How do you know who you are?

It took me over a year to truly understand and answer this question.  The journey changed my life.

So, who are you?  How do you know who you are?  Do you believe what you say and think?

These are really important questions to master your inner game and find your true self.  Most people are a product of their surrounding and influences in life.  Everything from parents, schooling, media, and culture to religion and social circles influences who you are and what you think.  But have you ever stopped to ask if what you say and believe are truly your thoughts?  Are they the ones you want to own or do you just react and what you say and think happens automatically?

Awareness is the catalyst to change in anything.  You cannot affect something you are not aware of.

But what if I told you that many of the things you say and do were put there by someone or something else. Further, what if I told you these thoughts and natural reactions run you without you even knowing it? Then, what if I told you that you have a choice to let them to continue to run you or to choose your own path?  Would you want to go down that road?  You'd at least be curious.

You can change the whole trajectory of your life and your potential by choosing the way you think.  Your subconscious mind has been conditioned to react in specific ways to specific situations.  Some of these reactions you may like, others you may not...and are looking for the way to change them.

The formula for changing your beliefs is simple - implementing it consistently is incredibly difficult.  But it has been done many times and changed lives.  Here it is:

1. Take inventory:  Start taking note of your actions and things that you say.  Write them down.
2. Ask yourself if this is what you believe:  Dig in and ask yourself if you truly believe in what you are saying or doing.  Was it a choice by you or did you hear it or learn it elsewhere?
3. Decide:  Decide if you are going to continue with that way of thinking or actions that you take.  Keep what you like and then decide what thoughts and actions you want to have.  Write those down.
4. Action:  Put the thoughts and actions into practice.
5. Stop, Ask, Choose:  Learn to stop, ask, and choose.  Stop yourself when you feel you are "just reacting" to a situation.  Ask yourself how you want to respond.  Choose the thoughts and actions you want to have and move forward.

As I mentioned above, while this process is easy to understand and follow; it is hard to put into place on a daily basis and on the moment.  So take it slow.  Start with one area or type of situation in your life and focus on getting into a routine of Stop, Ask, and Choose in that area.

Lastly, you have to commit to this for your life.  It is only through repetition and time that this process becomes natural and instant for you.  When you do so, you will absolutely change your inner game and find your true self.  Enjoy the journey!!

A man and a woman are standing on a street corner.  The man sees another man struggling to get a taxi and shrugs it off as the way it is.  The woman sees it and sees an opportunity to create a technology company that enables ordinary drivers to offer the extra seats in their car to people, give them a lift, and create an extra income stream for themselves.  She calls it “rideshare.” 

Of course, Uber already exists, but the point of the story is that the man has typical mindset and the woman has what I call an “entrepreneur’s mindset.” 

Take my friend, John.  John doesn’t look like a millionaire, but he is.  John makes his living dealing in shit.  Literally.  Years ago, he was at outdoor event and had to use the rest room.  There was only one issue; there were only a few “portable toilets” and the lines were a mile long.  In asking one of the event staff why there weren’t more options, they told him that that was the most they could get and that were available.  John, immediately saw a lack of supply where there was a lot of demand.  He went out and bought some portable toilets and started a business.  Nowadays, he not only has that, but portable trailers (If you’ve ever been to a marathon or half-marathon, you’ve probably seen them), and all kinds of other services across a number of states.

John, saw a need, took action, and seized the opportunity.

Everyone has this ability and has an “entrepreneur mind.”  They just don’t always tap into it and use it to their advantage or their use it in other areas of their lives.  If you have children, you are using your “entrepreneur’s mindset” all of the time.  You are coming up with answers to the crazy questions you get, giving out advice on how to succeed, and even using your MacGyver skills to fix toys or pull things together to aid in some issue or problem that is going on.

But how do you take this mindset and flip to create more income and opportunity in your life?  It’s simple, you need to remember one thing and use it all the time.  You need to constantly be asking “How?” 
How can this be done a better way?  How can this be easier?  How can I solve this problem or issue? How can we change the way things are done?

Asking “how” open the creative side of your mind to start thinking and looking for solutions.  It helps you to look at things in different ways and see things differently.  It helps you spot opportunities and needs.
Asking “how” activates the “entrepreneur’s mindset” in your brain and can dramatically change your life.
Make it a point to start observing something every day and asking how you can improve it or make it easier.  You can start with a routine in your life or a cumbersome task you have to do.  Don’t be afraid to fail.  Innovate, experiment, and see where it takes you.  Let your mind wander on “how” and see where it takes you. 
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Like I mentioned above, everyone has at “entrepreneur’s mindset,” we just need to take the time and ask the how question to tap into it…and take action on it.  Figuring out a great solution to a challenge or problem without implementing it is worse than failing to put the solution in place.  Go for it and make it happen.  I’d love to get hear from you on trying this out in your life.  “How” will you take action on this simple shift in thinking in your life?  And after you do take action, let me know what you’ve discovered and /or created!

Recently I was asked what I thought the top 5 things are to daily to improve your life.  It was an intriguing question.  When you sit back and take inventory, there is a lot we do on a daily basis - so narrowing it down to the 5 most important things was actually a good exercise.

Here is what I what I came up with.

