Knowledge For Men

After amassing over 30 million views on YouTube by producing a video every day for a year, Jaret Grossman has quickly become sought after as one of the world’s best life coaches and business consultants.

Jaret’s world class advice is drawn from his early childhood woes and muscular transformation. As an 8th grader, Jaret was only 90 pounds, won only one wrestling match, and was constantly picked on and bullied. He progressed to become one of New York’s best wrestlers and eventually became a 3x All-American at Bryant University.

After he pursued a career in law or investment banking, Jaret realized his passion lied elsewhere. While finishing up his JD degree, Jaret started up a health and fitness brand with his childhood friend Richie Allen. The two of them built the Muscle Prodigy presence to over 300,000 unique visitors per month, over 1 million social media followers, and topped the charts with several iTunes albums.

Favorite Success Quote

“He that gives should never remember and he that receives should never forget.”

Key Points

1. Absorb What is Useful Discard What is Not 

In our modern society, it seems like everyone with a blog or a YouTube channel is trying to peddle the “One weird Secret to Success” or “Top Tips for Financial Freedom”.

And while many of these platforms provide valuable sources of information, people often mistake general principles for universal truths.

Every person is different. We all have different goals, dreams, aspirations, and definitions of success. So you must learn to pick and choose the advice that you follow.

Absorb useful information from a variety of sources, use what works for you and discard what doesn’t. Over the years, as you continually try new things, succeed, fail, and figure out what works for you, you will develop a formula for success and fulfillment that is uniquely your own.

Do not waste your time trying to pursue other people’s goals and dreams.

Take the advice that is relevant to your life and goals, and ignore the rest.

2. Become a Generalized Specialist 

If you want to be a successful entrepreneur  (or successful in any area of life) then you must commit yourself to becoming a generalized specialist.

This means that while you should only strive for mastery in a small handful of skills, you should seek to be competent in a wide variety of disciplines.

Think of your life like mixed martial arts.

You can pick one discipline to master like Brazilian Ju Jitsu, Muay Thai, or Boxing. But you should be competent in all of the disciplines because you are only as strong as your weakest link.

Success as an entrepreneur requires competence in sales, marketing, leadership, communication, accounting, time management, and technology among many others.

And while you don’t have to master every area, you must have a strong grasp and understanding of the nuances behind each one.

3. Focus On Your Life Not Other People’s Lives 

The greatest trap that high achievers fall into is the trap of comparison.

Once you make your first $100,000, you begin comparing yourself to people making $1,000,000. Once you make your first $1,000,000, then you begin comparing yourself to people making $10,000,000 and so on and so forth.

But when you compare yourself to others, you denigrate your own success and sabotage your potential.

There will always be someone who is doing better than you.

Someone who is richer, someone who is smarter, someone who is more athletic.

It doesn’t matter how great you become, there will always be someone who is better than you at something. 

That’s just how the world works.

And if you fall prey to the comparison trap, you will never attain fulfillment, you will never be happy, and you will never enjoy your life because you will constantly be comparing yourself to people who are on a different path.

So focus on your life.

Focus on success as you define it.

Don’t worry about other people’s achievements. Focus on doing your own thing, and the rest will fall into place.

4. Get Crystal Clear Clarity on Your Goals

The first step to achieving success, whatever that means for you, is gaining crystal clear clarity on exactly what you want, when you want it, and why you want it.   

You can achieve anything that you set your mind to, but you must first know exactly what it is that you want to achieve.

And when I say “Get clarity” I mean clarity. 

Saying that you want to be rich isn’t clarity.

Setting the goal of starting an online marketing firm that generates $84,000 a month in net profit while you only work 45 hours a week… That’s clarity.

So take some time and get crystal clear on what you want in all areas of your life.

What does your ideal day look like? Who do you spend your time with? How much time do you devote to work? What is your health like? Really sit down and ask yourself what you truly want out of life.

Then once you know what you want, figure out why you want it.

There’s an old saying in the personal growth community that says, “With a strong enough why, you can figure out any how.” And no statement could be more true.

When you know what you want and you have a powerful list of reasons why you want it, you will figure out a way to make it happen.

5. Understand that Success is More than Money 

It seems like we live in a society that values one thing and one thing only… The almighty dollar.

And don’t get me wrong, money is important.

It gives you freedom, options, and the ability to live a lifestyle that will help you feel fulfilled and on fire.

