Russell Whitney is an entrepreneur, philanthropist and a recognized worldwide leader in the business, real estate investment, and financial training fields. Russell prospered in both business and real estate and eventually used his knowledge and experience to help others do the same. Over the past 15 years, he has traveled the world speaking to audiences as large as 10,000, at one time to a fully packed arena. He has spoken alongside luminaries like Donald Trump, Robert Kiyosaki, Anthony Robbins, and George Foreman, always spreading his message of how to take immediate action to achieve financial goals and dreams by following his easy-to-follow, step-by-step process. Favorite Success Quote “Rock bottom is the foundation that you can build upon” “If you truly want something you will find a way, if you don’t you will find an excuse.” Key Points 1. Fear of the Unknown Disappears when you Commit to Massive Self Education The one thing that holds most people back from achieving the life that they want is not laziness, procrastination, or ignorance. It’s fear of the unknown. When you don’t know what will happen next, it’s easy to become complacent and get trapped in mediocrity. You think to yourself “Things aren’t that bad right now. If I quit my job, leave this relationship, or move to a new city, everything could go horribly wrong!” And these thought patterns keep you stuck in your current situation and prevent you from ever achieving your dreams. So what’s the solution? Massive self-education through books, courses, and mentors. Other people have been where you are right now, taken massive action, and experienced the joy and pain inherent in the goals you are pursuing. Instead of trying to do it all on your own, learn from others. By educating yourself on your goal you will know what obstacles to expect, how to overcome the challenges you will experience, and how to capitalize on opportunities that come your way. When you educate yourself, fear disappears. 2. Sales is the Key to All Financial Success If you want to succeed at business and in life, then you must become a master of sales. There’s no way around it. Regardless of what you do to make money or what your goals are in life, sales is the key to unlocking everything that you want. Want to make millions of dollars with real estate? Then you must learn to sell the leads, prospects, and clients on why they should work with and buy from you. Want to have a beautiful spouse and an amazing family? Then you must go out and sell yourself to your ideal partner and convince them that they should be with you and not the millions of other men out there. Want to lose weight, gain muscle, and get in the best shape of your life? Then you must go out there and sell yourself on why it’s a ‘must’ for you to go to the gym and eat clean every day. Sales is the key to everything. The sooner you can master it the sooner you can have the life that you want. 3. Use Fear of Failure as your Greatest Motivation After the 2008 market collapse, Russel lost everything. He went bankrupt, became homeless, severed ties with his family and friends, and developed a massive drug problem. One night as he was contemplating suicide, he suffered from a drug-induced schizophrenic episode and flushed every narcotic that he had down a toilet. He committed to himself that he was going to get sober and rebuild his life and in a little under 3 years, he went from living on the streets to reaching multi-millionaire status. He told me that the reason he is so “Disciplined” with his finances and lifestyle today is not willpower or a commitment to his future, but rather a crippling fear of going back to rock bottom. In our modern society, we often treat fear as a negative thing. In some cases (as with fear of the unknown) fear can cripple us and prevent us from taking action. But in other cases, fear can be our most powerful ally in driving ourselves towards the life that we want. Learn to harness your fear and you’ll be amazed at the results that you can achieve. 4. The Key to Success is Humility and Drive  In our interview, Russel shared a story about one of his students who was a young 20-something who went from a college dropout to multi-millionaire with online business in only a matter of months. When I asked him what separated his student from the other people he’d mentored Russel’s answer was simple. “He’s willing to listen to people who are smarter than he is and he has a tremendous hustle and drive.” Humility and drive. If you want to achieve your biggest goals, it will not be easy. But it is simple. If you are willing to learn from people who are smarter than you, be humble about your abilities, and obsessed with your craft, you will succeed. Period. It may take months, years, or even decades, but if you are willing to be humble and put forth a tremendous effort, nothing can stand in the way of achieving success. 5. As Soon as You Make Money Throw it Away (Invest) I’m about to give you the secret to financial abundance and freedom for the rest of your life. Are you ready? Here it is… Stay broke and invest every extra dollar you make.  It’s that simple. If you are willing to set a reasonable budget for yourself so that you can enjoy your lifestyle and you are willing to increase your income and invest every single dollar into income producing assets, you will become a millionaire over the course of your life. It doesn’t matter how much money you make or how many bills you have. If you can set a budget, increase your income to exceed your budget, and invest the surplus, you will get rich.

