People feel dissatisfied with their lives because they have no balance and little fulfilment.

Here's secrets that only a few know to find fulfilment along the journey to achieving your dreams.

1 - Practise Gratitude

No matter how rough or smooth your journey is, find the time to practise gratitude and be aware of all the positive things going on in your life.

https://twitter.com/WillFlindall/status/1539141104297078785?s=20&t=QfUo-vjz3tjB0DCPKgM_jg

2 - Complete your personal routines

Being able to accomplish personal goals as well as career goals will only encourage you to keep pushing. 

Finding balance in both areas means you won't feel like you've sacrificed one for the other.

https://twitter.com/WillFlindall/status/1531546238146838529?s=20&t=QfUo-vjz3tjB0DCPKgM_jg

3 - Find Peace

A clear mind will enable you to dedicate and focus more on what you want to achieve. 

Find peace with who you are, so that you are not taken off course by unresolved personal issues.

https://twitter.com/WillFlindall/status/1532618112981381121?s=20&t=QfUo-vjz3tjB0DCPKgM_jg

4 - Find time for yourself after work.

It is not healthy to go to bed thinking about work. You need balance to achieve success over a long period of time.

Find the time to destress and let your daily thoughts percolate through your mind.

https://twitter.com/WillFlindall/status/1516310747352948740?s=20&t=QfUo-vjz3tjB0DCPKgM_jg

Practise OQP

Only Quality People.

Surround yourself with others who motivate, inspire and encourage you. 

Make sure you laugh, love and live. 

https://twitter.com/WillFlindall/status/1521401162502750208?s=20&t=QfUo-vjz3tjB0DCPKgM_jg

In summary remember this;

1 - Practise Gratitude
2 - Complete your personal routines
3 - Find Peace
4 - Find time for you after work
5 - Practise OQP

Secrets to a fulfilling life

Life gets tough and we all get covered by clouds of negativity but learn to muster the strength to look for positives

Theres always something good around you to appreciate. This skill of gratitude will disperse the clouds.

Here's 7 scientifically proven benefits of gratitude.

1. Gratitude opens the door to more relationships

Showing appreciation attracts new friends, according to a 2014 study. 

It stated that 'thanking a new acquaintance makes them more likely to seek an ongoing relationship.'

So remember your manors

2. Gratitude improves physical health

According to a 2012 study grateful people experience fewer aches and pains and they generally feel healthier than other people.

Grateful people are also more likely to take care of their health as they recognise the importance of it.

3. Gratitude improves psychological health

Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D., a leading gratitude researcher has spent years understanding the link between gratitude and well-being. 

His research shows that gratitude effectively increases happiness and reduces depression.

Gratitude apparently reduces a range of toxic emotions, from envy and resentment to frustration and regret.

4. Gratitude enhances empathy and reduces aggression

A 2012 study by the University of Kentucky, found that participants who ranked higher on gratitude scales were less likely to retaliate against others, even when given negative feedback.

Gratitude enhances their calmness and control in difficult situations.

Grateful people experienced more sensitivity and empathy toward other people and a decreased desire to seek revenge.

5. Grateful people sleep better

According to a 2011 study published in Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being,  writing in a gratitude journal improves your sleep.

15 minutes jotting down a few grateful sentiments before bed will calm the mind and relax you.

6. Gratitude improves self-esteem

Studies have found that gratitude reduces social comparisons. 

Rather than becoming resentful toward friends who have more money or better jobs, grateful people are able to appreciate the accomplishments of their friends.

7. Gratitude increases mental strength

Research has shown gratitude not only reduces stress, but it may also play a major role in overcoming trauma.

A 2006 study found that Vietnam War Veterans with higher levels of gratitude experienced lower rates of PTSD.

A 2003 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that gratitude was a major contributor to resilience following the terrorist attacks on September 11.

Remember, spending time to be grateful for all the good moments of your life is transformative.

We all struggle in moments of our lives. It is about how we get up again and keep moving. 

Being grateful will only help us move forward quicker.

Practise Gratitude

Barcelona's 'Tiki Taka' football revolutionised world football. 

It involved lots of short passes rather than long risky passes and keeping possession of the ball.