But it is not the end all be all of life. Money is just a small part of the puzzle.

If you want to live a life of true joy and fulfillment, then you must take a holistic approach to success.

Jaret recommends that everyone focus on 8 pillars of life and success.

  1. Mission: Why you are doing what you are doing
  2. Abundance: Your finances and long term wealth
  3. Family: Your relationships with the most important people in your life
  4. Foundation: Your mental and physical well being
  5. Control: The amount of freedom that you have to do the things you want to do
  6. Connection: Your relationship with whatever higher power you believe in (even if it’s just mother nature or your connection to society)
  7. Wisdom: Your skill sets and ability to learn new things
  8. Legacy: How you want to be remembered and the impact that you want to leave behind

When you consciously develop each of these 8 pillars, you will begin to find yourself feeling on fire and on purpose.

But if even one pillar is crumbling, the other 7 will begin to slowly deteriorate in tandem.

So take stock of where you are today and where you want to be.

Then start taking the action necessary to develop your life into a living breathing masterpiece of true success.

Direct download: Jaret_Grossman_main3.mp3
Category:Success and Life Advice -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Julian Kaufmann is an energy expert, entrepreneur, and author. Julian helps people get more out of life by applying science and universal spiritual truths to get more done by using less energy. After his own spiritual awakening led him to discover the 4-flowgates for increasing your personal power, Julian wrote Let Go, Let It Flow – The PATH To Peace and Personal Power.

This groundbreaking work teaches us how to apply Julian’s Theory of Conductivity in our life and more fully express and share our true gifts with the world. We are infused with abundant energy but unfortunately, we often waste our precious resources. As a result of our mismanagement of our life energy, our life’s work often suffers. Energy is the ability to do work and our life’s work is a measure of how efficiently and effectively we manage our energy.

Favorite Success Quote

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. When I let go of what I have, I receive what I need.”

Julian’s P.A.T.H.

Julian operates his entire life, and wrote his new book around a simple but powerful concept known as “The P.A.T.H.”

It is Julian’s belief that in this fast paced hectic world, a world that is constantly trying to distract and derail us from what is truly important this simple, four-step framework is the key to living a truly abundant and fulfilling life.

The acronym stands for Presence, Acceptance, Thankfulness, and Helping.

1. Presence

Pick up your phone for me.

Now scroll through your applications and tell me how many notifications and messages are weighing down your device.

It’s a lot, right?

This isn’t an accident.

In our modern era of iPhones, instant messaging, and unavoidable advertising, the powers at be have made a very conscious effort to keep your focus distracted, your attention captured, and your mind occupied.

I’m not talking about the Illuminati or some wild conspiracy theory.

I am just talking about the facts.

Red Crown Marketing reported that the average adult will be exposed to upwards of 4,000 advertisements per day… and that’s being conservative.

And this figure is just talking about paid advertising! It doesn’t even take into account the seemingly endless stream of social media updates, blog posts, and “New Releases” on Netflix.

So with all of these different forces vying for your attention, is it any wonder why we live in an ADHD society whose attention span is rapidly decreasing to less than that of a goldfish?

Of course not.

And this is where we run into problems.

Depression and anxiety are at an all-time high, suicide (especially among men) is on the rise, and general dissatisfaction with life continues to soar despite our meteoric advances in technology.

And at the end of the day, I believe that the heart of the problem lies in one simple truth. Life is meant to be experienced not observed, and with this constant barrage of attention-stealing garbage, our society has lost the ability to simply sit back and be.

So I want to challenge you.

I don’t want to challenge you to work harder, approach more women, or exercise more (although you can if you want). No, I want to challenge you to simply be.

Take time each and every day for the next ten days to simply enjoy being, to be present and fully alive in the moment.

Whether you meditate daily, take part in a “Flow-inducing” activity, or simply walk around in nature, give yourself the gift of being… It might just change your life.

2. Acceptance

Life is unpredictable, and as Murphy’s Law states, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”

But guess what? It’s ok.

Because at the end of the day, whether you believe that life has a purpose or that we are merely ashes and dust, what is done has been done, and all that you can do is to accept it.

And when you can learn to accept life, just as it comes, you will experience true freedom.

Despite your best efforts, things will happen, tragedy will strike, and pain becomes an inevitable part of existence.

