The decade of the 2010's certainly was filled with plenty of memorable moments for all of us but for me personally, this decade was the one where I saw the most significant changes in my life - personally and in business. I went from a full-time graphic designer looking to transition into the entertainment business where I would hopefully be able to create movie posters for huge summer blockbusters to being smacked by the after effects of the economic recession which eventually led me into the world of health and fitness.
I would go from single to becoming a stepfather and engaged to becoming single again, in debt, and on the verge of facing jail time. I would eventually open up a business, develop a relationship with Jesus Christ, focus on personal development and become a husband and father.
So, how was your decade?
A lot of things can change in a span of 10 years and this is why I wanted to develop this list for you all reading this. Hopefully by reading this list, you can accelerate your growth and avoid some of the many mistakes I made while trying to pursue personal growth. So, without further ado, this is my top 10 list of what this new entrepreneur learned in the past decade.
1. Your Mistakes Don't Determine Your Future
Before any success, you will experience times of failure. How we react to those failures will determine if we succeed or not. Take it from someone that's been in handcuffs, one mistake will not define your legacy. Even so, that mistake will remind you of how far you've come and will help keep you on the right path during future decision making.
2. Goals Can Only Be Accomplished Through Planning
Goals without a due date is simply a dream. What holds back people the most is when they have an idea, they never take action towards it. You don't have to know everything, just get started and you will figure it all out along the way. The memories are created in the journey, not the destination.
3. Career Growth is NOT the Most Important Thing in Life
Obviously, this is a more opinion based statement than anything based on factual research. Coming from someone that's selfishly obsessed over personal growth and have shoved things to the side for it, creating memories with loved ones is so much more enjoyable in the long run. You have to ask yourself, what do you want your legacy to be?
4. You First Have to Give if You Want to Receive
Want growth in your business? Help someone else's grow first then they will feel more willing to help you in return. Want more engagement on social media (as shallow as that is IMO)? Engage with others first. Want to have a relationship based on love, communication and respect? Well, perform actions around those to your spouse first and wait for the same to come around to you. Stop saying "me" and start saying "we."
5. You Can Have Anything You Want, Just Not At the Same Time
I've always been a go-getter and completely unsatisfied unless I'm taking on multiple projects at once. But, I always wondered why each of my projects was only mildly successful (if at all). It wasn't until I heard this quote when I realized if I gave 100% effort to one project at a time until it reached the level I wanted it to reach, then I would have a lot more thriving things going on around me. Having 1 thing be 100% successful is a lot better than having 5 projects that are only 20% successful because you just don't have that type of time or energy to take on everything at once, not without a large team at least.
6. Having Mentors & Focusing on Stress Management is Key
After I achieved a tiny bit of success, I was very grateful to have the opportunity to become a teacher for others. One thing I noticed with many of the individuals I helped was they lacked guidance in their life from a coach or mentor of some kind AND they didn't have a proper way of handling stress. Stress can be the biggest hinder to personal growth whether in health or in everyday decision making. Be sure to schedule out timeblocks in each week for "me-time" where you can do something for you that will relieve some stress and keep you focused. Having a coach or mentor in these situations helps since having an unbiased fresh pair of eyes on the outside can see things we can't and guide us when we are having trouble guiding ourselves.
7. You Have to Embrace Fear and Be Willing to Get Uncomfortable
If you are flinching on taking action towards something you desire, you are only hurting yourself. Whenever you flinch at something, that is a reminder on how you MUST take action. Like I said in the beginning, failure is inevitable, the sooner you embrace the learning experience behind failure, the faster you will grow.
8. Your Mind Holds You Back the Most
Very similar to the previous point but a little expansion...we are quick to blame our environments, our jobs, our families or our finances as the reason we cannot achieve what we want. That's just silly and there is so much data to prove that. We must stop allowing our minds to convince us that we cannot achieve something and call ourselves out when we notice it.
9. Successful People Are the Best Problem Solvers
When you peel back the layers of the onion, success is as simple as that. Entrepreneurs and successful people are simply people that have noticed a problem, kept calm, and found a solution for it. Want to become successful? Become a Professional Problem Solver!
10. You Are an Influencer, If You Like It or Not
Probably my biggest tip and the item that I am most passionate about...we have to realize that everything we post, everything we say, and everything we do is being watched by others around us. In my life, I notice the amount of youth that are watching my actions. Whether you sought out to be an influencer or not, congratulations, you are one! There are people around us watching everything we do and mimicking it to a certain degree. What message do you want to leave with others? Think twice about everything you do because you are a role model and teacher for someone, whether you believe you are or not. If you need to, do an accountability check for your social media accounts and if your message doesn't align with what's being shown, it's time to remove some trash.
Nobody said personal growth was going to be easy but it's worth it. These tips can be used for every area of life-spiritual growth, financial growth, developing relationships, career growth and physical & mental health. We have to be willing to hold ourselves accountable and reach out to others for help because we will never hold all the answers. The hardest part for most is simply humbling ourselves, deciding to get uncomfortable, and to take action. If you are struggling in any way, I encourage you to reach out to us and allow us to help. Allow the next decade to become your greatest decade!
Happy New Year,
Coach Taz
"Coach Taz" aka Taylor Rodriguez is owner and head coach of Taz Fitness & Nutrition. He is a Personal Trainer & Nutrition Coach located in Deltona, FL that coaches individuals online and in person. Taylor was a former partying pro wrestler turned fitness enthusiast after the economic downturn of 2008-2010. After losing almost 70 lbs, his new passion is to help struggling individuals find a new confidence within themselves to achieve any goal that they see possible. To begin coaching with Taylor or to request a free consultation, contact us today.
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