Category: Debate

What It Takes To Be Successful in Life

In this article, I share the various characteristics and tips for what it takes to be successful in life. Everyone has their own definition of success, but you need to have some fundamental elements to guide yourself to a successful life.

 

Everyone wants to achieve success, but what does it really mean to be successful? Everybody has their own definition of what success means to them.

 

 

Regardless of what success is to you, there are a set of actions and results that must take place in order to attain it. Success is measured differently by each individual, but all successes require some sort of action to get there.

 

 

I am quite often asked the question, “What is your greatest success….” or “Do you consider yourself successful?”

 

 

At this point in my life, I hope that the successes that haven’t taken place to date do not end up being considered my ‘greatest success’. Not only that, but I truly do not feel I am successful as of today.

 

 

Many people are surprised by my answer, but my level of success is very different from others. From pursuing my own dreams, studying other successful individuals and networking with brilliant people, I have learned what it takes to be successful in life.

 

 

Successful People Don’t Quit

 

Do you remember that guy who chased their dreams and quit? Neither do I. Quitters cannot succeed and that’s the brutal truth. If you want to be successful, you have to get back up every time you fall without losing any enthusiasm. Remember things that come easy aren’t worth having.

 

 

Successful People Don’t Shy Away From The Big Moments

 

There are moments in life that define who we are and who we become. Some of us shy away from these moments because of fear and doubt. Successful people embrace these moments and conquer it. Fear and doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will. When those defining moments come, rise up!

 

 

Successful People Adapt

 

Charles Darwin famously said, “It’s not the strongest of the species that survives nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” The road to success is usually filled with a bunch of twists and turns. If you’re close-minded and unwilling to adapt to your surroundings, you will struggle to achieve success.

 

 

Successful People Work Hard 

 

Early mornings, long nights and a dedication to your craft is crucial to be successful. The harder you work, the luckier you get. Just because you have a vision of what success is does NOT mean you will be successful. It requires massive action and tons of hard work before you will ever become successful.

 

 

Successful People Surround Themselves With Winners

 

The people around us have a HUGE influence on the things we do and the person we become. If you want to be a winner, you need to surround yourself with people who share a similar mindset as you. My circle has grown to feature tons of entrepreneurs, which as a result has helped me get closer to my success.

 

 

Successful People Never Stop Learning

 

Education, whether formal or informal is a vital part of being successful. If you think getting a college degree is the end of your education, you’re in for a huge nightmare. With a wealth of resources available such as books, articles, videos, courses, and more, it has never been easier to educate yourself. Make sure you’re constantly learning to fuel your growth.

 

 

Successful People Embrace Failure

 

Most people look as failure as a negative thing while most successful people look at it as a positive. Life is all about perspectives. Personally, I look at failure as a learning opportunity. Failure doesn’t define me or my businesses, it’s just an event – something that takes place at a certain time. That event is meaningful because it gives me a chance to reflect at the mistakes that were made so I can come back better.

 

 

Successful People Are Brave

 

In life, you always have options. You can choose to go to bed or stay up late working. You can eat that extra burger or stop yourself after one. You can take a big risk or play it safe. Successful people are filled with courage and let their bravery guide their decisions. When most people shy away from risks, successful people weigh the risks and rewards. If an opportunity is on the table, never overlook it even if it’s really scary.

 

 

Successful People Have Vision

 

You don’t need to have the right answer at every turn to be successful in life. However, you need to have the vision necessary to guide yourself to success. Don’t just think for today but also focus on tomorrow. It’s important to live in the present, but it’s crucial to prepare for the future as well.

 

 

Successful People Take Control

 

If you want to lead a successful life, it all starts with taking control. At 17, I realized the source of my unhappiness. It was because I was working jobs that felt like chores where I had no freedom or control. If I had stayed at those jobs, I would have never been able to come where I am today. If you do not have the freedom or control to make your own choices in life, it will be very hard to find success.

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this article, I shared a variety of different characteristics and tips for what it takes to be successful in life. Feel free to share your thoughts and comments below.

 

How To Keep Your Resolutions in 2014

With the calendar moving ahead one more year, it’s time to share some tips on how to keep your resolutions in 2014. It’s a battle everyone faces and my guide can help you!

 

With the new year just beginning, more resolutions and goals are set during this time period than any other. The toughest part of any ‘goal’ is making sure it doesn’t fall into the category of a ‘wish’.

 

 

Goals are dreams with a deadline while wishes are just dreams without any intent of actually getting them done. As an entrepreneur who has his hand in many different things, goals make or break me on a regular basis.

 

 

Not only do I set goals every day, but I try to set bigger goals each quarter that will be achieved through my daily actions. In this article, I’m going to share some of the strategies I have used to successfully my see goals and resolutions out.

 

 

Here’s how to keep your resolutions in 2014:

 

 

Make A Plan

 

Resolutions fail because you set a goal without creating any plan of how you want to make that dream a reality. Before I set my goals, I create a plan of exactly what needs to be done on my end to accomplish my goals.

