If you hate yourself and hate your life...it doesn't have to stay this way. 

In today's podcast, I'm going to walk you through the exact steps you must take to rebuild yourself from the ground up and create a life you LOVE 

Mo Gawdat is the Chief Business Officer for Google [X], a serial entrepreneur and author of “Solve for Happy: Engineer Your Path to Joy”

Mo has an impressive combined career of 27 years, starting at IBM Egypt as a Systems Engineer before moving to a sales role in the government sector. Venturing into the UAE, Mo joined NCR Abu Dhabi to cover the non-finance sector. He then became acquainted with the consumer goods industry as Regional Manager of BAT. At Microsoft, he assumed various roles over a span of seven and a half years, in his last role at Microsoft he headed the Communications Sector across Emerging Markets worldwide.

Favorite Success Quote

“The gravity of the battle means nothing to those at peace”

Key Points

1. The Equation for Happiness is Simple 

Happiness is not complicated.

While you might not come to this conclusion by scrolling through your social media feed, watching the latest advertisements, or even reading some of the more popular personal growth and self-help books, when you truly sit down and think objectively, you will realize that happiness is simple.

Despite marketer’s best attempts to prove otherwise, happiness isn’t contingent upon some wild, complex, equation.

In fact, the equation for happiness is almost too simple.

Happiness is equal to or greater than the events of your life minus the expectations you have for those events.

That’s it.

The equation isn’t “Happiness = Fancy Clothes + A 6-Figure Salary + An Italian Sports Car and a French Bikini Model”

It’s simply events – expectations. 

But what does this really mean?

At the most basic level, it means that your happiness in any given situation, and thus your happiness in life, is entirely dependent on the difference between what you expect from a situation and how that situation actually turns out.

So, for example, let’s say that the event in question is coming home to your wife after a long day of work.

Let’s look at how your expectations of the event will determine your happiness.

On one hand, your expectation might be that when you come home after a long day of work, your wife should be preparing dinner, opening you a cold beer, and wearing a sexy outfit that tells you she’s “in the mood”.

On the other, your expectation might simply be that your wife should be relaxing and unwinding after her long day of work and that the two of you should prepare dinner and unwind together.

While neither of these expectations are right or wrong, they can have a tremendous effect on your happiness and well being.

If you come home with the first set of expectations and your wife has already prepared dinner but left it in the oven and is now relaxing on the couch… You are going to be unhappy and angry because your expectations were not met.

However, if you come home to the exact same situation with the second set of expectations, you will not only be happy, but you will feel an abundance of love for your wife because she went above and beyond and exceeded your expectations.

So now, you might be wondering, “If the secret to happiness is to have lower expectations, shouldn’t I just stop expecting anything so that I will never be disappointed?”

Well, yes and no.

While eliminating your expectations would certainly make you happier in the short run, it proves detrimental to your well being and success in the long term.

If you have no expectations of yourself or others, then you will mistreat yourself and allow other people to walk all over you.

Therefore, the key to happiness is to first become conscious of your expectations and then consciously and intentionally craft a new set of expectations that serve you and your purpose in life.

2. We Are All Born Happy 

An often forgotten truth of life is that we were all born happy.

All of us.

We are born carefree and loving, without any hate, anger, or animosity in our hearts.

It is our society that teaches us to be unhappy, to compare ourselves to others, to hate our fellow man, and to be unfulfilled.

And once you become aware of this reality, it is your job to undo the programming that society has instilled into your brain.

Luckily, the process for “deprogramming” all of the crap in your brain is simple, however, this doesn’t mean it’s easy.

The best way to start is to pick up some sort of daily mindfulness practice whether it’s meditation, prayer, long walks in nature, or even just some sort of conscious movements like yoga or Tai Chi.

These practices allow you to detach yourself from the human experience and the brain’s programming and become more aware of how you or your “superconscious” are meant to function.

Let’s use the analogy of a new computer so that you can understand what I mean.

Whenever you get a new computer, everything runs smoothly. It functions exactly as it was designed, quickly opening applications, seamlessly running commands, and doing its job without a problem.

But over time, things start to slow down and problems start to arise.

You begin downloading new programs and applications, visiting questionable websites, and demanding more of your computer than the software and hardware were designed to handle.

And as you execute increasingly demanding operations, your computer starts to slow and malfunction and what once took 2 seconds now takes 2 minutes.

When this happens (and it almost always happen) the only way to restore its original performance is to return it to default settings and execute a complete factory reset.

In much the same way as a computer’s default setting is speed and efficiency, our brain’s default setting is happiness and contentment. But when we start installing (willingly or unwillingly) societal, religious, and familial expectations into our “operating system”, we start to get bogged down, and experience unhappiness.

And when this happens, the only way to return to our original state is a “Factory reset” which typically takes the form of meditation, affirmations, journaling, and other consciousness practices.

These practices are kind of like our brain’s “CTRL + ALT + DELETE” function and the more you can integrate them into your daily life, the smoother and faster you you will operate.

3. Your Emotional State is Determined by Your Thoughts, Not Events

One of the simplest, but most impactful, formulas that you can understand to achieve a happy life is this:

E + R = O

Or

Event + Response = Outcome

In other words, your emotional outcome (happy, sad, angry, loving) is not determined by the events in your life, but rather by your response to the events in your life.

For example, let’s say that you are going out to meet up with a friend.

You agreed to meet at the local coffee shop around 8 a.m., but when you show up he is nowhere to be found.

You order your drink, a few minutes go by, and your friend is still absent.

At this point, you can respond in one of two ways.

First, you can assume that your friend does not respect you, get angry, and allow his tardiness to dampen your mood.

Or, you can simply assume that your friend had some sort of extenuating circumstance that stopped him from showing up on time and reframe his lateness by saying, “Great! This gives me a few minutes to read that new book I bought“, resulting in a happier and more fulfilling morning.

In these two examples, the event was exactly the same, but by changing the response to the event, you achieved two wildly different outcomes.

When you understand the far reaching applications of this formula, your life will begin to change in ways that you could never expect.

Mastering your emotional response to any circumstance gives you power over the events in your life instead of allowing those events to have power over you.

And when your internal world remains unaffected by the chaos of the outside world, you will have true power in your life, business, and relationships.

4. Learn to Differentiate Between Incessant and Effective Thoughts

As it pertains to our happiness, there are only two kinds of thoughts.

Effective thoughts and incessant thoughts.

Effective thoughts are the thoughts that move the needle forward in your life, thoughts that solve problems, achieve goals, and give you a deeper understanding of your place in the cosmos.

Incessant thoughts are the negative thoughts that do nothing to improve the quality of your life or happiness even when they are true.

In the interview, Mo shared a powerful example detailing the difference between these two thoughts during a tragic situation.

At the age of 21 years old, Mo’s son Ali died on the operating table during a routine surgery that should have been quick and simple.

Shocked and in pain, Mo was overwhelmed with a wave of thoughts and feelings that can only be comprehended by people who have experienced a similar tragedy in his life.

Over the coming weeks and months, Mo was faced with a single, pervasive and incessant thought, “I will never get to hug my son Ali again.”

However, as he continued grieving for his son, he realized something. This thought would not bring Ali back, it would not change reality, and it would not benefit humanity.

So he made a very conscious decision to change his thinking.

Instead of thinking “I will never hug my son again”, he reframed the tragedy and said, “My son is dead, now it is my duty to remember his legacy by living my life as he would have wanted and impacting the world in honor of his memory.”

And while this new thought didn’t take away the pain of losing his child, it allowed him to cope with the loss and make sense of the heart break.

Each of us is faced with the same thoughts day in and day out.

Even if we haven’t lost a loved one, we are all faced with our own “Incessant thought demons” that seek to cripple us and hold us back from living a happy life.

Whether we are constantly thinking about a mistake that we regret, a relationship that we ruined, or an opportunity that we lost, we all have incessant loops of unhelpful thoughts playing in the back of our mind.

And the biggest problem with these thoughts is that 99% of the time… They are true!

But just because something is true, does not mean that it is advantageous.

For example, if you lost the woman of your dreams because you were too focused on your work and not focused on the relationship, you might be faced with the incessant thought “I will never have her in my life again”.

Chances are, this thought is true.

But does it serve you in any way!? No!

Instead, you can choose to reframe this thought by saying “I will never have this woman in my life again, so now it is my duty to learn from my mistakes and move forward so that I can find love once more… Only this time, I will make it work.”

The moment that you can learn to eradicate incessant thoughts and replace them with intentional and effective thoughts is the moment that your life will be irrevocably changed for the better.

5. Money Doesn’t Make You Happier… Unless

Countless studies have been conducted on the correlation between money and happiness, and what they found was rather interesting.

Money only affects your happiness up to a certain point.

If you are living below the poverty line, increasing your income to a stable and livable level will drastically improve your happiness. However, going from $100,000 a year to $100,000 a month will only have a marginal impact on your happiness and mental well being.

However, once you have passed roughly $7,000 a month, increasing your income will only result in a nominal increase in your happiness.

So, for example, if you go from $100,000 a year to $250,000 a year, your happiness will not increase by any appreciable amount.

If this is true, then why is it that so many rich people seem to live better and happier lives?

Because they give so much of their money away!

Studies have found that one of the only ways money can make you happier after you have passed the $70,000/year threshold is if you are giving more of your money to charitable causes, family, friends, and organizations that you support.

For example, if you earn an extra $20,000 bonus this year and then use it to put a down payment on a new sports car, your happiness will only increase marginally and temporarily.

However, if you took that same $20,000 and paid for a vacation with some of your closest friends, your happiness would increase dramatically and the effects would last much longer.

So yes, money is important for your happiness.

If you cannot afford to put food on the table, increasing your income is one of the quickest ways to increase your happiness.

But after your basic living expenses are covered, giving your wealth away and spending it on the people you care about is the only way to leverage your money to increase your happiness.

6. Life is a Video Game and Challenges Make the Game Fun 

Life is not fair, it is not perfect, and it is not easy.

But I’ll let you in on a little secret… That’s what makes life fun!

I want you to imagine that the new Call of Duty just came out, and after months of anxiously anticipating the game’s release, you take it home and start playing.

You go through the tutorial, launch the first level, and then get ready to kill some virtual bad guys.

But there’s a problem…

There are no bad guys to kill and no challenges to overcome.

Every level is simply a linear progression where you run from the beginning to the end as quickly as you can, avoiding all signs of danger or adversity.

Does that sound like a fun game? Probably not.

And guess what? Life is nothing more than a very intense and large scale video game.

So why in the world would you want it to be easy? Why would you want a challenge and problem free life?

Just think about it for a moment.

Imagine that I came to your house tomorrow and gave you an Olympic Gold Medal.

How would you feel?

If you are anything like me, you would probably think that the medal was pretty cool, but after a few minutes of looking at it, you would quickly feel disenchanted and bored because you did nothing to earn the medal.

You’d probably sell it or leave it in your sock drawer because it has no significance in your life.

But imagine that you have been training for the Olympics since you were 12 years old.

You worked every single day for the past ten years of your life, and when you finally had the opportunity, you competed and won.

How would that medal make you feel?

I would chance a guess that the medal would have more meaning and significance to you than darn near anything else that you owned.

Why?

Because you worked for it, you suffered for it, and you endured more pain than most people are willing to endure in order to call that medal your own.

In much the same way, we gain meaning in our lives by overcoming challenges, by enduring pain, and by beating adversity.

Life isn’t meant to be easy.

It’s meant to be a challenge.

A challenge that you enjoy and have fun with, yes. But a challenge nonetheless.

7. You Don’t Find Your Purpose… It Finds You

So many people in the modern world are concerned with finding their purpose.

But they fail to realize that you don’t find your purpose, your purpose finds you.

People don’t just wake up one day and say “Hmm, I know exactly what I am meant to do and how I am going to do it”.

Instead, they find the intersection of their passions and talents and they work for years honing their skills, setting and conquering goals, and becoming better and better.

Then, when they have mastered their craft, an opportunity presents itself, often in the most unlikely manner, and all of the hard work they put in begins to make sense.

If you want to live a life of purpose, then you must first start by building your skills and growing yourself until you are ready to handle your purpose.

Typically, this means working on rather mundane skills and projects so that you can grow your capacity as a human being.

Think about the classic Karate kid movie where Mr. Miyagi had his student wax the car and paint the fence.

These tasks seemed dull, monotonous, and frustrating.

But, when the time came, and the first punch was thrown, these dull tasks that the Karate Kid had practiced suddenly made sense and he realized that he had been practicing for the purpose of learning a new skill.

Steve Jobs summarized this truth when he said

You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.

Mark Divine served 9 years on active duty and 11 years on reserve as a US Navy SEAL before retiring as a commander in 2011. After his decorated career in the special forces, Mark went on the found Navyseals.com, launch US Tactical, and develop a revolutionary workout program known as SEAL Fit. He has also written multiple New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon best-selling books.

Favorite Success Quote

“Undisturbed calmness of mind is attained by cultivating friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and indifference toward the wicked.” ~Patanjali

Key Points

1. Focus On People’s Character Not their Acumen 

If you ever have the opportunity to sit down with any older businessmen or entrepreneurs and ask them the question “What was your biggest mistake”, nine times out of ten they will tell you that their biggest regret in business was trusting someone who they shouldn’t have trusted.

You see, even outside of the realm of business, it’s easy to overlook people’s character flaws because of their other resources.

I see many men fall into this trap in business, dating, and friendship.

It’s easy to ignore the obvious red flags with your new employee because they are a monster salesman and you know that they will make you a lot of money (until they end up stealing it back).

It’s easy to ignore a woman’s blatant character flaws because she’s wildly attractive and great in bed.

It’s easy to ignore your friend’s unscrupulous behavior because he’s funny, rich, and always makes sure you have a good time.

But if you want to mitigate risk and succeed at life, you must adopt a more cautious approach.

Learn to focus on people’s character and their virtues, not just their raw talent.

Because at the end of the day, it’s easier to train a virtuous man to become a good salesperson than it is to train a great salesperson to become a virtuous man.

2. Win the Morning Win the Day 

Mark attributes much of his success to the powerful morning rituals that he follows in order to get himself grounded and ready for the day.

Something that surprised me is that Mark’s routine doesn’t take several hours, one hour, or even 30-minutes. He told me that he can complete his routine in 15-minutes on average and 5 if he’s really pressed for time.

Each morning he spends a few minutes in silent meditation, then he will focus his intentions on his life vision and the daily tasks he needs to achieve to move closer to that vision, and finally, he will review the elements of his “ethos” or the guiding principles upon which he operates his life.

And that’s it.

Whatever your goals in life, you need to start your day in a powerful state to set yourself up to win the day and achieve your dreams.

Personally, I try and start most mornings by watching something inspirational, reading a few pages of a classic book, journaling, focusing on gratitude, and incorporating some sort of physical exercise.

How you develop your own morning routine will be unique to your dreams and vision, but what is important is that you have a morning routine and that it helps you get grounded and ready to go out and achieve your dreams.

3. Turn Failure Into Your Greatest Asset 

Many people believe that failure is a problem, that it’s a liability. But it’s not.

Failure is actually one of your greatest assets and closest friends… When you use it properly and learn from it.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that failure is fun or that you should try and fail. Failure sucks, there’s nothing fun about it, and nobody wants to see their dreams and ambitions fail.

But when you fail and trust me, you will fail, you have one of two options.

You can whine and bitch and complain.

Or you can dust yourself off, look at your failure objectively, and ask yourself “Ok, how can I do better next time?”

Failure is only failure if you don’t learn from it, if you don’t grow from it, and if you don’t reframe it so that you see each failure as a valuable teacher, educating you about how to achieve your dreams.

4. Realize that Your Growth is Limited by Your Shadow 

There is an old saying that “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link”. And in the realm of personal growth, you are only as strong as your darkest parts.

I see so many men today who walk through their lives trying to elicit personal growth by constantly pushing forward, suppressing the pain of the past, and ignoring the emotional trauma that has held them back.

But the harsh reality of life is that you can only grow to the extent that you are willing to address your darkness or your shadow self.

We all have a dark side, we’ve all been hurt, we all have deep wounds and pain whether we want to address them or not.

And most men choose to ignore this dark side.

They try and move on with their lives and pretend that everything is ok when, subconsciously, the pain and hurt of the past is holding them back from living the lives of their dreams.

If you want to move forward in your life, if you want to truly succeed, if you want to open up to true intimacy and love and connection, then you must face your shadow.

You must address the pain, you must conquer your darkness and learn to use it for good.

Because if you don’t, you will constantly be haunted (consciously or subconsciously) by the parts of you that you dare not bring into the light.

5. Detach from the Details of the Outcome & Focus on the Vision 

One of the biggest mistakes that many men make is that they are more concerned with the details of the outcome than the outcome itself.

For example, in the interview, Mark discussed his goal of impacting 100,000,000 lives. He told me that, while he is rigid in his vision, he has learned to be flexible in the details of achieving this outcome.

For Mark, it doesn’t matter whether he impacts 10 people who go and change a million lives or whether he impacts a million people who go on to change 10 lives. He is adamant in his vision, but he is flexible in the approach.

In your life and with your goals, you must adopt the same mentality.

Yes, you should have a strong, crystal clear vision and end game, but you must be flexible about how you achieve that vision.

Tom Bilyeu is the co-founder and President of Quest Nutrition, the second fastest growing privately owned company in the United States (currently valued at over $1 billion). He is also the founder of Impact Theory, a show dedicated to helping you achieve your limitless potential.

Favorite Success Quote

“Do and believe that which moves you towards your goals”

Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.

Key Points

1. Find That Thing That Makes You Feel Alive 

We live in an age of unprecedented freedom.

Never before in the history of the human race have there been so many options available to so many members of the general populace.

In the 21st century, our options and opportunities, like our potential, are nearly limitless.

Traveling across the globe is easier than it’s ever been, growing your brand and authority has never been so scalable, and the ability to build a wildly successful business is now open to anybody with access to the internet.

And yet…

Despite the tremendous number of resources and the almost limitless amount of opportunity circulating the modern economy, recent polls still indicate that nearly 70% of the American workforce is disengaged with their career!

How can this be?

In an era of unparalleled choices and opportunity more than two-thirds of the entire nation spends 40+ hours of their week doing something they hate!

While every individual is different and each circumstance is unique, I personally believe that the primary reason for this disconnect is simple.

People are scared.

They are scared that pursuing their dreams will be hard, they are scared that following their passions will be too difficult, and they are scared that they will fail.

But guess what?

Regardless of the path you choose to pursue, there will be challenges, there will obstacles, and there will be hardships. The struggle is an inevitable part of the human condition.

No matter what path you choose to pursue, you will face challenges and trials, you will fail, and you will probably want to quit more than just once. But, if you decide to pursue that thing that makes you come alive, the thing that lights a fire inside of you, the thing that you are willing to devote the rest of your life to…

Nothing will stop you.

2.  Tailor Your Activities to Achieve Cognitive Optimization 

Since Tom founded one of the fastest growing health and nutrition companies in the world, it should come as little surprise that one of his “Secrets to success” is methodically optimizing his cognitive performance.

No matter what goal you are pursuing, you will need to be operating at full blast in order to effectively make decisions, execute on ideas, and move the needle forward.

And the quickest way to improve your own performance is to optimize the performance of the gray matter in between your ears.

But how does one actually do this? How do you totally optimize your mind without spending thousands of dollars on supplementation, smart drugs, and crazy bio-hacking equipment?

The truth is surprisingly unsexy.

For Tom, it all starts with sleep. He is in bed every night by 9 p.m. and only wakes up whenever he feels rested and ready to attack the day. This is crucial to ensuring optimal brain performance since the majority of memory, association, and cellular repair happens while we are asleep.

After optimizing his sleep, Tom will then head to the gym every single morning, flooding his brain and body with dopamine, endorphins, and endocannabinoids and getting his mind and body into a peak state.

With his workout concluded, Tom will sit in silence to spend time “Thinkitating” which is, as Tom puts it, “Applying the afterglow of meditation to solve the greatest challenges in your life.”

Basically, after concluding a short meditation session using Mark Divine’s box breathing technique, he will sit back and consciously contemplate the greatest challenges he’s facing in his life allowing his mind and subconscious to search for an answer to the problem.

Then, with his exercise and thinkitation done, Tom hits the books and will consciously spend an hour or more each morning filling his mind with ideas from the best and brightest individuals on the planet.

Tom attributes much of his success to this “Cognitive optimization morning routine”.

It’s not complicated, it doesn’t require much equipment, and it can be done from anywhere in the world.

If you want a more detailed description of the Impact Theory Morning Routine, you can check out this article for more info.

3. Always Focus on Delivering More Value than Expected 

Imagine for a moment that you are purchasing a product and deciding between two different companies.

For the sake of the argument (and since Tom is the founder of a fitness nutrition company) let’s assume that the companies in question are selling a muscle gain supplement.

After years of research company A found a formula that helps their clients get results and they decided to follow the age-old advice “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it”.

Company B, however, is never satisfied and they continue dumping thousands of dollars a month into sourcing higher quality ingredients, finding new ways to improve their formula, and delivering more value to the end customer.

Who do you think will win?

Even though Company A has a “good” product that provides real value to their customers, Company B is unwilling to settle for “good enough”.

And let me tell you, one of the biggest traps that entrepreneurs fall into is the trap of “Good enough”.

Because the second that you stop improving your product, service, or experience somebody else who is hungrier, more motivated, and more driven than you are will steal your customers and leave you in the dust.

You must constantly improve the value that you bring to the marketplace and look for new and unique ways to expand your services to help more people.

Because at the end of the day, you will be paid in direct proportion to the amount of value that you give. And if you do more than you are paid for now, you will be paid for more than you do later.

4. Email is the Greatest Thief of Productivity

While it might seem a little bit superfluous to devote an entire key point of this interview to the topic of email, I want you to consider for a moment that the average American is estimated to spend a total of 3.2 hours per day just checking work related emails (this doesn’t include personal correspondence).

That’s almost half of their work day devoted entirely to the largely pointless act of reaching inbox zero.

During our interview, Tom admitted to having over 6,000 unopened emails sitting in his inbox and told us that he will typically look at his emails only twice a week for a few minutes.

According to conventional wisdom, there’s no way that he could effectively run a successful company spending so little time devoted to email, and yet he’s the Co-founder of one of the nation’s fastest growing companies.

If you want to become truly successful at the game of business, then you must learn to focus only on profit-producing activities.

Email is not one of those.

5. You Will Never Eliminate Pride, So Use It 

While many philosophers and teachers preach the importance of eliminating pride, anyone with a basic understanding of the human condition knows that pride is an inherent part of our existence and will never be removed.

So if we cannot eliminate our pride, then what are we supposed to do?

The simple answer? Use it.

Pride and ego can actually be a phenomenal tool if they are focused on the right things.

Specifically, learning to develop immense pride around your focus on the processes, not your outcomes. 

What do I mean by this?

Well, instead of priding yourself on how smart you are (which will likely lead to careless mistakes) develop immense pride in your commitment to your education.

Instead of priding yourself on your physique, strength, or endurance (all of which can be taken away with one injury) develop immense pride in your physical work ethic and desire to improve your body.

Learn to take pride in who you are instead of what you are and you will find that pride becomes an asset instead of a liability.

Ryan Nicodemus (and his partner Joshua Fields Milburn) help over 20 million people live meaningful lives with less through their website, books, podcast, and documentary. The Minimalists have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Forbes, TIME, ABC, CBS, NBC, BBC, CBC, and NPR. You can connect with him and learn more at www.theminimalists.com/start/

Favorite Success Quote

“It’s not a matter of being busy, so are the ants. The question is: What are you busy about?” ~Henry David Thoreau

“Love people and use things because the opposite never works.”

Key Points

1. Embrace the Drudgery 

Conventional wisdom states that “If you do something you love, you will never work a day in your life”. Unfortunately, as nice as the sentiment sounds, the reality is quite different.

If you want to succeed at anything in life, you are going to have to work and let me tell you, there will be times that, no matter how much you love what you do, the work will feel like endless drudgery.

I believe that a more accurate statement is, “If you love what you do, you will be able to stomach the hard work.”

Ryan loves sharing his message with millions of people across the world, but he doesn’t always love the daily grind of writing, marketing, and speaking.

I love empowering men all over the world to achieve their full potential, but I don’t always love managing employees, testing marketing campaigns, or putting out fires.

Because we love what we do, we are able to handle the drudgery.

That doesn’t make the work any more pleasant or any easier, but it does give those difficult tasks a greater sense of meaning and purpose.

This extends beyond the realm of business too. Think about dating and relationships.

Just because you are madly in love with someone doesn’t mean that the relationship will not take hard work.

There will be fights, there will be disagreements, there will be times when your partner is struggling and you need to stand by and support them. And guess what? It’s hard. But if you truly love that person, it’s also worth it.

So embrace the drudgery, realize that you will have to work and you will have to work hard.

But remember that if you are working on something you love, the drudgery will be worth every second of pain.

2. Get Clear on the Massive Action You Need to Take 

The first step to success in any endeavor is gaining clarity on what you want to achieve. The second step is gaining clarity on the actions you must take in order to manifest that dream and bring it into reality.

Knowing what you want is not enough, you must have a very clear blueprint for the specific actions you are going to take in order to achieve your end game.

Do you want to be financially independent? Great! Now, what specific actions are you willing to take in order to achieve that goal? Will you work 10-12 hours a day for the next five years? Will you devote all of your free time to your side hustle? Will you break off friendships that are dragging you down and keeping you mediocre? What are you going to do to make it happen?

Do you want to be the healthiest man possible? Great! Now, what are you going to do to bring that goal to fruition? Will you give up drinking, smoking, and drugs? Will you commit to training 5 times a week? Will you cut out sugar, gluten, and processed foods? What are you going to do to make it happen?

You see, it’s great to set goals, but most people forget that every worthwhile goal requires massive action.

And before you set out to achieve a goal, you need to have a very clear picture of what it is that you are willing to sacrifice and what actions you are willing to take in order to achieve your dreams.

3. Giving is Living 

While this might sound cliche and overplayed, the secret to living truly is giving.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s fun to live for yourself. It’s fun to focus on your own happiness. It’s fun to do your own thing and give a single finger salute to the world.

But how long will it fulfill you?

When you stumble home drunk for the fourth night this week, a random girl from the bar on your arm, and unlock the door to your penthouse apartment, you’re having fun. But after a while, you will find that the endless cycle of living for yourself and your needs becomes tiring, and the very things that once brought you immense joy and happiness now leave you with a profound emptiness and a voice in your head asking “Is this it?”

Life isn’t meant to be lived for yourself.

It’s meant to be a shared journey.

And if you are struggling to find fulfillment in your current life, then I want to challenge you to refocus your intentions and desires on giving back.

It doesn’t have to be a huge gesture either.

Commit to giving away $5 a day in a creative way. Do one random act of kindness a week. Volunteer at a soup kitchen a few hours each month. Do something that gets you out of your bubble and allows you to give back.

Because not only will you be contributing to the greater good, but you will also be reminding yourself of just how good your life really is. It will help you remember what is truly important and it will reframe your current struggles and put your problems into perspective.

And what’s more? It will give you a profound sense of inner peace and fulfillment.

The secret to living truly is giving.

So the only question I want to ask you is this… What are you going to give?

4. You Must Know Your Values and Beliefs 

In life, you will often be presented with difficult decisions.

You will find yourself at a crossroads where both paths seem appealing and you are unable to determine exactly which route to take.

During these times of decision, it is imperative that you have a deep understanding of what it is you truly value and what brings you the most fulfillment and joy.

To use a classic example, imagine that you are offered a promotion at work.

The promotion will more than double your salary but it will also take you away from your family and children and will require you to travel 3 weeks out of the month.

What should you do?

The answer depends on your values.

Do you value financial independence and leaving a legacy? If so, then the best course of action might be to take the promotion, be more intentional about the time that you get to spend with your family, and use the influx of cash to create a better quality of life (and guarantee a better future) for the people you love.

Do you value your relationships and your influence over your children’s development? If so, then forget the promotion and spend your time pouring into your children and shaping their future.

There are no right or wrong answers with these types of decisions.

But every big decision is predicated on your unique value system and beliefs.

So you’d better be damn sure that you take some time to define exactly what those are before you go making life altering moves.

5. Happiness Isn’t the Purpose of Life 

Many people believe that happiness is the purpose of life.

But, as we alluded to in a previous point, this is far from the truth.

If happiness is all that we are here for, then 99% of the population should say “Fuck it!” and become a heroin addict.

Afterall, it’ll make you happy right? I mean it will make you really happy for every waking hour of your day.

But I think you and I both know that there is more to life than just feeling good.

While I don’t pretend to know what the meaning of life is, I can tell you with 100% certainty that it is not manic levels of happiness.

Life is about the journey, it’s about contribution, and it’s about living in accordance with your own unique values and beliefs.

And even though I cannot tell you what you should do in your own specific situation, I can tell you that you must have a much higher purpose and calling than happiness.

Because if happiness is your end game, then you should expect to live the majority of your life in an unfulfilling and unproductive way.

Ryan Blair is a serial entrepreneur who established his first company at age twenty-one and has since created and actively invested in multiple start-ups. As the CEO of ViSalus, he took the company from start-up to more than $1.6 billion in cumulative sales and was named Ernst & Young’s 2012 Entrepreneur of the Year. His first book, Nothing to Lose, Everything to Gain, was a number one New York Times bestseller. He lives in Los Angeles.

Key Points

1. The First Step to Transforming Your Life is Transforming your Environment

If you are really ready to change your life, accelerate your results, and achieve your dreams, then the first step that you must take is to radically transform your environment.

There is an old saying that environment is stronger than willpower, and I believe it to be true.

If you are constantly around low ambition individuals who spend their weekends getting hammered, stoned, and watching Netflix, then how can you really expect to rise above your environment and excel at a high level?

The first step on your journey to success is to change your environment.

If your friends are bringing you down, get new friends.

If you’ve never lived outside of your small town where everyone knows one another and success is frowned upon, move the hell out of there.

Change your environment as quickly as possible, put in the work, and you will find yourself achieving at levels you previously thought impossible.

2. Go Give Back to Someone Who Has it Worse than You Do 

If you are reading this article right now, then you are blessed.

If you woke up this morning and didn’t have to wonder where your next meal would come from, then you are blessed.

If you even have the eyesight and cognitive function to comprehend this interview, then you are blessed.

And yet, despite the abundance in our everyday lives, many of us take our blessings for granted. And as a result, we whine and moan about the most trivial things, never taking responsibility and never stepping up to the plate.

It’s time to step up and step out of your own circumstances.

Go volunteer with Habitat for Humanity or some other cause that will get you around people who are less fortunate than you are. Save up for a few months and go do a volunteer trip to Haiti, then come back and complain to me about how slow your iPhone 6 is.

In our Western society, we don’t suffer from a lack of resources or a lack of opportunity. We suffer from a lack of perspective.

And the only way to get a better perspective is to get out of your current environment and go serve other people who are suffering more than you are.

So I want to challenge you to find somewhere that you can volunteer this week. Go serve food at a soup kitchen, go build homes for low-income families, go serve the homeless in downtown. Go do something that will remind you just how lucky you are.

When you return to your daily life, I would bet my last dollar that you will do so with a better attitude and a sense of gratitude.

3. Base Your Goals on the Value you Want to Offer

Something that you will find on your journey to success is that the universe has an odd habit of conspiring to help those who conspire to help others.

If you find that you are constantly unable to meet your financial goals, then chances are, your focus is almost entirely on yourself.

You think “God, I want to make $100,000 so that I can enjoy a better quality of life, nicer things, and fancier dinners.” And yet for the fourth year in a row, your company is stuck at $60,000.

I want to challenge you to think about your goals differently.

Instead of saying “How much money can I make?”

Ask yourself the question “How much money do I want to give away? And who do I want to help?”

I don’t know what it is, but when you change your goal from “I want to earn $100,000 to so I can buy my new Jaguar F-Type” to “I want to earn $200,000 so that I can give away $70,000 to build schools in Guatemala” the universe will come to your aid and present you with opportunities that seem inexplicable.

So I want to challenge you to start focusing on others.

Begin to look at money as a flow of energy that enables you to help other people and improve their quality of life.

Yes, you should have more than enough for yourself and enjoy a great quality of life. But you should also seek to give away 10X the value of what you have earned.

Adopt this attitude for 18 months, and I can promise that your life will never be the same.

4. Constantly Level Up Your Social Circle 

Jim Rohn, the father of personal development said it best “You are the average of the five people whom you associate with most.”

And while this axiom of success has likely been repeated more times than any of us care to recount, so few of you reading this will actually internalize the message.

Right now, I want you to pull out a pen and paper and take stock of your current circumstances. Everything, from your health, your finances, your fulfillment, and your relationships.

Now, I want you to pull out a separate sheet of paper and write down that same list of circumstances for your five closest friends.

If I was a gambling man, I would bet that the lists look pretty similar.

Proximity is power, and if you are serious about achieving your dreams and reaching the levels of success that you desire, then you need to constantly level up your social circle and spend time around people who are smarter, better, and more successful than you.

5. Ask for Help

As men, it’s easy to let our pride stand in the way of our fulfillment and growth.

It’s easy to say “I’m fine” and block out the outside world.

What’s difficult is to be real.

It’s difficult to be honest with the important people in your life and tell them the truth. The truth that you aren’t alright, that everything isn’t ok, and that you are feeling pretty messed up right now

It’s difficult to ask for help.

But until you are willing to hang up your ego and talk with someone else, you will never overcome the challenges standing in your way.

You must be willing to let go of your pride and speak the truth.

Because when you do, the universe will come to your aid and the people who truly care about you will help lift you up and raise you to new levels.

MJ DeMarco is the current founder of Viperion Publishing Corp., a media company focused on online and print content distribution. He also is admin/founder for The Fastlane Forum, the webs’ leading destination forum for start-up, finance, and entrepreneurial business discussions.

He was the former start-up Founder/CEO of Limos.com (1997-2007), a global ground transportation aggregator and marketplace that he successfully built and grew into a profitable multimillion dollar company, all with no money, no formal training, and with just a few employees. In 2001, he sold the company and later reacquired the company via bankruptcy reorganization. He later sold the company again in 2007 to a Phoenix-based private equity company.

He has authored two best-selling books including The Millionaire Fastlane: Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime and UNSCRIPTED: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Entrepreneurship, his most recent work about the current landscape of life, liberty, and entrepreneurship. You can connect with him and learn more at http://www.mjdemarco.com/

Favorite Success Quote

“If you accept conventional wisdom from conventional people living conventional lives. Can you expect to be anything other than conventional?”

Key Points

1. Wake Up and See Through the Matrix 

You have been lied to.

By the government, your parents, and all of society.

I am not propagating a conspiracy theory, just sharing the facts.

From the day that you are born, you are inundated with a bullshit script that tells you to go to school, get all A’s, go to college, get a safe job, sock aside 10% of your income and invest in mutual funds, skip the lattes, blah, blah, blah….

I am here to tell you… It doesn’t freaking work!

How many multi-millionaire 65-year-olds do you know? How many wildly wealthy retirees have you met (who worked a dead-end job for the past 40 years)? And more importantly, if you have met any of these people how many were happy and fulfilled? How many were free?

The script that you were fed since childhood doesn’t work.

So it’s time to wake up and flip the script.

If you want freedom, if you want to retire, if you want to live a life that you actually enjoy, a life where you aren’t giving up 5 days of your life in exchange for 2 (a pretty shitty ROI if you ask me) then the first step is simply acknowledging that there is a problem with the script you have been fed.

Wake up, see through the matrix, and be ready to take the action required to change it.

2. The Rich Don’t Get Rich from the Script…

They get rich from preaching the script!

One of the biggest misconceptions about success is that the rich achieved their current success levels by following the script you see laid out for you.

They didn’t.

They got rich by preaching the script.

They got rich by selling you on the idea of mutual funds (which they own) and stock market investments (which they control).

They didn’t get rich investing in any of those things themselves, they got rich by selling that garbage to you.

While compiling research for his new book, MJ examined some advice being given by Forbes.com on the topic of long-term financial wealth.

The article in question was recommending a long-term mutual fund strategy starting as young as possible.

Then MJ decided to see how many Forbes cover models had actually followed that advice to get rich.

The results?

Zero, nada, zilch.

None of the world’s rich and powerful had eaten their own dog food or taken the medicine they were prescribing to everyone else.

Just because you see Warren Buffet or Charlie Munger providing you with an investing strategy reliant on a long term yield of 8% doesn’t mean that it’s a strategy they actually leveraged to create their own wealth.

When you are cognizant of this you will be much more wary about who you take advice from and why.

3. Learn to Provide Relative Value on a Massive Scale and You Will Become Rich 

Do you want to know the secret to becoming rich? Even the secret to getting rich quick?

Well, listen up… I am about to share it.

Provide relative value on a massive scale.

If you do this, you will become rich, and chances are, you will become rich a helluva lot quicker than you would have playing the “Get rich slow” game.

But how does one go about providing relative value?

It’s actually a lot simpler than you might think.

The first step is to identify a problem or an inefficiency in the marketplace.

If you see a problem and you have the ability to fix it, you have found your “in”.

Furthermore, if you look at an already “saturated” market and you notice that there are numerous inefficiencies in the day to day operations (customer service, fulfillment, product quality etc.) you can use this knowledge to break into an otherwise full market.

4. Happiness Comes from Autonomy Not Money 

So many people assume that more money will make them happy. That going from $20,000 to $200,000 to $2,000,000 will drastically boost your happiness and levels of fulfillment.

And yes, money matters. In fact, it matters a lot.

And to a certain extent, money will make you happy.

However, if you look at the research compiled by the leading experts in the field of psychology, after about $70,000 a year ($110,000 for those of you living in more expensive cities) increasing your income will not drastically increase happiness.

Increasing your autonomy and freedom, however, will.

Your levels of happiness are directly correlated to the amount of freedom that you have in your life.

Do you have the power to choose when you wake up? Do you have the power to choose when you work and what you work on? Do you have the power to choose who you work with?

Your end goal should be to work until the answer to all of the above questions is a resounding yes.

Because if it’s not, even $10,000,000 in the bank won’t make you happy.

5. You Only Achieve Balance Through Imbalance 

Do you want a balanced life? A life where you have the freedom to devote plenty of time to your body, your family, your wife, your kids, and your hobbies?

Great! So does everyone else.

But if you want to achieve balance, then you must first commit to several years of imbalance.

You can only achieve balance when you are willing to put in the sacrifices up front to generate the money you need to live the life you want.

It’s that simple.

No one became a millionaire working 35 hours a week, spending their mornings doing hours of meditation, and having lazy afternoons with their spouse.

They became a millionaire by working 12 hours a day 7 days a week for 2-3 years and then sitting back and reaping the rewards of those few years for the rest of their lives.

So if you want balance, commit to a period of imbalance.

The people who truly love you will weather the storm and stick with you through it all.

Brett McKay is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Art of Manliness, the largest independent men’s lifestyle magazine on the web with over 10 million monthly page views. Brett earned a degree in Letters (with a focus on Classics) from the University of Oklahoma and graduated from the University of Tulsa College of Law. He lives with Kate, his wife and AoM’s Executive Editor, and their two children in Tulsa, OK. When he’s not talking or writing about manliness, Brett enjoys barbell training and spending time outdoors.

Favorite Success Quote

“Be useful, not important.”

Key Points

1. Focus on Being a Man of Value 

We live in a society where everybody wants to be “Somebody.”

And while there is nothing inherently wrong with ambition or a drive to become successful, in our modern, ego-driven culture, this desire for fame and recognition has begun to supersede our desire to provide real value as men.

We are more worried about our status on Facebook and the number of fans we have on Instagram than the quality of the work that we are producing on a daily basis.

And it’s gotta stop.

Success is the result of doing your work and doing it with excellence. It’s the result of trying to find ways to serve others, instead of constantly serving yourself.

And the sooner that we can embrace this axiomatic truth, the sooner we will be able to live richer, healthier, and more abundant lives.

It’s not about you.

It’s about the impact you have on others and the legacy that you leave.

2. The Worst Rarely Happens 

Mark Twain is often quoted as saying

I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.

And while the quote itself might have been uttered tongue in cheek, it’s relevance to our modern lives cannot be understated.

