The "IT" is whatever you want to make a reality. For our purposes, we'll discuss how to "Make Your New Business" a reality, but you can apply this knowledge to create almost anything from scratch.
Without permission.
Without any bosses.
Without someone telling you no, no, NO you CANNOT do that.
Without the roadblocks you've encountered in the past.
And without that monkey voice in your head telling you that you're not good enough, that people will judge you, that you should just keep your head down and work for someone else.
We're going to put an end to that nonsense once and for all.
We're going to blow through the obstacles and put you on track to outperform your wildest expectations in 2022, inflation and viruses be damned.
Ready?
First and foremost, accept the fact that you will fail along the way. Failure is an inevitable part of the process of developing an idea into a six, seven, or eight-figure business. When you fail, you learn what doesn't work, which provides important clues about what does.
To turn your idea into a business, you'll need to have a lot of guts. People will tell you all kinds of nonsense about how you won't be able to do it. Your brain will also try to keep you from moving forward. But don't worry, I'll show you how to get around both of these impediments in a flash.
After you've had your reality check, I'd like to give you something.
Permission.
You have my, God's, and the Universe's permission to build your business.
YOU HAVE PERMISSION TO BEGIN RIGHT NOW.
We've been taught since we were children that we need permission to do things.
First, we'll hear from our parents.
Then there were our teachers and professors.
Finally, from our bosses.
Forget it. You are hereby granted permission to do whatever you want to start and run your business.
Consider that for a moment. I've seen people cry when they were told they had permission because it was the realization that they'd been waiting for someone – anyone – to give them permission to move on and live their own lives.
Some people spend their entire lives waiting for permission to simply be themselves. However, the only permission you require is your own.
ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN TO MAKE IT HAPPEN
Step 1: Get started
Step 2: Complete
Step 3: Ship.
Assume you want to create and sell an online course.
1: You must first begin building the course. Not just talking about it, but actually making the outline, filling it in, and building the course one lesson at a time.
2: After that, you must complete the course. Starting the course is pointless unless you finish it. No, it will not be flawless. Perfection is something that people put off finishing because they know that once it's finished, it's time to share it with the rest of the world. So forget about perfection. Make it less than perfect in order to complete that beautiful course.
3: Finally, it's time to 'ship,' which in this case means having a way to launch that course into the world. You could create a website with a sales letter and drive traffic to it, or you could use one of the online course portals like Udemy. There comes a time when you must release your 'baby' into the world, which can be the most difficult step of all because there is only one way to know for sure if people want your product, and that is to start selling it.
Allow me to whisper something into your ear...
You have the option of making your ideas a reality or dying with them still inside of you. And, to be honest, I can't think of anything more depressing than living a life full of regrets about all the things you could have done if only you'd made them happen.
When you decide to make it happen, you start the process of gradually realizing your goal – something you thought you'd never be able to do.
Anything is possible when you combine your desire with your effort.
Anything.
Bring your concept to life.
It's for you.
For me.
For everyone. Even if some people say you can't or shouldn't do it.
How to Deal with Doubters
In the world, there are two kinds of people:
The first type is the person who maintains the status quo. These people follow 'the rules.' They will tell you 'how things are.' Anyone who does not follow those rules is referred to as 'foolish' or worse.
They'll tell you to get a job, put your head down, and stop fantasizing. "If that was a good idea, someone would have done it already," they'll say.
The status quo people want to keep the current system in place and do not want things to change. To them, everything must remain 'normal.' When things change (such as a pandemic), they want to "return to normal."
But keep in mind that there is no such thing as a universal 'normal.' Normal is simply a perception that people have based on their experiences. It's an illusion, and you, the creator, are aware that you have the ability to shape your own reality and even change how others perceive what is normal.
Consider Bill Gates. Was Windows a 'normal' operating system before he invented it? No way. And your business has the potential to change the world.
The rebel is the other type of person. The business owner. The creator. The individual who reads the rules and concludes that they were written for someone else.