The theories of it can apply to your life and work.

1 - Consistency

Short passes represent small steps of progress. It is far easier to make them and far easier to succeed when doing so.

By focusing on the small passes you focus on consistently delivering your targets. Compounded over time and that's huge.

Be like Busquets.

2 - Control

The ability to keep possession for longer enabled Barcelona to nullify their opponents by eliminating their goal threat. 

There's no threat if the opponents don't have the ball. 

Having more possession enabled Barcelona's players to take control of their situation.

If you are in control of situations in your life you are more likely to achieve your goals.

Keep control of your time, focus and working ability, don't lose possession to your opponent (yourself) and procrastinate and drift.

Be like Xavi

3 - Education

Tika Taka was an evolution of how to play the beautiful game

This style of football required all the Barcelona players understanding how Pep Guardiola wanted to play football

It required each player understanding where to be and where to pass. It was an education

You will learn far more about yourself, company and processes if you are involved in more of them on the way up.

Your education and training will have fewer gaps and your ability will therefore being far stronger when you face challenges in the future.

Be like Pep

4 - Experience

Short passes means more passes, meaning more time on the ball. 

More time on the ball means greater understanding of the next pass.

Experience of playing the Tiki Taka style improved the players ability and knowledge of their game and how to beat opponents.

It applies to life and business. The more experiences you have, the more time in difficult situations, the greater your knowledge and ability to act.

Being calm in difficult situations comes with experience.

Be like Iniesta

5 - Vision

Being more involved in the build up play means more time on the ball. 

More time on the ball results in more opportunities to play the next pass.

More experience results in better decision making when deciding to pass or shoot. 

Apply it to business.

More time in different situations allows you to develop a greater understanding of business. 

Therefore it will enable you to choose better options to take that will help progress your business faster.

Your'll have clarity and your actions will be more decisive.

Be like Messi

Remember, progress is about consistently turning up and delivering on your goals.

Take control of the opportunities you have and execute your vision.

Play like Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta and Messi and manage like the mastermind Pep Guardiola. 

TIKI TAKI

Excessive screen time will destroy your life.

It is essential to reset your screen habits and take a break.

Here's what I learnt from my tech free holiday.

To give some context. 

I decided to have a tech free holiday when I realised my screen time average for a month was over 10 hours. 

It changed my life. 

A recent survey of 500 UK adults and 20 interviews, funded by Research England, revealed that half of respondents now look at screens for 11 hours or more a day.

More than a quarter look at screens for 14 hours or more a day.

1 - Improved focus on people

My first observation was that I started relying on having fun with people and not my phone.

I wanted to have real conversations and do real activities.

My focus shifted towards having events to do during the day.

I gave all my energy to these events and to the people in them.

Despite the increased activity, I actually felt more alive at the end of the day.

My phone would drain me previously.

2 - Increased positive mood

I started engaging with life again. My focus was three dimensional and not one dimensional on a screen.

I created memories in the day, which are still clearer now than more unique life events I spent viewing through my phone.

Tech has a huge impact on mental health, especially if you use it to keep you entertained.

Time away from your screen unlocks a new road to entertainment and happiness.

3 - Attention Span

I have a notoriously bad attention span. I get distracted very easily and I blame this down to my abusive use of social media.

I noticed that once I was off the screen for a few days my attention span improved and evolved.

I had to focus on conversation and events going on around me or I would have been out of the loop.

This requirement to focus on one thing was a dramatic wake up call and a huge weight off my shoulders.

I recognised the lack of importance social media really has. 

4 - Living in the moment

There's always so much irony in taking a shitty photo of a sunset on your phone and missing seeing it with your own eyes.

My non tech week changed this. I recognised that my memories and experiences were stronger in real life.

We use our phones to record life events and therefore mainly remember that event through the lens of our camera.

My focus was now on remember the daily events through the lens in my eyes.

5 - More time for fun

By not being on my phone for an excessive amount of time, I managed to gain back wasted hours.

I did far more on my holiday than on any other and I enjoyed doing more!

Having the freedom of no phone forces you to actually live life and not watch it pass by from a sofa.

