Hey Reader,
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I'm sure you're familiar with the saying that goes something along the lines of:
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🔥 "Sometimes even the best-laid plans can go up in flames." 🔥​
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Usually, this is the Universe's way of delivering you a message.
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Sometimes the Universe is subtle and delicate and other times it likes to give you a swift smack in the head to make its point.
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As I entered 2021 a few weeks ago, I was pumped to hit the ground running — energized to get started on all my "perfectly" crafted intentions and clearly outlined goals that I spent hours working on in December.
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I was hyper-focused.
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Determined.
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Gung-ho to make shit happen!
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I was riding high from all the countless new ideas, habits, and projects I wanted to tackle at the start of the New Year.
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"Write 500 words a day."

"Publish a new video on YouTube every day."

"Read 2 chapters of a book every night."

"Start that new workout program."
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​I was so amped to begin the first work week of 2021 — going to bed that Sunday night excited to get going on these goals. I was the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed kindergartner ready for his first day.
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And then 💥...
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Monday morning comes and the Universe had other ideas...
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It gave me that swift smack in the head telling me "hold on there fella, not so fast, we have other plans for you right now."
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And those other plans came in the form of being sick with COVID. 🤒
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While dealing with the barrage of what seemed like endless symptoms was rough, the true challenge I learned was accepting this change of plans to my immediate future.
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But with all unforeseen and unpleasant occurrences in life, there is something to be learned.
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In my case, the Universe was reminding me that control is an illusion, serving me a lesson in acceptance and letting go.

Scale Down Your Goals to Scale Up Your Ambition​
​It's great to set big, audacious goals and aspire to achieve many things simultaneously. However, sometimes all this does is create a daunting, overwhelming laundry list of tasks that can leave us not knowing even where to start.
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Like most things in life, less is more when it comes to goals. Not only is it a good idea to focus on only a few goals, but you should break down your big goals into smaller goals. In the words of James Clear:

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It's about taking small steps forward each day which is far more powerful (and productive) than striving to accomplish both highly ambitious goals and numerous different goals all at once from the get-go.
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​Fewer, smaller goals can lead to outsized achievements.

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4 Agreements For Freedom, Alignment, and Happiness

In Don Miguel Ruiz's book "The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom" he outlines 4 principles to help break those old conditioned "agreements" which have been on autopilot. While simple in nature these principles are not always easy to follow but they are worth aspiring to.
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1. Be impeccable with your word.​
Your word is your bond. Avoid gossip, lies, empty promises, and other ways in which we cause problems with our words. Say only what you mean, and realize that you can cause damage if you're not careful with what you say..
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​2. Don’t take anything personally.​
What people say and think about you is a reflection of their level of consciousness. When someone gives us feedback about our behavior or about us as people, it's important to remember that no opinions are truly objective; we all have our biases, our filters through which we view the world. When someone says something about us, they're really saying something about themselves and how they view the world.
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​3. Don’t make assumptions.​
Making assumptions about others can either create internal stress or become a self-fulling prophecy. A lot of stress can be created when you assume you know what other people are thinking without checking with them. Understanding that other people might have different motivations and even drastically varying world-views from yours. Remember to really try to understand others and discuss their motivations before jumping to conclusions about their behavior can prevent interpersonal conflict.
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​4. Always do your best.​
Whatever you do, go at it 100% and give it your all. How you do one thing is how you do everything and when you adopt this practice you’ll notice it changes how you show up in the world and your reality will reflect that change. Some days, your best isn't as good as other days, and that's okay. As long as you put an honest effort into life, you will have nothing to be ashamed of, and won't beat yourself up over a less-than-stellar performance in retrospect.
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​A Growth Mindset Heartset — You're probably familiar with a growth mindset, but do you know what having a growth heartset entails? While a growth mindset is wonderful, it’s not enough if your heart isn’t onboard. In other words, your growth falls flat and is stymied if you don't recruit your heart into the fight.

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​The 5 Second Rule — If you have an instinct, urge, impulse, pull, or knowing to take action on a goal, you must physically move within 5 seconds or your brain will kill it.
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Thanks for reading.
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If you have any questions, feedback, or want to share some of your own insights, feel free to hit reply and let me know. I read and reply to every email.
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As Always, Keep Creating,

Anthony V. Lombardo

https://anthonyvlombardo.com
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