 

 

If you’re able to create a series of smaller steps that you need to take in order to achieve your goals, your resolution seems a lot more possible. Break them down into monthly or weekly chunks so it’s a lot more manageable.

 

 

Hold Yourself Accountable

 

Many goals go untouched because we do not have someone holding us accountable. As an entrepreneur, my partners and mentors are constantly there to hold me accountable if I don’t reach my goals.

 

 

Find friends, family, co-workers, or anyone who cares about your success and get them to help you. Tell them to motivate you throughout the year and have various consequences if you’re unable to achieve your goal. It’s hard to be successful in life all by yourself, create a support system.

 

 

Visualize It

 

Every morning when I wake up, the first thing I see is a list of my quarterly goals on a white board. No matter what I try to do, I cannot avoid those goals and it’s a really good thing. I’m motivated from the minute I wake up to start conquering my goals.

 

 

Depending on what your resolutions are, write them down so you can visualize them. Keep them in front of your desk, bedroom, car, or any other place you’ll be motivated.

 

 

Set Time Aside For It

 

This goes back to the planning section of things. If you don’t set aside time for your  resolutions, how do you plan to achieve them? You need to do something different in 2014 than you did in 2013 if you’re looking for a change.

 

 

Create a schedule where you can incorporate time to achieve your new years resolutions. If you have the time for it, you need to follow it up by putting the work in. Remember, the harder you work, the luckier you get!

 

 

Make It Public

 

Another way to hold yourself accountable to your new years resolutions is to put everything in the public. Each quarter, I share my goals for that specific quarter publicly through my Facebook page.

 

 

By potentially facing heaps of embarrassment if you don’t even try to shoot for your goals, making your resolutions public is a great idea. Not only that, but you can reflect back to see where you started and how far you got at the end of it.

 

 

Reward Progress

 

When I was a kid, the best part of getting good grades was that I got rewarded. I didn’t really care that I was doing good in school, I just couldn’t wait to get my hands on a reward from my parents.

 

 

Setting goals for yourself is much of the same. If you go to the gym that extra day or put in that extra time at the office, reward yourself for it. Progress and small achievements deserve to be rewarded and you shouldn’t hesitate to do so.

 

 

Conclusion

 

I hope 2014 is a prosperous and great year for everyone. In this article, I shared some tips on how to keep your resolutions in 2014. Are there any other tips you have for others? Feel free to share them in the comments below.

 

 

Billionaire Vision: How To Capitalize On Opportunity

With so many entrepreneurs out there, I decided to write this post sharing a variety of different tactics on how you can capitalize on opportunity. Millionaire and billionaire entrepreneurs have capitalized on opportunities using these methods for years.

 

Most billionaires are so wealthy and successful because they learned the art of capitalizing on opportunities. Whether we know it or not, opportunities are constantly presented to us. Some of us take them while most of us pass them up.

 

 

The problem actually stems a lot deeper than that. Most people passing up those opportunities don’t really know it’s an opportunity because they aren’t looking for one. Entrepreneurs usually keep their eyes open for opportunities.

 

 

In this article, I’m going to share insight on how to capitalize on opportunity by having vision.

 

 

Scratch Your Itch 

 

Ever since the age of 17, I have written down every single problem I have ever faced. I write down the date it happened, what would be the best possible solution for it and whether it exists or not.

 

 

My iPhone notepad has over 250 entries in just 3 years. That means I have over 250 different business opportunities in my phone simply because I took 5 minutes to write down every problem I faced.

 

 

Many billion dollar companies were formed around problems the founder once faced. Instead of cussing out their situation and forgetting about it, they used that opportunity to create a solution. If you want to capitalize as an entrepreneur, seek out solutions to your problems and see how many others are dealing with the same issues.

 

 

Jump Into Hot Markets

 

Successful entrepreneurs have vision. This means that they can look ahead and see what people want or are going to want in the future. They use that vision to capitalize by building  products or services for tomorrow.

 

 

When the bitcoin began gaining huge popularity, some entrepreneurs decided to take advantage of it. Sites started allowing you to create bitcoin payment gateways and bitcoin wallets started coming out. They saw an opportunity and struck while the iron was still hot.

 

 

As a result, many of these sites have processed transactions worth millions of dollars or have made tons of money during a short period of time. People always ask me what I think is the next big market to capitalize on right now. My answer to that is apps for the Google Glass.

 

 

The Google Glass has been very well-marketed and I truly believe a lot of consumers will buy the product when it is released. If you can get your hands on a pair and start developing high performance apps for it, you have the potential to make a LOT of money.

 

 

Listen

 

Lot of people have the poor tendency to talk too much. As an entrepreneur, I quickly found out that I learned the most when I kept my mouth shut and listened to others. If you’re really seeking out opportunities, listen to what others are saying.

 

 

You may hear about opportunities directly from them or you may learn about problems/issues they are facing. The smartest people in the room aren’t usually the ones talking, but rather the ones who silently sit there and take note of everything happening.

