The Art of Living Well: How to Get Your Act Together

Uncomfortable truth: Your actions are much more powerful than you think. What you do (or fail to do) has consequences not only for yourself but for those around you. Think of your actions like dropping a stone in a pond; the ripple effect moves outward, impacting the rest of the lagoon. Similarly, your actions can influence circumstances (for better or worse) in ways you don’t entirely understand. For this reason, it’s essential that you get your act together in life.

But what does that look like in practice terms? And how can you begin the process of living well? Keep reading to find out.

How to Get Your Act Together in Life

Life is hard; we all know this. However, it’s infinitely harder when you engage in poor acts and habits that make things worse. Don’t make things more difficult than they need to be. All you have to do is employ the right qualities; everything else tends to take care of itself. Here’s how you can get started:

1. Aim Low

If you have trouble staying on top of things, you’re probably not aiming low enough. Realize that you’re not above any “menial” task that will improve your current lot in life—this requires some humility. One of my favorite speakers Jordan Peterson frequently discusses this concept in the idea of “cleaning your room.”

This notion of aiming low is often scoffed at; however, it’s the most essential thing you can do to get your act together.

Here’s how this idea can impact you:

1. Builds a foundation: Small positive acts, continually repeated over time, solidify a firm psychological foundation. It establishes self-trust, allowing you to see yourself in a more favorable light. As a result, you’ll be more inclined to naturally set higher aims.
2. Fosters self-discipline: You’ll have a hard time honoring your commitments if you can’t even make your bed in the morning. When you aim low, you make success easy. Consequently, you slowly cultivate self-discipline in your life.
3. Cultivates confidence: If you lack confidence in your ability to get things done, it’s because, more than likely, you’ve failed numerous times to keep your own promises and commitments. In short, you’re not aiming low enough. Aiming low allows you to make success easy. Once you start stacking these little “wins,” you begin developing more confidence and self-trust in your ability to get things done.

2. Make Improvement Non-negotiable

Here’s the deal: It doesn’t matter how slow progress is as long as you keep pushing forward. The idea is to find incremental ways to improve daily. Don’t underestimate the power of little improvements consistently made over time; the compound effect will eventually take place.

And this is where things get exciting…

Once these improvements begin to stack up, the accumulative effect takes on a life of its own. When you make improvement non-negotiable, you will begin experiencing:

• Greater levels of self-trust
• Bolstered confidence and self-assuredness
• More discipline in your day-to-day life
• A more aligned lifestyle
• A healthier and stronger self-image and more self-respect
• Improvement in your overall quality of life

Making these small improvements is all about raising your standards. If you want to get your act together, you must raise the bar in your life of what is and isn’t acceptable to you. And the steps you’re reading here right now are the guidelines you must adhere to in order to make it happen.

3. Stack Wins

Your brain is smart. So if you want to get your act together, you need to get it on your side. And how do you do that? By stacking daily wins. You need evidence, a track record if you will, of you following through and committing to these lifestyle adjustments. The more wins you stack, the more your confidence will grow and, as a result, the bigger goals you’ll feel more comfortable with taking on.

What does stacking wins look like? It could be:

1. Going to the gym when you said you would
2. Waking up at the time you set for yourself
3. Following through on promises you make to others
4. Eating healthy every day
5. Choosing to read instead of watching Netflix, etc.

Stacking wins means accumulating evidence in favor of or in alignment with your own self-improvement. It’s the build-up of small, positive, daily habits practiced consistently. These micro adjustments are what move the needle in your life, enabling you to grow into that better, confident, 2.0 version of yourself.

Are You Ready to Get Your Act Together in Life?

Life is an unending series of problems and challenges. As a result, it demands that you be at your best. And by following these simple steps, you are building the foundation to becoming the version of yourself that can handle life’s tribulations. If you need help with developing the self-control required to make real progress, be sure to check out my ebook for cultivating unwavering self-discipline today.