This Is the Best Time to Do Anything

Do you want to make your life better?  If you do, then you are not alone.  In fact, most people want to change at least one thing about their current lives and many want to change several.  Countless people are completely dissatisfied and struggle going to jobs and doing things they dislike or even hate every single day.

So, let me ask you this:  If you could, is there anyone you would like to trade places with?  Maybe it’s a famous celebrity or athlete, or a powerful business person, or maybe it’s just someone you think is more physically beautiful than you. Can you imagine yourself actually being that person, doing what they do every day? It’s a pretty awesome thought, isn’t it?  Ahhh… if things were only that wonderful and easy! The crazy thing is – I can guarantee you this – the person you want to trade places with also has the same thoughts.  They also hate certain things about their life and look at other people and fantasize about being them. Some call this, “The grass is always greener” syndrome, but it is a little deeper than that. You see, everything is relative.  Your problems are always more important (and bigger) to you than they are to anyone else, and it is easy to only look at what someone else allows you to see and falsely believe that’s the way their entire life is. Social media is the biggest example of this.  It is well known that most people lead very different lives than what they show the world on Facebook and Instagram.  You are either seeing the life they wished they had or at beast, the highlights of the life they really lead.  Don’t buy into it.  Comparing your life to someone else’s fake life is one of the quickest ways to get depressed.  The first key to happiness is thinking accurately and being realistic.  In other words, being able to separate the real world from fantasy.

The next step is setting goals based in this reality.  Small goals that can be attained in a relatively short period of time.  Achieving each goal builds momentum and leads you to the next.  This constant small short-term success leads to huge long-term success. It works the same way as building wealth through investments.  One of the best things you can ever learn at a young age is the power of compound interest and the rule of 72.  The rule of 72 helps you calculate how long it will take to double your money if it’s growing at a certain rate. You just divide 72 by that number.  For example, it will take eight years to double your money if it’s growing at 9% per year (72/9=8).  Nine percent does not seem like a lot.  For example, if you have $10,000 and get 9% interest, you will only make $900 that first year.  But check out how compound interest works:  If you invest this $10,000 at 9% interest when you are 18 years old and don’t touch any of the principle or interest (and aren’t taxed on the gains along the way), then by the time you are 74 you will have $1.28 million!  That’s because your money is doubling every eight years.  The new principle with the new interest is doubling.  So, in those 56 years…  the amount doubled seven times.

Many believe a similar principle holds true in personal development and success.  It cannot be mathematically calculated the same as money, but success seems to grow on itself in a similar “exponential” manner.  That’s why starting with small goals and achieving them is so important.  You start becoming exponentially more successful with each achieved goal.  Each goal all by itself seems inconsequential.  But a steady stream of small goals creates a massive amount of compound interest over your lifetime.  What’s that?  You are not 18 and it’s too late to start?  That is 100% untrue and here is why.  The good thing about success is it’s not limited by interest rates and time like money is.  You can literally short-cut success by simply doing more in less time.  You cannot do that with money.

So, what’s the best time to take action and start becoming successful – whether it is in your career, relationships, weight loss, health, or whatever?  That time is right now.  Not tomorrow.  Not in an hour.  Now.

Best,
Dr. Binder