How to Level Up Your Life

Life is so damn beautiful. It feels like everything is just falling into place and I’m right where I’m meant to be. There’s a sense of peace and bliss in every moment.

Don’t get me wrong, I deal with shit all day erryday. But the way I choose to react to things is vastly different to how I would have reacted just a few months ago.

I was a frustrated, over-caffeinated and overwhelmed uni student wondering what the hell I was doing with my life. I felt like I was just going through the motions and I spent so much time questioning what I was doing in class/at work.

What was it all in aid of?

I dreaded almost every single day. It was not a good time.

How did I get from being a walking zombie to waking up and being super excited to slay the day?

Lemme tell ya – it was a process. It didn’t come easily. Nothing good in life ever does.

Getting clear on what I wanted

I started by asking myself what I truly wanted from life. During the holidays I managed to take some time to really reflect on this. For once, I didn’t fill my days with busy-ness so that I could feel as though I had a “productive holiday”. Like seriously you don’t need to be productive in the holidays – that’s the whole point! You take a damn break! 🙄

Anyway. It took a lot of time alone with my thoughts before I realised that I wanted to become financially independent and help others do the same. 

So much of this damn world revolves around money and we don’t ever get taught how to manage it properly. I want to help prevent money problems that hold people back from living their best lives. I want to empower people to take control of their financial future and achieve financial freedom so that they’ll never have to worry about money again.

The world would be a better place if we didn’t let money rule our lives. Having this clarity has led me towards so many exciting opportunities. I’ve met some amazing people who are doing cool things and can help me along in my journey. I don’t think I would have come across these things if I hadn’t consciously been thinking about my goals.

Setting goals and keeping them top of mind

Setting goals and reminding myself of them every single day meant that I began to notice things and took action to take advantage of opportunities. I know, it seems really stupidly simple, but that’s what it is.

If you don’t constantly remind yourself what you’re working towards, you’ll forget about it because life throws a shit ton of distractions your way. Hence why all my previous “goal setting” efforts failed miserably. I just wrote them down and never looked at them again!

One of the biggest opportunities that came my way was being able to meet Robert Kiyosaki in person. WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT??? 😱

He’s the author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, a book which seriously changed my life. It caused the biggest shift in my mindset and is one of the factors that led me to who I am today.

In short, the main takeaway I got from the book was that schools do not prepare you for success in life. It trains you to become an employee (read: slave), to work for money for the rest of your life, to compete against others and do things alone… UGHHHH.

Essentially, it limits your perspective on life. You believe that getting a job is the only way to live your life because that’s what almost everyone else is doing. And nobody really loves their job – those who do are just super lucky.

If you’ve been exposed to the world of startups, you might think that entrepreneurs are weirdos and super talented people and you’ll never be one. 

LIES, LIES, LIES!!! There is SO MUCH opportunity out there.

Trust me, once your mind has been opened to all the possibilities, you’ll never be content with just applying for roles in a company that you don’t think you’ll even like and stressin’ the hell out because you’re competing with 1001 other smart people and you feel like you’re worthless and a loser each time you get rejected and omg your life is going to shit because you’re freaking out about not being able to get a job what are you gonna do??

Peeps, please. Life is too short to be stressing out about stupid shit like this. Not getting a coveted role is not the be all and end all.

I know that many of you can’t seem to see any other alternative. Because you’ve never been SHOWN all the things you could do with your amazing talents and abilities if you only KNEW!

So many people are excellent writers, photographers, videographers, artists, stand-up comedians, procrasti-bakers etc. but they’re just like “oh I’ll never be able to do that as my career cos I can’t make money pfft”. 

HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?? Who put that idea into your head?

Have you ever stopped to question WHY you believe that?

Who told you that doing what you love + are good at is not a legit option?

Look, even people who have landed some cushy roles at big-name companies ARE NOT FEELING FULFILLED. Yeah, some of you might already know that. Yup, just gonna get it on your resume and GTFO.

Why do you choose to accept this shit? It’s your life. You have the right to make it as amazing and extraordinary as possible. Why do you settle for a job that might pay well but drains your bloody soul?!

“I need money to live, girl!!”

Of course, of course. But did you know that you don’t need a paycheque to make money? NO, REALLY?? Yeah really.

There are so many ways to get to your dreams if you CARED enough to put in the work and go for it. We just have so many limiting beliefs programmed into our heads that hold us back. Ever since I got clarity on my goal, I’ve been diving deep into learning about anything and everything that can help me get there.

Look, I have no bloody idea how I’m gonna get there, but I give enough of a shit about it to commit to working towards it. Because I want to live the best life that I can, and I know that this is what will get me there.

My mind has been blown over and over by stories of people who have done amazing things and you know what? They’re not some extraordinary freaking geniuses, they just put in the work! 

Once you’ve seen that others have done it, oh man… your beliefs and mindset completely change. It’s so easy to expand your view of the possibilities that exist in the world.

There is a wealth of knowledge that you can gain from reading books, listening to podcasts, watching videos, meeting new people… whatever the hell floats your boat. I think it’s quite likely that you’ll change how you choose to live your life once you learn what you’re truly capable of.

I’m not saying that working towards getting a job is bad. In fact, some people thrive in their jobs because it’s what they truly love doing.

But if it’s something that is not bringing you any joy, excitement or fulfilment, perhaps it’s time you started to ask yourself the question of what it is that would truly light you up and make you feel alive… then learn, experiment and keep trying until you get to do just that.

You can absolutely make a living doing things that you love — it’s just a question of whether you’re willing to find ways to get there. I’m not there yet, but this journey has been amazing thus far. 

One day, I was walking along when I suddenly stopped and smiled, looked up at the sky, and thought: holy crap, this is the first time that I can say that I’m in love with life! 

If that’s the way you feel too, that’s awesome! If not, it’s time for you to decide whether you’re content with staying where you are and just living with it, or if you’re going to start taking steps to make a change. 

Some useful resources

Here are some of the things that have helped me:

How to Figure Out What You Want by Smart Twenties

Sam is an awesome chick who talks about personal development on her blog, podcast, Instagram and Youtube channel. Going through the steps in this post really helped me get some clarity on my goals. 

The Inexplicable Laws of Success by Virend Singh and Verusha Singh

Holy mother. This book was the kick up the ass that I needed. It helped me set my goals and craft the mindset that I needed to achieve them. I’ve made a summary of what I learned here.

The Code of the Extraordinary Mind by Vishen Lakhiani

This book and Vishen’s company Mindvalley have done wonders for my personal development. I learned how to break free of the stupid limiting beliefs that society imposes on us and craft my own belief systems that serve me better.

Top tip: don’t give a shit what other people think. Think for yourself!!

The Life Coach School Podcast by Brooke Castillo

Mindset is so important and this amazing chick has it down! I particularly love the episode on possibility and imagination. It’s definitely worth a listen (or you can even download the transcript).

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

MUST. READ. SERIOUSLY. IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Get the audiobook if you have to. Borrow it from the library if you have to. Just read it.

Oh man, there’s so much more, but these are the main ones that would be helpful no matter what your circumstances. If you want, I can give you specific recommendations for resources depending on what things you need help with.

Look, it’s not easy. It is freakin’ hard work. The mere thought of thinking about what you want in life might be exhausting if you’ve never thought about it before. LOL.

But it’s up to you to decide what kinda life you wanna live. You’ve got the power in you to make a change. 💪

And I’ll be here if you ever need any help. Just holla. 😉