Become an achiever, unleash your potential

Let's start with the most import: set your goals, what you want to achieve. Think about it thouroughly, write them down.
Don't aim too low, aim high. You will have to push and challenge yourself.
But be realistic and don't say 'I want to earn 1 milion by next month' or 'by the end of the year, I want to win Wimbledon'. You may be a dreamer,and dreams can have the possibility to became reality if you hard enough believe (and work) in it, but it's better to want something that is not entirely impossible.

One very important detail I forgot to mention: ask yourself why you want to achieve that specific goal.

Once you have set your goal, it is time to see how you want achieve this, in what timeframe, what are the milestones you will set for yourself.
But not only the target itself: how will it effect me and my family, what will I have to sacrifice to reach it (time, money, ...), ...

Don't let money be your only goal or motivator because it will not work.
You better put as target that you want to earn x amount of dollar to buy something you always dreamt of.
This way you can visualise it, which is much more personal that the abstract word 'money'.

Note from the author: I did write it in another blogpost that a big part of the money I will earn from my passive income streams will go to charity here in Bali. And I am convinced that I will be able to help them a lot on regular basis.

Self-discipline is the foundation on which achievements are built. The path to become an achiever and a successful person is a long one, filled with lots of obstacles.

Self-discipline helps you to maintain focus, even in challenging times and failures. It allows you to make a little progress every day.
This focus is needed to resist distractions and temptations. Your time and energy are valuable and very much needed.

Develop daily routines that support your goals, have a plan and stick to it. This way, you will build postive habits that will help you on your quest and further quests too.

Self-discipline also means honesty towards yourself, high-end achievers accept setbacks and failures and learn from them. They don't blame others or blame external factors, they take responsability for their own actions.

You will have to sacrifice a lot, including short-term pleasures. By getting more self-disciplinated, you will be able to make decisions that serve your future goals instead of the easy short-term ones.

Develop daily routines that support your goals, have a plan and stick to it. This way, you will build postive habits that will help you on your quest and further quests too.

Note from the author: I committed myself to publish at least one blogpost every tuesday and friday, list one item on Etsy every tuesday, 1 colouring book every wednesday on Amazon, ... Sometimes it can be hard but I know if I want to be successful, I have to stick to this schedule.
I also have a daily plan, where I dedicate 2 times 30 minutes a day on creating an online presence, 2 hours a day I have to spend on improving this blog and work on my dividend website. And in these two hours, my mobile phone is in another room so I can fully focus on what I have to do.
No, these time windows are not fixed. It can be that I code for 2 hours in the morning or in the evening. I just need to stick to these 2 hours.

By rewarding yourself for reaching milestones, you create a positive environment for you that fuels your motivation to reach your final target.

This is why it was so important to set (and write down) milestones on your way to success. Now you have something to smaller to aim for and when reached, it also will feel as a victory and gives you energy to conquesr the next step.

Rewarding yourself strenghtens the believe that your efforts were worthwile and keep you motivated. It also boosts your self-confidence and self-esteem, pushing you to go further.

Note from the author: when I got the first profitable month for my Etsy shop, I invited my wife to go and eat in a fancy restaurant. It was worth all the effort, I knew I was on the right way and I want to celebrate this.
In a few months, when I finally get payout from ads from one of my two blogsites, I will reward myself with a new padel-racket.

This is the part where most people fail, they have big dreams and saspirations but they never start.
They always have excuses like 'I will start tomorrow' or 'it is too difficult'.
A good article about procrastination and how to fight it can be found here: 9 Reasons why you procrastinate.

Taking action also means that you have to stay focussed and disciplined. There will be times where everything goes wrong, these are the moments you have to persevere and continue. As I said, nothing is easy in life.

You have to commit yourself to take consistent actions towards your end goal. Break tasks down to more manageable tasks and commit to it. This way it is also easier to see small improvements which works very productive.

Don't be stubborn and be stuck in your old habits and approaches, break out of your comfort zone and try new approaches and take calculated risks.

Note from the author: A few years ago, I had another blog but I failed in consistency. I always said that it was so easy to set up a new one and dedicate my time to it. But I never took action. Until the beginning of this year, I finally took action. I know I made a few mistakes (I forgot the whole blogging environment has changed) but I made a plan and I still stick to it. I learned a lot in the last months and I adjusted my plans accordingly. And I know I will succeed.

On your way to become an achiever, you will continuously have to improve yourself.
You not only will learn need skills, you also will adapt a new mindset and become a better person.
You will no longer aim for perfection but for progress, you will see that there is always room for improvement.

As you grow, not only your skills will improve but also your critical thinking and you will become more open for new ideas and perspectives, you will learn how to think out of the box, you will easier recognise new opportunities, ...

Don't keep your dreams for yourself, tell what you want to achieve to others.
This is why it is so important to surround yourself with people who have the same positive mindset as you. You will need them to ask questions, to motivate you, ...