henrypaget.com

To listen to the voiceover of this article click here.

1. Good Quality Sleep Is Everything. Have A Good Sleep Routine So You Don’t Have To Endure Days, Months, And Years Of Tiredness.

I used to go to bed very late and get up early, only to catch up on sleep at the weekend because I was so tired. 

When I switched to having a good sleeping pattern and getting 8 hours of sleep per night, I noticed several benefits, such as:

• Better workouts ( I was stronger).
• I would be less irritable ( Lack of sleep causes an increase in your cortisol levels, which is your stress hormone). Getting enough sleep will prevent your body from spiking your cortisol levels; losing weight and being on a low-calorie diet can also spike cortisol levels.
• I’m more productive and can generally work harder for longer and produce better content.
• I don’t feel like binging on junk food. When you don’t get enough sleep, and your cortisol levels spike, you can stress eat a load of junk. When you get enough sleep, avoiding junk food binges is easier.

2. You Will Never Grow In Your Comfort Zone. Do Things That Scare You, And Your Life Will Improve. Conquer Your Fears.

I used to be a bit of a pussy, and I still am sometimes when it comes to some things (giant spiders). 

Nevertheless, I used to depend so much on my parents for many things, such as:

• Food.
• Cleaning my clothes.
• Doing chores around the house and many more things.

Three years ago, I moved into my house, and everything was my responsibility.

Yes, taking responsibility is scary.

But taking responsibility means you’re in the driving seat.

And it’s better to be in control of your destiny than not.

This is just one example of going out of my comfort zone.

Some other things that I’ve done which have helped me escape my comfort zone are:

• I worked at Kentucky Fried Chicken as a young adult. I’ve always been a relatively quiet person—not the quietest in the room, but one of them. So, being in a customer-facing role really helped me improve my confidence in myself. It made me feel confident talking to anyone.
• Becoming a volunteer police officer- This role made me massively go out of my comfort zone. In this role, I had to arrest people and go to domestic and other violent incidents. The scary but exciting thing about this role is that you never know how your day will pan out. You might start your shift at 8 am and then get a call where you go on a blue light run, and you never know how bad the situation will be until you arrive. Thankfully, most of the situations police officers deal with are manageable.
• Going on a solo trip to Rome – Last week, I went on a trip to Rome for 5 days. It was amazing. I saw the Colosseum, Pantheon, Vatican and more. It’s my favourite city to date. I recommend that everyone goes there at some point in their life. With me being on a solo trip, everything was my responsibility. I needed to learn bits of Italian to speak to locals, I had to learn how to use the local bus service, and it was up to me to maximise the experience, and I did. The benefit of going on a solo holiday is that you can do precisely what you want. You don’t have to follow someone else’s itinerary. It’s up to you completely. Although I did do a bit too much walking on the last day ( 35k steps), I was limping around the airport like an idiot on the way home due to hurting my little toe from all the walking.

3. Spend More Time Choosing Your House. It’s A Massive Decision.

I moved out of my parents’ house three years ago and into my own. I made the mistake of not getting a thorough survey done, which meant I had to pay to get some work done on my roof due to a leak. I also believe I could have found somewhere better. I do like my home, but I feel like if I had been a bit more patient and diligent, I could have found a more suitable home.

4. Be Careful Who You Choose As Your Spouse.

In the past 2 years, I’ve had two relationships lasting a year each. And after my last break-up, I felt terrible. My problem was getting with pretty much the first person I was dating. Now, I’ll likely have to date several people before finding the one because, as a rule of thumb, most people won’t be compatible with you or me. I’m okay being single for now. I don’t want to force anything. But by being in two relationships I should have never been in, I wasted a lot of time and energy, and I lost myself in those relationships. I changed my personality to appease the women I had. Your partner should accept you for who you are or break up with you. You should never have to change yourself for someone else. If someone tries to change you, I’m sorry to say they do not want you. They want someone else.

5. Travel When You Are Fit, Healthy, And Young. It’s Much Better To Do It Before Your Body Inevitably Fails.

How many people do you know who never made it to retirement? I can think of quite a few people off the top of my head. 

Many people wait for the perfect moment to travel or insert any other experience.

Travelling is best when you’re healthy and have plenty of youth. It’s better to travel in your youth to middle age than when you’re on a mobility scooter.

6. Don’t Lift Too Much Weight In The Gym. It’s Not Worth Getting Injured.

For a year, I had chronic wrist pain and was probably the most stressed I’d ever been in my life. I tried everything to fix my wrist for a year, but nothing helped. Luckily, I saw a highly experienced surgeon, and he surgically repaired the cartilage in my wrist. I’ve learned that no one cares how big and strong you are, and even if a small percentage do, I’d rather have my health than have hundreds of kilograms of weight on my back. The primary reason to lift weights is to get healthy. In my opinion, when health gets forgotten about, that’s when bad things start to happen. The stats show that 1 million people are on steroids in the United Kingdom. That’s one million people destroying their bodies for “aesthetics” (looks)

7. Pursue A Meaningful, Not Expedient, Career.

As my day job, I work in financial services, but my goal is to become a writer as well. I am happy in my role and enjoy it (it is the best job I’ve ever had and allows me to explore my passions outside work). I love writing even if I don’t get paid because it allows me to connect with and help others with my content. Nothing bad can happen from taking up writing. And if you haven’t tried it, I recommend you try it and see if you enjoy it. I love to read, so writing seems natural to me. Reading and writing provide my life with a tremendous amount of meaning. What is something that you’ve always fancied having a go at? It might be writing, making videos, farming or whatever tickles your fancy; there are infinite options. Choose wisely. 

8. I Should’ve Started Reading And Writing Earlier In Life. By Doing So, I Would’ve Become A Better Communicator And Helped More People.

I’ve always read somewhat but only really got deeply into reading and writing in the past 10 years. I’ve written on and off for the past few years, but I aim to be more consistent from now on.

What Things Have You Learned The Hard Way?

I’d like to know.

For more content like this, subscribe to my newsletter by clicking here.