Self-Architecture (How To Achieve Your Goals By Re-Creating Yourself)

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*Read Time: 10 minutes

Playing The Game Of Life

Life is a 'Video Game' and the character you play as determines the outcomes you manifest.

Most people are still playing the game as the default character.

The character that was constructed by society.

They haven't yet realized that they can redesign their character and become someone totally new in order to transform their life.

If you’re reading this, you have a leg up on most people.

Think about it.

You aren't the same person you were 5 years ago.

You won't be the same person 5 years from now.

This should be enough evidence to the fact that your character can be "leveled up" and that your personality is not fixed.

Your personality changes over time, based on new information, new insights, exposure to new people, ideas, and experiences.

But most people don't do this intentionally. They kind of let life happen to them and they go wherever the winds of life push them.

Since most people let life happen to them, their growth happens slowly over time.

They live their life in a bubble, staying in their comfort zone, doing the same thing day in and out. That is until a specific life event happens or they meet someone new that causes a perspective shift.

But you can actually be intentional about your personal growth and craft a personality to match the life you want to live.

You can change drastically in a short period by actively seeking perspective expanding experiences. This could be through books, podcasts, meeting people, traveling, etc, on the daily.

In the past, when I wasn’t being intentional, every new-year I would look back and see a slight difference. Although, for the most part, my life hadn’t radically changed.

Now it’s a different story because I am more intentional.

It’s been about 8 months since I started a newsletter with the intention of building a one-person business, and I have evolved significantly over that time.

I don’t recognize the person I was just 8-months ago.

I have evolved. My views have evolved. Thus, my brand has evolved and so has my purpose.

I have leveled up in new skills that weren’t even in my awareness 8 months ago as things to pursue.

• Branding (Base level)

• Copywriting (Base level)

• Video Editing (Base level—currently playing around with color grading)

• Writing (Hooks, Headlines, Structuring)

• Artificial Intelligence

• Design (Base level)

I just figured it out as I got going.

"Grow so fast that your friends who haven't seen you in a month have to get to know you all over again." — Unknown

You can level up faster in 6 months than most people do in 2 years by simply being intentional with your personal growth.

The Problem With Goal Setting (For Most People)

Most people craft their goals around their current identity.

When crafting a goal, they think about what’s actually “realistic” for them to achieve.

“Will I actually be able to start this business? Maybe I should settle on getting a promotion at work.”

“I probably won’t ever be able to afford that, so I should settle for abc.”

This is just an example, but can you think of any examples from your own life where you minimized your goals in order to be more “realistic”?

Sorry to burst your bubble, but this is the wrong way to go about it.

Instead of crafting your goals around your current identity and what you think is realistic, you want to think about what it is you really want out of life.

What do you actually desire?

Think big and be bold.

Instead of crafting our goals around our current identity, we are going to craft our identity around our goals. 🤯

Yes, you heard me right.

We pick a goal and then reverse engineer the person we need to become in order to achieve that goal.

What you will eventually realize is that goals are just guiding posts to leveling up. They are directions for your evolution. It’s not about what you achieve, but who you become in the process.

Think about a video game.

There is the ultimate level. The big boss. The last mission. The final heist. (GTA anyone?)

You can only reach this level by playing all the missions before the final one.

And each mission requires a new skill level from your character.

In the beginning, your skill level is low.

If you went to the last mission in GTA with the beginning level character—low shooting xp, low stealth xp, etc, you wouldn’t be able to complete the mission.

The only way to complete the final mission is to level up in the game.

Same in life.

Let’s say you have the goal of running a one-person business (using my current goal as an example). You have to level up, acquire the skills, and form the habits that make having and running your one-person business sustainable.

If the life you wanted to live manifested right now before your very eyes, you wouldn’t even be able to sustain it with your current character level.

I mean, think about it. If I handed you a business that makes you passive income while you sleep, what would you do daily or weekly to maintain it?

If you didn’t acquire the skills and build it yourself, it’s likely that you wouldn’t be able to maintain it.

It’s the common story of the person who wins the lottery and then blows it. They have no money management, finance, or investing skills, so they buy all the nice things they think will make them happy and then they are broke again.

You have to gain xp points in certain skill areas in order to achieve your goal and make it sustainable.

Business growth is a direct reflection of personal growth.

Level up or get left behind.

The Art of Self-Architecture

“Man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and the sculptor.” ― Alexis Carrel

This process is painful.

There’s no way around it.

Growth is incredibly painful.

For every action you take towards a better life, 100 thoughts will attempt to beat you into submission.

The realization that the thoughts aren’t ‘you’ is the beginning of freedom.

I discuss this a bit more in my previous newsletter here.

“Step into the fire of self-discovery. This fire will not burn you, it will only burn what you are not.” ― Mooji

Have the courage to push through, even when the voice in your head is begging you to stop, to quit, and return to your comfort zone.

Architect Design Process

Let’s think of ourselves as architects.

We are going to design the life we want by redesigning the character we play the game of life as.

1. Schematic Design (Dream Conceptualization):

This is the stage where architects brainstorm and sketch initial design concepts, spatial arrangements, and explore materials.

This is the stage where you are going to unleash your imagination.

Create a mental image of your dream life. Be as vivid as possible. Envision the person you want to become and the life you want to lead.

Here are some things for you to explore (be as detailed as possible):

1. Where do you live? Imagine the location, type of residence, and surroundings that would bring you the most joy.

2. What are 3-5 goals that you have achieved? These goals can be in any realm: personal, professional, relational.

3. How has your life changed since achieving these goals? Lifestyle overall? What’s different? How do you usually spend your mornings, afternoons, evenings? Work? Hobbies?

