A few weeks ago I reconnected with a friend who’s one of the most intense people I know. His name is Akshay Nanavati and in November he attempted a 1700 mile quest to become the first person to cross the continent of Antarctica, coast to coast, alone, without the assistance of sled dogs or kites. Unfortunately his adventure ended about a third of the way in, which all things considered was an incredible feat, and when we connected on the phone he was telling me phenomenal details about his experience.

Before starting, Akshay called this journey the Great Soul Crossing knowing that it would be a personally transformative experience. With that in mind, when I was on the phone I asked him something along the lines of, “With all of that time to contemplate life and existence, what’s something that stood out as a life-changing learning?"

Keep the conversation light... y'know?

To that, he started explaining to me the Paradox Of Oneness. Conventionally, we see things in life as a polarity between two ends - Life and death, good and evil, right and wrong, love and hate, happiness or sadness. Opposites are completely different in how we think about them and experience them. 

But that’s the superficial level… The paradox is that there’s a contradiction arguing that opposite ends of the spectrum are just different expressions of the same truth. That our differences in experience does not mean there’s separation between two things, but that there’s a necessary diversity that gives the highs and lows meaning. Life only has meaning because there is death, and love is only significant when compared to hate. We wouldn’t be able to feel to full extent of the emotion if the other didn’t exist. 

Here are a few examples to make it more tangible: You’re afraid to give a speech, but then after you finish it you feel deep pride and joy. Or you suffer for years training to cross Antarctica so that when you get there, you’re overwhelmed with inner peace. 

To put it another way, the Paradox Of Oneness explains how when you’re feeling pain it’s very difficult to feel bliss at the same time. Yet in order to have intense feelings of bliss, it requires past pain and suffering. This suggests that the pain is part of the bliss, and the bliss is part of the pain, even though they create such dramatically different sensations.

This paradox isn’t new to Akshay’s world - It’s something he’d already built his life and mission around, but it took on a deeper meaning during his expedition. His brand Fearvana is the marriage of Fear and Nirvana, encouraging people to do the things they’re most afraid of or think are impossible in order to squeeze more fulfillment out of life.

It was a fascinating conversation and I’m still trying to wrap my head around it, and at the very least my sharing it helps you find purpose in everything you’re going through, good and bad, because it’s all contributing to your life experience.

One of the most fulfilling things we can do in life is pursue a goal that is challenging and gives us purpose. In my mind, personal development is a vehicle to help us make the most out of life, both in maximizing who we become and what we can contribute to others. Central to that process is identifying what you want and working hard to make it a reality.

Many people talk about what it takes to set and achieve goals, but today I’m going to take it in a different direction and get really tactical about it. When you break down goal achievement into its most essential parts, it actually becomes a lot simpler than it seems. 

First, you need to set your goal. A goal is just a representation of what you want your reality to look like. The more objective the goal the better because then you can more accurately measure your progress against it.

To shift reality in the direction of your goal, you need to take intentional action. Ideally this action has a lot of leverage in that it causes big shifts in reality that are as aligned and effective as possible. You never know perfectly well how an action will shift reality, so you select the actions that you believe have the highest likelihood of generating the results you want. 

All actions, no matter what they are, take time to do. So if you want to achieve your goals and ensure you’re following through on the required actions, you need to create a plan that allocates time for taking action. The best way to manage your time is by creating a schedule - a plan made in advance that incorporates all of the most important and highest priority actions that help you sustain progress toward your goals.  Having a schedule dramatically increases the chances that you’ll follow through with an intended action because you’ve dedicated a certain time and date to making it happen. Otherwise you’re hoping to remember to do it, and leaving it up to chance and less reliable systems. 

Now when it comes to increasing your consistency in creating a schedule for the day, you need to build a routine for it. Planning a scheduling routine is a pretty ‘meta’ concept - you’re setting aside time to organize how you’re going to spend your time in future moments. And building a reliable routine helps you to make a schedule consistently.

And to get consistent with a new routine, the best way to prompt yourself to do that is by having it cued in your environment. My favorite type of cue is an alarm that you set in your phone. When it goes off, it completely disrupts your consciousness, brings your attention to the desired routine, and prompts you to complete it.

All that to say... Setting an alarm is your first step to achieving your goals - Especially when that alarm prompts a night-time routine where you create a schedule for the next day, including time for your highest priority action items that most contribute to your most meaningful goals.