This individual deviates from the status quo. They take chances. They see opportunities and possibilities. They are audacious in their thinking and actions. They cause havoc, for better or worse. They occasionally break things. Through their creativity, they create change.
The rebel opposes the status quo. They have a tendency to question and challenge authority. And the status quo despises this. They don't want questions; they just want people to follow them.
We need the status quo to keep things running on a daily basis. But we need rebels to take us to the next level. Both are necessary, but for obvious reasons, they don't get along.
What should you do if your status-quo spouse tells you to stop dreaming and building your business?
Thank them.
Thank them for everything they do to keep your family and household running smoothly. To get the kids to school, work their job, or take care of the house.
They are the foundation upon which your business can be built. You can tell they're scared. They're terrified. They are frightened by your dreams and your business. Please be understanding. Show them that you could keep earning that $50,000 a year salary or you could build a business that brings in $500,000 a year for your family. And you opt for the latter because it is who you are.
You might not be able to persuade them to change their minds. You may not receive their full support. But if you understand that they are acting out of fear, that their way of thinking is actually providing a solid foundation from which to launch your business, and that you love them all the same, you don't have to think of them as the enemy. They aren't. They simply think differently than you do, which is fine.
Love them for who they are, and chances are they will return the favor. You can have disagreements while still loving each other.
The same is true for your friends. When they oppose your dreams or business goals, treat them with respect. If they continue to irritate you, make a plan to meet with them in a year. By then, your business will have taken off and may even be making a profit.
The majority of people believed that man could not fly. Then the Wright Brothers flew, and everyone realized that, yes, people could fly.
It's the same with your business. They may tell you that you can't do it, but once you've done it, they won't be able to deny that, yes, you have a profitable business, and could you please give them some advice on how to start theirs?
Making IT Happen will require time, effort, focus, and energy. You may also require thick skin.
Use your passion to help you overcome setbacks and failures. Learn to roll with the punches and keep going. Ask yourself, "What's good about this?" after each setback. There is always something positive about it.
Your first course was a flop? Discover why, and you'll be a lot closer to making your next course a success. Is your best friend being a jerk about your new venture? Use their criticism as a motivator to work even harder to prove them wrong with your success.
Wait, if it's difficult work, why bother starting a business?
Because of leverage.
Set aside a moment when you have a dream of starting your own business, writing a book, or doing whatever it is that you want to do, and consider this...
Employees are paid a set salary in exchange for not having to deal with problems, setbacks, naysayers, overhead, and so on. They give up 40 hours per week plus travel time in exchange for a paycheck and peace of mind.
The entrepreneur, on the other hand, experiences more than just setbacks, headaches, and challenges. If the entrepreneur is successful, he or she will receive the lion's share of the profits.
Assume you're working on that course we discussed earlier.
If you price it at $100 and sell 100 copies, you've made $10,000. It's $100,000 if you sell 1000 copies. And if you sell 10,000 copies, you've made a million dollars.
The work remains the same regardless of how many you sell. And if you hit it big, the rewards can be massive.
But there's a HUGE impediment between you and success...
The Enemy Within
You've unintentionally accumulated a lifetime of bad habits whether you're 20 or 80.
The most dangerous of these habits may be the habit of safety.
Your primitive brain, also known as your brain stem, regulates all of your vital bodily functions such as breathing and heart rate. It is trying to keep you alive. And it thinks anything new is bad. That's why it does everything it can to keep you occupied with safe activities like watching television, playing solitaire, watching sports, and so on.
Your brain stem tells you that these safe activities make you feel safe and that trying new things is dangerous, even if it isn't.
The primitive brain has no concept of lofty dreams or goals. Survival is everything to it, and the familiar means survival, whereas anything new is perceived as a threat.
You may set aside time to work on your course or build your business, but your brain stem will steer you towards safer activities such as cleaning the kitchen or napping.
If you want to 'Make IT Happen,' you must reprogram your brain. The good news is that it is simpler than you think. All you need is a healthy dose of perseverance and consistency to get the job done.
