Too many of us die at thirty and are buried at eighty. Assume responsibility for your life.

Summary

You want to be successful? First things first: preparation is key. Robin Sharma has broken it down into five simple fundamentals for you to consider.

First up: eliminate distractions. Those who make history and build empires dedicate an hour before dawn to themselves, using this time to set themselves up for an outstanding day and overcome daily challenges. It might seem tough at first, but trust us, the effort is worth it.

Secondly: no excuses allowed. Even if you haven't developed the habit before, it's never too late to start. Don't try to rationalize it away - all it takes is a little bit of daily effort to see amazing results.

Thirdly: change is hard at first, messy in the middle, and beautiful in the end. The things that seem simple to you now were once complex, but with time and practice, you'll get used to getting up early and reaping the rewards.

Fourthly: to be in the top 5%, you've got to start doing what 95% of people aren't willing to do. Most people will think you're crazy for living this way, but remember, excellence comes at a price - in this case, being labeled a "freak."

And finally: even when you want to give up, keep going. Success usually comes to those who are relentless and don't let setbacks get in their way."

Sharma provides a three-step formula that you can apply to all parts of your life. First, you should be working on improving your awareness. This heightened level of insight and consciousness will then optimize your daily decisions. Improved awareness will lead to better choices. Finally, once you get your daily choices correct, you will dramatically accelerate your ability to accomplish and have a significant impact as a leader. So, these better choices will lead to better results.

1. A world-class life according to an AI (ChatGPT)

Leading a world-class life is a personal journey that may look different for everyone. However, there are certain principles and practices that can help guide you on your path to living your best life. Here are a few steps that can help you lead a world-class life:

1. Define your goals and values: Clearly define what you want to achieve in life and what values are most important to you. This will help guide your decisions and actions.

2. Develop a growth mindset: Embrace challenges as opportunities for growth and learning. This will help you overcome obstacles and achieve your goals.

3. Cultivate positive relationships: Surround yourself with supportive and positive people. Strong relationships can provide emotional and practical support, help you learn new skills, and expose you to new opportunities.

4. Focus on personal development: Continuously work on improving yourself through education, self-reflection, and mindfulness practices.

5. Stay organized and productive: Prioritize and manage your time effectively to achieve your goals and maintain a balance between work and leisure.

6. Take care of your physical and mental health: Regular exercise, healthy eating, and stress management practices are important for maintaining overall well-being.

7. Give back to others: Contribute to your community and help others. This can be through volunteering, mentoring, or other forms of service.

8. Enjoy and appreciate the present moment: Practice gratitude and mindfulness, and find ways to enjoy the little things in life.

Remember that leading a world-class life is a journey, and there will be ups and downs along the way. Be kind to yourself, stay committed to your goals, and always strive to improve.

2. A world-class life according to the four interior Empires by Robin Sharma

Imagine you're a superhero with four key powers that are essential for your happiness and success. These powers are your "interior empires," and they're all connected.

First up is your Mindset empire, which is all about your psychological well-being. This includes things like your thinking patterns and your level of optimism. To truly thrive, you need to develop personal mastery in this area, but it's also important to work on the other empires as well. Mind: Focus on developing your mental skills and capabilities. This might involve things like learning new things, reading, writing, or practicing mindfulness or meditation. Elements to enhance your mindset (psychology)

• Reading / Learning

• Conversation

• Reflection

• Meditation

• Visualization

• Influences

• Environments

• Performances

Next is your Heart set empire, which is all about emotional intelligence. How good are you at managing your own emotions? By "purifying" your heart set, you can let go of negative emotions like sadness, resentment, and fear. Cultivate positive relationships and connections with others. This could involve practicing empathy, compassion, and forgiveness, as well as seeking out meaningful relationships with friends, family, and loved ones.

Heart set (emotionality)

1. Processing + releasing toxic emotions

2. Healing your wounds

3. Emotional IQ

4. Gratitude

The third empire is your Health set, which is all about physical fitness. To live a long and healthy life, you need to focus on taking care of your body. Take care of your physical health by exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet, and getting enough rest.

Health set (physicality)

1. Exercise

2. Nutrition

3. Rest/Sleep

4. Hygiene

5. Relaxation

Finally, there's your Soul set empire, which is all about spirituality and connecting to a higher power. We all have an "unstained spirit and spotless soulfulness" that informs who we are as people. Find time for self-reflection and spiritual practices that nourish your inner self. This might involve activities like prayer, meditation, or creative pursuits that allow you to tap into your own sense of purpose and meaning

Soulset (spirituality)

1. Simplification

2. Ego reduction

3. Truth connection

4. The shortness of life

By taking care of these four interior empires, you'll be well on your way to achieving your life goals and becoming the best version of yourself.

