3 Ways to Have a Bigger Impact in Your Personal and Professional Life Oh, and these strategies also minimize stress, which is no small thing.
By Matt Mayberry Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
In my travels all over the world, speaking to different organizations of all sizes, there are two common questions that I always seem to receive at some point before or after I deliver my keynote presentation: "How can I decrease the daily stress in my life, and, "How can I have a bigger impact this year?"
Related: 5 Ways to Reduce Stress
Most people are stressed out at a very unhealthy level and truly believe that they must go through pain and all kinds of stress in order to take their lives and business to the next level. But this popular belief couldn't be more wrong.
Yes, you absolutely need to sacrifice a tremendous amount and work in a way you have never worked before, but not at the expense of feeling miserable. The truth of the matter is that there is a way to not only decrease stress levels at a rapid rate, but also transform the impact that you have in the world. The more stressed out that you become, the more paralyzed your ability to unleash your incredible potential into the world.
Here are three things that have worked exceptionally well for me in the hopes of looking to minimize stress and increase impact.
1. Live in the now.
Regardless of where you may be in your life, whether it's a time of failure and distress or a time of unbelievable success, don't forget to live in the now. Be as present as possible. All too often, we let our ambition and desire get in the way of enjoying life today, which will always provide anxiety and stress to some degree.
Living in the moment doesn't mean completely forgetting about the past and the future; it means not allowing the past or the future to control the present. I can honestly say that one of the things I am most proud of during my short time in the NFL was being present every single moment and taking it all in. People who rush, rush, rush toward their future often forget about what they're doing right now.
Time goes quickly, and if you don't stop and enjoy what's occurring, at the end of your life you'll end up wondering what exactly happened.
2. Be a champion of preparation.
Working insanely hard doesn't stress people out; weak preparation and working hard on insignificant tasks is what stresses people out. So, be a champion of preparation. Do the work others aren't willing to do. Being around future Hall of Famers in the NFL and seeing "up close and personal" what it really took to excel at an extremely high level was eye-opening for me. I immediately noticed the ridiculous amount of preparation and hard work that was required to be the best.
I also noticed that these were the players who never worried and stressed themselves out, because they knew deep down that they worked to the best of their ability. They left it all out there, each and every day, regardless of whether the context was the film room, the practice field or the way in which they were taking care of their bodies.
Related: Calm Down and Take These 7 Daily Steps to Deal With Stress
Sure, many people would love to have the glory and accolades of becoming a Hall of Famer, but how many would actually do the work to obtain it? That is the question. So, start today. Dedicate yourself from this day forward to preparing to be the best you can be at whatever it is you want to do.
Study, research, practice, prepare. There is immense gratification that comes from adopting this mentality. It's never enough to just do what's required. When you become a champion of preparation, you will notice your impact rise and your stress levels drastically decline.
3. Celebrate every day.
There is power in celebrating everything -- especially the small daily wins. Make it a personal habit right now to start celebrating everything in your life. Just because you haven't reached one of your main goals yet doesn't mean you can't have fun and capitalize on where you currently are. One good way to get into the habit is by recording your small daily wins in a journal.
I personally use a Moleskine notebook, and at the end of each day, I write down five wins for that specific day. It doesn't matter how bad my overall day was or what happened, I force myself to jot down five positive things. It puts me in a positive state of mind before I go to bed and builds momentum for the following day. Whether those wins are big, medium or small doesn't matter. Celebrate those wins!
Related: 4 Productivity Tips That Changed My Life This Year
These three daily habits have greatly benefited my life and I hope they do the same for you.
