I was tagged by Alina for a meme with the following instructions:
"Compose a new blog post listing the top 5 to 10 things that you do almost every day that help you to be successful. They can be anything at all, but they have to be things that you do at least 4 or 5 times every week. Anything less than that may be a hobby that helps you out, but we are after the real day in and day out habits that help you to be successful."
Hmmm...
1. Drink tea. It's the first thing I do in the morning. My favorites are Tazo Chai with milk, good old black tea with milk, Almond Sunrise and peppermint. Having a cup of tea helps me transition out of sleep and take a few minutes to calmly check in with myself and plan what I need to do during the day.
2. Write. Whether it's on the blog, for a business plan or just an e-mail to friends, I write every single day. Writing helps me be successful because it's the foundation of my current job. For each business plan I write that gets funded, for each feasibility study I develop that is well-received, I am improving my reputation in the business community here and increasing my chances of landing that next contract. From a personal perspective, writing helps me work out my issues in a way that talking sometimes can't. It also helps me keep in touch with my family and friends, virtual or not, that live far away and whose support I rely on to keep moving forward.
3. Make art. I love making jewelry, drawing, knitting, crocheting, making greeting cards and dreaming of how I can use fabric once I learn to use a sewing machine. Being creative keeps me happy and feeling balanced. Also, with each new piece of art I make, I get better at my craft. Since I want to eventually sell my jewelry seriously, with a web site and perhaps a little shop, improving my technical and design skills is an important factor in being successful.
4. Take a shower. This may sound like an insignificant item on the list, but let me assure you it's not. Without a shower in the morning my day goes to pot. I feel lazy, grimy, useless and depressed. It is extraordinarily difficult for me to have a productive, kind-hearted day if I don't make it a point to shower.
5. Speak multiple languages. Being a polyglot is essential for the kind of work I am interested in and the lifestyle I want to lead. Now that I live in Mozambique and am together with Rico, 95% of my life is carried out in Portuguese. I use English to write, have meetings with clients that don't speak other languages, and talk to friends and family. I speak Spanish to my cousins and a couple of friends. Both my Spanish and Italian are in dire need of some practice. I have lost a lot of the fluency I know is buried in my brain, and I'd like to recuperate my ability to converse with ease.
6. Remember my mantras. "Don't take it personally" and "Don't make assumptions". These keep me in check when I get stressed with other people. Less stress = better health + better relationships. If that's not a recipe for success, I don't know what is.
What are your daily steps to success? If you want to answer, consider yourself tagged.
6 comments:
Umm, ok trying again, cause my comment just disappeared. So, I was saying that I totally forgot about foreign languages. You are right, more than important in almost any career.
And it seems we are both tea lovers. And writing addicts. Thanks for accepting the tag :)
I loved your post. There are certain routines that get us off on the right step every day.
Daily I: pray, write, exercise, listen to music, and am artistic in some way.
These are great! Thanks for sharing. I'm accepting the tag.
BTW -- I had to give a presentation at work the other day and I used your "imagine yourself on reality TV" technique. It worked! I usually get very nervous with public speaking but this tip really helped me manage my nerves. Thanks!!
"Tazo Chai"..it means "Fresh Tea" in the local language here in Pakistan. I wonder whether Portuguese and Spanish are two entirely different languages or quite similar?
~Alina - This was an interesting meme. I don't think I'd ever really thought about steps to success in this way. Thanks!
~African Kelli - Girl, I am working on the exercise one. :) I hate gyms, and that is my option right now. I wish I had my dance classes back from the US...
~Telfair - Can't wait to see your answers. I'm so glad the reality TV tip worked for you!
~Masd - I knew "Chai" was tea, but I had no idea what Tazo meant. In Portuguese the word for tea is "Chá". It is different from most romance languages, where the word is a variant on "té" (closer to Tea).
Spanish and Portuguese are very, very close. The grammatical structure is almost identical, as are the roots for many words. The accent and word endings, though, are pretty different.
Ali, I love this post. I love that you put writing and creating art as two of your success steps! You are so right - writers write (doesn't matter what). When Dion and I went to listen to Michael Connelly (one of my FAVOURITE authors), he said that when he's writing a book, he writes every day (whether the muse is there or not), even if just for 10 minutes.
I am considering myself tagged - check my blog later today!
And have a good weekend.
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