 

 

Some of the greatest opportunities go missing simply because people spend too much time talking. Seek out successful people in industries that interest you and see what they have to say. Most people miss out on great opportunities because they’re too busy to listen.

 

 

Imitate and Improve 

 

Many businesses have become extremely successful because they have taken an existing concept while making dramatic improvements to it. As an entrepreneur, you can capitalize on opportunity by looking for ways to make things better.

 

 

My startup StatFuse allows students to calculate their odds of admission. Whether you’re in high school or community college, we find out your chances of getting accepted and analyze your college applications.

 

 

We were definitely not the first website to calculate a students odds of admission. We started learning about the way other sites did it and realized they had huge flaws. While other sites were using crowd sourced data to provide such an important result, we decided to aggregate our data directly from the University admission offices to maintain a high level of accuracy.

 

 

A year and a half later we have been able to triumph over most of our competitors and make a huge impact in the college admissions space. Instead of getting discouraged by our competitors, we studied them carefully and improved upon their flaws.

 

 

Simplify

 

Apple is such an amazing company and brand because they simplify everything. You know you’re going to get something clean, simple and beautiful when you purchase Apple products. Simplicity is truly bliss.

 

 

As an entrepreneur, you can really build a solid business by simplifying something that is generally complicated. What are things people hate to do because it’s complicated? Going to the doctor, commuting from place A to B, finding an apartment, making coffee and so many other tough tasks exist.

 

 

Find pain points people have and create solutions for them. If you make something easier, you will always have a market for yourself.

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this article, I shared different points on how to capitalize on opportunity. Share some of the ways you have successfully capitalized on opportunity through the years in the comments below!

 

 

photo credit: Philipp Lücke via photopin cc

 

5 Things Holding You Back From Being Successful

Achieving success on your own terms is a goal many people have. However, success is often limited by many different things. In this article, I share 5 things holding you back from being successful.

 

Success has no clear cut definition. Every individual defines and thinks of success in their own way. That’s absolutely fine. Regardless of what your definition of success may be, there are actions that must be taken to make that a reality.

 

 

Many actions propel you forward while others bring you right back as you strive towards your goals. Over time, I’ve seen a handful of things that have truly held me back from being successful while others have accelerated me.

 

 

In this article, I share 5 things holding you back from being successful:

 

 

1. Needing To Always Be “Right”

 

Growing up, I was one of the most competitive people out there. I always had to win and I always had to be right. As an entrepreneur, I learned really fast that I wasn’t going to be always right.

 

 

However, I had two choices. I could sit there and force my way until I was right or I could learn from it and fix things until they became right. The first few months, I was my stubborn self. I refused to accept being wrong.

 

 

I quickly noticed that mentality wasn’t going to take me far. Not only was I not getting closer towards my goals, but I was going backwards. I decided to keep an open mind. If I was wrong, I would gladly accept my faults and try to fix them. No matter what it is you do in life, don’t let your ego get in the way of your success.

 

 

2. Believing In Limits Set By People No Smarter Than You

 

I’m publishing a book in the next 5 days that will be available for sale. The title of this book is – Limitless Thinking: How one young entrepreneur found success with no experience, degree or money. Throughout this book, I share one of the most important principles I have learned as an entrepreneur.

 

 

It isn’t what we have as an individual but rather how we think and perceive things that directly affects whether or not we are successful. Many people believe in the limits that are set forth by others in the world to be true. The moment you give faith to these factors, your chances of being successful diminish greatly.

 

 

Limitations only exist in our minds. If we believe something, our actions carry it out that way. In order to be successful, wipe out everything you know to be true. Start fresh without any limitations and reach for the moon. If you don’t make it, you’ll still end up in the stars.

 

 

3. Focusing On The Past Instead Of The Present & The Future 

 

Success can be derailed very quickly if you let your past determine your future. It doesn’t matter who you were or what has happened in the past. As long as you’re driven by your goals and working on amazing things in the present, you have to believe your future will be different.

 

 

If I looked back on the past to see how ‘bad’ of a student I was and how that can potentially affect my success as an entrepreneur, I probably wouldn’t be successful today. It’s important to learn from the past, but make sure you’re not dwelling on it.

 

 

4. Your Friends

 

Surround yourself with the people you want to become. It’s great to have friends, but you want people who are going to help you not hurt you. As an entrepreneur, I quickly saw my levels of success increasing the moment I surrounded myself with like-minded individuals.

 

 

Join groups that have people who think like you and have similar goals. Set up masterminding sessions and hangouts so you can embrace their ideas. Most of my friends from college love to party and pick up girls.

 

 

However, my priorities were very different. I wanted to start successful businesses and change the world. I spent less time with them so I could spend more time with others leading a similar path as me. Remember, your income is the average of your 5 closest friends.

 

 

5. Fear & Doubt

 

Fear and doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will. It’s hard to believe, but it’s very true. Our own thoughts have so much power that it often kills our wildest dreams and adventures.

