I like to win, and I like making an impact on those around me. However, for years I struggled with the idea of doing both at once, especially when it came to my work and family life. Closing deals and growing my bank account came with feeling continuously conflicted for not being at the game, the band concerts, or date nights. The grind made me more and more disillusioned, wondering why I’d had the dreams of success in the first place.
Before I knew it, ten years had passed. Not only had I not achieved my financial goals, but they weren’t even on the radar screen. So what happened?
We Need to Do Something Different
If you’re reading this, I bet you can relate to my experience. You’re not alone. In fact, 67% of the population would say that they feel stuck and frustrated with their life. One day I finally woke up and knew enough was enough. I realized in order to make a change, I needed to reassess my assumptions and find a new framework to live my life by. So I decided to identify what wasn’t working and find a solution. This is how I got out of the traditional lifestyle and discovered the transformational lifestyle.
The Traditional vs Transformational Lifestyle
The Traditional Lifestyle enhances hopelessness in circumstances. It’s a life characterized by reactions instead of intentional choices, courageous hopes, and worthy pursuits.
A Transformational lifestyle maximizes hope in circumstances. We get there by changing what we focus on. Then we build our plans and routines around that. There are four anchors to both the Traditional and Transformational Lifestyles. I call these the Lifestyle Anchors:
- Outlook
- Strategy
- Daily Habits and Routines
- Outcomes
Your outlook is your overall worldview that includes your expectations for the future, self image, and view of your circumstances. Your strategy is your broad plan for your life that includes your goals, desired destination, and metrics for measuring your success. The strategies dictate what our daily routines & habits need to be to keep us moving forward and will produce the outcomes we’ve sown. Let’s look at each of these anchors and compare what they look like in Traditional vs Transformational Lifestyles.
Positive Outlook
Your beliefs are powerful. The bad news is that we all have negative beliefs that are sabotaging us. The good news is that we can replace these negative beliefs with positive ones. Traditional Lifestyles are marked by negative beliefs. They simply accept the beliefs thrown at them by their environment and circumstances. Transformational lifestyles include noticing beliefs and intentionally replacing negative beliefs with positive ones.
Actionable Strategy
Traditional lifestyles lack an actionable strategy, and the best possible result is mediocrity. Transformational lifestyles begin with the end in mind. They define their destination with as much specificity as possible and work their way backwards, figuring out the broad strokes it will take to get there.
“If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.”
― Yogi Berra
Helpful Routines & Habits
A successful life comes down to principles and fundamentals. Your daily habits and routines are where your strategy becomes reality. You reap what you sow, and your routines are where you sow. As a result, they will make or break you. If you’re frustrated with your life but find yourself doing the same things over and over again every day, then by definition you’re stuck. This is the Traditional Lifestyle in a nutshell. It’s marked by stagnation and a lack of positive change.
Winning Outcomes
Newton’s third law states that, “every action will have an equal or opposite reaction.” The resulting “reaction” is just another word for the outcomes that come from your outlook, strategy, and habits. When comparing Traditional vs Transformational Lifestyles, the former is marked by average or sub-optimal outcomes: increasing debt, declining health, broken relationships, wasted time, etc. Transformational Lifestyles get increasingly better outcomes over time. Money starts working for you rather than sitting still or leaving. Your relationships heal and progress. You become more efficient. With every little win along the way, more opportunities open up. Soon our outlook grows and becomes stronger as what is achievable and possible expands.
How to Shift to a Transformational Lifestyle
If you want to go from stuck to unstoppable, it’s simple. Decide what you want, get help creating the steps to the destination, take the steps, and watch every area of your life transform. Here are four steps to get started:
1. Imagine Quality Outcomes – To begin with the end in mind, imagine favorable outcomes with as much detail as possible using all 5 of your senses.
2. Draft a Strategy – Ask yourself what would have to happen in your life to get to those favorable outcomes. Repeat this question until you find an attainable goal over the next 21-40 days. Be sure to include a plan for accountability.
3. Take Stock of Your Habits – Take inventory of your daily habits. Find at least one that would keep you from your quality outcomes and commit to replacing it with one that will help you achieve it. If you miss a step one day, take two steps the next day.
4. Celebrate Victories – Make sure you track your little wins along the way. Reward and congratulate yourself with each milestone. The passion behind your effort creates needed momentum.
My Story Changed. So Can Yours.
When I followed these steps, my life began to change. I realized I was believing a lie that I couldn’t have financial success and be a good husband and father at the same time. I changed my outlook and strategy and began making choices every day that were consistent with my new belief. Today I’m running a multi-million dollar company and am able to give my family the time and energy they deserve at the same time. If I can do it, so can you.
If you’re sick of being stuck, make a change. A great next step would be to check out our free resources. These will help you shift to a Transformational Lifestyle and encouragement to keep you going on your hero’s journey.
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