Part 3: This blog is divided into 4 parts

You are what you tell yourself you are. We all have a life story – a narrative we tell others, and ourselves, that explains who we are and why we turned out the way we did. Of course, to some extent, these stories we tell are based on how things actually panned out in our lives. It’s a two-way street, though, since the stories we tell ourselves also determine how we live our lives.

You should take a hard look at the stories you tell yourself because they may be holding you back too.

Ask yourself: Does my story emphasize the achievements I’ve made in life, or does it focus on the failures? Do I find myself making excuses for my mediocre lot in life, saying things like, “I’m poor because I had a bad upbringing and didn’t go to college?” These types of narratives are toxic because they only serve to disparage us and limit our potential.

Of course, it’s not easy to change this type of self-assessment. In some cases, we’ve been telling ourselves the same story for so long – decades even – that we feel it must be true for that reason alone. But as true and eternal as our life stories may seem, like most things, they’re open to interpretation.

• Go ahead and reframe your narrative, by turning your “poor me” story on its head.

• Maximize the return on your time by cutting out unproductive work.

• What about hard work? Aren’t we all taught that hard work essential to success?

Yes, self-made millionaires do have an extraordinary work ethic. But you probably work your ass off too – so why aren’t you enjoying nearly the same level of success? Do millionaires just work that much harder? Or, are they putting in incredibly long hours? The answer is, of course, “No.” It’s not a matter of how hard they work or how many hours they put in. It’s simply a question of how efficiently they use their time. In fact, millionaires often work fewer hours than the average person. The hours they do put in, however, are far more productive.

Maximize the return on your time by cutting out unproductive work.

Think of time as an investment that nets you a return. You always want to maximize the return on an investment, so you should aim to maximize the return on your time too. But what does that mean, exactly? It means you should maximize the amount of time you spend doing the work that brings in the most income, and minimize everything else. Start off by identifying the activities that are most profitable for you – perhaps a creative skill, or a business you’re working on. Whatever it is, this is your financial sweet spot. You want the majority of your time to be spent on this because it’s what’s going to grow your life and income the fastest.

Using your time efficiently is just as much about cutting work out as it is about actually doing work. That’s why a “not-to-do” list can be as useful as a “to-do” list! A not-to-do list can help you streamline your life by identifying and eliminating work that doesn’t produce much value. On this list, you can write all the things you do throughout the week that you’re not particularly good at, don’t enjoy doing, or that sap time and energy that could be better spent elsewhere. Examples might include wasting hours surfing the web and doing chores like mowing the lawn.

Then, next to each entry on the list, write either “eliminate,” “replace,” “automate,” “delegate,” or “outsource.” For instance, you could probably completely axe aimless web-surfing from your life. Other tasks like your chores and finances will still need to get done. In these cases, think about using technology or hiring professionals to do the work for you.

Once you cut all the tedious stuff from your life, you’ll be free to focus on what makes you money and what makes you happy.

In the next part, we will explain, how to cultivating your confidence & will share the summary!

Love, Marietta