Kenneth Shamrock (born Kenneth Wayne Kilpatrick; February 11, 1964) is an American mixed martial artist, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Hall of Famer, and retired professional wrestler. He emerged as one of the biggest stars in the history of mixed martial arts, headlining over 15 main events and co-main events in the UFC and Pride Fighting Championships during the course of his career and set numerous pay-per-view records. Shamrock is widely considered to be a legendary figure and icon in the sport of mixed martial arts. Shamrock was named The World’s Most Dangerous Man by ABC News in a special entitled “The World’s Most Dangerous Things” in the early part of his UFC career, a moniker which has stuck as his nickname. Favorite Success Quote “You have no idea what I’m willing to do to get where I’m going.” Key Points 1. Be Willing to Do Whatever it Takes If you want to truly succeed in the most competitive environments then you must cultivate a “Whatever it Takes” mentality. This doesn’t mean that you are willing to engage in unethical or immoral activities, simply that you are willing to sacrifice, to hustle, and to grind your way through any challenge and any adversity. For those of you who are content to be in second place (and there’s nothing wrong with that), doing whatever it takes isn’t truly necessary. You can skate by, cut corners, take shortcuts, and still arrive at your destination. But if you want to be the best, the top 1%, a leader, mover, and shaker in your industry, then you must show up early, stay late, and outwork all of your competition. The price of admission is high, but the rewards are worth it. 2. You Have to Choose Yourself In business and in life, most people wait to be called on. Like a child being called on by the teacher instead of raising their hand, most people wait until life presents them with an opportunity or opens a door. If you want to play the game of life in the top echelon of society, then you need to find opportunities and kick the doors down yourself. Or as previous podcast guest James Altucher puts it, you must Choose Yourself. No one is going to give you the freedom, the career, or the lifestyle that you desire. If you are a man, then do what needs to be done and take it for yourself. Take massive action, take huge initiative and do the work. Because if you don’t… Someone else will. 3. If You Don’t Seize the Moment Someone Else Will Life is competition. Anyone who has even the most basic understanding of our species’ history and the story of evolution knows this. Although we live in a world filled with abundance and a plethora of resources, we also live in a world filled with fierce competition. And the most dangerous thing that you can do in your life, relationship, or career is to hesitate and allow someone else to seize your moment. Think about how many times you saw that pretty girl, had that business idea or wanted to make that change but you didn’t. You hesitated, you waited, and you procrastinated. But someone else didn’t. Someone else went up and introduced himself, someone else set up their LLC and took action on their idea, someone else made the change, reaped the rewards and enjoyed the spoils of their labor… But you didn’t. In each of our lives, we are presented with a small handful of pivotal moments where we must decide whether we will take action or not. It is in these moments that your destiny is shaped. Don’t allow someone else to shape it for you. Take action, seize the moment, and live the life you’ve always dreamed of. 4. Find Your “Person”  If you continue down your current trajectory of personal and professional development, sometime in the future, you will arrive at a place in your life where you are surrounded by “Yes Men.” Your success and reputation will be so great that the people in your social circle will rarely tell you the truth and will, instead, try to tell you what they think you want to hear. This is one of the most dangerous places any man can be. You must find someone, whether a friend, relative, or coach who will tell you the truth all the time with compassion. You need someone in your life who will tell you when you are messing up, when you are on the right track, and when you need to shut up and get things done. Find your “Person” who will always be honest with you and you will find that your life will be a lot smoother and easier than it will when you operate on the opinions of impressed “friends”. 5. Slow Down and Be Patient  Life is a marathon, not a sprint. It seems like our instant gratification society has lost touch with the realities of life and, the simple truth is that life is meant to be lived and experienced. Don’t be so eager to achieve great things that you forget to live your life and enjoy the journey. Be patient and allow success to happen in its own time and its own way.

Gary John Bishop is one of the leading Personal Development experts in the industry with a global reputation that has impacted tens of thousands of people worldwide. He is the author of Unf*ck Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Life.  His “urban philosophy” approach represents a new wave of personal empowerment and life mastery that has caused miraculous results for people in the quality and performance of their lives. He calls it like it is while being influenced by ontology, phenomenology and the philosophy of some of the world’s greatest thinkers to help you be inspired, unburdened and grounded. Favorite Success Quote “You have the life you are willing to put up with.” Key Points 1. You Are Responsible for Being F*cked  Whenever you (or someone that you know) is confronted with the cold reality that they are utterly and completely f*cked, the initial reaction is almost always one of blame. “My parents were terrible! You don’t understand.” “Yeah, well I grew up poor so this is just how it has to be” “You don’t know what it’s like to be an [insert minority group of choice]!” Although every statement above could be true, it doesn’t change the facts. You are 100% responsible for your life. Why would you let anyone else control even a fraction of 1% of your life? Do you really want to leave your future, your potential, and your one life to the whims of other people? If not, then you must accept full responsibility for your life and move one. 2. Authenticity is Inherently About You Whenever people hear the phrase “Just be authentic”, they often assume that they now have free reign to say and react to others in any way that they choose. This is not authenticity, it’s called being an ass hole. Authenticity in your interactions is about expressing your truth and owning that truth. Let me give you an example of what I mean. Let’s say that a client of yours responded to an error in a manner that was completely inappropriate and unacceptable on both a personal and professional level. You are feeling frustrated, hurt, and angry by their actions and feel compelled to bring them up. There are two ways of going about this. The first way, (which most people choose) is to make the interaction about them. “How dare you treat me that way! You are such an ass hole and you clearly don’t value our working relationship! You can take this project and shove it because I can’t stand this crap anymore.” Although the statement might be true, it’s not productive because it’s focused on the other person instead of you. A more authentic way to approach the conversation would be to say: “Look, what you did yesterday made me feel very hurt and undervalued. I don’t know whether you understand how your actions affected our professional relationship, but I wanted to let you know that I will no longer be able to continue working with you if we have another incident like that.” When you shift the focus from the other person and onto yourself, you step into your power and own your responsibility for your feelings and your response to those feelings. 3. Someone Somewhere Has Dealt with What You Are Dealing With  It’s funny how often I hear the words “No one knows what I’m going through”. It doesn’t really matter what the topic is about. It could be an abusive childhood, a controlling partner, a crappy boss, bad health, or any wide variety of ailments and general shittiness. But the simple fact of the matter is that someone somewhere has experienced the exact same thing that you are struggling with and they have turned this perceived weakness into their greatest strength. Sean Stephenson was born with a genetic deformity that stunted his growth, permanently confined him to a wheelchair, and weakened him so much that he’s broken every bone in his body. Yet he’s an inspiration to millions. Tony Robbins was abused as a child and kicked out of his house, left to live on the streets at 16. Today, he is worth more than $1 billion and coaches some of the world’s top performers to the top. Grant Cardone lost his father at the age of 9, became addicted to drugs at 16, and was in line for unemployment at 26. Today, his real estate empire has helped him amass a fortune of more than $750 million with a beautiful wife and two children. Whatever excuse you are allowing to hold you back… It’s bullshit. Someone somewhere has gone through the same things as you and worse. It’s up to you to choose a more empowering story, follow their example, and reclaim control of your life. 4. Always Seek to be of Service When we are focused on ourselves, life can quickly become a pit of chaos and confusion. The smallest obstacles derail us from our dreams, our emotions run wild, and we get so caught up in our own drama that we can miss out on the beauty of our lives. The simplest and most powerful way to fix this issue is to shift your focus from yourself to others by seeking to be of service. This doesn’t mean that you are a doormat but rather that you actively look for opportunities to serve others. In the office, do what you can to serve your boss, your clients, and your customers. At home, seek to serve your wife, your children, and your family. When you go into the gas station, think of how you can serve the attendant helping you find your favorite candy bar. Always look for ways to serve others and your life will transform at a pace you cannot imagine. 5. If You Want Something You Must Express It Something I’ve always found a bit frustrating about our society is how many people feel that they are entitled to things. People want raises without producing more value. They want respect without earning it. And, as it pertains to our conversation, they look for love without expressing it. How man women have you met who complain that they can’t find a “Nice Guy” while sleeping with a different ass hole at the club each week? How many men have you met who complain that they “Can’t find a good girl” and yet spend their weekend’s nose deep in cocaine and hookups? How many people have you met who are always looking for love but never willing to start by giving love themselves? If you want to experience something, then you must be the kind of person who is capable of manifesting and generating it in your own life. In the examples above, if you want a quality partner, you must first become a quality human being. If you want more money, you must first provide more value. If you want more love, you must first express and give love freely before you expect it to be returned to you. Stop searching for the things that you want and start expressing them. As soon as you make this shift, your life will change forever.

