When I initially started THE SELF IMPROVEMENT COMMUNITY it was never really designed for me.
Or at-least, not 'just', for me.
It was intended to be a repository of inspiring stories of successes, goals, plans and dreams and even a place to share failures that showed you were out there striving, trying at least, even though failure was a very distinct possibility.
It was a community to share tactics, hacks and shortcuts, or sometimes even 'long cuts', to get to a place that others would desire to get to also. Many of us have things we wish to be, do and have but we lack the practicable knowledge to do it.
The idea of having a place to go share your secrets with others, share learnings and warnings about what didn't work out so well. Not only that but to borrow from the education, inspiration and experience of others too. If I wanted to lose a lot of weight, quit smoking or start an online business I would want to hear from those who have achieved this already, those with hard won wisdom to share are an invaluable source of information + inspiration.
I hope that many more of you choose to use the community for exactly these reasons and maybe even interact with those who helped you understand a particular process a little better or indeed to reach out to those looking for a little guidance.
I did have one reason for starting the community that centred around me though, I gotta be honest with you, right?
It was to publicly state my intention to embark on a journey of self improvement in my own life focussed around the key metrics of health, wealth, happiness and personal freedom. I had a nifty catch-phrase that summed up exactly what my aim was, you may remember it, you may not or indeed you may be brand new to the community. Here's a reminder of my catch-phrase / mission statement;
I want to be fitter at 50 than I was at 40!
That's a pretty cool goal, right? Is that something you would like to incorporate in to your own life? Do you have a milestone age coming up, or maybe a half way mark? Maybe you're gonna turn 35, 45 or some other age. Obviously, though, a milestone age is not necessary to really go for it with regards to getting from where you are now, to where you wanna be.
Also, there are always enough key dates up ahead in the calendar to choose as a chronological focus point, Christmas, years end, January 1st, your birthday, for instance. You choose the mid point of the year, July 1st for example, or maybe you are attending an upcoming wedding, starting a new job, retiring.
Maybe you would be happier setting things up a different way, maybe you would like to lose 1 kilo a week until you are where you want to be, maybe you want to save the deposit for a house, a car, or be able to walk a mile, 5 miles, 10 miles, run a marathon.
I believe people should really have some fun with this kind of goals. Set things up in a way that is manageable, not 'too' manageable though, you want to stretch a little for something that is worthwhile to you.
It's always cool to have something to work on in life, something that makes you reach a little, an objective to aim for, a chance to shake yourself out of the reverie of the dreaded comfort zone.
What's that one thing that you would give anything for?
What's that thing that would make you feel a little more complete?
Who have you always wanted to become?
Is there a dream from the dim and distant past that you wrote off, decided you couldn't achieve?
What about extricating yourself from beneath your debt burden, give up smoking or drinking?
It's certainly not essential to have any of these goals or any goals at all in fact. Do make sure that decision is a choice though and not that deep, dark place deep within that tells you couldn't do it even before you try.
So with regard to my own epic plan. I procrastinated, put it off, delayed it, yeah, I know all those words mean the same essential thing, I didn't do it, I was even procrastinating getting to that admission as I typed the words.
I had a long, ever-growing list of reasons, get-out's and the occasional legitimate fact for why I was not making the progress I had promised myself.
I should tell you that it is, as of now, 119 days until I turn 50. It would be easy to believe that it is an impossible task so close to the deadline at hand. It would be easy to say that, ah well, I didn't act massively enough this far, so chances are I'm not going to now.
That's just bloody defeatist though, right?
I've lived over 49.5 years only partially achieving the things I had said I was going to. I haven't been a complete waste of space, I consider starting out on Hive and making a conscious effort to improve my writing skill, speed and the range of vocabulary I use.
I consider this a success, I have had a blast along the way too, I can assure you. I have started to fool around with graphics programmes and have started to create my own crappy caption photo's and information slides that I pepper in to my posts, rather than using the stock images I used to.
You've seen them, you know why I refer to them as crappy lol. I am proud that I overcome my very real technophobia to begin to develop some skills in a field I decided it was far too late to learn.
I believe it has incrementally levelled up my blogging and injected a little more Steven in to my posts, we could all do with a little more Steven, right? 🤣
Let me tell you a little about why I chose to write this post though. Although, I haven't always followed-through as much as I would have hoped to make this goal a reality, I have made plenty of baby steps which all add up to progress, right?
I talk about my goal a lot!
I never shut up using #fitterat50than40 in conversation with family, friends and workmates. What I'm getting at here, is that I always kept the goal firmly in mind and in many ways I believe I have ingrained it in my psyche. Of course sometimes this felt like a nagging, chastising voice in my mind telling me that I wasn't doing all that I could do. Other times it acted in a way that seemed, almost to be revealing tips, tricks and strategies to achieve some of what I wanted.
Now I should point out that in recent months and definitely over the last couple of years I have had many, many challenges. Some have been related heavily to my health challenges, some of them have been very real too. In no way would anyone who knows me ever describe me as a closet hypochondriac, these challenges have been very real.
