Self-confidence is one of those things that is required if you want to live a life of success.
It’s easy to fall victim to self-doubt when we hit failures from time to time, but we must not let that lower our belief in ourselves.
In this episode, Ben Naumann and I talk about how to improve your self-esteem and your belief in yourself. Many entrepreneurs have so much belief in themselves and their abilities that they say you can take everything from them and they will be able to rebuild.
The secret to self-confidence
So what’s the secret to self-confidence? One tip that Ben and I have is to keep the promises you make to yourself.
It can be easy to set a New Years resolution that we quit on after 2 weeks. It can be easy to decide to get in shape and then skip the gym frequently.
If we slip into the habit of letting ourselves down, we will believe that our promises to ourselves are empty, and that will make changing our lives much more difficult.
You need to be able to believe yourself when you commit to something
Start small
You don’t have to go all in right away. If you want to get in shape and haven’t been working out at all, setting a goal to work out an hour every single day is going to be tough.
Start small. Go to the gym twice a week for 30 minutes each. Then build up to 3 times a week, and so on.
As you start to trust yourself again and know that you can keep promises you make to yourself, you will see everything else in your life also start to improve.
Like the saying goes,a rising tide lifts all boats.
Today’s post is inspiration to stop playing small. We are all guilty of this at times (myself included).
It’s cool to see that a lot of my podcast listeners look up to me like I’m some sort of celebrity or like I’ve already figured things out. But let me assure you that I’m only human… I also face moments in my life where I doubt my abilities and wonder if I have what it takes to achieve greatness.
There’s a quote I’ve heard that says “another level, another devil.” We constantly have challenges and as we become more successful, the problems we face just become larger.
Check out the video
Are you playing small?
Do you talk yourself out of thinking or doing more? If you find yourself thinking “I’ve never done that,” or “I’m not sure if I’m ready,” you are setting yourself up for failure.
It’s the little voice of self-doubt that makes us want to play it safe, to sit back, to stay comfortable. It’s that little voice that says “just keep your job, it’s safe, it’s what you know.”
However, that little voice, if we let it, can cripple us and destroy our dream before they truly have a chance to materialize.
Success leaves clues
Success leaves clues, and you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Others who have come before us have achieved the levels of success that we sometimes think we are not capable of achieving.
But that should be enough to inspire us. If anybody ever accomplished something, you can, too. Be sure to surround yourself with mentors who are doing the things you want to do.
See how you can add value to them so that they take you under their wing and are more willing to go out of their way to mold you into success.
Achieve the impossible
On May 6, 1954, something incredible happened. You may have heard of Roger Bannister. If not, prepare to be amazed.
Prior to this date, it was thought to be impossible for a human to run a mile in less than 4 minutes. People thought that your heart would literally explode.
So, for decades, the feat was never accomplished. On May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister broke a 4 minute mile, achieving what was thought of previously as impossible.
The crazy thing is that after he did that, several others started to accomplish that same feat shortly after.
Once others knew it was possible, they started to achieve the same feat!
The point I’m trying to make here is to look to others who inspire you. Realize that many goals you think are “out there” for you were also seemingly impossible to others who have achieved them.
You, too, can achieve the impossible. It all starts by understanding that things you consider “impossible” are actually possible and have been achieved before.
Daily Motivation
“Never give up on something that you can’t go a day without thinking about.” – Winston Churchill
I want to share an extremely powerful video Gary Vaynerchuck published a few years ago with you.
As of today, it is his most viewed video. Within 3 years, it has amassed 4.8 million views.
Check out my video
Gary mentions that the biggest poison in us is regret. His vehicle for pushing hard is business, as that is his passion. He loves building businesses and competing.
Through that vehicle, he always pushes a lack of regret and how you should do everything possible.
“If anybody ever did it, then you can too.” Stop complaining! Nobody is listening. The market doesn’t care about your complaints. It rewards value that people bring to the world.
Gary goes on to say that you have to make one person, and that person is YOU. It’s like when you hear the safety presentation on an airplane. They say if the oxygen masks on the plane fall down, you are supposed to put your own mask on first before you can help others.
If you aren’t happy, how will you be able to work to make others happy?
Gary admits that he’s just trying to figure it out, and has been doing it for years in front of his audience. Obviously, it’s working. They key here is to take massive action. We’re all figuring it out.
