I am a firm believer that each and every one of us has a bigger, bolder more enhanced version of ourselves trapped inside waiting to be unleashed!

In this post, I’d like to offer some ideas, tips and advice that will help you break through to a new version of you…

Section 1 – Use Challenges to Break Through Your Comfort Zone

Athletes do it – so do top professionals in business. Using challenges to clear the fog of monotony will also help you rid your anxiety and fear of failure and push you past barriers keeping you from true success.

Your comfort zone acts as a boundary that you can’t pass because you’re too nervous and afraid to breach the unknown. Since it’s a false and self-imposed boundary, it’s not really true.

Most people have built self-imposed boundaries to keep themselves safe and to avoid failure. Unless you’re willing to break out and explore outside of that comfort zone, you may be stuck in a world of the mundane – never realizing your true potential.

One challenge to try when you’re ready to leave your comfort zone is to gather information about those situations you’re anxious or fearful about. The scenarios we invent in our minds aren’t usually real and information in the form of education can empower you to go beyond what you’re comfortable with.

Hold yourself accountable for breaking through your comfort zone. Enlist the people in your life to help you keep on track and to push you just as you’re pushing yourself. It’s doubtful you’ll be tempted to quit when others are watching your progress.

A plan of action is acutely necessary and acts as a roadmap to lead you through the quagmire and finally break through your comfort zone. Create checkpoints just as you would if you were on a trip across the country.

These checkpoints should be mini-goals that you can reach and know you’re a few steps closer to breaking out of the comfort one and reaching your ultimate goal. These mini-goals are challenges that will keep you enthused and enable you to stay on track to the end result.

Challenges will begin to desensitize you to the anxiety you might otherwise feel about moving on to the next step – and the next. Eventually, you’ll want to change the small challenges you began with to super challenges where you have to be more aggressive to push ahead to the next goal.

Sometimes you may fail the challenges, but just as Rome wasn’t built in a day, neither will you break out of your comfort zone easily. Learn from the negative experiences and that knowledge alone will take you far on the next challenge.

Always expand your comfort zone to the next level. For example, if you’re the author of several novellas, but you really want to write that page turning historical novel, figure out what you have to do first.

Should you make an outline, do some research, contact publishers and read other novels in that genre? Go for it. Begin the journey and keep pushing the boundaries that keep you prisoner and cause self-doubt. Until you take action and begin to challenge yourself – you’ll never get the results.

Check out this additional audio segment about taking more chances (this will help you break your comfort zone)

Section 2 – Dare Yourself to Overcome Fear of Success

Why does the thought of success strike fear in so many people with so much potential? The answer could be because there’s change involved. Simply put, most of us are afraid of any changes that are going to shake us out of the cages which have become our comfort zone.

If you’re going to be successful, you’re going to have to overcome the fear and take action. You can begin the journey by daring yourself, setting aside your fears and taking action to meet your goals for the future.

Fear is normal – fear of snakes, heights, drowning, rejection – and the changes that come with success. Fear is a normal part of life, but unless you address those fears, they will follow you around, make you miserable and squash any dreams of success you may have.

You may feel you’re not good enough for success or perhaps you’re afraid you’ll fail and people will discover you’re a fraud. It may be time to dare yourself to success – because you have the power and the strength within you to take the necessary actions to meet your goals and make your dreams come true.

It’s okay to feel that fear in your mind and heart. The danger is letting that fear paralyze you into taking no action at all. Acknowledge that you are fearful and know that it’s normal.

Then, it’s time to face those fears and figure out what you have to do to make success happen. Begin small and with each step, dare yourself to think bigger and better. Eventually, you will have dared yourself to success.

Maya Angelou once said, “I believe the most important single thing, beyond discipline and creativity is daring to dare.” When you dare to take control of your life and take action to make those dreams come true, the fear will gradually begin to wane and then you’ll forget about it altogether.

Take a moment to think about what you would do – which actions you would take – if you weren’t afraid. Write those actions down and one by one dare yourself to make them happen.