Dr. David Lieberman is one of the most sought-after leaders in the fields of human behavior and interpersonal relationships. His groundbreaking research and writings have established him as a remarkable force of influence across a spectrum of fields and industries. His eleven published books, which include two New York Times bestsellers, have been translated into 27 languages, selling more than three million copies worldwide. Dr. Lieberman has appeared on more than 300 programs. He is a frequent guest expert on national television and radio shows, and he has been interviewed for, and featured in, leading newspapers and magazines around the globe. You can connect with Dr. Liberman and learn more at drdavidlieberman.com. Favorite Success Quote “Mental health requires an allegiance to reality at all costs to consequences ” Key Points 1. You Must Accept Reality  The first step to developing true mental health and emotional control is to accept the reality in which you live. As the famous words written on maps and billboards across the world state: “You are here” Wherever ‘here’ is… If you wish to create the life of your dreams you must start where you are. You must develop real clarity on where you are in the important areas of life, where you want to be, and (most importantly) what’s holding you back. I challenge you, right now, to write down the answer to the following questions: Where am I in my health? Where am I in my relationships? Where am I in my happiness, adventure, and play time? Where am I in my career? Until you have a clear picture of where you are, you will never be able to get where you are going. Be real with yourself and accept reality. Because once you do, life get’s a helluva lot more exciting. 2. Maximizing Your Potential Requires Enduring Pain  If any of you have watched the (now) mainstream classic “Rick and Morty” then you probably remember the episode with the Meseeks box. If you have a particularly astute memory, then you probably remember their tagline: “Existence is pain“. Although you don’t often uncover valuable life lessons from cartoons on Adult Swim, I’ve gotta hand it to the writers of the show… They were right. Existence is pain. Because there is nothing in life that can be achieved without pain and nothing that can be truly appreciated without adversity. Pain is what makes existence valuable, it’s what makes life worth a damn. Think about the Olympics that are going on right now. How would you feel if you walked up to the podium and were simply handed an Olympic Gold Medal? Sure, some of you might use it to brag or try and pick up women, but most of you reading this would feel completely and utterly cheated. Why? Because you didn’t earn it. You didn’t endure the pain of early morning workouts, strict diets, and sobriety. You didn’t experience the pain of grueling training sessions and years of dedication for that one moment of victory. Pain is what makes life valuable. So stop avoiding pain and start accepting it. Because the more comfortable you become with pain, the more pleasure and, ultimately, fulfillment you will experience. 3. Uncover Your Values… And Live Them  One of the biggest problems holding men back from achieving their true purposes is that most men aren’t living their lives based on their values. In fact, most men aren’t even consciously aware of what they value. Sure, every guy can tell you that he values family or fitness or money or success but do his actions reflect these values? Have you taken the time to clearly define the values that drive your life? Have you asked yourself the tough questions to help you understand what you care about and why? If not, then you are like a ship at sea with no rudder, a feather in the wind. Without clearly defined values you have no purpose, no mission, and no fire driving you forward. As soon as you finish listening to this podcast I challenge you to sit in silence and contemplate what you value. Once you have your values defined, make a list of actions associated with those values. From there, it’s simply a matter of living those values each and every day. 4. Anger Doesn’t Solve Problems (It Only Helped You Survive) One of the most critical steps to ridding your life of anger is to first change your relationship with it. Many men believe that anger is a good thing. They think that it’s somehow manly to get pissed off and try to solve problems with their fists or strained vocal chords. And while it’s certainly true that there are rare moments in most men’s lives where violence or aggression is called for, these moments make up less than 0.0001% of your lifetime interactions. In almost every other case, anger is simply a sign of weakness. It’s a sign that you lack control over yourself and, by extension, the world. The grounded man doesn’t get angry. The strong man doesn’t lose his temper. The wise man doesn’t scream and yell to make a point. Anger is childish and, what’s worse, is that it rarely solves problems. When was the last time that you got pissed off with a friend, family member, or romantic partner, began screaming at them and arrived at a positive outcome? I’m going to assume “Never” is the answer you would give. This is important to realize. Anger doesn’t solve problems. It simply makes them worse. Thousands of years ago on the plains of the Sahara, anger had its place in our survival instincts. But in 2018 it’s an outdated method for interacting with the world that needs to end. 5. Anger Stems from Poor Communication When you get angry with someone, especially someone to whom you are close, your anger typically stems from ineffective communication. Sure, there are times where someone is genuinely trying to egg you on and get a response from you. But 9 times out of 10, you are angry because the communication between you and someone who loves you wasn’t clear. Maybe a friend forgot your birthday, a lover said something that hurt your feelings or a family member berated you for a particular political or religious belief. Whatever the case, most anger is formed from misunderstanding, not genuine friction between two individuals. And that’s the catch 22. When we get angry with someone, the last thing that we want to do is sit down and attentively listen to what they have to say while trying to fully understand and internalize its meaning. All we want to do is prove that we are right and they are an a**hole. But I want to challenge you. Next time you get angry, stop. Take a deep breath and ask the other person what they really mean. What are they really trying to say and why are they saying it. Until you understand the root of the problem which, by the way, is NOT the fact that your wife forgot to do the dishes again, you will never solve anything. So calm down, shut up, and listen. It might not solve anything but it will allow you to enter into the interaction from a place of understanding.