Days had multiple events and activities and where structured around people.

6 - Clearer memories

Tech will distort how you remember an event. No tech allows you to evolve back towards having vivid memories of events, conversations and moments.

I have a much clear and accurate memory of my non tech holiday than any other recent holiday I've been on.

This might be my favourite takeaway. It made me recognise the lack of importance a phone has on my life.

Life is for living and we all do it once. 

I want to have strong memories of my best experiences when I am older. I want those memories to be from my mind. not my phone.

In summary remember this.

Having a phone is really having a dog lead attached to you 24/7.

Tech free holidays will help you;

1 - Connect with people
2 - Improve your mental health
3 - Increase your attention span
4 - Live in the moment
5 - Gain more time
6 - Remember more

You can read the unrolled version of this thread here: https://typefully.com/WillFlindall/nQPM36y

Tech Free Holidays

Tens of thousands of people are dealing with grief each year due to suicide.

Being someone who was recently impacted by this I wanted to write something to help those impacted by suicide who still feel numb.

Here's a few things which might help or you can totally ignore. 

Whilst it's impossible to tell someone how they should deal with grief, I've been able to reflect and observe myself over the last 14 months since I was impacted by suicide.

I've tried to understand how it has impacted me and how I can build myself up to go again.

To give some context.

In 2020, there were 5,224 deaths registered in England and Wales where the cause was recorded as suicide.

Despite the drop in suicide rates this is still a prevalent problem for modern society.

Males are 3.1x more likely to die by suicide in England than females - Samaritans 2020 data.

Men speak less about mental health and show fewer observable symptoms. 

1 - Take your time to grieve and make sure you do

You need to have the time to properly grieve and think. This process cannot be rushed. You need to let it happen naturally to help you move on effectively in the future.

Grieving is a highly individual experience. Take your time

Accept that grief can trigger many different and unexpected emotions.

Healing happens gradually; it can’t be forced or hurried and there is no “normal” timetable for grieving.

2 - Talk

Whether it is talking about the person you've lost or talking about your feelings. Make sure you talk to someone. People are there for you and people will listen.

You need the love and support of other to get through this and talking is the most valuable exercise.

In the first six months, I talked intensely with immediate family who also were suffering with our loss. 

We talked about all the amazing memories we had with that person. We talked about our feelings. We talked about the future and building a legacy for that person.

3 - Think of the good times

When talking with my family some of our memories would bring tears but the majority bought laughter.

Your best memories with that person will live on the longest. You'll go to them when you feel low. It's ok to do so.

The good times live on.

Try and remember the feelings of happiness and joy you felt with that person. Try and find those feelings again with the people you love.

4 - Don't blame yourself

Anyone who's lost someone to suicide thinks that they could have done something to stop them. 

Don't blame yourself. You can't blame yourself.  

A lot of people who commit suicide have thought about it over a number of years.  

5 - Small steps forward

One step at a time. Don't try and distract yourself by taking on too much. It will catch up with you. Start steady and move forward slowly.

Your loved one will want you to keep moving forward so focus your energy on healing yourself.

6 - Live for your loved one

The power of loss enables you to achieve things you never thought you could do.

When I lost my family member I decided to skydive and raised £1,000 for charity. I am scared of heights, but it did it for the one I lost.

You are capable of amazing things and you can use the pain of your loss as a way to push you further.

Hard times build strong people. 

7 - Live in the moment

No matter how tough your days are try and find moments of  happiness. 

There is so much that goes on around us that it can be lost but  living in the moment can bring a lot of joy.

Live each day as if it was your last. Try to understand the beauty of life.

Your loved one will be wanting you to do and achieve everything you've dreamed of.

8 - Find gratitude

Be grateful that you had time with your loved one. Those memories will never die. They are yours.

Be thankful you were able to experience life with that person. Building up your gratitude is so powerful and fulfilling.

Finally, to anyone who feels the difficulty of life right now. Speak to someone, don't hold in your emotions.

We are all on a journey. Try and find moments of happiness and success.