Tap in on the brave side of your personality and use the power you have to add more power and overcome the obstacles one by one until you make success happen. Ask for guidance if needed.

Take courses, read books or network with successful people – anything to give you the knowledge and confidence you’ll need to overcome the fears. When you make a conscious decision to dare yourself and take the actions needed to reach success, you’re on your way to dashing all your fears that you’re not good enough, not creative or beautiful enough and other negative thoughts that hold you back.

Think of all the challenges that bring fear into your heart and mind and then dare yourself to overcome them. Begin small and your fears of success will diminish as you go along.

Check out this additional audio segment about improving mental toughness (this will help you overcome fear of success)

Section 3 – Pushing Past Your Limitations to Achieve Success

Any limitation you place on yourself can keep you from the success you deserve. Fear, self-doubt, physical ability or a defeatist mentality can seem like crossing the ocean in a canoe when you give in to your so-called limitations.

Most people will never push past those mental obstacles to realize their dreams and goals, but you can learn how to overcome anything in your way – including limitations. Don’t try – and you’ll leave dreams unrealized and your life unfulfilled.

Have you ever started a fitness program and begun going to the gym to lose weight and become more fit? At first, you push through the weights, aerobics and other obstacles. Then, you reached barriers seemingly unpassable – such as stuck at a certain weight or not being able to spend more time on the treadmill.

You may have floundered and then given up. Most people go back to their old habits when that happens. They’ve been knocked off track and had their hopes and dreams of losing weight and getting fit dashed. It’s discouraging.

That happens with goals and dreams of other types of success, too. You may think you’ve reached your limit and quit trying. One thing you can do if this happens is to find a mentor or knowledgeable person to push you further.

When someone is on your side and has your well-being at heart, he or she can help you get out of your comfort zone, meet and surpass those limitations you’ve set for yourself. These motivational sidekicks can tell you how they pushed past their limitations to success and that should encourage you to keep on trying.

Always go the extra mile. That may mean taking on more responsibility than you think you can handle. The challenges may be difficult, but when you overcome them, more confidence will be restored and you won’t be confined to what you know you can do, but be eager to go farther.

Use visionary techniques to reach the next goal. Your imagination can do wonders for your self-confidence. How would you act, dress, think and feel if you were to reach a long sought out goal? Learn how to utilize a vision board and make one for yourself.

Mantras are inspirational and designed to make you passionate about what you’re seeking to do or be. Inspirational messages you repeat to yourself, meditation designed to help you think clearly, books and music are all motivational techniques which can help to mentally push you past your limitations.

There are no shortcuts when it comes to overcoming your limitations and achieving success. You have to learn all you can, push yourself harder and one-by-one break down the barriers that have kept you from reaching your goals and realizing your dreams.

Pushing past limitations is a bit like beginning to ride a bicycle. At first, you may be wobbly and fall and scratch your knees and elbows – but in time, you hop on and ride without a thought of why you might not be able to.

Eventually, you may wonder why you ever were afraid of getting on that bike. It seemed so intimidating and formidable at first, but you practiced, learned the techniques and use that bike to take you places you may never have experienced otherwise. The same thing can happen when you become determined to push past your limitations and seek the success you’ve always dreamed of.

Check out this additional audio segment about teasing out your personal strengths (this will help you form a foundation to push past your current limits)

Section 4 – Revive Your Passion for Success by Building Your Confidence

You may remember the days when you were so excited about your plan for success that you could hardly wait to get up in the morning and meet the inevitable challenges along the way.

You were pumped and ready for action. As time goes on and you fall into a mundane life that’s comfortable for you, you may forget what it feels like to have that passion for realizing the success you’ve always dreamed of.

It’s never too late to revive the passion you once had and build back your confidence so that you’re ready to take on new challenges and get back on the path that you once had so much enthusiasm for.

That nagging sense of doubt that overcomes all of us from time to time may have zapped your commitment to what you’re doing as well as your energy and creativity. It may be time to stop and take a look at what you’ve been doing, why your passion has waned and what you can do to get it back.

