Ben Bradbury is a large advocate for surrounding oneself with disagreement.

"The people that you surround yourself with are there to push you forward, but they are also there to call you out. Yes, you want to surround yourself with people who are aligned with your why and people who will keep your why burning. Motivation is a little bit like taking a shower. You need it once a day. Also, you need people who know when you are going too far in the wrong direction. Be glass half full with building communities and surrounding yourself with the right mission, but also be ruthless with yourself. You are flawed and you will make mistakes. So, you will need people who will cut your rate of mistakes as quickly as possible. So, go out there and find that balance".

You do not want people who echo your thought because, then, what progress has been made? Sometimes you need people to call you out in order to get you back on the correct path.

First off, there’s something that many of us overlook that I want to address. A simple gesture of appreciation goes a long way. Big or small. Let’s think about context. Something that seems small to us might be huge for someone else. It reminds me of the quote,“to the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world”, we never quite know exactly what someone else thinks. Perhaps a small expression of appreciation reaches someone when they need it most when they’re at a low and need some support. A little thanks with a little positivity very well could have massive implications.

We can also think about the quote another way. Giving thanks for a little can grow into a lot within your own world.  Maybe having small moments of gratitude helps you shift your mentality to see more positivity and good around you!  Or, the small moment of gratitude helps you realize other blessings you have and it turns into a positivity snowball!  In any case, whether its affects you or someone else, a little thanks will help you find a lot.

There is no one that will object to the importance of hardwork. It is fundamental to making progress and turning the dial on things that you want to make happen. Everyone has a different relationship with hard work. In this clip, from Tom Bilyeu’s show Impact Theory, Dean reflects on an experience he had as a child that really opened his eyes to the truth about hard work:

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There is a hint of “work smarter, not harder”, but more importantly there is an appreciation for hard physical labor, and self-awareness about the way that you work, both physically and mentally.

We are all probably well aware of the importance of movement and activity for exercise and physical health, but have you considered the way it impacts your mental health? Someone at the forefront of this is Jim Kwik, and he has an initiative called The Kwik Brain Challenge. One of his tips in this series is specific to finding a moment to move every 30 minutes as a mental freshener.

Jim suggested juggling as a short physical activity, but other things you can do are stretch, shoulder rolls, calf raises,or anything that gets your blood pumping a little bit.

“Don’t let the internet rush you. No one is posting their failures".

We can admit that we only see the best version of a lot of people on social media, yet we set that best version of other people as the expectation we need to live up to on an hourly basis. Not even that, people are intentionally exaggerating their influence or status out of their own insecurities. The internet and the things we see on it pressure us to bend the reality we present, and that is a losing battle.

Most people are not posting their failures. In being self-aware and knowing the truth behind social media, we gain confidence in the way we present ourselves to the public. Then, we can use that confidence as positive feedback that reinforces the timeline we set for our own growth, within our own expectations.

While this implies something larger, and negative, about the culture of social media, understanding the way we fit into the big picture provides us with an opportunity for positive self-reflection.

How many times a day do you have to answer a yes or now question?  It’s either yes, I want to be involved and put energy into it, or no, it’s not a priority for me at this time. In our careers, and specifically with new opportunities, yes no questions have a lot of weight because it dictates the way you spend your time. Ben Bradbury, an improvement and productivity coach gives his take on it.

So, say yes to open many doors, and say no to walk through the right ones.

Let’s talk about money. For some people it’s kind of taboo, for others it’s something they really identify with. My grandma once told me, “money is important when you don’t have it, but not important when you do”. Needless to say, everyone has their own relationship with money which makes it hard to generalize.

Recently, I’ve come across an interesting concept that is more universal. It’s the distinction between making money, and earning money, and to me, the difference is in the intention. Saying that you make money implies that it is a one way transaction. It implies that you are the recipient and there’s nothing else to it. It’s more selfish. But, when you earn money, it suggests that you received money and did so at a fair exchange rate, meaning you added value and were given the compensation you deserved for your effort. In phrasing it that way, you are more respectful of the time you spent working, because knowing you were contributing to something, and that the work you did was appreciated! 

So, it’s a subtle difference, but its significant in the way you approach making a living.