 

 

No matter what it is you’re going to want to do in life, some part of your brain is going to bring up the bad. You’re going to be scared and doubt your abilities. Nobody has been able to find success without overcoming the demons inside their own heads.

 

 

A billion dollar idea is worth nothing unless that thought is turned into an action. Your grandest goals and dreams have the ability to come true if you simply try. There is no substitute to hard work and action if you really want to be successful.

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this article, I shared 5 things holding you back from being successful. Share in the comments below what things you believe hold people back from being successful as well.

 

 

photo credit: nromagna via photopin cc

 

Why Bad Students Make Good Entrepreneurs

From my own experiences and meeting others, I share numerous points on why great students don’t always make great entrepreneurs. This article is my perspective on why bad students make good entrepreneurs.

 

School and a formal education hasn’t always been my thing. As I entered high school, I began slacking off more and that could clearly be seen through the grades I was earning.

 

 

As I come across entrepreneurs through networking, volunteering and mentoring, I’ve seen a fairly consistent trend. I’ve noticed that the best students don’t always make the best entrepreneurs. In fact, I’ve noticed much of the opposite.

 

 

More often than not, most entrepreneurs I come in contact with say that they weren’t very good at school. Bill Gates famously says, “I failed in some subjects in exam, but my friend passed in all. Now he is an engineer in Microsoft and I am the owner of Microsoft.”

 

 

Here are some reasons why bad students make good entrepreneurs:

 

 

Disruptive Behavior

 

In school, I was often cited by my teachers for my disruptive behavior. I didn’t really know what it meant growing up aside from the fact that I was doing something wrong and I got in trouble for it. As an entrepreneur now, it makes all the sense in the world.

 

 

I wasn’t always disrupting for the better in school, but I was doing something out of the norm. As an entrepreneur, you’re goal is to disrupt a market or industry for the better through your innovations. Students who are naturally used to going up against the norm have a head start as entrepreneurs.

 

 

In order to disrupt, you have to take risks and do things out of the ordinary. 90% of kids in my class weren’t disruptive or breaking the rules. The best part about entrepreneurship is that you get to break the rules.

 

 

Thinking Outside The Box

 

In school, I had a tough time following directions. My teacher would tell me to do ABC, but I’d do DEF. It wasn’t that I was stupid, I just thought my way was better. If I could be creative and do things on my own, why shouldn’t I?

 

 

As entrepreneurs, this behavior is highly promoted. You’re constantly challenged to think outside the box and deviate from the plans others have. Great employees are ones who can carry out orders, but great entrepreneurs create their own plans.

 

 

If you’re creative or have an innate ability to think outside the box, you definitely have one of the stronger attributes necessary to be successful as an entrepreneur. Forget what your teachers told you about following the directions, create your own direction.

 

 

Risks Come Natural

 

Ditching class or breaking the rules almost always involves some kind of risk. The reward is a good time, but the risk is a consequence or punishment. Entrepreneurship is much of the same.

 

 

With every risk comes an equally great reward. Many people never end up getting out of the wantrepreneur phase because they are too fearful of taking a risk. Students who are causing mayhem in school are accustomed to taking risks.

 

 

It may not always be the best risk, but they have the courage to do it anyway. As an entrepreneur, you’re going to have to take many risks. I’ve taken a year off from college while taking numerous risks throughout the process. Some have paid off, while others haven’t.

 

 

However, what’s important is that I took these risks. Without taking these risks I wouldn’t be where I am today. By taking risks progressively throughout my life, it wasn’t a skill I had to acquire. I had been doing it for quite some time, I was now going to do it in a better way.

 

 

Ability To Adapt

 

School doesn’t teach you how to adapt to change. Charles Darwin said it best, “It’s not the strongest or most intelligent that survives. It is the one who is most adaptable to change.” Schools are structured in a way where the individuals who respect order tend to thrive and succeed.

 

 

Entrepreneurship isn’t about reading a book and implementing from it. Knowledge is great to have, but you have to use that wisdom to create your own path. With entrepreneurship, shit changes fast and very often.

 

 

By being an “A” student, you’re only prepared for scheduled tests. What happens in the event of a pop quiz? Those “A” students become “C”, “D” or “F” students. When life throws lemons at you, you make lemonade and get 5 other people to operate a lemonade stand under you.

 

 

After you graduate from school, people aren’t going to respect you based on your college GPA. It’s all about drive and persistence to be successful in the world. Your report card becomes irrelevant the moment you step into the real world.

 

 

Conclusion

 

As an entrepreneur, I can truly say that my bad habits as a student has a had a positive impact on my life. This article was talking about some of the reasons why bad students make good entrepreneurs.

 

 

10 Tips On How To Inspire People Around You

In this article, I share 10 tips on how to inspire people around you. Through my books, blog and work, I have been able to inspire millions!