Yes, you are going to face challenges in your life, you will face difficulty, adversity, pain, and suffering.

It’s an inevitability.

But the vast majority of your internal worries will never come to fruition.

As a society, we spend time locked inside of our heads, mentally plugging through the “What if’s” and “Oh no’s” until our blood pressure is through the roof and our anxiety levels critical.

To be an effective risk taker and leader, you must learn to discern between genuinely possible worst-case outcomes and unlikely disasters.

Yes, if you quit your job to go full time with your side hustle, it is possible that you might lose everything, go bankrupt, become homeless, and eat out of garbage cans until Elon Musk saves humanity.

But it’s not very likely.

Chances are, even the worst failure would simply require you to find a new corporate job, live at home for a while, and rebuild yourself from the ground up.

There is an element of risk in everything worth pursuing. And as a man, you must learn to cull your fear and worries and realize that despite the perceived risk, the big, scary, life-altering disaster of an outcome that you fear is unlikely at the least and downright laughable at most.

3. Toughen Your “Mental Hide” 

With the wide reach of the internet, it is all but impossible to do anything of worth without attracting negative criticism and denigration.

Keyboard warriors and airsoft commandos abound, each of them offering a different (and graphically detailed) opinion about why you suck and should immediately quit at your current endeavors.

It doesn’t matter whether you are creating products, offering information, or detailing your journey through life… If you do anything for long enough, you are going to have to haters.

So what is a man to do?

While it might be uncomfortable and difficult, there is certainly merit in accepting and responding to constructive criticism that offers genuine value to you and your brand.

However, the vast majority of the emails, comments, and posts that you will find littering your inbox and social platforms are not constructive, they are simply the result of disgruntled individuals with an abundance of time and a lack of common sense.

In these situations, you must simply learn to toughen your mental hide.

Not everyone will like you. In fact, if you do anything well enough, some people will hate you.

And that is ok.

You must learn to ignore the haters and stay focused on your dreams and mission.

When others try and knock you off course, or make wild accusations, you should learn to take it as a sign that you are doing something right.

Because it is a rare occurrence for a man offering little value to attract much attention (positive or negative).

So build your mental resilience and learn to be ok with the haters.

4. Focus on Adaptability Not Effectiveness

One of the greatest struggles for men of a high caliber is learning to embrace adaptability over effectiveness.

Yes, you should have routines and rituals built into your daily life that allow you to create and contribute at a high level, but you must remember one simple truth…

Life happens.

Things don’t always go according to plan.

People get sick, cars break down, the weather changes, you get food poisoning, and your kids get into fights at school.

When events like this happen, learning to go with the flow and adapt is paramount not only for success but also for mental well-being and stability.

You will not always be able to stick to your morning routine, you will occasionally have to sacrifice your hour of uninterrupted work time to tend to a family emergency, you won’t always be able to get to the gym… And that’s ok.

Learn to be like water.

Flow from one task and “tragedy” to the next without missing a beat and your quality of life will increase ten-fold.

5. Just Do Something 

If you are struggling in life right now, if you are on the fence if you have been wanting to get started on a dream for years but you don’t know where to start… start by doing something.

Anything!

One of the immutable laws of the universe is that a body in motion will tend to stay in motion, and once you get yourself in gear and begin taking action, you will find that the remaining pieces will begin to fall into place.

Want to get in shape but you feel lost in the sea of diets, fads, and “scientifically proven” workouts? Go for a run and do 20 pushups and figure the rest out from there.

Want to start a business but don’t know how? Buy a website, write a short ebook, and start creating content and figure the rest out from there.

When you start walking, the path will be revealed.

But you must start by getting up, lacing your shoes, and taking that first step.

Mark Goblowsky is an air force veteran, career martial artist, podcaster, author, and entrepreneur. He is on a mission to help others overcome the obstacles in their life based on his own experiences.

Favorite Success Quote

“Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years” ~Bill Gates

Key Points

1. Practice Your “Kung Fu”

The martial art kung fu literally translates into two words. Effort and time.

And the only things that are standing between you and your goals are these two factors.

If you can become a master of Kung Fu, a master at putting in the effort over time, you will succeed.

We all want to achieve great things, we all want a great life. We want the business, the relationships, and the body.

And you can have it! You can have it all.

But you must be willing to approach life through the lens of Kung Fu.

Put in the effort, be patient with the time, and you will succeed.

Because at the end of the day, time is going to pass whether you are doing what you love and pursuing your goals or not. So stop worrying about the outcome and get busy doing what you need to do to create the life that you want to live.

If you are willing to be patient, to stick through it when times are tough, and to trudge forward even in the face of adversity, at the end of the day, you will be successful.

No one who was truly committed to their craft, dream, or ambition for more than a decade fails. You will have failures along the way, yes. But at the end of the day, when it’s all said and done if you are willing to keep doing the work year in and year out especially when it’s hard, you will succeed.

2. If You Aren’t Happy on the Journey You Won’t Be Happy at the Destination

There is a pervasive myth in society that “One day” we will be happy.

We believe that when we finally have the six pack, the 7-figure company, the beautiful girlfriend, the house on the beach or the sports car then we will be happy.

But the truth is that happiness can be experienced right here and now.

And not only can it be experienced now, it must be experienced now.

Because if you are not happy on the journey, you will rarely find happiness at the destination.

If you cannot learn to be happy while you are building your business, you will not be happy when you sell it for $10 million.

If you cannot learn to be happy while you are training your body and building your physique, you will not be happy when you finally attain the look you’ve been longing for.

If you cannot allow yourself to be happy while you work to find the woman of your dreams, no relationship will ultimately satisfy you.

Happiness is a choice, and if you aren’t choosing to be happy along the journey, you will arrive at the destination and wonder “Is this it?”

3. Resistance Gives You Strength 

Most of you reading this want to become stronger. In all areas of your life.

But what most of you don’t realize is that strength doesn’t come from ease.

If you go to the gym every single day of your life from now until you die and all you do is push against the air, you will never get stronger, you will never build a strong body, and you will never force your muscles to grow.

To become stronger, you must push against resistance, you must struggle, you must sweat, and you must bleed.

And this doesn’t just apply to the gym.

If you want your relationship to be stronger, you will have to face resistance. You cannot have a thriving marriage and never face adversity together.

Because it is in times of struggle when love is truly born. It’s only when your marriage is facing resistance in some form or another that it is strengthened.

In your business, you will never achieve success if you stay in your comfort zone and never face resistance. Success in business mandates failures. It mandates struggles and resistance that force you to grow, adapt, and evolve with the times.

So embrace resistance, for it gives you strength.

4. Understand What is Truly Important 

When Mark’s son was a young boy, he and his mother were in a terrible hit and run car accident with a semi-truck.

His son suffered from a traumatic brain injury and now suffers from disabilities that will affect the rest of his life.

When he got the call that his son was in a coma, how do you think Mark responded?

Did he say “Gee, that really sucks… But I’ve got to finish up this project at work”

Or “Wow! I will be there later, but I just really need to close this client… They’re worth a lot of money.”

Hell no!

He dropped everything in his life and was by his son’s side 24/7 for four months.

Nothing, not his business, not his finances, not even his health got in between him and his child.

And it is in times of severe duress that we realize what is truly important.

Most of us spend our lives chasing external validation that is ultimately pointless instead of spending time on what really matters… The people that we love.

Yes, you should want to be successful.

Yes, you should want to be healthy, wealthy, and wise.

But what’s the point if the people you love aren’t there to share it with you.

Understand the importance of family, friends, and love and make that your focus in life.

Everything else is dust in the wind.

5. When Hope Disappears, So Does Action

You must always keep hope, no matter how grim the circumstance.

And by hope, I don’t mean positive thinking.

Hope is a powerful acronym that you must remember when life becomes hard.

Here and now.

Opportunity

Perseverance

Enthusiasm

If you wish to keep moving forward and succeeding in life, you must live in the here and the now, you must always look for opportunities in adversity, you must push through adversity, and maintain a constant enthusiasm for success.

When you lose hope, you lose the ability to take action.

And when you stop taking action… You wither away and die.

Never lose hope.

Sam Upton is an actor and writer known for his roles in The Lincoln Lawyer, Gone, and Stand Up Guys. He is also the director and main actor in his most recent movie, Gun.

Favorite Success Quote

“The greatest revenge is success” ~Frank Sinatra

Key Points

1. No One’s Going to Give it To You

We live in an era of entitlement.

The current generation is filled with individuals who have never had to work for anything in their lives, never had to sweat for a goal, and never had to bleed for their dreams.

When reality sets in, and they realize that life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, they panic and cry and loudly scream about how “unfair” life is.

Well here’s a little newsflash.

Life’s not fair… And no one gives a shit.

No one cares enough about you to make your dreams happen for you.

If you want something bad enough, then go and get it.

Don’t ask for permission, get off your ass and go get it.

The sweet nectar of success is reserved for those rare individuals just like you who make the definite decision to become the master of their own fate and the captain of their own destiny.

Those individuals who are, as Theodore Roosevelt put it, “Actually in the arena with their faces marred by sweat and tears and blood.”

Those are the individuals who shape the world, create great art, build massive wealth, and live a life of happiness and prosperity along the way.

What about you?

Are you going to bitch and moan and whine about how unfair life is, or are you going to accept your challenges and circumstances and make the definite decision to go out and get what’s yours?

Only you can decide.

2. Stop Giving a Fuck 

One of the greatest truths of life is this…

The fewer fucks you give, the better life you will live.

It’s that simple.

People in the 21st century simply care too much about the wrong things.

We allow the denigrating remarks of passersby’s and internet trolls to damage our self-esteem and derail our mission.

We allow the opinions of people who have done next to nothing for us to determine what path we will take and what passions we will pursue.

We allow the push and pull of society to rope us into lives that we never wanted to live surrounded by people that we’ve never liked working for a cause that we never believed in.

And there’s a simple solution to all these problems.

Stop giving a fuck.

The less time and energy you allow yourself to waste on the petty garbage and insignificant opinions, the happier you will be.

If you are on your purpose, on your mission, and on your path, if you are doing the things that are meaningful to you and waking up each day with a smile, then the rest can fade away into the background.

3. Unplug and Spend Time In Life 

We live in such a hyper-connected world that the vast majority of people no longer experience life through their own eyes, they experience it through the lens of the latest smartphone.

Instead of going out on dates and connecting with the person across from us, we waste our time Tweeting and texting and Instagramming.

Instead of spending time with our wives and children, we waste our evenings surfing social media and watching B-grade, uninspiring garbage on the internet.

We aren’t living anymore dammit!

And it’s starting to show.

Depression, loneliness, and suicide are at record highs (especially among men) and yet we continue moving through life like zombies, attached to our screens.

So let me challenge you to change that.

Put your damn phone down for an evening.

Spend real quality time with your wife and kids.

Go hang out with a friend and leave your phones at home.

Spend time by yourself with your own thoughts and no stimulation (you just might come up with some phenomenal ideas).

Learn to let go of the need for constant stimulation and I promise that your life will be better for it.

4. The Act of Doing Makes You a Success 

As men, it is easy to tie our self-worth and perception of our own success to external things.

We believe that we are only a success if we have the beautiful girl, the 7-figure business, the Lamborghini, the fame, and the body.

But the truth of the matter is that the very act of doing and pursuing our goals is what makes us a success.

If you are getting up every day, putting your nose to the grindstone and your shoulder to the wheel in pursuit of a higher vision and calling, then you are a success.

You will not become a success when you achieve some arbitrary goal or ideal, you are a success right now so long as you are in pursuit.

So long as you stay hungry, so long as you put in the work, and so long as you never give up, you can go to bed knowing that you are a success regardless of the external circusmtances in your life.

5. F*ck your Feelings and Do What’s Right 

There are only two kinds of people in the world, hedonists and stoics.

A hedonist does whatever it takes to feel good, a stoic does what is right whether it feels good or not…

And unfortunately, we live in a time that is filled to the brim with hedonists.

The vast majority of our society allow their whims, emotions, and feelings to dictate their actions instead of their dreams, visions, and moral code.

And the results have been pretty catastrophic.

If you want to break away from the herd, away from the men who, as Thoreau put it “Lead lives of quiet desperation” then you must master your emotions, thoughts, and actions and force yourself to do what is right even when you don’t feel like it.

No… Especially when you don’t feel like it.

Fuck your feelings.

No one cares how you feel or what emotions are going through your head.

You have a responsibility to do what is right regardless of your emotions.

So quit trying to feel good and start doing good.

William H. McRaven is a former United States Navy admiral who last served as the ninth commander of the United States Special Operations Command from August 8, 2011, to August 28, 2014. Since January 2015, he has served as the chancellor of The University of Texas System.

McRaven previously served from June 13, 2008, to August 2011 as Commander, Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and from June 2006 to March 2008 as Commander, Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR).  In addition to his duties as COMSOCEUR, he was designated as the first director of the NATO Special Operations Forces Coordination Centre (NSCC), where he was charged with enhancing the capabilities and inter-operability of all NATO Special Operations Forces.

Admiral McRaven retired from the Navy on August 28, 2014, after more than 37 years of service.

Favorite Success Quote

If by Rudyard Kipling

Key Points

1. Focus on Doing Your Duties Now 

Success in life doesn’t come from focusing on what you are going to do in the future.

It comes from focusing all of your attention on the tasks that are in front of you right now.

Yes, you should have goals, dreams, and aspirations.

However, do not allow these dreams and aspirations to rule the present moment.

Instead, focus on the now, focus on what is right in front of you, focus more on the next 24 hours and less on the next 24 years.

The quickest way to achieve success (whatever your definition of success might be) is to have a plan and then execute on that plan, day in and day out.

Do your duties now and allow tomorrow to take care of itself.

2. You Can’t Make it Alone 

Many men like to think that they are an island, they like to believe that they are the Alpha and Omega of their lives.

Until one day, they are struck by the very harsh reality that they are not.

No man, regardless of size, intelligence or other capability has ever “made it” on this planet by themselves.

We were designed for community and teamwork.

One of the fastest ways to achieve your mission, whether that is in business, in your health, or in your relationships is to surround yourself with amazing, like-minded individuals who can help support you and push you along the journey.

With a tight-knit circle of influence, you will be able to accelerate your results, find your blind spots, and receive help when you are outside of your comfort zone.

And more than that, you will have more fun!

Life is a team sport, it’s meant to be played with other people.

So eradicate the erroneous notion that real men do it alone.

Build your tribe and have a blast doing it.

3. What Are You Really Made of?

So often in our modern society, we are quick to judge others (and ourselves) on external factors like height, weight, attractiveness, financial success, and social capital.

But we forget that our worth is defined by how much heart we have, not how much money or muscle we have.

A person’s worth is defined by what’s inside.

Admiral McRaven illustrates this point perfectly in his book when he shares the story of Thomas Norris, a Navy Seal who was awarded the congressional medal of honor.

During training, nearly all of his classmates assumed that Tom would fail.

He was short, skinny, and out of shape compared to the other men.

However, Tom had a level of internal fortitude, mental strength, and heart that few men in the world display.

And his bravery was exemplified repeatedly on the battlefield, especially during the infamous rescue mission that lead to his Congressional Medal of Honor.

Like Tom, many of you might not be what comes to mind physically when people think of an “Alpha” or a “Real Man”.

But that isn’t what matters.

What are you made of?

Who are you?

What is your character like when everything goes wrong and your life is spiraling out of control?

That is what determines your worth as a man.

4. You Are Going to Fail

Read that again.

You are going to fail.

I don’t care how good you are, how smart you are, or how strong you are.

Life will kick you to the curb and beat you senseless at some point in your existence.

This isn’t a speculation.

It’s fact.

You are going to fail!

You might not face the catastrophic failures that come to mind when you hear the word, but at some point in your life, you will be faced with a situation, a business deal, a relationship, or a physical challenge that you simply cannot surmount.

So get over it.

Stop letting this fear of failure rule you and accept that failure is inevitable.

Failure is a sign of life, it is a sign that you are trying to push the envelope forward and a sign that you are growing into the man you need to be.

So get used to failing.

If you do anything of worth in this life, it is going to become a pretty common occurrence.

5. Your Bank Account Doesn’t Determine Your Success

Many men operate under the flawed ideology that the more 0’s they have in their bank accounts, the more successful they are.

This simply isn’t true.

Yes, money is important, and you should certainly strive to earn enough to enjoy your life, be comfortable, and have enough left over to share.

But it is not the end all be all to success.

Who are you? How is your character? How do you treat others? How is your marriage?

These are the things that determine a man’s success.

If you are surrounded by good friends, have a happy, loving relationship with your wife, are in good health, and positively impact the world on a regular basis, then congratulations… You have achieved success.

Bedros Keuilian is the fitness industry’s most trusted consultant. His various fitness businesses are designed to enable trainers to maximize their earning potential with revolutionary industry techniques.

Before constructing his fitness empire, Bedros owned five fitness gyms at once. After revamping his business model with direct response marketing and sales techniques, he began earning profit margins totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars from these locations alone.

He would then go on to found Fit Body Boot Camp. As the CEO and founder of Fit Body, currently the world’s fastest growing fitness chain, Bedros practices what he preaches, implementing the same formula for success that he brings to his fitness clients worldwide. Fit Body was recently listed as one of Inc. 5000’s fastest growing businesses of 2016.

Favorite Success Quotes

“How you do anything is how you do everything”

“Circumstances do not change responsibility”

Key Points

1. Your Responsibilities Aren’t Affected by Your Circumstances

The vast majority of modern men have been castrated by a societal conditioning that tells them it’s “ok” to shirk their responsibilities. Men who allow the whims of their emotions and their day to day circumstances to dictate their actions and responses.

We see men who allow the whims of their emotions and their day to day circumstances to dictate their actions and responses.

Fathers who ignore their duties to their children, husbands who shrug off their responsibilities to their wives, and workers who simply aren’t willing to put in the work necessary to keep their clients happy.

And as a result, our society has been left scratching its head in confusion wondering “Where have all the real men gone”?

The real men are still out there… They are just harder to find.

They are the men who do not allow their feelings and problems to interfere with their duties.

The men who provide for their families, prioritize their relationships and take care of their bodies.

The men who are willing to say no to luxuries and parties now so that they can have an incredible quality of life for their family later. 

Are you one of those men?

2. Resourcefulness is the Ultimate Resource

Markets crash, businesses crumble, people die, and life happens.

So what?

The greatest breakthroughs of human history have often come in times where resources were slim and things were looking grim.

But a handful of (now) iconic individuals were willing to look at the circumstances and negative situation and see it for what it was… An opportunity.

You see, if you are resourceful enough, no circumstance or turmoil will prevent you from success.

You can always find a way to make money and create a life of happiness and freedom for yourself.

You must simply learn to look for it.

Resourcefulness is your greatest resource in the tumultuous and unpredictable world that we live in.

If you can learn to cultivate this trait in yourself and others, you will find a way to be successful.

No matter what.

3. Despite What You’ve Been Told, Work-Life Balance Is Crucial 

With the proliferation of the “Hustlers” mentality and the idea that grinding it out 24/7 365 is the only way to success, many of you are operating under the misguided belief that work-life balance is b.s.

Well…

It’s not.

Bedros found this out first hand when, after several consecutive months of high-stress projects, he snapped and suffered from multiple anxiety attacks (initially mistaking them for heart attacks).

These episodes scared Bedros into making a change and, after kicking and clawing his way through the transition, he began to ease himself out of business scenarios that he found stressful.

He cut back on his time in the office, started prioritizing his health and family again, and learned to delegate and outsource like crazy.

And now…

He’s healthier, wealthier, and happier than ever before.

Hustling your way to the top is great.

Grinding and working hard are great.

But they must be tempered by taking a step back and making time for yourself and your family.

4. The Quickest Way to Overcome Adversity is to Reframe It

Life can suck.

Things happen and circumstances outside of your control can knock you on your ass.

But the quickest way to overcome any adversity is to reframe it.

Learn to see challenges as opportunities.

Learn to see setbacks as an opportunity to grow.

Learn to see failure as education.

The more that you can reframe the difficult things in life, the easier they will become.

This will not make your problems go away… But it will make them easier to deal with.

5. All Success is Preceded by Risk 

If you want real success, you are going to have to take real risks.

End of story.

For the majority of A+ players, every big breakthrough, achievement, and milestone were preceded by even bigger risks.

For some people this meant a breakup, for others, taking out a line of credit to fund a business, and for others still, it was dropping out of college and pursuing their dreams of their own volition, without the help of mom and dad.

For Bedros, risk has come in many forms, from turning down six-figure job offers to taking out tens of thousands of dollars in credit, to leveraging his house, to purchasing a $4 million office space.

But all of these risks ended paid off in the long run.

And while you are on your own unique path to success, you must remember that you will be required to take risks and make sacrifices that are uncomfortable.

But when you do… You will have no choice but success.

And that’s where the real magic happens.

Executive, activist, and entrepreneur, Sarah Robb O’Hagan has been described by the media as everything from “Superwoman undercover” to the “Pied Piper of Potential.” She is a high-energy combination of disruptive business leader, fitness fanatic, and cheerleading mom, and has been named one of Forbes’ “Most Powerful Women in Sports” and one of Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business.”

As Chief Executive Officer of the fast growing indoor cycling company Flywheel Sports, she is currently leading the transformation of the business through digital content and services. Prior to this role, Sarah became an internationally recognized re-inventor of brands, having served as global president of the $5Bn sports brand Gatorade, where she successfully led the business through a major repositioning and business turnaround, and global president of the luxury fitness company Equinox, where she reinvented the offering through a significant technology transformation.

She recently released her new book, Extreme You: Step Up. Stand Out. Kick Ass. Repeat.

Favorite Success Quote

“Without risk does not come great reward.” Sarah’s Dad

Key Points

1. Learn to Focus on What You Are Doing Now 

Tell me if this has ever happened to you before?

You are at work, hustling away on a  project that is fun and exciting, but for some reason, you cannot stop thinking about what’s happening at home with your wife or girlfriend.

Or you are out on a date with your significant other and, instead of giving them your full attention, you are answering work emails when you are supposed to be connecting and sharing a special moment.

Why the hell is it that we are always thinking about, and focused on everything except for what we are doing right now?

Happiness and success are found when you are able to be completely present in whatever you are doing.

When you are 100% focused on your work, you will be able to solve problems, pivot, and accomplish your tasks with greater speed and efficiency.

Meaning that later in the day, you have the mental bandwidth to focus in on your family and friends 100%.

The more present and focused you can be in one area, the more focus and presence you will be able to bring to the other areas of your life.

2. The Foundation of Success is Self-Care

One of the most underrated and least talked about subjects in the world of entrepreneurship is self-care.

Everyone gets so focused in on the hustle, they get so focused in on grinding it out and being “obsessed” that they forget to take care of #1.

But let me ask you a question…

How much money are you going to make if you are constantly in and out of the hospital with stress-related illnesses?

How effective will you be if you are constantly drained, lethargic, and fatigued?

How successful do you think you will really be if you are not taking care of yourself?

You won’t!

Success without self-care is unsustainable and ultimately unfulfilling.

You must learn to take care of yourself, especially your mental and physical health first and focus on your business second.

Make time every single day to get some form of exercise.

Give yourself those extra 10-15 minutes to meditate and clear your headspace.

Give yourself permission to relax at the end of a long day with a hot bath and some calm music.

If you are not taking care of yourself and your body, you will eventually burn out and fail.

Period.

3. You Cannot Take Things too Seriously 

Look…

Life is short.

So why the hell would you waste one second of your life in an unhappy or depressed state?

Have fun for God’s sake!

Learn to laugh at yourself, laugh at your work, laugh at your success, laugh at your failure, because, at the end of the day, we are all dead anyways, so we might as well enjoy the journey and have a few laughs along the way.

Life isn’t meant to be a constant stress-fest.

It’s meant to be enjoyed with people that you like, doing things that you love.

And guess what?

In every moment, you have the choice to enjoy your life, to have a great time, and to laugh through the hardships or to succumb to the pain and the suffering and allow outside circumstances to dictate your attitude.

You have a choice to enjoy life even when it’s hard.

You have a choice to let go of your ego, stop taking things so damn seriously, and enjoy the ride.

So will you?

4. Stop Going Half Way 

Because of the pressure that many millennials feel from the older generations, a large majority of the young people in Western society are making the grave mistake of building “partial bridges” for the sake of their resume.

What do I mean?

Well, think about it.

Most 18-35-year-olds will change jobs every 2-4 years.

Instead of finding something that they are really passionate about, going all the way and becoming great, they go halfway.

They hop from position to position trying to build their resume and “experience” when all that they really accomplish is becoming ok at a bunch of unrelated crap.

If you really want to become great, then you need to go all the way.

Build your bridges fully.

Commit to one skill, one position, one person and don’t back out when things get tough.

Stick it out and become an expert at your craft.

Because when you do, the rewards will be great.

5. Passion is Made Not Found 

One of the most “bass akwards” beliefs in the 21st century is that you need to find your passion.

In reality, you must make your passions.

Passions aren’t something that you find like a dollar bill on the street.

They are the result of commitment, persistence, and breakthroughs.

How many of you reading this are passionate about music?

Now…

How many of you picked up a guitar for the first time, tried to strum a C chord, sounded terrible and thought to yourself “Yes! I am passionate about this!”?

Not many.

Chances are, you picked up the guitar and you sucked for a long time.

But you stuck with it.

Maybe you wanted to impress that girl or show off that Pearl Jam song to your friends.

But for whatever reason, you stuck with it, and eventually, it became an addiction.

You loved the way that learning new songs and techniques made you feel, you loved the reaction on people’s faces when you started playing their favorite songs, and you loved the feeling of getting into flow while soloing.

And now… It’s a passion.

And that’s how most passions are born.

You don’t know what your passions are until you stick with something long enough to enjoy and understand it.

So realize that you make your passions.

And the better you become at a skill the more passionate you will be about it.

Adam Grant has been recognized as Wharton’s top-rated teacher for five straight years, and as one of the world’s 25 most influential management thinkers and Fortune’s 40 under 40. As an organizational psychologist, he studies how we can find motivation and meaning, and lead more generous and creative lives.

Adam is the author of two New York Times bestselling books translated into 35 languages. Originals and Give and Take.

Adam received a standing ovation for his 2016 TED talk on the surprising habits of original thinkers and was voted the audience’s favorite speaker at The Nantucket Project on the success of givers and takers, which was the subject of his most recent TED talk. His speaking and consulting clients include Facebook, Google, the NBA, Merck, Goldman Sachs, Disney Pixar, Johnson & Johnson, BCG, Amex, the U.S. Army and Navy, and the World Economic Forum, where he has been honored as a Young Global Leader.

Favorite Success Quote

“The best way to succeed is to help other people succeed.”

Key Points

1. Become a Master of “Five Minute Favors”

One of the secret weapons of high performers, their proverbial “special sauce” if you will, is the five-minute favor.

These favors are simple, easy-to-do tasks that can have a huge impact on your network and future success.

One of the simplest examples is devoting 10 minutes a week to connecting at least 2 people you feel need to know each other.

This simple tactic resulted in the formation of the Beatles and Apple.

Another example is taking the extra initiative at work or in the classroom.

Simple things like providing your boss with ten easy-to-implement actions to save the office money or helping a co-worker with a project that they are behind on can drastically increase your social capital and build reciprocal kindness and goodwill.

2. Being an “Original” Is Simple

If you want to be original, the path is simple.

First, avoid the status quo.

Second, look for a new way to do things.

And third come up with a superfluous number of ideas, even bad ideas, until you find the solution for which you’re looking.

Many people seem to think that being an “Original” is a complicated process that requires psychedelic drugs, a MENSA IQ, or a real creative genius.

But the simple truth is that all non-conformists, originals, and real industry disrupters have followed the same three steps.

3. Learn to Reframe the Mundane 

One of the most immediate and impactful ways that you can increase your own levels of happiness and satisfaction is to reframe the mundane tasks in your life and find a way to enjoy them.

The simplest example is email.

How many of you spend at least an hour a day sorting through, organizing, and responding to emails?

How many of you think that one hour sucks?

I get it…

It might seem hard to reframe this seemingly sucky task into something that is genuinely meaningful and enjoyable, but just imagine if you could.

Imagine if instead of seeing your email as a drudgery, a  life-sucking task, you saw it as an opportunity.

An opportunity to touch every life with which you connect.

An opportunity to inspire love, gratitude, and empowerment in every interaction.

Because isn’t that exactly what it is?

It’s a chance for you to connect with people from all around the globe and inspire them with your attitude, your mindset, and your values.

When you approach it from this angle and with this mindset, checking your email because an empowering and exciting task because, instead of thinking “How many freaking message do I have to handle” you get to think “How many lives will I get to shape?”

4. Being an “Original” Is About Execution Not Ideation

Being an original has nothing to do with the idea.

Everyone, if they think about it long enough, can develop a “Billion dollar idea” that would change the world and disrupt entire industries.

But they never take the requisite action.

They allow their dreams, their hopes, and their ideas to wither away and die because they cannot bring themselves to execute.

They take their ideas with them to the graveyard because they were unwilling to take action on those ideas!

At the end of the day, those who truly succeed and shape the world are those who are willing to take ideas and run with them.

To take massive action in the face of uncertainty, and give their idea the chance to see the light of day.

5. Fear the Failure to Try

Many gurus and self-help proponents shame the fear of failure.

They instill a toxic belief that fearing failure is a bad thing.

But the simple truth is that you should fear failure.

In fact, it should scare the hell out of you!

But not in the way that most people imagine.

You shouldn’t fear the failure of your business, your relationship, or your bank account… you should fear your own failure to try.

At the end of the day, when you lie in your bed, weathered by time, and near the end, you will not look back in regret on the things that you tried and failed.

You will look back with regret on the times that you failed to try.

You will wonder “What if” I had asked her to marry me?

You will wonder “What if” I had started that business?

You will wonder “What if” I had embraced my truth and lived a life that was in alignment with my values and my beliefs instead of allowing my family and society to dictate my actions.

Because at the end of the day, we are all dead men.

The worst thing that can happen to you, death, is already a certainty.

So don’t fear failing to succeed.

Fear failing to try.

Jocko Willink is a decorated retired Navy SEAL officer, author of the book Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win, and co-founder of Echelon Front, where he is a leadership instructor, speaker, and executive coach. Jocko spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy SEAL Teams, starting as an enlisted SEAL and rising through the ranks to become a SEAL officer. As commander of SEAL Team Three’s Task Unit Bruiser during the battle of Ramadi, he orchestrated SEAL operations that helped the “Ready First” Brigade of the US Army’s First Armored Division bring stability to the violent, war-torn city.

As commander of SEAL Team Three’s Task Unit Bruiser during the battle of Ramadi, he orchestrated SEAL operations that helped the “Ready First” Brigade of the US Army’s First Armored Division bring stability to the violent, war-torn city.

Task Unit Bruiser became the most highly decorated Special Operations Unit of the Iraq War. Jocko returned from Iraq to serve as Officer-in-Charge of training for all West Coast SEAL Teams. There, he spearheaded the development of leadership training and personally instructed and mentored the next generation of SEAL leaders who have continued to perform with great success on the battlefield.

During his career, Jocko was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and numerous other personal and unit awards. In 2010, Jocko retired from the Navy and launched Echelon Front where he teaches the leadership principles he learned on the battlefield to help others lead and win. Clients include individuals, teams, companies, and organizations across a wide-range of industries and fields.

Favorite Success Quote

“Discipline equals freedom”

Key Points

1. Discipline Gives You True Freedom

If you want freedom, then forget all the crap about life hacks, smart drugs, and shortcuts.

If you want freedom, then you must cultivate extreme levels of discipline.

Period.

I don’t care if you want to do the important things.

Do them.

I don’t care if you feel like handling your responsibilities.

Handle them.

I don’t care if you want to wake up early and grind.

Just fucking rise and grind.

Discipline equals freedom.

2. You Have to Be Humble

Once you have cultivated discipline and overcome your weakness and propensity to allow your feelings in the moment to dictate your life, arrogance becomes your most dangerous enemy.

Just because you have achieved a certain level of success does not mean that you have it figured out.

The day that you think you know it all, the day that you stop trying to grow, and the day you stop learning from others…

That’s the day that you will fall and you will fall hard.

3. Take Extreme Ownership 

Whatever circumstances life has given you, it’s time to man up and own them.

Step up and take charge of the results that you are producing or failing to produce.

Take ownership of your marriage, your business, and your finances.

Sure, you can piss away your time blaming others, whining, and moaning.

But you will lose respect from the people who matter and accomplish nothing in the process.

Or, you can let go of your ego, accept responsibility, and take extreme ownership.

And when are willing to swallow your pride and take ownership of your life and success, you will cultivate respect for yourself and respect from others.

4. Detach Emotions from Your Decision-Making Process 

If you want to sabotage your success and ruin all chances of high achievement, then allow your emotions to dictate your decision making.

If you want to achieve greatly, lead effectively, and create massive success in your life, then learn to detach your emotions from important decisions.

I don’t care if you like an under-performing employee and feel bad about letting them go.

If you have done everything you can to empower them and call them forward, and they still fail… it’s time to let them go.

I don’t care if you don’t feel like getting up and doing your work for the day.

It’s time to rise and hustle.

When it comes to important decisions, you must lead with logic.

I don’t care how you feel.

Feelings don’t win wars, build businesses, or change the world.

Smart and consistent action does. 

5. Win the Mornings and Win Your Day 

If you want to have great days, then start with great mornings.

Jocko rises every morning at 4:30 a.m. and hits the gym long before distractions or other people’s agendas can start to distract him and interfere with his goals.

To achieve high levels of success, you must accomplish your most important tasks first thing every morning before the rest of the world is awake.

If you can do this, success is all but guaranteed.

If you're struggling with an existential crisis, this guide will help. 

I don't have all of the answers, but I've been through the ringer. 

From quitting my job to devastating breakups, to losing my father and best friend in the same month... I've been through challenges that have made me question the purpose of life and my place inside of it. 

And this is how I overcame those challenges. 

Isaac Lidsky “may possess the most eclectic resume in entrepreneurship” according to Inc. Magazine.

He played series regular “Weasel” on Saved by the Bell: The New Class; graduated from Harvard College at age nineteen with a degree in mathematics and computer science; graduated from Harvard Law School magna cum laude; served as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg; argued more than a dozen appeals in federal court on behalf of the United States and never lost a case; started a tech company that sold for $230 million; transformed a struggling $15 million concrete subcontractor into an industry-leading $150 million construction services company in five years; and founded Hope for Vision, a nonprofit organization that funds the development of treatments and cures for blinding diseases.

Lidsky was born with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a rare degenerative disease of the retina that caused him to gradually lose his sight. Lidsky lives in Windermere, Florida with his wife, Dorothy; their triplets, Lily Louise, Phineas, and Thaddeus; and baby Clementine.

Favorite Success Quote

“Try not to become a man of success, rather become a man of value” ~Albert Einstein

Key Points

1. Make Your Own Definition of Success

Each and every day, we are bombarded by images, videos, and social diatribes about what it means to be a success.

Fancy cars overtake us in traffic, well-dressed men dating beautiful models captivate our attention, and the “Houses in the Hills” earn both our scorn and envy.

And most of us allow this societal autopilot to determine our goals, dreams, and ambitions.

We all want to make millions, sleep with beautiful women, and have a luxurious lifestyle, but we never stop to ask ourselves why.

We define our success by the world’s standards instead of our own, and as a result, most of us are angry, confused, and frustrated.

But there is another way.

You have the power to create your own definition of success.

To decide for yourself what is important and what is not.

To create your own goals based on your deepest values and desires.

Forget what society says.

Success is subjective.

If you wake up each morning, happy, fulfilled, and full of life, then you are a success.

The only question that remains for you to answer is “What is my definition of success”?

2. Your Reality is Determined by Your Choices 

If you are drawing breath and reading this paragraph right now, then chances are, you have been through the ringer.

And if you haven’t, then you might want to put on your raincoat, because there are a couple of storms on the horizon that are headed in your direction.

Struggle is an axiom of the human experience.

Everyone has challenges, problems, and setbacks.

So why is it that two people who are faced with exactly the same circumstance can create massively different results?

One simple word.

Choice.

In each moment, you have the power to choose how your circumstances will affect you.

You can choose to believe that life is happening for you, that everything happens for a reason, and that you will achieve your goals and dreams.

Or you can choose to believe that life is happening to you, that people are all inherently evil and trying to hurt you, and that you are doomed to a life of failure.

The choice is yours.

But as the Knight in Indiana Jones said “Choose wisely.”

3. There is No Tomorrow 

Yesterday no longer exists.

It is nothing more than a series of mental projections that often occurred in a completely different manner than you remember.

Tomorrow has not yet arrived and never will.

All that we have is right now.

This present moment.

Take a minute to appreciate it.

Enjoy the next breath you take, feel the chair underneath you, listen to the sounds around you.

Each moment that we have is a gift, you must learn to appreciate it and be grateful for it instead of waiting for a tomorrow or “Someday” that may never come.

4. Reframe Fears as Fiction

In AA, they define fear as “False evidence appearing real”.

And truthfully, that is all that it is.

Most of the things that we worry about, lose sleep over, and allow to paralyze us will never come to fruition.

The worst case scenarios almost never happen, and when they do, they are rarely as awful as we initially imagined.

Fear is nothing but fiction.

Every fear that is holding you back and preventing you from achieving your greatness is little more than fiction.

It is a projection that your 10,000+ year old brain is creating to try and keep you safe from an imaginary fate.

Realize this.

Embrace this.

And step into your fear and take massive action.

5. Get Congruent with Your Values 

We live in a world that utterly and completely lacks integrity.

I don’t mean this in the sense that we all run around lying and breaking our promises, but rather in the sense that what we think, say, and do rarely align.

Most people think that they want to be rich, they say that they want to be well-off, and then they act like they want to be poor.

People say think that they want to be shredded and healthy, they say that they want to be in “Decent shape”, and then they act like their body is a playground to use and abuse.

People are rarely congruent and almost never in integrity with their values.

You need to realize that you cannot have your cake and eat it too.

You cannot say that you value health and well being and then abuse your body, skip the gym, and deprive yourself of sleep.

You cannot say that you value wealth and then spend every penny you make and waste hours on end in front of the television.

If you want to be successful, whatever your definition of success is, then the first step is to get in integrity with your values.

What do you want? Say it.

And once you say it, go and do it.

It’s that simple.

Nicolas Cole is a former pro World of Warcraft player turned entrepreneur.

He is writer and essayist, and a Top Writer on Quora. His work has been published in Time, Forbes, Fortune, Inc., The Huffington Post, Business Insider, and more. He is best known for writing true stories about self-development.

He recently authored the book, Confessions of a Teenage Gamer. 

Favorite Success Quote

“You can’t steer a stationary ship”

Key Points

1. There Are Always Lessons to Be Learned 

Few people consider video games to be a vehicle for learning powerful life and business lessons.

However, according to Nicolas, the exact same skills and strategies that made him a phenomenal World of Warcraft player were the exact same skills that translated into professional body building, entrepreneurship, and writing.

And while I am not suggesting that you go and become a professional gamer to build up your resume for the business world, you need to realize that there are life lessons to be learned in almost any endeavor.

Because the rules of success are universal.

The same laws that governed your success in the gym will govern your success in business.

The same laws that governed your success in business will govern your success with women.

Understand that there are always lessons to be learned and look for ways that you can apply seemingly disparate concepts and ideas from one area of life to achieve success in another.

2. Feel Don’t Think

If you ever watched Star Wars growing up, then you probably remember Obi Wan’s famous line to Anakin in Attack of the Clones “Feel. Don’t think.. Use your instinct.”

And while I am not training you to bring balance to the force or defeat the dark side, this same truth is applicable in our everyday, non-Jedi lives.

People, especially men, think too much.

We allow logic and egoic reasoning to dictate what we want (or what we say we want) and what goals we pursue.

But if you want to be truly happy.

If you want more joy and fulfillment in your life, and you want to live for your true purpose, then you need to feel your way through life.

When you trust your instincts instead of your head, you will be in greater alignment with your true purpose and your actual desires.

So drop the logic and just feel.

What do you really want? Who do you really want to become? And most importantly… Why?

3. Learn to Gamify Your Life

If you want to quickly achieve success in life and business, then stop taking it so damn seriously.