Isaiah Hankel received his doctorate in Anatomy & Cell Biology and is an expert on mental focus, behavioral psychology, and career development. His work has been featured in The Guardian, Fast Company, and Entrepreneur Magazine. Isaiah’s previous book, Black Hole Focus: How Intelligent People Can Create a Powerful Purpose for Their Lives, was published by Wiley & Sons and was selected as Business Book of the Month in the UK and became a business bestseller internationally. Isaiah has delivered corporate presentations to over 20,000 people, including over 300 workshops and keynotes worldwide in the past 5 years. Isaiah grew up working on a sheep farm in the Pacific Northwest of the US before going on to get his doctorate. Isaiah went on to become the founder and CEO of Cheeky Scientist®, a career training company that specializes in helping PhDs transition into corporate careers; he is also the director of Hankel Leadership®. Through these ventures, Isaiah has consulted on career development, employee management, entrepreneurship, focus, and motivation at several Fortune 500 companies. He has been invited to speak at top institutions including Harvard Medical School, Stanford University, Vanderbilt University, University of Chicago, University of Oxford England, the Marie Curie Institute France, and the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. You connect with him at his website. Favorite Success Quote “Take responsibility for your own life and never give that responsibility to other people” Key Points 1. Everything Is Your Fault Read that sentence again and internalize it. Everything in your life is your fault. Good. Bad. It doesn’t matter. It’s your fault. And that’s a good thing… If everything is your fault or, should we say, your responsibility, then you have control over everything in your life. When you take 100% responsibility for everything in your life and everything not in your life you are the only one who has the power to change things. Now I don’t know about you… But I would sure as hell prefer taking an uncomfortable amount of responsibility for my results than allowing someone else to determine my levels of achievement and success. Accept that everything is your fault. Unless you internalize this truth you will constantly give you power away and fail to reach the goals you have set. 2. Align Your Values with Your Daily Actions  One of the first steps to achieving the life that you want is defining the values that will drive you towards your dreams. Your values (should) determine how you conduct yourself, how you handle business, and how you treat others. This is not a matter to leave to chance or shirk off with a dismissive “It’s not really that important”. Living a life that is congruent with your values means the difference between living your biggest dreams and ambitions and wallowing away in mediocrity. When you have clearly thought through values that you have defined, written down, and committed to living in your day to day life, every decision becomes easier. You no longer have to debate decisions constantly in your head. You can simply analyze your options, refer back to your values, and make the decision that is most in line with your #1 priority. I challenge you to sit down after this interview has concluded and really think about your values. What do you value? What forces do you want driving and shaping your life? What outcomes are truly important to you and which ones are merely societally incepted b.s. that is incongruent with your deepest identity? When you can answer this question and authentically live it, life and all of the amazing experiences within it, are yours for the taking. 3. Your Most Valuable Asset is Your Mental Energy  People will often (mistakenly) tell you that your most precious resource is your time. They are wrong. Time is NOT your most valuable resource, mental energy is. Let me prove it… Multiple peer-reviewed studies have shown that your mental energy or “Willpower” is a finite resource. Much more finite than the #hustle generation wants to admit. The most commonly referred to research suggests that we only have 90-120 minutes per day of peak mental energy levels. And we only have about 5 hours a day of mental energy levels greater than 80%. Let’s do the math for a moment… If you live in a developed country, you have about 20,000 days or roughly 500,000 hours of life to live after the age of 18. However, of those 500,000 hours, your mental energy levels will only be at optimal  (80%+) levels for 145,000 of them! When you apply the laws of supply and demand you will quickly realize that your mental energy is worth about 300% more than your time! Crazy paradigm shift, huh? So now you understand why mental energy is your most precious resource. The question remains… What do we do about it? If you want to be a high performer then you must learn to work with your biology, not fight it. Dr. Hankel recommends that you shift your work schedule so that you tackle your most important tasks roughly 2-3 hours after waking. This is when your mental energy will peak and this will allow you to allocate your best focus time to important tasks. He further recommends taking frequent breaks throughout the day, working in 50-90 minute chunks, and using mental “Slump time” (typically 2-4 p.m.) to manage your most unimportant or simple tasks. 4. Prioritize Sleep More than You Think that You Should The great hustlers and movers of the world have done us all a disservice. They have glorified an unbalanced and unhealthy lifestyle that can lead to an early grave. You will often hear “Gurus” telling you to sleep only 4 hours a night, to draw inspiration from your dreams, to push through your exhaustion and just “Do IT!”. But they are all wrong. Unless you are one of the rare individuals with the DEC2 mutation you, quite literally, cannot function at optimal levels on less than 7.5 hours of sleep. (6 is a bare minimum) While you are sleeping your brain restore and repairs itself, allowing you to attack the next day with your mental energy firing on all levels. As we’ve already established, time isn’t your most valuable resource. Mental energy is. This means that the hours you “lose” sleeping you are actually “investing” in restoring your mental energy and operating at the peak capacities of which you are capable. 5. Everyone Should be an Entrepreneur  There is a common misconception that entrepreneurs are born not made. As technology continues to advance and the landscape of the workforce continues to change more and more people are realizing that “Part Time Entrepreneurship” is not only a worthwhile endeavor, it’s downright necessary. Company loyalty and pensions are a thing of the past. This is the era of the freelancer and the side hustler. If you want to “Make It” in today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, then you must develop your innate entrepreneurialism and find unique ways to generate income and create freedom in your life. Every single person reading this should keep their day job and start a side hustle. It will give you income, options, and most importantly freedom. You don’t have to be born with special skills and abilities, you simply need to find something that the market needs and provide it in a systematized and automated way.