 

As of late, I’ve been very passionate about inspiring people and changing lives of others. Since this is something I never aimed to do, it’s been hard to figure out what works and doesn’t work.

 

 

However, I finally feel that I have been able to master this skill. Through my experiences in the last 6 months, I have quickly found many more people reaching out to me and thanking me for the inspiration I have provided them.

 

 

In this article, I’m going to share 10 tips on how to inspire people around you:

 

 

1. Be You

 

People aren’t inspired by fakers. I quickly realized that people were inspired by me and what I did on a regular basis. I didn’t have to put on a fake persona or go out of my way to inspire others. As long as you are the best you, people will automatically be attracted to you.

 

 

2. Care About People

 

When people reach out to me, I always give them a response. I do admit I wish I could get on the phone or give people the ultimate value when they reach out to me, but it sometimes isn’t possible with my time commitments. Regardless, people know I care about them by the effort I put in which helps inspire others.

 

 

3. Have A Passion That’s Contagious 

 

Anyone who meets me immediately sees my passion for the things I do. When you are enthusiastic, that energy is contagious. Others see it and believe it themselves as well. A lot of people have been inspired simply by me being passionate about changing the world. Be passionate and others will follow in your footsteps.

 

 

4. Be Cool, Calm and Confident

 

I’m very realistic about everything. If sh*t is going bad, I’ll be the first one to admit it. However, I am not easily rocked by some negativity. I am always cool, calm and confident. If you want to inspire others, you need to be confident in your abilities through thick and thin. Nobody likes to follow the example of someone who is shaky.

 

 

5. Shoot for the Moon

 

Anyone who knows me can tell you that I’m always shooting for the moon. I don’t always get to the moon, but I’m guaranteed to land in the stars. Role models don’t aim for mediocrity, they aim to be the best. You can inspire people when you set your goals above their expectations.

 

 

6. Be Humble

 

Nobody likes to feel as if they are worse than anyone else. Treat everyone equally and remember that money doesn’t necessarily mean you are better than someone else. Keep your head down and work hard in silence so that success can make the noise. People will automatically notice you.

 

 

7. Keep Your Promises

 

No matter how big or small the promise may be, people respect you based on how honest you are. I’ve made numerous appearances at volunteer events and conferences even if it’s been tough on my schedule. I value the opportunity to inspire others so highly that I will go above and beyond to show up even when things are rough.

 

 

8. Listen Well

 

I learned as much as I did as quickly as I did because I listened to others. It doesn’t matter if you’re giving help or seeking help, listen to others. I’ve been able to inspire and help others because I take the time to truly understand their wants and needs.

 

 

9. Accept Your Flaws/Weaknesses

 

Nobody likes to look up to Superman because they feel as if they can never become a super-power like that. People like to be inspired by other humans who have done great things. Part of being human is making mistakes and having flaws. Share your and flaws and weaknesses with the world so that they can truly get to know you.

 

 

10. Don’t Preach

 

Nobody wants to hear someone preach about their successes or ideas. Instead, find a unique way to get your points across to your audience. I’ve been able to inspire so many people not because I beg them to come to me, but rather because I share my thoughts and ideas and people are naturally attracted to it.

 

 

Conclusion

 

I’m very fortunate to have the ability to inspire and motivate people with their dreams. I’m very thankful for this opportunity and if you are in a position similar to me, I truly hope you capitalize on the opportunity as well.

 

 

photo credit: JD Hancock via photopin cc

 

5 Negative Thoughts That Are Killing Your Dreams

More dreams are killed by negative thoughts than anything else. In this article, I share 5 negative thoughts that are killing your dreams along with tips to overcome them.

 

Dreams. Something we all have somewhere in our minds. However, not all of us end up pursuing our dreams. They start as thoughts and remain as thoughts in our mind.

 

 

There are many reasons why are dreams do not become goals. One of the biggest reasons why is because of the way we think. We all have negative thoughts from time to time, but many of these thoughts can truly kill your dreams forever.

 

 

In this blog article, I’m going to share 5 negative thoughts that are killing your dreams and how you can overcome them:

 

 

1. “Tomorrow will be easier…”

 

Growing up, I used the word tomorrow as much as I could. Clean my room? I can do it tomorrow. Finish my homework? I’ll do it tomorrow. Study for that big final? I’ll wait until tomorrow. I procrastinated everything that required a lot of work or wasn’t interesting to me.

 

 

These thoughts carry on with you for the rest of your life. We prolong our dreams day after day, but nothing changes. Our environments change but our circumstances stay the same. I thought life was tough when I was in elementary school but boy is it a lot harder today.

 

 

You’re not buying yourself time, you’re simply killing your dreams. The longer you wait on those dreams, the more distant they become. I overcame this negative thought pattern by simply putting my dreams into action. I put my foot down and decided that there was no better time to start than now.

 

 

If your negative thoughts are kicking in right now, perhaps my TED talk can help.