But when you accept things as they are, when you can put your best effort forward while resigning responsibility for what you cannot control, you will experience a peace beyond what you thought possible.

This peace, however, is only attainable when you are truly willing to accept your circumstances and let go of the outcomes.

Yes, there are times where life will challenge you and require you to step up to the plate and swing for all that you are worth.

But there are also times where life will ask something even more difficult from you. It will ask you to surrender. It will ask you to accept the flow of life and let go of the outcomes you cannot control.

And this is possibly the greatest challenge of all.

But if you can master this one simple principle, you will find that, while life may not get easier, you will have the peace to move through any adversity.

3. Thankfulness

It is often said that “Laughter is the best medicine”.

I must respectfully disagree.

In my life, and in the lives of thousands of my clients, I have found that the most powerful “medicine” for any ailment is thankfulness.

Because thankfulness is the antidote for fear, doubt, anxiety, depression, and worry.

When you are thankful for what you have, you become less stressed about what you need and want.

When you are thankful for what you have, no matter how trying the circumstances you are facing, you can face life with a smile knowing that you are blessed.

When you are thankful for what you have, you unlock a powerful ability to reframe adversity into opportunity.

When you are thankful for what you have and open up to life, life will open up to you and bring more peace and personal power than you ever thought possible.

So no matter what you are facing right now, be thankful.

It saved my life, and it might just save yours.

4. Helpfulness

We live in a funny world.

Despite the prevalence of our negative media, which showcases all of the pain and suffering around the world from the slums of Africa to the refugee camps of Syria, our society still manages to focus on itself and complain about “problems” like traffic and slow wifi.

And this twisted reality reminds me of an old personal growth adage, “Where focus goes energy flows.”

You see, when we are constantly focused on ourselves, our own problems, and our own issues, the problems and struggles are magnified and amplified until they feel overwhelming.

But when we take the focus off of ourselves, when we refocus on those around us who are in dire need of help, we gain perspective and power over our problems.

While helping others might not cover your car payment, cure your sickness, or reunite you with your lost love, it will help you to remember your blessings and realize just how good your life really is.

It will reconnect you with others, help you step back from your own problems, and help you realize that you aren’t doing this journey alone.

So I challenge you do help someone else this week.

Whether it’s a simple phone conversation to encourage a struggling family member, a few hours spent at a soup kitchen, or simply buying someone’s coffee in line at Starbucks, do something this week to help someone else.

You will be amazed at the transformation you will experience in your mindset and life.

Direct download: Julian_Kaufmann_main3.mp3
Category:Success and Life Advice -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Want to learn how to become “ultra spiritual”?

How to tap into your inner badass, open up ya chakras, and achieve a level of spiritual enlightenment that would make even Gandhi blush?

Then you’re in the right place…sort of.

While you won’t learn how to levitate or permanently eliminate all of your desires, my interview with JP Sears will help you achieve more success, fulfillment, and inner peace in every area of your life.

And it might make you cry from laughter.

JP Sears is one of the funniest and most down to earth guys I’ve ever had the pleasure of interviewing and I promise that you will leave this podcast feeling more inspired, excited, and “ultra spiritual”.

Enjoy.

Who is JP Sears?

JP Sears is an emotional healing coach, YouTuber, author, international teacher, speaker, world traveler, and curious student of life.  His work empowers people to live more meaningful lives. JP is the author of “How To Be Ultra Spiritual,” (Sounds True Publishing, release date of March 7th, 2017).

He is very active with his online videos where he encourages healing and growth through his humorous and entertainingly informative videos, including his hit Ultra Spiritual comedy series, which has accumulated over 100 million views.  You can learn more about JP Sears and his work at AwakenWithJP.com.

JP Sears’ Favorite Success Quote

“Nothing is as it seems.”

Key Points from My Interview with JP Sears

1. If Nothing is as It Seems, Then What Does this Mean?

While the above line might sound like something out of an esoteric spiritual text or a children’s poetry book, its implications are profound.

As human beings, we are all incredibly delusional whether we want to admit it or not.

The very chair (or whatever inanimate object is currently supporting your weight) that you sit on is comprised of 99% empty space! And yet to us, it seems solid.

And when you stop to think about it, you will begin to realize that this concept of “Nothing as it seems” is applicable in all areas of life.

Take, for example, a common goal among many men… To date a “Perfect 10”.