At one stage it seemed like an infection in the bone of my foot would result in me losing it, at least partially. At many times I have crazy out of control diabetes that did not seem to want to be controlled no matter what I did. I was diagnosed with C.O.P.D, which meant I was the only person in my workplace, unable to wear a mask throughout Covid as my lungs seemed/seem to be more than a little shot. I seem to have some kinda auto-immune thing going on causing many very unpleasant symptoms in my life and health.
There are other things too but lest to say it has not been an easy ride the last couple of years, much of this explains why I am still chasing dolphin status after more than 4 years on Hive, no biggie, that goal will come around in the near future. Thankfully my writing has been a respite throughout this time and it gives me a focus, clarity and a sense of joy little else is able to.
A couple of months back I decided to get my Hive jam back on track and actually posted a few days in a row, so was obviously struck down with Covid and suffered some bouts of ill health even after the dreaded 'rona left me, probably thanks to the diabetes and C.O.P.D.
M'Lady took these pics when I was drifting in and out of consciousness for days. I hate them, but they illustrate the point perfectly.
Jeez! It's like a bloody zombie Elvis parody.
But whatever! The one thing that has never left me is my ability to laugh, joke and shirk off the black clouds, although I must be honest and say some times that was easier than others. My mental state did deteriorate ona couple of occasions, a flurry of very real, life/family/work problems tried to knock me down but I told them to hit the road, not as speedily as I wish I had been able, but in the end, you know?
The whole reason for that whole section that could have been subtitled 'poor little Steven', was to demonstrate that we all have lives, jobs, families and a whole host of other 'stuff' that affects us and drags us off track from time to time. We just have to accept that, don't we? What the hell is the alternative, if we don't?
If your trajectory is pretty similar in some part or all, no problem, take care of shiz as best as you are able, look after your head space as best as you can and get back on the frikkin horse as quickly as you can, the journey and the destination didn't go anywhere while you were hobbled or completely outta the game.
You CAN still reach your own particular promised land, if you will only move toward it!
Some slightly bizarre, downright freaky stuff has been happening for the last few weeks and I really wanted to share this with you, as I believe it is a crucial piece of the jigsaw that I have hinted at already.
It is no secret that I needed to drop a few pounds/kilos if you prefer. I have stated this a lot in my self improvement posts. It may have been apparent from some of the photos that I have used.
Anyway, my work trousers started to sag a little, in truth I was almost baring my arse to all of my colleagues, that's NOT a good luck, I promise you!
So I got weighed as I realised when I started to think about it that I was feeling a little toned around the old beer-belly. Strangely I had dropped a not insignificant amount of weight, around 10 pounds/ 5 kilo's. I was surprised as I hadn't really done anything to warrant that except get Covid and have a few colds/flus that affected my appetite.
The thing is though, that kind of weight loss tends to rebound pretty quickly afterwards... It didnt...
So here I am a few weeks later, bizarrely a further 10 pounds lighter and feeling pretty damn good in myself. I am toning in a way that I haven't for many, many years, decades in fact. I am wearing trousers and tops that I would have struggled to get in to for the last 25 to 30 years.
If you know anything about diabetes, the more fat you have around the midriff, the more of the bad hormones affect you and cause some fairly major issues for health. That is the area I have felt the most fat loss in. Maybe the Covid was the catalyst for this or maybe it was something else, who cares, we grab the victories and plough onward, right?
I have talked also about writing on another platform that pays out in cash rather than crypto about a way of starting to gradually increase the money I can make online in order to transition away from my soul-sucking job, right. I had an epiphany about how to make this a reality recently and am happy to say that I grabbed it with both hands, hit the criteria for monetisation and wrote and published a post that has the ability to earn all within a few days.
I actually wrote the bulk of the post last night shortly after writing a fairly lengthy post on Hive, something I have not managed in quite some time.
Things are looking up, it seems!
Just in time for Summer here in the UK.
Oh by the way, remember that soul-sucking, soul-destroying, brutalising hell-hole of a job I mentioned? You should, I mention it in almost every post and comment I ever write.
There's talk of me taking on some extra training in order to achieve a significant supervisory promotion, based on all the dynamic tasks I have taken on of late, the relentless nature I have been attacking my job with and an increased leadership presence on my shift. I have once again started thinking of my physically challenging job as;
Free gym!
This photo of me telling off this bloody idiot was the first one that made me think, WOW! My head is no longer the size of a pumpkin.
Strange how one thing affects another and another, through every facet of life until the incremental benefits combine to make a torrent of positivity and promise.
Here's the thing though, I referred to it earlier and I believe in it with every fibre of my being. Remember when I said I started to lose weight and have some fabulous ideas on how to move forward seemingly without any effort on my part? I have moved up several gears at work and moved up in the estimation and perception of those who 'allegedly' matter, without even noticing I was doing it.