 

 

 

 

2. “It’s just too risky for me…” 

 

Every decision comes with a risk. No matter how much we try to minimize the risk, there is always a risk involved. As an entrepreneur, I have taken many gut-wrenching risks. Some have paid off while others have cost me dearly.

 

 

Chasing your dreams is a big risk. I do not say this to scare you, but rather to motivate you. The bigger the risk is, the bigger the reward is. Every day that you live life, you’re taking a risk. Why not take a risk towards something meaningful?

 

 

I knew quitting my job at 17 to become an entrepreneur was risky. However, I quickly began thinking of the rewards. I could control my own destiny, be my own boss and work on something that mattered. Before you weigh the risks, look at the rewards. Prove to yourself that the leap of faith can and will be worthwhile.

 

 

3. “I don’t want to be a failure…”

 

It is true that you may chase your dreams and fail. However, failure doesn’t define you or your dreams unless you allow it to. We as humans have a very negative perspective of what failure really is.

 

 

Throughout our lives, the idea of failing has been antagonized. As I have progressed an entrepreneur, I quickly learned that failure was my best friend. I fail all the time and I’m proud to say it. I’m even prouder to say that I may have failed, but I’m not a failure.

 

 

Let me explain. Failure is an event – something that happens on a given day at a certain time. If you quit without learning from it, you are truly a failure. However, I’m not a failure because I embrace it, get back up and try again. Remember: you can only be a failure if you allow yourself to give up.

 

 

4. “I’m not as talented as those other successful people.”

 

Negative thoughts really start to take over when you start comparing yourself to others. I quickly realized that the only person you should be in competition with is yourself. Use other successful individuals as motivation, not as dream-killers.

 

 

Stop focusing on all the negatives about yourself. If you really want to compare yourself with someone else, find the common ground. See what skills and assets they have that you possess as well.

 

 

To be a successful dream-chaser, you need to find the positive in every situation. Our minds are trained to seek the negative in every moment, but you must be the master of your own mind. Challenge yourself to think positively and believe in your own abilities.

 

 

5. “I don’t know what others will say….”

 

The worse thing in life is living a life that isn’t your own. What I mean by that is actually really simple. If you’re making life changing decisions based on how others may think or act, you’re not living your own life.

 

 

I am sick and tired of people wondering what their friends, families, co-workers, and other influences in their lives may say. It’s great to weigh their opinions from time to time, but don’t let them run your life.

 

 

Drake says it best, start doing you. Focus on yourself and do what makes you happy in life because that’s what really matters. Good friends and family stay with you no matter what decision you make in life.

 

 

Conclusion

 

What you believe is truly what you can achieve. When you constantly begin to manifest negative thoughts, they begin to run your life. This article features 5 negative thoughts that are killing your dreams along with tips to overcome them.

 

 

photo credit: Ed Callow [ torquespeak ] via photopin cc

 

 

5 Things I Learned About Public Speaking From Delivering A TEDx Talk (Video Inside)

In this article, I share the 5 things I learned about public speaking from delivering a TEDx talk. Through this talk, my perception on speaking to audiences was changed forever and I want to take this time to share the lessons I learned.

 

Note: If you’re looking for the video to my TEDx talk, you can find it embedded at the bottom of this article.

 

 

In October of 2013, I had the amazing opportunity of delivering my first ever TEDx talk. From the months of preparation to the delivery of my speech, it was an unforgettable experience.

 

 

I had done many public speeches before, but speaking at TED was completely different. There was a lot of hype around the event and there was good reason for it. The process from preparing and delivering my talk taught me a lot about public speaking I didn’t know before.

 

 

In this article, I share 5 things I learned about public speaking from delivering a TEDx talk:

 

 

1. Do It For The Message, Not The Money

 

The world of public speaking has been tremendously saturated by individuals who want fat pay checks for a few hours of their time. I too was in this fairytale land and collected a few great checks for speaking to people.

 

 

I spent over 200 hours planning, practicing and perfecting my pitch before delivering my talk in October. Most normal speeches are too focused around you, which ends up causing people to preach to their audience.

 

 

After seeing a handful of individuals get cut from our lineup, I quickly realized that I couldn’t rely on my traditional speaking skills to get me through my TED talk. I had to quickly adapt. After spending 200 hours, I didn’t get a single dollar in return. The whole focus for my talk was my message, which is why I went out of my way to run focus groups to gather data to back up my ideas.

 

 

This lesson was really simple and I plan to implement this in all future speeches I deliver. Focus on your message and what people can take away from it. Only a few people get the opportunity to talk to an audience, give them something to remember.

 

 

2. Don’t Make Everything Serious

 

Throughout schooling and my first few public speaking gigs, I had always been taught to deliver a speech. The format of speeches were supposed to be serious and formal sessions where I could convey a message, idea or information to others.

 

 

The hardest adjustment I made for TED was figuring out a proper way to be conversational during my speech. If you’re constantly serious with your audience, they feel like they’re listening to a superhero and have a really tough time relating with you.