Relax and gamify your experience.

See your different goals and dreams as quests. And in order to achieve those quests, you need to “level up” by practicing different skills and breaking through different milestones.

When you begin to view your life and goals as a game, they start to become less of a chore, and more of an adventure.

How can you begin to gamify your life more, starting today?

4. You’ve Got to Start the Quest 

Once you have created a “quest” that you are going to pursue… You have to get started.

You cannot hope to achieve success without taking action and actually taking the first step towards your dreams.

I don’t care what this step is. It can be buying a new domain name, writing your first blog article, or launching your podcast.

Just do something.

Just get started.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step ~Lao Tzu

5. Learn to Hustle 

If you want to achieve success, then you’ve gotta hustle.

This applies to professional gaming, entrepreneurship, bodybuilding, and success with women.

You can have whatever you want, but you have to work for it.

You have to get off your butt, show up, and do the work.

If you are willing to do this day in and day out over the years, you will succeed.

It will not be all at once, but over time, as Charlie Munger said, “If you live long enough, most people will get what they deserve.”

William Eckstrom is the President and founder of the EcSell Institute. Bill has spent his entire career in the sales arena; the first 14 years in personal production and then 13 in various sales leadership roles.

His management career began in 2000 as a District Manager for a medical equipment company and was promoted to U.S. Director of Sales in 2003. In 2004, Bill was lured away to become Senior Vice President of Business Development for a publicly traded healthcare organization. In 2008, he founded the EcSell Institute to fill a void he witnessed and personally experienced in the sales leadership

Favorite Success Quote

“The constant facade of order hides the wilderness that is craving to seek out and teach us that life wasn’t created to be what we think it is. Beyond words we must experience the wilderness to be taught what otherwise cannot be known.” ~Dr. Serene Jones

Key Points

1. We Only Grow in a State of Discomfort 

We live in an age of unprecedented comfort.

Things are easier today in 2017 (or whenever you are reading this) than they have ever been before.

If we get hot, we turn up the AC. If we get bored, we open up YouTube. If we are hungry, we order a pizza.

Life is too darn easy!

And with this ease, has come a disease that is plaguing society.

The disease of stagnation.

The more comfortable you become, the less drive and ambition you have to grow, create, and build a better life for yourself.

The more comfortable you become, the easier it is to relegate your dreams, desires, and aspirations to the realm of “someday”.

Unless you are facing massive discomfort in your life, then odds are, you are slowly dying.

True growth, real, visceral growth is always predicated by discomfort.

If you are living a mediocre life and want to break free to achieve levels of success and happiness that you have been searching for for so long, then you must get uncomfortable.

It’s as simple as that.

It’s not pretty and it’s not easy… but it is the truth.

You need to actively seek out discomfort in your career, your personal growth, and your physical health.

If your job isn’t inspiring you, then find ways that you can take on new and uncomfortable responsibilities or quit.

If you are not growing as a man and becoming stronger and more grounded each and every day, then find mentors and friends inspire you to level up your game and quit playing it small.

If you are not constantly pushing the limits of your body and breaking through to new feats of strength, speed, and agility, then get your butt in the gym today and start sculpting yourself into a stronger man.

Gentlemen, if you are not growing you are dying.

It’s time to cut the crap and start living life.

And it all starts by stepping outside what is easy and embracing discomfort.

2. Focus on Yourself First

If you have ever been on an airplane, then you are well aware of the boring (and often ignored) safety briefings at the beginning of each flight.

But if you pay special attention during those briefings you will notice something interesting.

The flight attendants will always tell you that, in the event of a crash, you need to put the oxygen mask on yourself first before helping anyone around you, including your children.

And while this might sound selfish and downright barbaric to some of you, it comes with good reason.

If you black out on during the crash while trying to help someone else, then what have you accomplished?

You have likely killed yourself and sealed the other person’s fate as well.

And this lesson is applicable in all areas of life.

If you are not taking care of yourself, if you are not taking the time to grow yourself, mentally, spiritually, and professionally, then what use do you have to the rest of the world?

If you are so strung out on projects and problems that you can’t think straight and need a double shot of espresso and a line of cocaine just to function, do you really think that you will be able to be the man that you woman needs you to be? That your family needs you to be? That your friends need you to be?

No!

Absolute selflessness is the ultimate selfishness.

It is only by taking care of yourself first that you can truly serve others.

If you want to truly serve your team, your loved ones, and your friends, then start by serving yourself.

Take time in solitude each day to meditate and be alone with your thoughts.

Take care of your health.

Take whatever time and resources are necessary to ensure that you can show up fully charged and alive.

Because when you are can unleash yourself on the world with power and energy, that’s when you can serve others and make the biggest impact.

3. Life Happens for You Not to You

Each and every day you have a choice.

You can choose to believe that the circumstances and the events in your life are happening to you.

Or you can choose to believe that they are happening for you.

When you believe that life happens to you, you disempower yourself, rob your life of meaning and purpose, and will get lost in the downward spiral of negativity.

But when you can expand your mind and embrace the belief that life is happening for you, you will begin to see lessons and opportunities where previously, there were only obstacles.

If Bill hadn’t been fired from his job, I would not be writing this article and would not have had the pleasure of interviewing him.

If I hadn’t quit corporate and endured the pain of sleeping on my brother’s couch and going broke to build this business, then I wouldn’t have been privileged to have the business and the impact that I have today.

Whatever situation you are facing in your life, whatever struggle you don’t believe you can overcome, choose to reframe it and see it as a gift from the universe.

See your pain as an opportunity to grow and become the man that you need to be so that you can truly achieve greatness when the time comes.

4.Realize that the Journey Never Ends

As you are reading or listening to this talk about discomfort, many of you might be thinking “When does this end? When can I sit back and relax and just enjoy all the comforts and ease life has to offer?”

The honest answer?

When you are dead.

You see, life is a journey.

And while you are on that journey, you are either growing or dying.

It doesn’t matter how old you are, how accomplished you are, or how much you have achieved, in every moment you can either choose growth or death.

If you look at the statistics you will see that a large number of retirees die shortly after they leave their jobs, businesses, and careers behind.

And this isn’t because of old age.

It’s because they were no longer growing. Because they no longer had a deeper purpose driving their lives.

So yes, you can embrace comfort and just coast through life.

Just be prepared for decades of unfulfilling drudgery and overwhelming emptiness.

However, if you are listening to this podcast, if you are actively seeking out information that will help you grow to become the man you were born to be, then I would guess that you have no interest in coasting.

And if this is true, then you need to embrace discomfort.

Embrace the fact that until the day you die, you will never arrive, you will never be done, and the journey will never end.

Life is nothing more than a continual set of problems for which you are tasked to find the solution.

If you do it right, these problems will grow in size and magnitude as you grow.

But they will never end.

Embrace the journey and get excited about discomfort.

5. Focus on Your Passions 

There has never been a time in human history where it was easier or more important to find and follow your passion.

With the power of the internet, you have the opportunity and the responsibility to find what you love and unleash it on the world.

It’s time to start living your life and stop living someone else’s.

Find what you love doing and go do that!

Stop squandering your time pursuing dreams and goals set by other people and start doing what you were meant to do.

If you get nothing else from this interview, get this.

You are meant to do so much more than you can imagine. But to do this, you must embrace discomfort and follow your passions no matter what the cost.

Period.

A 24 year veteran of the FBI, Chris Voss is one of the preeminent practitioners and professors of negotiating skills in the world. He is the founder and principal of The Black Swan Group, a consulting firm that provides training and advises Fortune 500 companies through complex negotiations.

Voss has taught for many business schools, including the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business, Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, Harvard University, MIT’s Sloan School of Management, and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, among others.

Favorite Success Quote

“It can’t be that hard” ~Chris Voss

Key Points

1. Just Jump in and Figure it Out 

Whatever it is that you want to do, whatever goal you want to achieve, whatever business you want to start, whatever dream you want to pursue…

Just jump in and do it.

How hard can it be?

If other men have come before you and accomplished goals of the same or similar magnitude, then why not you?

Why shouldn’t you be able to gain the knowledge, skill sets, and expertise you need to succeed?

Don’t overthink it.

Don’t waste time analyzing it.

Just jump in and figure it out.

2. Don’t Talk to Somone. Talk with Them 

One of the keys to great negotiation and communication is that you must talk with people, not just to them.

Too many people walk around running their mouths and talking to people, but they never actually take the time to slow down and listen to them.

They never talk with them to figure out who they really are and what they are saying.

If you want to immediately improve the quality of your negotiations at work, your communication in your marriage, and the quality of conversation with your friends, then start talking with people in your life.

Figure out what really makes them tick.

Delve deeply into the why behind their comments and beliefs.

Become deeply curious about them and you will find doors opening up in some huge ways.

3. Surround Yourself with the Right People

Regardless of your goals and ambitions, it is imperative that you surround yourself with the right people.

People who are smart, hard working, fun, and most importantly… people who know things that you do not.

If you are the smartest person in any room, then you are in the wrong room.

As you progress through life, seek to find rooms that make you more and more uncomfortable. Rooms that are filled with people who are so big and powerful that you are forced to pause and think “Do I really belong here?”

The more that you can surround yourself with the right people, the more quickly you will become the right person in your own life.

So ditch the negative friends and the unambitious buddies from college.

It’s time to level up your social circle and level up your life.

4. Work Hard and Have Fun

The rules of success are simple.

Work hard and have fun.

At the end of the day, if you can do those two things, then you are a success.

If you can show up, put in the effort, get your nose to the grindstone and make things happen while laughing, smiling, and enjoying yourself, then you have achieved success.

To live a fulfilling and rich life, you must work hard.

But you must also have fun while doing it.

5. Take Good Advice 

Most people want mentors.

They want teachers and guides who can help them to achieve their goals and live a 10/10 life.

But when they finally find those people and are given their first challenging piece of advice, they run and hide, ignoring the very thing that could revolutionize their reality.

If you want to succeed, then learn to take good advice.

No matter how hard or uncomfortable it might be, when you find someone succeeding at a high level who has what you want… Listen and implement what they say.

No questions asked and no hesitation.

Todd Henry is the founder of Accidental Creative, a company that helps creative people and teams be prolific, brilliant and healthy. He regularly speaks and consults with companies about how to develop practices that lead to everyday brilliance.

He is the author of Die Empty, The Accidental Creative, and Louder than Words.

Favorite Success Quote

“Verily the lust for comfort murders the passion of our soul and then walks grinning in the funeral” ~Kahlil Gibran

Key Points

1. The Goal of Life is Not Comfort it’s Contribution

Society has tried to convince us that the ultimate goal of our lives is to increase our comfort.

But the problem with this philosophy is that no great work ever came from comfort.

You cannot contribute to society and build a true legacy while staying comfortable.

In fact, comfort is what kills great work and dreams.

The more you are pursuing comfort, the more you are going to be willing to compromise what you know is right and ultimately the more you are willing to reduce your goals and play it small in life.

It’s not comfortable to build a great business.

It’s hard work, it requires long hours, and lots of lost sleep.

It’s not comfortable to sustain a strong marriage.

It requires difficult conversations, a commitment to your spouse even when they are at their worst, and the ability to say no to the temptation of other women.

It’s not comfortable to build a great body.

It requires strenuous exercise, denying yourself the pleasure of excess food, and controlling vices that would harm your health.

But while it might not be comfortable to do any of these things, it is worth it.

2. Suffering is Not Evil

One of the missions of many modern gurus is to “Eradicate suffering wherever it exists”.

And while this sentiment sounds noble, when you understand its ramifications, the truth becomes clear.

Suffering is not evil, it is not wrong, and it is not a danger to society.

Suffering is a necessary part of growth and development.

Suffering builds character in the individual and equips them for challenges that they will face later in life.

I want you to imagine two men.

The first grew up in NYC, with rich affluent parents, and the whole world presented to him.

The second, grew up in the South Side of Chicago, with an abusive father and an emotionally distant mother.

They both grow up, and decide to take up the mantle of entrepreneurship.

When the first man comes in contact with his first set of challenges, what do you think will happen?

When he is required to work for 24 hours straight, to fire a dear friend, and to pull payroll from his own bank account… how do you think he will respond?

While he might rise to the situation and surprise us all, odds are, his love of comfort and soft life will have conditioned him to tuck his tail and run.

But the second man?

The man who became friends with pain and suffering from a very young age?

What do you think he will do?

He will laugh.

This is nothing compared to where he came from and he knows that he can easily overcome these obstacles to achieve his goals.

Suffering breeds strong men and strong men shape the world.

While you shouldn’t seek to suffer more than is necessary, you should embrace suffering as it arises and be willing to see it for the gift that it is.

3.Contemplate Your Own Death 

We are all going to die.

Maybe Elon Musk will step in and save the population from its rapidly approaching fate, but until then, the only axiom of life is the inevitability of death.

You are going to die, I am going to die, and everyone who reads this is going to die.

And when we are presented with this reality, we have but one of two choices.

We can either continue living life like we always have, lazily coasting through our days, living the deferred life that everyone else has designed for us.

Or we can take action.

We can use this disturbing and dark reality to inspire us and empower us to live our best lives.

If tomorrow is not guaranteed then you can no longer waste today.

Don’t wait until later to tell someone that you love them, don’t wait until next week to start pursuing your dreams, and don’t wait a second longer to start living with joy and passion.

We are all dead men walking.

So we might as well make the most of it.

4. Make Mistakes of Commission Not Omission

There are only two kinds of mistakes in this world.

Mistakes of omission and mistakes of commission.

Mistakes of omission are the worst kind.

These mistakes are where we knew we needed to do something, desperately wanted to take action, but froze in fear.

These are the mistakes where we think back and wonder “What would have happened if I had taken that trip, quit that job, asked that girl out, or been willing to be my true self.”

These are the mistakes that haunt us to our death bed.

Then there are mistakes of commission.

These are the mistakes that we will most often look back and smile on.

These are the mistakes where we started that business, made a bad move, and then failed and learned what we needed to for our next venture.

These are the mistakes where we drop out of school, travel the world, lose everything and have to rebuild. But, we had a heck of a time doing it, met some amazing people, and lived a fuller life for it.

These are the mistakes where we go up and talk to the girl, ask for her number, and then get shot down. But we laugh it off, go back to our buddies and try again.

Mistakes of commission at the best, help us in future endeavors, and at worst teach us lessons.

You have a choice.

You can either make mistakes of omission and live the rest of your life wondering “what if” or you can make mistakes of commission and live the rest of your life saying “At least I tried”.

5. Are You Loving People Through Your Work or Using Them?

At all times you are either loving people through your work or using them through your work.

There is no in between.

When you use people through your work, sure you can make a few dollars.

But how long will it last?

How long until people say, “Enough! I am sick of this”?

When you love people through your work, you might find that the money comes a little bit slower (trust me though it will come) but the fulfillment flows in abundance.

You know that every post you write, every video you publish, and every product you sell is ultimately helping people, engaging people, and pushing them further in their journey to become their best selves.

When you can use your business to love people, the flood gates of the universe will open to you and you will start to see love and abundance show up in your lives in a way that you never could have imagined.

Sean Ogle is a former 9-5er turned lifestyle entrepreneur.

Since 2009, Sean has built his company Location Rebel into one of the premier digital nomad and location independence blogs on the internet.

After quitting the corporate world, Sean was able to grow his company to multiple six figures in revenue and create a lifestyle of total freedom, travelling to dozens of countries, and exploring parts of the world many people didn’t even know existed.

Favorite Success Quote

“Comparison is the thief of joy” ~Theodore Roosevelt

Key Points

1. Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

One of the most pervasive problems in our hyper “connected” society is the prevalence of the comparison mindset.

No matter how great you are doing in your business, health, and relationships, someone is always doing better, and after 30-seconds of surfing through Instagram you are immediately reminded that you are not the biggest fish in the pond.

But guess what?

It’s ok.

Every single person is on their own unique journey to success.

We all have our own path to chart and our own roads to travel.

And comparing yourself to others (whose story and struggle you are completely unaware of) is the fastest way to sabotage your own success and happiness.

It is one thing to aspire to a certain level of success.

It is another thing entirely to degrade your own journey and achievement by comparing yourself to other people who had an entirely different set of skills and advantages when they entered the game.

Cut out the comparison and you will cut out a vast majority of your unhappiness.

2. Start with the Basics 

So often whenever people are getting started on their journey to freedom and location independence, they want to focus on the sexy businesses.

They want the six figure membership site, the 7-figure ecommerce store, and the high ticket coaching and consulting gigs.

But what most people don’t realize is that these types of businesses require an incredible level of skill and knowledge to build.

You need to start with the unattractive basics first.

Select a skill like SEO, copywriting, or web design.

Become extremely proficient in that skill until you can make a full time living as a freelancer.

Then, once you have the bills paid for and the ability to work from anywhere in the world, start applying those skills to your own “Freedom Business.”

Without the basics, you will fail at creating the “sexy” business every single time.

3. Consistency is the Key to Success

True success comes from one thing.

Consistency.

It doesn’t matter whether you devote 2 hours a day or 20 hours a day.

As long as you are doing something to grow your skillset or business every single day, you will achieve success in a relatively short amount of time.

By making a 2-hour daily commitment over the next 18 months, you can quit your job, travel the world, and make more income than you ever thought possible.

But it requires consistency.

You can’t just work 80 hours on your freedom business one week, and then forget about it for three months.

You need to lay the foundation every single day and keep piling up those bricks until you reach the level of success that you desire.

4. Focus on Vulnerability, Not Perfection

One of the biggest road blocks that most entrepreneurs come across is that they are striving for perfection.

Perfection in their content creation, perfection in their product creation, and perfection in every aspect of business execution.

This is a mistake.

The world responds to vulnerability, not meticulously written articles that require a month of editing.

Be raw, be real, tell people what is really going on.

The more vulnerable you are, the more people will be able to relate with you and the more of an impact you will be able to have.

Don’t try to be perfect.

Just be real and the results will come.

5. Realize that Uncertainty is the Greatest Killer of Dreams 

“People will choose unhappiness over uncertainty” ~Tim Ferriss

People are scared of the unknown.

It’s just how we are wired.

We are terrified of the “ifs” surrounding our lives.

What if she rejects me?

What if this business fails?

What if I lose it all?

But what people forget is that 9 times out of ten, the worst case scenario, the “if” that we are so scared of is extremely unlikely.

And even if it happens, it’s almost never as bad as people think it will be.

So what if you start a business and it fails.

You can lick your wounds and return to the corporate world or you can start over and try again.

But if you succeed, you will have a life that you can only imagine right now.

So what if that hot girl rejects you?

Odds are she will let you down gently and you will still be the only guy in your social circle with the balls to talk to her.

And best case is that she is amazing and you end up in a happy fulfilled relationship.

With most uncertainty in life, there is a disproportionate reward to risk ratio.

Meaning that whatever you are scared of and uncertain about will typically result in a small potential loss, but has the potential for massive long term gain.

After sticking out his thumb and traveling the world, David returned home to Austin, Texas broke and unemployed, at the age of 26. Though his travels may not have yielded wealth, they instilled the key motivation that he brings to every part of his life to create it — freedom.

Through this intention, David began to test his entrepreneurial merits alongside his business-partner mom in the world of real estate. The results were nothing short of remarkable. In less than 10 years, David would go on to build one of the top real estate brokerages in the world, founding over 50 companies.

Yet, more than anything else, the inherent freedom derived from his success awards him the time to focus on the importance on what matters most: being a proud father of two beloved daughters, a son and husband to the wonderful and talented Traci Osborn.

Today, still rooted in his boundless sense of adventure, David continues to travel the world not only to be enlightened by new experiences, but to share his insight and expertise with others so they, too, can truly be free.

Favorite Success Quote

“If you go to work on your goals, your goals will work on you. If you go to work on your plan, your plans will go to work on you. Whatever good things we build end up building us.” ~Jim Rohn

Key Points

1. Create Your Vision and Get to Work on It 

Most people are simply coasting through life.

They live each day in a reactive mindset, allowing circumstances and the whims of others to control their emotions and outcomes.

And most people are miserable.

They are uninspired, financially and emotionally poor.

But you don’t have to be like most people.

The first step to breaking out of the mold that society has cast you into is to take responsibility for your future and make the major definite decision about what you want.

Who do you want to be? What do you want to contribute? How much wealth do you want to accumulate? What is your plan for achieving it?

Creating a vision for your life and achieving that vision is possible.

But it will require you to think differently, it will require that you make difficult decisions, and it will require that you put in the work.

But ten years from now, you will surely arrive…

The only question is who will you arrive as?

Will you be the man that society wanted you to be?

Or the man that you want to be?

2. You Have to Beat Your “Hopium” Addiction

Most entrepreneurs suffer from a strong addiction to a sinister substance that is the insidious destroyer of goals and dreams.

“Hopium”

This drug isn’t something that you snort, inject, or smoke, but rather it is a mindset that permeates every aspect of your life and (if you are not careful) can destroy every aspect of your life.

You see, entrepreneurship is challenging, and it requires that you have a positive outlook and a strong mindset.

However, this mindset often leads many entrepreneurs to make assumptions and hold unfounded beliefs about the future of their lives and business that simply aren’t based in reality.

They get overly excited about what might come to pass, they put too much emphasis on what is happening in their business right now and not enough on the possible downsides that could happen in the future.

This dangerous addiction blinds many entrepreneurs to the reality of the business world and causes many fortunes to be flushed down the drain.

If you want to wean yourself off this potent “substance” the first step is to cultivate a sense of positive skepticism.

This does not mean that you approach every deal, hire, or project with a negative attitude, it simply means that you look at it for what it is and ask yourself “Where will this go wrong”.

For example, if you are expanding your company and opening up a new branch, before you sign a $20,000/month lease, ask yourself “How could this decision negatively affect my financial future and stability.”

After some careful thought you realize that this new territory has not been proven yet.

You only have one agent and have no idea how your new branch will perform.

Therefor you make the decision to run a 90-day trial period with no branch location.

You meet up with your representatives and agents at local coffee shops, and wait until they have proven results.

Once the cash flow becomes positive, then you can sign a lease for an office building.

3. Become a “One-hundred Percenter”

The first step to truly living a life on your terms, a life by design, an extraordinary life, is to become a “100%er.”

This grammatically incorrect (yet wildly powerful) term simply means that 100% of your monthly expenses are covered by passive income.

You could get into a car accident, or lose your biggest client, or sell your house and go backpacking across India and you would never have to worry about finances because 100% of your expenses are covered by passive income.

This is a powerful goal that most authority figures on money and financial freedom do not teach.

Who cares how much you can earn if you are constantly living in fear knowing that one bad deal or one lost client could result in a tumultuous end to your financial income.

Your #1 goal for the first part of your financial life should be to build up enough passive income that you never have to work again.

Once this goal is achieved you have true freedom.

You can sleep in every day, watch reruns of loony tunes in your underwear and play xbox for hours on end (not an outcome we recommend).

You can dance your happy tail across South America.

You can continue building wealth and growing businesses.

Or you can devote more time to your faith and your family.

Becoming a 100%er means that you can do whatever you want because you have true financial freedom, and the quicker you can achieve this goal, the quicker you will be able to live a life on your terms.

4. Real Talent Cares More About Upside than Income

Your goal in business should be to “fire” yourself and hire people who are better at your job than you are.

Your goal is to build an empire.

And to build an empire you must become a master at finding and hiring talent.

And with this job comes one critical misconception.

Most entrepreneurs think that great talent cares only about the income that you can offer them, but in truth, talent cares more about upside than anything else.

Ok, so their base pay is only $50,000  a year…

But what is their long term potential when you include bonuses, equity, and commission?

If you offer enough incentives, you will attract incredible talent into your business.

But you have to learn how to create contracts that build up “golden handcuffs” offering your new hires the ability to earn as much as they want… provided that they are earning you even more income in the process.

5. Constantly Grow and Educate Yourself  

The key to all success in life lies in education and massive action.

If you are not constantly expanding your mind, skill sets, and patterns of thought, then you are contracting them.

And if you are not constantly taking action on the new information that you are learning then you haven’t truly learned anything at all.

Your first priority in life should always be to expand your knowledge and skill sets so that you are equipped to face whatever challenges life might throw at you.

From finances to health to relationships, expand your mind and your reality will follow.

Brandon Carter has been one of the top personal trainers and nutritionists in North America for over 10 years. He has worked as a fitness model for Nike, Puma, Adidas, Men’s Health, and many others.

Brandon has trained a number of professional athletes and models.

Brandon is the author of the #1 best-selling ebook “Ultimate Cuts: 7 Secrets To Burn Fast As Hell” among several others.

Favorite Success Quote

“Your approval or disapproval means nothing to me” ~Jesus

Key Points

1. Consistency is the Key to All Success

Most successful people are not successful because of genetics, luck, or inheritance.

They are successful because they just didn’t give up.

No matter how hard it got, no matter what challenges arose, they never gave up, never surrendered, and kept pushing forward to achieve the life of their dreams.

Tony Robbins has an old saying that “You overestimate what you can do in a year but underestimate what you can do in two or three decades.”

And the simple truth is that most people die unsuccessful and unfulfilled because they were not willing to power through the decades of struggle to become successful.

If you want to succeed, then don’t quit.

Plain and simple.

2. There is No Failure Simply Data

In life, there is no failure, there is just input and data.

Imagine that you go up to a beautiful woman to try and get her number.

In your approach, you lack confidence, your voice cracks, you can’t hold eye contact, and after mumbling inaudibly for about two minutes, she curtly tells you that she is not interested.

Is this a failure?

No, it is simply data about what doesn’t work.

Now, you know that the next time you go to approach a beautiful girl, you need to stand with confidence, project your voice, hold eye contact, and portray the fact that you are a strong grounded man.

The same is true in business and in health.

Even if you lose millions of dollars, it’s not a failure, it’s simply data that will inform your decisions in the future.

If you waste two years with the same low-level exercise program without seeing results, you have not failed, you have simply gathered data about what doesn’t work.

3.  Master Your Craft 

If you want to be remembered as one of the greats, then you must become a master of your craft, not just a dabbler.

True masters are the people who are willing to devote their lives to mastering one or two specific crafts.

According to Malcolm Gladwell it takes 10,000 hours to become a true master of any craft.

This means that if you want to truly master a craft it will take you at least a decade of committed work to truly become one of the greats.

But this should not be something that is discouraging.

Because of the high barrier to entry the competition that you will face on your path to mastery will be nominal.

There are so few people who are actually willing to pay the price for mastery, that the rewards for becoming a master are so incredible.

4. You Will Have to Bleed for What You Want

If you want to succeed, you are going to have to bleed.

End of story.

Whenever you are setting new goals for yourself, do not ask yourself what you want to achieve, ask yourself what you are willing to suffer for.

Almost everyone wants a million dollars, the house in the hills, the fast cars, and the beautiful woman.

But how many people are actually willing to bleed for what they want?

How many people are willing to sacrifice and suffer to achieve their goals?

If you want to achieve great things you will need to sacrifice greatly.

So before you set out to achieve your goals ask yourself if you are truly willing to pay the price required to achieve your goals.

5. You Need to be Relentless 

Greatness requires sacrifice, we have already said as much.

But to become the best you must be relentless.

This is a whole new level of sacrifice.

Fighting your way to the top means that you are going to have to give up time with friends and family, it means that you are going to have to leave relationships, it means that you are going to have to give up sleep, give up partying, and give up damn near everything except for your pursuit of greatness.

You have to be relentless.

You have to be like Jordan and Kobe.

You have to show up early, leave late, and shut everything out except for your purpose.

Becoming the best in the world is not a path for the faint of heart, but if you decide to embark upon it, then you need to realize what it is going to cost.

Kamal Ravikant is one of the world’s most interesting entrepreneurs, whose initial success was found in the Silicon Valley.

In addition to his entrepreneurial success, Kamal has also trekked the Himalayas, meditated with Tibetan monks in the Dalai Lama’s monastery, served in the US Army Infantry, and walked 550 miles across Spain.

He is also the author of Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends on It, Live Your Truth, andRebirth.

Favorite Success Quote

“Destiny favors the committed.”

“Hater’s gonna hate!” ~Taylor Swift

Key Points

1. Commit To Yourself 

Making and keeping a commitment to oneself is the ultimate measure of a man’s success.

We live in a society full of liars and fakes.

And I do not mean that people are maliciously seeking to manipulate their way to the top or intentionally putting on a facade of success and gravitas.

We live in a society where the greatest lies that are told are the ones that we tell ourself.

“This time it will be different.”

“This is the year that I will quit smoking/doing drugs/watching porn/standing on the sidelines”

“This is the year where I will take control of my life and start my own business.”

We live in a society that lies to itself to sedate the pain of staying the same.

But what if things could be different?

What if we were able to make commitments and follow through on them?

What if we valued ourselves and our own word so much that the very thought of backing out of a commitment that we made to ourselves was unthinkable?

It is possible.

But it starts by learning to value yourself and the commitments that you are making.

And more importantly, as we will discuss in a minute, it starts by loving yourself.

2. Execution, not Ideation is the Key to Success

Everyone has a great idea.

Everyone has an idea that could make them a billionaire (or at least much wealthier than they already are).

So why are there so many broke and impoverished people? Especially in a country like the U.S. where there are so many opportunities?

Because ideas  are not worth a damn thing. Only execution is.

The greatest investors in the world never bet on the idea, just the team behind it.

If you want to succeed, stop worrying about what you are going to do, and start worrying about how you are going to do it and who you are going to become so that you can achieve your goals.

Forget all of your ideas.

Instead, worry about transforming yourself into the kind of person who can execute and bring ideas to life.

3. Loving Yourself is Selfless

So often people read the titles of books like “Love Yourself” and “Choose Yourself” and they think “Wow! What selfless a-holes these people are”

But what they never stop to realize is that the greatest narcissists in the world are the people who loathe themselves.

If you love yourself and take care of #1, then you enter into the world from a place of peace, joy, and love and therefore you are able to pour out into others and be the light that others can follow.

If you do not love yourself, then you enter the world from a place of scarcity, fear, and anxiety, ensuring that the only impact you have is to negatively affect and drain those around you.

What is more selfless?

Making sure that you are taken care of so that you can take care of others?

Or focusing all of your energy on others until you are burnt out, angry, and depressed?

4. If I Loved Myself at a Level 10 What Would I Do?

As you face different challenges and choices in your everyday life, you should view every trial, question, and challenge through one lens and one lens only.

“If I loved myself at a level 10 of 10, what would I do?”

This question simplifies even the most complicated of questions and makes it very easy for you to figure out the best solutions.

If you loved yourself at a 10/10 would you smoke that cigarette or abstain?

If you loved yourself at a 10/10 would you watch another porn flick, wasting your day and poisoning your sex life, or would you find more constructive ways to spend your time?

If you loved yourself at a 10/10 would you stay in that toxic relationship or bite the bullet and move on to someone who loves and appreciates you?

If you loved yourself at a 10/10 would you continue living a sedated, numb life, doing just enough to get by, or would you stand up and pursue your dreams, leave “desire” on the sidelines and be a man of action?

If you loved yourself at a 10/10 what would you do?

5. Vulnerability is Where True Power Lies

We are all broken.

From Bill Gates to Warren buffet to Kamal to Me.

No one is perfect and no one has everything figured out.

We are all on this journey called life together, and we are all blessed to be faced with different challenges and different successes.

And it is your privilege, no… your responsibility to share the story of your challenges and triumphs with the world.

You never know when one simple blog post, when one video, or when one conversation that you have will change someone’s life.

Opening up, being vulnerable, and sharing your story could be the difference between a friend committing suicide and a friend radically changing their life and pursuing their dreams.

Some of you may feel a bit uncomfortable sharing your story and being vulnerable with the people in your life.

But you have to remember that your story has power.

It has the power to attract people into your life who can help you on your journey and it has the power to reach people you may never know and radically transform their journey.

Do not live a life that is so selfish that you deprive yourself of the joy you will experience by impacting the world with your vulnerability.

Last week. I visited my father's grave. 

Here are my thoughts on the experience and what you can learn from it. 

I almost quit. 

Knowledge for Men. San Diego. Entrepreneurship. Writing. 

All of it. 

But I didn't. 

And I'll tell you why in this episode. 

Stephen Mansfield is a New York Times bestselling author and a popular speaker who works with leaders worldwide.

He first rose to global attention with his groundbreaking book The Faith of George W. Bush, a bestseller that Time magazine credited with helping shape the 2004 U.S. presidential election. The book was also a source for Oliver Stone’s award-winning film “W.” Mansfield’s The Faith of Barack Obama was another international bestseller.

He has written celebrated biographies of Booker T. Washington, George Whitefield, Winston Churchill, Pope Benedict XVI, and Abraham Lincoln, among others. Publishers Weekly described his book, Killing Jesus, as “masterful.”

Favorite Success Quote

“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation” ~Henry David Thoreau

Key Points

1. Manly Men Need Other Manly Men 

No man is an island.

Even though you have heard the saying hundreds if not thousands of times, few men truly internalize what it means, and still fewer act on it.

Just look at the statistics.

A simple scroll across the front pages and you will find sky-high suicide rates among males, loneliness, depression, and anxiety in numbers that we have never seen before.

Why is this?

While there are many theories and hypothesis, a critical look at the situation makes things clear.

We are a species that was built to be in community, and even though we are more connected now than ever before, most of us are utterly and absolutely alone.

We have no one to call us up, no one to celebrate with us, no one to challenge us, to help us, to hold us accountable and keep us to our word.

And because of this deterioration in our social structure men have become soft, weak, and effeminate.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

As a man, you have the power to break this pattern.

Make a conscious effort to meet and befriend other men. And when you are in these friendships, dive deeper than you ever have before.

Hold nothing back and hold each other up.

You will be amazed at the results.

2. Manly Men Do Manly Things

If you want to call yourself a man, then you need to do manly things.

Period.

Does this mean that you should shave with a tomahawk, lift boulders for fun, and skin polar bears with your fingernails?

Probably not (although that would be quite cool), it simply means that you need to embrace the masculine nature of doing instead of spectating  and talking.

Get off of your butt and get into life!

Learn a new skill, fix things, build things, explore, create, conquer.

Especially if you are a younger man, get off of the darn Xbox and learn something practical.

Teach yourself how to maintain a car, learn how to build and fix things, become a better public speaker.

Just do. 

Quit talking and take action, starting yesterday.

3. Manly Men Tend Their Field 

Every man has his own field to tend.

No, I don’t mean this literally, although some of you might.

What I mean is that every man has his own set of duties and responsibilities and if you want to consider yourself a man, then you must tend to those responsibilities.

Whether you are 15 listening to this podcast or 50, we all have our own fields.

For some of you, it’s school work, your girlfriend, and your football buddies.

For others, it’s your 8-figure company, your wife of 30 years, and non-profit.

It doesn’t matter what your particular field is, what matters is that you are diligent in tending to and watering your field.

Be disciplined in your action.

Do what needs to be done.

Tend your field.

4. Manly Men Build Manly Men 

One of the less flaunted traits of manly men is that they build other manly men.

There is an old saying that the true mark of a leader is not how many followers he has but how many leaders he creates.

Regardless of your religion or personal beliefs about the historicity of Jesus Christ, his virtues as a leader are unquestionable.

However, where Jesus excelled was at building up other leaders, in his case, disciples.

In fact, he was such an effective leader that of the 12 men who followed him, all but one (or two counting Judas) were martyred for their belief in Christ.

Now, whether you believe the stories or not, there is a powerful lesson to be learned about leadership and about the importance of building up those who are around you.

Are you really a man if all you can do is take from others and be built up?

Or do you need to take a step back and see who you can serve instead?

5. Manly Men Sacrifice Their Pleasures for Their Purpose 

The true hallmark characteristic of all manly men is their ability to endure suffering.

Manly men know that all greatness was bred through suffering.

You must experience the pain and suffering of building and losing your dreams before you will be able to fully appreciate, live, and achieve in the ways that you desire.

With the exception of individuals with inherited wealth, no man of substance, no man of great success, and no man of wealth ever achieved their status and material pleasures without first sacrificing and delaying gratification.

If you want to be great, be ready to suffer.

If you want to be great, don’t ask yourself what you want, ask yourself what you are willing to bleed for.

Frank Miniter is an author and investigative journalist with a penchant for outdoor adventure. He has floated the Amazon, run with the bulls of Pamplona, hunted everything from bear in Russia to elk with the Apache to kudu in the Kalahari and has fly-fished everywhere from Alaska’s Kenai to Scotland’s River Spey to Japan’s freestone streams. Along the

Along the way, he was taught to box by Floyd Patterson, spelunked into Pompey’s Cave, climbed the Gunks, and graduated from the oldest private military college (Norwich University) in the U.S. He was a Senior Editor at Outdoor Life magazine and was the Executive Editor of American Hunter magazine.

He is also the author of This Will Make a Man of You and The Ultimate Man’s Survival Guide. 

Favorite Success Quote

“I like a man who grins when he fights” ~Winston Churchill

Key Points

1. You Need to Stand Up for Yourself

The evolution of society and rapid shift in perceived gender roles has created a world in which manliness and masculinity are concepts that are ambiguous and difficult to explain, at best.

Yet no matter what your beliefs are pertaining to modern masculinity, I think everyone can agree on one simple fact.

You cannot consider yourself a true “man” unless you are willing to stand up for yourself, what you believe, and those you love.

I want you to imagine John Wayne, Steve McQueen, or even a character like Tyler Durden in Fight Club are sat at a table in a bar, surrounded by friends and family.

A stranger from another table comes over and starts insulting one of his family members, bringing up some past feud and looking to cause trouble.

What do you think they would do?

Would they cower in their seat, avert their eyes, and start nervously twitching?

Or would they get out of their seat, square up with the aggressor, look them in the eyes and invite them to leave before they had a real problem?

I think we all know the answer.

Being a real man has nothing to do with loving or looking for violence, but it has everything to do with being willing to take a stand for yourself or the things which you believe.

In the 21st century, it is important to realize that this rarely (if ever) means physical confrontation.

Taking a stand for yourself can be as simple as telling your boss that you need a raise because you have been working harder than anyone else and have measurable results to prove it.

It can mean speaking candidly with your significant other about the way that they have been addressing you in public situations and informing them that their actions are inappropriate.

And yes, occasionally, when all other options are exhausted, it can mean taking the gloves off and throwing a mean right hook when someone truly steps out of line.

Never be afraid to stand up for yourself, your friends, or your values, because at the end of the day it is better to live a short life where you face your fears and live boldly than a long life as a coward.

2. Life is Meant to be Lived in Community 

10,000 years ago on the plains of the Savanna, men lived in communion with one another. They lived together, ate together, hunted together, fought together, and died together.

Town elders would lead the tribe and create rituals and rites of passage for young men to pass through in order to become a man.

The warriors of each tribe relied on each other and trusted the men around them with their lives.

And for hundreds of thousands of years, this is the way that we as a species, and more specifically, we as men, have evolved.

We live in the most socially disconnected time in human history, and despite all of our technological advancements and the rapid growth of social media and other online platforms, the problem is not getting any better.

Men struggle to find meaning and purpose in life, they are lost and confused about who they are and what it means to be a man, they are lonely and afraid and depressed, and it is due, in large part to our lack of community.

We no longer live in tribes.

If we wanted to, there are many among us who could limit our face to face interaction with others to less than once a week when we go out for groceries.

Men no longer go to other men for advice and emotional support.

We no longer have tribe elders who can guide us and mentor us.

With the exception of military servicemen, we no longer have brothers in arms who have struggled through life with us and been there for us through thick and thin.

And we are paying the price.

Men are suffering from depression and suicide at alarming rates and society tells us to simply take another pill or get a new prescription, instead of being told to build a band of brothers.

If you want to succeed in life, if you want to be truly happy and successful, then you need to have a group of men around you who you can trust, you need to have a community of like-minded individuals who will build you up and hold you accountable and who will be there for you when you are on cloud nine and rock bottom.

3. Manhood is Defined by Your Values and Your Code 

Manhood has meant something different to nearly every culture throughout history.

The Vikings version of manhood was markedly different from the Greek’s which was markedly different from the Apache’s.

But the one thing that all of these ancient cultures had in common is that their ideals of manhood were derived from a code.

Every great “manly” culture built their foundation of masculinity upon an ethos, a way of life, and a code of honor and conduct based on the values of their unique societies.

