One Week, Lifetime Impact

Comedian Chris Rock said, "Life ain't short, life is LONG!" Live each day deeply and you'll agree. Often, Mondays arrive and people struggle to focus and do the work that must get done.

Golfer Justin Thomas said, "All it takes is one week and your life changes." Live a life of meaning and you'll agree. It starts with attention to what you can control.

These 7 examples help me make the best of each week, and may help you, too:

#1 Choose healthy data and information inputs to read, learn, and absorb. It is what you'll become.

• In ~40 days, I've read close to 3 books: Working Backwards, High Output Management, and Deep Work. I've scribbled notes in the margins, underlined full paragraphs, and taken copious notes. I read every day.

• I've also stumbled across Vicky Zhao's BEEAMP channel on YouTube, where she teaches how to think using frameworks.

#2 Visualize the days ahead as successful ones. Don't "hope it all works out," but "see" exactly how you'll approach and respond to situations.

• Every Sunday, I reflect on the previous week and outline the week ahead. I use Roam Research to log my notes. It allows me to chronicle networked thought.

• Instead of desired results, I focus on my energy level, self-talk, and consistency.

#3 Measure progress against your Wildly Important Goals. After all, you have goals, yes? And you have systems for achieving those goals, yes?

• "Wildly Important Goals" comes from The 4 Disciplines of Execution, a book about getting things done - on time and with excellence. Imagine what a book with "discipline" and "execution" in its title is about!

• Keep score and hold yourself accountable for making progress each day.

#4 Encourage others. If you're feeling discouraged, use it as a trigger to pay less attention to you, and more to others.

• Sometimes we must get out of our head and remove ourselves as the center of everything. Instead, face outward and be mindful of others.

• An effective one-liner is "You've got this. You can do it. I'm rooting for you."

#5 Thank people. The handwritten card, for example, is unparalleled.

• Class it up and invest in personalized stationery. I use the Dylan card by Crane and Co.

• Keep postage stamps nearby at all times.

#6 Tell those you love that you love them. All of us can improve here.

• Forgiveness goes a long way, too. There are former colleagues of mine reading this that have chosen not to like me, my style, my brand, my example, or much else. Despite it all, I still pray for them and wish them the best in life.

#7 Do what you say you'll do. People won't tell you, but you're always setting an example, whether you want to or not.

• Set an example that's first class and set an example that inspires others.

Life is long. All it takes is one week and your life changes.