Brain Reprogramming for Success
Every time you repeat a habit, whether good or bad, it strengthens the neural trench network.
Consider a perfectly manicured field of knee-high grass. It barely shows if you walk across that field once. Repeat the same route several times, and you'll find a path. You'll have a trail if you walk that path hundreds of times. You can make a dirt road by walking the trail thousands of times.
The more you repeat an action, the faster your brain will guide you back to it and the easier it will be for you to take it.
However, if you abandon that path, the field will eventually heal itself. And if you stop doing bad habits, your brain will be reprogrammed to stop directing you toward those bad habits.
How does one go about reprogramming their brain?
1: Discipline is number one. According to studies, you have far more discipline in the morning than any other time of day. That is why, if at all possible, you should begin a new habit as soon as you wake up, when your discipline is at its peak. For example, if you're creating a course, devote 30 minutes to it each morning before doing anything else.
2: Focus. Instead of tackling your work in haphazard fashion, concentrate on just one thing at a time. One video in your course, one chapter in your book, one page of your website, and so on. Don't try to break every bad habit or form every new good habit all at once. Concentrate your efforts and build on them.
3: Be daring. Don't strive for a minor goal when a major one will energize you. Do what they say is impossible. What goal will have you jumping out of bed at 6 a.m. with the zeal of a child on Christmas morning?
4: Control Your Environment. Clutter, like distractions, is not conducive to getting work done. Make a dedicated workspace for your work.
5: Take DAILY, CONSTANT ACTION. Take action every single day for the next six weeks, without fail. Take daily action for the next 52 weeks until the habits of starting, finishing, and shipping are so ingrained that it's nearly impossible not to do these things.
6: Habit Stack. When the brain learns a new song, it does not simply connect the notes already stored in your memory. It will instead create a region that encodes the entire song. Similarly, by stacking one new good habit on top of an existing good habit, you can create an entirely new brain region dedicated to this habit stack.
For instance, if you already get up early in the morning, add a new habit like writing for 30 minutes as soon as you wake up. Stack the habit of taking a 5-minute break and then writing for another 30-minutes after 3 weeks. Alternatively, incorporate the habit of going for a run. When you add a new habit to the stack, the entire stack is rewritten in your brain, making the entire stack automatic and requiring almost no discipline to accomplish each day.
Distractions are the enemy.
Distractions are the enemy of achieving your goals. No, I'm not suggesting you don't have a life. But when it comes time to work on your business each day, that is all you should do. You don't call your bestie to have deep philosophical discussions. You don't keep the house clean. You don't take a walk or do anything else besides work on your business.
Distractions are your enemy, repeat to yourself.
At first, your primitive brain will send all kinds of distractions to keep you from working. You'll suddenly remember that you need to add something to your shopping list, call someone, respond to an email, and so on.
Do. It. Later.
When these distractions appear, jot them down on a piece of paper and then return to your work. Do not attempt to do them, no matter how quick they might seem.
If you need to do some online research, make a note of it and do it after your work is finished. You've probably heard of the internet's rabbit hole. A 30-second search can easily turn into a three-hour expedition that accomplishes nothing and leaves you wondering where the time went.
Feed Your Brain
Every day, when you're not working, read challenging books and articles. Feed your brain with new ideas and perspectives on problems. Engage in conversations with people who are intellectually superior to you.
Avoid or limit your time spent watching television and movies. Sleeping is literally better for your brain than passively watching television. If you must watch your favorite show, bring a notepad with you and challenge yourself to come up with ten new ideas based on what you see and hear on the show. That's 10 new ideas for every 30 minutes of air time, for a total of 40 new ideas in a two-hour movie.
Begin right now.
Simply... begin. I've been flapping my fingers here for a while now, and it's possible you've missed or forgotten that none of this will matter if you don't start.
Perhaps you don't know where to begin. Simply begin.
Or perhaps you don't know every step of the way. Who does it? Plans change as you get closer to your goal, and sometimes goals completely change. That's fine as long as you just get started.