For some cultures mercy and reason were at the forefront of their code, for others it was power and justice.

The truth of the matter is, there is no one code that will work universally for every man.

We all have different realities, different religious and political beliefs, and different lenses through which we view the world around us.

This means that all of us will function under a different code and live by different values.

And while it is extremely important which values you have and uphold (integrity, honor, service, and generosity should be at the top of your list) it is more important that you uphold a set of values that make you a better man and help you contribute to society in a more meaningful way.

4. You Need to be a Well-Rounded Man 

So often in our modern society, we are quick to judge and label certain activities as unmanly, red neck, or “posh”.

Many see hunting and marksmanship as a lower class activity for camouflage wearing, tobacco chewing country boys. or they see dancing as a “gay” and unmanly activity in which no

They see dancing as a “gay” and unmanly activity in which no self-respecting man would participate.

Or they say that horseback riding and poker are activities that are only appropriate for trust fund babies and the super rich.

But you need to remember that an essential part of modern manliness is being able to participate in a wide variety of activities and show yourself to be well-rounded both in your skills and intellect.

You need to become, as the rampaging viral internet memes suggest, “A man who can do both.”

You need to be able to be a diplomate and a fighter, to speak well among the scholars of academia and the blue collar workers down at the bar.

You need to be comfortable both in a suit and tie and in camouflaged jacket.

You need to be someone who is able to hold himself in any situation and is unafraid of new things, no matter what stigma is attached to them.

5. Show Respect to Others 

I don’t care whether you are living in an incredible community of amazing men, living by a code, and the most well-rounded person in the world, if you are not extending respect and love to the people in your life, then you are not a true man.

Period.

End of story.

No one can call himself a man if they are not respecting the people in their lives, if they are not loving others, and if they are not following the “golden rule.”

Respect others and earn the respect of others.

That is where true manliness lies.

Internationally renowned human emotion, connection, and cognition expert Tony Selimi is a coach and the author of #Loneliness and A Path to Wisdom. He is currently traveling the world, sharing his message of transformation and connection.

Favorite Success Quote

“I embrace equally both support and challenge” ~Dr. John DeMartini

Key Points

1. You Must Embrace Both Sides of Life 

Life is not comprised of just the good or just the bad.

It is a beautiful dichotomous dance that blends together both exuberant highs and devastating lows meant to mold us, change us, and teach us.

While modern pop psychology gurus would have you believe that you should ignore any pain and struggle in your life and simply live in a state of constant and never ending euphoria, the simple truth is that life is beautiful because of the pain and struggles that we face.

Without the pain of discipline, there would be no joy in success.

Without the hurt of loss, there would be no satisfaction in gain.

Life requires the good and the bad to play out like the masterfully written movie that it is, and the sooner you learn to embrace both sides of life, the sooner you will be able to live up to your true potential.

2. Loneliness Affects Every Area of Your Life

Often times, as men, we revel in the concept of solidarity.

We love the thought of being the lone wolf, outnumbered and against the world achieving greatness all by his own accord.

And nothing could be more damaging or destructive to our overall health and well-being.

Whenever you live your life out of communion with others, whenever you lack strong bonds and friendships, and whenever you isolate yourself from the world, you are not only damaging your psyche, but your physical well-being and genetic expression as well.

Loneliness has been shown to cause disease, mental illness, and even alter your genes in a very real and powerful way.

There is nothing manly about depression and sickness, so quit trying to go it alone and invest into your social life.

3. Place Yourself in the Right Environments

An interesting phenomenon that can occur in our modern world is that men can be surrounded by friends but still feel lonely if the activities and conversations with those friends are incongruent with your personal values and desires.

For example, let’s say that you hate sports.

You couldn’t care less about the NFL or NHL or any other sports league.

And yet, one of your social circle’s favorite activities is to sit down together at the local bar, have a few beers, and watch the game.

Even though all of the men in the circle are fantastic influences and valuable friends, taking part in this activity will actually increase your feelings of isolation and loneliness.

This makes it essential that you start becoming more intentional about the activities you indulge in and the things that you do with your peers.

Dr. Corey Lewis is the author of The Art of Becoming, a professional coach, and a master of NLP and quantum leaping.

Favorite Success Quote

“We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are”  ~Max Dupree

Key Points

1. If You to Achieve Something You Must First Conceive it and Believe It

I want you to imagine for a moment that there are three men, let’s call them James, Alex, and Will.

All three men suffered through challenging childhoods and crippling adversity during their younger years, from poverty to the death of family members, to abusive parents.

They have all seen the worst that this world has to offer and lived through a reality where most men wouldn’t last a day.

Now James, the first of the men doesn’t know how he could possibly improve his life, he assumes that this is “just the way it is” and relegates all of his hopes and dreams to childhood fantasies.

Alex, on the other hand, knows that his life could be better.

He constantly finds himself daydreaming of a better life, one filled with an abundance of wealth, unconditional love, vibrant health, and a deep sense of belonging.

However, Alex doesn’t believe that this can be a reality for him.

After all, he is a former convict, drug addict, and grew up in one of the worst families you can imagine. How could he change?

Now, I don’t think it takes a genius to figure out the results that these two men are going to generate in their lives with these types of convictions and beliefs.

But what about Will?

Will is in the same boat as everyone else.

He went to prison in his late teens, never had a father, and is currently broke, alone, and addicted to drugs, but he’s different.

Not only does he know that life can get better for him, he deeply believes that he has what it takes to make it so, he believes that he can change his life, turn things around, and achieve the success he has been dying for his whole life.

You see, the only limits on your life are the ones that you impose upon yourself.

If you can conceive a new way of being, deeply believe that it is possible, and are willing to take the action necessary to do it, you will succeed.

2. Tapping Into Your Emotions Creates the Motion You Need for Success

How many times have you woken up in the morning, intending to get out of bed early and go “seize the day” but found yourself instead rolling over lazily and smashing the snooze button?

How many times have you sat down at your computer intent on working hard and grinding away at your latest project, when three hours later, you find yourself deeply lost in the trap of the internet, throwing your day down the drain?

How many times have you come home after a long day of work intending to hit the gym and work on your health only to find yourself sitting in front of the television on a guilty Netflix binge?

My guess is a lot.

You see the problem isn’t that you are lazy or lack work ethic, the problem is that you lack the emotional drive to create the motion you need to achieve success.

You need to have a burning reason to pursue your dreams, you need to have clear goals, and you need to learn how to tap into the power of your emotions to go after the life that you want.

3. Your Thoughts are the Father of Your Results

If you have anything in your life that you are unhappy with, you need to remember that the root of these results did not start in your bank account, in your relationship, or in your body, but these results started in your mind.

When you look at your bank account and don’t like what you see, you need to remember that these results were caused by your thoughts.

They were caused by your beliefs, your decisions, and your values that were then projected into your reality.

This truth can be seen in any area of your life.

No matter what results you have or don’t have in your life, your thoughts are the cause behind all of them.

And if you can change your thoughts, then you can change your actions, change your actions and you can change your results, and if you can change your results you change your life.

4. Break Down Your Dreams into Achievable Steps

Become a millionaire. 

Meet the girl of your dreams. 

Lose 100 lbs. 

All of these goals are incredible in size and scope and are a scary whenever you look at them without first thinking about how you can break them down into achievable steps.

If you want to become a millionaire, then start by working on earning your first $1,000 a month and build up from there.

If you want to meet the woman of your dreams, then start getting out once a week and meeting awesome women at cool social events.

If you want to lose 100 lbs. then start with 5.

Whatever goal you have, it can be broken down into several smaller steps that will allow you to approach your dreams without feeling overwhelmed or scared.

5. Escape Your Plateaus and Find the Next Level 

Life is full of unlimited possibilities and opportunities just waiting for you to show up and take them.

But first, you have to break through your plateaus and realize that you can be living life on an elevated level.

No matter how incredible your life is right now, there is always room to grow, there are always new mountains to be conquered, and there are always new ways to push yourself to become a better man.

Connor Beaton is a thought leader in the men’s community who founded ManTalks, has spoken at events around the nation, including TEDx.

Favorite Success Quote

“Aim for fulfillment and success will follow”

Key Points

1. Stop Chasing the Golden Handcuffs

In most modern western societies, there is one great expectation placed upon all men.

Can you guess what it is?

It’s not to get married and have kids.

It’s not to find a career that they love and find spiritually fulfilling.

Rather, all men are expected to earn. 

And not just to earn a living so that they can pursue a life of their choosing, they are expected to earn as much money as they can regardless of the cost.

And while there is nothing wrong with money, most men who pursue those greenbacks with a single-minded intensity soon find themselves financially wealthy, but spiritually, emotionally, and relationally broke.

You need to realize that money is great.

It can enable you to do so much good in the world and make a difference in the lives of countless people.

But it can also become a prison.

Men who chase after careers they dislike in order to achieve a financial status that they don’t really need will often find themselves sitting at home alone, millions in the bank but utterly, and completely miserable.

You see, the real secret to life is to chase fulfillment.

Chase what makes you feel alive, chase what you love, and the money will come.

And even if it doesn’t, you still had a helluva ride and enjoyed life to the fullest.

2. Allow Yourself to Experience Your Success

How many times has this happened to you?

You have spent hundreds of hours working yourself down to the bone to achieve your goals.

You haven’t slept in days, you haven’t allowed yourself to go out with friends in months, and you are on the verge of mental collapse, when finally, you reach your goal.

Whether you hit an income goal, increase your subscriber base, or finally got your first client, you have finally achieved the thing that you had been pursuing for so long.

But there’s a problem.

You don’t allow yourself to acknowledge your victory and enjoy the rewards of your labor.

Instead, you are off to the next goal, the next milestone, the next big thing before you even pause and appreciate what you already have.

One of the most essential parts of success is taking the time to fully experience each of your accomplishments.

No matter what you have achieved, you need to give yourself adequate time to bask in the glow and enjoy the successes you have already reached before you start chasing after the next big thing.

3. You Need to Have Men Who Call You Forward

When was the last time you messed up?

I mean really messed up?

You know, the time that you made the mistake that ended your relationship, that lost you 6-figures in business, or that cost you a trip to the hospital.

Who did you call?

Undoubtedly, you had friends who came to the rescue and told you everything would be alright, but did you have anyone in your life who cut through the crap of the situation and was willing to call you to a higher standard?

Most men have lots of friends on their level and below them, but few of those men have high-level mentors who are willing to call them on their B.S. and tell them when they have messed up.

But you need to realize that the only way forward is to surround yourself with men who are willing to challenge you to achieve at a new level, men who are willing to call you out, and men who are willing to brave your disapproval in an attempt to make you better.

4. If You Want to Achieve Your Goals You Have to Eliminate Porn

Porn is one of the most insidious creations of the modern age.

How many nights have you spent alone in your room, ignoring the real issues and tasks in your life while you were silently kept company by dozens, if not hundreds of virtual women?

How many times have you suppressed the frustrations that you were facing with real women by resorting to a form of “entertainment” where you have unlimited access to any type of woman on the planet, who will do anything that you want, all from the comfort of your own bed?

How many men do you know who lack the passion and drive that they should have because they are wasting all of their energy “experiencing” women online?

The simple fact is this, if you want to achieve the greatest levels of success in your business, your health, and your relationships, then you have to cut out the porn.

There are no questions about it.

It is draining you of your masculinity, of your sex drive, and of your energy to get shi!t done.

Eliminate it from your life as quickly and permanently as you can.

5. Reinvest in Your Creative Side 

One of the great travesties of the modern male is that we have all become so caught up with becoming successful in our health, finances, and relationships, that we have completely abandoned all of our creative energies that fulfill us and reinvigorate other aspects of our lives.

If you are feeling lost in your life, if you are feeling unsure of where to go, or if you are simply lacking the motivation that you need to begin pushing the envelope forward in a given area, then you need to reinvest in your creative side.

Whether you take up an instrument, begin writing, dancing, woodworking, or anything else that engages your mind in a new and exciting way, I can guarantee that you will begin to see the world in a new light.

Have you ever noticed how musicians appreciate and describe music (and even the world) in a way that non musicians simply cannot.

Have you ever noticed how writers are able to captivate their audience’s at social gatherings with riveting stories?

Have you ever noticed how men who have learned how to dance are often some of the most creative and enthusiastic partners that a woman will ever experience?

This is not a coincedence.

Engaging in your creative energy will change your life in unexpected and exciting ways.

So whether you are killing it in life right now or are in an existential funk, get out there and get creative.

Justin Constantine is a former Marine who suffered a traumatic gunshot wound to the head in Iraq and retired from the Marine Corps at the rank of lieutenant colonel. He also serves as an attorney and is now an inspirational speaker and leadership consultant who advises the corporate community on military issues and sustaining employee peak performance.

He now serves on the board of directors of several national nonprofit organizations who co-founded the Veteran Success Resource Group in 2015, a military nonprofit that provides full spectrum resources for veterans and their families. He is also a senior advisor at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, where he leads a team focused on employment opportunities for wounded veterans and their caregivers.

Favorite Success Quote

“This is a wonderful day, I have never seen this one before” ~Maya Angelou

Key Points

1. We All Face Our Own Adversity 

I want you to imagine for a second that your whole world is crumbling down.

You wake up bleary eyed from a fitful night of sleep and check your phone to only to be met with two voice messages informing you that you have one week to pay your mortgage before your home will be foreclosed and the bonus you were expecting has been cut in half due to a recent drop in your company’s stock.

Furthermore, as you rest your head in your hands wondering what you are going to do, your wife, whom you are on the verge of divorcing, enters the room and begins to argue with you about trivialities you don’t understand until you are so frustrated that you storm out of the house, slamming the door behind you.

You decide to skip work for the day and instead drive yourself to a local bar where you intend to drown your worries in whiskey because you just can’t deal with the stress anymore.

Walking through the doors of the dimly lit bar, you notice that there is another man sitting in the bar by himself, looking sullenly into his drink as he fights back tears.

With hopes of finding a companion to share in your misery, you sit down next to him and begin a conversation only to find out that the man had recently suffered a layoff at work after losing his wife of 15 years to cancer.

Startled by his situation and own perceived weakness, you silently curse yourself for your self-pity and decide to keep your own worries to yourself and order another round.

You see, no matter what adversity you are facing, someone else always has it worse and it’s easy to trivialize our own struggles whenever we compare them to the things that others are facing.

But the problem with this mentality is that we fail to realize that comparing away our strugles will not make them dissapear.

Just because you aren’t facing disease, death, or bankruptcy does not mean that your pain is not real and that it does not need to be addressed.

Whatever struggle you are facing, there is only one way to eliminate it.

And that is to admit that you are in pain and seek the help that you need to overcome it.

2. You Can Achieve Anything With Time 

The media loves to propagate this myth of the “overnight success.”

They love reporting on stories about the 17 year old entrepreneur who achieved IPO and retired before graduating high school with $20 million dollars in the bank.

Or the actress who landed one movie role and suddenly became the face of Hollywood.

Or even the “Biggest Loser” who dropped 150 lbs. of fat and became a model of health and athleticism.

But the thing is, none of these people’s success happened overnight.

It happened after years and years of working behind the scenes, after countless sleepless nights toiling away at their craft, and after thousands upon thousands of disciplined mornings brought them the results that they wanted.

You need to remember that no goal you have is out of your reach, it will just take time and it will take sacrifice.

It will require that you give up on the “good” so that you can step into the “great.”

It will mean that you miss out on parties and dates and time with friends while you work to build your legacy and achieve your dreams.

Nothing is out of your reach, but you must be patient and you must be diligent if you want to achieve it.

3. It’s Ok to Ask for Help

Do you remember when you first learned to ride a bike?

Do you remember the feeling of the wind in your hair, the rub of the helmet strap against your chin, the exhilaration in your stomach as you accelerated down the street…

And the sudden halt whenever you suddenly hit an unexpected bump and flew over the handlebars crashing into the ground with a definitive thud.

As you sat on the street, blood oozing from the raspberries on your knees and elbows, you began to cry and if your father was present, he likely responded to your accident with four words “Man up! You’re ok!”

As an adult, your father knew that you would be fine, but as a young boy, you felt that your world was caving in around you and the only response that you receive was to suck it up and be a man.

While instances like this may seem relatively benign in the big scheme of things, this mantra of “Man up! You’re fine!” is repeated over and over to the men of our society like a record on repeat until we reach a point where, no matter our struggle, we simply bear it and grin, refusing to ask for help because we fear that we will appear weak or vulnerable.

The simple truth, however, is that we all need help.

We all have our inner demons, we all have our struggles, we all have those dark places we don’t let anyone see that eat us alive at night.

And the only way to overcome them is to be willing to reach out to others and ask for help

You need the support of others, you especially need a group of men in your life who can be with you through the hard times and help keep you on the right path.

You are not alone, and you don’t need to be. Whether you need to join a men’s mastermind, hire a coach to talk to, or simply call up an old friend, if you are in pain then get help.

Talk to someone and be real about the struggles in your life, I promise it will be one of the best decisions that you ever make.

4. Forget What You “Should” Be Doing

With the holiday season in full swing, most of you who are going to visit family are going to hear one word more than any other, “Should.”

You should get a job and quit trying to build your silly business.

You should find a girlfriend and stop partying.

You should quit spending so much time on silly pursuits like travel and art and just get married and get a job instead.

You should do this.

You should do that.

But the truth is, there is no guidebook for what you should be doing as a man.

No one in society can tell you what is right for you, whether it is entrepreneurship or the 9-5, marriage or the bachelor life, travel or settling down.

Life is a beautiful buffet with countless options and most men feel weighed down with the expectations that society sets that we are supposed to earn a certain amount of money, marry a certain type of person, or live a certain type of life.

5. Define Your Own Version of Success      

With New Year’s right around the corner, everyone is going to be setting new goals and resolutions for 2017.

And I can tell you without ever meeting the person or knowing a darn thing about them who is most likely to succeed based purely upon what they write down.

You see, most people want to achieve success but they never truly define what success means.

They set vague and ambiguous goals that are uncompelling and uninspiring.

Everyone says that they want to lose weight, make more money, have a more abundant dating life, and achieve more, but what does that really mean?

How much weight do you want to lose?

How much money do you want to make?

Who do you want to be dating and how frequently?

You see, the only way to truly achieve “success” is to have a clear picture of what success means to you.

For some people, success is an easy going 9-5, $10,000 in the bank and a happy family.

Other people would become depressed if they are making less than $10,000,000 a year and travelling 11 months out of the year.

If you want to achieve success, you need to define what it means to you first, and then set out to achieve it second.

Lee Ellis is President and Founder of Leadership Freedom® and FreedomStar Media™. For more than fifteen years he has served as an executive coach and a corporate consultant in the areas of hiring, teambuilding, leadership development, and succession planning.

His clients include Fortune 500 senior executives and C-Level leaders in a variety of industries. Since 1990, Lee has managed the development, validation, and internet deployment of several personality and leadership assessments that have been used by more than 200,000 individuals.

Favorite Success Quote

“Be courageous. Lean into the pain of your doubts and fears to do what you know is right, even when it feels unnatural or uncomfortable.” ~Lee Ellis

Key Points

1. Living a Life of Honor is the Ultimate Success

There was once a story that one of my employees shared with me about a life lesson his grandfather had shared with him during his summer stint working as a landscaper.

His grandad had spent nearly a decade of his life operating a construction contracting business, designing and building custom homes for the upper class members of his hometown.

One of his clients who had been a long time acquantaince hired his grandfather to build a home costing several hundred thousand dollars (back in the 80’s).

Happy to oblige his friend, the grandfather took the contract and completed the home to perfection.

When the work was done and the house was built, he went to his friend to collect the payment for his services.

His friend however, had no intention of paying for the home and due to the ambiguous terms of their contract, he knew that pursuing a law suit would be a costly endeavor.

My employee’s grandfather simply shrugged and shook the man’s hand saying “If you can live with it, then I can live without it.”

He continued on grinding and working hard, developing a number of successful businesses throughout the years and achieving great successes in his personal and professional life, always conducting business with integrity and honor.

The other man however, despite his massive financial success, died of a massive heart attack at his office, alone and unloved.

While the contrast between the two men may seem obvious, the true moral of this story is that success is not about material wealth or finanical gain.

It’s about doing the right thing no matter what the cost.

That is no small order, but if you can carry out your life with honor each and every day, you will be able to die fulfilled and live a life of joy and companionship.

2. You Cannot Manage Yourself Unless You Know Yourself

How many of you have taken the Myers Brigg’s Personality Test?

If you have, then odds are good that some of the conclusions the test made about you and your personality may have surprised you.

And herein lies one of the greatest problems with our society.

We do not value introspection and self knowledge like Eastern societies and ancient people’s did.

We value work and results.

And while these two things are important, you will never be able to achieve at your fullest potential if you do not know yourself as deeply and intimately as possible.

Just think about it.

How can you ever expect to perform at a high level if you do not first know who you are and how you perform?

How can you succeed when everything you are doing is in stark opposition to your deeply held values and personality?

You must discover who you really are, how you work best, what personality traits you have, what motivates you, what discourages you, what strikes fear into your heart, and what you truly want.

Because unless you can answer those questions, you will never truly tap into your potential.

3. Guard Your Character and Make Decision Based Upon Values

The greatest travesty of every generation is the young men and women with boundless potential who waste everything because they did not guard their character.

Everyone knows that kid, maybe you met them in high school or grew up with them in your hometown, who showed tremendous potential growing up.

They were the captain of the football team, the straight A student and the leader of all of the clubs at their school.

They had it all.

But somewhere along the lines, they screwed up.

They made that one compromise of character that opened up Pandora’s box and destroyed their lives.

Maybe they cheated on one test and lost a scholarship, maybe they started abusing drugs and were arrested in their first semester, maybe they slept around and ended up getting someone pregnant.

Whatever they did, it shocked you because you knew that wasn’t like them.

And that’s the point.

It takes a lifetime to develop a reputation and build your character, but only one dumb decision to compromise it.

If you want to live a fulfilling and joyful life, then you have to make decision based upon your values and not your impulses.

While everyone operates under different moral codes, you all know what you consider wrong and right and when you should or should not do something.

Listen to that voice in your head and do not compromise your character for anyone or anything.

4. You Have to Balance Results and Relationships

There are two basic styles of leadership, results focused and relationship focused.

And odds are, if you have spent any appreciable amount of time in the world of high performance leadership, you have come into contact with both styles of leaders.

The results focused leader is the stereotypical drill sergeant style of leadership. These are the men who want things to get done, they don’t care who does it or what excuses come up, they simply want things and want them now.

Relationship-oriented leaders on the other hand are the types of leaders who care more about their people then the mission, they are the ones who, while admittedly kinder are more likely to get pushed around and taken advantage of.

Both styles have their own unique strengths and weaknesses, and all truly excellent leaders know how to balance these two styles of command to achieve their desired outcome.

The leader who knows how to balance relationships and results will be able to discern between employees who have been misplaced and assigned to positions that are incongruent with their personalities and employees who are just darn lazy.

The leader who knows how to balance relationships and results will be able to know when he is pushing his people too hard and when they have potential to go further.

The leader who can balance relationships and results will be able to achieve anything he sets his mind to because he will have his followers love as well as their respect.

5. Face Your Fears and Doubts 

Every man has fears and doubts about his worth, ability, and potential.

They are bred into us from an early age by society, friends, and even family.

But you must realize something.

As a man, outside of your integrity, no characteristic will determine your success and fulfillment more than your ability to feel the fear and do it anyways.

When Lee and his friends were being tortured and imprisoned by the Viet Cong, do you think that they were not afraid? Do you think that none of them ever thought about betraying their country or ending their own lives to escape the torment?

Of course they did!

And some of them did.

Now, years after the fact, it is the men who were able to embrace their fears and doubts and stand strong who are seen as heroes, who are loved by their brothers in arms, and who can live with a clean conscience and a full heart.

Your ability to face and overcome your fears is part of what defines you as a man.

Never your fears hold you back from greateness, because at the end of the day, even if you die facing your fears, we are all dead men, and there is nothing more noble and honorable than to give your life pursuing what God put you on this earth to do.the worst thing.

Ryan Stewman is a high-performance sales coach and trainer who went from spending two stints in federal prison to building a multiple seven figure income.

He is the author of several best-selling books including Kick-Ass, Bulletproof Business, Elevator to the Top, and Hardcore Closer. 

Favorite Success Quote

“You gotta take action before you can take over”

Key Points

1. Action not Knowledge Leads to Success

If you have been involved in the personal development world for any appreciable amount of time, then you have inevitably come across the people, shall we call them “Pathological learners” who are voracious consumers of knowledge.

They know all of the latest market trends, are well-versed in the high-performance practices of characters like Tony Robbins and Jack Canfield, and can tell you how to start and grow a business from inception to 7-figures.

And yet, when you look at the results in their lives, what do you find?

Nothing, nada, zilch.

They live in a 400 square foot apartment, are overweight, and in a relationship that looks like something out of a bad soap opera.

Yet they know all this information!

The problem is that they do not apply it. You have to realize that knowledge without action is useless.

Only applied knowledge is power, and if you have spent years devoting your time and energy to learning without taking the proper proportion of action, then it is time to get off your ass, leave the theory on your nightstand, and get in the game.

2.Suffering is a Temporary But Essential Part of Life

When was the last time you experienced suffering? I mean true suffering.

Not the “My dog is sick” or “The 49ers lost their last game”, but real, visceral suffering, the kind that keeps you up at night, deprives you of joy, and makes you question your purpose on this planet.

Perhaps you lost a family member or a friend, underwent a nasty divorce, lost your home, job, and family in bankruptcy, or even suffered from a life-changing disease or injury.

Whatever that suffering was (or is) you need to internalize one of life’s great truths, spoken over a century ago by Abraham Lincoln.

“This too shall pass”

No suffer, no matter how devastating and debilitating it may feel, is permanent. And what is more? It is necessary to build you into the man that you need to become.

I am not telling you that your pain will be easy to bear, but I am telling you that it will be worth it.

3. Ignore the Haters and Embrace the True Players

One of the greatest tragedies of the modern world is that men with unlimited potential and unimaginable abilities allow themselves to be smothered by the advice and criticisms of unambitious, underachieving, and jealous peers.

Every time you go to the office look at the men to your left and to your right.

What do you see?

Do you see men embracing their true potential, taking control of their lives, and creating an incredible future full of freedom and joy?

Or do you see men who have allowed the doubts and misgivings of society, family, and friends to hold them back from their dreams and desires?

On your path to success, you will be faced with many, many, many haters, doubters, and naysayers.

They will tell you it cannot or should not be done only out of their own insecurities and fears.

But if you want to unleash the giant inside of you and reach your full potential, you must ignore these people, whether they are bosses, life-long friends, or even family members.

Only take advice from those who are achieving what you want to achieve, and ignore the rest.

End of discussion.

4. Education not Schooling is What Separates the Winners from the Losers

There is a fallacious belief circulating the modern world that tells all young men the only path to success is through higher education.

And while college can be a great choice for some people, it is not the ultimate road to massive achievement.

I want you to think back to your highschool and college years.

If your experience was anything like mine, then at some point, you inevitably came across two different types of guys: The learner and the hustler.

The learner was someone you would describe as the stereotypical nerd. He was smart, worked hard in classes, and did everything right.

He made good marks, graduated with honors, and probably had several high level job offers waiting for him upon graduation.

The hustler however, is a different breed.

This was the man who spent his days building something that he believed in, working towards his dream, and focusing more on his practical education than his education.

Sure, he still applied himself to his schooling, but, as Mark Twain said he “Never let his schooling get in the way of his education.”

Which of these two men do you think ultimately achieved more? Who became more successful? Who was able to create something that would last and create freedom for themselves and their families?

Hint, it’s not the guy with all A’s.

5. Your Past Does Not Determine Your Future

Imagine, if you will, a man who spent his whole life as a criminal, stealing, lying, and terrorizing his way to “success.”

After being arrested for one of his many crimes and spending nearly half a decade of his life behind bars, he is released back into the world and left with a choice.

He can either allow past decisions, events, and circumstances to determine his future, or he can lift a middle finger to mistakes and decide to create a different life for himself, to rebuild himself, and create a new identity as a man of honor, integrity, and love.

Most people don’t believe that you can ever overcome your past.

And quite frankly, most people are full of shit.

Every single day, you are faced with the same decision as the man above, you can either bend a knee and supplicate yourself to the flaws and mistakes of your past self, or you can start anew and recreate yourself into the kind of man you would be proud to be.

Which decision will you make?

Ajit is co-founder of Blinkwebinars and Evercoach. He is also CEO of Mindvalley Media, the publishing arm of the Mindvalley Group. He also helps other business as a mentor in a private mastermind, Zentreprenur.

Ajit also sits on the board for companies like Digital Academy India, Omvana, and Mindvalley Italy. In his free time, he likes to work on self-development, reiki, and his cooking skills. He is passionate about marketing and sales.

Favorite Success Quote

“It is better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than to have a long life doing something you hate” ~Alan Watts

Key Points

1. External Succes is Fleeting

So many men try and pursue external success and validation thinking that it will make them happy and fulfilled, but the truth is, success has nothing to do with your external accomplishments.

True happiness, true success, and true fulfillment comes from living a life based around offering value and living the values that you hold dear.

It comes from loving others, filling your days with incredible experiences, and spending time doing the things that you enjoy.

That new house, raise, or car might make you happy, but only for a moment.

2. Success is About Living a Value Based Life

Success, true success, comes from living a life that is congruent with your deeply held values and beliefs.

If you value time with your family but work 80 hours a week to earn 7-figures, you are not a success. If you value your health, but give it up so that you can party with friends to try and look cool, you are not a success.

You are only a success if your thoughts, words, and actions are aligned with your deepest values and the man that you want to be.

3. Focus on Showing Up not Achieving Goals 

A life focused on achieving goals is a life of misery, because goals are constantly shifting and as soon as one is accomplished, you are left with a deep void and a sense of “What’s next?”

If you want to live a fulfilled and happy life, then focus more on showing up each day as the man that you want to be.

Be fully present in every conversation, treat others with respect and kindness, worry more about the impact you are having on those around you than the potential benefit that they can be to you and your goals.

When you make this mental shift, you will be more loving, kind, and generous, and the funny thing is, the universe will reciprocate this and you will likely achieve those goals that you had set because you are no longer focused on them.

4. Stop Trying to Live Up to The Expectations of the World

The world pushes all of these unrealistic expectations and standards on you, trying to convince you to conform to its standards and desires.

However, to live the life of your dreams, you must shun the expectations of the world and instead create your own expectations for yourself and your future.

You decide who you want to be, what you want to accomplish, and most important how you want to show up, not the world.

Once you truly internalize this, the freedom and joy that you will feel is almost unparalleled.

5. Keep People First 

In business, relationships, and pretty much every other area of life, make sure that you are keeping people first.

In your business, focus on your clients, not your revenue.

In your relationships, focus on adding value and not taking value.

In your health, focus on how your improved performance and energy will affect those around you and not on how it will boost your own ego.

Always keep people first and you will never lose.

Geoff Blades is an author of Do What You Want and an advisor to senior Wall Street professionals, CEOs, and other leaders, on all topics related to getting what they want in their businesses, careers, and lives.

In his lifetime, he went from frying chicken at KFC to working at Goldman Sach’s to quitting his “dream career” to pursue his real dream of helping others achieve the life that they want.

Favorite Success Quote

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Key Points

1. What Do You Want? Go Get It

One of the most fundamental questions that you can ask yourself is also one of the simplest; “What do I want?”

Until you can answer this question for yourself and not base it on the desires that family, peers, and society try and project upon you, you will be like a ship without a rudder.

No matter how fast you are going, it will never be in the right direction.

Take some time away from all external influences and really decide what you want for yourself in the areas of health, wealth, relationships, and personal growth.

Then, once you have a clear picture of what you want, hustle like crazy until you achieve it.

2. All Success is Based upon Your Desire for an Emotion

Whenever you are trying to determine what you really want in life, it is easy to think that your desires are based on a certain thing or achievement.

In reality, all of your desires for external successes and validation stems from your desire to feel a certain way.

Why do you want a million dollars in the bank?

It’s not because you want the million dollars.

It’s because you want to feel the safety, significance, and the freedom (and subsequent joy) that you will experience by earning a million dollars.

Once you realize that all of your desires to achieve certain goals are basically desires to feel a certain emotion, you can analyze your goals in a more pragmatic and realistic way.

3. Resistance Comes from Negative Projections

The only reason that you face resistance in your pursuit of your dreams is because of the negative projections that are associated with the work that you need to do to achieve your goals.

Think about it.

No one needs to motivate you to watch TV or eat that piece of cake. It’s an easy task that (for most people) has no associated  negative projections.

What if you were able to approach your work and your mission with the same attitude?

Instead of projecting pain and struggle in your work, learn to find joy and satisfaction in the struggle.

Learn to appreciate your work and associate a massive amount of pleasure with everything that you do.

4. Focus on the Journey and not the Destination 

Success is never about an outcome.

It is about the man you become on your path towards that outcome.

Every man who undergoes radical financial, physical, emotional, or social changes has simultaneously undergone radical personal changes.

The man who goes from flipping burgers to a millionaire, from fat to fit, or from textbook nerd to social powerhouse, have all undergone massive internal changes that brought about their new realities.

They became grittier, more determined, more dedicated, more educated, and more alive.

Realize that the best part of success is the journey that it takes you on and the person that you become along the way, not the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

5. Create Two Systems: One for Your Mind and One For Actions

One of the quickest ways to create a success filled life is to create a series of systems for mastering your mind and your actions.

This means that you need to work on developing systems to help train your brain and create mental focus and resilience while simultaneously creating systems to help you take action towards your goals and dreams.

This can be anything from meditation, exercise, journaling, practicing productivity hacks, reading, or waking up earlier in the morning.

Whatever it is for you, build your systems and then execute them ruthlessly.

Dan Kariv is the CEO of multiple companies including Amped Ventures and Math4Sale, Inc. – a startup that is currently generating 7-figures in revenue.

His life journey has been fueled by a passion to uncover and distill the spiritual truths of reality and exploring them along the journey of entrepreneurship and the pursuit of freedom so that he can better serve the world.

Favorite Success Quote

“True freedom is the ability to choose how you spend each day.”

Key Points

1. Are You Being the Best Version of Yourself?

Every second of your life, you have a choice. You can either choose to show up as the best, most powerful, most grounded version of yourself, or you can choose to allow fear and external pressures suppress your strength and live a life below your potential.

In every challenging situation, whether it is a meeting at work, an argument with your wife, or some other battle that you face, ask yourself “Am I being the best version of myself right now?”

Are you showing up and leaving everything on the table, are you attacking life with a vigor and energy that makes others stand in awe, or are you playing it safe?

Keep this question in the forefront of your mind each day and you will be amazed at the paradigm shifts you will experience.

2. Freedom Comes with a Price

Freedom of any kind, whether it is freedom of location, financial freedom, physical freedom, or social freedom (e.g. freedom from approach anxiety), comes with with a price tag.

Freedom is not free. It is earned. It is taken. It is wrestled from the jaws of fear and uncertainty and doubt.

If you want a life of your own design, a life of true power where you can be who you want and live life on your terms, then you are going to have to pay for it.

Achieving freedom requires discipline and sacrifice. It requires years, sometimes decades of giving up what you want now for a future of unlimited potential.

As the old saying goes, “Live like no one else will today so that you can live like no one else can tomorrow.”

3. Fear is the Pathway to Power

One of the quickest ways to achieve success is to see your fears as the pathway to power. See fear as the guiding force in your life that tells you where you should be going and what you should be doing.

The more fear you feel, the more you will know you are on the right track.

Do not let fear paralyze you.

Realize that on the other side of every fear is a stronger, more powerful, and more grounded man.

Overcoming your fear to start your business or talk to that girl or get off the couch and go to the gym will lead to personal growth and success that you could never have imagined.

Embrace the fear and achieve your dream life.

4. What Do You Want to be Remembered For?

It is easy to live our lives without ever truly considering our legacies.

But the simple fact is, all of us are going to die. We are all headed towards the same fate. And 100 years from now, the only thing that will differentiate your life from everyone else’s is the impact that you had and the difference that you made.

Devote time each day to thinking about the person that you want to become.

Think about how you want to be remembered.

Do you want to be remembered as the grinder? The philanthropist? The family man?

No matter what you want your legacy to be, make the definite decision to take the necessary actions to leave behind a life that will be remembered how you want to be remembered.

5. Success Requires You to Hone Your Capacity

If you want to succeed at any endeavor in life, you must first hone your capacity.

You must become a student to your craft and be willing to put your nose to the grindstone, working and learning, all the while approaching your craft with a deep humility.

The more and more capable you become at any skill, the more you will find your ego and insecurities melting away.

You will no longer feel the need to prove yourself to the world because you already have a deep inner confidence in yourself and your capacity for success.

Charlie Brenneman is a former UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) competitor in the lightweight division with an overall fight record of 19 wins and 8 losses.

After leaving the UFC two years ago, Charlie has devoted himself to helping other people achieve the success that they desire and deserve through professional coaching, speaking, and entrepreneurship.

Favorite Success Quote

“You are what you repeatedly do, excellence is not an act but a habit” ~

Key Points

1. Success is About Giving Everything You Have

In our materialistic and results driven society, it is easy to get caught up in this idea that success is all about making a certain amount of money, winning every competition, and reaching every goal.

But the truth is much deeper than that. While accomplishment should certainly play a central role in every man’s definition of success, the missing piece of the puzzle is the effort that you devote to achieving your goals.

If you put everything that you have into the attainment of a goal, if you are relentless and driven to a point that many people consider you insane and you still don’t achieve your desired outcome, then guess what?

You are still a success.

You showed up, you put in the work, and you did everything that you could do. Sometimes despite your best efforts, the stars simply don’t align. And it’s times like this where you can look at yourself in the mirror with pride, knowing that you gave it your all and are still a man of success despite the perceived failure.

2. A Life of Fulfillment Comes from the Habit of Pursuing the Uncomfortable 

So many people believe that fulfillment will come whenever they reach a certain goal. Whenever they have seven figures in their bank account, are married to the model wife, or driving the Ferrari.

In reality, however, as men, we derive our true sense of fulfillment from constantly pursuing a life of “uncomfortability.”

A life where we don’t know whether we will succeed, a life of struggle and triumph, a life, as Teddy Roosevelt put it, “In the arena, with your face marred by blood, and sweat, and tears.”

If you want to be fulfilled and live every day with a smile on your face and joy in your heart, then get out of your comfort zone. Get uncomfortable and start pushing the boundaries of what you think is possible in your life.

3. Humility is a Hallmark of the Greats 

No matter how successful you become, there is always someone out there who is better than you. And if you want to truly succeed at any endeavor, then you need to have the humility to learn from others and devote yourself to constant improvement.

If you look at any great man in sports, business, or life, you will notice that no matter their stature, they were always willing to take criticism and look for ways to improve their craft.

From billionaires like Sam Walton to All-Stars like Kobe Bryant, they all approached their field with a deep and genuine humility, accepting that they did not know everything and had plenty of room to improve.

If you truly want to be one of the greats, then you need to take the same approach to your life.

4. Accept the Struggle 

Whenever you start out at anything, whether it is a business, a sport, an instrument, or improving your social skills, you are going to suck.

It’s not pretty, it’s not nice, but it is the cold hard truth. You are going to suck, and you are going to suck for a long time.

The quicker that you can come to terms with this and accept that the journey is part of the joy of mastery, the sooner you will be able to overcome your own egotistical nature and truly become an expert in your craft.

So embrace the suck. Don’t take yourself too seriously, and get ready for months or even years of fumbling through until you become proficient in your field.

5. Surround Yourself with the Best 

The quickest way to accelerate your own growth is to surround yourself with people who are playing the game of life at a higher level than you are.

Find people in your field who are performing at a level 10X your current level and get around them.

Figure out what habits, tactics, and mindsets are separating them from the 99% and putting them into the proverbial hall of fame.

The sooner that you can build up your circle of friends and mentors who are playing at a higher level, the quicker you will achieve your own goals and truly embrace your own potential.

Mark Manson is a blogger, author, and entrepreneur. He specializes in writing personal development advice that doesn’t suck. His website MarkManson.net is read by over 2 million people each month.

