be financial
stability, a place you can call your own, starting your family, being
independent, etc. People have different criteria when it comes to goals, and
this list in particular is ever-growing; it changes as you mature, but it
always feels great when you cross something out of it. Without such a list, you
lose direction of where your life is heading, and we all need some inner
guidance to focus on—a good reason to get up in the morning.
2.
List of Tasks
“Happiness does not come from doing
easy work but from the afterglow of satisfaction that comes after the
achievement of a difficult task that demanded our best.”
—Theodore Isaac Rubin
Tasks are actually milestones on the
road to goal completion, and these lists have a tendency to become quite copious.
New tasks emerge on a daily basis, regardless of whether you are an employee, a
student, or a freelancer. Despite the fact that they are arduous, we always
have some sense of achievement once the task is complete, or when a certain
problem is solved. By avoiding to make such lists and lists of our daily tasks,
they’ll simply pile up and eventually become a hindrance.
In the event you have larger tasks
that need more than a day, a week or a month before they can be completed, then
break those tasks into smaller daily assignments, and put them on the list as
well. As long as you monitor larger tasks while completing minor daily
milestones, you will have a greater grip on progression and continuous source
of motivation. List and sticky notes are actually quite potent tools for increase in productivity, especially while we are working from home.
Lastly, it is worth mentioning that
you should also have a list of personal tasks, or tasks you do for the sake of
self-fulfillment. These are related to your personal goals, and governing
passions—writing a book, painting, crafting etc. These tasks will define you
and offer a much greater sense of achievement, so give it your all to create
something you can be proud of.
3.
List of Contacts
“Wishing to be friends is quick
work, but friendship is a slow ripening fruit.”
—Aristotle
It would be delusional to assume you
can make it all on your own; however, at the same time, a flawed partnership
can result in disastrous outcome as well. It is extremely difficult to find
compatible allies and contacts, since friends and family—in other words, people
close to you—may not be the best choice for a business partner. If you
want to enter into a partnership with someone, make sure the person shares the
same vision. Tread lightly and try to ascertain your potential partner’s level
of reliability.
Throughout life, we come across
skillful, capable and talented people, whose competence might be needed in the
future, depending on your line of work of course. Do not be hesitant to offer a
helping hand when they are in need, since you can gain a valuable contact. The
point being: make a special list of all important contacts, like reliable
programmers, handymen, lawyers, etc. Remember not to only reach out when you
are in need. You need to maintain a healthy and natural relationship and be
there for those people if they require your assistance. Truth be told, it can
be arduous to forge strong friendship bonds, but having important acquaintances
and becoming an important acquaintance is very much possible.
Without such a list, you are leaving
yourself vulnerable to possible future complications; moreover, make sure this
list is well-kept since once you lose a contact like this one, it can be
somewhat troublesome to recover such data. Just be sure you have recovery data
tools at your disposal to mitigate the damage if
something were to happen to your phone.
4.
List of Expenses
“A wise person should have money in
their head, but not in their heart.”
—Jonathan Swift
This may be a quite mundane piece of
advice, yet it is very often neglected. As we all know, there are two types of expenses:
those that are necessary, (bills, taxes, food) and those expenditures used for
indulging some personal cravings. There is a degree of restraint that the
majority of us lack in order to approach the matter with a satisfying level of
prudence. To say it bluntly, we treat our wants like our needs, and
necessities and primary obligations are pushed in the background. Of course,
this may sound a bit exaggerated, but the truth is the pressure of a consumer’s
culture eventually becomes overwhelming, resulting in a purchase we shouldn’t
be able to afford at the time. This kind of behavior can be avoided
by utilizing lists, and turning them into an omnipresent reminder of what
is truly important.
By making lists of all the monthly
expenses we are obligated to pay, we’ll have a clear overview with how much
resources are there at our disposal. On the other hand, without this list
filled with meticulous calculations, we are prone to believing that we have
more freedom to engage in a shopping spree, ultimately causing our bills to
pile up; thus, we end up a step closer to a financial suicide. Handling finances properly, or the fact that we prioritize
the costs of living, is a responsibility that signifies maturity. Success is
commonly measured by the amount of wealth and without adequate spending
tactics, you prevent its accumulation.
5.
List of Useful Tools
“If you’re the type of person who
has to fulfill your dreams, you’ve got to be resourceful to make sure you can
do it.”
—Vin Diesel
Today’s society vastly depends on
the use of technology—we exchange information, conduct calculations, measure
time, etc. This level of reliability also suggests liability. If something were
to happen to our cell phone or personal computer, it would be a sizable setback
that could harm our capabilities severely. As mentioned, losing contacts can
truly be troublesome. It is even worse however, to have your life’s work lost
and compromised.
Useful tools are not only limited to
recovering damage; they also encompass tools that make your job easier. With
efficiency and a greater level of competence, you are a step closer toward
success. Using the right apps and tools can make up for our lack of skills in a
particular area, or simply help us manage our work in a more timely manner.
