The Foundation for All Success
It doesn’t matter how fast you can go, it doesn’t matter how much passion you have, and it doesn’t matter how much energy you put into something. If you don’t have a vision and clarity on the destination you want to reach, you’ll simply never get there. You can buy the most expensive Ferrari in the world and drive as fast as you possibly can, but if don’t know where you’re going, you’ll get nowhere quickly. Would you rather drive a Ferrari off a cliff at 200 miles per hour or drive a Prius to the promised land?
If you feel overwhelmed daily because of a lack of time, distractions, or your own procrastination, I would bet you a shiny nickel that you don’t accurately know where you want to go in life. When you have no idea about your direction, you tend to spend your time doing things that are preventing you from making more money, receiving promotions, seeing your family more, or even just enjoying life at an optimal level. And while you’re doing these things that are in no way serving your future, you’re forced to say no to doing the things that could further your business, your income, and your happiness.
On the flip side, when you have a clear vision for your life, you’ll stop wasting time on the things not serving your dreams, goals, or aspirations. Your actions will have purpose and your hours will be spent achieving those goals. Your procrastination will cease because you’ll know with 100 percent certainty what you cannot put off anything until tomorrow.
The Villain Within
A Navajo woman told her grandson a story about how we all have two wolves that live inside us, constantly battling one another. It starts with the grandmother sitting her grandson down and explaining to him that, “One of the wolves is jealous, has envy in his soul, is malicious, and has a scarcity mind-set. To that wolf, everything in the world is wrong and unpleasant. He believes that people are mostly bad, things are no good, and the world is a cold place.
As you can imagine, nothing good ever happens for that wolf because it is a negative, pessimistic animal, always seeing things as glass-half-empty.” Then the woman says to her grandson, “But you also have a different, powerful wolf that lives inside you. This wolf has empathy, love, compassion, and positivity, and knows it can accomplish anything it puts its heart and soul into. This wolf sees the bright side of everything and constantly sees things glass-half-full. And grandson, this wolf, the powerful wolf, can take you to so many amazing places.”
Then the grandson looks at his grandmother and says, “Well, which wolf wins the battle, Grandma?” She replies, “The one you feed, grandson. The one you feed.”
The Power of Your Story
Our inner villain tells us the stories that hold us back. If you’ll recall the ways in which that villain sabotages us, you’ll understand that he does so by telling us those stories again and again—stories that we believe are fact, even when they’re nothing of the sort. What we need to do is figure out what stories we should be telling ourselves—the ones aligned with the new vision we have for our lives, the ones that enable us to leave our old story in the past.
The habit of aligning your story with your vision takes a little work. But aren’t your wealth, happiness, and future success worth a little effort now for a better tomorrow? Of course they are. So get engaged, roll up your sleeves, and let’s do the work.
To flesh out the stories and flush out the self-limiting beliefs in your life, we must move some of them to the forefront of your mind. To do this, think about in which area of your life you want to experience the biggest breakthrough. Since you are reading this book, the odds are that making more money, starting or expanding your own business, or finding work you love represent breakthrough areas for you. So stop for a moment and ask yourself why these things you desire have not happened yet. Make sure you don’t filter your responses; don’t make excuses, offer rationalizations, or go into denial. Be honest and write the reasons you haven’t achieved the breakthroughs you desire.
Look to the future and think about what these stories will continue to cost you if you don’t change them. On your journey to where you want to go in life, how might these stories get in your way? Think about your life in 5 years, 10 years, or maybe even 20 years; what did you miss out on again because of these stories and beliefs? Close your eyes and imagine missing out on a great opportunity at some point in the future. Let yourself experience the pain of that missed opportunity. Are you really going to give these stories so much power? Recognize what they have cost you and what they will continue to cost you.
Awaken the Inner Hero
When the inner hero runs your life, you are filled with confidence and optimism, and are a solutions-focused person. When the villain is in charge, it’s the polar opposite, robbing you of the courage, energy, and confidence to make the shifts toward the best you. This mind-set ends today.
This process isn’t about turning you into something you’re not—changing an introvert into an extrovert, for instance. It’s about accomplishing something deeper, better, and more custom tailored to you, and only you, that can last a lifetime. Once the villain doesn’t run your life, but your confident inner hero does, the possibilities are limitless and you will know what it is like to tap into the best you.
But here is the million-dollar question: How do we make sure that confidence is always there for us when we need it? Think back to a time when your confidence surged because of something amazing that happened. Maybe you did something in your job, or at home, or in the gym that had you look in the mirror and subconsciously pound your chest and say, “Yeah, I did that!” In that moment you got a glimpse of what the power of an instant surge of confidence can do to your state of mind.
All confidence, all change, and all new things start with courage. When somebody bungee jumps for the first time, it’s not confidence that gets him to jump off the ledge, it’s courage. Courage is walking through a door and not knowing what is on the other side. Courage makes you get off the bench, raise your hand, and get in the game rather than judging or envying others from the sidelines.
One Shining Goal
Next levels are always scary. To go from kindergarten to 1st grade is scary. Going from 8th grade to high school is scary. Graduating 12th grade and making your way to college is scary. It’s scary dating someone new, scary getting engaged, scary getting married, scary having kids, buying a first house, starting a new job, starting a new life, meeting new friends, or even just riding a bike when you’re three. You get my point: Every change, every next level is scary!
But we have our biggest breakthroughs when we push through the scary changes, don’t we? Our next level is always on the other side of an obstacle and always on the other side of a challenge. The people who are afraid to go through the challenge are the ones who stay stuck in their lives.
How many people do you know who were rising in their careers, whose incomes were increasing, and who were becoming happier, and then they hit a wall? Maybe they encountered an obstacle they couldn’t get around or a challenge they didn’t know how to meet. More likely, their fear of the obstacle or challenge stopped them in their tracks. What they didn’t realize is that their next level of life was most likely right on the other side of whatever barrier caused them to become stuck in place!
Whatever your dangers and fears are, list all of them right now and think about what stands in the way of reaching your goal. This will allow you to visualize the fears that are paralyzing you from taking action, the exact things that are holding you back from starting or expanding a business, or even simply making more money.
Stand with pride, say it out loud, and maybe even pound your chest and say, “No way am I going to let those hold me back from the opportunity to evolve my life and my finances!” Do you want those opportunities to die or even worse, that you miss your chance to pounce on them like you may have missed them in the past? Heck, no. You truly have so many options to live your true purpose. The opportunity to make more money, protect your family, and live the life you desire is now! Carpe diem: seize the moment.