No inspirational quotes and other bullshit
No theories from books. Trust me, there are only 6 practical ways to upgrade your life unless you plan to find a rich sugar mama/papa.
Upgade your friends
I know it sounds so selfish and heartless but it is what it is.
When you surround yourself with successful and ambitious people, you become one of them. Humans are like chameleons, they blend with whatever they surround themself with. I`m not saying cut off your hipster friends, you can still be nice to them and catch up once in a while, but try to spend most of the time with ambitious, smart, successful people. They can be your coworkers, relatives, friends. If you ask me “ Numi, how the fuck I suppose to find successful friends?”, my answer to that would be “ Go to business and networking events and meet the right people (which happens quite often). Invest in good business events, ask friends if they can introduce to someone they know who are not only good people but also successful, connect with someone you look up too via social media.” My circle of friends is quite small but it is a quality circle. From millionaires to young up and rising entrepreneurs, ambitious talented hustlers, contributors and just in general kind and wise people who I respect deeply and appreciate for things I learn from them.
Upgrade your skills
There are 3 types of people.
Good in many things, expert in one, good in nothing.
I am good in many things, because I firmly believe that in 21st century things change and move so fast that you don`t have choice but to be fast learner. Upgrading my skills comes as a necessity, as an IT project manager I literally need to know well every aspect of business operation and that`s fine coz I thrive for knowledge and improving my skills. The more you perfect and upgrade your skills the higher your position thus your income will be. And it also lowers the risks when starting and managing your own venture.
Start saying NO
Anything that gets in the way of the life you want to live is a “problem”. No matter how fun or attractive it is.
No matter how fun going for a trip/concert/bars sounds, you gotta say no and focus on the things you needed to complete. I easily say no whenever I get invited somewhere because I want to complete my online course or I want to listen to my favourite philanthropist online or I want to read a good book or article. That`s how I like to unwind and even when sometimes it`s hard to say no (which means the decision carries high consequences) I just ask myself “What is more important to me?”
Invest in yourself
It`s funny how people have money to buy $500 new kicks but they don`t have money to attend a quality professional course that improves skills and increases confidence. It all comes to prioritizing, even buying an expensive clothes for work is an investment because in business world you can`t sell whatever you sell (including your skills) looking like a cheap crap. People who spend money on their looks and health make more money because others tend to trust them more. How you present yourself opens doors but your skills and professionalism keeps the doors open.
Fall in love with hard work
Pretty straight forward,no brainer. I`m sorry but I don`t anyone who doesn’t work hard and is successful, respected and wealthy. In fact, everyone who is succesful and wealthy that I know of, are hustlers. It`s easy to come up with proposals but it takes a lot of work and sleepless nights to execute. It is about struggles and sacrifices — what are you ready to struggle for and sacrifice. Working hard is not scary as it sounds, once you get into it it will be part of you. And, working hard is not that hard if you have goals you want to achieve as an individual.
Reward Yourself
Ohh my favourite part! Rewarding myself is what I do occasionally because I feel like deserved it after working hard on my projects and successfully monetizing them. I buy unnecessary beautiful clothing, spa and salons, I buy tickets to concerts and trips to islands. But at the same time, I save money not for emergency days coz things that I get ready to tend to happen. I save just in case I decide to move to new continent and continue my life there, or buy an apartment.
In Summary
You and others treat you, the way you allow you and them treat you. Get it? If you eat shit, it means you think you deserve to eat shit. If you work at horrible company for shit people, it means you think you deserve that. If you don`t make a lot of money, it means you think you don`t deserve it. Start respecting, loving yourself coz if not you, no one will. Upgrading your life is not rocket science and first step: love/respect yourself.
About the Author
Numi Musalieva, is an author at The Asian Entrepreneur and the Co-Founder of Atom People Consulting. She previously worked for venture capital and big data companies and currently mentors startups at the largest accelerator program TechGarden KZ in Central Asia located in Kazakhstan. See more.