3. The Rituals of Daily Geniuses

The Rituals of Daily Geniuses is a book by Robin Sharma that focuses on the habits and routines of highly successful people, and how adopting similar habits can help others achieve their goals and reach their full potential. In the book, Sharma identifies several key habits that he believes are essential for daily geniuses, including:

1. The 20/20/20 Formula: This involves setting aside 20 minutes each day for planning, 20 minutes for learning, and 20 minutes for reflection. The idea is to take a little time each day to focus on your goals, learn new things, and reflect on your progress and experiences.

2. The 90/90/1 Rule: For the next 90 days, you should use the first 90 minutes of your work to identify one thing that could revolutionize your work. By doing this, you’ve ensured your day’s first 90 minutes is wholly focused on the single most important activity of your career. This alone will give you excellent results. This involves setting aside 90 minutes each day for deep work, 90 minutes for exercise and self-care, and 1 hour for relaxation and leisure. The goal is to balance intense focus and productivity with time for rest and relaxation.

3. The 60/10 Method: This involves working for 60 minutes and then taking a 10-minute break. The idea is to work in short bursts of intense focus, followed by short breaks to recharge and refocus. After every hour of work, take a 10-minute break. Go for a quick walk, drink some water, do some stretches, and then get back to work. By doing this, you ensure you are not over-stressed. You’re not sitting in one place for long, and you refuel yourself for the day ahead.

4. The 5 Great Hours Concept: This involves setting aside 5 hours each week for deep work, creativity, and learning. The idea is to set aside dedicated time each week to focus on your most important tasks and projects, and to allow yourself the space to think deeply and creatively.

5. The 2nd Wind Workout: We all know that workouts are crucial for us. So, why do we simply reserve them for the first half of the day? By scheduling a second workout, you can ensure you end your day on an energetic note. This involves incorporating physical exercise into your daily routine, ideally in the morning or early afternoon when you have the most energy. The idea is to use exercise to boost your energy levels, productivity, and overall well-being.

6. The 60-Minute Student: Those who are considered geniuses by society study for a minimum of 60 minutes each day. For you, it could be a book about your field or the latest update in your field. It could even be talking with your mentor. But, the idea is to learn. The moment we stop learning is the moment we stop growing. This involves setting aside at least 60 minutes each day for learning and personal development. The idea is to continuously seek out new knowledge and skills, and to stay current and engaged in your field.

Traffic University: The idea is not to waste the time we spend commuting. We can accomplish so much more by utilizing this time productively. This is what Robin Sharma has called traffic university. If you are on public transport, you can use this time to think of creative ideas. If you are driving, you can listen to a podcast or an audiobook to learn as you commute.

1. The Daily 5 + Nightly 3 Commitment: you should write five goals that you want to complete on a particular day in the morning. Doing this should help every day become the best day it could be. You ensure you stay on track and move towards your ideal life and then taking a few minutes each night to reflect on your progress and plan for the next day.

2. The 2 Massage Protocol: Sharma believes it is a good idea to have two massages per week. This is because massages help you relax and gain the energy you lose throughout the week.

3. The Weekly Design System: This involves setting aside time each week to review your goals and priorities, and to plan and organize your time and tasks. The idea is to use this time to align your actions with your long-term goals and values, and to stay focused and productive throughout the week. You should sit down and plan your entire week every weekend, preferably on Sunday. What does your week look like? What are the things you want to accomplish this week? What do you want to do each day? By having this weekly plan, you can ensure you’re sticking to your goals. You can then develop this plan further by breaking those goals into five daily goals.

4. The life structures

The Life Structures are strategies and techniques described in the book The Rituals of Daily Geniuses by Robin Sharma. These structures are designed to help people improve their focus, productivity, and overall well-being, and to achieve their goals more effectively.

1. The Tight Bubble of Total Focus: What this means is that people who excel in their field stay away from distraction. They work in the tight bubble of total focus. In this bubble, nobody can interrupt them. To execute this, all you have to do is ensure you have a scheduled routine away from interruptions and distractions. This routine will allow you to focus on your work entirely. This involves creating a dedicated workspace or environment where you can work in uninterrupted focus for a specific period of time. The idea is to eliminate distractions and create the conditions for deep work and productivity.

2. The Menlo Park Workspace: This is a reference to the work environment of Silicon Valley companies, which are known for their open, collaborative, and flexible workspace design. The idea is to create a workspace that is conducive to collaboration and creativity, and that supports a culture of innovation and continuous learning.