He has written two best-sellers Models: The Art of Attracting Women Through Honesty and The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counter-Intuitive Approach to Living a Good Life. markmanson.netYou can connect with him and learn more at

Key Points

1. There is No Such Thing as a Problem Free Life

Life is not easy, anyone who tells you otherwise is full of crap.

Life can suck sometimes and that is just the reality.

However, you should not see this as a bad thing, in fact, you should appreciate it.

If life is going to be painful no matter what, this means that you have a choice to choose what kind of pain you want to endure.

You can endure the pain of failure or you can endure the pain of struggling to achieve success.

2. Pain Isn’t Always Bad Pleasure Isn’t Always Good 

Something that most people misunderstand is that pain is not always a bad thing and pleasure is not always a good thing.

You can achieve pleasure by purchasing mounds of cocaine and heroin, but that would not be expedient for achieving your goals and living the life that you want.

You can also be in pain by pursuing your goals and trying to achieve greatness but this is not necessarily a bad thing.

Accept the fact that life is not about being in a constant state of euphoria, it is about overcoming challenges and living a life of meaning.

3. Your Behaviors Dictate Your Values

Whenever you ask people what they value they will tell you all sorts of things and about how they value family, fitness, or personal growth.

However, their actions say otherwise.

They say that they value family but they spend all of their time working.

They say they value health but workout only once a month and treat their body like sh!t.

Maybe they even say that they don’t value their sex life and yet they are out every week trying to get with a new girl.

If you want to know what you truly value, take a look at your actions.

Be willing to examine yourself and your life without any bias or judgment and make changes accordingly.

If you don’t you will spend your whole life spinning your wheel and accomplishing very little.

4. A Constant Pursuit of Happiness Leads to Dissatisfaction

Most self-help movements in the modern world seem hell bent on helping people achieve this constant state of euphoria.

But the sad fact is, by pursuing happiness, you actually make yourself less happy.

In every moment, you are always wondering “Am I as happy as I could be right now? What more could I be doing?” and you end up feeling depressed and frustrated because you are not happier.

The same is true with your physique, bank account, and game.

If you are constantly trying to be the absolute best, you will never be able to appreciate where you are.

Learn to just accept that you may not be the richest, best looking, or most charismatic man in the room and work with that.

Accept yourself for who you are and work to improve in the areas that are truly lacking.

Otherwise, you will be like a dog chasing its tail and end up living a miserable life.

5. You are Going to Die 

This is one of the most important things to remember in your life.

No matter what you achieve, not matter how much money you make, who you marry, or how many people’s lives you affect, at the end of the day you are going to die.

There is no way around it.

Death is the only constant in every human being’s life.

But this should not depress or scare you.

It should liberate you.

The inevitability of death means that you can free yourself from the expectations of others, the drama of daily life, and the fear that accompanies big decisions.

If you are going to die, then all that matter is the legacy that you leave behind you.

Remember this and live life to the fullest.

Coach Michael Taylor is an entrepreneur, author, motivational speaker and radio show host who has dedicated his life to empowering men and women to reach their full potential.

He knows first hand how to overcome adversity and build a rewarding and fulfilling life and he is sharing his knowledge and wisdom with others to support them in creating the life of their dreams.

Favorite Success Quote

“There is no coming to consciousness without pain. People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own Soul. One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.” ~Carl Jung

Key Points

1. What You Focus on Expands

What you focus on will expand, and if you aren’t intentional about what you are focusing on, you may wake up and realize that you don’t like the life that you have created.

If you set the wrong goals and focused on the wrong things, you may wake up one day, wealthy, healthy, with plenty of “notches” on your belt and completely miserable.

Instead of focusing on being wealthy, focus on first being happy.

Instead of focusing on becoming the next Arnold, focus on being comfortable in your body and feeling alive and energetic when you wake up.

Instead of focusing on sleeping with loads of women, focus on deeply connecting with many women.

Be intentional about where you set your focus.

If you aren’t, you are setting yourself up for failure.

2. Use Life’s Challenges as Stepping Stones

Challenges are a chance for you to learn and grow.

Instead of seeing them as this negative and terrible thing, choose to view challenges as an opportunity for you to mold yourself into the man that you want to be.

See them as a way that you can strengthen yourself and equip yourself for the future.

If you approach every challenge with this attitude, you will find that challenges become fun.

They become something you look forward to, not something that you dread.

3. You are 100% Responsible for Your Life

Until you accept this truth, you will never achieve success.

If you have the technology to read this article and listen to this podcast right now and you are not where you want to be in life, it is your fault.

End of story.

If you are out of shape, in a miserable relationship (or no relationship), broke, or unhappy, it is your fault and no one else’s.

You have the power in every moment to take responsibility for yourself and make the changes necessary to become the person you want.

4. Leave Your Comfort Zone Far Behind

Life is not lived in your comfort zone.

It is lived whenever you are out to sea with no shore in sight, no boat, and no clue what is going on.

Life is lived whenever you do things that scare you half to death and make you question yourself.

Whenever you are willing to take the leap, jump off the edge, and build an airplane on the way down.

The more you get out of your comfort zone, the more you will uncover your own strength and the quicker you will achieve your goals.

5. You Must Have a Positive Mental Attitude 

Look, life can suck.

It’s that simple, there will be days when nothing goes right, when the world seems like it is conspiring against you to make your life a living hell.

It is during times like these that your attitude is everything.

You have to maintain a positive focus and be willing to see the good in every situation.

If you can do this, any adversity will become something positive, and there is no limit to what you can achieve.

Shawne Merriman, nicknamed “Lights Out”, is a former American football player who was a linebacker in the NFL from 2005 to 2012. He was among the top linebackers in the NFL in his first three seasons with the San Diego Chargers, where he was a three-time Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection.

Merriman was drafted 12th overall by the San Diego Chargers in the 2005 NFL Draft. He earned NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in his first season and recorded 39 ¹⁄₂quarterback sacks in his first three seasons

Favorite Success Quote

“Keep working and everything else will fall into place”

Key Points

1. Don’t Do Anything Unless You Want to be Great 

We live in a world that is filled with mediocrity.

People are willing to simply show up, do the bare minimum, and then head off.

This cannot be you.

If you want to succeed at life and live with passion, fulfillment, and joy, then you need to only do things if you want to be great.

Don’t compete to be good, compete to be the best.

2. There is Always Light at the End of the Tunnel 

No matter how difficult your life is right now, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

We all struggle through hard times, some of us more so than others. Just remember that this too will end and when you push through it, it will be better on the other side.

3. Get Out of Your Own Way

If you want to succeed, then you need to drop your ego and get out of your own way.

Be willing to take advice, listen to mentors who are wiser than you, get out of your comfort zone and be willing to take the action necessary to succeed.

4. Hustle Like You’ve Never Achieved Success

No matter how successful you are, you need to keep hustling like you have never even tasted success.

It doesn’t matter whether you are a multi-millionaire, a titan of your industry, or the leader in your field, the day you stop hustling is the day that you die.

5. Remember the Babysteps

Whenever you are stuck in life and feel like you cannot move forward, you need to remember to focus on the babysteps.

If you are struggling to bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be, then take a step back and focus on the small things.

Just lay 4-5 bricks a day in your business, health, wealth, and relationships and one year from now, you will have built yourself an incredible home.

Rich Litvin is a high-performance coach who helps Olympic athletes, presidential candidates, and special forces members achieve  more in their life, business, and relationships.

He is also the Co-author  of the bestselling book “The Prosperous Coach.”

Favorite Success Quote

“Confidence is a result, n0t a requirement”

Key Points

1. You Need to Live a Life of Integrity

If you want to be respected in life and succeed at the highest level, then you must be a man of integrity.

This does not simply mean that you keep your word when you make a promise.

It means that your thoughts, words, and actions are all in congruence.

You don’t lie and blow smoke to appease others, you don’t hold your tongue to avoid pissing people off, and you don’t live a life that is incongruent with what you want to make others happy.

You live a life of congruence where everything is in line.

This is the pathway to true power.

2. If You Want to Live Life Fully Kill the Nice Guy

Most men play life small.

Why? Because they are nice.

Or at least, that’s how they appear on the surface.

They are agreeable, amiable, and work very hard to make others happy, but in reality, they are living a lie.

They say yes when they want to say no, they suppress emotions, and they do all of it out of selfishness, hoping that their perceived niceness will result in some sort of gain.

To live fully, to live a powerful life, and be a grounded man, you have to kill the nice guy.

Speak your truth, live in integrity, and do not set out to appease others.

Be kind, of course, but do it from a place of abundance, where you are giving to the world because you are already so full, not from a place of scarcity where you are kind because you want something in return.

3. You Need to Burn Your Bridges

Want to succeed?

Burn your bridges.

While everyone has their own path, one of the quickest ways to ensure success is to cut off all chances of failure.

If you quit your job, move to a new city, leave a relationship, or sell a home, that’s it.

There is no turning back.

When you give yourself no choice but to succeed, you will find that you are stronger than you ever thought.

4. What Got You Here Won’t Get You There 

Something interesting about high achievers is that the actions that got them to where they are today will not get them to where they want to be.

Everything you have done to become successful in the past will hold you back from becoming successful today

Life is in a constant state of change, and when you are doing the same actions you were doing years ago, odds are you are playing it small.

You need to have powerful men, coaches, and mentors in your life who can call you on your bullshit and help you step things up.

You will never become a billionaire doing what you did to become a millionaire.

5. You Need to Improve Only 4%

Most people think they need to improve 100% to achieve their dream lives.

The truth is, they only need to improve about 4% in the right area of life.

If you can find that critical 4% in your dating, health, and business, your life can change completely.

The key is, once again, finding people who can help you to pinpoint that critical 4% and help you on the path to its achievement.

Master Business, Relationship, and Success Coach, TV/Radio Host, Author of 9 Books, Inspirational Speaker
David began his career in the health and fitness industry and quickly was named “Mr. Motivation” by Lifetime Television and “The Master of Motivation” by American Fitness magazine.

Favorite Success Quote

“Every action into the uncomfortable ensures our success in life”

Key Points

1. You Have to become Uncomfortable 

Life is not lived within your comfort zone.

If you want to achieve success, you cannot sit on your couch  and visualize it, you have to get up off your butt and go after it.

Want to get shredded?

Get yourself to the gym, lift weights, and track your diet.

Want to make more money?

Work 80 hours a week intentionally on your business for 90 days and see what your results are.

The only way to succeed is to do the things that are uncomfrotable and painful.

2. We Cannot Live for Instant Gratification

If you are living for instant gratification, you will never acheive fulfillment.

You must learn to delay gratification, giving up what you want now for what you ultimately want.

It might not be fun to wake up early and workout or miss partying with friends to grind it out on your business, but you will thank yourself in the years to come.

3.  The Path to Success Rarely Feels Good 

Success can suck.

It’s just that simple.

Getting up early isn’t fun.

Working 12 hour days isn’t fun.

Cutting off unhealthy friendships isn’t fun.

But it is worth it.

Success requires you to be in pain, it is that simple.

The sooner you accept that, the easier the pain will be.

4. What You Think About You Do Not Bring About 

Thinking about something day after day does nothing to move you closer to its attainment.

If you want something, then go and get it.

Don’t wish for it or visualize it, GO AND GET IT!

Work for it.

Sweat, cry, and bleed for it.

Then and only then can you truly acheive the things that you want.

5. Success in 80% Action 20% Mentality 

For all of this talk bashing the law of attraction and visualization, the principles behind the psycholgy of success do have some merit.

If you want to boost the speed with which you achieve success, then using visualization techniques, affirmations, and other pop psychology tactics work when used in conjunction with massive action.

Your goal should be to devote 80% of your time to taking action and 20% of your time to mastering your psychology.

Kute Blackson is an influential thought leader, a transformational coach, and author of You Are the One.

He has spent the past several years of his life dedicated to helping men and women live lives of true purpose. Discovering who they really are and how they can share their gifts with the world.

He has appeared on the Larry King show and has been endorsed by influencers Jack Canfield, Rhonda Britten, Lisa Nichols, and John Gray among many others.

Favorite Success Quote

“The real does not die, and the unreal never lived” ~Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj.

Key Points

1. Be in Constant Surrender 

Life is unpredictable.

The more you end up trying to control it, the more it ends up controlling you.

One of the keys to living a truly happy and fulfilled life is to learn to surrender to the flow of life.

Allow life to happen. Understand that things happen for a reason. Do not try and force life, rather surrender to life and you will be amazed at what it brings to you.

2. You Need to Break Out of Your Comfort Zone

Life is meant to be lived.

If you are staying in your comfort zone, you are not living.

You need to constantly push yourself to do new and exciting things. Things that scare you, things that make you unsure of yourself, and things that you are unsure you can accomplish.

Because the funny thing is, you will be just fine.

You will survive, and likely thrive, and the more often you push yourself to do things outside of the normal for you, the more you will grow and the more confidence you will have.

3. You Have to Question and Feel yourself 

There is an old saying that “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

You need to question yourself, question your life, question the decisions that you have made and your assumptions about who you are and what your identity is.

The more you question your life, the more you will realize the beauty and power of your life.

Once you have begun upon this realization, you need to feel yourself.

You need to feel who you truly are. Not who society says you are, not who your parents say you are, and not even who you say you are.

You need to feel into who you truly are.

Once you can do this, you will be amazed at how your life will change.

4. You Are Not Your Thoughts 

You are not your mind.

You are not your thoughts.

You are much deeper than that.

You are an infinite being that is part of an infinite universe, and you have to learn to accept that fact and see your life as it really is.

Your thoughts are merely a vessel for a tiny part of you that is on this great journey called life.

Learn to disassociate from your thoughts and witness them instead of being a slave to them.

5. Happiness is About Truth 

There is no happiness when you are living in a lie.

If you want to live a life of total fulfillment and genuine joy and happiness, you have to start telling the truth.

Tell the truth to the people in your life, yes, but more importantly, tell the truth to yourself.

Stop lying to yourself and get real.

The sooner you can do this, the better your life will be.

Personal trainer, peak performance coach, and podcaster Ted Ryce has overcome a tremendous amount in his quest to live a legendary life.

Favorite Success Quote

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive and go do that. Because what the world needs is more people to come alive” ~Howard Thurman

Key Points

1. You Need to Come Alive 

The world is full of people who are dead on the inside.

They are living and breathing in the literal sense, but their lives lack the passion.

They wake up in the morning with no fire in their bellies. They simply go through the motions, doing things that they dislike because of societal conditioning.

What the world needs, what you need, is to come alive.

To live a life every day that is of your choosing, doing things that you love and spending every day of your life living with deep passion.

Forget what society and your parents taught you. You need to do what will make you come alive, period.

2. You Need to Push Yourself Physically to Succeed at Life 

Your health is a critical part of succeeding at life.

If you are not pushing yourself physically in the gym and challenging your body on a daily basis, then you are doing a disservice to your career, your family, and your personal growth.

Whenever you push yourself in the gym, you can push yourself harder in life.

You wake up with more energy and can live life on a level 10.

3. Consistency is Key

You will never have the body of your dreams, the woman of your dreams, or the millions in the bank account if you are not consistent.

You need to be consistent.

Set a plan and stick to it.

Don’t make excuses, don’t allow life to get in the way.

As Nike says, “Just do it!”

4. You Need More Experiences 

If you are feeling lost in life, you need to experience more things.

Pack up your bags and travel around the world. Move to a new city. Try out a new career.

Do whatever you have to do to give yourself more experiences and grow into the man that you want to become.

5. Life is a Marathon 

Life is not a a sprint, it is a marathon.

You cannot expect to achieve all of your goals and dreams within a year.

It takes decades of dedication and consistency.

And even then you will never truly arrive at any sort of destination.

Life is a never ending journey.

You will never arrive, and that is ok.

6. Training Routine to Build Strength 

If you are looking to build strength and become (literally) the strongest version of yourself.

Follow the below routine.

Workout 4 Days a Week 

Monday: Upper Body
Tuesday: Lower Body
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Upper Body
Friday: Lower Body
Weekend: Rest

Exercise Selection

For exercise selection, stick to big lifts.

Deadlifts, squats, bench press, and overhead presses should comprise the majority of your workout.

Pick 2 based on the training day, for example, if you are doing upper body, complete Bench Press, and Shoulder Presses.

Then pick 2-3 supplementary exercises of your choice that are in the same muscle groups to compliment your workout.

Sets and Reps

Option 1

Month 1: 4 sets of 12-15
Month 2: 4 sets of 6-8 (higher weight)
Month 3: 4 sets of 4-5 (higher weight)

Option 2:

Week 1: 4 sets of 6
Week 2: 4 sets of 8
Week 3: 5 sets of 8
Week 4: Deload (Same sets and reps as week 1 with 30-40% less weight)

An Added Note

The most important part of any training program is called linear periodization.

This is the concept of basically incrementally increasing the weight that you are pressing or pulling to continue forcing your body to grow and adapt.

Always seek to add one more rep, just a little bit more weight, or another set to your workouts so that you are continually improving and pushing your body.

7. Bonus Routine for Fat Burning 

An easy trick to help you burn some extra fat is to complete the following workouts either on your off days or as a finisher to your workouts.

Week 1: 5 Minutes of Bodyweight squats in aerobic heart rate range (or some other bodyweight exercise)
Week 2: 10 Minutes of Bodyweight squats in aerobic heart rate range (or some other bodyweight exercise)
Week 3: 15  Minutes of Bodyweight squats in aerobic heart rate range (or some other bodyweight exercise)
Week 4: 8 Minutes of Bodyweight squats in aerobic heart rate range (or some other bodyweight exercise)

8. Sleep Better

Here are a few tips to help you improve the quality of your sleep.

-Download the app F.lux to dim the lights on your computer so that don’t disrupt your natural sleep cycle.

-Invest in a sleep master mask (or just cover your face with a shirt)

-Invest in a nicer mattress

– Set your thermostat to 64 degrees F

-Get ear plugs for noisy environments

-Get to bed at the same time every night, preferably before 11 p.m.

Elliot S. Weissbluth is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of HighTower. His commitment to disrupting the industry in favor of transparency and integrity has driven HighTower’s growth since he founded the company in 2007 in the midst of the financial crisis.

The business model he pioneered combines the fiduciary standard for financial advisors with an open-source platform where providers of the industry’s top products and solutions compete for HighTower clients’ business.

Elliot Weissbluth and HighTower continue to challenge the status quo by bringing transformative ideas and transparent solutions to financial services.

Favorite Success Quote

“There is no shortcut to the top” ~Ed Viesturs

Key Points

1. Ignorance Can be Your Biggest Advantage

Whenever you are getting started in business ignorance and naivety can actually be one of your greatest advantages.

For some people, they do not realize just how difficult business can be and would never get started if they did.

For others, being ignorant about the market and the “right way” to do things allows them to come up with creative solutions to problems that experienced veterans would never have thought of.

Do not see your ignorance as a curse, see it as a blessing. It may very well be the only reason that you succeed.

2. The Key to Managing Stress is Finding the Right Outlets

Life is stressful, business is stressful, and entrepreneurship is really stressful.

If you do not learn how to effectively manage your stressors, you will end up burned out and overwhelmed,  utterly unable to continue on the path to success.

You have to learn to effectively mitigate and manage stress through positive outlets or risk failure due to overwhelm.

Whether you enjoy painting, extreme sports, music, time with friends, or just sitting down with a good book, figure out the things that give you energy and recharge your batteries and make time for them every day.

3. Financial Health is Just as Important as Physical Health

You will often hear leaders in the personal development sphere say the phrase “If you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything” and while this is true, if you do not have financial health, every other area of your life will suffer.

If you are living in a state of financial disease your health, relationships, and spiritual life will suffer, there is no way around it.

One of the predominant reasons for the astronomically high divorce rate in the U.S. is financial stress between spouses.

One of the reasons for the health epidemic is the inability for low-income individuals to afford healthy foods and a reasonable quality of life.

One of the reasons that so few people live the lives of their dreams is because they are too busy trying to survive to figure out what their passions are.

You have to master your physical health, because, without it, everything else in your life will deteriorate.

4. Don’t Mistake Achievement and Fulfillment

While financial health is extremely important, do not ever mistake financial achievement (or any other kind of achievement) for fulfillment.

Some of the happiest people in the world only earn $25,000 a year, and some of the most miserable people on the planet are multimillionaires.

You have to shift your focus from achievement to fulfillment.

What makes you come alive, what do you enjoy doing, who do you enjoy being around?

You will only have fulfillment in your life when you can answer these questions honestly and base the rest of your life around them.

5. Go Experience Failure

Growing up, you were told that failure is bad. That it is evil. That it should be avoided.

But the truth is, failure is one of the most valuable tools you have if you wish to become successful.

Go out and fail faster than you have ever failed before. The more you fail, the more you learn,  and the more successful you will ultimately become.

Ken Blanchard, PhD, is one of the most influential leadership experts in the world. He has co-authored 60 books, including Raving Fans and Gung Ho! (with Sheldon Bowles). His groundbreaking works have been translated into over 40 languages and their combined sales total more than 21 million copies.

In 2005 he was inducted into Amazon’s Hall of Fame as one of the top 25 bestselling authors of all time. The recipient of numerous leadership awards and honors, he is cofounder with his wife, Margie, of The Ken Blanchard Companies®, a leading international training and consulting firm.

Favorite Success Quote

“Don’t ever use your position, great leaders and great because people love them and trust them, not because they have power” ~

Key Points

1. Leadership is About Trust Not Power

If you want to be an effective leader, then operate based off of trust, not off of your power.

If you want people to follow you, don’t demand that they follow you, get them to follow you because they trust you.

Leadership is based off of trust, and not off of power. You have to build your community of individuals who trust in you and trust your abilities before you will ever be an effective leader.

2. Don’t Let Age Define You

Whether you are young or old, you have something to offer the world.

Never let your age determine your ambitions.

If you are young, then use that youth and energy to invest into growing yourself and your dream, if you are older, then use your wisdom to grow your dreams while paying it forward and helping someone else.

There is no time in life whenever you do not have a purpose, never let your age define you.

3. You Need to Keep Yourself Excited

No matter where you are in life, you need to keep yourself excited and stimulate, spiritually, physically, and mentally.

If you are not constantly pushing the envelope on your life and growing yourself in all areas you will live a more rich and fulfilling life.

4. Service is Essential to Fulfillment 

You cannot truly live a full life unless you are serving others. Life is empty when it is lived for you.

You have to have some aspect of your life with an element of service. Whether this is starting a non profit, volunteering at your church or with a charity, or just giving 10% of your money to a good cause.

You need to remember that life is bigger than you and act like it.

5. If You Want Something to Go Well Get it Structured 

If you want a marriage, business, or even your health to go well, it needs to be well structured.

You have to put systems into place that help you to operate from strengths, eliminate weaknesses, and get perspective on your blind spots. Only with the right systems in place will anything truly be successful.

Aaron Anastasi is the founder and coach of the internationally recognized, Superior Singing Method, an online singing lesson program that grosses seven figures annually.

With over 10,000,000 views and 100,000 subscribers, Aaron has the #1 singing/life lesson channel on YouTube. He is also a prominent life coach for clients in industry-leading roles ranging from film directors to marine biologists to TEDx speakers.

Favorite Success Quote

“The inspiration you are waiting for, in order to start, is on the other side of starting”

Key Points

1. You Have to Get Started 

The hardest part of any endeavor, whether it is starting your business, losing 50 lbs. of fat, or marrying the girl of your dreams, is getting started.

Once you have built the momentum and gotten over the fear of failure and vulnerability, things will start to fall into place, but you have to get started!

So plug your nose, and jump into the cold water, years from now, you will look back and be glad that you did.

2. Don’t Hold Your Happiness Hostage to Large Goals 

Having huge, massive, earth shattering goals is admirable, but it can also be toxic.

You need to have your big goals; a million dollars a year in profit, a New York Times best-selling book,  transformed body, or whatever it is, but you cannot allow those big goals to hold your happiness hostage.

Set out towards your dreams with smaller, more managable goals that will allow you to taste the joy of achievement without waiting 10-20 years, and reward yourself for every step you take towards your big goals.

Remember, like Hal Elrod says “Love the life you have, while you create the life of your dreams.”

3. Your Beliefs Determine Your Reality 

Nothing can sabotage you more quickly and more completely than limiting beliefs.

If you wake up every morning, believing that you are not good enough, that you will never achieve your goals, and that you are unworthy of success, then it is impossible to achieve your dreams.

You have to consciously and actively rewire your brain and your belief systems to serve you and your goals, because if you do not, your beliefs will rewire your life for the worse.

4. Your Rituals Create Your Results

Success is simple, but it is not easy.

If you want that great body, workout every day, count your calories, and sleep 8 hours a night.

If you want a million dollars in your bank account, start your business, set about each day intentionally building on the most important things, and hire experts to help you overcome your weaknesses.

If you want the beautiful wife and the white picket fence, then start getting involved in social activities, talk to more women, and take more risks in your dating life.

Success is nothing but the accumulation of small things done consistently over a log period of time.

5. Feedback Helps You Close the Gaps in Life 

If you are not where you want to be in your life right now, then you need to sit down with people you trust and have honest and open conversations about where you are excelling and where you are falling short.

The feedback that you get from others (meaning people who have achieved what you want and who care for you) can give you the knowledge and encouragement you need to bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be.

Mike Dillard is an entrepreneur in Austin Texas. He built his first million-dollar business by the age of 27, teaching small business owners how to effectively market their products and services online using “attraction-marketing” strategies.

In 2010 he founded a financial education company in order to teach others how to achieve financial freedom through investment strategies commonly reserved for the wealthy.

Combined, his businesses have produced more than $50 Million in revenue without outside funding.

Today Mike dedicates his time to mentoring other entrepreneurs and developing technologies in the aeroponics industry that will give people around the world access to clean, healthy, organic food at a fraction of today’s current prices.

He spends his free time pursuing his passion for auto racing, competing in the Baja 1000, Mint 400, and SCCA.

Favorite Success Quote

“Never never stop”

Key Points

1. Success Comes from You

One of the fallacies that many wantrepreneurs make is that they think success will come from outside of them.

They think that if they find the right vehicle they will be successful but they never realize that the vehicle doesn’t matter if the driver sucks.

You have to invest in yourself before you will ever see success in business. You have to master skill sets, understand your personality and how you function, and constantly educate yourself if you ever wish to be successful.

2. You Cannot Use Your Personality Type as an Excuse

Often times in business, entrepreneurs will use their personality type as a crutch.

They say things like “How can I get good at sales if I am an introvert” or “My personality just doesn’t let me focus on one thing” or a whole host of other b.s. excuses.

If you want to succeed in entrepreneurship then wake up and realize that your personality type may be an obstacle but it is never a death sentence.

3. Making Money is Only the First Part of Wealth

Many people believe that once you make money you are set. But the truth is that making money is only the first part of the equation for wealth.

If you want to be wealthy you have to learn how to make, keep, and grow your income.

If you earn $1,000,000 a year but spend $1,250,000 then you are not wealthy, you are broke as a joke.

The things that make so many entrepreneurs great at making money, being comfortable with risks, quick decision making, and a “go big or go home” attitude is also what makes it very difficult for entrepreneurs to keep and grow their money.

To grow true wealth, you must temper yourself and learn to exercise the discipline necessary to make smart investment decisions that are not sexy, do not require a lot of risk, and are often base hits instead of home runs.

Entrepreneurship makes terrible financial decision

4. If You Want to be Respected Have Integrity

This applies to all areas of life, not just business.

If you want people to respect you, then be a man of your word, say what you mean and stop lying. Be real and honest with people, don’t b.s. them because you are hoping for positive feedback.

Your word is how you are measured as a man, make sure that people see you as a man of integrity.

5. Build Your Life One Brick at a Time

Success in entrepreneurship rarely comes in fast spurts. It comes through building your business one brick at a time, a few bricks a day.

When you wake up each day, focus on 3-5 things that you need to accomplish that will grow your business. After several years of this daily ritual, you will be successful.

Like Charlie Monger said

“Spend each day trying to be a little wiser than you were when you woke up. Discharge your duties faithfully and well. Step by step you get ahead, but not necessarily in fast spurts. But you build discipline by preparing for fast spurts…. Slug it out one inch at a time, day by day. At the end of the day–if you live long enough–most people get what they deserve.”

Dean Niewolny spent 23 years in executive roles with three of Wall Street’s largest financial firms, finishing his career in the financial sector as the market manager for Wells Fargo Advisors in Chicago, where he oversaw a $100mm market.

While in Chicago, he and his wife, Lisa, traveled many times to Africa and, seeing the abject needs of widows and orphans, made life changes that enabled them to get involved, such as helping to complete an orphan home and a Hospice home in Durbin, South Africa.

In 2010, Dean traded his marketplace career for Halftime to help more people who, like him, wanted to expand their own “first half” success and skills into passion and purpose for meeting human needs and making a significant difference. Dean joined Halftime as managing director and in 2011 became chief executive officer. He speaks at events around the world, encouraging business leaders to channel

Dean joined Halftime as managing director and in 2011 became chief executive officer. He speaks at events around the world, encouraging business leaders to channel their first-half achievements into a second half defined by joy, impact, and balance.

Favorite Success Quote

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,which God prepared in advance for us to do.” ~Ephesians 2:1

Key Points

1. The Pursuit of Money is Empty

So many of us as men tie our identity to the number of 0’s in our checking account. We think that out worth as  a man is determined by how much money we earn and the number of toys that we have without ever realizing that the sole pursuit of money is empty.

Yes, money is important and allows us to have a bigger impact on the world, but pursuing money just for the sake of having more money and bigger and better things is a pursuit that will leave you empty and full of regret for a life lived in vain.

2. Life is About What You Can Give Not What You Get 

The true joy of life is in giving back, it’s in making an impact and helping other people to become all that they can be. If you want to live a full life, a good life, and a life that has true meaning, then you must focus on what you are giving, not what you are getting.

3. You Don’t Need to Leave Your Job to Make an Impact

Many people seem to think that the only way to have true significance is to leave their job and start a nonprofit in the deep Sahara. But the truth of the matter is that you can start having a real impact by just focusing on your local community.

Start a local club for young boys who don’t have fathers and give them a strong male role model, build a park for the inner city, mentor someone who you believe has real potential.

You don’t have to be drastic to make an important difference, start small and you will be amazed where it takes you.

4.  Aim for Success and Significance

Something that many millennials are realizing is that success and significance are not either-or situations, you can have both-and. They are realizing that they can have the 7-figure business, and use that business to enjoy the finer things in life while still changing communities and individuals on a global scale.

They are realizing that they can actually make a money from making a difference, solving real problems and training up the next generation of leaders and world changers while making a profit is something that is completely doable.

Do not settle for one or the other, pursue both.

5. You Have to Operate from Passion and Strength 

If you want to make a real difference in the world, then you have to operate from passion and strength. If you are doing something that you do not enjoy and you are no good at, you will never make a difference in your life or the life of anybody else.

You have to find things that make you come alive, and then find a niche where you can become one of the best. This is the only way that you will be able to make a lasting impact on the world.

Dale Partridge is a social entrepreneur and founder of Sevenly.org and StartupCamp.com. Described as “a mind who feels the trends before market,” Partridge teaches leaders and organizations how to position their brand, love their people, and develop profitable corporate social responsibility programs.

He’s a renowned expert on branding, consumer psychology, and marketplace trends. He is an avid speaker and has been featured in various business publications including the cover of Entrepreneur Magazine, Fox News, NBC, INC Magazine, Mashable, MSN Money, Forbes and the Los Angeles Times. Dale resides with his family in Bend, Oregon.

Favorite Success Quote

“Never get too busy making a living that you forget to make a life”~Dolly Parton

Key Points

1. Accountability is Key

On your path to becoming the best man that you can be, there are a couple of key ingredients that, if you are lacking, will cause you to fail miserably.

One of those keys is accountability.

You have to have strong men in your life who are willing to speak truth and push you to become your best self. Men who are willing to call you out on your weaknesses and affirm your strengths. Without a strong support system you will fail. It is essential to your success as a man, in business, marriage, and personal growth that you develop this accountability and stick to it.

2. Men Are Overly Courageous in Business and Fearful in Family

A huge problem with men today is that they are courageous in business and timid in their family lives.

They draw all of this satisfaction from succeeding on the front of business, making millions and achieving their dreams, that they forget to be good fathers, husbands, and sons.

If you want to live up to your full potential as a man, you have to have a balance between both. You have to succeed in business so that you can provide for your family, but you also have to be willing to sacrifice a bigger paycheck to be the man that your family needs.

3. Build Generosity into Your Life

One of the cornerstones of being a good man is being generous. If you want to live a life of purpose and fulfillment, build generosity into your life, don’t sprinkle it in as an afterthought.

Give your time, money, and resources to charities that you believe in, be willing to listen to the homeless guy on the street, sit and have a conversation with someone in need. Be generous in all areas of your life and it will come back to you, but more importantly, at the end of the day when you meet your maker, you will have a clean conscience and a full heart.

Dr. Roberto Canessa., is one of the 16 survivors of the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, which crashed in the Andes mountains on October 13, 1972

Favorite Success Quote

“Don’t wait for the helicopters to rescue you”

Key Points

1. You Have to Rescue Yourself 

In life, no one is coming to save you, there are no helicopters on the way, you have to rescue yourself.

In business, there is no one coming with that promotion you aren’t willing to work and ask for, in relationships, there are no beautiful women waiting in line to marry you while you play video games and live a mundane life, there is no magic pill to make you the best version of yourself, you have to choose to be the best, and fight for it every day.

You have to rescue yourself.

2. Know there is Hope

No matter how bleak things look right now, know that there is hope, there is always something better waiting for you if you are willing to have patience and put in the work. No matter how hard it is, no matter how much you want to give up, stay strong and have hope.

3. Take it One Step at a Time

If you want to succeed at anything, just take it one step at a time. Don’t think about the massive journey ahead of you, just think about the natural next step, think about the one thing that you need to do today.

If you can have laser focus on the next thing you need to accomplish your success in life and business will skyrocket.

4. Don’t Wait for the Plane to Crash 

Life is beautiful and we have so much to be grateful for. Don’t wait for your plane to crash to realize that. Spend time every day in thanks, thinking about the people, things, and experiences you love.

Just be grateful and allow the world to spin in its own way without worrying about it.

Chris Duffin is an accomplished power lifter, coach and gym owner, he holds the world record for the raw squat in the 220 lb weight class and holds a Guinness World Record for the most weight deadlifted in 1 minute with 42 reps at 405 lbs. He is the head coach and co owner at the Elite Performance Center.

Favorite Success Quote

Reject complacency like it’s a poison, chase your vision like its your last breath, this is your path to achieving greatness”

Key Points

1. Reject Complacency and Live in Fear

If you are not growing then you are dying. If you are a driven man who wants to achieve great things in your life and you take the action necessary to achieve those things, then odds are, you will come to a point in your life where you are comfortable. You will have made your millions, become successful with women, possibly having the dream wife, the big house, and the passive income business. But this is when life becomes most dangerous.

Life is unpredictable and volatile. Once you achieve success you are at your most vulnerable because this is when you feel that you have permission to stop growing and pushing yourself.

This is something that you must root out of your life like a cancer. You have to constantly grow, reject complacency, and live in fear. Live in fear because you are doing things that you don’t know you will be able to achieve, things that are making you better and making you stronger.

2. Success Builds Trust 

If you want people to trust you, show them results. If you have a proven track record behind your name, then people will naturally support you when you start to take on more and more challenging tasks and activities.

How can you expect your family to trust you in starting and growing a new business when you haven’t even achieved success in your current job? How can you expect business partners and investors to trust you when you have no proof of your abilities.

Do what it takes to become successful and later, whenever you are making bigger and bigger leaps, you will already have the trust of the important people in your life.

3. Prioritize Your Life

The age old excuse that you don’t have time for something is just a big lie you keep telling yourself. You have time for whatever you prioritize, and if you do not prioritize business, health or relationships, then they will suffer, there’s no way around it.

If you want to achieve greatness then you have to prioritize it.

Dennis Meyers was a normal everyday man until he suffered from a car accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. After years of struggling to find joy and fulfillment in his new life, he discovered a way to make peace with his accident and has written about it in his book “You Have not a Leg to Stand On”.

Favorite Success Quote

“You’ve just got to go on”

Key Points

1. You Have Just got to Go On

Life will knock you down, it will throw punches that put you on your knees, it will shatter you and batter you and try and keep you on the ground, but you have just got to go on.

Everyone will suffer in life, especially if you ever intend to do something great with yourself, the key is not if you suffer, but how you suffer. You must accept the hardships and move on with your life, grin and bear it, be willing to laugh in the face of pain.

There is little else that you can do, and allowing life to knock you down is a surefire recipe, not just for failure in business, but failure in life.

2. Learn to Take Life as it Is

Just as life will knock you down and you must learn to keep moving, so will life present you with situations and circumstances that aren’t ideal. While many people will moan and gripe about how unfair life is, the wiser man realizes that if there is nothing he can do to change the situation, he must simply take life as it is.

Make peace with the pain, because sometimes it’s all you can do.

3. Put Yourself Second 

While life may be difficult at times, and may present massive challenges to many people, life is much more challenging if you are operating from a selfish perspective. You have to be willing to put yourself second, to live for something bigger than just you, to truly live a life of service, if you want to find peace in this life.

Serving others is the quickest way to remind yourself of all that you have to be grateful for and all the amazing blessings you have in your life.

Craig Ballantyne has been the Editor of Early to Rise since 2011. He’s also a Strength & Conditioning coach in Toronto, author of Turbulence Training, a contributing author to Men’s Health magazine, and a member of the Training Advisory Board for Maximum Fitness and Oxygen magazines.

Favorite Quote

“Success is simple”

“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do”~Epictietus

Key Points

1. The First Mistake You Make in the Morning is Reacting vs. Responding

In the mornings, it is so easy to sleep through your alarm, start your morning in a frenzy and get put into a mode of reaction vs. responding.

When you start your day this way, the day is already lost, you have already fallen into the trap of reacting to your environment instead of responding to circumstances that you had already planned and prepared for.

To beat this, wake up 15 minutes before you have to and focus on your goals.

Not one hours, not two hours, just 15 minutes. 15 minutes to allow yourself to focus your intentions for the day and get into peak state. Consider it a gift to yourself, and after a few weeks of this your results and productivity will sky rocket.

2. Do a Brain Dump at the End of the Day

As we go on through our days, our brains become cluttered with all sorts of stuff from work, family, personal struggles, past failures, and future worries. At the end of each day, do what is referred to as a brain dump, where you sit and write out everything that is on your mind so that you are no longer mulling over it while you should be present.

Doing this will allow you to clear your head and show up fully whenever you are with your family, relaxing at the end of the day, hanging out with friends, or anything else that you decide to do.

3. Create a Vision Statement 

One of the most important things that you can do is to decide where you are going and who you want to be and condense this into a mission statement that will remind you of your goals and keep you on track when decision making becomes difficult.

By having a vision that you are moving towards, you will stay focused on where you are headed instead of the pain of sacrificing pleasure in the moment for gain in the future.

4. Its not what you can do but what you can avoid doing

A significant portion of success is not just knowing what to do, but knowing what to avoid doing.

If you can understand your stumbling blocks, the things that cause you to fail and fall, and the distractions that prevent you from achieving at the level that you want to be, then you have won half of the battle.

By finding ways to use accountability and leverage to eliminate these distractions entirely, you will boost your productivity, happiness, and success 10 fold over.

5. Create Personal Commandments 

In adittion to your vision statement, one of the best ways to add structure and simplicity into your life is to create personal commandments, rules that you follow no matter what that can guide you and make decisions easy.

Some examples of personal commandments could be

• I will not watch adult content
• I will limit alcohol consumption to 3x a week, and never more than 2 drinks a night
• I will stay faithful to my wife no matter the temptation
• I will always give 10% of my income to a noble charity

I can’t tell you what your commandments should be, but having a list of rules and guidelines that you follow is absolutely essential to becoming the man you want to be.

6. Structure Creates Freedom

Throughout much of the interview Craig discusses creating rules and guidelines for your life, and many of you may be turned off by the concept. But what you may not realize is that structure creates freedom.

By having rules in place you are free making difficult decisions based solely off of emotion, by having structure in your life, you will increase your success and free time and have more freedom to pursue the things you love and spend time with people that you love.

