The Strongest Why Wins You have no doubt heard that goals require you to understand WHY you're going after them.  What's your WHY?  The main reason to know WHY is that everything is always more complicated than you initially imagined it would be. Without a strong WHY, you might give up.  But, many folks forget that your real WHY may be hiding from you. A mentor of mine asked WHY I was so passionate about building my business based on daily actions. I said, "Because actions are the key to...

Amping Up Your Productivity Do you ever run out of day before you run out of To-Dos?  Getting what you want in life is often blocked by simple habits that are getting in your way. There are two that everybody tend to miss: 1) The first productivity super-charger is to understand that tomorrow begins today. Planning ahead and setting your path is vital to reach your desired outcome. 2) The second takes a few minutes in the morning before you get busy. The goal is to ground yourself, review...

The Strangest Secret Earl Nightingale created one of the great motivational works of history. The Strangest Secret began as a tool to motivate his insurance company sales force. It is now a motivational standard. What is the Strangest Secret? 1) You become what you think. 2) You must pay the price. 3) We must control our thoughts. 4) Cut away all limitations of the mind. 5) Set a clearly defined goal.  6) Act promptly when your path is clear. 7) Save at least 10% of every dollar. What do...

Build Your Side Hustle Every day, I spend time on the phone with excited folks who know they are close to getting what they want but can't figure out how to get it.   Let's start with: 1) Anything you want in this world is owned or controlled by somebody else. 2) If you want their help, you must get their attention. It always comes down to three things. In this order: 1) What problem are they having? No, it may not relate to you. It doesn't matter. If you can help, you will get their...

Stop Burnout Now Steven Covey called it sharpening the saw. If you take a break to sharpen the blade, you will always cut more wood. The same applies to life. My formula for stopping burnout is Ritual, Rest, Rejuvenate, Reactivate, Repeat. 1) Success comes when you perform ritual actions every day. Figure out what works and do it. 2) Running full-out all the time is not sustainable. You must stop and rest. 3) Resting allows your body and mind to rejuvenate and become strong again. 4)...

Preparing For Your Greatness With the craziness of life, are you having difficulty breaking through to the greatness that is YOU? What does greatness take? 1) Imagination. Your ability to form images, ideas, and sensations in your mind. Without help from anything or anybody. Use yours. Trust yours.   2) Enthusiasm. Living life with the excitement of feeling is PASSION. Only involve yourself in activities that you are enthusiastic about. 3) Persistence. Life is long, and things take time....

Natural Law is Your Friend Personal growth is a journey. It can be a lot of work. It’s also more fun to follow the rules of ‘Natural Law.’ 1) The Law of Vibration states that thoughts are things. They are one of the most potent forms of energy. Pay attention to your thoughts. What you think about, you bring about. 2) According to the Law of Polarity, nothing exists without an opposite. Love. Hate. Hot. Cold. Yin. Yang. Opposites are different forms of the same thing. Embrace them. 3) The...

Why You Are Holding Back  I was sitting at the dining room table of a friend. We had been solving the problems of the world in an hours-long conversation when she asked, "What are you talking about on tomorrow's podcast?" When I told her that I hadn't thought about it yet, she said,  "Why don't you talk about why people don't take big chances and stay in their comfort zone for their entire life?" My mind did an instant review of my life and all the areas I had stumbled on before getting...

Creative Destruction to Get What You Want Do you ever feel like everything has to line up perfectly before you can move forward?  Waiting for the stars to align might seem safe, but it can be exhausting—and often impossible—to maintain momentum toward your goals. Instead of waiting, why not try a bit of Creative Destruction? Think of it like tearing down an outdated kitchen. Rather than spending months trying to fix what’s unfixable, demolish what’s holding you back and clear the path to...

Focus on What's Important, Not Just Urgent As a child, I remember rushing out the door for a day filled with endless adventures, often ending with a game of Hide-and-Seek. Those days felt like they would last forever. Today, we're still running until the sun sets, but now our to-do lists are packed, and we rarely take a moment to reflect on the bigger picture. Here's the truth: you'll always make time for your most essential tasks—eating, sleeping, paying bills, feeding the dog, and caring...

Paradox of Choice. Are There Too Many? Do you have too many choices in your life?  Is it confusing and making you feel distressed? In 2005, Barry Schwartz wrote Paradox of Choice and challenged traditional thinking. He said the way to maximum freedom in your life was to minimize choice.   Too many choices are not a good thing and can create paralysis. Not to mention, no matter what you choose, you'll always wonder if you could have done better. Distractions are your enemy and focus is your...

Fast-Track Your Goals Ready to achieve your dreams faster than you can say ‘success’? Here’s a quick and playful way to get you to the finish line: Play to Your Superpowers: Lean into what you’re naturally awesome at! Success comes easy when you stick to your strengths—your hidden superpowers. Say Yes to the Right Stuff: Only commit to activities that bring you closer to your goal. If it doesn’t fit the plan, it’s a no-go! Hype Yourself Up: Remind yourself daily why you’re amazing. Keep...