While most people would agree that this is a fine goal and that every man should seek to find a woman who is his own “10”, when you dive deeper into the nuances of your motivation, you might begin to realize that reality is quite different from what you thought.

For the man desiring a perfect 10, his motivations might be rooted in an early childhood trauma or feelings of deep inadequacy. He may feel that he is a “1” or a “2” and that a perfect “10” would increase his value and worth.

If this is true, then he is faced with one of three options.

He can ignore this new information and uncomfortable way of viewing his desires and continue living his life as he was before.

He can relinquish his desires and move onto more “noble” pursuits.

Or he can do the deep internal work needed to elicit change in his own sense of worth and esteem so that his desire for that perfect woman comes from a place of love, wholeness, and a desire to share a life.

But remember, this is not a judgment, this is not a call to abandon all of your self-serving goals, it’s not even a statement of absolute truth (if nothing is as it seems, then perhaps this isn’t as it seems either).

Rather it is an invitation.

An invitation to go deeper in your life, your health, and your relationships. An invitation to figure out what is really driving you, to see situations for what they really are (or at least what you perceive they really are), and an invitation to go beyond your current level of consciousness.

You owe it to yourself to dive into your life and take a more objective look at who you are and what you want.

And you might be surprised by what you find.

2. Break Out of the Comparison Trap 

One of the greatest single distractions in our modern world is the comparison trap.

And how couldn’t it be?

Each and every day, we are bombarded with images of private jets, exotic cars, hot Instagram models, and juiced up “Natty’s” who make us feel inadequate and completely overwhelmed.

Is it any wonder why most of us look at our own lives and feel incredibly unfulfilled?

You see, our society does its absolute best to keep us distracted, to stop us from looking inward, and to keep us contributing to the system by setting goals that aren’t our own, buying things we don’t need, living lifestyles we can’t afford.

Because whenever we are focused on keeping up with our neighbors or looking like “That Guy” on Instagram, we will never realize that we don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on clothes, cars, and supplements to be happy. In fact, almost all true fulfillment comes from within.

So I want to challenge you to stop wasting your time looking at others and start spending more time looking at yourself.

Cut out the social media, stop looking at other people’s lives, and focus on yourself.

Spend time alone asking yourself what you really want and what would make you truly fulfilled.

Cut yourself off from the herd that mindlessly follows whatever new fad is trending on Facebook.

Build a life that is designed by you, with you, and for you.

3. The Mess Strengthens You 

Whenever we are in the midst of adversity, it’s easy to become disheartened and lose hope, to feel like there is no end in sight.

And once the adversity has passed, it’s even easier to feel shameful about the struggle that we endured.

But your messy story is what strengthens you and brings power into your life.

Think about it this way.

If someone walked down the road and said “Hey, here’s a gold 1st place Medal”, would you really want it?

Maybe, but if you’re anything like me, that medal would end up in a trash can by the side of the road.

Now I want you to imagine that you are preparing to compete in the Olympics. You’ve been training for the better part of a decade, you’ve lost sleep, injured yourself countless times, given up your social life, and all but devoted your entire life to becoming one of the best.

After a brutal and strenuous competition, you cross the finish line first, achieving victory and winning that gold medal.

How would you feel about that? 

Would you carelessly discard it in one of the city’s waste bins? I doubt it.

When you have bled and suffered for something so much, you cherish the journey, you treasure the medal, and you revel in the victory.

And this same principle is true in life.

If you aren’t struggling to achieve your goals, if you don’t have to bleed a little bit, if you don’t have any scars, then how valuable will it really feel?

The mess that you are going through, the proverbial “River of Shit” that you must swim through, that’s what makes it worthwhile, and that’s what makes your story worth telling.

So learn to feed off the mess, feel strengthened by the struggle, and revel in the pain… Because these are the things that make success worth it.

4. Feel Your Freaking Feelings

As men, we are good at thinking about things.

We think about problems, we think about solutions, we think about the future, we think about the past, and, unfortunately, we think about our feelings.

But by their very nature, our feelings are meant to be felt not analyzed and thought about.

Society has spent so much time trying to drill the dogmas that “Real men don’t cry” and “Tough guys don’t show emotion” into our head, that, as men, we have lost touch with our feelings.

We are no longer able to just feel things without assigning judgment or coming up with some sort of action plan to remedy or enhance the feeling.

And because of this disconnection, we have also become disconnected with ourselves.