7. Follow the Law of Action Attraction

While many peopele may ascribe to the “Secret’s” law of attraction, Craig suggests the law of action attraction.

Basically focus on what you want, create the vision board, write the goals out, say your affirmations, and then take MASSIVE ACTION to achieve those goals.

Surround yourself with A+ players, create a mastermind, enlist the help of smarter people to aid you in achieving your goals, and take massive action.

Not only will you attract what you want into your life, but you will have taken the proper proportion of action required to ensure that you are ready for it.

8. Before You Start on the Journey Ask If It’s Worth It 

Before you start down any journey, you must decide if it’s worth it. You have to have a strong enough reason for doing anything, or you will fail,. Plain and simple.

Whether the journey is a new instrument, sport, business, or relationship, ask if it is worth it before you begin and  compare the opportunity to your vision statement and personal commandments

Ryan Michler is the founder of the Order of Man blog and podcast which helps men to master the 8 core areas of their life. He is also the founder of his own financial planning firm and a veteran of the Iraqi war.

Favorite Success Quote

“I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, and most of them never happened”~Mark Twain

Key Points

1. Most of Your Fears Will Never Be Realized 

Something that most men never realize until it is too late, is that most of the things that they fear will never come to fruition, and lead lives of quiet desperation, paralyzed by fear, and unable to take action.

Odds are, if you start that business you won’t go bankrupt, if you take that trip you won’t get kidnapped and murdered, if you ask that girl out you won’t get wine splashed on your face and cursed out.

Most of your fears are completely irrational and will never actually happen. Realize this, take the steps necessary to mitigate risks, and GET ON LIVING!

2. Who Are You Not to Start?

One of the questions that inevitably comes up for most men whenever they look to start a business, improve their body, or their dating lives is

“Who am I to do this?”

Let me ask you a better question

“Who are you not to do this?”

Are you really so selfish that you would rob the world of your gifts, talents, and abilities out of fear? Are you really so selfish that you would rob your family, your friends, and your country of the amazing changes and difference that you can bring about simply because you don’t feel worthy?

How dare you even consider keeping your gifts inside of you! You have a responsibility to share yourself and your gifts with the world, in fact, you cannot be a “real” man until you do so.

3. Take Small Steps to Get Where You Want 

Whenever you have a big goal, it’s easy to get frustrated and overwhelmed with how far you are from your goal. But the simple way to get around this frustration is to take small daily action.

If you want to start a business, begin by simply writing on your blog every night for an hour after work, if you want to get in better shape, start by doing 10 pushups every morning and adding one each day, if you want to get better with women, start by just casually talking to girls in line at the grocery store.

Your goals don’t have to be big and scary. Start small and keep taking daily actions and you will get there.

5. Self Mastery is About Virtue 

Often times, people wonder what the meaning of self master is, and simply put, it’s about mastering virtue.

It’s about integrity and doing the right thing even when it’s hard. It’s about saying no to watching adult websites even though you want to, about saying no to having another drink despite the jeers of your social circle, it’s about staying faithful to your spouse, and it’s about doing what you said you would do no matter what.

Richard La Ruina is an entrepreneur London’s top dating coach, and author of “The Natural.” He has spent the past 10 years of his life building his company PUA training and traveling the world teaching men how to have better relationships and overcome their limiting beliefs with women.

Favorite Quote

“Do not think that what is hard for you to master is humanly impossible. And if it is humanly possible, it is within your reach”~Marcus Aurelius

Key Points

1. What One Man Can Do Another Man Can Do 

If there is anything you want to accomplish, no matter how difficult and impossible it may seem, know that if one man can do it, so can you.

Whether your goal is to create a 7 figure lifestyle business, date the girl of your dreams and overcome your social anxiety, or build the ripped sexy physique you’ve always dreamed of, if someone else has achieved it so can you.

What one man can do, another man can do. If it’s been done it can be done again.

2. Learn to Delegate Effectively 

As you work towards building a life on your terms you have to realize that there will come a point when you have to let go and learn to delegate. The goal of every entrepreneur should be to run his business and not let his business run him.

If you can build an incredible team who can effectively do the things which you dislike and allow you to focus all of your energy on the things that you enjoy, your life and your business will flourish and you will experience more fulfillment and joy as a result.

3. Freedom Brings More Happiness than Money

A mistake that many novice’s make when it comes to the pursuit of happiness is assuming that more money will always mean more happiness. The truth is that happiness comes from having an impact and having freedom.

Who do you think is happier? The corporate CEO earning $2,000,000 a year who works 80 hours a week with only one weeks vacation, or the lifestyle entrepreneur who earns $90,000 a year and spends his time traveling, enjoying time with his family, and pursuing his passions?

Pursue freedom, not an extra 0 in your bank account.

4. Stuff Doesn’t Make the Man 

So often in dating and relationship, men think that if they have all the right stuff, all the money, the nice clothes, the expensive cars, then attracting beautiful women will be a cake walk.

However, nothing is further from the truth.

Material objects don’t make a man attractive, personality, charm, passion, and humor are what make a man attractive. While money can certainly boost your odds once you have the character traits in place, they do not work as an end all be all.

5. You Can’t Find Your Purpose without Exposure

So often you hear people complaining that they do not know their purpose and their passions, but the simple fact is, they haven’t gotten their ass away from the TV in weeks and have experienced so little of life, they wouldn’t know their passion if it kicked them in the balls.

If you want to find what your purpose is and find what you are passionate about, you have to expose yourself to new and exciting things, take that salsa class, start that business, try things and fail.

Only by exposing yourself to new things will you have a chance at finding that one thing that you want to dedicate part of your life to.

Cade Courtley was born in Columbus, Ohio and raised in Boulder, Colorado where he spent much of his early life in the outdoors. He graduated from the University of San Diego with a degree in Business Administration and was commissioned (ROTC) into the United States Navy as an Ensign.

A standout from the beginning of his military career as a Naval Officer, Courtley was the Class Leader in his BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/ SEAL) training.  After 19 months, two Hell Weeks, broken left leg (twice), a broken right leg, and a fractured skull, LT Courtley graduated (CLASS 202) and became a Navy SEAL.  He was then chosen to attend the elite SEAL Sniper school, privilege only given to a select few.

His strong background in military Special Operations made him the obvious choice to Host and Produce the Spike TV/Discovery International original series “Surviving Disaster” (2010) that to date has aired in over 150 countries. Author can now be added to Courtley’s list of accomplishments when the folks at Simon & Schuster decided to publish SEAL Survival Guide “A Navy SEAL’s Secrets to Surviving Any Disaster.” (2012) As well as Host of the original TV series “America Unplugged” (2014) Cade is also the founder of Victory Coffee.

Favorite Success Quote

“If it was easy everyone could do it”

“You have to get your butt kicked every once in awhile”

Key Points

1. You Need to Constantly be Challenged

One of the reasons that Navy SEALs are the best of the best is because they are always being challenged and forced to grow. Obvious from their motto “The only easy day was yesterday” Seals believe that to be the best, you have to push yourself beyond your perceived limits, and they do this every single day of training.

Whether or not you want to be a SEAL, the lesson remains the same. Men need challenge, they need adventure, they need to do something other than sit in a cubicle.

Start challenging yourself today. Get outside, exercise, take a cold shower, give up a bad habit, learn a martial art; do whatever you need to do to get out of your comfort zone and stretch yourself to new limits.

2. You have to Find a Strong Why 

At BUD/s there is an attrition rate of nearly 80%, meaning that for every 10 recruits who show up on day one of training, 2 will graduate. Although there doesn’t appear to be much rhyme or reason as to who makes it and who doesn’t physically, the one thing that all successful SEALs have in common is a strong why.

You have to have a strong enough reason why you are doing what you are doing to get you through the inevitable bad times. Whether you are in entrepreneurship, fitness, family or war, you have to have a reason for what you are doing and it has to be strong.

3. Train in Peace so You Don’t Bleed in War

One of the core principles of SEAL training is to sweat hard in peace, so you bleed less in war. In layman’s terms, this means that you have to put in the work before the stuff hits the fan.

You must develop yourself into a grounded, self reliant man before you meet the woman of your dreams, you must save up and be financially intelligent before recession hits, you must work hard at your fitness before some sort of physical disaster arises.

Prepare now so that you have peace of mind later.

4. Find Your Passion and Follow It 

Life is freaking short. Too darn short to waste in a cubicle doing something that is uninspiring and boring. Find your passion and follow it, because God only knows when your last day is.

You might not have another tomorrow and the worst thing in the world would be to get to the other side and think to yourself “I really blew it, did I even matter?”

Do yourself a favor. Follow your passion and make your life count

Favorite Success Quote

“Find what you love and let it kill you”~Charles Bukowski

Key Points

1. Never Allow Life to Rob you of Self Reliance 

Often times it is easy to become complacent and allow life to rob you of your self-reliance. You find a job with great benefits, you find a wife who takes care of all of the chores, whatever happens, life becomes too cozy.

As a great Persian general once said “Soft lands make for soft people”

Never become soft. You need to be able to take care of yourself and get things done, if you can’t be dropped into a new city all by yourself, find a job, run a household, and build a social life, then something needs to change.

2. Focus on Your Passion, not Your Paycheck 

People often spend so much time following the money, doing things that make the miserable, doing things that take away from their family lives, that take away from their health, and destroying your relationships.

While money is important and necessary, doing things that you love and making an impact is far more important. At the end of the day, the cars you drove and the houses you lived in won’t matter. The 0s at the end of your paycheck won’t matter, but what will matter is how you lived your life, the people you impacted, and the passion that filled your days.

3. The Rewards are There 

Whenever people talk about passion and pursuing your dreams, there is also an inevitable conversation about “the grind,” because greatness doesn’t come without struggle. Following your passion is hard, doing what you love is hard. It is much easier to simply find a safe job that you don’t hate, get into a comfortable relationship that you know will, at best, be mediocre, and not get fat.

Putting it all on the line and struggling through low income, loss of love and friendship to achieve a distant goal is difficult. However, the rewards are there. Once you put the work in, you will see results. Don’t stop 3 feet from gold.

Keep pushing and pursue your dreams because the rewards are there.

Mark Palm, the president of Samaritan Aviation was raised as a pastor’s son and from a very young age has had a passion for people and aviation. Mark currently holds a Commercial Pilot’s license with an Instrumental Float-plane rating as well as an FAA Aircraft Mechanic’s license.

January, 2010, Mark and his wife Kirsten moved to Wewak, Papua New Guinea to begin Flight Operations in the East Sepik Province. They currently live in Wewak with their three children Sierra, Drake, and Nolan where they run Samaritan Aviation, a company dedicated to providing medical and missional help and support to the people of Papua New Guinea.

Favorite Quote

“Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you”

Key Points

1. We are Here to Make a Difference

So often, it is easy to get caught up in making a name for yourself that you forget why we are really here. It’s easy to get caught up in making millions of dollars, having the beautiful wife, the white picket fence, and a safe, cozy lifestyle, that you forget we aren’t here for ourselves. We are here to make a difference.

No matter whether you believe in God, the Universe, or Mother Nature, whoever and whatever put us on this earth didn’t do so arbitrarily, and your existence isn’t an accident. You are here to put a dent in the universe, but that can only happen when you take your eyes off of yourself and start looking towards others.

Even if you believe in no higher power, there is no life better lived than a life of service and impact to others. And the wonderful thing is, living an awesome life full of fast cars, amazing relationships, and travel and living a life of purpose are not mutually exclusive. In fact, if you approach it right, they are often the two most inclusive lifestyles you can live.

2. The Things That Bother You Are Trivial

In the west, we get angry when our wifi is slow, or when we have to slow down our $30,000 car by 20 miles an hour because of traffic. And we allow these petty little things to bother us and we carry them with us throughout our day, never once thinking about how incredibly unimportant these things really are.

You are blessed if you have the means to listen to this podcast. Realize that and quit allowing trivial “problems” to run your life.

3. Listen to Those Who Have Been there Before 

One of the best investments you will ever make is into your relationships, particularly your relationships with people who have come before you and can guide you along the best paths.

Whether you are looking to become wealthy, have an amazing marriage, incredible health, make an amazing impact, or have an impeccable spiritual life, find someone who has done if before you and has the results that you want and learn from them. It could be a father or a mother, a friend, a stranger, or even a book. But be sure that you have mentors guiding you through life, because only a fool doesn’t learn from the mistakes of others.

4. Make Your Word Mean Something

One of the most underrated characteristics of a modern man is integrity. Make your word count.

If you say something, you do it. Period.

There are no ifs, ands, or buts. Be a man of your word always. People will respect you more, you will respect yourself more, and your life will become more meaningful and worthwhile when you become known as a man of integrity.

Mark Manson is a professional blogger, entrepreneur, and former dating coach. Since 2007, he’s been helping people with their emotional and relationship problems. He has worked with thousands of people from over 30 different countries.

Favorite Quote

“One day in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful”~Sigmund Freud

Key Points

1. What Struggle Are You Willing to Face

One of the best questions that you can ask yourself in life is not “what are my goals” or “what am I passionate about” but rather “How much pain and struggle am I willing to go through?”

Because the simple fact is this, there is no great achievement in life without pain.

You will not become successful at business without going through the pain of sleepless nights, losing money, and having products fail. You will not have a happy fulfilled marriage without first going through rejections, marital struggles, and painful self work. You won’t get a great body without getting off your butt and hitting the gym.

There is no achievement without pain, so the question that you need to ask is “How much pain am I willing to endure?” There is no right or wrong answer, but if you tell yourself that you want to be a bodybuilder, millionaire, playboy and you aren’t willing to get up, go to the gym, do work on your business, and go out on dates, then you need to reevaluate your pain tolerance and adjust accordingly.

2. It’s Important for Life to Suck Sometimes 

Many self help gurus would have you believe that life is all sunshine and roses and that nothing bad ever happens to you if you just say this one affirmation every morning. But that’s a load of garbage.

Life is going to suck sometimes, if you do things wrong, it’s going to suck a lot of the time. However, this is not a bad thing. No great man was ever forged without first facing some adversity. It is the times where life sucks that you will have your biggest breakthroughs and learn the most about yourself.

Embrace the suck, and use it to make your best life.

3. Happiness Comes from Problems 

In continuing with the theme of pain being a positive in life, an important realization to come to is that hapiness and fulfillment do not come from a lack of problems, but rather from solving worthwhile problems.

For some people, this means solving problems in business and figuring out how to impact more people with a limited budget or how to launch a new product when the last one failed. For others this is how to build and raise an amazing family when your marriage is strained and your children don’t respect you.

If you are unhappy in life, chances are the quality of the problems that you are fixing is very low, or worse yet, you aren’t actually taking action to fix the problems you have in the first place.

Realize that solving problems is what brings fulfillment and if you are feeling a sense of lack in your life, simply find better problems to solve whether they are physical, relational, financial, or spiritual.

4. Screw Finding Your Passion

Guess what? You are not entitled to anything. So many people today will tell you that you somehow deserve to make millions doing what you love as if that is one of our “God given and inalienable rights” but the cold truth is that it isn’t.

Instead of focusing on finding your passions, simply do more of what you enjoy doing already. If you can find a way to build it into a business and monetize it, then great, if not, then work a job your enjoy and follow what you are passionate about on the side.

Just because you’re passionate about playing Jazz flute doesn’t mean that you should pack up from your high end executive job that you enjoy, pays well, and allows you to be around for your children to pursue a career as a professional musician, because the simple fact is, even if you do that, there will come a time when playing jazz flute sucks.

No matter how much you love something, there will come a day when you simply don’t feel like waking up and doing it that day. Passion or no.

5. Do Something

Feeling lost?

Do something, anything.

Feeling stuck?

Do something, anything.

As Churchill once said “The best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, the worst thing you can do is nothing.”

If you are struggling to find the motivation or passions in your life, then just do something. Take a trip, start a new job, launch a blog, just do something.

Rolf Potts is the author of two books, Vagabonding and Marco Polo Didn’t Go There. He has reported from more than sixty countries for the likes of National Geographic Traveler, The New Yorker, Slate.com, the New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, The Believer, National Public Radio, and the Travel Channel.

His adventures have taken him across six continents, and include piloting a fishing boat 900 miles down the Laotian Mekong, hitchhiking across Eastern Europe, traversing Israel on foot, bicycling across Burma, driving a Land Rover across South America, and traveling around the world for six weeks with no luggage or bags of any kind.

Favorite Success Quote

~Walt Whitman The Song of the Open Road

Key Points

1. Throw off Societal Constraints

Today, especially in Western culture, we are indoctrinated from birth with a long and painful list of ‘shoulds’ and ‘musts’. We all “should” go to college, get good grades, get a job, and then work for forty years before we allow ourselves to travel and explore. We all “must” live life for the weekends and do a corporate job with a steady paycheck. Or else….

Or else what?

If you want to live a rich, interesting, and fulfilling life, then you need to reexamine many of the constraints that society has put upon you and your dreams. If you want to travel do it. If you want to start a business, then do it.

If you want to work a corporate job and get the white picket fence life, there is no shame in that. IF that is truly what you want. But if you are putting off your dreams and desires because you don’t think friends, family, or society would approve, then it’s time to wake up and realize that you only get one shot at this life. You need to live it to the fullest.

2. Pause, Search and Receive

That said, do not throw away the wisdom of the generations that came before you. Just because they came from a different time with different technological capabilities and lifestyle opportunities does not mean that you should ignore advice from those more seasoned than you.

Before you act, pause. Think about what you are doing and the ramifications from a realistic standpoint. Then search. Search for the best way that you can proceed and and develop a plan of action. And finally receive. Receive the advice, criticisms, and input from others and filter through and apply it accordingly.

3. Travel is Much Easier, Cheaper, and Safer than You  Think

Many people believe that travel is too difficult, expensive, or dangerous. But the simple fact is, if you do it right, there has never been a time in human history where travel was easier, cheaper, or safer.

You can fly across the world for less than $1,000. If you have savings or some form of location independent income, you can live like a king in many other countries for pennies on the dollar. And if you keep your head on you and use common sense, most of the dangers can be avoided by living like a local and staying far away from the touristy areas.

4. Time is Your Most Important Currency

You can always earn more money, but your time is an ever draining and finite resource with an unknown limit. You could die today, tomorrow, or 20 years from now and you have no way of knowing.

People treat time like it is a cheap commodity instead of a precious resource. You will never get a single second of your life back, it is time to start living accordingly. Go after the things you want, take the year long trip of self discovery, talk to the girl, forgive the person that hurt you.

Stop acting like you will live forever, because the tragic truth is this. You won’t. No one will.

5. Minimalism Makes Life Easier  

Getting rid of your stuff opens up your schedule and your life to new and incredible opportunities that are otherwise unavailable when you are constantly caught up in and worried about all of your “stuff.” While this might be hard to understand, especially if you come from a hyper-materialistic society, minimalizing your life can be one of the best things you can do.

Sell or donate the things you don’t use and see what sort of adventures you get into when you can keep all of your possessions in one suitcase. Or better yet, do what Rolf did and travel without a suitcase!

Alex Dodd is also known as Ali Afshar and is an actor and producer, known for Three Kings (1999), Godzilla (1998) and The Siege (1998) and is also the founder/president of the world record holding auto racing team Easy Street Motorsports (ESX).

He is the creator of the exclusive ESX Super Vantage Aston Martin and ESX STI Subaru vehicles. Alex and his company ESX raced for Subaru of America for 7 years from 2001 through 2007 and won two NHRA National Championships in 2006 & 2007.

Favorite Success Quote

“You can sleep when you are dead”

Key Points

1. Always be Hustling

You can sleep when you are dead, or as Newton put it “A body in motion tends to stay in motion.” Once you gain momentum, it is imperative that you keep hustling and keep grinding to ensure continued success.

While there is plenty of debate about the effects of sleep and success, if you want to be successful, you will lose sleep to achieve your goals. If you want to achieve great things, you have to be willing to lose sleep, put in the effort, and work ungodly hours for a certain amount of time. But it will be worth it.

2. Do What You Love

As cliche as it may sound, a life spent doing anything other than things you love, is a life of drudgery and pain. Why would you willingly subject yourself to daily work that you find dull and uninspiring just for an added 0 on your paycheck?

Do what you love and the money will follow (given that what you love is more than playing xbox). If you live your life doing things that light you up with a passion, you will never work a day in your life, and money and impact will be a natural byproduct.

Don’t waste your life with things you don’t love. Follow the advice of your middle school teacher and do what you love.

3. Use Your Passions Instead of Drugs and Alcohol

"Stuff" happens. Welcome to the real world. When it does, many men are tempted to fall into drugs and alcohol to escape their problems instead of facing them head on. Instead of falling for this trap, dive headfirst into your passions and create a life centered around the things you love to help yourself heal and get through the hard times.

Bad things will happen, it’s up to you whether you allow them to destroy you and ruin your life with addiction, or whether you use it as a catalyst to create your best self.

4. Change the World with Kindness

The world is full of bad people. It’s full of wannabes and windbags trying to seem important and putting others down in the process. Don’t be like them.

Life is short, love others, be kind and leave nothing on  the table because you never know when it is your time. You will never regret a life of passion, love, and kindness. Period

Favorite Success Quote

“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, it knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn’t matter whether you’re the lion or a gazelle-when the sun comes up, you’d better be running”~Christopher McDougall

Key Points

1. A Solid Morning Routine is Essential 

If you want to achieve success in any area of your life, a powerful morning routine is essential! Jason shared with us in his interview how having a morning “Power Hour” has helped him instill successful habits and stay on track for years.

Some of the best things to include in a morning routine are: Exercise, nutrition (green smoothie, or a healthy breakfast), meditation, goal setting, journaling and reading.

2. In Real Life Situations Try to Deflate, Not Confront 

In the real world, it’s better to prevent dangerous situations before they ever happen. Instead of trying to prepare to defend against an attacker, focus first on never getting attacked.

The basic rules of this, as shared by Jason are to

1. Always be aware of and in tune with your environment (get off of your cell phone)
2. Always keep your head up and make it known with your posture that you aren’t as easy target
3. Bonus: Get fit, the bigger you are and the more you look like you can handle yourself, the less likely you are to be targeted.

If you see someone following you or acting odd, don’t duck and run like hollywood, but turn and face them, make eye contact, and verbally make it clear that you are aware of what they are doing with an assertive “Can I help you?”

3. A Few Safety Pointers

Below are a few key safety pointers from Jason:

1. Whenever checking into a hotel, always ask for 2 keys. This makes it look like you have someone else joining you making you less of a target

2. Whenever possible always select a hotel room between the 3rd and 6th floor as these rooms are less likely to get robbed (since they are harder to escape from) but also leave you ample ability to leave in the event of an emergency.

3. When abroad, always ask the hotel about taxi services and be sure that you detail the route you want your driver to take prior to leaving with him so that you can make sure he is not taking you somewhere to rob or harm you, or simply so you know you aren’t being overcharged.

4. At home, make your home the last place people would want to rob. Put up security system warning signs on the walkway, in the back windows and in the front yard. Even if you don’t have a dog, leave a dog bowl outside to make it look like you do (really, who wants to tangle with a Mastiff), and if you can afford it, put cameras (or decoys) up. Basically take the rule of showing that you aren’t an easy target and apply it to your home.

4. Never Give Up

No matter how hard things get, never, ever, ever, ever give up. If you keep working you will see success. 10 years from now will come whether you give up or not, but your perseverance will determine whether it comes with you having achieved your goals or not.

Martin Grunburg is the designer/inventor of Habit Factor® as well as the author of the international bestselling book sharing the same name. He has presented at TEDx in the United Arab Emirates, and his work has been featured in the world’s most popular productivity blogs such as Lifehacker.com and Mashable.com.

Prior to developing and authoring The Habit Factor, Martin has been a partner in C3 Networx, formerly Home2Office Computing Solutions, Inc. As founder/COO, he’s been nominated twice for the Entrepreneur of the Year award and has twice led his team to win the Better Business Bureau Award for Marketplace Ethics.

Favorite Success Quote

“If you want to find the secret of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration”~Nikola Tesla

Key Points

1. Pressure = Force/Area

This basic scientific formula can actually offer incredible insights into the world of success and productivity.

For examples Parkinson’s Principle, which states that the pressure and speed of completion of a task will increase as the timeline decreases can be derived from this formula. Pressure (the importance of a project and how much effort you will put into it) is equal to force (the difficulty of the task) divided by area (the amount of time you have to complete a task)

For example, if I tell you that you have to complete a perfectly written 3,000 word article in the next 3 months or else you will lose all of your financial assets ….how much pressure would you feel? Despite the large financial cost, you would likely feel decidedly unperturbed.

Now what if I said that you have 3 hours?

You would move heaven and earth to get that article done!

This is actually a very powerful principle that you can leverage in your life to achieve results at a more rapid pace. By creating more impending deadlines and higher stakes, you will be forced to become more creative, find time to pursue your goals, and actually get the work done because of this positive pressure.

2. Pressure is a Neutral Tool

There has been significant research done on the affects of pressure on the human mind and body over the past years, and what Martin has found is that, despite what popular science says, pressure is neither good nor bad, it is merely a tool.

If unmanaged and unchecked, pressure can build up and cause all sorts of issues, like many other stressors. However, if used strategically to increase the efficiency with which tasks are completed and the speed of implementation, pressure can be a fantastic tool for massive productivity and results.

So in the end, pressure, like so many other things, is neutral. It is neither good nor bad. It is simply how you use it.

3. Pressure Creates Peace of Mind

Exposing yourself to intentional pressure can help create confidence, and peace of mind during stressful situations. The scientific formula for equilibrium is the equal offset of pressure. Navy SEALs go through thousands of hours and years of training before they enter into combat so that when the actual bullets are flying, and bombs are going off, they are already used to the pressure of the environment and able to respond with calm, swift confidence.

By properly planning, preparing, and practicing for any given situation, you increase your chances of success dramatically once you are actually under the pressure of game day. It’s like the old saying “The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in war.”

Leon Logothetis is a global adventurer, motivational speaker & philanthropist. It wasn’t always that way. He used to be a broker in the city of London where he felt uninspired and chronically depressed. He gave it all up for a life on the road. This radical life change was inspired by the inspirational movie The Motorcycle Diaries.

Leon has visited more than 90 countries and traveled to every continent. He is the host of the TV series Amazing Adventures Of A Nobody, which is broadcast across the world by National Geographic International and, over the course of three seasons, sees Leon cross America, the United Kingdom and Europe on just 5 dollars, 5 pounds, and 5 euros a day, respectively.

Leon has documented his travels for numerous media outlets including Good Morning America, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle,Outside, Good, Psychology Today, and The New York Times.

His book, Amazing Adventures of a Nobody, is in stores now. His new book The Kindness Diaries, published by Readers Digest, is available now and chronicles Leon’s circumnavigation of the globe on kindness.

Favorite Success Quote

“Never, never, never, never give up.”~Winston Churchill

Key Points

1. Removing Money Allows You to Connect with Others 

During his travels, Leon found that by removing money from the equation (i.e. relying on kindness of strangers and not residual income to make his travels a success) he was able to connect for fully and openly with people.

When you remove money from the equation, you no longer have a sense of superiority, and you no longer act as if you have nothing to gain from genuine connection. When you rely on other people’s kindness instead of your own wallet, every person you meet becomes a treasure chest just waiting to be opened.

2. It’s About Kindness Not Money

Life is not about income, it’s about impact and kindness. It doesn’t matter whether you die penniless or a billionaire, if you did not impact others and live a life of joy and kindness, it was all for naught.

While money can empower you to live a life of greater impact and enable you to extend greater kindness towards others, it is not the end game. It is not the end all be all. It’s a tool, impact and kindness are the products you are trying to build.

3. Live a Life of Passion and Adventure

Too often, we get caught up in the social norms. We care so much about what society says, what mom & dad say, what our friends say, that we never pause to ask what do we have to say about all of this? Live life on your terms, doing things that make you passionate, otherwise, you will live a life of pain, boredom, and just plain unimportance.

4. Commit to Yourself 

In line with the point above. If you want to start living a life of purpose, you need to commit to take care of yourself first. This is not saying that you become a self-centered, arrogant jerk, but rather that you realize that if you aren’t living a life of purpose and passion, then you will not be able to help others do the same.

5. It’s Ok to be Different

One of the most important lessons to learn is that it is ok to be different. As Mark Twain said, “If you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”

Are you on the side of the majority right now? Are you going with the flow because it is what everyone else is doing and what they expect you to do? Or are you living life to the fullest, grabbing it by the balls and going out with joy and excitement every day?

Cole is an author, investor, award winning speaker and entrepreneur. He is passionate about truly living life, creating massive financial success for himself and others, and most importantly, giving back. Cole has taught tens of thousands of people to be more than just alive, but to become the best versions of themselves, create massive profits, and then impact others by living a life of significance.

Having barely escaped death 2 times in 2 separate accidents, Cole has a true appreciation for life and lives it to the fullest. He loves boating, is a water sport enthusiast, adrenaline junkie, drives fast cars, is a husband, father, and philanthropist. Cole’s story of losing everything, even temporarily his ability to walk, to now having monumental success is truly inspirational.

Favorite Success Quote

Key Points

1. The World Teaches Life Wrong 

Society, the media, friends and even family have taught you the wrong way to go about doing life.

We are all taught from a young age that if we just go to college, get good grades and a good degree, then find a safe secure job and work our asses off for 20 years, then we will be ok. We will be successful.

We’re taught that success is about keeping up with the Joneses, having a bigger house, a faster car, a bigger credit card max, or sending your kids to a more prestigious private school.

But what we aren’t taught is that success is really about doing things that you love. Success is about finding what you are passionate about and good at, finding your God given gifts and then applying those to live a life of impact.

Success is about having fulfilling relationships, meaningful work, joyful experiences, and leaving a legacy. And if big houses and fast cars are a part of that for you, than more power to you. Just realize that there is more to life than society’s definition of success, and keeping up with the joneses and working that “secure” job until you retire is a one stop ticket to a life of regret.

2. Focus on Creation 

If you want to succeed in life and business, then start focusing on creation. Spend more time focusing on how you can create better content, create more value in the market place, and create better resources for people and spend less time worrying how you can “get” more.

Business is about creation, it’s about adding value and building something that your audience wants and needs.

3. Eliminate Distractions that Prevent You From Living Life 

Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Adult Content. All of these, when taken to extremes are nothing more than distractions that will prevent you from living the life of your dreams.

If you want to be successful and live life on your terms, you must begin to eliminate distractions and toxic activities/individuals that are poisoning your life. If you constantly find yourself wasting hours on Facebook, block it. If you are always watching Netflix, cancel your subscription for a while.

(Do realize that after a long day of working on important things and getting crap done, you have earned the right to crash with some Game of Thrones of The Walking Dead, it’s when it prevents you from achieving desired results that it becomes an issue)

4. Surround Yourself With Top People in Your Industry 

Success leaves clues, it’s not an accident or an art, it’s a science.

If you want to be as successful as you can, you must surround yourself with other individuals in your industry who are achieving at a high level. Figure out what they are doing and copy it. As Picasso said “Good artists copy, great artists steal.”

You must realize that success is not a solo venture, you need mentors and accountability in your life and by surrounding yourself with people achieving on a higher level you will basically shortcut your way to success by avoiding pitfalls that they made and finding the things that worked and doing them that much quicker.

Dane Maxwell is a serial entrepreneur, the founder of  Zannee and the CEO of The Foundation program. He has taken his businesses from mere ideas to seven figure companies within a brief period of 5 years.

Success Quote

Key Points

1. All You Have to Do is Care 

That’s it. All you have to do is care.

If you want to succeed at business, health, love, spirituality or any other facet of your life, all you have to do is care. You have to care about what you are doing more than you care about the next episode of American Idol or the next adult video you were going to watch.

You have to care enough to get uncomfortable, to do the hard thing, to put in the work, to sweat, to cry and to bleed until you achieve your goal.

If you want a great relationship. All you have to do is care

If you want a successful, globally impactful business, all you have to do is care.

If you want to live the life of your dreams and help as many people as you possibly can along the way. All you have to do is care.

2. Accept Devastation on a Daily Basis

On the road to success, you will be devastated. It’s all but inevitable.

Part of the entrepreneurial lifestyle, and really life as a human being is accepting that at any moment you could be devastated on either a large or a small scale. If you want to lead a happy, fulfilled life, you must learn to accept this possibility and not run from it.

If you live your life in constant fear of devastation and failure, you will never truly live. If you accept the inherent risk of this human existence and accept that devastation could occur at any moment, then you are free to live fully and openly.

3. With the Context of Unconditional Love There is No Concept of Worth 

Everyone is familiar with the concept of worth. Be it net worth, social worth or self worth, we have all heard the term and are all well versed ascribing worth to everything in our lives, especially ourselves.

However, Dane suggests that we should approach this concept from a completely different angle.

Unconditional love.

If you love yourself unconditionally there is no concept of worth, you are loves no matter how you are. No matter how well your business does. No matter if you are successful in your relationships, no matter if you feel lost and unsure, or on fire and passionate.

This idea of radical, unconditional love for both yourself and everyone in your life is the powerhouse for transformation.

4. True Power Comes from Being Vulnerable in Community 

We always speak of a confident man as someone who has his shit together. Someone who is unaffected by others and who feels a total independence from outcome.

In the interview, Dane suggests that real power, true power, lies in authenticity and vulnerability. Real power lies in being able to look the people who are counting on you in the face and say “Guys I’m scared, I don’t know what I’m doing.”

When you open yourself up, when you are vulnerable and honest, you are confident. It shows that you are a man who is willing to be hurt, who is willing to be ridiculed and mocked and who is willing to admit his own weaknesses and shortcomings.

True power lies in vulnerability

5. How You Treat Women is Indicative of Your Character

One of the greatest indicators of a man’s character is how he treats the women in his life.

Men who treat women as party favors and objects to be enjoyed for a night before pissing off are likely the same in all other areas of their lives. Their interactions in business, health and spirituality are likely equally shallow and disconnected.

If you want to be a great man, understand a woman’s heart. Be willing to sit with her for hours while she shares her feelings without any concern for your own desires. Be willing to work at a relationship and work to connect with a woman.

If you can understand the heart of a woman, you can unlock everything else in your life.

David Wagner is a spiritual teacher, men’s group leader, and proud father who has dedicated his life to the exploration of personal transformation.

He travels widely leading workshops and retreats for people from all walks of life from all over the world. He is the host of The Whole Manchilada Podcast, is a featured meditation teacher on Yogaglo.com, and serves on the faculties of Kripalu and Omega Institutes.

Favorite Success Quote

Key Points

1. Fearlessly Look at Your Mess

One of the biggest challenges that modern men face is to look at themselves without bias or emotion and examine the mess in their lives.

To fearlessly look at your life and examine your bullshit, taking full responsibility for it and where it has gotten you takes courage and backbone. Realize that you can never completely eliminate all the bs in your life, but you can become aware of it and mitigate its effects in different areas.

Be courageous, be fearless, take an honest look at yourself in the mirror and be willing to face whatever it is that you see.

2. You Can do the “Right” Thing and Still be Screwed 

Something most men today do not realize is that they can do all of the “right” things by family and society’s standards and still be completely screwed.

Going to college, getting a good job, coming home to a mediocre marriage and a night full of sitcom reruns and reality TV is not success, it’s barely existing.

Society tells men that as long as they stay out of jail, and don’t hit anyone, they are doing ok. But the truth is, most men are dying, in fact, most men have been dying since they left college.

They give up their hopes and their dreams in favor of playing it safe and doing the “right” thing, they stay in terrible relationships that leave them drained and bitter because it’s the “right” thing, and they never risk stepping out of their comfort zone and expressing themselves fully because doing what everyone else does is the “right” thing to do.

If you want to be a real man, a man with grit, backbone, and balls, there will come a time in your life where you must abandon the so-called right thing in favor of “your thing.”

Forget living for society, your friends, or your family. If you want to be a success and enjoy your life, you must do the things that will make you happy, not the things that everyone accepts as the “right” path to take.

3. There is No One Way to Express Your “Wild Man”

A common misconception in the world of men is that you somehow have to be this alpha on a Harley Davidson, sporting a beard and a full sleeve of tattoos to be a real man.

The truth is that being a man is much less a matter of outward appearances and much more a matter of conviction and personal power. It’s a matter of owning who you are and fearlessly expressing yourself to the world

4. Avoid Simulation and Embrace Reality 

With the ever growing prevalence of video games and online porn, now more than ever before, it is easy for men to live out their dreams vicariously through virtual simulations.

Instead of going out and meeting women and getting to a place in their sex lives where they can have that vibrant, passionate, crazy sex, men are settling for sitting shamefully by their laptop, lotion in hand.

Instead of creating a life of freedom and adventure and purpose, men are leveling up their Dark Elf Wizard in Skyrim or World of War Craft or getting to the latest prestige in Call of Duty.

Men are settling for results that are far below what they are capable of simply because of the ease and comfort of simulation.

While adult content and video games may have their place in some men’s lives, you need to look at why you are using these distractions and make the necessary changes so that your life is so kick ass that no simulation could ever compare.

Argentina-born Dan De Leon is a powerhouse DJ, blending his unique brand of Tribal, Tech and House rhythms with a kinetic crowd connection to mesmerizing effect. His magnetic appeal has propelled him to performances at top venues around the world where he delivers a crowd experience that crushes expectations and leaves in it’s wake a trail of melodies and memories that live on long after the night has ended.

Dan De Leon’s debut original studio production “SHOW YOU” was signed by DJ Chus and released on STEREO PRODUCTIONS in 2007.

His many productions and remixes since then have hit the BILLBOARD TOP 10 Dance Chart and have appeared on the world’s top DJ compilations including those of the preeminent GLOBAL UNDERGROUND and the legendary TOMMY BOY RECORDS. His remix work includes numerous BILLBOARD #1’s, Top 10’s and Top 20’s for Noelia, Timbaland, Nelly Furtado, Kristine W and Debby Holiday.

Favorite Success Quote

Key Points

1. You Can’t Rest on Your Laurels 

Whenever you are an artist, businessman, entrepreneur, athlete etc. it is often easy to work incredibly hard for a success, and then allow a single victory to go to your head causing you to stop striving the way you were before.

If you want to be truly successful in any profession (especially if you are a performing artist) you must have an incredibly short term memory for both successes and failures.

The show that went great, the business that plummeted, the deal that tripled your profit…none of that matters, all that matters is that you continue gaining momentum as you move forward and not allow success to cause complacency.

2. Just Keep Moving Forward Boldly

One of the only ways to achieve massive success in life is to move forward with bold determination every single day. If you want a result, go after it with all you have, be bold, seize opportunity and be willing to lay it all on the line for one chance, one opportunity, because that may be all that you get.

3. Always be Ready 

Perhaps the greatest take away from the entire interview was Dan’s focus on proper preparation. Life will often send opportunities your way at unexpected times, and it is up to you to seize them.

However, what is more important than taking the chances life gives you is being ready, is having developed yourself into the man you need to be to seize these opportunities properly.

Life waits for no man and fortune favors the prepared.

4. Create Every Day 

If you want success in your life, create every day. While in the interview, Dan talked specifically about music, this is applicable to all fronts of life.

If you want to be healthy, workout every day. Want to be rich? Gain momentum in your business every day Want to run a top blog? Create content every day.

Always be moving forward on your goals and dreams and never let yourself lose momentum

Grant Cardone is an international business and sales expert. He has authored 4 business books and customized sales training programs for Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, success-minded individuals and entrepreneurs.

Cardone, a dynamic, highly sought after international speaker, captivates audiences with his down-to-earth, entertaining speaking style as he tackles timely topics regarding sales, marketing, branding and entrepreneurship, outlining what people need to do to thrive in the new global economy.

In Grant’s second appearance on the Knowledge for Men show, we delve deeper into how to create a successful life and business and what mindsets and philosophies you need to make 2015 your best year ever.

Key Points

1. Perfection is Just an Excuse for Inaction

So many people claim to be perfectionists. They say that they don’t want to publish any content until it’s perfect, they can’t write that book, release that podcast, publish that website, until it’s absolutely perfect.

The cold reality is that perfectionism is simply an excuse for inaction.

No, you’re not a perfectionist, you’re just not taking action. You don’t have writers block, you just aren’t writing. You don’t have any excuse to be sitting on your butt!