And that’s why setting an alarm is the very first thing you do in the 21 Day Super Habits Challenge. In just 3 weeks of building habits, routines, and systems off of one single alarm, you can set the foundation that helps you improve anything about your life.

It still takes work, but if it were that simple to achieve your goals, isn’t it worth a try? Click here to learn more about it, and don’t underestimate how impactful doing the right things can be!

If you want to improve anything - your health, your business, your network - you need to get started. Life change doesn't happen on its own, you need to be there to initiate it, and you can’t do that until you show up to do it. For many reasons that we’ll get into soon, showing up is hard to do. But there’s an outsized payoff to it that just about always makes it worth it: Either you win and get what you want, or you learn and you’re more prepared to win in the future.

James Clear, author of ‘Atomic Habits’, goes so far to say that there’s an ‘art to showing up’ which basically means that you can get creative in how to make it happen more often. His favorite recommendation is to use the 2 Minute Rule. For whatever new habit you need to start showing up for, just commit to doing the version of it that takes 2 minutes or less to do. For example if you’re trying to get in the habit of exercising, just take 2 minutes to get dressed for it. 

Or, if it’s not a habit but an experience or opportunity you need to show up for, you can break that down into 2 minutes as well. A networking event could be as simple as committing to being there for two minutes, or for a bold email you need to send you can commit to writing the subject line and the first sentence.

And the reason this works is because once you get started with something, the rest of the behavior naturally flows from it. When you’re thinking about doing something, your mind has a hard time quantifying it and blows it out of proportion. Once you’re in action, expectations tend to normalize, and whatever fear, doubt, embarrassment, or discomfort you were feeling beforehand… A lot of it goes away once you get started. 

Showing up is everything. Ed Lattimore has been quoted saying “The heaviest weight at the gym is the front door” and that’s because it’s the one that the fewest people have the strength to move".

The challenge is, showing up is hardest to do right after you didn’t. But it's when you most need to. You made a commitment and didn’t follow through, broke a streak, or set an intention and missed it… What happens next?

Naturally we want to avoid acknowledging the error, and we let a mistake one day turn into a week or a month of more mistakes. But when you show up after it, make yourself look honestly at your performance, and hold yourself accountable to the expectation you set, that’s how quickly make up for a mistake to lapse in judgment and get back on track.

That’s why I have the daily discipline of reviewing my day and my performance in my Self Improvement Scorecard. The practice of it makes me honestly reflect on how I did, the choices I made, and evaluate if I held myself accountable to my own high standards. Showing up there helps me show up everywhere else in my life. It clears my slate and helps me turn failure into lessons, as well as celebrate my successes. If you want to see my Self Improvement Scorecard, which I trust with my biggest goals and dreams, in action - Click here for the video I made where I walk you through it.

And if you’re feeling stuck with big ideas but little follow through, it’s because you haven’t mastered the art of showing up. Start there and everything else will change!

Many people want to be more disciplined. They want to be more consistent, more focused, and to follow through on doing what they said they were going to do. Those who have the self-control to override feelings of laziness and fear, and get themselves into action, have a competitive advantage over the rest. 

When most people think about being disciplined they think it’s about what they do. But equally on the other side of the coin, the most self-disciplined people practice their self-control for things that they don’t do.

Saying “no” to a new opportunity or request is an expression of self-discipline. As fun, attractive, or appealing as something might be, if it takes you away from your core commitments then it’s a distraction. To be disciplined is to stay on track and to keep yourself from getting off track, which often happens when you give into the temptations and distractions of the world around you. 

Going to sleep on time is an expression of self-discipline. Sleep is time invested in your recovery where you can’t do anything else. And often as bedtime approaches, we feel the pull to wrap up one last thing for work, or get ahead for tomorrow in that small way, or finally have some ‘me’ time before the day ends… And all of it leads to more time doing things. But if you can reject all that and go to bed on time, you’re giving yourself your best chance to attack the next day by starting fast rather than constantly trying to play catch up.

And last, an unexpected expression of self-discipline is to control your thinking. We’re all hardwired with a negativity bias to see the threatening, scary, unfortunate parts of the world. It’s a perspective that also affects the way we see ourselves and our successes, highlighting the few things ‘bad’ in a sea of ‘good’. When we catch ourselves thinking in negative ways, it’s within our power to intervene and redirect our thoughts. We can replace our unconscious negativity bias with conscious empowerment, and ultimately shape the meaning of life events in our favor. 