Nobody knows what they're going to do before they start. They're delusory if they believe they do. Not every adversity or opportunity can be predicted.
But you must act NOW because actions repeated consistently over time create habits, and habits create momentum, and momentum can propel you to your goals and beyond.
The Hidden Project Killer
Even if you do everything we've discussed thus far, you may still fail if you aren't prepared to deal with the Killer of Projects.
This assassin is cunning, assassinating your dreams without your knowledge. Worse, you'll be accused of laziness because you never shipped your products.
Yes, you had a great idea and created a product or service around it. Then... nothing.
Everyone who has ever accomplished something significant has had to overcome their fear of what others will think.
People procrastinate and never finish because they are afraid of being exposed. On a more personal level, consider the following:
• You're not sure if your work is good enough.
• You are concerned about how others will react.
• You are afraid that people will mock you and your work.
• You're wondering if you're a phony.
• You consider abandoning the project entirely.
• You put off finishing your project because it isn't perfect yet.
• There is always something impeding your ability to ship your product.
Does this sound familiar?
If this describes you, STOP.
There is no angry mob with pitchforks outside your window, and there never will be.
There is also no horde of enraged critics salivating at the prospect of tearing your work to shreds.
You're concerned that your tribe won't approve of your work, but what you don't realize is that there is no tribe. That group of people you imagine will be hanging on your every comma in your work does not exist. They are not a tribe at all, but rather a group of individuals, each with their own set of problems and challenges. They are just as terrified as you are. Everyone is so preoccupied with their own lives that they don't have time or inclination to be concerned about yours.
Your product exists to assist them in some way, to provide them with a benefit, and it is only for those who want and need it, so everyone else is irrelevant. Customers will love you and your work by definition – that's why they're your customers. And, no, they won't notice the flaws that kept you awake at night.
There is no one looking over your shoulder, so take a deep breath and relax. Did you receive 20 positive and 1 negative review? I don't need to ask which one you're considering. Stop worrying. Is some jerk crying into the void because they don't like your product? What's the big deal? Why does it matter?
Any publicity is good publicity. Even the best movies and books have received negative feedback. Even the most well-liked people in the world have detractors.
Why does it matter?
The vast majority of people who see, buy, or use your work will like or love it.
It will be disliked by a small percentage of them. Despite the fact that it is clearly not for them, they purchased it. It was their blunder. Why didn't they properly read the sales letter? There has never been a product invented in the history of the world that is suitable for everyone.
Some jerk expresses a negative viewpoint. Encourage your customers who adore your work to share their thoughts as well, and the trolls will be drowned out.
The point is, you have to go deep within yourself and decide, DECIDE RIGHT NOW, that you don't give a flying flip what other people think.
Anyone – ANYONE – can be a critic.
But being a creator and making it happen takes guts.
Don't let the prospect of a tiny little squawky troll looking for attention ruin your dreams.
For the handful of negative ninnies out there, your project will always be stupid.
But the rest of us will think it's fantastic, so stop worrying and JUST DO IT.
Desire, Commitment, Passion, and Focus
To succeed, you must have a strong desire, a strong commitment, a strong passion, and a strong focus.
That's all.
You don't need anyone's approval or love.
You don't need a crowd to cheer you on.
You don't have to be ordained by the all-powerful status quo people.
All you need is desire, commitment, passion, and focus. It also doesn't hurt to have a "I don't give a damn" attitude toward what others think.
This is the section where I remind you of Cortez.
How many times have you heard the story of Cortez the explorer?
Cortez and his army of 600 soldiers crossed the Pacific Ocean and landed on the Central American coast 500 years ago. Their mission was to conquer a 5 million-person empire.
How would you motivate your army if you were Cortez in these circumstances?
Cortez ordered that the ships be destroyed. Because there was no turning back, his army could only do or die.
If you have a dream that keeps you awake at night, it's time to hit the shore, burn the damn boat, and make that dream a reality.