 

 

I quickly figured out that the best speeches are ones where the speaker keeps things informal and conversational. Make your audience feel relevant and help them relate to your story and message. That’s what truly makes a great speech.

 

 

3. Work The Crowd

 

At the end of the day, remember that your audience is investing money, time or sometimes a combination of the two. Teachers teach and preachers preach. However, a speech is all about getting your audience involved.

 

 

Make them laugh and engage with you during your speech. While TED isn’t fond of allowing your audience to answer questions or join you on stage, a great speech gets the crowd hyped up for what is to come. Understand who your audience is and what they’re looking for so you can better deliver on their expectations.

 

 

Before I delivered my speech, I made conversation with the attendees so they could get a better understanding of me. I wanted to introduce myself to everyone and chat with people to build a positive relationship with them long before I got on stage.

 

 

4. It’s Not All About You

 

Many speakers convert their speech into a self-interview session. What I mean by that is people often talk about themselves and their story without paying any attention to the needs of the audience.

 

 

While my TED talk does share a lot of experiences from my life, it’s not about that. My background helps to build up the story and the message to provide more of an impact on the idea I’m trying to share.

 

 

When you watch my video, you’ll clearly notice that my message has nothing to do with me. It’s all about showing people that there is no better time to chase their dreams than now.

 

 

5. Maximize Your Time

 

I went through all the major moments from my business career, shared data from my focus groups and showed people how I overcame the barriers others faced in less than 10 minutes. Before TED, this type of speech may have taken me around 45 minutes to deliver.

 

 

TED isn’t about wasting other peoples time and no speech should be like that. Just because you have 1 hour to deliver a speech doesn’t mean you should use all of it. Maximize your time on stage because you only have the attention of your audience for so long.

 

 

Focus on the main points and hit on them. Don’t beat around the bush and add a ton of pointless fluff to your story if it is irrelevant. I had a clear focus of what I wanted to achieve through my talk and I was able to do that!

 

 

Conclusion

 

If you are a public speaker or have dreams of becoming one someday, I hope you take these tips into consideration. Furthermore, I would love for you to watch my TED talk and share it with the world if it inspires you in any way (TEDx video from my speech can be found at the very bottom of this article).

 

 

Why I Blog For Free And You Should Too

In this article, I share a few reasons why I blog for free and you should too. I have been in the blogging world for almost a year and a half, but I have experienced tremendous success because of my blog.

 

For almost a year and a half now, I have been blogging through my website for FREE. When I say I blog for free, I mean that I don’t run ads or try making money by promoting products of others in an affiliate manner.

 

 

When blogging was popularized in the mid 2000’s, everyone began writing content for the sake of making as much money as they possibly could. By not making any direct revenue from my blog, it has actually been very beneficial for me.

 

 

In this article, I’m going to share why I blog for free and you should too:

 

 

Your Learning is Stronger When You Teach It

 

I’ve always heard that if you really know something, you can easily teach someone else. If the other person doesn’t understand what you’re saying, then you might not know as much as you think.

 

 

From blogging, I was able to sharpen up my own skills by sharing the various things I learned. By doing this, I was able to get a better understanding of what my own strengths and weaknesses were so that I could improve upon them.

 

 

Help Others For Free 

 

You don’t always need to make money to help others. Instead of giving out all this information I put in my blog to only those who are willing to pay me, I dish it all out for absolutely FREE.

 

 

I have learned as an entrepreneur early on that if you give with true genuine intentions, you will be rewarded in return. I don’t write on my blog because I expect my audience to give me something, I do it because I love to help others.

 

 

Content Spreads Fast 

 

Through my blog, I have been able to grow my personal brand faster than I could have ever imagined. I quickly learned that great content spreads really fast. I’ve had certain posts that have had over 25,000 visitors just because people truly enjoyed what I had to say.

 

 

If you write good content, people will share it. From those shares, tons of new people will see what you have to say. After that, you’ll be able to grow your audience from the chain reaction of events.

 

 

Solidify Yourself As An Expert

 

When a 20 year old offers consulting for anything, people are a bit skeptical. My blog was a great way to showcase the knowledge I did have, which in return got me a lot of perks in my other businesses.

 

 

By creating a platform where I could share my knowledge, lessons, experiences and more, people had the opportunity to really get to know me. From my blog, I’ve been able to earn countless interviews, consulting gigs, speaking opportunities, and more.

 

 

It’s Free To Speak Your Mind

 

With so many platforms available to blog for free, you can truly get your own site up for very little cost. Once your blog is up, you don’t have to pay any money to speak your mind.

 

 

I love blogging because it gives me the opportunity to share many deep thoughts with the world. From there, my thoughts and experiences create conversations which are really fun to engage in.

 

 

Conclusion

 

Overall, entering the world of blogging without thinking of monetization has been extremely fun for me! I have enjoyed every minute of it and the value I have gained from it has been tremendous. In this article, I shared why I blog for free and you should too!