Just be sure to ask yourself if you are truly living a life of no regrets.
Key Takeaways
Remember that we only have one life. So why live one that you’ll regret? Take chances, take risks.
We are all trying to figure this thing called life out. Remember Gary’s motivating line that “if anybody ever did it, you can too.” That is 100% true and so freaking inspiring.
Daily Motivation
“How you make your money is more important than how much you make.” -Gary Vaynerchuck
Actionable Steps
Do yourself a favor and just watch Gary’s video now, even if you’ve seen it before. It’s so well done.
The message really hits home and gets a fire under your butt to evaluate your life now and think about if it’s something you truly want. If not, it might be time to change something.
Are you really ready to become your own boss? In this interview, Henry Lopez joins me to share his wisdom from over 34 years of experience across multiple business and industries.
Ultimately, to become your own boss, you must be three things: ready, willing, and able.
Whether you’re really considering starting a business or you’re already well on your way, this is a really powerful conversation you don’t want to miss. Henry provides some some great tips that will benefit business owners at all levels.
In this post, I want to share an interview I was featured on. A new friend of mine, Schuyler Diehm, runs the Early Risers Podcast, for which I am grateful to have been a part of.
I talk about my story so far, how I was caught in a corporate role I wasn’t growing in, then quit that job to pursue an invention idea, and how I underestimated the time and money necessary to bring a product to market.
I struggled to bring that to life and after several months of making no money, I had to figure something out.
That’s how I landed in real estate, and I came across real estate wholesaling, which I’ve now done for the past year.
We all get ourselves into things we aren’t 100% sure about. I think it’s important to set big goals for ourselves, make these statements public through means like social media to hold ourselves accountable, and then give it our absolute best shot.
Make sure to listen to the full interview and watch the video which summarizes some of what we talk about!
Watch the video
Listen to the podcast
Key Takeaways
Don’t be afraid to “take the leap.” When you say you are going to do something, stay committed. Stick to your word.
Face your fears.
Sometimes life can humble us when we get too cocky. I thought I was smart, had a good cushion of savings, etc. and it resulted in me taking some huge risks and losses. Stay humble, but stay hungry. Take risks. You’ll take some losses, but there will also be some wins.
Stay consistent… when you feel like the needle isn’t moving, don’t give up. My podcast is a perfect example. For months I had a few downloads. Then it jumped to around 400 in a month. Within a year, I was hitting 20k downloads a month! All organically.
Remember to stay FOCUSED. Do not fall victim to shiny object syndrome.
Daily Motivation
“Less dreaming, more doing.” – Chris Bello
Actionable Steps
Get very focused and figure out what it is you want to accomplish. Break those big goals down to figure out what you need to work on today, this week, and this month to move closer to those.
Align yourself with people in places you want to be in and start chipping away. It’s a long game. Most “overnight successes” are not overnight at all and take years to come to fruition.
With that said, go take massive, focused, action today.
Today’s episodes features an interview with Schuyler Diehm of the Early Risers Movement.
Schuyler’s story and background sounds eerily similar to mine… in fact, I’m sure many first time entrepreneurs have a similar background.
In this episode, Schuyler peels back the onion on where he started, what he’s up to now, and how he’s been growing a loyal following by focusing on VALUE first.
Big shout out to our mutual friend, Brett, who introduced us.
In this episode, Schuyler will talk about:
How he started lifting weights to combat insecurity
Overcoming struggle with social anxiety
Realizing that he does not have to fit in with the crowd
Seeing coworkers just “showing up to work” and knowing that he was destined for more than the corporate life.
Quitting his job to start his own business
Feeling terrible about laying on his couch and sleeping in, and what he did to become productive
The power of structuring your day
Schuyler’s definition of an “Early Riser”
Some of the challenges Schuyler faced when starting his business
Schuyler’s first workbook, The Snooze Stopper, geared towards waking up early and starting your day on a positive note
Implementing and feeling gratitude daily life
Links to follow Schuyler and the Early Risers Movement:
One of my biggest fears is looking back at my life when I’m at the end and having a feeling of regret:
Regret of not trying everything possible
Regret of not giving my all
Regret of not having visited certain countries or having certain experiences
YOLO, you only live once. While this phrase is thrown around a lot in rap songs and pretty overused, I really do love it.