This level of dedication is not for everyone. But it is how the world's true creators and entrepreneurs succeed.
Without permission.
Without any bosses.
Without someone telling you no, no, NO you CANNOT do that.
Without the roadblocks you've encountered in the past.
And without that monkey voice in your head telling you that you're not good enough, that people will judge you, that you should just keep your head down and work for someone else.
We're going to put an end to that nonsense once and for all.
We're going to blow through the obstacles and put you on track to outperform your wildest expectations in 2022, inflation and viruses be damned.
Ready?
First and foremost, accept the fact that you will fail along the way. Failure is an inevitable part of the process of developing an idea into a six, seven, or eight-figure business. When you fail, you learn what doesn't work, which provides important clues about what does.
To turn your idea into a business, you'll need to have a lot of guts. People will tell you all kinds of nonsense about how you won't be able to do it. Your brain will also try to keep you from moving forward. But don't worry, I'll show you how to get around both of these impediments in a flash.
After you've had your reality check, I'd like to give you something.
Permission.
You have my, God's, and the Universe's permission to build your business.
YOU HAVE PERMISSION TO BEGIN RIGHT NOW.
We've been taught since we were children that we need permission to do things.
First, we'll hear from our parents.
Then there were our teachers and professors.
Finally, from our bosses.
Forget it. You are hereby granted permission to do whatever you want to start and run your business.
Consider that for a moment. I've seen people cry when they were told they had permission because it was the realization that they'd been waiting for someone – anyone – to give them permission to move on and live their own lives.
Some people spend their entire lives waiting for permission to simply be themselves. However, the only permission you require is your own.
ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN TO MAKE IT HAPPEN
Step 1: Get started
Step 2: Complete
Step 3: Ship.
Assume you want to create and sell an online course.
1: You must first begin building the course. Not just talking about it, but actually making the outline, filling it in, and building the course one lesson at a time.
2: After that, you must complete the course. Starting the course is pointless unless you finish it. No, it will not be flawless. Perfection is something that people put off finishing because they know that once it's finished, it's time to share it with the rest of the world. So forget about perfection. Make it less than perfect in order to complete that beautiful course.
3: Finally, it's time to 'ship,' which in this case means having a way to launch that course into the world. You could create a website with a sales letter and drive traffic to it, or you could use one of the online course portals like Udemy. There comes a time when you must release your 'baby' into the world, which can be the most difficult step of all because there is only one way to know for sure if people want your product, and that is to start selling it.
Allow me to whisper something into your ear...
Your ideas are valuable.
And bringing them to life is crucial.
You have the option of making your ideas a reality or dying with them still inside of you. And, to be honest, I can't think of anything more depressing than living a life full of regrets about all the things you could have done if only you'd made them happen.
When you decide to make it happen, you start the process of gradually realizing your goal – something you thought you'd never be able to do.
Anything is possible when you combine your desire with your effort.
Anything.
Bring your concept to life.
It's for you.
For me.
For everyone. Even if some people say you can't or shouldn't do it.
How to Deal with Doubters
In the world, there are two kinds of people:
The first type is the person who maintains the status quo. These people follow 'the rules.' They will tell you 'how things are.' Anyone who does not follow those rules is referred to as 'foolish' or worse.
They'll tell you to get a job, put your head down, and stop fantasizing. "If that was a good idea, someone would have done it already," they'll say.
The status quo people want to keep the current system in place and do not want things to change. To them, everything must remain 'normal.' When things change (such as a pandemic), they want to "return to normal."
But keep in mind that there is no such thing as a universal 'normal.' Normal is simply a perception that people have based on their experiences. It's an illusion, and you, the creator, are aware that you have the ability to shape your own reality and even change how others perceive what is normal.
Consider Bill Gates. Was Windows a 'normal' operating system before he invented it? No way. And your business has the potential to change the world.
The rebel is the other type of person. The business owner. The creator. The individual who reads the rules and concludes that they were written for someone else.
