15 Life Changing Ideas

Darius Foroux Follow

Mar 8, 2018 · 5 min read

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I’m the last person to say that life is easy. I don’t think that’s the case at
all. But there’s one thing I’ve learned in recent years that has changed
everything.

The way you THINK determines the outcome of your life. But thinking is
hard. That’s why we don’t do it often enough. Helen Keller said it best:

“People don’t like to think, if one thinks, one must

reach conclusions. Conclusions are not always
pleasant.”
I’ll show you 15 thoughts about life that will forever transform the way
you live. Ready? Let’s go.

1: Think big, act small

Want to build a big company? Change people’s lives? Make a
contribution to the world? Earn a million bucks?

Never let anything hold you back when you think of ideas.

• “It’s too diKcult.”

• “Other people are already doing it.”

So what? You might as well aim high. You’ve got nothing to lose. Just
make sure you act small. Put in the work and stay practical. All you need
is one big win anyway. But when you aim low, the outcome is always
low.

2: Problems are unanswered questions

I don’t get why people freak out when they encounter a problem. “This is
the worst thing ever!” Every time you experience stress over a problem,
you’re basically sabotaging your life. It’s completely unnecessary to ever
freak out.

Remember this: A problem is nothing but an unanswered question. So

stay calm. And Wgure out the answer.

3: Build relationships on a >rm foundation

Here are some wrong reasons to be in a relationship: Money, fear of
being alone, abuse, needing attention. If your relationship sucks, and
you’ve tried to improve it multiple times, it’s time to move on.

Love has no opposite. When you love someone, you can’t hate them at
the same time. The foundation of all relationships should be based on:
Love, respect, support, trust, patience, good company, laughter, sadness,
and more support.

4: Nothing in life is free

No matter how you spin it, you always pay for something with money,
time (the most valuable thing you have), or other resources.
Life is business. And smart business people spend their resources wisely.
How? Be calculated. Never waste resources (especially time).

5: Never be afraid of making decisions

You might think that making no decision at all can do no harm, but
you’re wrong. The worst thing about making decisions is when you don’t
pull the trigger.

Waiting, postponing, doubting, researching too much — it’s all useless.

Get your act together, and decide Wrmly whenever you have to. And
when you made the wrong decision, apologize, and make another
decision.

6: Decide to become a leader today

Sometimes you’re a leader, sometimes you’re a follower. You can be a
leader at work, and a follower at home. There’s nothing wrong with that.
And being a leader also has nothing to do with your title.

You know what is wrong? When everyone looks at each other because no
one wants to take responsibility. Decide that you will take responsibility.
There you go: You’re a leader now.

7: Productivity yields results

There’s only one thing that helps you to go from nothing to something:
Work. I don’t care how smart you work, you still have to put in the work.

Just make sure you value e_ectiveness over everything. Results matter.
Get things done and move on to the next thing.

8: See yourself as a salesperson

Everyone is a salesperson. I know, that’s what salespeople say. And it’s
very cheesy. But it’s also true. When you’re dating, you’re selling
yourself. Same is true when you’re applying for a job.

When you sell, be transparent, honest, and to the point. Don’t waste your
time on people who don’t like you anyway. Sales is not about how many
people don’t want you or your product. It’s about Wnding the people who
do.
9: If you want to improve your self-con>dence,
improve your skills
If you don’t believe in yourself, don’t try to search for it in motivational
posts, talks, or books.

You only improve your self-conWdence by becoming good at something.

How do you get good? By learning, doing, seeing results, and repeating
that process for years. Your conWdence will grow slowly every day as a
result.

10: Value your friends

We’re social animals. When we’re alone, we die early. You might think
you don’t need friends, but you do. So be nice to each other. And respect
that your friends also have lives of their own.

Especially when you grow older, and have more responsibilities (and less
time). Things change. People also change. But the connection stays.

11: Don’t believe everything you see

We live in a “Look at me! Look at me!” world. Everyone wants to be
famous and they do everything to keep up appearances.

Don’t believe all the success stories you see everywhere. YouTubers,
Instagram models, millionaire entrepreneurs: They seem perfect. But
you only see the outside. You don’t have to be a cynic. Just don’t take
appearances for facts.

12: Learn to love criticism

When someone takes the time to give you criticism, you should be
thankful. Why? Because it’s fuel for you.

You can use criticism to improve yourself, your product, or your service.
Or, when the criticism makes no sense, it can make you angry, which is
also a good thing. That type of anger is useful. “I’ll show them!”

Never be a wimp. Take criticism like a champ.

13: If you can’t take care of your body, you can’t take
care of anything
Whether you like it or not, you don’t fully control your health. You can
only inbuence it by eating healthy, exercising, and not using your body
as a toilet.

Just get o_ your ass and get moving, you lazy mofo. And I’m not talking
about keeping it up for a few days. No, do it every single day of your
healthy life. Because if you can’t do that, what can you do? See it as
practice for the diKcult times of life because the stronger you are, the
better.

14: Happiness is a choice

You control your thoughts. That means you decide what you do with
your life. If you’re unsatisWed, angry, or frustrated, that’s all you.

I always thought: “I can never be happy. I need to be rich, own a fancy

car, and buy a big house.”

But my thinking was all wrong. You can be happy with your current life.
All it takes is a decision. And when it improves, you’ll still be happy.

15: Do more hard things

When you Wnish something that’s hard (doesn’t matter what it is), you
get a sense of accomplishment. And that automatically gives meaning to
your life. Plus, you get to contribute something to society.

So instead of consuming so much information, products, and

entertainment from others, spend a fraction of that time on solving
problems, helping others, and creating something.

No matter what you do: Make yourself useful.

So don’t just sit there and read another article; go out and do something.

What are you still doing here anyway? Go on already!