You may only need some minor adjustments in your plan to get back the enthusiasm you once had – or it may be time to reassess your dreams and goals and take off in an entirely new direction.

Feeling trapped in a job or situation that no longer works for you erodes your passion until you may not know what you want anymore. Sometimes you just trudge along, hoping against hope that things will get better.

Eventually, it becomes a prison that’s difficult to escape from. Could you be bored with the job or situation you’re in? If you’re simply going through the motions to keep a job or relationship, it’s no wonder that you feel like something is missing from your life!

You’ve lost touch with what it is you really want – and you’re right to be questioning it. It could be time to take a time out to reconnect with your values and dreams and rejuvenate your passion for success.

During the time out (sometimes called sabbaticals), you can pursue other interests to see if there’s something out there you’re missing and that might point you in a new direction you could feel confidence in and enjoy.

Although there’s no exact pattern for finding a solution to restore passion for what you’ve chosen to do, there are ways to pursue a strategy that might work for you. For example, you could hire a life coach or other type of help to begin reassessing your life.

Sometimes it’s just a matter of taking steps to rebuild confidence in what you’re doing now. For example, you might take courses or attend seminars in your chosen field. Surround yourself with people who are successful in the path you’ve chosen as your life’s work.

Their determination and enthusiasm might rub off on you and give you a wake up call about what you’re meant to do rather than following a compelling whim that could take you in another direction.

Take some risks – whether it’s in the job or situation you’re currently in or with something else you want to try. Take small steps and with each step, you’ll build your confidence to the point that you’ll be ready to take the leap to true success.

Section 5 – Turning Failures into Success Stories

It’s so satisfying and so much fun to talk to others about successes you may have had and terrifying to think that others know about your failures. It stings and zaps your self-esteem.

But you can turn your failures into stepping stones to success stories. Every failure teaches you something you can use for future success – even though your instinct may be to think of it as shame and humiliation – especially in business.

If you can transform a failure into a valuable piece of information you can use it as a tool for success. Be aware of how you talk to yourself. Self-talk after a failure can severely damage your self-esteem and make you feel like you’ll never be a success.

It’s normal to feel the hurt for awhile, but analyze that failure and think about how you can turn it around. Stay focused on your success. You’ve set goals and taken some action – now turn to them rather than focusing and drowning yourself in a failure you just experienced.

Nothing helps put failure behind you like taking action. Be consistent about moving forward. Failures are inevitable as we climb the ladder to success, but unless you get up off the floor and begin to move again, you’ll never learn from your mistakes and more importantly – will never realize success.

Experiencing burnout can come from experiencing failure. You may need to take a break and gather your thoughts, revamp your goals and plans for the future and simply get away from whatever you’ve devoted yourself to for the past months or years.

Taking time out may mean a trip to a place you’ve always wanted to visit, or reconnecting with loved ones you’ve neglected because you were too busy and involved in your plans for the future.

You don’t have to abandon those plans. Just give it a rest for awhile and think about other things. A change of scenery and some new thought processes might give you some new ideas about how you want to revamp your plans.

When you’re ready to take another leap in the success pool, you’ll enjoy the opportunity for a new beginning. Starting over doesn’t have to be disappointing or thought of as a failure.

Make it an adventure and see it as an opportunity rather than a setback. You’ll be armed with new thinking and new ways of doing things. You surely won’t make the same mistakes again because you’ve learned from them.

Think about the great story you’ll be able to tell others about how you turned failure into success with determination and learning from your mistakes. When you take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes, you’ll be making a tremendous leap to the success you desire and turn them to your advantage. Every failure offers you an opportunity for success.

 Check out this additional audio segment about using positive reframing (this will help you turn failures into success stories)

It is always an interesting exercise to look back over the past 6 years and analyze how my psychology has changed from employee to entrepreneur. There were so many things I “thought” I understood when I first became a business owner. But, like many aspiring entrepreneurs, what you read in books and what you see from a distance when you observe people who actually own businesses… never truly prepares you for what it is really like.