We no longer know how to feel fully, we no longer remember how to simply sit in our emotions and allow the feelings of the moment to wash over us.

In order to help you reconnect with your feelings, JP recommends that you follow what he calls the “Feel Your Fucking Feelings” meditation.

During this meditation, you simply pick one sensation in your body, whether it is positive or negative, and just feel it.

Don’t think about it, don’t analyze it, don’t try and fix it… Just feel it.

If you sit down and immediately feel a cramp in your back, then just feel that sensation.

If you sit down and feel a build up of energy in your stomach, just feel it.

If you want to become “Ultra Spiritual” then you must reconnect with yourself and learn how to feel again.

5. Success is About Being Ok with Who You Are

Success, true success, doesn’t come from the amount of money in your bank account or single digit body fat or dating a Victoria’s Secret model.

True success comes from your ability to be yourself fully, completely, and unapologetically.

When you are totally comfortable with who you are, and you don’t feel the need to apologize for being you, then you are a success.

But this is easier said than done.

Because we are our own worst critics, and oftentimes, the person who want to be gets in the way of the person we were born to be.

There’s really no wisdom JP or myself can impart to make this journey easier.

Success is simple. It’s about learning to love yourself and be ok with who you are.

Getting to that point will be hard, but I promise you that it will be worth it.

Direct download: JP_Sears_main3.mp3
Category:Success and Life Advice -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

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

Or click here to get access to Jordan’s free networking course.

Favorite Success Quote

“Fortune favors the prepared”

Key Points

1. Focus on the Right Things 

Ironically, one of the most difficult tasks in any endeavor, whether it’s fitness, relationships, or business is not mastering any given skill, but learning which skills to focus on in the first place.

The ability to select the skills most pertinent to your success will often be the difference between hitting your goals and being the guy who’s 10-years into a business getting beaten by 20-year olds who’ve just launched their company.

So many people will dive into a new endeavor or new company and they will focus on skills that aren’t completely relevant to their long-term success.

For example, I see lots of guys running towards the social media marketing game thinking that all they need to understand is how to run a good Facebook ad. But in reality, their time would be better spent learning the nuances of sales and marketing which are the basis for their entire business model.

Take some time to figure out exactly what skills you need in order to succeed, and once you know what you need, go out and master them

2. Pick a Craft and Commit to Mastering It 

Most millennials want a quick fix. They want an easy solution. They want instant gratification.

And this is why they’re failing.

Success is not easy, but it is simple. If you can find the 2-3 skills required to succeed in your niche, and then commit to mastering those skills over the course of 15-20 years, you will create tremendous levels of success for yourself.

For example, since 2006, Jordan has been laser focused on mastering the arts of research and interviewing. Before every new interview, he compiles extensive research to fully understand his new guest and unravel potential threads of conversation. On the weekends, he works with a vocal coach to ensure that he has impeccable tonality while conducting his interview. Every single day he does something to help him improve as an interviewer.

And his results don’t lie.

If you want to succeed in any industry, whether it’s e-commerce, marketing, podcasting, coaching, or sales, then you must commit to mastery.

Understand the commitment level required to succeed at a high level and devote the next 10-20 years of your life to totally mastering a small set of skills that will bring you massive amounts of success.

3. Most People Are Delusional 

Most people think that they want to be “successful”.

They think that they want to run a huge business, make millions of dollars, and live a lifestyle that will make them Instagram famous.

But in actuality, most of these people only like the idea of succeeding at such a high level.

When the rubber meets the road and they are required to wake up early, cold call hundreds of businesses, and sacrifice time with their family and children to make the business work, they collapse under the pressure and quit.

The problem is that most people don’t realize what it really takes to achieve the goals that they have set. And while they will tell you that they are willing to sacrifice anything to succeed and achieve, when the time comes to actually do it, they are nowhere to be found.

Most people are running around believing the garbage that they see on Instagram and thinking that with some careful outsourcing they can magically make millions from their phone.

It’s a load of bullshit and the people trying to sell it to you typically work harder than you’d ever want to do!

I don’t say any of this to discourage you.

If you have a dream, know the costs, and have decided that it’s worth it to you, then go and do it!

But be careful who you believe and what dream you pursue, because if you don’t, failure is all but inevitable.