Don’t underestimate the hole your absent would leave - Jordan Peterson


In summary remember this

1 - Grief is a process, take your time to go through the process
2 - Talk to friends and family
3 - Remember the good times
4 - Don't blame yourself
5 - Keep moving forward
6 - Live for your loved one
7 - Live in the moment
8 - Find gratitude

Grief

People say to be happy or successful you need to find your purpose or have a vision. 

But the majority of people don't know how to achieve this.

Having read Manifest by @roxienafousi here are a few tips to think about when trying to make your dreams reality.

1 - Visualising yourself can be a feeling and not just a picture in your head.

Roxie Nafousi suggests trying to understand how you want to feel when thinking about your future self.

If you can find that feeling then build towards it. Do things that make that feeling appear. 

2 - Create a vision board

Spend time collating imagery, ideas, quotes showing how you want to live.

Roxie Nafousi suggests use these materials to formulate an idea or vision.

Think about your dream home, dream job, dream lifestyle

Remember - Create your vision board alone and keep it for yourself only. Only you need to know what your dreams are.

Small minds kill big dreams.

3 - Dream big

Don't be realistic.

Realism is pessimism in disguise.

Dreams are windows to your future self. If you can visualise your future self achieving great things then you can make that reality.

4 - Be instinctive

Trust your gut or instincts for what feels right to you.

Formulating ideas will take time but ideas which are truest to you will feel right and will keep appearing.

Believe in yourself and your ability to achieve goals you truly believe in.

5 - Be Patient

Manifesting who you want to be takes time.

You need to be patient with your thoughts and patient with results.

Take time to clarify your true thoughts and feelings. Then start living that life you want to manifest.

6 - Implementation

Once you have a clear vision or feeling of your future self you need to start implementing it.

Start doing what you think your future self would do.

Build it up slowly and focus solely on that vision.

What routines would your future self have?

How would they eat, sleep, learn and live?

Figure this out and start doing it all.

In summary remember

1 - Your goals can be visual and feelings
2 - Create a vision
3 - Dream big
4 - Be instinctive
5 - Be patient 
6 - Implement that life you dream of

How to Manifest your dream life

Swim and you too will become a superhuman.

Too many people think running, lifting weights or cycling are the secrets to sustained health but they are wrong.

Here's why. 👇👇👇👇

1. Swimming improves muscle definition and strength

Swimmers gain muscle strength throughout the entire body.

Where runners see muscle build in their legs, swimmers utilise more muscle groups to move through the water.

While the legs kick, the arms pull, the back reaches and rotates, the stomach tightens to power the legs and stabilises the core.

This makes swimming one of the best aerobic exercises to give you a total body workout.

2. Swimming helps you stay flexible

Swimming requires you to reach, stretch, twist, and pull your way through the water.

Your ankles become fins and are stretched with each kick.

Repetitive stretching found in various strokes helps with flexibility.


3. Swimming reduces inflammation

Research indicates aerobic activities, such as swimming, reduce inflammation that leads to atherosclerosis* build-up in the heart.

*Atherosclerosis thickening or hardening of the arteries

4. Swimmers can burn more calories than runners

Depending on the stroke and intensity, swimming can burn equal or greater calories than running.

10 minutes of swimming can burn;

Breast stroke - 60 cals

Backstroke - 80 cals

Freestyle - 100 cals 

Butterfly - 150 cals 

For perspective, running a 10-minute mile burns around 100 calories.

Therefore, a strong 30-min butterfly speed session can burn 150 more calories than running a 5K in the same time frame.

5. Swimming can improve exercise-induced asthma

Swimming allows you to breath moist air while you train.

Not only does swimming help alleviate asthma symptoms, studies have shown that it can actually improve the overall condition of the lungs.

In a recent study, a group of children that completed a 6 week swimming program saw improvements in symptom severity, snoring, mouth-breathing, and hospitalisation and ER visits.

These benefits were still noted a year after the swimming program ended.

People who don’t have asthma benefit too as swimming increases overall lung-volume and teaches good breathing techniques.

6. Swimming lowers stress and depression

A small study from 1992 found that people who swam regularly felt less anger, tension, confusion, and depression.

A 2014 study on animals found that swimming had antidepressant effects.

Swimming is calming and meditative.

