From Follower to Leader

Why and How? These are the 2 main questions I started asking myself.

Why am I doing this? Why is this important?

How am I going to learn this? How is this useful?

These are just a few examples of these questions at work. The combination of why and how has allowed me to understand why something is important (the purpose) and how I can implement it into my life (habit & mindset).

This has helped me find meaning in everything I do. I am no longer following instructions, rather I am processing the instructions and evaluating whether it makes sense or not. I make the decision, not the instructor.

This applies to everything in life. Don’t listen to your parents just because. Understand why they want you to do [insert command] and come up with practical steps towards removing that problem.

John, sleep before 10! John, wake up at 6! John, sleep for 8 hours!

For years I just ignored my parents. “Just stop annoying me!”

But once I began to think about what they were actually telling me to do, it made complete sense. It was in MY (and their) best interest for me to sleep and wake up early. But how do I get to that goal?

Just for context, I was sleeping consistently at 3 am. So I set a goal of 2 am, then 1 am… 12 am… 11 pm… 10 pm. AND I PUT THESE GOALS INTO ACTION!

Setting realistic goals that can be immediately implementable has allowed me to achieve great results within a few months. But goals alone won’t get you anywhere; you NEED to DO IT.

Now (as of 6/27/20), I am consistently sleeping between 11 and 12 pm and waking up around 7 and 9 am. It isn’t meeting my goal yet, but it is still significant progress. I celebrate my progress to further motivate me to achieve my ultimate goals.

So let us recap:

Ask Why/How (Purpose and Implementation)
Define Problem
Lay out practical steps toward the goal (baby steps)
ACTION!
Celebrate Progress along the way
Reach the ultimate goal (and repeat for other problems)

These are the steps I have used to change from a follower to a leader of my life. I am no longer following the crowd, rather I am making my own decisions.

Over time, I may refine these steps (as I am testing out different tactics), but for now, this is a blueprint you can use to transform FROM FOLLOWER TO LEADER.