Almost every time I talk to someone about how to improve a particular aspect of their life, whether it’s their finances, health, or interpersonal relationships, I bring up the subject of awareness. It’s worth pondering. During a conversation with a friend recently, I mentioned that I’ve been consistently making money in the stock market for several years now. This year, he lost a lot of money trading crypto and chasing meme stocks, so he was curious about how I invested my money. I explained that I avoid all of that and only invest in stocks that I am familiar with. The majority of my money is invested passively, while a small portion is used to trade growth stocks. The 90/10 rule is what I call it. How to Trade in Stocks by Jesse Livermore is a major influence on my trading strategy. This method has allowed me to consistently close trades in the black, with profits ranging from 20% to 60%. Moreover, I haven’t had a loss greater than 10% in two years. However, reading that book on its own is unlikely to bring in any money. As we discussed the ins and outs of investing and trading, I found myself returning to the subject of awareness. As a long-term investor, I’ve watched myself over the years as I attempted to invest. I wouldn’t have learned as much as I did if I hadn’t been aware.
Observe yourself first before trying to improve anything.
Here’s how I go about improving a particular skill or hobby. As a writer and investor, I’ve used this method in everything from writing to investing to running to weightlifting to meditating to anxiety management.
In six simple steps, here’s how it looks:
1. What do you hope to accomplish?
Think about what you want to accomplish before you begin. For the sake of clarity, I’ll try to be as specific as possible. In order to improve my writing, for example, I first concentrated on creating better blog posts.
2. What is it that you need to work on?
If you don’t have a compelling reason for pursuing excellence, you’re doomed to fail, in my opinion. I wanted to improve my writing so that I could earn a living. I was well aware that selling books or courses would be nearly impossible if I didn’t have the ability to craft compelling articles. As a result, I was motivated to improve my abilities.
3. Who do you think is the best person to use as an example?
Once I’ve decided to work on a specific process or skill, I look at a few role models I can emulate. Because I only want to learn from the best, I only look at the top 1% of performers.
4. Is there a difference between talent and skill in the creative process?
When examining the lives of successful people, many people fall into one trap. Those who believe that you can learn everything from others are wrong. That isn’t accurate. We can’t learn how to be good at something. No matter how hard I try, I will never be able to write stories as good as Stephen King’s. Kyrie Irving and I share the same height, but he has a talent for passing the ball that I don’t even have a sliver of. And my goal is to separate talent from skill. Was it possible to duplicate something? What can I not do?
5. How did they conduct their research?
So, I study the techniques, processes, and habits of the most successful people in the industry. I’ve learned that the best article writers all stick to their own unique voice and style. In addition, they write as if what they’re saying is gospel. In order to improve my writing, I had to put more emphasis on developing my self-assurance than on honing my technical abilities. Basketball player, Kyrie Irving’s main rule is to always have a counter-move ready. Kyrie Irving, unlike Russell Westbrook, doesn’t just keep doing the same thing until he succeeds on the court. Instead, he adjusts quickly if he encounters resistance. And he always has a plan B in case something goes wrong. Training more will teach you this principle. You can use simple rules like “If move A fails, try move B.”
6. How can you take ownership of the principle?
 When it comes to long-term viability, I’m also concerned. I’d like to incorporate the principles I’ve learned from others into my own practice. That’s what happens to me when I’m learning something new. For me, the best way to put what I learn into practice is to come up with my own theories. It’s wonderful to learn something new from someone else. However, it’s preferable if you build on what you’ve learned and develop your own principles. You’ll retain more information this way. And you can only use what you can recall.
Be aware of your own actions and habits.
To avoid wasting my time, I keep an eye on what I’m doing at all times. I’m constantly paying attention to what’s going on in my mind and body. Awareness is the ability to recognise when I’m deviating from the above process. To give you an example, here it is. When I first began working on my article-writing skills, I read widely from a variety of authors. Besides that, I checked out their social media profiles to see how they used Twitter and Instagram. Along the way, I kept tabs on those who had YouTube channels and sat down to watch their content. Awareness helped me realise that I was only getting muddled and that I had learned nothing. I couldn’t figure out how to use anything I had learned to improve. The number of followers someone has and the things they post on social media have also become sources of distraction for me. A waste of time. I was able to change my behaviour because of my ability to be aware. I only read the work of three authors. And they only wrote about what they learned in class, not what they did outside of class. Once I had finished, I turned my attention solely to improving my own writing rather than studying the work of others. I prefer to simply read articles rather than study them. I honed my skills by writing articles and soliciting feedback from readers, which I continue to do to this day.
The best way to raise public awareness is to educate people.Â
The best way to increase your level of self-awareness is to begin meditating more frequently. It’s no accident that I began improving my abilities at the same time I began meditating. It’s a skill that you’re practising when you meditate. Stress and anxiety aren’t necessarily decreasing. Meditation has been touted as a way to alleviate the symptoms of stress in the West. However, from what I’ve read in books on meditation and mindfulness, that’s not the point of practising meditation. Meditation has the side effect of calming the mind and reducing stress. The most important result is that you become more cognizant. You become adept at spotting harmful thoughts lurking in your mind. You’re the one who’s making things worse for yourself. It’s a clichĂ© to which I wholeheartedly subscribe. The majority of us sabotage our own progress by harbouring pessimistic viewpoints. Persistence is a critical component of skill acquisition. Quitting is a surefire way to never improve or accomplish anything. Your mind, on the other hand, often convinces you to give up. “Why am I doing this?” pops into your head as soon as the going gets tough. Those thoughts can be heard by someone who isn’t paying attention. In the end, it’s nothing more than another thought to observe. I believe that being aware is the most versatile skill I have. I don’t use anything else in my life as frequently as this. Meditate while working on improving any aspect of your life. Throughout the day, focus on increasing your awareness. See if you can identify any patterns of negative thinking in your own mind. Regularly doing something makes you aware of your surroundings.