Keeping a list of useful tools will come in handy whenever you are faced with
more common problems, like finding a good restaurant for a business dinner,
driving through unfamiliar terrain, task management, learning, and there are
even tools capable of helping you recover stolen
property.
Even though the list is not as
crucial as the ones mentioned so far, it is undeniable that having it can save
you a lot of time if the need for it ever arises. The Internet is a vast sea of
both useful and useless tools, and by filtering out those that are
irrelevant, you won’t have to conduct countless searches when you are in need
of adequate tools for problem solving.
6.
List of Self Improvements
“The minute that you’re not learning
I believe you’re dead.”
—Jack Nicholson
Reasonable to assume this one is
unavoidable, and it always deserves to be mentioned. It is safe to assume we
are all aware of our shortcomings; if not all of them at least some of them.
Think about yourself, make a list of all the things
you would like to improve or change,
then consider how to implement those changes. Despite the fact that those who
are close to you do not pressure you into changing or improving, you should
always make constant endeavours to do so, for your own sake.
The list of improvements should
consist of physical changes, changes spiritual in nature, abandoning bad habits
etc. No one expects you to change entirely in a short time period, but making a
decision to change one thing on a yearly basis is a viable resolution, quite
easy to execute. The list is there simply to remind you which improvement to
prioritize, and build up your confidence after each completion. Refusing to
change can either result in lack of confidence and depression, or becoming an
overconfident and self-absorbed person that no one will tolerate for long; both
of these traits are contradictory to your quest for a successful future.
7.
List of Creative Ideas
“Do not go where the path may lead,
go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
—Waldo Emerson
Throughout history, people who made
the most significant impact on the world were those with a revolutionary way of
thinking, those who dared to challenge the established order and alter the
status quo. For an idea to be
classified as creative, it needs
to be new, it needs to make sense, and it needs to have some sort of use. For
example, creating something to help the disabled communicate online, or simply
type—that way, people who have lost their limbs could blog or become creative
writers, and show the world a piece of their mind. Thus a keyboard in a form of
braces could enable them to type using their tongue; however I am not an
engineer, so I do not know whether something like this is possible.
Whenever a new idea comes to your
mind write it down, then browse the web to see if you indeed have stumbled upon
something ground-breaking. Once your list has grown, then you need to start
pondering on the subject to see whether it holds closer scrutiny. Ask for a
second opinion and see what you would need to realize your idea. In a majority
of cases, this is how successful people are created. Rest assured that it is
very possible that people won’t be impressed with your creativity as much as
you are, but do not allow yourself to be discouraged—after all, perseverance
has a crucial role in a career as well. Monitoring your thoughts incites
productive thinking and hones your focus; it keeps our mind occupied. Letting
your good ideas slide is only a wasted potential that will put your progress in
a halt.
8.
List of Future Plans
“The future is uncertain but the end
is always near.”
―Jim Morrison
We have all heard statements like
“Tomorrow is a mystery,” “Live for today,” and “You can’t affect the future.”
Personally, I heavily disagree with such a point of view. Although I do agree
that, in particular circumstances, making plans for the future is doing
Sisyphus work, not planning it at all seems utterly mortifying. I also believe
that everyone makes some sort of plan; the problem is this fear of uncertainty
that thwarts our will to act.
To make your resolve more adamant,
compile a list of your future plans, see what you need in order to make them
come true. This one is very similar to the first list—the one with goals; the
difference is, it does not have to involve your personal future. Rather, it is
list of upcoming important events, important changes in law, or upcoming
trends, useful software, etc. It will keep you well-informed and prepared,
since staying updated and relevant are essential virtues for lucrative
businessmen.
9.
List of Contingency Plans
“You pray for rain, you gotta deal
with the mud too. That’s a part of it.”
—Denzel Washington
Every action has an equal and
opposite reaction, meaning there is nothing you can do without consequences.
Every attempt to be more successful usually has a set of barriers attached to
it, or risks. Even though risks are inevitable, being prepared for the aftermath is always a good
and necessary thing. When you plan your business incentives, or when you plan
to invest in something, make sure you compose thorough pros and cons list, as well
as a list of possible negative scenarios. In the event that positive aspects
outweigh the negative ones, you can be more encouraged to proceed further.
Make an effort to be constantly
prepared for the backlash of major initiatives, and contain the possible
damage. The lack of contingency implies recklessness, and it was adamantly made
clear how this approach contradicts advancement. Make leaps of faith only when
you have no other options to explore.
10.
Bucket List
“The bitterest tears shed over graves
are for words left unsaid and for deeds left undone.”
—Harriet Beecher Stowe
Finally, learn to live for the sake
of experiencing what life has to offer. It is invigorating, to say the least,
and it keeps your regrets at minimum. One of the reasons why we want to be
successful is to actually fulfil our dreams or complete our bucket list, to
look back on our life during old age with a warm smile rather than a frown.
Feel free to put even the impossible things on your bucket list, and find the
next best thing using your creativity. Whenever you reach a rough patch in your
life, take a look at you bucket list and see what is the most plausible thing
to do in order to restore your will power and keep going.


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