Ryan Stewman is a high-performance sales coach and trainer who went from spending two stints in federal prison to building a multiple seven figure income. He is the author of several best-selling books including Kick-Ass, Bulletproof Business, Elevator to the Top, and Hardcore Closer. You can learn more and connect with Ryan at hardcorecloser.com Favorite Success Quote “You must take action before you can take over.” Key Points 1. Knowledge is Only Power if You Take Action  You often hear the phrase “Knowledge is Power”. This simply isn’t true. In and of itself, knowledge is useless. Knowledge doesn’t do anything. It can’t add money to your bank account. It can’t make you ripped. It can’t help you find the woman of your dreams. It can’t do a damn thing. As the (in)famous entrepreneur and investor Derek Sivers said: If [more]information was the answer we’d all be billionaires with six packs. But we aren’t and it isn’t. Knowledge is only power if it’s applied. It’s only worth a damn if you use it. It only matters when you leverage your knowledge to take massively informed action towards achieving the life of your dreams. 2. Everything But Death is Temporary  Everything in life is temporary. Good and bad. All of the pains, frustrations, and heartaches will eventually end. All of the success that you are enjoying will one day grind to a halt. Everything in your life will end. And this is a beautiful thing. Because life is temporary and fleeting, like the cliche feather in the wind, everything falls into place. When you are struggling you know that your struggles are temporary. When you are at the top, you take the time to savor the moment because you know that it will end. Keep perspective on your life, the good and the bad, by always remembering that “This too shall pass”. 3. Your Past Doesn’t Matter  This year alone, Ryan’s company will generate more multi-millions of dollars in revenue. Which illustrates a very important lesson… Your past doesn’t fucking matter. Who you were yesterday has no bearing on who you are today and Ryan is living proof of this. At 19, Ryan was strung out on every drug that you can imagine and dealing full time to make ends meet. He was eventually busted by the feds and sent to federal prison for several years. When he was released, he dove into the world of sales and eventually, was making so much money in real estate that he was again targeted by the police who thought he was still selling drugs. They raided his house and found zero evidence of any drug possession, use, or trafficking. In order to save face, they arrested for felon possession of a firearm (which resided in a legal grey zone). He was sentenced to prison again except this time, his then-wife stole all of his assets and left him for the man with whom she’d been having an affair. Talk about a mess, right? Upon his second release, Ryan dove into the world of sales again taking special care to keep his nose clean and, in the last two years, has grown his sales coaching business from $0 to multimillions in revenue. If a convicted felon and former junky who lost everything can rise from the ashes and rebuild his life to the top then so can you. So cut the excuses and quit using your past as a crutch. You are capable of achieving anything that you desire. But you have to overcome your excuses and hustle. 4. It’s All Sales  In life and business, you must become a master of sales. I know that the word conjures up images of sleazy used car dealers and snake oil peddlers but let me assure you, everything that you do is sales. Want to meet the woman of your dreams and convince her to marry you? That’s sales. Want to get funding for your new startup? That’s sales. Want to convince your kids that it’s important to read personal growth books and regularly exercise? That’s sales. Want to get your boss to give you a raise or move forward with one of your ideas? You guess it! Sales. Everything that you do is sales or, to put it in less cringy terminology, influence. If you lack this skill then your quality of life and success will suffer. If you can master it then the world is your oyster. 5. Take Massive Action. Fast Although I’ve already mentioned the importance of taking massive action in this article, it’s a point worth repeating. Experience is the best teacher and there is no book or course that can serve as a shortcut for rolling up your sleeves and getting your hands dirty. Your goal in business and life should be to acquire the MVIR or ‘minimum viable information required’ to take action on your next step. I’m not recommending that you simply take action without a plan or system to support you. I am saying that you should take action as soon as you have a concrete next step. You know what you need to do to improve your body, boost your income, or improve your love life. So go and do it. Once you’ve taken action, collect the MVIR for the next step and take action again. Information is important. But in a world where more than 2.5 million blog posts are published each day, information can also be a massive obstacle.

Tal Gur, a blogger, entrepreneur, and devoted adventurer, has spent a decade pursuing 100 major goals around the globe. But his journey had its challenges. Like most people, he faced crippling self-doubt and struggled for a sense of purpose. Behind every difficulty, he discovered a life-changing gift, and now he’s passing what he learned onto others. You can connect with him and learn more at talgur.me Favorite Success Quote “Happiness before goals” Key Points 1. Put Your Happiness Before Goals Happiness should not be something that we defer until we achieve a specific goal. It should be a state of being that we cultivate every single day. It should be an emotion that we make incredibly easy to achieve. If you are reading this blog right now you have a lot to feel happy about. You have your sight. You have an internet connection and a device that is more powerful than the computers NASA used to put a man on the moon. You have full control of your brain and an ability to comprehend complex ideas and sentences. You have a LOT to be happy about. So act like it. Lower your barrier to happiness. Make a conscious effort to cultivate more happiness in your life by making it stupid simple to feel happy. When you wake up each morning, take a moment to feel happy for the warm sheets and cozy blankets covering your body. When you walk into work (even if you hate it) be happy that you have some sort of employment. When you come home each day, be happy that you have a roof over your head and food in your belly. Be happy now. Because now is all that we have. 2. Fulfillment is Dependent on Direction So often people assume that fulfillment is dependent on achieving some goal or arriving at some arbitrary destination. It’s not. Fulfillment should depend on one thing and one thing only… Direction. Sit down in a quiet place later this week and really ask yourself what direction you want to take your life. Don’t tie this to a specific goal or outcome, simply a direction. Do you want to move in the direction of more physical fitness? Greater financial freedom? More love and abundance? Whatever you decide, write it down and then commit to take three actions each day that move you in that direction. 3. Pain is a Messenger  Most people try to ignore or hide from pain. This is like trying to put a bandaid on cancer. Pain is a messenger. It’s there to tell you that something is broken and you need to fix it. If you have a broken arm, a shot of morphine will numb the pain but it won’t solve the problem. You need to visit a hospital, get a cast, and allow your bones to heal. Pain in your life is the same way. If you are depressed, anxious, or feeling overwhelmed… Good. This is a sign that something in your life isn’t working. And you have the power to fix it. Whenever you experience pain don’t run from it. Feel it. Experience it fully and sit in it for a few hours. Ask yourself, “What is this pain trying to tell me?” Are you in the wrong job or relationship? Struggling to be disciplined with your finances? Overweight and unhealthy? Before you run from the pain always try to uncover why you are experiencing pain in the first place. Because until you solve the root cause of the problem, you will never truly overcome the pain. 4. Focus on Financial Freedom First  People will often begin their journey of self-transformation by trying to fix their relationships, their career, or pursuing more of their passions. In most cases, this approach is completely backward. The first step that you should take to building your dream life and achieving your biggest goals is to achieve financial freedom. Until you have the money to do what you want, when you want, with whom you want, everything else should be secondary. Financial freedom will revolutionize every aspect of your life. It will allow you to travel more and pursue your passions with greater ease. It will allow you to have more choices in your relationships and care for the people you love. It will allow you to take care of your body and give yourself the care and attention you truly need. Financial freedom opens the doors of life and allows you to pursue your dreams on your terms. Focus on getting your money right first, and the rest will follow. 5. Pick One Thing and Stick With it to Completion  One of the most powerful ways to improve your quality of life is to master the art of single focusing on a task to completion. Life isn’t short. We make it short by chasing too many goals at once and filling our time with unnecessary garbage. By learning to pick a goal or project and see it through to completion, you will unlock one of the master skills of life and learn that you can accomplish anything you want with the right sequencing and a little perseverence. Pick one goal and stick to it. The benefits will be enormous.