Watch the video
Why? Because it’s literally true. You really do only live once. You have only ONE shot at this life.
So often, we get caught up in worrying about what others think and how we’ll look if we try something and fail. It’s so easy to be afraid of trying new things or stepping outside of our comfort zone.
But… when we step back and take a look at the fact that tomorrow is not promised, what is there really to be afraid of?
Why not take a risk? Why not try something new?
Why not tell your crush how you feel?
Why not try that new business idea out?
What’s the worst that can happen?
That is something that you should ask yourself all the time. You’ll be surprised to find that the answer typically isn’t as scary as you may initially expect.
You want to start a business. What’s the worst that can happen? You raise money from investors, the business fails, investors lose money, and you might take a loss. Sucks, but it happens quite often.
You learn from your mistakes, you try again, and you do better next time.
As you listen to more and more content and podcasts about successful CEOs of popular companies, you realize that there were tons of failures along the way.
Many CEOs have a graveyard of ideas that didn’t work out for one reason or another.
Don’t let the fear of failure stop you from taking action.
On the other side of the coin, you can also ask yourself: what’s the best that can happen?
Listen to the podcast
What’s the best that can happen?
Let’s use the same example. You start a business. You raise money from investors. You do so well that you grow quickly and hire a successful team.
You go public and get acquired, have a great exit and become financially set for the rest of your life. The investors get a huge return on their investment.
To be fair, it’s not usually going to be black and white. It’s not like you either feel miserably or succeed flawlessly.
Usually, we tend to end up somewhere between the extremes and work to improve incrementally as time goes on.
We’re not perfect, but we are capable of more than we often give ourselves credit for.
I can think of countless things I’ve tried or done that turned out to be easier than I expected.
For example, some of you may be deathly afraid of public speaking. I’ve had the opportunity to speak in front of people a lot lately, especially in real estate.
I sponsor lunch at several offices around town and tell real estate agents the types of deals I’m looking for. I’ve spoken in front of as many as 60-70 people here in the last few weeks.
I jumped in front of the crowd at a recent real estate meetup to talk about a deal I had as I was looking for buyers.
You’ll find that the more you do something, the less frightening it becomes. You know what to expect, you have your pitch rehearsed.
What’s the worst that can happen, right?
In the meetup example, the worst that could happen was that there might not be anybody who wanted the deal I was pitching.
How about the best case scenario? I would find a buyer and make my profit margin.
To be completely honest, it didn’t end up how I wanted. I did meet some buyers who wanted other deals, but nobody really wanted the one I was pitching. Oh well. Like the Wayne Gretzky quote goes, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
So that’s my message for today… what is there to be afraid of? Dominate your day. Face your fears and overcome them.
The only fear you should have is the fear of regret
Many people experience massive regret on their deathbeds. I’ve talked to older people who envy many of the things I’ve done: skydiving, scuba diving in Thailand, hiking in California, etc. They say “I’m too old to do that now.”
That is so terribly sad to hear… I can honestly say that if I die tomorrow, I would go knowing that I literally lived my life to the fullest possible extent.
I hope that’s not the case, because there’s still so much I want to accomplish, see, and do, but you get the point.
Let this inspire you to take action today. There will always be fear – do it anyway.
Don’t let fear stop you from taking action.
Facing fear is much better than looking back at your deathbed and having a list of regrets. Take action today. Dream big. Do big.
Face your fears today
Think about a few things you’ve been wanting to do for awhile but haven’t due to fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of what others think.
Create that Facebook page, or YouTube channel, or blog. Start putting out content. Stay consistent.
Others may laugh or make rude comments about your little traction at first… let them. Keep your head down, let that negative energy fuel you and make you want to succeed EVEN MORE.
Luckily, I’ve never really dealt with “haters.” At least nobody has talked bad about me to my face…. But even if they did when I started my podcast, now the laughing has likely stopped… people now ask how I grew the podcast to 19K+ monthly downloads.
The answer is surprisingly simple… I stayed consistent. I kept going despite all odds. And that’s how I did it. No paid marketing, no social media influencer connections, none of that. Just good, ‘ol fashioned discipline and consistency.