I don't think this is an accident. I believe there is a force at play that I have long since believed in but that many consider to a bit hokey, a bit mystical, a bit whoo-whoo!
I believe that the instant I set that goal of being fitter at 50 than 40, I set to work a chain reaction of inevitability. I don't mean setting it and walking away set me on an irreversible path to effortless achievement of everything I ever wanted.
Remember what I said though, I kept telling people about it, even when it seemed I was not on the right path. I kept pondering it, thinking it, believing I could do it even though, health, wealth and happiness were in short supply.
I sincerely believe that I hammered it in to the super computer that is the consciousness (maybe that should be sub-consciousness actually) and in many ways it was like setting the co-ordinates for a sophisticated guidance system.
Whether that is the case or not, don't you owe it to your (future) self to see just how far along the path to your dreams you can get by setting those goals down in stone and just doing it?
Maybe you are exactly where you always wanted to be, maybe you are who you were supposed to be and have what you were destined to.
If that is the case, I am incredibly happy for you. You have reached a place that most never reach. THE SELF IMPROVEMENT COMMUNITY would love to hear your tips to getting everything you ever wanted.
I forgot to mention that a goal that seemed so far from the realms of possibility when I set it down 2 years ago as I launched the THE SELF IMPROVEMENT COMMUNITY came true last September. When I wrote it, it barely seemed like a possibility as my credit score and possibility of obtaining a £100 loan was non-existant, never mind getting a mortgage.
The star aligned to make it a reality. A combination of freak factors both in my own life and in global interest rates combined to make this a possibility.
I am now on my way to my next goal of being mortgage free in far fewer years than I should even dare to believe. You can see why I am tempted to believe, can't you?
Who knows if what I am suggesting is true or a whole host of coincidences have converged to make this scenario believable to me. I can tell you one thing though, Like Fox Mulder, from the X files;
I want to believe!
Thank YOU for taking the time to read my post and if you're one of those amazing people who like to hit the comments section... Then I doubly thank YOU!
Either way I want you to know that you are appreciated!
Keep taking the time to connect with each-other both here and in the 'so-called' real world and try and look after each-other, because as you already know...
Hi @stevenwood, good to see you're still writing long and interesting posts. It feels like an age since I was last in this space (or the other space that we once frequented), but somehow that magical, possibly mystical or whoo whoo force has brought me back. I set the goal of being a writer, and in this community, surrounded by talent, I feel like I'm home. Love the images. The one with you and Boris is hilarious! Anyways, hope to read more long posts from you, and find myself smiling throughout. All the best with being #fitterat50than40!
Hey, I have been obsessed about self improvement for the last 4-5 years.
To improve myself, I read books, listen to audiobooks. I love to listen to podcasts and interviews of people who have achieved great things or have done something significant in their field.
The thing was, I was more focued on consuming more and more content than applying it. Maybe in the initial period, when you don't know if you can improve yourself that much, you keep consuming more content so you learn what's possible for you. Or maybe it was my obsession with learning and reading.
Now, I focus less on learning new things, and more on implementing things that I have learnt over the years.
For example, building/breaking habits.
I had a bad habit of watching series, or a movie before sleeping. Affected my sleep patterns, but slowly I broke that habit with reading a book before sleeping.
Thanks for building this community. I haven't been around hive, haven't posted anything on hive for months, so, will be posting content in this community.🙂
I believe if you set goals you can achieve them.
At 38 years old, I found myself to be the most unfit I had ever been in my life, after struggling with some health issues. I was piling on the weight and I looked in the mirror and thought; "I guess I'm just growing older, I guess I'm reaching 40".
Deep down I didn't like the look.
One day I saw a fit girl in a magazine who was toned all over.
I jokingly pointed at her and said to my husband;
"I'm gonna exercise and lose weight and look like this"... just making humour of my fat.
My husband turned to me and said, "are you sure you want to look that fit?"
His response left me speechless.
I kept looking at the girl thinking, "he said that as if he thinks it's possible".
I honestly thought I didn't have the genetics to look like that but thought I could at least lose some pounds.
I worked fucken hard training every day. I was as toned as the girl in the magazine way before my 40th. My cardio was in tip-top shape. I couldn't believe it.
I've gained some weight in the last 3 years, but if I put my mind to it, I have 4 years, a very long time to be #fitterat50than40.
#YouCanDoItToo :)))
Your husband clearly knows the resolve that lives inside of you and has, not one shred of doubt in your ability!
Well done you, on deciding to make a change and seeing it through to the point where a far happier, fitter, healthier, more empowered future revealed itself. Who knows just what else you are capable of next?
Thank you so much for the amazing, inspiring and encouraging response. 😎 Sorry for the delay in responding, short term health challenges tried to get the better of me, but will fail to do so.
A delay in response is no problem, but I do hope you're doing better health-wise.
100% ...It was a great turning point in my life 🙏
Thank you, and all good wishes to you:)))
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