This individual deviates from the status quo. They take chances. They see opportunities and possibilities. They are audacious in their thinking and actions. They cause havoc, for better or worse. They occasionally break things. Through their creativity, they create change.
The rebel opposes the status quo. They have a tendency to question and challenge authority. And the status quo despises this. They don't want questions; they just want people to follow them.
We need the status quo to keep things running on a daily basis. But we need rebels to take us to the next level. Both are necessary, but for obvious reasons, they don't get along.
What should you do if your status-quo spouse tells you to stop dreaming and building your business?
Thank them.
Thank them for everything they do to keep your family and household running smoothly. To get the kids to school, work their job, or take care of the house.
They are the foundation upon which your business can be built. You can tell they're scared. They're terrified. They are frightened by your dreams and your business. Please be understanding. Show them that you could keep earning that $50,000 a year salary or you could build a business that brings in $500,000 a year for your family. And you opt for the latter because it is who you are.
You might not be able to persuade them to change their minds. You may not receive their full support. But if you understand that they are acting out of fear, that their way of thinking is actually providing a solid foundation from which to launch your business, and that you love them all the same, you don't have to think of them as the enemy. They aren't. They simply think differently than you do, which is fine.
Love them for who they are, and chances are they will return the favor. You can have disagreements while still loving each other.
The same is true for your friends. When they oppose your dreams or business goals, treat them with respect. If they continue to irritate you, make a plan to meet with them in a year. By then, your business will have taken off and may even be making a profit.
The majority of people believed that man could not fly. Then the Wright Brothers flew, and everyone realized that, yes, people could fly.
It's the same with your business. They may tell you that you can't do it, but once you've done it, they won't be able to deny that, yes, you have a profitable business, and could you please give them some advice on how to start theirs?
Making IT Happen will require time, effort, focus, and energy. You may also require thick skin.
Use your passion to help you overcome setbacks and failures. Learn to roll with the punches and keep going. Ask yourself, "What's good about this?" after each setback. There is always something positive about it.
Your first course was a flop? Discover why, and you'll be a lot closer to making your next course a success. Is your best friend being a jerk about your new venture? Use their criticism as a motivator to work even harder to prove them wrong with your success.
Wait, if it's difficult work, why bother starting a business?
Because of leverage.
Set aside a moment when you have a dream of starting your own business, writing a book, or doing whatever it is that you want to do, and consider this...
Employees are paid a set salary in exchange for not having to deal with problems, setbacks, naysayers, overhead, and so on. They give up 40 hours per week plus travel time in exchange for a paycheck and peace of mind.
The entrepreneur, on the other hand, experiences more than just setbacks, headaches, and challenges. If the entrepreneur is successful, he or she will receive the lion's share of the profits.
Assume you're working on that course we discussed earlier.
If you price it at $100 and sell 100 copies, you've made $10,000. It's $100,000 if you sell 1000 copies. And if you sell 10,000 copies, you've made a million dollars.
The work remains the same regardless of how many you sell. And if you hit it big, the rewards can be massive.
But there's a HUGE impediment between you and success...
The Enemy Within
You've unintentionally accumulated a lifetime of bad habits whether you're 20 or 80.
The most dangerous of these habits may be the habit of safety.
Your primitive brain, also known as your brain stem, regulates all of your vital bodily functions such as breathing and heart rate. It is trying to keep you alive. And it thinks anything new is bad. That's why it does everything it can to keep you occupied with safe activities like watching television, playing solitaire, watching sports, and so on.
Your brain stem tells you that these safe activities make you feel safe and that trying new things is dangerous, even if it isn't.
The primitive brain has no concept of lofty dreams or goals. Survival is everything to it, and the familiar means survival, whereas anything new is perceived as a threat.
You may set aside time to work on your course or build your business, but your brain stem will steer you towards safer activities such as cleaning the kitchen or napping.
If you want to 'Make IT Happen,' you must reprogram your brain. The good news is that it is simpler than you think. All you need is a healthy dose of perseverance and consistency to get the job done.
