4 Easy Steps To Level Up Your Life

I grew up on games! Some of my favorite times were around activities that involved competition, teamwork, the struggle, the pep talk, and winning. Maybe you remember games like Super Mario Bros. which first appeared on the blocky First Edition Gameboy that had a green screen where you play as a plumber who happens to have these extraordinary superpowers and your mission was to save Princess Peach from the clutches of Bowser who has captured her in his castle.

Maybe you were an athlete like myself. Do you remember being tossed a football and praying that your teammates would open a hole for you to run in through while an army of padded I’m-going-get-you marked you for dead? You say “not this time” and there you are with a sweet celebration dance in the in-zone while the crowd roars.

Because of football, wrestling and track; League of Legends, Call of Duty, and Super Mario Bros, I was a three-sport athlete and an extreme gamer.  I discovered important fundamental practices that not only helped me to be part of a conference winning football team and a hero to a captured princess in a virtual world but to ALSO level up my real- life skills. Not all skills are easy to attain but with practice brings results and the results look like personal growth, confidence, friendships, clients, teamwork, satisfaction, joy, peace, fulfillment and more! We know what season we are in and it’s a weird one with a lot of uncertainties but why not take this time to level up your life in preparation for what’s coming. What area(s) in your life do you want to grow? Here are 4 easy steps to get started!

1. Ask Yourself: What area(s) of my life do I want to improve? And why? Exploring what areas you want to improve is exciting but your “why” is going to be really important here because it’s going to help you keep going when you don’t feel like it. It can be easy to start something but to maintain high levels of focus can sometimes be difficult. My wife Cindy and I have taken this time to begin to level up our health. We each are doing workouts every day and watching what we eat in order to get the results we desire. I don’t feel like working out every day and as it gets later in the day it gets harder to get started but I know how I feel when I’m in the shape I like. “I’m confident”and I want it bad enough to not miss a day.  Think about areas you might want to improve:

• • Health and Fitness.
  • Mental Development and Education.
  • Work, Career, and Finances.
  • Social Life and Relationships.
  • Home and Family.
  • Character, Integrity, Ethics and Virtues.
  • Emotion Control and Development.
  • Daily Habits and Routines.
  • Life Purpose and Contribution.
  • Spiritual development.

2. Do Your Research. If i’m going to begin a journey of some sort I don’t want to waste my time. I’ll often take a day or two looking up reviews of a product, listening to or reading testimonies of people who have achieved the results they were looking for, and finding inspiration that will help me keep motivated. My health isn’t the only thing I’ve been leveling up this season. I’ve learned how to play the guitar, and I’m learning how to use a synthesizer so I can be a better asset to our youth worship team. Now, there are an infinite amount of people who play and teach guitar. It wouldn’t make sense if I started learning bluegrass or jazz music on the guitar if I’m focusing on using it for worship and I don’t want to spend more than an hour at a time at most during my practice sessions so I took time to find an online teacher who caters to my needs and has videos available for me on demand.
3. Keep Yourself Accountable And Set Goals. Let’s say I’m wanting to work on being more marketable because I want a presence on multiple online platforms for my business. I might want to set up a schedule so I can easily see the days I want to take time to work on a number of different posts (If you didn’t know you can pre schedule posts to appear throughout the month instead of having to create a post the day of showing). You can also have friends, family, or co-workers help keep you accountable. Not all of us are self-motivated all the time and that’s okay. That’s why it’s great to have people around you who know your dreams and desires. They can give you a good kick-in-the-butt. . I mean remind you why you began this journey in the first place 🙂
4. Give Yourself Grace. It takes time to form a habit and results don’t always happen over night. What could help you stay focused is by setting up your surroundings for success. For me it was by installing a pull-up bar in my bedroom entryway and setting up my guitar on a stand in my living room instead of having it tucked away in its case. It’s something I can’t miss therefore I know I won’t forget to do a few pull-ups every time I walk through the door or rock out on the guitar to Jacob Hedlunds new song “I Come Running.”

Short and sweet is how I like my messages! Good luck on your journeys. Let us know in the comments below what areas of your life you plan to level up during this season!

Here are a few resources to get started!

• Animation / Design / Illustration / Lifestyle / Photo & Film / Business / Writing
  • https://www.skillshare.com/ – 2 Months Free
• https://www.fitnessblender.com/ – This is the program Cindy is using for her at-home workouts.
• https://www.revenuetribe.com/ – The Journey to Your Purpose and Maximizing Your Impact – Nora Abel hosts amazing classes with the support of a great team and community.
• Colorado School of Kingdom Ministry
  • https://cskm.us/ – Now taking applications for the 2020 school year! Cindy and I just finished this two- year journey. Without a doubt this is a great way to level up your spirit life!