Now… I’m in a position to be a mentor and coach to people who are in the same boat I was in 5 or 6 years ago.

As I have more conversations with people looking for advice to get their businesses up and running, naturally I see some very common themes emerging from these conversations.

Among the biggest — understanding what it really takes to become a successful entrepreneur.

(By the way, when I use the word “successful”,  I am talking about someone who can build a business that has sustainable growth and can pay the business owner(s) a healthy salary to live and thrive on.)

Estimation Of Effort – Phase 1

In general I have noticed that aspiring entrepreneurs adopt one of 2 mindsets:

1. They incorrectly underestimate the amount of effort required to build a successful business
2. They incorrectly overestimate the amount of effort required to build a successful business

People in group 2 generally talk themselves out of actually “going for it” before they can ever develop enough self belief to attempt starting a business

So for this discussion I want to focus on folks in Group 1…

If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably had an experience similar to this.

• You come up with a great business idea that fits well with your skill set and interests.
• You know exactly how you want to build and grow the business.
• You may even have some partners involved and they too buy into the exciting new vision.
• Before you know it, you start making 3,6,9 and even 12 month sales projections. You are convinced that this thing can write hundreds of thousands (or even millions) of dollars of new business once the market sees what you’ve come up with
• Your enthusiasm and excitement are through the roof and it feels like nothing can stop you from making this plan a reality

This is usually about the time where the actual work begins. Where you take your visions, plans and ideas and begin working it into an actual business entity that sells.

Soon after this point, the first roadblock occurs. Usually something completely unanticipated. This immediately knocks the enthusiasm level (of you or your team if you have one) in about half. Right away, the big bold sales projections you had drawn up on the whiteboard begin to look more like a dream than a reality.

To make things worse, roadblocks #2,3 and 4 are often right around the corner. Within a matter of days or weeks, what was originally an exciting, motivating, invigorating vision of the future is now looking like a HUGE chore with very little hope of success.

(Note: This happens on all scales from starting a blog to launching a big company.)

This is where 90% of the dreamers are weeded out (I actually have no idea what the percentage is. I’m just guessing but I think 90% is a safe assumption based on my observations and experience).

For the small number that decide to stick with it, THIS is the point where the entrepreneur is actually created. There is a distinct shift in the mindset of the person who proceeds at this point. A committed decision that says “I will find a way no matter what.”

“People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.”
— George Bernard Shaw

Estimation Of Effort – Phase 2

With enough creativity and persistence, the entrepreneur who sticks with it long enough eventually finds some success. The kind of success that can be replicated and built upon and this is typically where things start turning around and looking more optimistic again.

This new entrepreneur is probably feeling quite proud of himself for sticking with it and making some money despite the fact that things were looking pretty doom and gloom not so long ago.

But it is only the beginning…

A new phase begins where the reality of the situation kicks in and the entrepreneur realizes that the hard work, determination and persistence that was required to make it through phase 1 is actually a way of life for the most successful business owners.

Adopting the entrepreneurial spirit isn’t a one-time event but rather a change in personality. Instead of becoming discouraged by challenge, the true entrepreneur thrives.

Setting Your Expectations Correctly…

If you are in the early phases of your entrepreneurial journey, here are some important distinctions to keep in mind…

1. No matter how good/powerful your idea is, it is going to take a huge amount of effort and overcoming challenge to get your business idea off the ground.

2. Remember that any successful entrepreneur you look at also went through similar struggles despite how easy it may look from the outside. I guarantee you they overcame huge adversity and challenge to get where they are. This should help you respect and admire those entrepreneurs even more (so that you can learn from them with an open mind).

3. Creatively overcoming challenge and thriving in the face of adversity is what makes an entrepreneur. Instead of being discouraged by the challenges that come your way, look at them as your opportunity to practice getting better. Each battle you win (regardless of size) adds more fuel to your success bank.