Brain Reprogramming for Success
Every time you repeat a habit, whether good or bad, it strengthens the neural trench network.
Consider a perfectly manicured field of knee-high grass. It barely shows if you walk across that field once. Repeat the same route several times, and you'll find a path. You'll have a trail if you walk that path hundreds of times. You can make a dirt road by walking the trail thousands of times.
The more you repeat an action, the faster your brain will guide you back to it and the easier it will be for you to take it.
However, if you abandon that path, the field will eventually heal itself. And if you stop doing bad habits, your brain will be reprogrammed to stop directing you toward those bad habits.
How does one go about reprogramming their brain?
1: Discipline is number one. According to studies, you have far more discipline in the morning than any other time of day. That is why, if at all possible, you should begin a new habit as soon as you wake up, when your discipline is at its peak. For example, if you're creating a course, devote 30 minutes to it each morning before doing anything else.
2: Focus. Instead of tackling your work in haphazard fashion, concentrate on just one thing at a time. One video in your course, one chapter in your book, one page of your website, and so on. Don't try to break every bad habit or form every new good habit all at once. Concentrate your efforts and build on them.
3: Be daring. Don't strive for a minor goal when a major one will energize you. Do what they say is impossible. What goal will have you jumping out of bed at 6 a.m. with the zeal of a child on Christmas morning?
4: Control Your Environment. Clutter, like distractions, is not conducive to getting work done. Make a dedicated workspace for your work.
5: Take DAILY, CONSTANT ACTION. Take action every single day for the next six weeks, without fail. Take daily action for the next 52 weeks until the habits of starting, finishing, and shipping are so ingrained that it's nearly impossible not to do these things.
6: Habit Stack. When the brain learns a new song, it does not simply connect the notes already stored in your memory. It will instead create a region that encodes the entire song. Similarly, by stacking one new good habit on top of an existing good habit, you can create an entirely new brain region dedicated to this habit stack.
For instance, if you already get up early in the morning, add a new habit like writing for 30 minutes as soon as you wake up. Stack the habit of taking a 5-minute break and then writing for another 30-minutes after 3 weeks. Alternatively, incorporate the habit of going for a run. When you add a new habit to the stack, the entire stack is rewritten in your brain, making the entire stack automatic and requiring almost no discipline to accomplish each day.
Distractions are the enemy.
Distractions are the enemy of achieving your goals. No, I'm not suggesting you don't have a life. But when it comes time to work on your business each day, that is all you should do. You don't call your bestie to have deep philosophical discussions. You don't keep the house clean. You don't take a walk or do anything else besides work on your business.
Distractions are your enemy, repeat to yourself.
At first, your primitive brain will send all kinds of distractions to keep you from working. You'll suddenly remember that you need to add something to your shopping list, call someone, respond to an email, and so on.
Do. It. Later.
When these distractions appear, jot them down on a piece of paper and then return to your work. Do not attempt to do them, no matter how quick they might seem.
If you need to do some online research, make a note of it and do it after your work is finished. You've probably heard of the internet's rabbit hole. A 30-second search can easily turn into a three-hour expedition that accomplishes nothing and leaves you wondering where the time went.
Feed Your Brain
Every day, when you're not working, read challenging books and articles. Feed your brain with new ideas and perspectives on problems. Engage in conversations with people who are intellectually superior to you.
Avoid or limit your time spent watching television and movies. Sleeping is literally better for your brain than passively watching television. If you must watch your favorite show, bring a notepad with you and challenge yourself to come up with ten new ideas based on what you see and hear on the show. That's 10 new ideas for every 30 minutes of air time, for a total of 40 new ideas in a two-hour movie.
Begin right now.
Simply... begin. I've been flapping my fingers here for a while now, and it's possible you've missed or forgotten that none of this will matter if you don't start.
Perhaps you don't know where to begin. Simply begin.
Or perhaps you don't know every step of the way. Who does it? Plans change as you get closer to your goal, and sometimes goals completely change. That's fine as long as you just get started.
