Before I jump into this post I want to quickly say thank you.
If you’ve been following High Def Male, me or even if this is the first thing you’ve ever seen I truly appreciate your time.
There’s a vast amount of websites, articles, videos and imagery online eager for your attention and I’m grateful that you landed here today.
What’s this all about?
I want to share with you a personal update in terms of moving forward in 2017 alongside, most importantly, what I learned from 2016.
Looking back on 2016 I started to create more videos on YouTube, I started to put more content out on High Def Male and I launched a Podcast. More personal content is something that I’ve wanted to do ever since 2011. I never got round to doing it.
Why?
Because I had fear of worrying what people thought of me, I was in a perfectionist trap but last year was really the year where things changed.
2017
Now moving forward in 2017 everything I publish will fall into the motto ‘Style from the inside and out’. The way you dress and look is hugely important but neglecting how you feel will still hinder your confidence.
Originally you may have started following me from a post or video I wrote about depression, suicide, stress and worry, or maybe you started following me from a style or grooming feature, however you found me you can still expect to see similar content.
If you’ve been following my stuff for a while you’ll know that I had a huge shift.
I started off creating content around style through High Def Male, I then shifted more towards self improvement, sharing my story, talking about the importance of dealing with depression and of course how to improve your confidence. I then shifted back to the Style based content.
Now I want to make all of this clear, the reason why I’ve done that is because I truly believe there’s a huge crossover between the two subjects. If you’re a man and you’re looking for style tips, grooming tips or even fitness… the reason why you’re doing that is because of confidence. The reason you’re doing that is because you want to look good and you wan’t to feel good…
So moving into 2017 I’ll be blending the two subjects. You can expect more self improvement features alongside style, grooming and hairstyle features.
In 2017 I’m also going to be focusing on collaborating with others, starting with speaking at Style Con in Atlanta with some YouTube heavyweights such as Antonio Centeno and Aaron Marino
I’m looking at putting more content out through the different channels I already have in place (Podcast, YouTube, High Def Male, My Personal Blog, Social Media) and I’m looking forward to what’s planned in 2017.
But what did I learn from 2016?
1. Have A Strong ‘Why’
The first lesson, one of the biggest lessons I learned in 2016 was have a stronger purpose. The reason why I started to do more YouTube videos, the reason why I started to put my face more to this website, the reason why my productivity has increased and even the reason behind my increased intensity at the gym is because I have a stronger purpose.
A strong why.
I became a Dad to Teddie in 2016 back in July and even though it took a few months to sink in, when it did I had a huge purpose around it. I have a stronger drive right now because of that.
This was one of the first photos I had with him the day he was born. He’s 6 months now… time flies.
So my question to you would be what is your purpose?
Why are you doing the things that you’re doing?
Try and find something that’s strong, something that’s going to drive you forward because motivation is something that we all struggle with. But when you have a purpose, a ‘why’, an end goal… motivation comes a lot easier.
2. Reduce Your Regret
The second thing I learned was reduce your regret. What I mean by this is simple, if you sit down with your Grandparents or you sit down with someone who’s in their 90’s one of the things they’ll always say is what they regretted. What this means is everyone will have regrets, think about when you’re 90 years old you’ll regret things that you did do and things that you didn’t do.
Everyone will have regrets but right now as you’re reading this, try and reduce the amount of regret that you have at the end of your life.
Start doing things NOW. Start doing things that you’ve been putting off.
Time is short.
I read today how much time we’ve already had. Take the amount of years you’ve lived (for me it would be 26) and then multiply that by 365 and then multiply that figure by 24. That will show you how many hours you’ve lived right now.
I’ve been alive 227,760 hours.
Shocking right?
Think about how much you’ve done with the hours you’ve lived.
You have a lot of time, you have time in abundance just make sure that you’re using it wisely.
3. Simplify Your Style (& Everything Else)
The third one goes back to the Style Reinvention video series that I produced towards the end of the year (see it here) and that’s simplify your style.
This relates back to a lot of things in life, simplify as much as you can. We always overcomplicate things and worry about things that are out of our control, we buy too much, we overcomplicate relationships, we overcomplicate business systems… don’t overcomplicate your style as well.
Some of the most successful men buy 7 of the same t-shirt, jeans and shoes. In no way am I recommending this but the principle is clear… reduce the time spent deciding what to wear.
Style is simple, keep it versatile and focus on the principles I share in the Style Reinvention series and you will have no problems in terms of dressing the way that you want.
4. Don’t Worry What People Think
Seriously. Do not worry what people think.
This is the one thing that held me back for so long and it’s something that holds a lot of people back that I speak to. They worry about people judging them. There is no point worrying what people think of you, it’s wasted energy.
No one cares about you as much as you think they do. Everyone is so caught up in their own worries, insecurities, stresses and fear that they have they’re seriously not worried about you. Don’t worry what people think.
I hate to break this to you but no one really cares about you like you think they do. They care more about themselves.
This year do not worry what people think of you, it will be a huge boost in confidence.
5. Be Patient & Focus On Progress
Last but not least be patient.
Focus on progress. I shared a lesson in the Become A Better Man Facebook group about being 1% better. It’s about focusing on progress. It’s about consistently doing something to become better.
Be patient with what you’re trying to achieve.
Be patient with the person you’re trying to become… it’s not going to happen over night.
Everyone always looks at Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and other successful icons and they look at where they are rather than how they got there.
Be patient with what you’re doing, be patient with what you’re trying to achieve this year.
If you sprint too fast, you run the risk of falling.
Moving Forward
I’m looking forward to an exciting 2017. High Def Male is moving forward nicely, I’ve got some exciting trips and collaborations already planned and most importantly I’m getting married!
What are you looking forward to?
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