3. The Forced Optimization Strategy: This involves using constraints and limitations to focus your efforts and achieve better results. The idea is to work with the resources you have, and to find creative ways to optimize your time and efforts.

4. The Dream Team Technique: This involves building a strong and supportive team around you, and working together to achieve common goals. The idea is to surround yourself with people who share your values and vision, and who can support and encourage you in your efforts. We cannot accomplish what we want to accomplish without the help of others. By delegating some tasks to our team members, we can ensure everyone is doing what they are good at. So, having a dream team is a critical part of any pursuit.

5. The World-Class EA/PA Concept: This involves hiring an executive assistant or personal assistant to help you manage your time and tasks, and to free up your time for your most important work. The idea is to delegate tasks and responsibilities to others, so that you can focus on your most important priorities.

These Life Structures are designed to help you create the conditions for success, by optimizing your time, resources, and environment, and by building a strong and supportive team around you. By adopting these structures, you can improve your focus, productivity, and overall well-being, and set yourself up for success in your personal and professional life.

5. Different forms of wealth

Reminder 1: To be wealthy, accumulate all those things that money can’t buy.
Reminder 2: Gratitude will unlock all other virtues and is something you can get better at. Develop gratitude.

1. Internal wealth / personal mastery

   Every single one of us has core cravings that need to be met. The deepest need is to realize your potential. Get to know your potential, what are my unique gifts. Self-awareness, know yourself, be clear on your goals, know your personal philosophy, your core competencies and what you stand for. Feeling of personal responsibility, walk your one right. Best leaders live from the conscience. How much of my potential did I realise and how many people did I help (final question on death bed?)

2. Health

   Without your health you have nothing. What is the point of being the richest person in the graveyard? Health is the crown on your head that only a sick person can see. You are a rocket: overcome the forces of gravity (most energy in the beginning, get rid of the old habits cost energy!)

3. Family (deep feel of love)

   Develop a rich family life. Death is life’s clean agent. We all have sense of belonging and sense to be loved. Connect with others. Dare follow your heart; you already know what you want to become. Tactics:

   1. write love letters (!) Make a list of people share how you care and how you appreciate.

   2. forgiveness letters

   3. family meals keep having conversations

   4. listen to your elders

   5. spend time with your kids!

   6. Not only a parent of your children, also a developer of your children. Champion your KIDS. Four points, to say every day to your children at night:

      • Remember: you can do anything you want in your life

      • If you do something, do something well

      • Never give up

      • Never forget your daddy loves you

4. Career and meaning (sense of pride)

   Express your creativity, connect with others, sense of accomplishment, allows you to grow. What would be the best in the world daily do on consistent basis? Mission in your DNA, find purpose.

   • GET A MENTOR! Hire a coach

   • Master-mind alliance – each week talk about goals, frustrations, etc.

   • Read 30 minutes a day. Commit yourself to lifelong learning

5. Economic (mission-critical)

   Find happiness in your current world.

   • Have a financial plan

   • Have a budget per topic.

   • Associate: your income is the average of the 10 people you spend time with. Associate with the people whom lives you want to learn from. Who is on my list?

   • Take calculated risks. The greater the risk, the greater the reward.

6. Adventure

   Feel passionate about your life, and have fun. The one that experiences the most, wins. Micro-adventures, every 7 days something new. Travel Stay humble, stay hungry, don’t get complacent, stay open.

7. Impact

   I’m an instrument of service. When you were born you cried while the world rejoiced, life your life in such a way that when you die the world cries when you rejoice. Until I have no breath, I will continue to do this, because I was chosen to do this. Not for money or for compensation. That is what wealth is all about, to make quality of life for fellow human beings better. Tips for impact:

   • concept of tiding – giving back a %

   • volunteering

   • expressing more of your humanity

Extra insight in your needs might be gained from the pyramid of Maslow, the highest need is to transcend yourself (self-actualization). Live your life that when you die, even the undertaker cries. verywellmind.com/what-is-maslows-hierarchy-of-needs-4136760verywellmind.com/what-is-maslows-hierarchy-of-needs-4136760

6. Focuses of History Makers

It is difficult to make generalizations about the rules or principles that all successful people live by, as individuals may have different strategies and approaches to achieving success. However, some common characteristics that are often associated with successful entrepreneurs and business leaders include:

1. Setting clear goals and priorities: Successful individuals often have a clear vision of what they want to achieve and make sure to align their actions and decisions with their long-term goals.

2. Taking calculated risks: Many successful individuals are willing to take risks in pursuit of their goals, but they also carefully assess and evaluate the potential risks and rewards of their decisions.

3. Being persistent and resilient: Successful individuals often encounter obstacles and setbacks, but they are able to persevere and continue working towards their goals despite these challenges.