Nobody knows what they're going to do before they start. They're delusory if they believe they do. Not every adversity or opportunity can be predicted.
But you must act NOW because actions repeated consistently over time create habits, and habits create momentum, and momentum can propel you to your goals and beyond.
The Hidden Project Killer
Even if you do everything we've discussed thus far, you may still fail if you aren't prepared to deal with the Killer of Projects.
This assassin is cunning, assassinating your dreams without your knowledge. Worse, you'll be accused of laziness because you never shipped your products.
Yes, you had a great idea and created a product or service around it. Then... nothing.
Everyone who has ever accomplished something significant has had to overcome their fear of what others will think.
People procrastinate and never finish because they are afraid of being exposed. On a more personal level, consider the following:
• You're not sure if your work is good enough.
• You are concerned about how others will react.
• You are afraid that people will mock you and your work.
• You're wondering if you're a phony.
• You consider abandoning the project entirely.
• You put off finishing your project because it isn't perfect yet.
• There is always something impeding your ability to ship your product.
Does this sound familiar?
If this describes you, STOP.
There is no angry mob with pitchforks outside your window, and there never will be.
There is also no horde of enraged critics salivating at the prospect of tearing your work to shreds.
You're concerned that your tribe won't approve of your work, but what you don't realize is that there is no tribe. That group of people you imagine will be hanging on your every comma in your work does not exist. They are not a tribe at all, but rather a group of individuals, each with their own set of problems and challenges. They are just as terrified as you are. Everyone is so preoccupied with their own lives that they don't have time or inclination to be concerned about yours.
Your product exists to assist them in some way, to provide them with a benefit, and it is only for those who want and need it, so everyone else is irrelevant. Customers will love you and your work by definition – that's why they're your customers. And, no, they won't notice the flaws that kept you awake at night.
There is no one looking over your shoulder, so take a deep breath and relax. Did you receive 20 positive and 1 negative review? I don't need to ask which one you're considering. Stop worrying. Is some jerk crying into the void because they don't like your product? What's the big deal? Why does it matter?
Any publicity is good publicity. Even the best movies and books have received negative feedback. Even the most well-liked people in the world have detractors.
Why does it matter?
The vast majority of people who see, buy, or use your work will like or love it.
It will be disliked by a small percentage of them. Despite the fact that it is clearly not for them, they purchased it. It was their blunder. Why didn't they properly read the sales letter? There has never been a product invented in the history of the world that is suitable for everyone.
Some jerk expresses a negative viewpoint. Encourage your customers who adore your work to share their thoughts as well, and the trolls will be drowned out.
The point is, you have to go deep within yourself and decide, DECIDE RIGHT NOW, that you don't give a flying flip what other people think.
Anyone – ANYONE – can be a critic.
But being a creator and making it happen takes guts.
Don't let the prospect of a tiny little squawky troll looking for attention ruin your dreams.
For the handful of negative ninnies out there, your project will always be stupid.
But the rest of us will think it's fantastic, so stop worrying and JUST DO IT.
Desire, Commitment, Passion, and Focus
To succeed, you must have a strong desire, a strong commitment, a strong passion, and a strong focus.
That's all.
You don't need anyone's approval or love.
You don't need a crowd to cheer you on.
You don't have to be ordained by the all-powerful status quo people.
All you need is desire, commitment, passion, and focus. It also doesn't hurt to have a "I don't give a damn" attitude toward what others think.
This is the section where I remind you of Cortez.
How many times have you heard the story of Cortez the explorer?
Cortez and his army of 600 soldiers crossed the Pacific Ocean and landed on the Central American coast 500 years ago. Their mission was to conquer a 5 million-person empire.
How would you motivate your army if you were Cortez in these circumstances?
Cortez ordered that the ships be destroyed. Because there was no turning back, his army could only do or die.
If you have a dream that keeps you awake at night, it's time to hit the shore, burn the damn boat, and make that dream a reality.
This level of dedication is not for everyone. But it is how the world's true creators and entrepreneurs succeed.