4. Don’t Force Yourself to Make Short-Term Plays

Conventional wisdom tells you to “Burn your boats so that you can take the island”, and while this philosophy does have its merits, its also has a number of holes.

Whenever you “Burn your boats” you force yourself to make short term plays because you are building your business from a point of desperation instead of inspiration.

For example, if you are currently working as a server and trying to build an online clothing store on the side, don’t quit your job to pursue your business full time.

If you do, then you will be forced to compromise your long-term vision in order to make short-term plays like paying the bills and keeping your inventory stocked.

If you keep your current job, no matter how much you dislike it, you have a level of security that will allow you to design your business around your ultimate vision. When you aren’t stressed about putting food on the table, you will be able to approach your business with a level head and think about the long game.

5. Balance is Bullshit 

Most people who tell you that you can “Have it all” are trying to sell you something.

While plenty of gurus and thought leaders like to peddle this idea of a balanced life, in my experience, there’s almost always a compromise.

Certainly, there are many people who reach a comfortable level of success financially and then refocus on their family, their health, and their community, and this is great!

There are also a number of people like Grant Cardone who have learned how to incorporate their spouse, their family, and their social life into their businesses, allowing them to create a (seemingly) balanced life.

But anyone who tells you that you can build a 7, 8, 9, or even 10-figure empire while living a “Balanced life” is trying to sell you some bullshit.

Achieving true excellence in anything requires sacrifice in many things.

If you want to build a wildly successful company, you will have to sacrifice time with your family.

If you want to build a wildly successful marriage, you will have to let go of your desire to drive the business forward the same way you did when you were single.

If you want high levels of success in anything, it will inevitably require high levels of sacrifice in something else.

Despite what the gurus told you… balance is bullshit.

Direct download: Jordan_Harbinger_main_3.mp3
Category:Success and Life Advice -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

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.

Direct download: Ryan_Nicodemus_main_3.mp3
Category:Success and Life Advice -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

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.

Direct download: Tom_Bilyeu_main3.mp3
Category:Success and Life Advice -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

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.

Direct download: Mark_Divine_main3.mp3
Category:Success and Life Advice -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Bill Lyons is a successful entrepreneur and contributor. He is currently the Founder & CEO of a technology startup inside the real estate industry called Revestor. Revestor is a real estate search engine and marketplace for residential investment properties that provides custom investment filters, notifications on new investment properties for sale, and comprehensive analysis.

Revestor’s patent-pending software creates the only residential real estate search engine that can run investment calculations over live listings. Revestor’s investment tools and data help real estate investors and real estate professionals be more effective in their local market. Lyons is focused on carving out a large segment of the $11 Billion online real estate advertising market and the residential investors that make of 25% of the real estate market.

Lyons built his former company, from zero to $20 Million per year in revenue with $3+Billion in transactions inside of 36 months. As President & CEO of one of the fastest growing companies in San Diego, Mr. Lyons managed a $6million per year online marketing budget offering opportunity to well over 250 employee

Favorite Success Quote

“I know what you’re thinking and you’re right” ~Magnum P.I.

Key Points

1. You’re Not Done Yet 

Winston Churchill once said that “Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.”

Ironically, most people assume that success is final and failure is fatal, but nothing could be further from the truth.

For the entrepreneur (and even the corporate 9-5er) life and business are tumultuous. Your best month ever will be followed by your absolute worst, your greatest successes often precede your biggest failures, and just when you feel like giving up, your greatest breakthroughs will occur.

Life is about the ups and downs.

You will have failures, you will have successes, and you will experience highs and lows you could never have predicted.

And during times of great success and great failure, you must take a step back and reflect.

Remember that nothing is final until you draw your last breath.

One success does not make you invincible.

One failure does not make you worthless.

It is the courage to continue, each and every day, that will determine the impact your life has.

2. Certainty is King 

I want you to imagine that you recently started a new company and you are looking to hire your first employee to manage your marketing.

You have two prospects lined up with back to back interviews and on paper, you are all but certain that the first candidate will get the job.

But when he walks into the room, your certainty vanishes.

Despite his impressive resume and a long list of people with whom he’s worked, something is just off.

He’s shy, timid, and seems unsure of himself and his potential within your company.

When he leaves the room, you are left perplexed, hoping the next candidate shows more promise.

And he does…

The second candidate you have lined up is a man fresh out of college with only a handful of low-level contracts under his belt.