4. Adapting to change: Successful individuals are often able to adapt to changing circumstances and find new ways to solve problems and seize opportunities.

5. Seeking out new opportunities: Successful individuals are often proactive in seeking out new opportunities and are open to exploring new ventures and ideas.

6. Building and maintaining relationships: Successful individuals often understand the value of building strong relationships with others and are skilled at networking and collaborating with others.

7. Continuously learning and improving: Successful individuals are often lifelong learners who are constantly seeking out new knowledge and skills to improve themselves and their businesses.

8. Being disciplined and focused: Successful individuals often have strong self-discipline and are able to stay focused and committed to their goals, even in the face of distractions or setbacks.

These are just a few examples of the principles and characteristics that may be associated with successful individuals. It's important to keep in mind that success is subjective and can be achieved in many different ways, and that what works for one person may not work for another. Areas of focus can be:

1. Capitalization IQ - those willing to put in exceptional dedication and commitment will become iconic.

2. Freedom from Distraction: An addiction to distraction is the death of your creative production. Strip away all the layers of complexity from your days. Simplify and streamline everything. Less is more. Concentrate on only a few projects, so you can make them exceptional. A few groundbreaking projects are better than spreading your attention across multiple tasks and producing lackluster results. Prioritize quality over quantity. Have a few friends but go deep with them. This will ensure that each of your relationships is prosperous for both parties. As with your projects and your tasks, it is much better to focus on developing solid relationships than making multiple shallow-level friendships. You want to have friends you can always trust. Stop managing your time and start managing your focus. It might appear like spreading yourself thin saves you time. But your focus is ultimately the most important thing.

3. Personal Mastery Practice: All your actions within your environment are a result of what’s happening within you. Your fortune always follows your fearlessness, and your influence in the world is entirely attributable to the glory, nobility, vitality, and luminosity you have accessed in your consciousness. External always expresses internal. Your creativity, productivity, prosperity, performance, and impact on the planet are always an expression of what’s going on inside you. Your internal reflections will always manifest within your external behaviors. So, challenge yourself when you are negative or distracted. If you can master your inner world, you will master the external world too.

4. Day Stacking: Each day is equally important in the bigger picture of your life. So, craft your life based on each day, focusing on the bigger picture of your life. Each of your special days represents your precious life in miniature. What we are doing today is creating our future. So, always consistently and relentlessly stick to your focus.

5. Responsibility

   Don’t blame, look at yourself, you are personally responsible for your success. We see the world not at is, we see the world as we are. Tactics:

   • no victim speak. Is it the language of a leader, of someone that takes control

   • make a list of top 10 excuses (find fear)

   • consistently pro-active

   • clean up your messes (clean out aspects!)

6. Authenticity

   Close the integrity gap, the gap between your internal convictions (who am I) and external commitments (how do I act). Do not betray yourself, life on your own terms and run your own race.

   1. Close the gap, look in the schedule. What gets scheduled, gets done. Look at your schedule, it proves your commitment. Your schedule reflects your values.

   2. Speak your truth, don’t massage the truth. Be candid, and be a clear communicator. Speak truthfully, and be authentic.

   3. Articulate personal philosophy. What human do you want to be, how do you want to live your days? Life is short and I want to take risks.

   4. Take down your social mask

7. Clarity

   Clarity precedes Mastery. Awareness precedes transformation: better awareness lead to better choices, which lead to better results. What people do you want to attract? Write down your goals (90-180-360-720-7200 days) and bring them with you all day.

8. Strategy, success intelligence. Shorten the learning curve

   You become who you drink coffee with (!!)

9. Action

   Top performers are biased to action, with a world-class level of focus. Problems come to teach us. More problems = more growth.

10. Community, relationships are all

    • Connect with human beings (releases serotonin)

    • Leave people better than you find them

    • Take the time to smile

    • Become a masterful listen (you have one mouth but two ears for a reason, listen twice as much, listen with every ounce of your speaking. Listen to every word somebody sees)

    • Be interested in people (people crave to be heard)

    • Manage your brand

    • Connect with the goodness within people. Don’t judge behavior, see their core

    • You have a witness residing in you, it is called your conscience.

    • The language you use is the language of champions. When do you show negativity in your language?