Mapping Your Massive Success Imagine having a clear plan to achieve your goals—a roadmap guiding you every step of the way. Introducing M.A.P.S.S., a simple yet powerful system that takes the guesswork out of success by focusing on actionable steps in four key areas: Motivation: It all starts with knowing your “WHY.” Understanding your motivation fuels your journey and keeps you inspired when the going gets tough. Stay connected to your reasons and keep the momentum alive. Accountability:...

Be a Really Good Quitter Have you ever heard someone say, "It's good to be a quitter?" Probably not. But today, it's worth reconsidering what it means to be a good quitter. Quitting isn’t about taking the easy way out. It’s a strategic decision, a smart move when your efforts are leading you nowhere or when progress has come to a standstill. Quitting at the right time can be the key to unlocking new opportunities. We often cling to commitments—whether it’s a job that drains us, a...

Simple Steps to Success Here’s the world’s simplest formula for success: Stand up, take a step, and repeat! One of our members asked how to put this straightforward advice into action. Here’s a five-minute daily practice that can transform your life: Pause and Find Your Space: Stop what you're doing. Find a quiet spot where you won’t be disturbed for at least five minutes. Focus on Yourself: Take this moment to center your attention on you. Reflect: Ask yourself, “How is my life going?”...

Life is Happier With Values Do you ever feel like others are constantly getting in your way?  That frustration disappears the moment you start living by your own Values while working toward your Goals. Here’s a simple recipe for making every moment of your day more fulfilling: Know and Live Your Values: Understand your core values and make a commitment to practice them consistently. It's not always easy, but living authentically will make you feel happier and more in control of your...

Stop Procrastination With a Question Are you a member of the Procrastination Club?  Procrastination is the intentional and habitual postponement of an essential task that you should be doing.  Is that what you are doing?  In my view, three things could be happening if you procrastinate - It may be possible that you are not procrastinating at all? Instead, you may be forcing yourself to do something that you don't need to do anyway. The other possibility is that it simply doesn't mean...

Turns Dreams Into Reality Do you have long-held dreams and goals that require little motivation to get yourself moving? Laura and I have worked together for over a decade on various projects. Her latest was a move from a long-time career into something she was in which she was more passionate. After several months, her dream transformed into a goal. The roadmap was in place. Action was the only thing needed to turn dreams into reality, and nothing happened. Months passed by with little or...

You Will Change When You Get Tired Many have said, "Life is a marathon, not a sprint."  But what happens when you find yourself doing both at the same time?  If you've been living on this planet for any length of time, you've figured out life is a long game made of day-to-day sprints.  If you want a big bank balance, you make small deposits over time. If you want to lose weight, you make small reductions over time. If you want to get a promotion at your job, you do well every day.  The...

Your Default Life There is a myth floating around that life is more fun when you are spontaneous. That can be true some of the time, but not all of the time. If you want to be happier, more successful, and make life easier, it’s time to live in Default Mode.  In other words, figure out what works and keep doing it. Living in Default Mode makes life predictable for you and everybody around you. It limits decision-making and establishes continuity. It’s a behavior that reduces stress and...

BIG ASS GOAL Qualifier Ever wondered if your goal is really a BIG goal? Run it through the BIG ASS GOAL Qualifier and see what happens. Big Ass Goal Definition Only goals that make your heart beat faster deserve to be BIG ASS GOALS. What makes this goal larger, more exciting, and scarier? How is it challenging but not too challenging, and how does being challenging grab your focus? Heartbeat Goal Describe why this is a Heartbeat Goal and why you desire to achieve this goal. Pinpoint...

Waking Up to Gratitude I woke up this morning with an incredible zest to expand my feeling of gratefulness. Well, there is not so much to expand as to recognize all the things I am grateful for but haven’t thought about lately. That’s the thing about living in a fast-paced world where our daily activities, big and small, fly by and are quickly forgotten. It’s always been that way. There is nothing new in the world. That got me thinking about one of my favorite quotes — “Enjoy the little...

Productivity Strategies Do you find yourself needing to get more done? You might consider creating more productivity. The first rule of being more productive is deciding what is important to you. The second rule is to take control of your day.  A few simple adjustments can change everything: 1) Say, “Yes” to yourself before you say it to others. Meetings, phone calls, casual conversations. If that doesn’t work, say “No” to anything not currently on your list.  2) Control where you focus...

Obstacles Into Opportunity Have you ever wondered how much easier things would be if you didn’t have to think so much? What if the future or your past didn’t matter? Imagine if you didn’t worry about the possessions, success, or drama of others. What would happen if you believed that YOU were in control?   Now, you are starting to think like a Stoic Philosopher. Stoicism is about paring down and simplifying. They eliminate unproductive traits that define the majority of the population....

Become The Person You Are Meant to Be People have always sought change for themselves, their lives, or the world. If you want to change something about your life, there is a constant truth: You must change before anything else changes. Many intelligent folks agree - Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Leo Tolstoy, “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” What about Albert Einstein? “The world, as we have created, is a...