The rhythm of breathing and sound of water rushing by your ears helps you focus inward and drown out all other distractions. This lowers stress and depression naturally.

7. Swimming can make you smarter

Research from Australia focused on kids who took swimming lessons compared to a control group of non-swimmers.

Results showed that kids who regularly participated in swimming were able to master language development, fine motor skills, confidence, and physical development sooner than the control group.

8. Swimming could lengthen your life.

Researchers at the University of South Carolina looked at 40,547 men, aged 20 to 90, for over 32 years. 

The results showed that those who swam had a 50 percent lower death rate than runners, walkers, or men who didn’t exercise.

A 2016 study found that high intensity swimming three times a week increased insulin sensitivity and balanced blood glucose.

This can reduce your risk of diabetes. And if you have diabetes, swimming can help keep your blood sugar in check.

Remember, no matter how slow you go you are still lapping everyone on the couch.

In summary remember

1 - Swimming can benefit you physically and mentally.
2 - Swimming is kind on the body and joints but actually exercises you whole body
3 - Swimming can reduce stress
4 - Swimming could lengthen your life

Swim to win

Just because your parents got a university degree and a job for life in a large corporation doesn't mean you need to too.

The time of following the same path as others is over.

It's time to carve out your own path.

Here's a few things to think about that might help you do this

If you go to university then choose a degree that will teach you skills not just give you a certificate.

The most successful people are the ones who have the most skills.

There will be opportunities everywhere for work after uni. Be ready to compete.

An apprenticeship might be more worthwhile if you know exactly what you want to do.

Be adaptable.

Graduates rarely do exactly what they dream of in their first job. You need to have a flexible mind when working and looking for opportunities.

You need to think outside the box when looking to start your own business or when creating a side hustle.

Invest in yourself.

Keep learning new skills post education.

Mark Twain said "I have never let my schooling interfere with my education"

Educate yourself always. Life is about learning.

Do something you love, not something to make you money.

Life is about enjoying the journey. You'll be working for the majority of your life so make sure its on something you love.

Usually when you love what you do it doesn't matter how much you make.

Trust your gut.

Do whatever makes you feel right.

Instinct will take you a long way. We all have the ability to excel at something, trust your gut to find that thing.

We live in a world where working 50 years for someone is normal but working for yourself for a year is a risk.

It's time to make a move, believe in yourself and your dream.


In summary remember

1 - There are many routes to success, carve out your own route
2 - University isn't the only way to further education
3 - Adaptability is key when starting out
4 - Invest in yourself
5 - Do what you love
6 - Trust your instincts

Carve out your own path

People think they know how to build a routine that will change their life.

But, like New Years resolutions, they usually stop these routines after 2 weeks.

Here’s what you need to do to actually stick to your routine and achieve your goals.


1 - start small and build big

Don’t be too ambitious with what you want to achieve in a routine.

Failure happens when you over complicate a routine.

Set your mind on achieving one thing. It could be reading, exercising or learning a new skill.

2 - set a time limit

Whether it’s 30 minutes or an hour it doesn’t matter.

What matters is how many days you repeat it and the accumulation of that time over a long period.

3 - focus on something that will improve you

Knowing you are doing something for your self-progression is the strongest reason to keep doing it.

You should have no excuses to stop this routine if you really care about improving yourself.

4 - make sure you enjoy it

Having a successful routine has to bring fulfilment.

Make sure you love the journey. Each day you do your routine you should feel proud, like it's a big job accomplished when it’s done.

5 - be flexible

You don’t need to do exactly the same thing each day.

You don’t need to perform at your best each time.

It’s about turning up and doing the routine the best you can do day after day.

If you want to read each day then reading for 30 minutes one day and 45 minutes the next is fine. Some days it might just be 20 minutes.

Just turn up.

6 - track your progress

When you can see the progress you will see the reasoning behind the routine.

Progress is small over the short term but can be life changing over the long term.

Track the data and see where you have come from

In summary remember

1 - start small and build big
2 - set a time limit
3 - focus on improvement
4 - enjoy it
5 - be flexible with yourself
6 - track your data

How to build a routine for life

What more needs to be said.

This is @jimmycarr's greatest one liner ever.