Rule 1: the value of a deadline

This is the first of five posts about the rules that I have set up for my experiment. The experiment is basically a cultivation of the mindset that creates well being and fulfillment. It's set up so I can test out all the advice and suggestions I've gathered from my quest for a solid philosophy to live by. I've gathered these principles from various philosophies, religions, self development coaches, success experts, gurus, and various other sources I've stumbled upon. I finally have enough general knowledge built up that I can start testing out these ideas and seeing what works when applied in different combinations.

For some reason there's this limiting belief out there that "I have to live by this one way of life exactly as its been written". People get so caught up in the idea of "MY" way of life that they take it personally if someone disagrees or lives differently. Instead it's better to have beliefs based on how well they work for you; use and emphasize what works and makes your life better and discard what makes your life worse.

Rule one states: I have 30 days to create a product or service of value to a chosen niche (a small group of people I'll be selling my product to).

It deals with setting a goal and a tangible date to get it done. This allows you to create a plan that is easier to track on a day to day basis. Before I started setting goals I just expected things to come to me. When I was in college I wanted a lot of stuff, back then I wanted to party, and have a lot of friends and experiences. I wanted a good time but I didn't know I had to consciously make an effort to get all those things. I just expected to eventually do all those things because its what everyone else did. In my mind my reasoning went like this:

-These are the things a college student does, it's what my friends are experiencing, it's what everyone's been telling me happens.
-I'm an average college student so I'm sure it's going to be the same for me too, til then ill just keep doing what I'm doing.

Eventually I grew tired of waiting for things to just happen to me and I searched for a better way to think. Now I know that you don't simply wait and expect things to happen to you. You clearly define what you want and you take action to get it. Setting a goal makes that process that much faster because you now have a deadline, and to meet a deadline it takes thought and action NOW, not at some point down the road. One of the best shifts in my thinking I've made is going from a future to a present oriented person. I don't sacrifice my now for my later, I make the most of my now so that when I get to later I will be prepared for whatever may come my way.