It all started with a simple journal prompt:

Your entire life will change the moment you...

A few years ago, I wrote that prompt on a blank sheet of paper. Each time I made any life adjustment or adaptation that had a profound impact, I added it to my running list.

Tiny actions, mindset shifts, behavior changes, and life hacks.

All of them followed the same syntax:

Your entire life will change the moment you stop [X] and start [Y].

The list is comprised of things I have (or currently am) struggling with. I'm not alone: These struggles are universal, but when we confront them head on, we're able to conquer them more effectively.

Without further ado, let's move on to the list:

Your entire life will change the moment you...

Stop gathering more information and start acting on the information you already have.

There's someone less qualified than you living the life you want simply because they took action and you didn't. Dopamine from information gathering is a dangerous drug. Get your dopamine from action.

Stop expecting immediate results and start embracing delayed gratification.

Delayed gratification is the key to the life of your dreams. Everything you want in life is on the other side of something that sucks. That suck might be 100 workouts. That suck might be 100 bland meals. That suck might be 100 hours of focused work. The best things in life require upfront pain. Embrace the suck.

Stop complaining about things you can’t control and start taking ownership over the things you can.

Don’t complain about anything. If it’s within your control, go do something about it. If it’s not, complaining is just a waste of energy. When you complain, you’re giving too much power to the thing. Take back that power.

Stop focusing on being impressive to others and start focusing on being impressive to yourself.

Focus on the internal, not the external. No amount of external affirmation will ever fill your cup if you don't feel the internal affirmation. Be impressive to yourself.

Stop fearing the regret of action and start fearing the regret of inaction.

The regret from inaction is always more painful than the regret from action. So take that leap, do that thing that scares the hell out of you. You get one shot at this. At the end of your days, you'll regret the things you didn't do much more than the things you did.

Stop saying yes to everyone else and start saying yes to yourself.

PSA: You don't have to say YES to every single social gathering and event you get invited to. Every single time you say YES to something you don't really want to do, you're saying NO to yourself. Embrace the power of NO.

Stop worrying about what others are doing and start focusing on what you’re doing.

The time you spend comparing yourself to others is much better spent investing in yourself. The only comparison worth making is to you from yesterday.

Stop waiting for the things you want in life and start acting to make them a reality.

Advice from a mentor that changed my life: There’s no such thing as a perfect moment. There are just moments—and you decide what you make of them. Go make some imperfect moments perfect through action.

Stop hoping for luck to strike and start moving to create your own.

When choosing between two paths, choose the path that has a larger luck surface area. Your actions put you in a position where luck is more likely to strike. It’s hard to get lucky watching TV at home—it’s easy to get lucky when you’re engaging and learning.

Stop treating rest as a reward and start treating it as a critical part of your high performance routine.

This is one of the greatest challenges facing highly ambitious people. I stopped experiencing burnout as soon as I made free time and rest a core part of my daily systems—rather than a reward for my efforts.

Stop tolerating people who tear you down and start spending time with people who lift you up.

One harsh truth I've learned: A person is either holding you back or pushing you forward. There is no in between. Your environment creates your entire reality. Spend time with people always talking about the past, you’ll be stuck in it. Spend time with people thinking big about the future, you’ll build a beautiful one.

Stop chasing things that can be bought and start prioritizing things that must be earned.

“A fit body, a calm mind, a house full of love. These things cannot be bought—they must be earned.” - Naval Ravikant

Stop treating your body like shit and start treating it like a house you have to live in for the next 50 years.

Last year, I asked an 80-year-old man what advice he’d give to his younger self. His response: Treat your body like a house you’re going to have to live in for the next 70 years. It really hit me. Invest in a solid foundation daily. Make the necessary repairs along the way.

Stop allowing constant stimulation and start embracing boredom.

We really need to normalize boredom. Some of your most creative moments come during periods of boredom. In the shower, on a walk, at a dinner by yourself. You’re bored, your mind wanders, your thoughts mingle. Bam! Creative insight strikes. Schedule boredom into your weeks.

Stop blaming others for your situation and start taking action to change it.

Amateurs blame others, professionals are accountable. In the wake of a failure: The amateur looks outward—bad luck, unfair circumstances, a cheating opponent. The professional looks inward—lack of preparation, gaps in routine, uneven intensity. Accountability and action drive progress.

Stop seeking the safety of comfort and start forging yourself in the fire of discomfort.

Do hard things. Life is hard, but when we embrace voluntary struggle, we’re better equipped for the involuntary struggle that inevitably comes. Wake up early, get cold, move fast, lift heavy, focus, be present, have difficult conversations. Simple playbook to live well.

Stop relying on motivation and start leveraging discipline.

If you wait to act until you feel motivated, you may never start. Motivation is a natural byproduct of movement—your discipline and consistency actually create it. When in doubt, just start moving.

Stop focusing on what you don’t have and start expressing gratitude for what you do have.

It’s easy to let the shifting goalposts of life rob you of present joy and fulfillment. You say you’ll be happy when you achieve X, but then you do it and it just becomes 3X or 5X. Write down a point of gratitude daily to remind yourself how much your younger self would appreciate where you are today.

Stop taking everyone else’s advice and start taking your own.

Don't do it the "right" way, do it your way. When you start something new, everyone will want to give you advice on the "right" way to do it. They will give you their maps for the terrain. Take their maps, but don't rely on them. Instead, use them to create your own.

Stop worrying about the opinions of haters and start stacking evidence to prove them wrong.

Remember: You’re one year of focus away from your haters saying you got lucky.

Ok, One More...

Stop reading this post and start acting on one of the insights from it.

One summarizing insight from this list: The life you want is on the other side of action.

Pick one item from the above that you'll focus on in the coming week. It's your turn. Add it to the sentence below. Then go forth and conquer.

Your entire life will change the moment you...