The 4 rules that guarantee success this year


Forget the self-help books. They are a waste of your time and money. You will spend weeks reading them to make yourself feel like you are doing something to improve your life. But you are really just wasting time and deluding yourself that you are doing something positive to change things. Reading self-help books are an excuse for taking positive action to make real change. Remember, the only way to get satisfaction is to take ACTION.
Follow these 4 simple rules and I promise it will change your life. Jump into the icy cold water. Do it now. Trust me.

1. Don’t make New Year Resolutions
Don’t make New Year Resolutions. They are a pointless waste of time and can sometimes even be dangerous. You will almost certainly break all of your resolutions before the end of January. Why? Because New Year Resolutions force you to focus on negatives (i.e. what you DON’T want to happen) rather than on positives in your life. So never make ‘resolutions’. Instead set yourself 'New Year Targets' of positive actions and goals that you will achieve. Always make these goals SMART with very precise timescales, specific actions to take, and measurable outcomes. Don’t forget that the goals must be realistic and achievable, but not too easy. Set goals that are a little bit too ambitious, but are still realistic and believable. If you don’t seriously believe your goal is possible, then no amount of hard work or positive thinking will help you to achieve it.

2. Do something painful every day
Do something painful every day. This could be inflicting physical pain on yourself, but it could also be doing something mentally painful that pushes you out of your comfort zone. If you keep to this routine every single day, then I promise it will change your life. For example, the CEO of Twitter Jack Dorsey has an ice cold bath every day. In his words: “Nothing has given me more mental confidence than being able to go straight from room temperature into the cold. Especially in the morning, going into an ice-cold tub from just being warm in bed just unlocks this thing in my mind, and I feel like if I can will myself to do that thing that seems so small but hurts so much, I can do nearly anything."

3. Stop flogging your dead horses
Abandon all your failing projects. Ignore the self-help gurus who keep telling you to "never give up". This is an idiotic mantra. Being prepared to give up on a bad idea and try something new is a sign of strength, not weakness. One of the main reasons people fail in life (both in their business lives and their personal lives) is because they never know when to give up on a bad idea and try something different instead. Work out what are the ‘dead horses’ in your life and dump them forever. Right now.

4. Just say ‘fuck it'
The two most powerful words in the English language are ‘fuck it’. These two words will change your life. Seriously, they will. So why are you still procrastinating? Why are you biding your time? Why have you allowed yourself to get stuck in ‘analysis paralysis’? Why are you using "waiting for the right time" as an excuse for your pathetic cowardice? Don’t start your new life tomorrow because tomorrow never comes. Just say ‘fuck it’ and do it NOW. I promise it will be the best decision you have ever taken in your life. Now switch off your computer and do it.