Late in 2013, I added a new style of Personal Development reading into my arsenal. I picked up some books written by Navy SEALs dealing with the topics of mental toughness, self confidence and personal motivation.

I LOVED these style of books because they were so different from the classic leadership, sales, and self development books I had been reading in the past.

To become a Navy SEAL requires an absolutely brutal level of training. A pure test of will. Anyone who successfully completes this training is someone who has a high degree of mental strength, will power and pure determination. Characteristics that are a TOTAL MUST if you want to succeed as an entrepreneur.

One of the best books I read was a book by David Rutherford called Navy Seal Training: Self Confidence

The book covers 8 life missions for personal success.
Practical,
Usable,
Motivating and Inspiring stuff!

I sat down with David for a 45 minute interview and asked him to share a few words of wisdom with my audience. If you are a new entrepreneur or even if you are experienced, you KNOW the value of self confidence and self motivation. Listen to David explain some strategies you can use to help you succeed in life and business… from his very unique and diverse background.

AUDIO INTERVIEW:

DOWNLOAD THE MP3 VERSION:

Click Here To Download The MP3

TEXT VERSION:

Click Here To Download A PDF Text Version Of The Interview

I hope you enjoy my interview with David. I strongly recommend you pick up a copy of his book (physical or Kindle) to get a new perspective on Self Confidence and Self Motivation.

You might also want to check out his Facebook page –> https://www.facebook.com/pages/Team-Froglogic/86513416996

Today I wanted to share a little insight from a Kindle book I’m currently reading called “The 10X Rule” by Grant Cardone.

As you may know, I’m an avid reader of personal development books and I always seem to gain a new insight and get a dose of inspiration from each new book I go through.
It happened again with the 10X rule and I’m only about half way through.

There was also a “hidden” lesson that I noticed on my own (see below)

In essence, The 10X Rule states that true success in life comes from setting your goals 10 times bigger than what you think you want, and then do 10 times what you think it will take to achieve it.

It is about thinking BIG,
which in turn creates excitement,
and that excitement can be channeled into action.

BUT… the action part is where many people fall off. Most people UNDERESTIMATE the amount of work it takes to achieve major goals and objectives, in life or business.

When it becomes evident JUST how much work is TRULY required to create success, most people give up or change goals.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this email, tomorrow we are launching our latest PLR bundle. The amount of work that goes into a successful launch STILL kind of boggles my mind!

For this particular launch, here are just same of the actions that our team has executed:

• Created slides for 30 minute intro video lesson
• Recorded, edited, exported final video into MP4
• Had the video transcribed, formatted and edited into a document
• Had a full “Member Sites” guide and intro report researched and written by 1 resource
• 10 membership based articles researched and written by another resource
• Editing of the written content handled by yet another team member
• Infographic content researched, designed, formatted into PSD, PNG, JPG
• Quote posters designed, custom made cartoons, 30 in total by a graphics expert
• Had all PLR tools like slide decks, autoresponders, sales pages created
• REPEATED all of the above AGAIN for a second product about WordPress
• Created training to tie all of the pieces together
• Custom built a unique WordPress website as an upgrade
• Negotiated a deal to offer resell rights on a bonus upgrade product
• Created an affiliate page, invite video, swipe copy to help promote
• Built order buttons and sales pages, edited them and tested them
• Create backups of all downloadables in case of customer tech issues
•  the list goes on…

I always like to show my wife a final look at our launch offer before we go live and every time, she is kind of shocked at the amount of work. There are as many as 12 people involved in the creation of our launch products

So… why am I telling you all of this?

Well, in the past I USED to view this as a TON of work and looking at my to do list would almost make me want to quit.

I didn’t believe it was possible to do that many “things”.

But over time, we developed systems, hired staff, improve processes and worked on getting better. Now we are at the point where we can look at a massive to do list and get EXCITED that we are not only capable of pulling it off, but we can do so in a relatively short period of time.