But here’s the thing about discipline: It’s not strictly a matter of self-control. That’s actually only a minor part of it. What’s far more influential in the choices you make, and your ability to practice self-discipline, is your environment. This involves having systems, structures, and clearly outlined standards that make it easier to be self-disciplined. 

Being self-disciplined doesn’t need to be so hard… But if it feels hard that’s because your environment is not supporting you with it. If you’d like to change that and make consistency, high-performance, and disciplined follow through your new normal, then this is for you!

This weekend I got to catch up with someone who left a big impression on me. Her name is Johanna Molina and she’s an impressive entrepreneur who founded The Intern Group, placing young professionals in quality internships in cities across the world.

In 2016 I was part of the program and spent 6 weeks in Medellin, Colombia where I met Johanna in person and had an experience that has completely shifted the direction of my life. I share more about that in my TedX Talk!

Seeing her got me thinking about my experience in Colombia, and something that stood out about it was how warm and friendly the people were. Within minutes of me arriving on site for my first day, nearly 15 people swarmed me with a bunch of questions and a genuine intention to get to know me. If that were to happen in the States, in most cases the new guy would be ignored and avoided.

Another example of the warmth of the Colombian people happens any time you get in an elevator. Literally, for every person at every floor, each person in the elevator greets each other hello and wishes them a good day when they leave. There was constant chatter and it took the awkwardness out of riding in an elevator, which for whatever reason in the United States is a time where we all act like the people around us don’t exist. 

And of course, I was reminded of Colombian kindness in spending time with Johanna. She greeted me with a warm hug and a gift. She asked about everything that has happened in my life in the last 9 years, personally and professionally, and listened intently. 

We have a lot to learn about life from other cultures. Just because we do things one way doesn’t mean that’s how it needs to be. It’s just the norm that we’ve been taught and haven’t thought to question. And my takeaway is to be friendlier and kinder, just because it’s the right things to do, and it makes the world a little brighter.

High achievers want more - To be a part of more, to contribute more, to do more, and to be more. For that reason high achievers set big goals in their fitness, business, and life… And cast share their visions so that they can recruit the help, support, and good fortune they need to make it a reality.

But here’s the part high achievers don’t talk about: Achieving your goals comes with a cost, and sometimes, it’s a cost you're unwilling to pay. 

John Assaraf is known for saying “When you set a goal you must be willing to trade your life for it.” because that’s what you’re doing. It’s not just that you double your business, start working out 5 times a week, and go on an international vacation twice a year. When you invite something new into your life you’re pushing something else out, or at the very least changing how it works.

That’s why you need to be really thoughtful about the way you craft your goals. You don’t want to just achieve what’s on your heart at all costs… There are assumed conditions within the goal that represent a more specific version of what you want. Be clear about those conditions and then it creates more criteria that go into your plan for goal achievement.

And I’m not immune to this problem. For example, I set the goal to run my first marathon this year. But, given how much travel and unexpected additions the first half of this year has had, I’m not making progress on it. And that’s because I don’t actually want to trade my current life for the achievement of this goal. I want a version of it that doesn’t compromise my ability to be spontaneous for other opportunities.

So a more aligned representation of the true intention behind this goal, that I feel more prepared to be committed to, is: To do my best to run a marathon at Runningman without stopping, and to genuinely prioritize training for it.

It’s not as inspiring… Some would argue I’m way less likely to achieve it because I’m giving myself an out. And I agree. But it’s more true to me. I don’t want to run a marathon this year at all costs. If I did, I wouldn’t add all the extra conditions. But structuring it like this offers a practicality that gets you headed in the right direction. 

To wrap up with another thought from John Assaraf, he often asks the question “When it comes to achieving your goals, are you interested or are you committed?” Because being ‘interested’ means you think it’d be nice for it to happen, but it lacks follow through. Being committed means you will do whatever it takes to achieve it. And doing my best to run a marathon, that’s something I can confidently commit to.

We live in a world where we need to be more productive. We’ve got more going on than ever, there’s more demands for our time than we have time for, and it’s causing many people to feel stuck in the rat race of ‘just getting through the day’ rather than being available to make the most of the day.

In an effort to help you achieve that, I’d like to present the more elaborate definition of productivity which has considerations you might be missing:

Productivity = Quantity x Quality

A productive day is not just a day where we get a lot done.... When we work our way through as many things as we can on a check list. We feel the most productive when we fill our time doing things that actually make progress in the areas that matter most to us. That’s why the quality of what we do is so important, both for how well we do it and what we choose to do.