 

 

photo credit: Stuck in Customs via photopin cc

 

15 Things Wealthy People Do Differently Than Others

From masterminding with individuals worth hundreds of millions of dollars, I learned a lot about money. Here are 15 things wealthy people do differently than others.

 

“Money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish, but it will not replace you as the driver.” – Ayn Rand

 

 

When I started my first business at 17, I knew nothing about money. I made some money and ended up spending it poorly. I bought fancy clothes, a car and wasted it on items that seemed to me give me zero return.

 

 

At a networking event, I was lucky enough to meet a group of wealthy individuals. They thought I was a great businessman, but they knew I was horrible with money. They wanted to show me the ropes and invited me to join their mastermind sessions for a month.

 

 

I reluctantly accepted this offer without knowing what was to come. The knowledge I learned from them during my mastermind sessions were very valuable. 

 

 

In this article, I’m going to share 15 things wealthy people do differently than others:

 

 

1. Rich People Create Their Own Destiny

 

The first rule they taught me was that we all had the power to create our own destiny. We have the same amount of hours as Michael Jordan or Jay-Z in a day. They don’t wish on stars or wait for things to fall in their lap, they make things happen.

 

 

2. Rich People Stay Away From Satisfaction

 

If your goal is to just ‘live comfortably’, you will never be wealthy. Rich people don’t let off the gas easily. Instead of being satisfied with the first chunks of money that come in, they use that initial push to relentlessly motivate themselves to make more.

 

 

3. Rich People Take Risks

 

Ever heard of the phrase, go big or go home? Wealthy people live and die by this. They understand that in order to be financially secure, you have to think big. With thinking big, it’s natural to take huge risks.

 

 

4. Rich People Get Motivation From Other Successful Individuals

 

If you see a fancy sports car on the street, do you ask yourself how lucky that person is? Wealthy people know that luck and jealousy don’t exist. They only believe in motivation. When they see other successful people around them, they use that for inspiration and motivation to better themselves.

 

 

5. Rich People Spend Time With Other Wealthy Individuals

 

Write down the names of the 5 people closest to you. Write down their incomes, add those incomes up and divide that number by 5. It turns out that people have the average income of their 5 closest friends. Wealthy people know this secret to success and make sure they spend their quality time with other wealthy individuals.

 

 

6. Rich People Build Personal Brands

 

A business can be taken from your hands at any point of time. You can sell a company, go bankrupt or simply not be useful in the marketplace. However, a personal brand is something that will carry on with you for the rest of your life. Wealthy people build businesses and their personal brands simultaneously.

 

 

7. Rich People Take Criticism 

 

Wealthy people don’t shy away from criticism. They aren’t fearful of what others have to say. They are on a mission to constantly better themselves and if taking criticism will help, they are game!

 

 

8. Rich People Never Say Never 

 

Take something to a wealthy person and ask them if they want to buy it. Instead of saying “I can’t afford it”, they say “I will afford it”. They have a mentality to life that is different than the average person. They don’t get disappointed by the things they can’t have, instead they get motivated.

 

 

9. Rich People Understand How To Make Their Money Work For Them

 

The biggest principle I learned from my wealthy mastermind group was the idea of making my money work for me. Instead of trading hours for dollars, I learned to trade dollars for more dollars. You have to find investments that are passive in nature, but provide a return so that you can continue to grow your wealth.

 

 

10. Rich People Teach Themselves

 

Graduating from college doesn’t mean that you can stop learning for the rest of your life. Wealthy people constantly educate themselves and try to stay ahead of their market in order to be successful in the future.

 

 

11. Rich People Take Massive Action

 

Wealthy people understand that in order to be successful, you only have to be right once. Instead of letting fear rule their lives, rich people take massive action. They know that they won’t successful unless they try so they put their ideas into action.

 

 

12. Rich People Hold Themselves Accountable

 

We all have problems in our lives. However, most wealthy people are so happy and successful because they take accountability for things in their lives. Most of us are focused on playing the blame game, but wealthy people understand when they are wrong and try to make themselves better for the future.

 

 

13. Wealthy People Don’t Let Their Circumstances Define Them

 

Whether you’re born poor or don’t have enough money to attend college, you cannot allow your circumstances to define you. Wealthy individuals understand that their circumstances can be challenges, but they can change their situation with plenty of hard work.

 

 

14. Wealthy People Outwork Others

 

In order to be successful, you have to work hard. Whether it’s putting in long hours or balancing multiple jobs, wealthy people are willing to do whatever it takes in order to be successful.

 

 

15. Rich People Follow Their Passion

 

It’s very hard to be wealthy and successful doing something you don’t love. Your heart isn’t there and you find it a chore working extra hours. Wealthy people follow their passions because it makes them happy and they have no problem spending hours at their job.

 

 

Conclusion

 

I am extremely thankful that I got to spend a month of my time with a group of wealthy individuals who were all worth hundreds of millions of dollars. These are 15 things wealthy people do different than others.

 

 

photo credit: Winning Automotive Photography via photopin cc