Always Be Thinking About These Things

Dreams. Because it all starts with a dream or an idea. Recapture your lost dreams, create new ones, and find a way to make them real.

Living. Because as Bob Dylan said, “He not busy being born is busy dying.” If you’re not sure what to live for, try peak moments and big adventures.

Influences. Because none of us lives in a vacuum. Who has helped you become who you are now? (And have you thanked them lately?)

Relationships (near and far). Because relationships are central to everything else. Is there a phone call you need to make? What can you do to help someone, or at least show them you care?

Passion. Because life is short, you might as well spend it doing things you’re excited about. It’s only an overused word because most people don’t know what it is.

Destinations. Because you need to know where are you going, whether it’s a real destination or a representative one. (If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll probably end up somewhere else.)

Deliverables. Because producing something worthwhile leads to a meaningful life. Every day you can wake up and think, what’s next? It’s often easier to focus on deliverables than a time schedule that may vary depending on what else is going on.

Growth. Because it’s not about growth for the sake of itself, but if you have something good and you can build it further without losing anything, why not grow?

Metrics. Because you need a way to measure your journey. (I measure AONC by subscribers and trackbacks. I don’t care about site traffic, page views, search engine optimization, etc.)

Legacy. Because this is the most important thing! What are you building? What is the story of your life, and what will be its ultimate impact on the world? (More here.)

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Hint: sometimes it’s difficult to think about the bigger questions like legacy right away. That’s why you start with some of the easier ones. If you’re not sure what to do on any given day, do one thing that helps someone and one thing that brings you one step closer to the dreams you identified at the beginning.

So … what are you thinking about today?

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Image: Wolfgang