But he has an enthusiasm, a vigor, and a certainty about him that is contagious.

He responds to ever single question with a well thought out response displaying his confidence and certainty in his abilities and future, and by the time the interview concludes, you are excited about getting to work with him on a regular basis.

Who would you hire?

You see, in our modern world, certainty is king and doubt is the killer of dreams.

If you are certain of your potential, abilities, and destiny, you will overcome any obstacle, any adversity, and any challenge.

But if you are uncertain, in yourself, your chosen career path, your relationship or anything else, it will inevitably crumble and fall.

Certainty is king.

Everything else depends on it.

3. Your Health = Your Wealth 

So many entrepreneurs and high performers assume that they don’t have time to take care of their health.

After all, when you are running an 8-figure company, how in the world can you expect to have time to go to the gym, cook healthy meals, and sleep 8 hours a night?

Well, according to Bill and many previous podcast guests, you will never have the time to effectively run your company until you are willing to take care of your health.

Your health is the spring from which all productivity, happiness, and success flows.

If you are overweight, suffering from low energy levels, or operating suboptimally in any area of your physical or mental health, your business will suffer.

Period.

And yet, if you are anything like the majority of the population, you are probably skipping the gym, eating fast food several times a week, and sleeping only 6 hours a night.

Why?

Because that’s what society has taught you to do!

We’ve been misinformed and taught to believe that success requires massive sacrifices in the realm of health and fitness.

Yet, the most successful entrepreneurs I know of claim that the opposite is true.

Richard Branson has been quoted as saying that “Taking care of your health is the quickest way to ensure success”. Neil Patel, founder of 3 multi-million dollar companies sleeps more than 9 hours a night. And Dave Asprey, Silicon Valley entrepreneur, and biohacker claims that taking care of his health has more than 10x’d his productivity and happiness.

If you want to succeed at a high level, you must take care of your body.

So I want to challenge you to take better care of your health for just one week.

For just one week, I want you to eat real food, exercise at least 20 minutes a day, and sleep 7.5 hours a night.

If you cannot tell an appreciable difference by the end of the week, then you have my permission to go back to the way you were living before you read this article.

But I can almost guarantee you that if you take this challenge seriously, you will never neglect your health again.

4. Figure Out Your Non-Negotiables

During our interview, Bill shared a number of his daily and weekly non-negotiables, or actions that he is committed to taking, no matter what.

And while his own nonnegotiables consisted of weekly massages, acupuncture, and cryotherapy, your own list of nonnegotiables will differ based on your goals, income, and vision.

Ask yourself, “What are the things that you must do each day/week/month” to ensure that you are able to live the life of your dreams?

For some of you, this will be getting to the gym every morning, doing yoga every week, or taking a few hours to hike through the mountains.

For others, it’s spending time with your kids, indulging in an hour of creative time each night, or going on a weekly date with your wife.

Whatever your nonnegotiables are, define them, write them down, and commit to them.

I promise your life will never be the same.

(If you want to hear more about nonnegotiables and how they can improve your life, check out one of the early episodes I did with Wayne Levine)

5. Decide 

Modern men are undergoing a societal emasculation where the very essence of masculinity is being stripped away piece by piece.

Due to confusing gender politics, contradictory evidence, and a slew of b.s. pervading the modern media, men are more confused than ever before about what it means to be a man.

Do you need to smoke Marlboro Reds, ride a Harley, and be an international playboy?

Should you be soft, sensitive, and effeminate?

Do you need to blow shit up, drive a fast car, and make lots of money (Dan Bilzerian anybody?)?

What the hell does it mean to be a man?

While the answer to that question is dependent on the individual and extremely multi-faceted, there is one trait that is axiomatic among all “real” men.

Decisiveness.

No one and I repeat no one is attracted to a man who is indecisive, a man who cannot make up his mind and move forward, a man who cannot stand firm in his decisions and take action.

If you want to become more of a man, then learn how to make a decision and stick to it.

It’s that simple.

Do you want to be in better shape? Decide that you are going to go to the gym and eat healthy, then go do it.

Want to be better with women? Decide that you will make it happen and then go take some action.

Want to make more money? Decide that you will become a millionaire no matter what and then backup that decision with massive amounts of action.

Decide. Act. Repeat.

This is the pathway to true masculinity.

Direct download: Bill_Lyons_main3.mp3
Category:Success and Life Advice -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

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