Steve Sims is a kid from London with a knack for networking and an attitude that refuses to believe the word “Impossible”. Founder of the super exclusive, membership only personal concierge service for VIPs and executives seeking the ultimate in unique experiences and travel for themselves and their companies, Steve Sims is an unlikely expert marketer within the luxury industry. But his secret to success is that he’s built a life out of keeping his word, and not taking no for an answer. Profiled and often quoted in international publications including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, London’s Sunday Times, and South China Morning Post, TV and Sims is a sought-after speaker at a variety of prestigious organizations such as the Pentagon and Harvard! Whether you want to sing with your favorite rock star, have lunch with Donald Trump, get married in the Vatican, or dive to the wreck of the Titanic, Steve Sims is the guy who gets to yes when the answer for anyone else would be no. You can connect with him and learn more at stevedsims.com Favorite Success Quote “No one ever drowned by falling in the water. They drowned by staying there.” ~Steve’s Father Key Points 1. It’s Not About How You Go Down It’s About How You Get Up  Life is hard. It will kick the crap out of you and leave you on the ground and there is very little you can do to avoid this. So stop trying to fight failure and accept it. You are GOING to fail. You are going to mess up. You are going to make bad decisions. You are going to lose money. You are going to fail at important relationships. You are going to fall down. But that’s not what is important. Everyone in the history of humanity has fallen down. What history cares about, what the marketplace and the “gods” of success care about is how you get up. If you are willing to pick yourself up off the ground, get back up, and start swinging again, life will reward you greatly. If you are willing to push through adversity, smile in the face of failure, and persevere no matter how many times you fall down, you will eventually succeed. Failure is inevitable. It’s what you do after you fail that makes all the difference. 2. People Will Pay to Avoid Rejection and Humiliation  If you are struggling to make ends meet, one of the quickest ways that you can increase your income is by becoming comfortable with rejection and humiliation. People all over the world will pay handsomely to avoid the discomfort of rejection. It’s simply part of human nature. Humiliation and rejection are not pleasurable experiences. But if you can learn to overcome your fear of rejection and humiliation and then leverage that skill to help others, there is no limit to the amount of money and influence you can create. 3. Communication Opens the Doors of Life  The “Secret Sauce” to becoming wildly successful in 2018 and beyond is simple… Master the art of communication. While everyone else stares down at their cell phones, stays addicted to their Crackberries, and struggle to make small talk while they’re in line for a coffee, you can accelerate your success by learning to communicate. Learn how to cut through the bullshit and start interesting conversations. Master the art of building reciprocity. Learn how to persuade people and connect with power players. Master the art of gift giving. Become a master communicator and the world will become your oyster. Our society is slowly but surely losing its ability to connect and collaborate. If you can maintain and improve your ability to network and build authentic relationships, there is no limit to what you can achieve. 4. Be Memorable  The worst crime that you can commit in a social situation is to be boring. The world is filled with boring and uninteresting people. It’s your job to stand out from the crowd, be authentic, and be memorable. This doesn’t mean that you should be an obnoxious clown or some sort of ass hole. It simply means that you must learn how to stand out in people’s minds. Learn how to make people feel special and how to present yourself in a way that is unique and unexpected. If you can successfully position yourself as a memorable and interesting individual you will have an abundance of business opportunities and romantic relationships coming your way. 5. Throw Sh*t at the Wall and See What Sticks  Life is about experimenting. Try out 1,000 things this year until you figure out what you like. Try three new things a day. Talk to as many strangers as you can. Throw shit at the wall and see what sticks.

