Valuable Lessons of 2008

When looking back in 2008, it is easy to look at where I went wrong and focus on the negative.  However, by taking those ‘failures’ and repositioning them as lessons learned, I am able to grow from the experiences.  That’s not to say 2008 was bad…I am grateful for the things I did accomplish and the personal growth that took place.

1.  You Are Who You Think You Are.

Too many people let their social environment tell them their identity.  They then let this identity dictate several areas of their life.  The truth is, it is YOU who determines the altitude of your life.  Your inner voice is controlled by you.  The things you want to accomplish are up to you.  You are ultimately responsible for the events in your life.

Lester Levenson, the genius behind the Release Technique, says that “we are always demonstrating (i.e. manifesting reality). To grow, we must take full responsibility for what we demonstrate.”

What are you demonstrating in your world? Maybe it time to change your thoughts and thereby change your whole world.

2. Surround Yourself With the Type of People You Wish to Be Like.

The old quote “if you run with the skunks, you will smell like them” is definitely true.  Even someone conscious of the effects of social conformity is still subject to the beliefs, thoughts, and frame of mind of their peer group.  If you are hanging around people who do not share your ambitions, then you will find it very tough to succeed in your endevors.  Surround yourself and model the people who are as you’d like to become.

3. Stop Playing Copycat.

I realize that the previous paragraph says to model people who have accomplished what you want to accomplish, and this may seem paradoxical…well in a way it is.  It is essential to model habits and thinking patterns of successful people, but you’ve got to be creating and innovating your endeavors as well.  A genius is defined as someone who thinks in new directions.  Find successful framework, but create your spin on it.

Look at celebrities.  Many are in the publics eye simply because they are in someway unique.  You aren’t going to get to the top being generic and always playing it safe.  Face it, being generic is boring.  Who wants to live like that anyway?

4. Do What Excites You.

Too many people hear their alarm clock go off at 6 AM and dread another day of work.  They drive in rush hour traffic for an hour to a job they hate.  This is no way to live.  That said, I admire people who sacrifice and defer gratification for the well fare of their family and to be responsible citizens.  However, so many people underestimate themselves and do things because they feel like they should.

Do you have a river of interest? How could you serve your fellow man in that interest and thereby reap a harvest for your work?

Full Speed Ahead

Earl Nightingale once said “A person without a goal or destination is like a ship without a rudder…” Now I realize I’ve probably quoted this before and you’ve probably heard that quote 1,000 times, but I want to reveal a distinction that was a huge shift in thinking for me.

Obviously, if you want to get somewhere, you need to know where you are going.  I’ve always had goals for myself and my business, but recently I discovered I was missing something even more vital: my mission.  Your mission is like the conglomeration of all your goals rolled up into one.  It is also like your ‘ultimate’ destination.

It helps to first identify your values.  Examine your current goals and see what themes run throughout.  Often times, its a little below the surface.  Ask yourself why you would set goals of that nature.  What do you enjoy about it? What do you get out of it.

Once I wrote out my mission, all of smaller more immediate goals begin to shrink.  Everything went into proper perspective.

My daily todo list? Miniscule.

Now that I know the final destination,  I the ship’s captain, can command the ship to go “full speed ahead.”

Full Speed Ahead!

Trust your Instinct

How many times have you had a great idea, only to see someone else reap fame and fortune with your idea? This recently happened to me, and its a painful reminder of how important it is to take action. I had this idea for a book that blended working out with picking up chicks, since a lot of guy who are into ‘pick up’ are skinny and nerdy.  Here is the book that I wrote, but didn’t publish…and now this guy is laughing all the way to bank, while I reap no rewards.  I’m not saying he copied me, but if I trusted my instinct and took action, I would be earning royalties right now.

Its easy to discount your ideas, simply because they’re your ideas.  It is also easy to assume other people are smarter or more capable in some way and therefore its possible to see them succeeding, but not you.  Why not have success, fame, and money? The act of sitting on your ass watching other people live their dream is spectator-ism, and its a shitty way to go through life.

The point I want to stress is trusting your instinct.  Trusting the voice inside that tells you the perfect thing to do.  It’s when you don’t listen to your instinct that you fuck things up.  Everyone has a story or experience of not listening to their gut and then regretting it later.  This is definitely true when it comes to dealing with women.  Unfortunately, I can think of several times my instinct said to go for it, and my mind came up with excuses or arguments.  Then I would find out a year later that the girl I talked myself out of, was into me.  I knew it internally all the time…I just didn’t trust that instinct.

Another example is talking to strangers.  A lot of times, I will get a feeling that I need to speak to someone.  Usually when I do, they have the answer to something I’ve been seeking.

The best way I can define instinct is it’s the voice inside that is an exact quick-to-the-surface answer, but also something of a feeling.  Like you feel you should talk to this person, or take this action.

Your mind is going to be a more logical voice, and if there is a feeling associated with it, it is likely to be fear based.  Instinct is the right answer at the right time.

What idea is your instinct pointing you toward? Maybe its time to take action in that direction.  Trust your instinct-live in the moment and take it as it comes.

The Freight Train is Coming

You are on the train tracks and the freight train is coming.  You don’t know exactly when, but its on the way, it is only a matter of time.

its only a matter of time

It’s easy to get caught up in the everyday routine of life.  In fact, most people are experiencing life like sleepwalkers.

I’m definitely guilty of taking life for granted…but you know what? There is no guarantee for any time in the future.

What would you do if you only had 6 months to live? Personally, I’d be a lot more adventurous and would get things done with a sense of urgency.  I would jump out of bed ready to savor every delicious bite of life I had left.

Regardless, you are also getting old.  You are losing your sharpness.  You are going to wake up one day and have hair growing out of your ears and a dick that can’t get hard.

So why are you settling for mediocrity now?

Do the things you really want to do.  Never settle.  Never give up.  Go and live while you still can.  Stop taking the day for granted.  Live with a sense of urgency. Take it as it comes.  Live today.

Do it NOW!

Great Expectations

No, this post isn’t about the classic novel by Charles Dickens, but rather about YOU.

Earl Nightingale states in his class audio program Lead the Field that “our outlook on life is like a paintbrush, and with it, we paint our world.”  What is your outlook? Have you ever wondered why some people make millions of dollars per year, and have success after success, and why others go from failure to failure?

People get what they expect out of life.  It starts in your head.  Have you ever realized that you are constantly broadcasting to others around you how to treat you?  Your subtle non-verbal cues and energy are communicating what you expect.  When you walk into a room, do you expect people to be friendly to you, or do you expect them to ignore you or be rude to you?  Your expectation determines everything.

You’ve got to rise above your social conditioning and be present like you were when you were a happy baby.  As ridiculous at it may seem, often times the things holding us back are related to some minor event that happened in childhood.  The good news is: its not real! The socially conditioned constraints in your mind can be overcome.  They are not the same as gravity.

Realize: You have the ability to set the thermostat for your life.  You are not your past.  Should you not be successful or have the courage to do what you want because your dad beat your ass as a child? Should you be fearful of living in sexual abundance because some girl turned you down in middle school?

Establish self fulfilling prophesies that will get you what you want.  Let go of your past and of the social constructs that don’t even exist!

You get what you expect out of life.  Great expectation = great results.