11. Mastery

    1. Mastery over yourself. Inner work > material stuff. They are both great, but inner work > materials.

    2. Tactical gameplan: collect info, structure it and apply.

    3. Read from the great! Talk with the great by reading their books

    4. Write in your journal.

    5. Take care of the temple. In a healthy body, rests a healthy mind

    6. Nurse your spirit. Inner peace and fulfillment. Connect with greater meaning (volunteer).

    7. Focus on your blessings. What you concentrate on, you see more

    8. Spend time in nature. Nature cleans and clears.

    9. Spend time in silence.

12. Focus

    Write a story about the week you just passed through. About the wins, the follow-throughs and about what you didn’t follow through. Build awareness. Your weekly challenge: what would need to happen to feel the upcoming week is an extraordinary success? The things that get scheduled, are the things that get done. record three truly exceptional goals for the upcoming 7 days.

    Give yourself a rating, measure each week. What would a 7 look like if you gave yourself a 6? And an 8; what would have done?

13. Legacy

    The first 50 years you build legitimacy, the last 50 years legacy”. Flip this model, start building legacy and remain building legacy. A lot of people didn’t know how to live life, until it is time to die. Be a servant of life. It all boils down to: as compared to your human potential; how much did you realise? How many did you help and lives did you touch?

6. How to create the life you want according to Tony Robbins

Creating the life you want is a journey that requires self-reflection, visualization, decision-making, and action. It's a process of understanding where you are currently, imagining the life you want, making the decision to pursue it, taking action towards it, and having a strong belief in yourself and your vision. It's not always easy, but by following these five steps, you can start creating the life you want today.

1. Understand: The first step is to have a realistic view of your life and to be true to yourself. Take an honest look at your life and examine what makes you feel happy and fulfilled. This will help you understand where you are currently and what changes you need to make to create the life you want.

2. Imagine: Once you understand where you are, it's time to imagine the life you want. The rocking chair method is a great way to uncover your dream life. Imagine yourself at 90 years old, looking back on your life and thinking about what you're most proud of and what your biggest regrets are. Take those regrets and accomplishments and visualize them as goals. The key to visualization is to treat it as if it's already happened.

3. Decide: Creating the life you want requires a decision to want it more than anything else. You must believe that you can achieve it. Successful people have an internal locus of control, which means they believe that they have the power to shape their own lives and they take responsibility for their actions and reactions. Prioritizing yourself and your dreams is also important, and you may need to make major changes in your life and let go of certain things to focus on your goals. It's essential to remember that the time will never be perfect and you should not wait for the perfect moment to start working towards your goals.

4. Act: To create the life you want, you must take action. A real decision is measured by the actions you take towards it. Set specific and measurable goals and break them down into small daily tasks. Write them down and share them with someone else to make yourself accountable. Every goal you achieve will bring you closer to creating the life you want.

5. Believe: Believe in yourself and your vision, it's not always easy to create the life you want, but having a strong belief in yourself and your abilities will help you overcome obstacles and keep moving forward. Use tools like journaling and celebrating your successes to help you stay focused on your goals and to remind you of how far you've come. Remember that creating the life you want is a journey and it will have its ups and downs, but by following these steps and staying committed to your goals, you can create a life that is truly world-class.

Two important elements to an extraordinary life:

7. Finishing quotes

1. The greatest breakthroughs are missed because they looked like hard work. Have a bias towards action, don’t do what is easy but do what is right.

2. Eat your frogs in the morning!

3. Stay hungry: Always reinvent yourself, always be leading.

4. Enter the realm of Kaizen: continuous improvement.

5. To get to world class: daily consistent steps, 1% each day. Slide edge (a nose length can win a race).

6. Plato: the greatest victory of all, is victory over oneself.

7. To succeed, get other people to pay you; to become wealthy, help other people to succeed. Recipe for success: under-promise and over-deliver.

8. Compare success to a swan. Looks graceful above water, but the hard work is being done underwater.

9. Only the humble improve. Memento, homo = remember you are only a man

Conclusion

Quiz

How to apply this in your life?

Food for thought

Expand your understanding

There are several theoretical models that have been developed by experts and authors on the topic of leading a world-class life. Here are a few examples:

1. The 5AM Club by Robin Sharma: This model focuses on the importance of waking up early and using the morning to focus on personal development, exercise, and creative work.

2. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey: This model focuses on developing habits that lead to personal and professional effectiveness, such as setting goals, prioritizing, and communicating effectively.

3. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle: This model focuses on the importance of living in the present moment and developing mindfulness practices to reduce stress and improve overall well-being.

4. The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss: This model focuses on outsourcing, automating and eliminating unnecessary tasks in order to free up time to focus on what's important in life.

5. The Law of Attraction by Esther Hicks and Jerry Hicks: This model focuses on the power of positive thinking and the ability to manifest the things we want in life through visualization and the power of our thoughts.

These are just a few examples, and each model has its own unique approach and principles. It's important to research and find the one that aligns with your values and goals.