Sam Morris is the founder of Zen Warrior Training®. In 1999, just after leading a bicycling trip for nine teenagers across the United States, Sam was in a car accident caused by a drunk driver which left him paralyzed from the waist down. Rather than becoming the victim of his circumstances, Sam learned and created a system of attitude training that brought him more vitality and clarity than he ever had before his injury. In addition to coaching private clients and businesses in Zen Warrior Training®, Sam hosts biweekly classes in Santa Monica, CA and leads community talks and workshops throughout the country. You can connect with Sam and learn more about him at zenwarriortraining.com Favorite Success Quote Self-consciousness is a lack of consciousness of the self Key Points 1. Expand Your Relationship with Yourself Beyond Your Mind  So often we get stuck in a place where our relationship with ourselves is limited only to our mind and the incessant mental chatter happening within it. From this place, it becomes difficult to understand who you truly are, what you want, and what you must do to achieve the range of experiences that you desire in this lifetime. Your breaths are shallow, your thoughts are cluttered with the opinions and expectations of others, and your truth is being clouded by noise, the ego, and your lack of presence. But when you expand your relationship with yourself beyond your mind, everything changes. When you get into your body and begin experiencing more frequent states of flow and presence, your reality changes. You no longer worry about what you said yesterday or fret about what you must do tomorrow. You are able to simply “Be” in this moment without judgment or criticism. And when you’re in this place of presence and freedom from judgment, you can be 100% you. I challenge you to make a conscious effort to get into your body this week. Go surfing, pick up an instrument, train parkour, lift heavy weights, do something that jolts you out of your head and into your body. Because when you are in your body and focused on your movements you are present, and when you are present, life opens up in ways that you can’t imagine. 2. Presence Frees You From Your Bullshit  When you are living in the past or the future, it’s easy to get stuck in your bullshit. Think about it… If you’re living in the past, you are thinking about what you did wrong, or how you could have done something better, or how you said this or didn’t say that. You are stuck in an endless loop, experiencing the same “negative” event over and over again in your head. This lack of presence eeks its way into your present moment and you begin to doubt yourself during conversations and constantly overanalyze yourself and your actions because you are so hung up on yesterday’s mistakes. Living in the future is no different. If you’re constantly focused on what you want to achieve tomorrow and the life you will have someday, then you aren’t focused on the amazing life you are living right now. And if you have the ability to read this article, you do have an amazing life. By getting present, you are able to be free from the bullshit. With presence, you cannot dwell on past mistakes and personal criticisms. You cannot get caught up in projecting a future that makes you dissatisfied with your current reality. When you are present, you are free. 3. Presence Accelerates the Human Experience Everything that you do is amplified by the power of presence. Everything… All of the greatest human experiences from creation to sex to friendship to adversity are all amplified by getting present. When you are present with a woman, your anxiety disappears and you are able to reveal yourself to her in a way that is completely and totally authentic. When you are present at work, you can tap into flow states and execute your craft masterfully in half the time that it would take if you were distracted. When you are present with yourself, you are in tune with your body and emotions and all the lessons to be learned from them (more on that later). Presence amplifies existence. Get present. 4. Success without a Strong Internal Identity is Inevitable Failure  One of the greatest mistakes a man can make is to tie his identity to something other than himself. When a man’s identity is contingent on his relationship with his woman, his work, his possessions, or anything outside of himself, his identity is inherently fragile and ripe for disruption. No one is impervious to the harsh realities of unexpected change. From a lay off to a divorce to an unexpected death, there are thousands of things that can disrupt your life and completely wreck all of the things that you now hold dear. And if your identity is wrapped up in these things, when they go, so too does your sense of self. If your identity is outside of yourself then it doesn’t take much to raze your identity and leave you feeling lost and uncertain about who you are. By cultivating a strong internal identity, you allow yourself to experience the storms of life with all of the pain and joy that comes with them. You experience everything but can be beaten by nothing. You are who you are. And that’s more than enough. 5. Feelings Are Teachers  Human emotions are the greatest teachers we’ve ever met. Whether positive or negative, any emotion that you feel is there to teach you something. It could be there to confirm that you are doing well, such as the bliss that you feel when you look at your partner, or the satisfaction that comes from a full day’s work. It could be to inform you that how you are acting is not working, such as the tension in your gut when it comes time to pay the bills or the apprehension you feel about getting your yearly physical. Or they could be there to tell you that the path you are on ultimately will not serve you such as the inexplicable “Gut feelings” so many of us receive whenever we are unknowingly out of alignment with our highest calling. If you are going to live this life to the fullest and truly embrace this existence, you must learn to feel your emotions, embody them, learn from them… Don’t flee from them. Never allow your emotions to scare or control you, but always notice them and give them the attention and intention that they deserve. Your emotions are your mentors and your guides on this crazy journey. Follow them and you will learn more than you ever imagined. Next Steps We’re on a mission to impact a million men with powerful life changing content. If you enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends on your preferred social network on the left. I spent a ridiculous amount of time creating this article for you and with your support, we can impact the world together. Do you want my help? Then click here to join my elite community of 800+ high-performing men and get access to powerful coaching to close the gap from where you are now to where you want to be, The Secrets of the Top 1% of Men. Not only will you get tapped into your own “band of brothers”, but you’ll also have access to the best damn content and training available for men as well as weekly group calls with my team of transformative coaches. No whiny boys, complainers or dabblers, for serious men only. If you’re ready to push the boundaries of what’s possible in your life and become the man you’ve always wanted to be. This is the fastest way to do it.

Jeff Hoffman is a successful entrepreneur, proven CEO, worldwide motivational speaker, published author, Hollywood film producer, and a producer of a Grammy-winning jazz album in 2015. He has been the founder of multiple startups, has been the CEO of both public and private companies, and has served as a senior executive in many capacities. Jeff has been part of a number of well-known companies, including Priceline.com. uBid.com, ColorJar, and more. Jeff is a featured business expert seen on Fox News, Fox Business, CNN, CNN International, Bloomberg News, CNBC, ABC, and NPR, and in publications including Forbes, Inc., Time, Fast Company, the Wall Street Journal, and more. You can find out more about Jeff and the work that he is doing by visiting his website at jeffhoffman.com Key Points 1. Don’t Fear Failure… Fear Not Trying  Failure is an inevitable part of life. Most of us spend our whole lives trying to escape and avoid it when we should be running towards it. We’ve been taught our whole lives that failure is somehow a bad thing, that it means you aren’t a “real” man, or that you aren’t good enough. In reality, failure is simply feedback. Instead of running from failure, embrace it. Learn to fear not trying instead of failing. … When you fail, you grow, you learn, and you improve. When you allow your fear of failure to control your actions you end up paralyzed and never take action. As a result, you stagnate, burn out, and eventually die with your best work inside of you. 2. Follow your Curiosity and Ignore the Labels It’s easy to allow your label to control you. Think about it… How many times have you thought to yourself “Wow, I’d love to dive into real estate investing, but I’m in IT, I can’t do that” Or “I would really enjoy learning how to dance the Tango, but I’m a powerlifter so that’ll never happen” Or even… “I’d really love to produce an album but I’m a marketing guy… That’s not really my style” We get so caught up in our own labels that we prevent ourselves from pursuing our deepest passions and curiosity. Remember: You are a learning machine… Not an occupation.  