Let’s breakdown the elements so that you’re prepared to begin having highly-productive, high output days with real traction:

1) Quantity. The amount you get done in a day is still half the formula! It’s just not the whole formula. So here are some ideas to increase how much you do.

A big opportunity is to attack the day with a fast pace. When you choose to act with speed, you get through tasks faster and ultimately get more done. Having a sense of urgency also helps you transition quickly from one task to the next so that you minimize lost time and avoid getting distracted. Having the structure of a schedule for the day is your ticket to getting more done faster, because it gives you the clarity you need to know what to do next and how long you have to do it.

Another point to consider is how to increase overall output, and the best way to do that is by creating efficiencies. When you enable yourself to do more with less, then you don’t need as much time to complete the same task. Creating efficiencies often involves making upfront investments to build the systems that create them. Time you invest today to frees up time tomorrow and every day moving forward, creating leverage in your life.

2) Quality. This is how effective you are in the task. You can create multiples of value for yourself when you do something well versus just getting it done. 

One of the main drivers of the ‘quality’ you put into your day is your energetic state. By making healthy choices and prioritizing your self-care routines (even though that's time you can't spend doing something else), it gives you a positive return on investment. You give yourself the capacity to show up with more focus, presence, and discipline which enables you to perform at a higher level throughout the day. Self-care easily pays for itself in terms of how much overall value you create. It helps you be more effective.

Also important to consider in your effectiveness is that you’re doing the right things... Taking action in ways that most contribute to your goals or results you want to create. Productive days aren’t just supposed to be busy, they’re supposed to be meaningful. So don’t just go top to bottom on a to-do list but select the most valuable things from that list and commit to those.

Overall, this shift to a new definition of productivity can be summarized as this: We want to be more intentional.

When we think of wanting more productive days, what we actually mean is we want more intentional days. Fast-paced, full, value-packed days filled with the things we want to do and that make progress toward what we care about. 

This is misunderstood so much that I believe getting it right is one of the 7 Fundamentals To Self Improvement. If you want to learn about it in more detail, and discover the other 6, you can check them all out here!

If you’ve got a huge vision for your life but you’re starting to question if you have what it takes to make it happen… You’re not alone. For many years that was my story.

When I was just getting started in my career, I had big ambitions for the change I wanted to create in the world. I felt like I belonged at the highest levels, collaborating with the world’s most influential people doing things that are deeply meaningful and impactful. That ambition and vision drove me to the point that I was investing hours every day in books, podcasts, and information to try to get an edge… But there was one problem:

I wasn’t getting the results to match. 

I was grinding to put out quality content but not getting much engagement or traction. Hustling to open doors with impressive people, but then the relationships would fizzle out. I was working really hard but I wasn’t getting any of the pay off…

And as much as I didn’t want to admit it… It made me think that maybe I wasn’t good enough to pull it all off. That my dreams were just me ‘talking big’ and I wasn’t actually capable of delivering on it. That’s the thought that creeps in when you feel like you should be further along, and you hope you have what it takes to succeed at the highest levels, but don’t have the results to back it up.

And now that I’ve worked through that phase in my life - I’ve built up my business, found a healthy rhythm of good habits and routines, and created a platform that I can use to collaborate with high-level change-makers - I see what I was doing wrong. 

I was taking a lot of action but I was doing it without strategy.

It was hard work with no progress… And not having a strategy was diluting the outcomes I was generating from my efforts. It’s like putting water in a bucket that has holes in it… Your potential for success is leaking out, and you have to constantly pour so much more in just to raise the level a little bit. 

For many, strategy is the missing link for goal achievement. There’s a lot of talk about setting goals and a lot of emphasis on taking action. Strategy is the bridge that ensures you’re taking the right actions so that you actually achieve your goals. 

Once you’re clear on what to do and how it contributes to what you want to achieve, that’s when you can concentrate your efforts and work hard in a very focused way. That’s how you create the specific outcomes you’re looking for! Otherwise, you’re putting so much into achieving what you want, and feeling like you’re ‘doing the right things’ because you’re working hard… But you’re not getting the result. 

And that’s a frustrating and discouraging cycle to be in - Knowing that you have the work ethic and talent to achieve so much more, but it’s just not happening for you. 

If you’ve been working hard and feel like you’re on the verge of a breakthrough, I’d love to support you and help you fix that. Book a call with me and we can chat about how to transform your life and business, so that you can start getting the results your hard work and dedication deserves.