The same can be done with anything else. Pick your craft and then commit to doing the work. The only fear I will allow you to have is the fear of regret. Be very afraid of living a mediocre life. You are capable of far more!
Go get it.
You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. – Mae West
I want to share a book that truly changed my life. It literally changed my life. Because of implementing the practices in this book, I now choose to wake up at 5:30am on weekdays and spend a full hour doing a few activities.
I “sleep in” until 8 or 9 on weekends, but you better believe that I still do a morning routine. If I’m ever running short on time, I still do SOMETHING. I might do a 20 or 30 minute routine, but something is better than nothing.
I hadn’t implemented a morning routine until last year, when I came across the power of morning routines thanks to my obsession with the entrepreneurial and self-development space.
I initially started doing a 5 minute routine consisting of a minute or two of meditation, some push-ups, a shower ending with cold water for 10 seconds, and stuff like that. Nothing too intense.
But in September of last year, I read this book. And it changed everything for me. I literally started the one hour suggested routine the first day after completing the book.
Listen to the podcast
In this book, Hal uses the acronym “SAVERS.” The letters stand for:
S – Silence (5 minutes)
Spend 5 minutes being silent, thinking about things you are grateful for, and appreciating the chance at a new day.
A – Affirmations (5 minutes)
Spend 5 minutes speaking affirmations on how you will win the day and achieve goals. I usually play a youtube video and repeat after the voice saying things like:
I am a millionaire
I am successful
I am generous
I am grateful
Etc.
Pro-tip: I’m currently reading the book, “The Law of Attraction,” which said that you can modify affirmations a bit and add “I’m in the process of” before them so that you don’t have any self-doubt.
So instead of saying “I am a millionaire” (which since I’m not, I might subconsciously have self-doubt), I am starting to say “I’m in the process of becoming a millionaire.”
V – Visualization (5 minutes)
Visualize yourself having the perfect day. Play some instrumental music in the background if you want (I usually just play music from Audiomachine on Spotify). I close my eyes, smile, imagine everything going right that day.
I imagine meetings I have planned going the way I want them to, real estate deals or appointments I am close on going my way, etc.
I spend time looking at my vision board and then my 5 year goals which I laminated and signed. I have huge goals on there… a few of them include having a net worth of $10M and monthly passive income of $10,000 by November 8, 2023.
E – Exercise (20 minutes)
Hal recommends yoga, which is something I never really did much. Yoga and stretching? Pshhh, that’s not as cool as bench pressing. Or so I thought.
Guess who now does yoga every morning? Me. Sometimes I do 5 minutes of yoga, other times I do 20 minutes. A really good free yoga channel I use is Yoga With Adriene.
R – Reading (20 minutes)
Spend 20 minutes getting some reading done! You’ll be amazed at how quickly you can get through books just by doing this.
I’ve had the excuse of not having time to read before. You have time. Wake up earlier. Do this routine. Slow reader? So what. Set a timer and read for 20 minutes. WHether it’s 20 pages or 2 pages, it’s better than nothing.
S – Scribing (5 minutes)
Spend 5 minutes scribing, or journaling. Get your thoughts down, write down anything on your mind. I personally type mine, but apparently if you write, you’re more intentional since it takes longer.
A cool thing Hal mentioned is being able to write a new journal entry and then read the one from a year before. It’ll be a cool way to see the growth as I realize how far I’ve come in a year. I hope that in 10 years, I can read back to my goal to have a net worth of $10M and chuckle as I’ll be on to bigger goals at that time.
Do yourself a favor and check out this book.
Please, please, please do yourself a favor and get Hal’s book, The Miracle Morning, if you want to seriously change your life. If you already have a morning routine of some sort, you’re ahead of most. If you’re snoozing the alarm over and over and struggling to wake up, get it together!
Check this book out, implement a morning routine. Hal even says that doing a “6 minute version” of the Miracle Morning is perfectly fine if you think an hour is too long or are short on time on any given day.
You can literally spend 1 minute on each thing. Yup, even if that means you only read 1 page. What if you learn something on that page that changes your business or life that day for the better?
You can always start small and work your way up to the hour routine. Or, you can do what I did. Rip the band-aid off. Go all in. Commit. Set the alarm an hour earlier and just jump right into it.
“You are where you are because of who you were, but where you go depends entirely on who you choose to be.” – Hal Elrod