We can also create an excellent experience for our customers and use each new launch (or project or training or WHATEVER we happen to be working on) as a stepping stone to get better each time.

The amount of work may seem huge, but it just proves that the 10X rule is VERY true. The sooner you can embrace it and get GOOD at handling the 10X actions, things begin to flow and life (and business) becomes fun!

The “Hidden Lesson”…

This one may seem obvious but I see a lot of people violating the essence of this message to their own detriment.

When you look at the true amount of work required to well at any endeavor in life, it becomes VERY evident that focus is paramount.

Pick ONE thing and master it. It is going to require a ton of time and energy to do it well. The last thing you need is having to divide your time between 3 different business models never giving enough attention to make any one of them truly successful.

This can be especially tough in the online business world with all of the opportunities and the distractions. But the sooner you pick ONE thing to dedicate all of your energy to, you will be able to apply the 10X philosophy and that’s when the real success starts to unfold.

I’m sure you’ve heard the famous quote from Jim Rohn that says ““The pain of discipline weighs ounces whereas the pain of regret weighs tons.”

Today’s post is the final update in a series of 100 consecutive days of writing, recording audio and/or recording video updates discussing topics related to mindset and motivation.

I reach the end of this challenge having learned a LOT about myself and what’s really possible when you truly challenge yourself.

The discipline required to complete a challenge like this, I’m sure you would agree, is much higher than the average person is willing to hold themselves to.

My “previous self” included.

While I’ve learned a lot about myself, as well as my own ideas and philosophies, the strongest lesson I’d like to convey to you is the power of discipline.

In today’s fast paced world, there is far too much emphasis on instant gratification. Speed and efficiency are celebrated. If something takes too long, it is often criticized or outright ignored.

But REAL skill, REAL success, REAL achievement absolutely requires incredible self discipline and self control. Some people may choose to call it will power, perseverance, persistence or “stick-to-itiveness”.

Whatever you call it, the Jim Rohn quote at the beginning of this article remains 100% true.

Would you rather endure the short term discomfort of a daily challenge (similar to the one I am wrapping up today), or would you rather look back in 10 years and wish you had started taking action, become more disciplined, more driven, more determined to succeed… earlier in life.

I challenge you to challenge yourself. If 100 days is too much, start with a 7 day challenge, or a 1 month challenge.

But do SOMETHING that forces you to practice strengthening your self discipline. Watch the power of repetition work wonders for you to help you hone your craft, become more skilled and ultimately learn more about YOU and what you are truly capable of.

Thanks very much for reading, watching and listening. Now I’m off to start preparing for my next challenge

As we kick off a new year, there is an aura of excitement in the air. People feel more optimistic and renewed about the year ahead. I’ll admit I definitely get caught up in the “spirit” of the new year season.

One of my favourite things to do at this time of year is a reflection on key lessons learned over the past 12 months.

For me, one of my most important areas of focus was in the area of delegation and non-interference. In other words, I focused on allowing things to happen and did my best to avoid my need to control everything.

If I had to give myself a score out of 10, I would say I only achieved about a level 5.

The Good:

– I hired more people to help with various aspects of my business and did a good job allowing them to operate without micro managing.

The Not-So-Good:

– I would check email way too often mainly because I want to be as highly responsive to my customers as humanly possible. The problem with this, is that I would sometimes check email obsessively and it would interfere with my productivity.

These are just 2 examples of many from my business life alone.

There were other areas, like in my personal life, where I really worked on allowing things to happen. For example, in the past I had a bad habit of getting really uptight and rushed whenever we had to travel somewhere as a family. I would feel the need to rush, to avoid letting cars cut in front of me and so on.

I made some improvements in this area by using various trips and outings to practice just being ok with being late and getting cut off in traffic if that happened to be in the cards.

The art of “non-interference” is still a work in progress in my life but I feel like it is more important than ever before. I will continue to be productive, work hard and progress towards my goals, but as I learn to “allow” things to happen without feeling the need to control everything, I will become more relaxed, and hence, more healthy both mentally and physically.