Realize that you will never be perfect, the content you create will never be perfect, nothing you do will ever be quite perfect. But you must take action anyways!

Imperfect action is better than no action, and the only thing you can do worse than the wrong thing is nothing. So get out there and start creating, start selling, start whatever has been on your heart and be willing to work through imperfection until you achieve success.

2. You’ll Never Make a Shot You Don’t Take 

A huge fear that prevents many entrepreneurs from taking action is the fear of failure. What they don’t realize, however, is that the greatest failure is inaction.

It is impossible to succeed at something you do not try. If you attempt a new job, business, relationship, or take some big risk and “fail” you have learned something and moved closer towards the life of your dreams. If you sit on your tail, not taking any action; you have seen nothing, done nothing, and achieved nothing.

If you want to be a success, you have to be a massive action taker, get out there and tear it up! Feel the fear and do it anyways. Start that business, ask that girl out, move out and travel the world. Life is too damn short to live in fear of failure. You must make the fear of regret greater than any fear of failure could be.

3. Success Takes Persistence and Determination

Grant spent over half of his life in the single minded pursuit of success. Along the way, he failed countless times. By his own estimation, he has made hundreds of thousands of sales calls, and only succeeded at a rate of 20%. But that 20% has allowed him to make hundreds of millions of dollars and become one of the world’s leading authorities on sales and business success.

Realize that if you want to succeed, it will take time. It may take ten years, it may take 20, it takes however long it takes. While this may seem like a big sacrifice, the simple reality is that the true sacrifice is living a mediocre life for those 10-20 years.

If you want to be successful, if you want to wake up every day with a smile on your face, a beautiful women next to you in bed, a full bank account and a happy life, it will take hard work.

But it will be worth it.

4. Never Abandon Your Purpose 

Many men (especially men with family’s) believe that it is a somehow noble gesture to give up on their hopes, goals, and dreams for their family. They believe that it is somehow a worthy life to forgo everything you have ever wanted to create and be remembered for for the sake of your wife and kids.

While this may sound selfless and chivalrous on the surface, you have to dig deeper to realize the more sinister implication.

If you wake up every day, miserable and angry about the job you have to work so you can provide for your family, how do you think that will affect your relationships at home?

If you come home every night, so exhausted that you barely have to energy to lay on the couch and watch TV, much less spend time with your kids, how do you think this will affect your family’s view of you? They don’t see the hours worked so they can lead their comfortable lives, they only see a father who is too tired and miserable to truly invest in his kids.

If you abandon your dreams and desires for a steady paycheck, what lessons are you teaching your kids, especially your sons? What will their outlook on life be when they see their father, their role model grinding through an existence that he doesn’t enjoy for a salary that still isn’t enough?

Now let’s flip the script.

Imagine that instead of giving up on your dreams, you grabbed your balls and jumped off the deep end. You went for it!

You would spend a while (years possibly) in financial risk (likely no more than you already have in a 9-5), investing tons of hours into a business that may or may not succeed, giving up time with your friends, wife, and children. But there is a light at the end of this tunnel.

After you have put in your time, after you have invested the blood, sweat, tears, and heartache into your dream, it will finally pay off. Your financial worries will be gone, you will have boundless energy, waking up every day to a life that inspires and excites you, and you will have more free time than you ever could doing something that you hated.

How would your family view you now?

They would see a strong man who had dreams and goals and took action on them despite obstacles. You would have more time to spend with them, more money to take vacations and have adventures with and most importantly, more joy, because now you are building an incredible life in all areas, and you aren’t sacrificing anything.

If you want to live a happy, fulfilled life, you have to make this mental shift. You are not doing your family any favors by giving up on your dreams.

If you want your children to live the happiest, most successful lives possible, then you will lead by example and teach them to go after life with all that they’ve got and not to waste one second on dull, uninspiring and unfulfilled work.

Adam Braun is a New York Times bestselling author and the Founder of Pencils of Promise, an award-winning organization that has broken ground on more than 300 schools for children in poverty around the world. He is also the Director of the Global Education Platform, an initiative conceived by the UN Special Envoy for Global Education to identify and accelerate breakthroughs in learning innovation.

He has been featured as a speaker at The White House, the United Nations and the Clinton Global Initiative. He has also been named to Business Insider’s 40 Under 40, Wired Magazine‘s 50 People Who Are Changing the World, and was selected as one of the World Economic Forum’s first ten “Global Shapers.”

Favorite Success Quote

Key Points

1. Passion is Over-rated Purpose is Enduring 

Many of the modern self help “gurus” and speakers talk constantly about finding and pursuing your passions. The simple fact is, passion fades away.

The excitement dies, you get bored, you move on. Purpose however, purpose is enduring.

If you can find your purpose, that one thing that you were put on this earth to do, and pursue it with your whole heart, you will be successful no matter what. 

2. You Cannot Fake Authenticity 

Most people have a built in B.S. detector. They can tell when someone is disingenuous or inauthentic.

If you really want to make a difference in the world, if you really want to have an impact and live a life of purpose and joy, you have to drop the mask and be authentic.

Open up, be vulnerable, share the real you, unabashedly and unashamed of who you are or what people might think.

Many people may dislike you, some may even hate you, but if you try and please everyone, you will end up impacting no one.

3. Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

One of the quickest ways to find your purpose, to get on track to live the life of your dreams is to break out of your comfort zone.

Do stuff that scares you, take that class you’ve been putting off, join that men’s group, leave everything and go backpacking across Europe.

Almost no one ever dies wishing that they had spent more time playing it safe. You only get one shot at this life. Put your neck on the line and get uncomfortable!

Dale Thomas Vaughn – a champion of purpose, has worked with some of the most influential people in the world including billionaire industry moguls, academic thought-leaders and international heads of state.

He has written and edited seven best-selling books, run with the bulls in Pamplona, trekked the 500-mile pilgrimage that is the Camino de Santiago, become a certified specialist of wine, and both succeeded and failed in the world of business.

Today, through his award-winning work with The EmpowerMentorship Institute, Dale helps men discover what they want from their lives and then empowers them to make a concrete plan to go do it.

Favorite Success Quote

Key Points

1. You Have to Take Your Masks Off 

If you want to live your life to the fullest possible capacity, you have to take your masks off.

You can no longer live your life in-authentically to please others, you must be true to yourself and who you want to be. Do not allow social, familial or societal norms to govern who you are.

If you believe in something that is controversial or unpopular, voice your opinion. If you want to live your life in an uncommon or even frowned up way, do it! Don’t let anyone or anything stand in the way of you living your truth.

2. Introspect 

One of the most powerful tools in your arsenal for discovering yourself and your purpose is introspection.

In today’s busy world, we almost never have any time alone and in silence to spend with our thoughts. For Dale, he achieves this time by hiking, for you, it may be morning meditation, an ocean swim, or a long walk outside.

Do whatever you need to do to clear your mind and get the time you need to reflect on who you are, where you are going, and what you want out of life.

3. Get a Plan for Your Life

Once you have spent time in introspection, the next step is to develop a plan for your life.

Who do you want to be? What do you want to achieve? What legacy do you want to leave? Once you have the answer, write out a plan for yourself to get there.

Set goals and deadlines, challenge yourself and create a bulletproof plan for achieving the best life ever.

4. Break Your “Everest Goal” Down 

When you are setting your plan, you will likely have an “Everest Goal” something that is incredibly far off and difficult to achieve.

It is important that you start on the path to this goal by setting smaller, six week goals, completing these small goals and then reassessing where you are with relation to the end.

5. Surround Yourself With the Right People

Now that you have clarity on who you are and what you want to achieve, you have a vision for who you want to be, and you have smaller goals set to help you achieve that vision, it is time to start surrounding yourself with people who can help you make that vision a reality.

Your social circle is one of the most important factors to your success. We all know the Jim Rohn quote that “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” and it holds true with regards to your purpose.

Surround yourself with likeminded men and women who will help you and encourage you on your personal growth journey, who have been there, done that and can help you make sure that you don’t make the same mistakes.

Remember, who you associate with is who you become. Make sure you are associating with the right people.

6. Follow the Six Steps to Manliness 

In the show, Dale shared with us the six key pillars to manliness. Whatever your personal definition of manliness is, all six of these will show up in your life in some way.

1. Purpose: Every man must have some purpose in his life bigger than himself, something he wants to accomplish before he dies that will leave a lasting legacy.

2. Balance: Every man need to have balance in his life. He must be sure to prioritize family and fun as much as he does his work.

3. Adventure: If you aren’t adventuring some, you aren’t living. Life was meant to be lived on the edge, not in a chair.

4. Sophistication: Find things that spark interest in you and pursue them with a passion.

5. Community: No man is an island, and having a support group of amazing people will be one of the greatest accelerators on your road to manliness.

6. Leisure: You only live once, have a little fun, relax a little, you don’t always have to be “on.” All work and no play is a sure fire way to live a boring life.

To millions of people across the globe, the name Bob Proctor is synonymous with success.  Long before his role in the movie The Secret sent him into the realm of superstardom, he was already a legendary figure in the world of personal development.

His insights, inspiration, ideas, systems, and strategies are the dimes on which countless lives have spun —  the sparks that have ignited career transformations, personal epiphanies, inner awakenings, and the creation of million-dollar fortunes the world over.

As a speaker, author, consultant, coach, and mentor, Bob Proctor works with business entities and individuals around the world, instilling within them not only the mental foundations of success and the motivation to achieve, but also the actionable strategies that will empower them to grow, improve, and thrive in today’s ever-changing world.

Favorite Success Quote

Key Points

1. You Must Apply What You Learn 

During Bob’s journey of personal growth, one of his greatest strengths was that he was an implementer. Like Bob,  most people on this site, have read “Think and Grow Rich” and have mentors investing into the  and giving them advice.

The reason for Bob’s success?

He actually applied everything he learned. He followed the action steps from “Think and Grow Rich,” when a successful person told him to do something, he went out and did it.

If you want to achieve success in your own life, you must be a massive action taker and rapid implementer. Don’t just read success books, live them. Don’t just listen to advice, follow it. It is only by action that you will achieve the success you desire.

2. Mentors Are One of The Most Important Aspects to Success

Throughout Bob’s journey he had some of the most prolific and successful individuals in the personal growth world as mentors. And the fact is, almost every successful person has had someone pouring into them and helping them on their path to the top.

If you want to be a top level achiever, it is imperative that you surround yourself with the kind of people who will help you get there. Become friends with individuals who make you uncomfortable, who are so far ahead of you that they intimidate you, and make you push yourself to achieve new levels of success.

No man is an island, and the quickest way to the top is to find people who are already there willing to give you a hand.

3. You Can Build Yourself an Incredible Education 

Like many successful individuals, Bob had no formal education, in fact he never finished high school. However, the education he was able to receive through experience and mentors was worth far more than any degree or letters after his name.

If you want to be successful, you must become a self educator. Read as many books as you can take action on, go to as many seminars and courses as you can afford, and surround yourself with as many high achievers as you can find.

Through self education, belief, and massive action taking, success is all but inevitable.

4. You Don’t Decide on a Purpose; You Discover It 

Bob’s advice for anyone feeling lost or unsure, is to spend time alone, writing about the legacy you want to leave, and the way you want to live your life.

It is his belief that we are all guided by something bigger than ourselves and that we all have a higher purpose to achieve. And while we may not be able to alter that purpose, if we discover and follow it, we will set ourselves up for a life of fulfillment and success.

5. Forget Yourself Into Immortality 

One of Bob’s core beliefs is that we must focus on others to become true successes. As the quote from Emerson states above, we must, “Forget ourselves into immortality.”

Because it is only by focusing on others and leaving legacy of selflessness that we can become truly great.

Dr. Dain Heer is an internationally renowned author, of “Being You: Changing the World”, speaker and facilitator of consciousness and change. 

For over 14 years now, Dain has been inviting people to embrace their true greatness—people from every culture, country, age and social strata of society. Originally trained as a chiropractor, he has a completely different approach to healing by facilitating people to tap into and recognize their own abilities and knowing. 

Favorite Success Quote

Key Points

1. Start by Asking Questions 

One of the greatest tools you have when faced with a challenging situation is your ability to ask the right questions. Tony Robbins once said that “Successful people ask better questions and as a result they get better answers.”

By using this mindset shift, you can alter your reality in powerful and tangible ways. Ask questions every day that excite and empower you and  you find equally exciting and empowering answers.

Questions like: “How could it get any better than this?” open up an infinite number of doors for increased fulfillment and joy in your life. Always be asking the right questions.

2. You Create What You Have One Choice at a Time 

You are where you are today because of the cumulative affect of millions of small choices. Every breach or reaffirmation of your integrity, every broken or kept promise, every pursued or abandoned goal has gotten you to where you are today.

Instead of dwelling on past decisions that have landed (or elevated) you to where you are, begin anew by looking to where you want to be. Set a clear vision in your mind for who you want to be years from now, and make every decision based off of that vision, big or small.

Realize that there is no such thing as an unimportant decision, even the smallest of choices can have the greatest impact.

3. One of Your Greatest Gifts is Kindness 

Kindness is the greatest gift we can give others and ourselves. Being kind to those we know can do nothing for us not only improves the world and the society in which we live, but it also gives us freedom, joy, and a sense of appreciation for what we really have.

Every day look out for new ways that you can be kind, and never miss an opportunity to show love to someone you care about. Life is short and you never know if you will have that chance again.

4. Ask Who Your Beliefs Belong To 

One of the most important practices you can do when you are feeling lost, stressed, or upset is to ask “who does this belief belong to.” We are the culmination of the beliefs of the thousands of people and influences in our lives, and we often live so fast and so detached from ourselves that we never slow down to examine our beliefs and ask if they are really ours.

Don’t think you can succeed at something? Who does that belief really belong to?
Think you will never achieve the relationships of your dreams? Who does that belief really belong to?
Think you have to follow one career path to achieve fulfillment? Who does that belief really belong to?

Take time to examine the thoughts that you have and figure out where they are coming from. As you begin to identify the negative beliefs that are not yours, you will free yourself and find more peace and joy than you have ever had before.

Jay Elliot was a senior member of the original Macintosh development team and helped Steve Jobs develop the original user interface inspired by Xerox PARC. Becoming Senior Vice President of Apple reporting directly to Steve, Jay ran all corporate operations including business planning, IT operations, Facilities, and HR for Apple worldwide.

As a mentor, Jay was able to guide Steve in learning and utilizing the management principles Jay had learned at IBM and Intel, which helped make possible building Apple into a multibillion company and in turning Steve into the kind of leader who was able to inspire and create the society-changing Apple products.

Favorite Success Quote

Key Points

1. You Need to Balance Your Life 

One of Steve Job’s greatest strengths was the fiery intensity he had for his vision. However, this was also one of his greatest weaknesses. Jobs was never “off” he was always focused on his company and vision.

As amazing as the results are that Jobs achieved, it is essential to your long term health and happiness that you find a way to balance all four pillars of your life.

Never get so caught up in your business that you forget to show up in your health, relationships and spiritual life.

2. Fill Your Mind with New Ideas

One of the qualities that made Steve Jobs great is that he was an innovator. He constantly surrounded himself with the newest ideas and modalities of thinking.

If you want to change the world and create great things, you need to become an innovator. Always be searching for new ways of solving the worlds problems.

3. Tap Into Your Passion

If you want to change the world, you must find what you are passionate about. Find that thing that sets a fire in your belly and gets you up out of bed each morning before the sun is up.

You only have one shot at this life, you can either waste it, playing it safe and living someone else’s life, making someone else rich, or you can live a life of passion, doing something you believe in, something that matters.

4. Dont Get Caught up in an Institutional Structure

One of the biggest mistakes any young professional can make is getting caught up in an institutional structure. When you get onto a ladder designed by someone else, you are stuck in a linear path with very little room to innovate and create.

The best thing you can do is to work for yourself or a startup that allows you the freedom to build and create the world as you see fit.

In 2006, Aaron Marino started a men’s image consulting firm, alpha m. Image Consulting, to help average men with simple common sense advice; aimed to enhance their image, style, grooming, fashion and most importantly their confidence. Aaron Marino has been featured in countless publications, as well as guest appearances on various television and radio programs, both locally, as well as nationally.

Throughout the past 7 years, Aaron Marino has worked with thousands of men from around the world, helping them with their personal style, grooming, fashion, image, wardrobe and even dating. Through his weekly YouTube posts, Aaron Marino covers a host of topics in the area of men’s style, fashion, grooming and even personal responsibility.

Aaron Marino has not only expanded his reach with his viral videos but also with a variety of products such as the stylesystem that was featured on the ABC’s Shark Tank.

Favorite Success Quote

Key Points

1. Focus on Fit 

No matter what your clothing budget is, always focus on fit first. A $20 shirt from Old Navy can look better than a $300 Tommy Bahama shirt if it the fit is better.

Be sure to try on different sizes of clothing for different brands and styles as a medium in one brand name may be too small in another. Realize that a tighter budget is not an excuse for bad style. Look for those few key wardrobe items and buy a quality article of clothing that fits like a glove.

2. The Goal of Style is to Increase Confidence

The ultimate goal of improving your style and your grooming is to increase your confidence. When your body looks great and your clothes look great, you are going to feel great.

When you put your best foot forward, you will have increased confidence and self esteem, and this will lead to an increase in opportunities and relationship successes.

3. Learn to Differentiate Between Constructive and Deconstructive Criticism 

Any entrepreneur, businessman, or public figure is going to attract a far amount of controversy, and with this controversy always comes criticism. This criticism typically comes in one of two forms either constructive or deconstructive.

Constructive criticism, although uncomfortable, will help you to grow and improve yourself as a man and a leader. Deconstructive criticism on the other hand will do nothing but toxifiy your life and lower your self esteem.

Seek constructive criticism and cut out as many sources of deconstructive criticism as you can.

Marc David, M.A. is the Founder and primary teacher of the Institute for the Psychology of Eating. He’s a leading visionary, teacher and consultant in Nutritional Psychology, and the author of the classic, groundbreaking and bestselling books Nourishing Wisdom and The Slow Down Diet. For over 3 decades Marc has been an innovator in eating psychology and nutrition.

Marc’s work has been featured on CNN and NBC, and in publications such as The New York Times, Chicago Times, McCall’s, Glamour, Elle, Yoga Journal, WebMD, and hundreds more. His books have been translated into over 10 languages. Marc has presented at a long list of professional settings, including Harvard University, the Institute for Functional Medicine, and The National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine.

Favorite Success Quote

Key Points

1. Turn Your Anger into Fuel

Everybody is pissed at something. Some circumstance, political group or international event. Whether you are pissed at the government, the decline of masculinity, or simply the confusing times in which we find ourselves, everyone is angry at something.

The key is to use this anger as motivation, as a driving force to achieve your goals. Do not allow your emotions to control you, but rather take control of your emotions and use them as fuel to bring about change.

Find what makes you angry and commit to changing it.

2. Live a Life You Feel is Worth Living

Too often we find ourselves living the life of someone else, a life that is not ours. We set so many goals based off of our parents, friends,  or society’s aspirations for our lives without ever giving much thought to what it is we really want out of life.

Figure out what you have a passion for, what you want to change, and focus your efforts on  it. Ignore everyone who tells you to be realistic and follow the traditional path.

Live a life that *you* are happy living and not that you are living for someone else.

3. Trust Your Inner Voice

As cliche as it may seem, there is real wisdom in the advice to trust your inner voice. It is often that child like intuition that directs us towards the path we need to be on.

Trust your gut and do what feels right. Ignore what society and your friends say, follow your instincts and you will create a life worth living.

4. You Need to Earn What You Want

We live in an age of entitlement, people believe that they deserve a free pass simply for existing in this world. If you want to live a life of purpose and excellence, you must realize that life owes you nothing.

If you want anything in this world, you must earn it, fight for it, bleed for it. Nothing worth having will come for free, you must earn it.

5. Money is a Tool not a God

Our society has deified money. Giving it power over life and death and our freedom. Few people pause and reflect on what money truly is.

Money is neither good nor evil, it is merely a tool, a form of exchange between two individuals. You must realize that while money can grant you freedom, fitness, and more time to spend on relationships and hobbies, it can also become your master, crushing the joy out of your life as you abandon everything in pursuit of it.

Accept money for what it is and use it to create your ideal life.

Ben Fedder is the former CEO of Take 2 Interactive, the video game company responsible for producing Grand Theft Auto, NBA 2k, Max Payne, and many others. He's now is a senior executive at Tencent, the Chinese global conglomerate that owns WeChat and dominates China’s internet-related media and technology industries. Ben is also the author of the book Take Off Your Shoes: One Man's Journey from the Boardroom to Bali and Back. You can learn more about Ben and his mission at benfederauthor.com 

Key Points

1. Develop Your Sense of Presence

One of the most powerful ways that you can improve your relationships, career, and life is to cultivate a deep sense of presence. 

Most people live in a state of constant distraction. 

They're constantly thinking about what they said yesterday or what they need to do tomorrow, but they never slow down and focus on what's happening around them right now. 

When you slow down and learn to get present in this moment, right now, you open yourself up to an entirely new way of being. 

All great work, all great relationships, and all well lived lives require high levels of presence. 

When you are completely focused on what you're doing in this very second you can give 100% of yourself to the task at hand. You can be more compassionate and considerate in your conversations, perform faster and more effectively at work, and truly enjoy the quiet moments that you have for yourself. 

Whether you choose to cultivate this sense of presence through meditation, yoga, or mere awareness, following a simple mindfulness practice will have profound and far-reaching benefits in every area of your life.  

2. Engage in Activities that Help You See the World in a New Way 

As much as we would like to believe otherwise, the world is not black and white. 

There are thousands, even millions, of perspectives through which you can choose to view the world, but most people live their entire lives through the same lens that they adopted as a child. 

By engaging in new activities such as art, travel, and music, you can teach yourself to view the world in a new light. You'll gain a deeper appreciation for the nuances of life and learn to spot patterns and details that you would otherwise have missed. 

I strongly encourage you to identify a small handful of new activities and hobbies to pick up that will challenge the way you think and your current paradigm. 

Whether you pick up painting, playing the guitar, dancing salsa, playing strategy games, or doing standup comedy, find something that you truly enjoy that will help you cultivate new perspectives and a fresh outlook on life. 

If you do this, it will radically transform the way that you approach your life, business, and pursuit of success. 

3. Make Deliberate Choices About How You Want to Live Your Life 

Every single one of us has the ability to deliberately choose the way we want to live our lives. 

While there are undoubtedly constraints and extenuating circumstances that might prevent you from having total autonomy over your path, in this very moment, you can choose to live your life (even in a small way) more deliberately. 

Ask yourself who you want to be, how you want to think, and how you want to see the world. 

Make the deliberate choice to live a life by design. A life of virtue and value of your own making. 

Then go and do it. 

Next Step

Thanks for listening! If you found this content helpful, please pay it forward by sharing it on your favorite social media channel so that other men can benefit from the lessons and strategies we’ve discussed.

If you’d like to learn more about the concepts and strategies I’ve shared here today, then you can get my FREE 3 part video training series on becoming a stronger more Grounded man so that you can build a life of freedom, success, and happiness. Just click here to claim your free training today.

Tom Cronin spent 26 years as a broker in finance trading inflation swaps and bonds for the banks. After suffering a lot of stress in his job, he turned to meditation to help manage the symptoms. This was life changing for Tom! He recently walked away from the industry at the height of his 26 year successful career to fulfill his mission of spreading calm and stillness across the globe.

The portal to access this stillness is meditation. Tom has been teaching meditation for many years now and has inspired thousands of people all over the world as a teacher, author and keynote speaker to unlock their brilliance and calm with meditation.

Favorite Success Quote

Key Points

1. When You Begin Meditation Learn to Relieve Stress in Your Body

One of the biggest keys to success in meditation is to learn to relax your body. A significant amount of the mental stress that you feel is linked to the physical stress in your body.

When beginning your meditation practice find a quiet, dark room with a comfortable padded chair, sit upright and relax your body. Focus on relieving physical stress before focusing on mental stress.

2. Meditation is the Portal Not the Goal 

Meditation should never be a goal, it is merely a portal to increased health, mental clarity, and spiritual connection. Before begging the practice of meditation, ensure that your focus is an increased quality of life and not to merely sit down with an empty mind.

3. Meditation is Proven to Enhance Your Biochemistry

For many men, meditation is seen as unmanly or cooky, however, numerous scientific studies have proven that meditation positively affects your biochemistry in a way that few other activities can.

Meditation acts in a very similar way to sex, releasing powerful neurochemicals like oxytocin, dopamine, and many other “feel good chemicals”

Regular meditation has also been shown to reduce inflammation, risk of disease and increase mental agility and performance.

4. The Goal is to Leave a Place of Need and Go Into a Place of Service

The ultimate goal of meditation and, in fact, of life is not any one action or goal, but rather a process of leaving a place of need and entering into a lifestyle of service.

Too often, we focus on ourselves and what we can do for us. We focus on our goals, our dreams, our ambitions; and while many of these may be worthy causes, it is advantageous to take time out of each day and simply serve.

Volunteer at a local church, soup kitchen, or children development program, pay for someones lunch, give compliments to a stranger. Live your life with a servants heart and it will not be a life wasted.

Michael  Matthews is back for a second round in the Knowledge for Men arena! Michael is the founder of Muscle for Life, author of the bestselling book Bigger, Leaner, Stronger and the CEO of Legion Supplements.

Mike believes in a simple, straightforward, no b.s. approach to achieving the body of your dreams and favors long term consistency over short term intensity in all of his methods.

Mike is currently juggling several projects including a new book, continued work on the site, launching a Legion clothing line and creating a new smart phone app! You can learn more and connect with Mike at muscleforlife.com

Key Points

1. Be Willing to Hustle

Too many people today want to achieve their dreams without being willing to work for them. If you want to achieve the life that few have, you must be willing to hustle on a level few will.

You will die and pass through history just like everyone else, and unless you hustle and create a legacy worth remembering, you will simply be another statistic. So get to work and be remembered.

2. Create Amazing Rituals

The top performers always have consistent result rituals in place to ensure their success. Experiment with your work, health and relationships to find rituals that work well for you.

Do you work best in the morning or at night? Do you write better after drinking some coffee or wine? Do your relationships flourish when you set aside one day a week for date night?

Look at what other high achievers have done and try to emulate them. If it works, then keep it, if not, discard and try something new.

3. Everything in Moderation

Just because you are working to be successful and build your best life does not mean you should deprive yourself. If you really enjoy watching House of Cards, drinking with your friends on the weekend, or smoking that Rocky Patel cigar every once in a while, then do it!

The key is moderation. Do not allow mindless entertainment and substance usage to become the norm, but rather an occasional treat as a reward for all of your hard work.

4. Don’t Just go for money

Following any career path solely because of the money is a one way road to misery. If you want to live a happy fulfilled life, then it is essential that you focus first on finding what you love. The money will follow.

5. Focus on the Basics and Keep Going

Men often try and get into the complexities and nuances of subjects before we master the basics. We can give you complicated speculation on the stock market, but can’t manage to save more than we spend. We can tell you exactly how testosterone fuels muscle growth, but can’t seem to workout more than once a month.

Focus on mastering the basics and the rest will fall into place.

6. Turn Your Car into a Mobile University

Massive self education (and applying that education) is the quickest way to be successful. Turn off the radio and plug in an audiobook next time you drive to work. Read for half an hour instead of watching tv.

If you take the time to educate yourself now, it will pay back dividends years down the line.

7. Have Realistic Expectations

Greatness takes time. Do not expect to transform yourself over night, but rather embrace the process and enjoy the ride. Success will happen if you work hard, educate yourself and focus on mastery, but realize it will happen over years, not weeks.

On March 24, 1965, Albert Podell embarked on a 581-day, 42,000-mile, adventure-packed expedition by 4×4 across 30 countries that set the record for the longest auto journey ever made around the world. During the next 50 years Podell visited every one of the rest of its 196 countries.

Albert Podell has a B.A. in government from Cornell, was a graduate fellow in international relations at the University of Chicago, holds a J.D. from NYU School of Law, and has had successful careers as a magazine editor, director of photography, advertising-agency creative director, and trial attorney. He has written 300 magazine articles and wrote the adventure classic, Who Needs A Road.

Favorite Success Quote

Key Points

1. Life is Fleeting Live it Full

Life is precious and short. We all live like life will last forever without realizing its fleeting nature. Embrace the now and live life like you will never live it again.

2. People are Generally the Same

Many first worlders ignorantly assume that the rest of the world is vastly different from us. We assume that they are all extremists and crazies and that anywhere beyond the first world is the no mans land.

What we fail to realize is that humans are largely the same across all cultures. We all want to live long and prosperous lives. We all want to raise our children to the best of our abilities, we all want as much health, wealth, love and happiness as we can fill into our days.

When we open our mind to the similarities that cross all cultural boundaries, we are able to interact much more deeply and intimately with people who are seemingly dissimilar.

3. You Can Live on Less Than You Think

In America, the idea of living with less is a foreign concept. We assume that to survive we need to be making hundreds of dollars a day and filling our lives full of possessions and cheap thrills.

But in the end, we are left with crap we didn’t need and shallow, base level experiences. If we open our minds to the idea of embracing minimalism and living with less, then we open our lives to a whole new level of fulfillment.

When life becomes about seizing every moment enjoying every second over accumulating more stuff, we are able to live lives of true abundance and joy.

4. Money and Time are not an Impediment to Travel

If you are creative enough, adaptable enough, and tough enough.  You can travel the world on little to no money fairly easily. From staying with locals to camping to hostels, there are a number of ways that you can travel without breaking the bank.

One of the best ways to get started is by looking into work exchanges such as WWOOF or Help Ex where you work in exchange for room and board.

Influential Books

1. The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss

2. How to Travel the World on $50 a Day by Matt Kepnes

3. Vagabonding by Rolf Potts

Nate Broughton is an internet marketing veteran of 17 years who specializes in lead generation and client acquisition. He's built and sold four companies and been involved in several acquisitions with private equity firms. He's now the leader of a movement and company called The Opt Out Life which teaches people all over the world how to design an amazing lifestyle centered around fun and experiences... While still making fantastic money in an industry they love.

Favorite Success Quote

"Lifestyle before money. But money also."

"If there's a will there's a way"

Key Points

1. Focus on Lifestyle First and Money Second 

Money is a tool.

In the right hands, it can serve as a force multiplier to help you live the life of your dreams, enjoy wild adventures, and create a lasting legacy.

However, when it's your sole aim and purpose it will overtake your life and lead you down a dark and lonely road filled with regrets.

As such, Nate's motto and entire company (opt-out life) is built on the ethos of "Lifestyle first but money also."

In life, you will often be presented with two options.

1. The lucrative option
2. The lifestyle option

For example, Nate was offered an executive position with a multiple six-figure salary, a significant amount of equity, and great benefits.

The only problem is that the position required him to drive 60 minutes to and from work five days a week, sacrificing time with his young children and wife.

He turned it down in less than a minute.

Money is great and you should always seek to expand your income and create passive assets.

But it's not everything.

If you find yourself working 80 hours a week to make multiple six figures you need to take a step back and ask yourself, "Is this really worth it?"

Is this how you want to live your life?

2. Get Creative to Achieve Your Dreams 

Where there's a will there's a way.

Cliche, I know. But it's true. 

Whatever goal you want to achieve, whether it's making a certain amount of money, improving your body, or finding the partner of your dreams, is ahievable. IF you're willing to get creative and find unconventional roads to success. 

A great example that Nate shared in the interview is how his business partner moved his family from an inexpensive inland suburb to the exclusive coast of Lajolla. 

Even though his partner couldn't afford the mortgage on the house he wanted, he got creative, found a property with a guest home and then rented the home out while simultaneously renting the casita in the back yard. 

The result? He cut the rent payments in half and ended up spending roughly the same amount as his previous mortgage. 

If you're willing to get creative, there's nothing that you can't do, be, or achieve. 

But you must be willing to think outside of the box and cut yourself off from any possibility of failure. 

3. Know When to Hold 'Em and When to Fold 'Em 

You are going to have to make tough decisions in life.

It's simply a part of the human existence. 

And oftentimes, the most important decision that you will make is not whether or not you should start something, but whether or not you should stay with something. 

Whether it's a relationship, career, business, or just a boring 'ol workout program, you must understand when a particular endeavor has run its course and when there is still something of value to be gained. 

Nate has grown and sold several businesses, and he's found that there's a critical tipping point in each business (typically when it hits $5,000,000 in revenue) where he begins to burn out and lose interest. 

Instead of fighting this, he's adopted the "Serial Entrepreneur" approach and will sell his equity or the entire business, once a project passes a certain revenue threshold. 

Here's the deal... 

Life is short. And there are thousands of things that we all want to try out and we have no way of knowing if they're worth our time until we step up to the plate and swing. 

But once you've been in the game for a while, you need to honestly evaluate your pursuits and ask yourself the simple question, "Is this serving me at the highest level?"

If the answer is "No" then cut your losses and move on... IMMEDIATELY. 

4. Understand the Seasons of Life (And How they Impact Your Priorities) 

It's funny to me how often I have young men reaching out to me in their early 20's bemoaning the fact that they have no money and no clue what they want to do with their lives. 

I always have to chuckle at these messages, because these guys are missing the point. 

You aren't supposed to be super wealthy and on purpose right out of the gate! 

Your 20's are a season in life for pursuing your passions, seeing what sticks, making LOTS of mistakes, and learning as much as you can. 

Life isn't supposed to be this massive and nonstop upwards growth curve. 

It's a long and bumpy ride filled with different seasons. And one of the biggest keys to success is learning how to capitalize on these seasons and use them to your advantage. 

For example, your 20's are a high energy season that is best used to learn marketable skills, live super frugally while building a war chest, and to figure yourself out along the way. 

Your 30's are a season that should be devoted to mastery of your chosen craft and the creation of passive income streams that will create lasting wealth and freedom. 

And once you have that? Your 40's and beyond are for doing whatever the hell you want. 

5. Develop a High-Value Skill Set and Turn It Into Passive Income 

It's been said that passive income is worth 10x working income. 

And truer words have yet to be spoken. 

No matter where you are in life today, one of your top priorities should be the creation and expansion of passive income. 

Money is simply a tool to buy freedom. And when you escape from the race of trading your time for dollars and create sustainable passive income, you will have freedom for life. 

Imagine going to bed and waking up with an extra $500 in your bank account. What would that do for your life? How would you spend your days differently? What hobbies would you pursue? What relationships would you invest in more deeply? How would your life change if you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that you were going to be ok when the 1st of the month rolled around? 

I can tell you from personal experience... It's one of the most liberating feelings a man can have. 

Get to work on building passive income streams NOW and your life will forever change because of it. 

Former Air force Captain Bryan Reeves is the Co-founder/Director for The Center for Mindful Education, where he’s taught mindfulness to people with autism. He co-founded “Operation Mindful Warrior” to help bring mindfulness to military veterans (who are currently committing suicide at a shocking rate)

Bryan serves on the Executive Board of the Global Alliance for Transformational Entertainment (G.A.T.E.). Founded by John Raatz, author Eckhart Tolle and actor Jim Carrey, GATE is an organization of entertainment and media companies and professionals – actors, producers, filmmakers, musicians and more – working to influence the entertainment and media industry to produce and distribute transformational content that inspires global audiences for the benefit of all.

Bryan currently resides in L.A. working as a transformational life and relationships coach.

Favorite Success Quote

“Follow your highest excitement”~Bryan Reeves

Key Points

1. It Is Essential That You Learn to Collaborate

We live in a world full of people determined to go it alone. We look at others with differing ideologies, religions, or political standing as lost causes that will never be reached instead of seeking to use our uniqueness together to create something incredible.

Learn to see and bring out the best in people regardless of your differences, learn to work with others and use your differences to create a future that could never have been built alone. Work together with others and create a future that you would be proud to raise a family in.

2. Surround Yourself With People Who Won’t Take Your Crap

As much as we love to surround ourselves with yes men (or women) it is imperative to our personal growth that we are around people who push us and call us out on our bullshit. Build a social circle full of people who aren’t afraid to challenge you and make you uncomfortable.

As Jim Rohn said “You are the average of the five people whom you associate with most.” If you want to live a world class life, then associate with people who will push you in every area.

3. Acknowledge That You Could be Wrong

As you work to build the life and relationships of your dreams, approach every issue with the thought that you might be wrong. Nietzsche, the famous philosopher once said that “Conviction is the enemy of truth.” Never allow your need to be right to blind you to the  truth.

Realize that you may be wrong, accept it and look to collaborate with others who can help guide you to the truth.

4. Be a Leader in Your Relationships 

As a man, embrace the masculine energy in your relationships and take charge (most of the time). Decide where to go out on a date, set the time, lay down the ground rules of the relationship. Women cannot be fully in their feminine unless you are in your masculine and for this to happen you must be present and taking charge, leading the encounter to new and exciting heights.

5. Success Doesn’t Make the Man

Money, cars, girls, none of it makes you a man. To be a true man, an authentic man, you must be totally fulfilled and in love with yourself. Be who you are, pursue a life of purpose that excites you every morning. Do things because you damn well want to!

Never forsake dreams or aspirations for a paycheck or relationship. Follow your highest excitement, do what makes you happy and impact others while doing it.

6. If You Aren’t Thriving Today It’s Pointless

Goals are amazing. Plans are great. But nothing is certain. Life is a precious gift that can be taken at any moment. Live life in the moment and be passionate about the life you are living today. Because the life you are stressing about creating may not be there tomorrow.

Jonathan Levi is an experienced entrepreneur, angel investor, and lifehacker from Silicon Valley. After successfully selling his Inc 5,000 rated startup in April of 2011, Levi packed up for Israel to gain experience in the Venture Capital industry.

Levi has been featured in such publications and programs as the Wall Street Journal, Nana10 Television, The Silicon Valley Business Journal, Bimmer Magazine, BMW Blog, and Donna Fenn’s latest book, Upstarts! How GenY Entrepreneurs are Rocking the World of Business and 8 Ways You Can Profit from Their Success, among others.

Favorite Success Quote

“The greatest happiness in life is that we are loved. Loved for ourselves or loved in spite of ourselves.”~Victor Hugo

Key Points

1. Learn to Properly Delegate

Chances are, living the life of your dreams involves you doing a lot more of what you enjoy and a helluva lot less of the things that you don’t. Determine activities in your life that are neither enjoyable nor particularly profitable and delegate them to others.

For example, you can hire a maid to come and clean your house, do your laundry, and even cook your meals for between $20-$50/hour. If you are earning even $5 more per hour by doing this, than you are enhancing your productivity and your dollar per output. It’s a win win for everyone.

2. Do an 80/20 Analysis

Around 20% of what you do in every area of your life will account for 80% of the results that you see. To live a fulfilling and meaningful life, you must determine the things that you are content being in the 80th percentile for, and those that you are willing to invest the extra time into.

Do you want to be a top level bodybuilder, or just be lean and healthy? Do you want to be a Forbes list entrepreneur making millions a year, or just have the income to live life on your terms?

There’s no right or wrong, you simply have to decide what it is you want and allocate your resources properly.

3. Apply the Productivity Mindset to Your Personal Life

Seek to use the productivity mindset in all areas of your life, especially social. For example if you have the choice between going to an entrepreneurs mastermind or going to a club and getting hammered, it’s pretty clear which option will lead to greater results.

Enjoy yourself, party, live life, but make sure that you are filling your life with high caliber social activities as well.

5. Speed Reading Tips

• Don’t move your eyes, this makes you effectively blind and wastes time
• Don’t Sub-vocalize(say the words in your head)
• Create images to help you recall information better

5. Sleep The Every Man Schedule

Sleep 6 hours at night and then take a half hour nap in the middle of the day. This will save you a few hours each day, leave you feeling refreshed and is more congruent with your evolutionary programming.

6. Passive Income is About Freedom

The holy grail of finances is passive income. To be making money while you sleep. What you must realize is that this goal is about freedom and having the options to do what you want. Never forsake options for a paycheck, you can always make more money, but once time leaves, it never comes back.