1.)  Start Your Day with Some Form of Gratitude

This is something that I have made a habit in earnest over the last few years.  Each morning, I take 10 minutes and write down 3 things I am grateful for.  Sometimes they are very deep and other times they are something as simple as being grateful to be up early to see the sunrise.  Everyone is different in what they are grateful for, but it is not so much the things you list, but the action of starting your day and putting your mind in a state of gratitude and thankfulness.  This carries through your whole day and changes your attitude of how you approach things because you begin your day by thinking not of yourself, but from a place of gratitude and giving.  You don't have to do what I do, but try implementing some form of gratitude to start your day and watch the difference it makes,

2.)  Exercise - Even if it's 10 Minutes 

Those that know me, know that I am a fitness enthusiast and workout in some form or fashion every day.  
I don't need to go on about the benefits of exercise and being fit, but the one thing I have found is that, exercise, strategically placed in the day, can make a huge difference in your performance and energy to get things done.  For example, I start my days early (5 am) and typically work for 2-3 hours before taking a break.  I work best by doing concentrated working sprints with breaks in-between.  I get the most done during this time of day or sprint and I am usually tackling my toughest or most important tasks during this time.  So, by the end of it, my brain is fried and needs a break.  That is when I go exercise.  It allows me to clear my head, bust stress, and oxygenate my body.  It energizes me for my next work sprint of the day and keeps the afternoon tiredness that a lot of people get away.  Again, you don't have to do what I do.  But, if you know the time of day that you need a strategic break and can do something - walking, jumping jacks, hand weights in the office, whatever - even 10 minutes will make a big difference for you.

3.)Tackle Your Most Important and Most Impactful Tasks First 

I mentioned this above, but getting your biggest, most important things done first in the day should be your priority.  It makes a huge difference in getting to your goals faster and allows you to be more productive overall.

4.)  Spend Time Focused on Yourself 

Each day you should set aside time to focus on yourself and bettering an area of your life.  I have a secret, even though the Misfit Entrepreneur has grown tremendously, I still edit every single episode and write the show notes myself.  Why?  For me, this is personal growth time.  We have such incredible guests, with amazing wisdom and strategies for success, every episode gives me new ideas and things to implement or try.  By listening to each episode, editing it, and writing down the show notes, I cement many of these great strategies and pieces of advice in my mind.  Everyone should set aside time to work on themselves daily.

5. Resolve to Give Each Day Everything You've Got 

We don’t have much time in this world.  Our lives are a blink of an eye in time.  There is greatness in every one of us and to go through life without realizing it is a disservice to the world.  You have more personal power than you will ever know.  Have the courage and will to tap into it and maximize it every way you can. Give each day everything you've got and leave nothing back.

If you implement even just one or two of these daily into your life, you will amazing results and impact. Like anything, taking action is key.  Which one will you implement first?  Leave a comment below and let me know.

Everyone has the same problem.  We all know the things we should do in our lives to better ourselves or perform at higher levels, but have trouble getting started and staying disciplined to make habits that stick.

The key to implementing anything - a habit, a routine, a process, a way of thinking, etc. is to have a system that makes it easy to do and that is repeatable.

Here are 3 things you can do to make a winning habit and make it stick.

1.)  Start Small

One of the mistakes people make when trying to change their habits and implement new ways of doing things is that they implement everything all once.  They attempt to eat the whole elephant and quickly find themselves discouraged or give up.  We see this every year in January at the gym.  People decide on New Year's that they are going to get in better shape and are "going to go to the gym every day and lose 20 lbs in one month!"   Of course, we all know what happens.  They get a week in, miss a few days, see they aren't on pace to lose "the 20" and give up.  

This way of doing things doesn't make sense.  To put it in perspective, do Astronauts train really hard for a week and then are ready for space?  Of course not.  They train for years and years...and if they are lucky, might get a chance to go.  

I know you are not training to be an astronaut (or maybe you are - awesome), but the key is to eat the elephant one bit at a time.  Start small.  Make a commitment to go to the gym two days a week.  Once you have mastered that and made a discipline of it, then you can add another day and go to 3 days a week and so on.  This works for any habit you want to build, start small, get consistent, then add to it.  

Remember, people overestimate what they can accomplish in a week and underestimate what they can accomplish in a year.

2.)  Have a Meaningful Incentive or Anchor

In order to stick with something, it has to have meaning for you.  You must have a solid "why" for doing it. Using our example of getting into a workout routine and losing weight above, just saying "I want to workout more and lose weight is not enough."  There is nothing associated with it - nothing to anchor to. But, if instead, you say, "I want to workout more and lose weight so that I can run a mile with my son/daughter and be able to do more with them as they grow," it is meaningful and anchors you to a purpose - something you can come back to as to why you need to continue on and keep your commitment.

Find the meaningful incentive and anchor for your new habit and keep it forefront in your mind and in front of you as you start putting the habit into place.

3.) Commit to Daily Focus and Make Yourself Accountable

No matter what habit you institute, you will need to commit to some sort of daily action to foster the behavior and make sure you apply it.  It can be taking 5 mins daily to visualize and tell yourself that you will keep the commitment or scheduling specific time for it in your calendar.  One of the best ways to make sure you commit daily is to have an accountability partner.  Find someone who will commit to holding you accountable and that you can rely on the keep you going.  It is a lot harder to skip something or not do it when you know someone will be asking you about it and holding your feet to the fire.

Bonus! 4.)  Automate 

With today's technology at our fingertips, you can pretty much automate everything.  For example, you can set up daily reminders in your phone to tell you to do things or ask Siri to remind you at a specific time each day.  You can put things in your life to keep your habit forefront.  A good example of this is a goal board or putting a message or picture of the meaningful incentive/anchor on the mirror in your bathroom to look at each morning while you brush your teeth.  The point is that you can set things up so you don't have to think all the time and can have natural automated reminders to keep you going.

Lastly, nothing happens unless you act.  So, get going, pick the habit you want to achieve, start small, make sure to have a meaningful incentive/anchor, commit to yourself to be accountable, and then automate and make it happen.  Here's to your success!