By Ethan Maurice | September 3, 2015
In our lives, we should always seek to learn, to grow and improve as people. This is a lifelong process, we must never stop stretching our boundaries. In considering this a couple weeks ago, I wrote a list of 7 things I should strive to improve at.
1. Actively seeking new, scary experiences. New experiences are captivating and expand one's comfort zone. It's good to do things that push our limits and stimulate learning. The excitement is on the edge and that's where I want to be.
2. Not allowing others to dictate my future. I learned this the hard way. The past fall, I applied to 12 different cruise lines, submitting applications online, mailing in my resume, and emailing cruise recruiters. Turns out they really want candidates to have hospitality experience (I don't)... Should have had a backup plan, and as a result I had way too much downtime for a couple months. Lesson learned – should have been doing something else until I was offered a job. I won't wait around for things to happen any longer.
3. Reacting quickly in any environment/situation. I often think of something I should have said or done after the fact. “Ahhh, why didn't I do that?!?!” often rattles through my head. I'll admit it, I get a bit nervous at times which results in hesitancy. If I'm thinking about the situation, I'm not fully present in it, and don't always react as freely as usual.
4. Staying clean, organized, and less cluttered. Living in a disorganized or cluttered area clouds the mind. I have trouble focusing when the room is crowded with stuff. I've been selling all sorts of stuff on Craigslist recently and donated the clothes I never wear (about half of them) to a local charity. Our possessions can own us, I'm getting rid of what I don't use.
5. Reaching out to and make friends with people that inspire me. It's important to be around inspirational people. Good people, who have passions and work hard at things they love. People who pull will pull me beyond my comfort zone. Feel free to help me out with this one.
6. Surrounding myself with inspiration. Not only do people in our lives have influence on us, our surroundings do to. My alarm is an epic motivational speech. I have poster sized photographs from my cross country bicycle ride and 221 mile backpacking trip hung up on the wall. I read everyday too, but I still strive to surround myself with more inspiration.
7. Realize I have no responsibility for a limited time. I'm quite fortunate at this current moment. I have almost no responsibilities. No kids, no important job, no mortgage, no car payments. I'm free and I need to exploit my lack of responsibility more often.
There's your glimpse of my current strife. I glance at this list every couple days and keep myself conscious of these attempted improvements. I think it's working... time will tell.
If you made such a list, what would you want to improve at?