4. How do you feel now that you have achieved these goals and live this life? Are you ecstatic, content, fulfilled, free? What emotions are tied to your dream life?

2. Design Development (Refining Your Character Blueprint):

This is the stage where architects refine and detail their chosen design. They specify materials and generate comprehensive construction drawings to prepare the design for construction.

This is the stage where you are going to refine your character blueprint.

Now that you know exactly what you want, who is it that you need to become?

Who is the type of person that has already achieved these goals?

Dive deeper into the details of this character—skills, habits, mindset—and consider how they align with your dream life.

This is where you ensure that every aspect of your character supports your aspirations.

Here are some things to consider:

Skills: Based on the goals your future self has achieved, what are the skills they have?

Do they have a personal brand and run a one-person business? Skills can include writing, content creation, branding, copywriting, etc.

Do they have great communication skills? Cooking skills? Athletic skills?

Brainstorm. Get creative.

Now write down 3-5 skills this character has.

Habits: Based on the goals your future self has achieved, what are some of their daily habits?

Did they lose weight and get fit? Habits can include walking 8k steps a day and lifting weights 3x a week.

Also, think about habits that relate to skill acquisition.

For example, one of my daily habits is spending 60-90 minutes on skill acquisition for running a one-person business and creating content online.

One week, I might be focus on learning artificial intelligence, the next week I might shift to learning video editing, or branding.

It will differ for you based on your goals.

Relate some of your habits to the process of acquiring the skills this character has.

Brainstorm. Get creative.

Now write down 3-5 daily habits this character has.

Style: What kind of style does your character have? How do they dress? Typical hairstyle? How do they walk and carry themselves? What type of clothes do they wear? Streetwear? Designer? Be detailed.

Values: Based on the goals this character has achieved, what are their values?

For example, if they achieved weight loss and became fit, one of their core values may be their health.

Really think about this.

Then write out their values. When you do this make sure you write out what they value over what they don’t value.

Example:

• They value health over junk food.

• They value growth over comfort.

• They value learning and building projects over mindless scrolling.

• They value freedom over a 9-5 job.

These are just examples. Yours might be different based on the goals your character has achieved.

Writing out what they value over what they don’t will help you get clear on things you may need to cut out or decrease.

3. Construction Documents (Creating Your Action Plan):

This is the stage where architects translate their design into detailed plans for construction.

In your personal growth journey, this is about breaking down your character blueprint into actionable steps.

Outline a plan with the daily actions, habits, and milestones.

Your goals may seem big and far away, but this is where we break them down.

Set Milestones: Break your goals down into smaller goals.

For example, if the ultimate goal is weight loss and losing 100 pounds seems far away, focus on the first 20 right now.

What are other milestones you can think of for your goals?

In the next 90 days, you will focus on the 3-5 milestones that will bring you closer to your grand vision.

Breaking Down the Blueprint: Here we are going to identify the skills, habits, and values, and break them down into daily steps (or process goals).

What are small steps you can take every day that align with your future self’s characteristics?

What are you going to do daily and weekly to hit your 90-day milestone?

Productive Time Block: Create space in the day where you work towards this future version of you.

1 hour at least.

I think even those with a full-time job can find an hour a day to dedicate towards their personal growth. If you can't find 1-hour you need to re-prioritize.

“If you’re willing to spend 8 hours a day building someone else’s dream—you can afford to spend 1 working on your own.” —Unknown

This time block is where you dedicate time to acquiring the skills of your character blueprint.

Now create this plan for implementation.

4. Construction Phase (Executing Your Self-Blueprint)

The final stage!

This is the stage where builders bring the architectural plans to life. Similarly, you will translate your action plan into tangible progress.

It’s execution time.

This is where you actively embody your future-self.

Implement the habits you’ve identified, learn the skills you’ve set, and take daily actions with the values you’ve defined.

You need to take on the characteristics of the person who has achieved the goal.

Mindful Consumption (Research):

Ditch the mindless scrolling and be more intentional with your personal growth and what you consume.

Listen to podcasts, read books, and find people that align with the skills you need to develop and who you want to be.

Remember we are being intentional with our growth now.

Do things out of the ordinary.

Expand your perspective.

Taking Action:

Start small. Focus on implementing one habit at a time. Rome wasn’t built in a day. You won’t build your dream life in a day. You just need to lay one brick every day and over time the castle will be built.

You will encounter obstacles. Internal resistance will come up many times. Unforeseen circumstances may occur. Persist in your vision and stay resilient.

Regularly assess your progress. Daily and weekly. If you aren’t checking in with yourself you will remain unaware.

Do your actions align with your future-self?

Are you moving closer towards your milestones?

Your goal may evolve over time. You may discover new areas that peak your curiosity. Adjust your plan as needed.

Emotions:

This may be last but it’s one of the most crucial steps.

Remember in the very first step when you wrote down the emotions tied to your dream life?

Start tapping into these emotions NOW.

Whenever you can.

Don’t wait for your dream life to manifest in order to feel good.

Read your blueprint daily. 2-3x a day. Morning, afternoon, night. Visualize and tap into those emotions.

Embody your future-self NOW.

I hope you found this useful.

Seriously.

Use this.

Take action.

Be the one percent of people who read and actually transform their life.

I know it’s terrifying.

You’ve got this.

— your friend and teammate, Player 2

Do you want to continue playing? 👇

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