From a long term success stand point, I feel like this one personal improvement could make a world of difference.

How well do you handle delegation and non-interference in your life?

Since today’s update falls on New Year’s even and we are currently counting down the hours to a brand new year…. I thought it would be cool to talk about the power of a countdown.

A countdown is really the anticipation of a future moment in time. The moment in time itself is usually arbitrary, but the fact that we label that moment important is where the real meaning comes in.

Well you can use the concept of a countdown to actually create real, positive change in your life. The kind of change that, oh I dunno, you might call a New Year Resolution!!

Check it out:

As you work to develop yourself and improve your skills in your life and business, you will learn so many powerful lessons that give you that “aha” moment of inspiration.

Think back to a time when you got an insight or an idea that gave you a huge rush of excitement almost as though you discovered a huge secret or won the lottery.

These situations happen more often than you probably realize and a lot of the time, the lesson learned is quickly forgotten before you have a chance to implement it.

A great example for me is my study journal. As I read new books or go through entrepreneur based training programs, I’m always writing down my ideas and insights from each course/book. Sometimes I double underline, highlight or even rewrite some of the key lessons that give me that rush of inspiration.

Very often, when I review my notes months (or sometimes years) later, I realize that the idea is just as valid today BUT I still have yet to take action on the idea or the concept.

In fact, I often find that these old ideas are even more appropriate today because I have grown in capability to the point where I can effectively implement those ideas that were so exciting back in the day.

Just today, I was talking with a fellow online biz owner who was giving me some tips on a specific aspect of building my mailing list. Without going into details, we ended up discussing a strategy that I had come across about 4 years ago and somehow just completely forgotten about.

With my new skills and abilities, this strategy is perfect for where I’m at today in business. Four years ago, it was a little too advanced for where I was at. The old idea was new again and even more useful than it was when I first learned it.

So my challenge to you is this:

Go back through your old books, study programs, journals, notebooks and so on. Revisit some of the sources that had a big impact on you months (or years) ago and look for the lessons.

You may be surprised to realize that the answer to a major problem you are working on right now has already been answered in these forgotten archives. Sometimes just re-reading a great book will give you huge insights and “ahas” that you simply couldn’t see before.

The title of today’s post may come across as more of a “demotivational” topic but hear me out because there is a powerful message within.

In the following audio recording, I share some of my thoughts about the fact that as you grow in skill in ability, whatever your chosen field, no matter how good you get and how solid your work is, there will always be someone who sees flaws and wants to offer constructive criticism. In some cases the feedback will be a lot more harsh and harder to hear.

But if you plan for this kind of feedback and expect it in advance, you can use it to your advantage…

Today’s message is a short, but important.

You’ve probably noticed the overwhelmingly high amount of negativity that floats around the internet. Find a talented actor, musician, speaker or writer and the comments about their work is often riddled with “haters”.

It is one thing to offer constructive feedback to help someone. But if you are participating in the outright bashing or criticizing of other people who are actually living and working on their dream, then you are literally repelling success in your own life.

When you hold feelings or resentment or jealousy towards a successful person, you are subconsciously setting yourself up for failure.

Think about it. If you see their success as a “bad thing” then you will probably also view your own success in the same way. And with this mindset, you will subconsciously sabotage your own efforts.

Instead of looking at successful people and finding all of the aspects of their lives that annoy you or put you off, why not focus on what they do well and what you can learn from them?

Try this instead…

When you see a talented musician, actor, writer, speaker, teacher, athlete or any kind of professional, make a point of appreciating their success. Take time to acknowledge the incredible talent and skill they have developed and the accomplishments they have been able to achieve.

Even if you don’t personally like the person or if you find them annoying, they MUST be doing something right. Focus on what it is they are doing well and learn from it.

Unless your goal is to be a high paid critic, take the path of appreciation and respect instead of being a hater. Your mindset and outlook will produce an aura of success in your life that will last a long time.