Mark Lack says that by giving and becoming more, the having takes care of itself.

Mark Lack is the CEO of Shorten the Gap and is on the Board of Advisers for the Leap Foundation.

Lack travels regularly for work and meets a lot of entrepreneurs from around the world. He noticed that countless entrepreneurs allow the achievement of goals and ‘having’ more things to consume their precious time, energy, and money. That might mean fancy cars, houses, holidays, new experiences, designer clothing or the latest technological gadget.

The problem lies with entrepreneurs wanting to remain the same, use the least amount of effort possible, and give very little in return yet expect to ‘have‘ more.

Truth be told, long-lasting, sustainable success requires becoming a better version of ourselves and contributing to the world in a meaningful way.

The 3 Pillars In Life

The 3 pillars in life relate to 1. Being, 2. Having and 3. Giving.

When you focus on the outer two pillars – being and giving, you can have anything you want in life and the best part is that the ‘having‘ takes care of itself.

Your results in life are a direct reflection of what you have been giving and who you are being across all areas of your life from your relationships, wealth, health, energy, experiences, emotions i.e. love, passion and value.

What you give or don’t give, means you receive the similar in return.

1. Create Your Masterpiece

It begins with clarity and creating your masterpiece. The quality of your life can change within a second. To do this requires a deep dive into your life by answering   the following questions:

  1. Who do I need to become to make my life a masterpiece?
  2. What would my life look like if it were a ‘masterpiece’?
  3. Am I living a life I settled for or am I truly living the life of my dreams?
  4. If I am playing at my full potential, what would life look like ?
  5. What areas of your life need to be improved?

Start with a vision map, create a vision board or draw pictures of your ideal life.

Be honest with yourself, it is far easier to maintain the areas of your life that are going well rather than face the areas that are not going well. When we become laser-focused on one area of our life, we jeopardize another area of our life. For example: finances vs family relationships.

2.The Simple Formula

The simple formula to become happier, healthier and wealthier is to take one action every day towards those outcomes. It may take 5 minutes or it may take an hour. The important thing to focus on is taking consistent action.

For example:

Happier: Take your dog for a long walk by the beach

Healthier: Work out at the gym for an hour

Wealthier: Check your finances daily

Think about it, these 3 actions per day really adds up: 3 actions x 365 days  = 1,095 actions per year.

3. Life Is A Marathon

Life is a marathon that requires a long-term focus. The marathon of life lasts for a decade not a year. Think about what you could achieve in a decade versus a year. This sets you up for some inspirational, big thinking.

Forget sprinting, this is the fastest way to burning out and giving up. It is easy to overestimate what you can do in a short period of time and underestimate what you can achieve over a long period of time.

Lack explains that in life, apart from focusing on the two outside pillars – giving and being, there are two main reasons people do not succeed: firstly, their mindset and secondly, employing the right strategies. To be the best in the world at anything, you need to have both of these in place.

4. Check & Closing

By managing your emotions and keeping them in check, you can ensure you are operating in the best state possible. Why wait until the end of the day before checking in with yourself, then wondering why you don’t feel so great.

Make a habit of checking in with yourself every 60-90 minutes. To do this, you address the three areas in the ‘Triad‘:

1. Where is your focus?

2. Language of yourself and others

3. Physiology

The ‘Triad’ has a massive impact on your emotional state. Check in with yourself to determine how you feel and why you feel that way. Give yourself a score out of 100%. If you fall below 85-90% you need to change the environments of the triad.

When you check and close regularly, you have the power to be proactive and change it immediately.

By maintaining a peak emotional state, you operate at a higher level which directly improves performance leading to outstanding results.

In life forget the destination and focus on benchmarks and goals. What you ‘have’ changes, long lasting happiness and success relies on who you become and what you give back to the world.

 

This article was originally published on Inc.com