Just because you make money in a certain way or have been in a specific niche for a long time doesn’t mean that you can’t learn new skills. … It doesn’t mean that you can’t pursue new hobbies, passions, and businesses. As Joseph Campbell says, “Follow your bliss”. Pursue what makes you curious, no matter how odd or out of character it may seem. At the end of the day, the person who wins at life is the person who leaves it all on the field. So stop holding back from life because your interests don’t conform to your label. 3. Stick to One Pursuit at a Time  Although it’s important that you have a wide variety of interests and hobbies to pursue, it’s even more important that you understand how to successfully pursue each interest. How do you do this? … One at a time. Although Jeff has a wide variety of achievements and accolades ranging from the transportation business to the music & film industry to consulting and keynote speaking, he didn’t try to accomplish all of these things at once. He devoted himself single-mindedly to each task for a period of 3-5 years. In your own life, you can do anything that you want. But you must learn to focus on only one thing at a time… As the old adage goes, “The fox who chases two rabbits catches none.” Pick one passion, define what constitutes “success” with regards to that passion, pursue it single-mindedly until you achieve your goal an then move on. 4. Eradicate Your Fear of Failure with This Simple Exercise  If you are afraid of failure, then listen up. I’m about to share a fool proof strategy to eradicate your fear and move forward with your life. Are you ready? Then here it is… Anytime you are afraid of failing, dive into your failure. Ask yourself “What will happen if I fail and how can I recover?” For example, if you are considering starting a new business and you fail miserably, what will actually happen? … And more importantly, how can you minimize the damage? If you fail at the entrepreneurial endeavor you can: Move back in with your parents Get a 9-5 corporate job for 6-12 months Save every penny that you can Try again When you break it down, it doesn’t seem so scary, right? The concept of failure is often more terrifying than failure itself. When you look at the reality of your situation, you will quickly realize that you can overcome any setback with relative ease and quickly get back on your feet if things go South. So feel the fear. Figure out your escape plan. And then take action. 5. Begin with the End in Mind  One of the biggest mistakes that most entrepreneurs make is that they begin without a clear end goal in mind. They set all of these wild goals and ambitions but never really know where the path is ultimately going to take them. Before you set out to achieve anything, you need to begin with the end in mind. What counts as success? What counts as failure? What quantifiable metrics can you use to determine whether or not you’ve achieved success? When you have a clear end game in mind, the day to day tasks of pursuing a goal becomes much simpler. You know exactly what you need to do, what you need to avoid, and how you can expedite the path to your goal. Take some time to sit down after listening to this interview and write out answers to the following: What does success look like in my: Relationships Finances Career Personal development Physical health Spirituality When you know exactly what you are trying to get out of life, life has a way of helping you succeed. Begin with the end in mind and your path to success will be far smoother and simpler. 6. Make People Understand Your “Why”  Oftentimes, as men, we get so caught up in our careers and finances that we can neglect important relationships and connections in our life. One of the reasons that this is so easy to do is that we understand the bigger picture and just assume that everyone else in our life understands it as well. We think to ourselves, “I’m working this hard for my family, for my community, and for our future… Surely they understand”. But we never actually take the time to sit the important people down and help them understand why we are pushing so hard. Your wife and kids probably don’t know why you are always at the office. They assume that work is more important than they are and that you’d rather work than spend time with them. Even when this isn’t the case… As such, it’s important that you sell your proverbial “Board of Directors” (the important people in your life) on the “Why” of what you’re doing. Why are you working so hard to build this business or advance your career? Is it to… Retire early Pay for your kid’s college Take your wife on a 3 year round the world trip Get out of debt and have the money to work less than 10 hours a week Enjoy a better quality of life Give back to your community and make a real difference Why are you doing what you’re doing? Once you have the answer for yourself, share it with the important people in your life. More often than not, they will understand and rally to help you. 7. Ideas are Welcomed, Execution is Worshiped  Simply put, ideas are great but execution is where the magic happens. You can think and come up with ideas all day long. But if you don’t get your ass out of the chair and make moves to achieve your goals, you will remain stuck exactly where you are. Execution is everything. Without the grit and determination to take action and make things happen, you will never succeed. Become a master action taker and the world is yours. 8. Your Success is Someone Else’s Miracle  We live in such a guilt ridden society that it can be easy to get trapped in the mindset that success is dirty. … It’s easy to believe that making money is wrong and that you should give away all of your surplus. But this is a false concept. The more successful you are, the more power and influence you can exert to help others. When you have millions of dollars in the bank, it’s much easier to make a difference when disaster strikes. When you have vibrant physical health, it’s much easier to help others overcome their own challenges. When you are successful, you can show up as a miracle in someone else’s life. If you want to make a real difference in the world, then success is your duty and obligation. Forget what you’ve been told… Becoming successful doesn’t make you greedy or power hungry. It gives you the ability to make a difference. 9. What is Enough? In pursuit of any goal, whether its… Financial success Career success Marriage Physical health Travel & Adventure Or fame You must know when enough is enough. When can you call it quits and move on to the next goal or activity? If you don’t have a clear end game in mind, it’s easy to get caught in the comparison trap and waste your life constantly trying to compete with other people and buy the biggest boat, fastest car, or most luxurious mansion in town. Ask yourself… “What do I really need to be happy and feel fulfilled?” There’s no right answer for everyone, but the more clearly you can figure out what you need to be happy, the easier it will be to achieve it. Forget keeping up with the Joneses and showing off on Instagram. Figure out what brings you joy and makes you feel fulfilled and then go achieve it. Next Steps We’re on a mission to impact a million men with powerful life changing content. If you enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends on your preferred social network on the left. I spent a ridiculous amount of time creating this article for you and with your support, we can impact the world together. Do you want my help? Then click here to join my elite community of 800+ high-performing men and get access to powerful coaching to close the gap from where you are now to where you want to be, The Secrets of the Top 1% of Men. Not only will you get tapped into your own “band of brothers”, but you’ll also have access to the best damn content and training available for men as well as weekly group calls with my team of transformative coaches. No whiny boys, complainers or dabblers, for serious men only. If you’re ready to push the boundaries of what’s possible in your life and become the man you’ve always wanted to be. This is the fastest way to do it.