Ash Avildsen is the Founder/CEO of Sumerian Records and was the Founder/CEO of The Pantheon Agency. For the past eight years, Ash has been a key player in the new wave of hard rock music as both an agent and a label owner. Discovering and developing acts like Asking Alexandria, Black Veil Brides, Animals As Leaders and many others from before the bands had ever toured or put out albums. Ash is also the director of his debut film “What Now.”

Favorite Success Quote:

“Success is not the key to happiness, happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be happy” ~ The Buddha

Key Points:

1. Success Does Not Equal Happiness

One of the common misconceptions of the modern world is that success automatically equals happiness. While it is true that many successful people experience tremendous levels of happiness, this is not due to their success, it is a product of their character and mindset.

Do what makes you happy, do what makes you fulfilled, do things that no one would have to pay you for because you are so passionate about it.

At the end of the day, you can’t take a single dollar you earn with you, all the material accomplishments and “things” will fade away and all you will be left with is your experiences and the impact you had on the world. So do what you love and don’t worry about the money; your happiness is contingent on your experiences and your attitude, not your bank account.

2. Don’t Let Haters Get to You

“You have made enemies? Good, that means you’ve stood up for something at some time in your life.” ~Winston Churchill.

If you set out to accomplish anything big in your life, regardless of what it is, there will be haters. There will be people who tell you that you can’t do it, that you aren’t good enough, that you’ll never succeed. Ignore every single one of them.

No one great every accomplished anything by listening to the doubters, people who feel the need to try and bring you down are often suffering from their own insecurities and fear that you will succeed and they will not. Learn to accept criticism and ignore “trolling” your life, business, and relationships will all be better for it.  

3. You Have to Have Faith That You Can Do It

“Whether you believe you can or can’t, you’re certainly right” ~Henry Ford

Everything starts with faith. The faith in yourself, your abilities, and your perseverance. You must have faith that if you put in the time, money and effort, you will inevitably succeed. How could you not? When you are educating yourself, learning from the best, taking massive action and learning from that action; success is inevitable.
Have faith in yourself and faith in the process, and at the end of the day, you will achieve the things that you desire.

4. Try to Improve Your Batting Average

No one is perfect, no one “bats 1,000,” but most of us have significant room for improvement in our lives. Take time to examine each area of your life, examine the results that you have achieved. What are you batting in health? In wealth? In love? In personal growth?

Be honest and brutal with yourself. Figure out what you need to improve on and then take action. Life is nothing except for a never ending cycle of challenges and growth, if you aren’t growing you are dying. Stay in the land of the living; improve everything.

6. Do it Yourself 

We live in an age of men who lack self reliance. Society and technology have made us soft. Small occurrences that used to be minor bumps in the road are now considered catastrophic set backs.

One flat tire, one broken bulb, one business project where you don’t know exactly what to do, one fitness program that doesn’t map out every second of your workout, and we are screwed. Learn to be independent, do things yourself.

Do not rely on others for help or affirmation, just do it! If you don’t know, than follow Tai Lopez’s advice and “Just darn google it.” Do not allow yourself to become dependent on anything or anyone, do it yourself and make your own destiny.

Dr. Joe Martin is an award-winning speaker, author, professor, and retention expert. He’s authored or co-authored seven books, including the top-selling Good Teachers Never Quit and Tricks of the Grade.

In spite of being reared in one of the toughest inner-city ghettos in Miami, Florida, Joe started his first business at the age of 22 and his second at the age of 26. Professor Martin became the youngest, tenured-earning faculty member ever hired to teach at a state University in Florida at the age of 24.

He’s now regarded as “The Educator’s Educator” and the country’s leading expert on new teacher retention and student motivation issues. Joe is a visiting professor and educational consultant and he lectures on more than 60 college campuses a year.

Favorite Success Quote:

“Watch what most people would do in a given situation and do the total opposite” ~ Dr. Joe Martin

Key Points

1. Do Not Follow the Crowd

If you want to achieve a life that is different from the crowd, if you want to break away from the flock, and live life on your terms, then you cannot take the same action that the flock takes. You must ensure that every decision you make is as far removed from what the average and mediocre would do as possible. Seek out mentors, find role models living the life that you desire, and model your actions after them.

Do not follow what uninspired and small minds are doing. Ignore their criticism and focus on becoming great.

2. External Trappings Do Not Make You a Man

You can achieve every goal you have set in life. The beautiful wife, the big house, sports car and million dollar business, but none of it makes you a man. The measure of a man is not in the size of his wallet, or number of women he’s slept with; the measure of a man is his character and his impact. It does not matter how much money you are making if you are not making it in an honorable manner.

It does not matter how beautiful your wife is if you are not treating her with respect and dignity. It does not what you have achieved if you are not living your life for a purpose bigger than yourself! To be a true man, you must have unwavering values, you must focus on helping others more than yourself, and you must make sure that your existence means something to this world.

3. A Real Man Has Integrity

One of the most essential traits of a real man is integrity. Doing what you say you will do and doing what you know and believe is right…PERIOD. If you set a standard for yourself or commit an action to someone else, it does not matter how you feel in the moment, it does not matter that you are tired or weak or busy.

Do what is right, and do what you say you will do. NO trait is more important than this.

4. Your Purpose is Above Everything

Your purpose in this life is unique. In a world of 7 billion people, no one else has your exact calling, no one has your exact talents, mindset and goals. You must put this calling, this purpose above everything else. You must put it above your relationships, above your bank account and above your momentary desires.

Your purpose is what guides you through everything so you must not forgo it for anything.

5. A Real Man Teaches Others to Be Real Men 

An essential transition in every man’s journey is when he realizes that he has the obligation to teach and mentor others. Regardless of your status in life or your development as a man, you still have something valuable to offer the world and other men. Do not do yourself or the world the disservice of letting that gift go un-given.

Teach others what you know, help those struggling in trials through which you have already passed and be generous with your time and gifts. Because at the end of the day, the money, cars, and one night stands will amount to nothing and all that will remain is the legacy you leave and the lives you impact

6. You Must Have a Mentor

As men, we are often hesitant to admit our need for help to ourselves, let alone others. However, we must realize that a true man knows his weaknesses and brings other men into his life to help him work through the challenges. Life is confusing, it’s scary and it’s uncertain, but it doesn’t need to be lonely. Open up, be vulnerable, be authentic; find a man that you can trust and ask him to help you, to hold you accountable, to mentor you. Your life will never be the same once you do.

Jordan Harbinger, once referred to as “The Larry King of podcasting,” is a Wall Street lawyer turned talk show host, social dynamics expert, and entrepreneur.

After hosting a top 50 iTunes podcast for over a decade that enjoyed nearly four million downloads a month at its zenith, Jordan has embarked on a new adventure: The Jordan Harbinger Show, where he deconstructs the playbooks of the most successful people on earth and shares their strategies, perspectives, and insights with the rest of us.

Jordan’s business sense, extensive knowledge of the industry, and contemporary approach to teaching make him one of the best and most sought-after coaches in the world.

You can learn more about Jordan and follow his new podcast at jordanharbinger.com 

Favorite Success Quote

"Fortune favors the bold" ~Latin Proverb 

Key Points

1. Find the Silver Lining 

Stuff happens. 

It's an inevitability of life. 

Things will not go your way. Partners will leave you. Employees will steal from you. Friends will betray you. 

This isn't a pessimistic outlook on life, it's simply the reality of the world we live in. 

As such, the question is not if these events will happen but how you will respond when they do. 

In every negative situation, every layoff, divorce, breakup, and failure, you have one of two choices. 

You can throw yourself a pity party, whine, moan, and cry that your life isn't where you want it to be. Or you can find the silver lining and move forward with your life. 

Every door that closes opens up a new one. Every failed endeavor frees up your time and resources to pursue a new one. Everything that you currently think sucks has a silver lining... If you're willing to look for it. 

Learn to make the best of any situation and use adversity to your advantage and you will become unstoppable in your business, relationships, and life. 

2. Dig the Well Before You're Thirsty 

There is an old proverb that states, "Dig the well before you are thirsty". 

And truer words have yet to be spoken. 

In every area of life, you must learn to cultivate a proactive attitude instead of a reactive one. 

In your finances, set aside money each month and invest in your future so that when the unexpected happens, you are prepared. 

In your relationship, create your own social circle and build your own life so that, even if your partner leaves you, you aren't left out in the cold. 

In your business and career, learn to cultivate powerful relationships with people when you have no agenda so that, if and when something happens (like a layoff or bankruptcy) you have a network of friends who will come to your aid and support you. 

Take preemptive action in your life to avoid and recover from tragedies before they happen. 

As I've already said, it's not a matter of if something bad will happen, it's a matter of when. 

Plan for these crises and prepare for them before you need to.

Your future self will thank you. 

3. Don't Wait on Other People 

Whether it's a business partner, spouse, or friend you can never allow your momentum in life to be dictated by another person. 

Don't wait for someone else to get on board with your mission and vision. 

Simply take action and move forward. 

If your business partner or significant other is dragging their feet and screwing around with regards to your vision and important goals, fine. Take action without them and move forward on your own. 

You can spend years or even decades waiting for someone else to come through, all the while missing opportunities and possibilities in your own life. 

Don't let this happen to you... 

Chart your own path and move forward whether the people around you are on board or not.  

4. Don't Sacrifice Success for Other People's Comfort 

In many relationships, people will avoid having difficult conversations with their partner because they don't want to hurt the other person. 

For example... 

A wife might avoid talking to her alcoholic husband about his drinking problem because she doesn't want to upset him. 

A man might avoid talking to his girlfriend about her lackluster work ethic and spending problem because he doesn't want to hurt her feelings. 

A business partner might avoid calling his team out for laziness because he doesn't want to be seen as overly critical or negative. 

Stop! 

In all of these situations, the uncomfortable conversation is necessary. 

Unless you are willing to step up, make other people uncomfortable, and call them out on their b.s., they will never change. 

You will never move forward in life and eventually, the relationship will implode. 

Be willing to take a stand for yourself and let other people know when they've violated a boundary or acted in a manner that is unacceptable. 

Otherwise, you will live in a constant fairytale and fail to achieve the life you want. 

5. Do the Things Today that Your Future Self Will Thank You For 

Every day, you have a choice. 

You can either choose to live for the moment or the future. 

While it's all fine and dandy to be present, it's even more important that you are acting in a way today that your future self will thank you for. 

What would make your future self-smile? 

Eating that piece of cake or eating a salad? 

Skipping the gym because you're tired or staying commited to your training? 

Talking to that cute guy/girl or letting fear hold you back from the relationships you want? 

Working hard on your side hustle or goofing off with YouTube and video games? 

You have a choice to create the life that you want. 

The only question is, "What choice are you going to make?"

Next Steps 

Thanks for listening! If you found this content helpful, please pay it forward by sharing it on your favorite social media channel so that other men can benefit from the lessons and strategies we’ve discussed.

If you’d like to learn more about the concepts and strategies I’ve shared here today, then you can get my FREE 3 part video training series on becoming a stronger more Grounded man so that you can build a life of freedom, success, and happiness. Just click here to claim your free training today.

Dr. Andrew Hill received his PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from UCLA in 2012, studying how attention operates in the brain. He is currently lecturing for the Undergraduate Education Initiatives program at UCLA, teaching a course sequence gerontology, and the neuroscience of healthy brain aging.

Dr. Hill has published chapters on measuring and modulating human attention, and continues to research self regulation.

Favorite Success Quote

“Do what you love and the money will follow” ~Marsha Sinetar

Key Points

1. If you do not do what you love, you may achieve success but it will not be your success

Many men exemplify the qualities of successful individuals. They have drive, they have ambition and they have an innovative mind. But if you are not actively putting your skills and traits into building the life and business of your dreams, the successes you achieve will not fulfill you.

As the old saying goes “You may climb all the way to the top of the ladder only to find it is leaning on the wrong wall.” Don’t lean your ladder on the wrong wall. Life is short, make the most of it. Do what you love, do it with  a passion, do it will more heart and soul than anyone else, and all the fame, recognition, and money that you have sought after will come.

2. Practice Meditation 

One of the only free methods of cognitive training, mindful meditation has been proven to aid in several neurological functions. From improving your attention control, to memory to, to reducing stress and inflammation, meditation is one of the most beneficial and accessible forms neuro training available.

Studies have also shown that the amount of time you spend meditating actually matters less than the consistency with which you practice, so 3 minutes a day immediately after waking up is more beneficial than an hour once a week.

3. Basic Healthy Habits Increase Brain Health

The best way to increase overall brain health is to improve the quality of your overall health. Eat a diet that is low in starch and sugar and high in fats, exercise in some way every day, and ensure that you are getting at least 6 hours of quality sleep every night.

Without a basic foundation, no amount of nootropics or electrode stimulation will turn you into the high achieving machine you want to be.

4. Exercise Caution when Using Nootropics

A relatively new form of supplement, nootropics are cognitive enhancers that aid in: memory, mental agility, alertness, and overall brain function. However, because of how new the industry is, and the lack of FDA regulation, a large number of supplements on the market are complete bs. Before you purchase or more importantly ingest any nootropic, make sure that it is backed by research, testing, and lots of scientific evidence.

For a simple starter with nootropics, purchase L-Theanine oil and add it to your morning coffee. L-Theanine is a naturally occurring cognitive enhancer found in many teas and other similar drinks. It is inexpensive, completely safe to use, and overall, one of the best introductions to the world of neuro supplements.

5. Figure Out What You Would Do if You Knew You Couldn’t Fail

Many of us waste time in careers that don’t inspire us, relationships that don’t excite us, and lifestyles that don’t fulfill us. Of the many excuses and issues surrounding our complacency, one problem surfaces most of all: Fear of failure. What we must understand about failure is that it is rarely final, and almost never as devastating as we make it out to be in our minds.

Whatever you want to do, go after it like you knew you couldn’t fail. Put in the hours, grind it out, do the work, and what you will discover is that the failure you so dreaded likely never come to fruition. Instead you will be left with a fulfilling and exciting life like nothing you could have ever imagined.

6. Don’t Screw Around 

You only have a limited amount of time on this planet. Despite the societal idea that “30s are the new 20s” you will not live forever. You need to get your tail into gear now and start hustling to create the life that you want to live. Don’t wait for some day, don’t put off what you love for something you “have” to do, and don’t waste time on partying and intoxicants.

Start building the life you want now, so that you can have the future others will only dream of

Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist of Canva, an online, graphics-design service, and an executive fellow at the Haas School of Business at U.C. Berkeley. Formerly, he was an advisor to the Motorola business unit of Google and chief evangelist of Apple. He is the author of The Art of the Start 2.0, The Art of Social Media, Enchantment, and ten other books. Guy has a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from UCLA as well as an honorary doctorate from Babson College.

Favorite Success Quote

“If you believe it, you will see it” ~ Jesus Christ

Key Points

1. Things Are Seldom as Good or Bad as You Think

In life, you will be presented with numerous challenges and triumphs. Accompanying these experiences will be a roller coaster of emotions from tear drenched depression and frustration to euphoric highs of achievement. However, despite what you may feel in the present moment, things are rarely as good or bad as they appear.

The failure in your business or relationship is not the end of the world, and generating your first 7 figure company is not as life-alteringly incredible as it once seemed. As the Latin proverb states “En medio stat veritas,” the truth lays in the middle.

Learn to see life’s struggles and accomplishments for what they truly are and always keep perspective on the good and the bad.

2. Life is Short

Don’t waste  time waiting for tomorrow. If you want to build the business, build it, if you want to talk to the girl, do it, if you want to pack up and travel the world, now is as good a time as any. Do not wait for all the lights to turn green or for the stars to align, if you want something, make it happen. The only certainty in life is death, act in accordance.

3. Your Customer Cannot Tell You What They Want

Your customers are an excellent source for improving existing products, but they lack the innovation and vision to tell you what they really want. They did not know that they wanted an iPhone or Amazon.com or any of the other industry shattering creations of the past. It is up to you as a producer and entrepreneur to innovate and create something that alters the way the industry works

4. The Goal is To Ship

Your goal as a businessman is not to secure funding or build capital, but to ship. Ship your product or service as soon as humanly possible. Then, after you have shipped; learn, improve and ship again.

5. Tell a Story

If you want to connect with a customer or client, tell a story. Don’t hash out the same, dried up marketing hype surrounding every new product. Tell them a story that they can relate to, tell them a story about what your product can do for their lives, tell them a story about who you are and why you are doing what you are doing.

If you can engage your audience into your story, into your journey, you have a much greater chance of closing the sale and building customer loyalty in the long term.

6. Man Up

Quit whining, grow a pair, and put in the work. Quit complaining about how unfair life is and make something of it. If you want something, than go after it, pursue your goals tirelessly, never quit, and at the end of the day, you will achieve what you want.

7. Take Advantage of Opportunity

The biggest key to being a successful entrepreneur is to have the ability to seek out and take advantage of opportunity. When you see a viable opportunity, don’t be like most people who simply say “That’s a great idea,” or “Someone will make millions off that one day.” See the opportunity and take it. You never know when you may pass up on the next billion dollar enterprise

8. Work Your Butt Off 

“Good things come to those who wait, but only things left by those who hustle.” ~Abraham Lincoln

You cannot sit on the sidelines and expect the world to hand you the life of your dreams. You have to be willing to put in the work to make it happen. Wake up before everyone else, stay longer, train harder, invest more, educate yourself more. Do not settle for mediocre work. Strive to be above average, to be extraordinary.

Be willing to put in more work than anybody could reasonably expect of you, and you will achieve the results you want in less time than anyone could reasonably expect of you.

Alistair Overeem is a Dutch mixed martial artist and professional fighter. He is one of the only fighters who holds a belt in different combat sports and the only mixed martial artists to win the K-1 Grad Prix Title. Alistair is currently training for his next fight against Roy Nelson on March 14th in Dallas, Texas.

Growing up in a fatherless home, Tony Little experienced significant adversity in his youth. After moving to Florida to live with his uncle, he began a career in bodybuilding winning the Mr. Florida title and being on track to win Mr. America before a tragic bus accident ended his bodybuilding career.

After a bout with depression and uncertainty, Tony decided to build a career in the fitness and advertising markets. Tony’s fitness products have grossed over $3 billion with over 45 million customers. At 57 Tony is still working in the fitness advertisement industry developing new and innovative products every year.

Favorite Success Quote

Jeff Hoffman is a successful entrepreneur, proven CEO, worldwide motivational speaker, published author, Hollywood film producer, and a producer of a Grammy-winning jazz album in 2015. He has been the founder of multiple startups, has been the CEO of both public and private companies, and has served as a senior executive in many capacities. Jeff has been part of a number of well-known companies, including Priceline.com. uBid.com, ColorJar, and more.

Jeff serves on the boards of companies in the US, Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia, supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses in more than 150 countries. He also serves on the boards of Global Entrepreneurship Week and The Unreasonable Group. He supports the White House, the US State Department, the United Nations, and foreign governments on economic growth initiatives and entrepreneurship.

Jeff is a frequent keynote speaker, having been invited to speak in over 50 countries, on the topics of innovation, entrepreneurship, and business leadership. He is the co-author of the book SCALE, a how-to guide for growing your business. Jeff also teaches innovation workshops to major corporations on a regular basis. Jeff is a featured business expert seen on Fox News, Fox Business, CNN, CNN International, Bloomberg News, CNBC, ABC, and NPR, and in publications including Forbes, Inc., Time, Fast Company, the Wall Street Journal, and more

Key Points

1. Don't Fear Failure... Fear Not Trying 

Failure is an inevitable part of life. 

Most of us spend our whole lives trying to escape and avoid it when we should be running towards it. 

We've been taught our whole lives that failure is somehow a bad thing, that it means you aren't a "real" man, or that you aren't good enough. 

In reality, failure is simply feedback. 

Instead of running from failure, embrace it. 

Learn to fear not trying instead of failing. 

... When you fail, you grow, you learn, and you improve. 

When you allow your fear of failure to control your actions you end up paralyzed and never take action. 

As a result, you stagnate, burn out, and eventually die with your best work inside of you. 

2. Follow your Curiosity and Ignore the Labels 

It's easy to allow your label to control you. 

Think about it... 

How many times have you thought to yourself

"Wow, I'd love to dive into real estate investing, but I'm in IT, I can't do that" 

Or 

"I would really enjoy learning how to dance the Tango, but I'm a powerlifter so that'll never happen" 

Or even...

"I'd really love to produce an album but I'm a marketing guy... That's not really my style"

We get so caught up in our own labels that we prevent ourselves from pursuing our deepest passions and curiosity. 

Remember:

You are a learning machine... Not an occupation. 

Just because you make money in a certain way or have been in a specific niche for a long time doesn't mean that you can't learn new skills. 

... It doesn't mean that you can't pursue new hobbies, passions, and businesses. 

As Joseph Campbell says, "Follow your bliss". 

Pursue what makes you curious, no matter how odd or out of character it may seem. 

At the end of the day, the person who wins at life is the person who leaves it all on the field. 

So stop holding back from life because your interests don't conform to your label. 

3. Stick to One Pursuit at a Time 

Although it's important that you have a wide variety of interests and hobbies to pursue, it's even more important that you understand how to successfully pursue each interest. 

How do you do this? 

... One at a time. 

Although Jeff has a wide variety of achievements and accolades ranging from the transportation business to the music & film industry to consulting and keynote speaking, he didn't try to accomplish all of these things at once. 

He devoted himself single-mindedly to each task for a period of 3-5 years. 

In your own life, you can do anything that you want. 

But you must learn to focus on only one thing at a time...

As the old adage goes, "The fox who chases two rabbits catches none."

Pick one passion, define what constitutes "success" with regards to that passion, pursue it single-mindedly until you achieve your goal an then move on. 

4. Eradicate Your Fear of Failure with This Simple Exercise 

If you are afraid of failure, then listen up. 

I'm about to share a fool proof strategy to eradicate your fear and move forward with your life. 

Are you ready? 

Then here it is... 

Anytime you are afraid of failing, dive into your failure. 

Ask yourself "What will happen if I fail and how can I recover?"

For example, if you are considering starting a new business and you fail miserably, what will actually happen? 

... And more importantly, how can you minimize the damage? 

If you fail at the entrepreneurial endeavor you can:

• Move back in with your parents 
• Get a 9-5 corporate job for 6-12 months
• Save every penny that you can
• Try again

When you break it down, it doesn't seem so scary, right? 

The concept of failure is often more terrifying than failure itself. 

When you look at the reality of your situation, you will quickly realize that you can overcome any setback with relative ease and quickly get back on your feet if things go South. 

So feel the fear. 

Figure out your escape plan. 

And then take action. 

5. Begin with the End in Mind 

One of the biggest mistakes that most entrepreneurs make is that they begin without a clear end goal in mind. 

They set all of these wild goals and ambitions but never really know where the path is ultimately going to take them. 

Before you set out to achieve anything, you need to begin with the end in mind. 

What counts as success? 

What counts as failure?

What quantifiable metrics can you use to determine whether or not you've achieved success? 

When you have a clear end game in mind, the day to day tasks of pursuing a goal becomes much simpler. 

You know exactly what you need to do, what you need to avoid, and how you can expedite the path to your goal. 

Take some time to sit down after listening to this interview and write out answers to the following:

What does success look like in my:

• Relationships 
• Finances
• Career
• Personal development
• Physical health 
• Spirituality 

When you know exactly what you are trying to get out of life, life has a way of helping you succeed. 

Begin with the end in mind and your path to success will be far smoother and simpler. 

6. Make People Understand Your "Why" 

Oftentimes, as men, we get so caught up in our careers and finances that we can neglect important relationships and connections in our life. 

One of the reasons that this is so easy to do is that we understand the bigger picture and just assume that everyone else in our life understands it as well. 

We think to ourselves, "I'm working this hard for my family, for my community, and for our future... Surely they understand".

But we never actually take the time to sit the important people down and help them understand why we are pushing so hard. 

Your wife and kids probably don't know why you are always at the office. 

They assume that work is more important than they are and that you'd rather work than spend time with them. 

Even when this isn't the case... 

As such, it's important that you sell your proverbial "Board of Directors" (the important people in your life) on the "Why" of what you're doing. 

Why are you working so hard to build this business or advance your career? 

Is it to... 

• Retire early 
• Pay for your kid's college
• Take your wife on a 3 year round the world trip
• Get out of debt and have the money to work less than 10 hours a week 
• Enjoy a better quality of life
• Give back to your community and make a real difference

Why are you doing what you're doing? 

Once you have the answer for yourself, share it with the important people in your life. 

More often than not, they will understand and rally to help you. 

7. Ideas are Welcomed, Execution is Worshiped 

Simply put, ideas are great but execution is where the magic happens. 

You can think and come up with ideas all day long. 

But if you don't get your butt out of the chair and make moves to achieve your goals, you will remain stuck exactly where you are. 

Execution is everything. 

Without the grit and determination to take action and make things happen, you will never succeed. 

Become a master action taker and the world is yours. 

8. Your Success is Someone Else's Miracle 

We live in such a guilt ridden society that it can be easy to get trapped in the mindset that success is dirty. 

... It's easy to believe that making money is wrong and that you should give away all of your surplus. 

But this is a false concept. 

The more successful you are, the more power and influence you can exert to help others. 

When you have millions of dollars in the bank, it's much easier to make a difference when disaster strikes. 

When you have vibrant physical health, it's much easier to help others overcome their own challenges. 

When you are successful, you can show up as a miracle in someone else's life. 

If you want to make a real difference in the world, then success is your duty and obligation. 

Forget what you've been told... 

Becoming successful doesn't make you greedy or power hungry. 

It gives you the ability to make a difference. 

9. What is Enough?

In pursuit of any goal, whether its...

• Financial success
• Career success
• Marriage 
• Physical health 
• Travel & Adventure
• Or fame

You must know when enough is enough. 

When can you call it quits and move on to the next goal or activity? 

If you don't have a clear end game in mind, it's easy to get caught in the comparison trap and waste your life constantly trying to compete with other people and buy the biggest boat, fastest car, or most luxurious mansion in town. 

Ask yourself...

"What do I really need to be happy and feel fulfilled?"

There's no right answer for everyone, but the more clearly you can figure out what you need to be happy, the easier it will be to achieve it. 

Forget keeping up with the Joneses and showing off on Instagram .

Figure out what brings you joy and makes you feel fulfilled and then go achieve it. 

RJ Mitte is an American actor and producer most widely known for his role as Walter Jr. on the AMC series Breaking Bad. RJ started his acting career at 13 despite suffering from Cerebral Palsy, and has actually learned to use his disability as an advantage in securing movie and TV parts. RJ is currently in the process of auditioning around the country for his next role.

Favorite Success Quote

“Find your niche” – Mother

Key Points

1. Look at your disabilities as a strength

At a very young age, RJ has created a successful career in one of the toughest industries in the world by using his disadvantages as a strength. Despite suffering from CP, Rj has been able to seek out niche roles playing characters with similar disabilities.

We often find ourselves using our past, current circumstances or upbringing as an excuse for why we cannot achieve greatly, however, no excuse is valid, and the career that RJ has been able to create for himself is a testament to what can happen in your life when you forgo excuses in favor of action.

2. You must stand up for yourself

The world is full of people who are complacent and subservient to others. They allow life, society, a spouse, a friend or any number of external influences to walk all over them and their dreams. You must take control of your own life, and stand up for yourself, stop taking crap from other people and make sure that your voice is heard.

3. Make the most of the time you have

Despite its negative connotation, there is great truth in the phrase “YOLO,” you only live once. Do not see this as a green light to live lives of debauchery and frivolity, rather see this as a challenge, a challenge to make the most of the limited time that you have on this earth.

You only get one chance to make a difference, you only get one chance to touch lives, you only get one chance to leave a legacy that will ring through the ages, and you only get one chance to make sure that your life is worth something. You only live once, don’t waste it.

Brian has always had an itch for adventure. He served in the U.S. Navy as an Air Rescue Swimmer, he has summited 6 of the 7 major peaks in the world including Mount Everest, which, after a solo ascent, he was forced to descend blind due to faulty goggles causing snow blindness. Brian wrote the book “Blind Descent” based off of the events and lessons learned from his time at Everest and is currently training to summit the last of the seven peaks

Favorite Success Quote

“Get busy living or get busy dying” – Shawshank Redemption

Key Points

1. Live as a Doer, Not a Sayer

Life is full of sayers. People who say they will lose weight, say they will start saving more than they spend or say they will start that business they have been talking about for years. But they never follow through. They are relegated to lives of menial existences, filled with mediocre intentions and non existent actions.

As men who want to be more than average, as men who want to create a life worth living, we must become doers. Don’t say you’re going to start a business, do it. Don’t say you’re going to start working out, do it. Let your actions speak so loud that you don’t need to say a thing.

2. Evaluate Every Situation

As men (especially younger men) we are often prone to haste, because quite frankly, waiting sucks. As guys, if we’re going to do something, we don’t want to wait, we don’t want to weigh different courses of action and examine the possible consequences. And this is when we get into trouble.

This is how businesses fail, how sexual mistakes are made, and how dreams are broken. We must learn to pause before taking action and evaluate. Ask ourselves what the consequences of our actions will be and determine the best possible way to proceed.

3. Don’t Over-think Things

Often just as easy as not thinking at all is over-thinking situations to the point of insanity. If we go out and get a cute girl’s number, we will sit for hours trying to think of the perfect line to text her, stewing over every single word instead of sending a simple “hey.” We often obsess over minutiae instead of focusing on the big picture.

As Einstein once said “Make things simpler, but not simpler than they need to be.” Don’t over-analyze, pause, take stock and execute.

4. Take Life One Step at a Time

As men who are driven and ambitious, it is easy to live in the future, focusing on steps that are light years away. We think about the color of the flowers we will have at our wedding, before we even say hello to the girl. We think about how we will invest our income from our next venture, before we even know what that venture will be.

We think about pretty much anything, except the thing right in front of us. Like Brian did while descending Everest blind, we need to slow down and take things one step at a time. Face each challenge as it presents itself and worry about tomorrow, tomorrow.

A few years ago, Joel Runyon got tired of having an average life, working at UPS and waiting for things to happen to me, so he decided to do something about it. He made a list of all the things he used to think were impossible and then I set out to do them. Now Joel works on his own terms and does his best to live a life of adventure and meaning while doing the impossible.

Favorite Success Quote

“It’s always impossible till its done” – Nelson Mandela

Key Points

1. You have to at least try

Chances are, you will fail (at least in the beginning) at everything you try. Despite what many gurus may tell you, success is never guaranteed. However, you will never know how far you can go, never know how much of a difference you can make, and never know what you could have accomplished without trying.

No matter what the venture, give it a shot, try it out. Don’t expect immediate success, or success at all, simply try. Once you take that first step, you may be surprised where the path takes you.

2. You can’t wait for things to happen to you

The world will never hand you success, or hand you opportunities. You must make them. Make a decision to take action and create your own path, as James Altucher says in his phenomenal book, “You must Choose Yourself.” No one else will. No one else has your best interest at heart, if you want anything, you must take responsibility and make it happen.

3. Be entrepreneurial in your career

With the online entrepreneur buzz that is so prevalent in modern society, it is often tempting to hand in your resignation and start building your own gig without first establishing a runway. A far wiser approach is to use your current career as a training ground for your future endeavors.

Seek to make the most impact and value in your current position rather than seeking to create a new one. And most importantly, learn all you can. Working in a corporate job can teach you how to effectively manage your time as you try to build your own gig on the side.

It can teach you how to effectively and maturely deal with all levels of foolishness that you will inevitably encounter within a 9-5. And it will teach you how to grind it out, how to keep going even when things are not going your way.

4. Start small

After listening to inspiring stories about tri-athletes and multimillionaire businessmen, it is often tempting to only look at the end result without contemplating the steps taken to achieve it. The key to seeing results in your own life it to create a snowball effect of “impossible” actions.

Want to lose 30 lbs. and get shredded? Focus on the first 5 lbs. Want to become a millionaire blogger? Focus on making your first $1,000. Start small and let the actions compound for bigger and bigger results. Take it one step at a time and before you know it, you will be miles from where you started.

5. Just keep going

The simplest, yet most challenging piece of advice. Just keep going. As Winston Churchill so famously put it “If you are going through hell, keep going.” Do not stop, even when everything is caving around you, do not give others the satisfaction of seeing you quit. Keep going no matter what.

David Waknine is a former professional boxer who reached the Golden Gloves tournament under the training of his mentor Eddie Tyler. After losing the Golden Gloves competition, David turned his back on boxing and set down a road of unhealthy lifestyle choices that resulted in obesity and depression.

In 2011, Eddie Tyler passed away after a battle with cancer, and the loss caused David to do some serious soul searching. David has decided to reenter the ring, and is now training and making a documentary of his journey back into boxing called “One More Round.”

Favorite Success Quote

“Say what you mean, and mean what you say.”

Key Points

1. Integrity Above All

It is often all too easy to become complacent with your word. More often than not, there is no malicious intent, we simply do not follow through with what we say. We say we will meet someone at 5, and show up at 5:15. We say we will lose 20 lbs. in the new year, but quit the gym after the first week.

We promise our family a vacation or weekend trip, but get caught up in work and go back on our promise. If you say you will do something, you do it, period. A man is only as good as his word, ensure that yours is impeccable.

2. Accept Your Demons

We all have demons. For some men it’s alcohol, for some it’s adult content, and for others it’s a traumatic childhood event we never truly overcame. No matter who we are, we all have those deep dark struggles that we are scared to bring into the light for fear of what it would do.

Whatever your particular demons, we must be men enough to accept and defeat them. If we don’t, we are at the mercy of the things which we hate most in our lives. Face your fears and conquer them courageously.

3. You Will Face Dark Days on Any Journey, You Must Learn to Face Them with Pride

No one in history lived a life without trials. Everyone will face both internal and external struggles during our time on earth, and it is the character that we show during these struggles that will define us as men. In every challenging and dark day we face, we have a choice.

The choice to accept things as they are and face them no matter the cost, or the choice to cower in fear, and let circumstances dictate our lives. It is the choices you make during the darkest of times that you will be remembered for.

4. Take the First Step, the Rest Will Follow

As the old saying goes “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” In life, we all have dreams and desires that often seem out of reach. The career path we wish we could have, the relationships we want, the lifestyle of freedom.

Instead of taking action to achieve our goals, we allow our fear to paralyze us from making that first step, the hardest step. However, once we take the first step, the rest are easy.By taking the first step and following it with small consistent action, we begin to hardwire ourselves for success.

Once we talk to that first beautiful woman, the others are easy. Once we make our first dollar online, the next hundred comes naturally. Once we go on that first adventure, the others all fall into place. If we want to live lives of excellence, lives worth writing about, then we must take that first step no matter how scared we may be.

As a young man, Dan Peña turned less than $1,000 investment into nearly half a billion. This lead him to create what is now the Quantum Leap Advantage. Dan Peña is the world’s leading high-performance coach, having created over $50 billion in equity through his coaching. He is also the author of the book “Your First $100 Million.” Dan now runs high-performance seminars at his castle in Scotland.

Favorite Success Quote

“Just freaking do it.” – Dan Peña

Key Points

1. Stop thinking and pull the trigger.

We live in an age of abundant information. With the click of a button, one can download the ideas and thoughts of millions of individuals straight to their computer. Any issue you face can be solved by a quick Google search, and any history test can be aced with a glance at wikipedia.

However, this information has come at a cost. Now more than ever, individuals are in states of permanent planning, the gung-ho, ready, fire, aim mentality of past generations has vanished, replaced instead by an attitude of sparse action taken only after extensive research.

To achieve success, we must realize that experience is the best teacher of all, we must feel the fear of failure and take action anyways. No more sitting and waiting to have all the information, to have the perfect plan laid out. You must take action now!

2. You are the average of the 5 people with whom you spend the most time.

“Show me your friends and I will show you your future.” The words of John Kubleur ring true now more than ever, you cannot be a high achiever while associating with low performers. It is key that you seek out high quality relationships to fill your life with people who will push you, convict you, and challenge you to rise above mediocrity.

If you cannot find people in your area, then, as Charlie Munger put it, “make friends with the eminent dead.” Read classic works, fill your brain with the words of the wisest individuals past and present, because who you associate with will be the key to your future.

3. Schooling and money is not necessary for success.

The lack of a college degree is no excuse for poor performance. Some of the greatest businessmen and talents of our time deferred college in favor of pursuing their goals. You must realize that the keys to success are never external, but internal.

You can have every degree and accolade in the world, but without passion, without fire for what you are doing, you will never be a success. It is far better to be a high-school dropout willing to work 20 hour days to accomplish his dreams, than a Harvard graduate dreading every task before him.

4. Mentors Are Essential.

Mentors are the force multiplier on your path to success, they can direct you to where you want to go, and help you avoid the missteps that are so commonly made. When searching for a mentor, you must realize that it is there time, not their money that is the most valuable asset they have to offer.

You must also realize that you bring very little to the table for high caliber mentors that they do not already have, so you must make up for this lack of financial and business resources with a burning passion to succeed.

5. Focus on your passions.

All the money in the world isn’t worth a damn if you are forced to do things you hate to earn it. If you truly want to be a success in life, you must heed the old cliche and follow your passions. Find something that excites you so that you tap dance to work in the morning.

Find something you are so pumped for that you don’t need an alarm to get up, because you couldn’t even sleep knowing that there were missing out on time that you could have been pouring into your life’s dreams.

6. If an idea doesn’t work, pivot, don’t quit.

Many times over the course of your journey, you will fail. That is a simple fact of the game.

However, when something you have invested heavily in fails, don’t waste precious resources trying to salvage a lost cause, and don’t quit unnecessarily. Simply pivot. Tweak your business plan, your product, or your approach until you are able to achieve the success you’ve been working towards

7. Focus on the Few Not the Many.

With the excess of information and opportunities nowadays, it is quite easy to get sucked into the trap of multi-focus. You must learn to have single focus on your one important goal, business, task etx. if you hope to succeed. You only have 100% to give each day, so why not give all of it to the one thing that will change your life the most?

Focus on the 20% of tasks, that will get you the 80% of results and leave the rest to the dogs

Paul Huljich was the Chairman CEO of Best Corporation a pioneering organic food company with a valuation of over $100 million during its lifetime. After working for decades to build the life of his dreams, Paul’s unchecked stress caught up with him and he suffered a severe mental breakdown. Losing his rights as a citizen and being made a ward of the state, Paul lost everything he had worked so hard to achieve.

After being told that his chronic stress was incurable by the top doctors in the field, Paul decided to take matters into his own hands, becoming a self described guinea pig in his quest to eliminate his stress. After years of research and testing, Paul conquered his stress and has been free from all stress medications for nearly 15 years. From these experiences, Paul wrote the book “Stress Pandemic” an Amazon bestseller that teaches people how to mitigate the stress in their life to live more fully and perform more optimally.

Favorite Quote

“Take control of your stress before it takes control of you” – Paul Hulijich

Key Points

1. Optimum Health Is a Prerequisite.

The first key to managing stress is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Luckily, living in such a way that eliminates stress is fairly simple and does not require radical alterations to your lifestyle. This simple morning routine will reduce stress levels by optimizing neurochemicals and hormone levels.

~Wake early (before 7 am)
~Drink 1 liter of room temperature water after waking up
~ Take a brisk walk early shortly after rising
~Juice after your walk

2. Do your heavy lifting in the morning.

Another cornerstone habit to managing stress is to have a healthy sleep schedule. One of the habits that many high performers become sucked into is the past midnight work day. However, by working late at night, you reduce the quality of your sleep and increase the release of cortisol in your body.

3. Remove C.R.A.P. from your diet, replacing them with good mood foods.

Crap or: Caffeine, refined sugar, alcohol, and processed foods, not only contributes to stress and obesity, but also releases chemicals in your body that can increase cortisol, estrogen and several other hormones that raise stress and prevent optimal performance. Exchanging CRAP for “good mood foods” such as all natural and organic meats, vegetables, and fruits will enhance your bodies hormonal balance, neurological function and aid in fat loss and muscle gain.

4. You Must Remain Aware of your actions and your state.

One of the greatest keys to success in all areas of your life is awareness and honest self evaluation. You must be aware of your environment and your responses to it and how they affect your stress levels to operate at levels of peak performance. An awareness of your own physiology and neurology will allow you to head off stress and other issues in your life before their effects become detrimental. The consequences of failing to develop self awareness can be as mild as poor performance or as severe as a mental breakdown similar to Paul’s.