Do you know what the best day of your entrepreneurial career will be?  Have you ever given it any thought?  What are you really striving for as an entrepreneur?  What is an entrepreneur anyway?

I know those questions sound a little suspect, but when it the last time you thought about anything along those lines?  Let alone what the best day of your entrepreneur career will be.

First, let's talk about what an entrepreneur really is.  An true entrepreneur creates a business and builds systems.  They do not "create a job" for themselves.  That does not mean they can't be a solo operation, but it does mean they understand leverage and how to use it.

So, what is the best day of an entrepreneur's career?

The best day of an entrepreneur's career is when they have reached the point where they are not needed by the business any longer.  Huh?  Yes, the best day for an entrepreneur is when the systems they have created and the resources they have put in place can continue to function and scale without them and the business is no longer dependent on them for anything.  This should be your goal - to make yourself obsolete in your business.

If you can do this, it not only allows you to grow yourself as an entrepreneur by giving you the ability to start and grow new businesses to have in your portfolio, but also allows you to have the true freedom that drove you to become an entrepreneur in the first place.

Ask yourself - what do I need to do to make myself not needed in my business?  What systems and resources to do I need to put in place?  What tasks do I do daily that I need to either outsource or delegate? Who do I need to find to help me in taking over running the business?  Take a look at all areas of your business and get a good understanding of everything you need to do to replace yourself.  Then get going and you'll be on your way to reaching the best day in your entrepreneur career!

If you are someone who sometimes has trouble finding the motivation to get out of bed or hits the snooze button a few times in the morning only to find yourself then getting up late, and missing out on the opportunity time - here's a few hacks for you.  This will be a short read, but give you some powerful things you can to do get yourself going in the morning.

1.)  Give Yourself a Meaningful Incentive

What motivates you?  What would make you want to get out of bed, say, 1 hour earlier each day?  How can you reward yourself besides the unbelievable additional productivity you will get by getting up earlier or on time?  You answers to these questions will help reveal your "meaningful incentive."  You need something to anchor to....something that can really drive you.  Maybe you truly want to get healthier and by getting up earlier or on time, you will have the time for the exercise you keep putting off.  Or maybe, it will allow you to eat a healthy breakfast instead of a "grab and go."  Give yourself a reward on top of it for making things happen, but first find your meaningful incentive and anchor it in your mind.

2.)  Force Yourself to Get Up Using Your Technology

OK, this is an easy one.  If you have an alarm clock or use your cell phone as your alarm - put it across the room so you have to get up to get it when it goes up.  The simple act of actually getting up and getting out of bed is much more powerful than staying in bed and hitting the snooze button.  Try it.  It works.

3.)  Schedule Important Appointments of Meetings Early

Another way to motivate yourself and get yourself going early is to schedule important appointments or meetings early in the day.  This is actually a secret of the most successful.  They plan their days the day before and tackle their most important tasks or meetings first thing in the morning when they are fresh and at their best.  This also means they have to wake early and be prepared.  This secret of planning your day the day before, and doing your most important tasks first, is one of the most powerful of high performers.  Give it shot - it will change your life.

Putting these simple hacks to work for you will make a huge difference in your productivity and success.  Put them to use for you!

​Recently, I was invited to attend the Fireside Entrepreneur Conference in Canada and speak at the event.  I have to be honest.  I did not know what to expect and I wasn't sure if this conference was really going to impress me.  But, I was willing to give it a shot.  Man, was I surprised.

First, the conference is held at a camp about 4 hours north of Toronto.  And it is exactly what you'd expect when you here the word "camp."  It is a self-contained camp on a lake where you bunk up with total strangers in cabins with no cell service or even access to electricity.  The event is what I would call "Summer Camp for Entrepreneurs."

And over the course of 3 days, I was reminded of why we as entrepreneur's do what we do and of the importance of focusing on yourself and helping others.  Here is are 5 Takeaway's I took from the confernce.

1.)  The Power of Connecting with People Face to Face

It is amazing what happens when entrepreneurs from all walks of life get together, don’t know each other, and bunk up.  You meet people of all backgrounds and walks of life, doing incredible things, and full of life and hope for the future.  You also learn to deal with their snoring habits as well :)

I met some wonderful entrepreneurs and just people in general.  And, it was nice to spend time with a group of like-minded people face to face - not through social media or a web-meeting or anything.   It is something we should all commit to do more often.

2.)  Networking and Relationships are Still the Best form of ROI 

When you can truly network and make real human connections with people, you can create great, lasting relationships.  I was very humbled to be able to connect with and discover business opportunities with a number of entrepreneurs at the event.  In fact, I was even able to connect with and spend time with Jeffrey Haslett of CSuite Network fame and we became fast friends.  We even decided to do a live podcast together for the group and share some of best thoughts on how to succeed as entrepreneurs and took questions from the audience.  It was a great time and we were able to really help some people.

3.)  Being Unplugged for a Weekend is Sooo Worth It

As I crashed into the cold lake water from a zipline that started 400 yards back at over 50 ft. up in a tree, I said to myself, "How nice it is to be unplugged where I cannot be reached and get to just relax and take a break.  Cold-water notwithstanding, I floated in the lake for a little while looking up at the sky and the beautiful serenity of the place I was in and understood why Fireside has become such a popular event - and why they have made it invite only.  Everyone would want to come!  But, it is very important to schedule time to truly unplug in your life.  Force yourself to do so - it will give your perspective, allow some of your best thinking to arise, and you'll even notice things that you maybe would never have see before.

4.)  Opportunity is Everywhere

And I mean, everywhere!  I could not believe some of the businesses people had created that were doing 6 and 7 figures and more.  I have seen a lot and met a lot of entrepreneurs in unique business niches in doing the Misfit Entrepreneur, but even I was surprised at some of the niches and unique business concepts people had created.  One guy had left the C-level in the corporate world and created a total system for creating and telling your story as a person and your business.  He has a waiting list of clients.  Another created a company that works like AirBnb for finding student housing on campuses and universities.  Oh and let's not forget the marijuana millionaires (it was Canada).

My point is that, there is opportunity everywhere around all the time.  Everything starts as an idea and then needs execution....but listen to your ideas as they may not be a crazy as you think.  We live in the age of long-tail where even the smallest of niches that never would have survived 10-20 years ago can be a thriving enterprise for someone willing to put the time and effort in.  

5.)  We are So Lucky to Be Entrepreneurs

No matter who you are, you are are entrepreneur.  You may not own a business (yet), but you have entrepreneurial qualities.  They are innate human qualities.  The ability to come up with an idea, vision or a mission, passionately take steps to make it a reality, and overcome the barriers that get in the way are all things we as humans have innately in us.  We should do well to embrace them more and celebrate them.  We are very lucky to have these qualities - they are what make the journey of life so exciting, frightful, and rewarding.  Embrace your inner entrepreneur and make it happen!

There are a lot of things that have to happen to win at something.  Whether it is a race, a team sport, business, winning over self and negative self-talk; one thing matters more than all others.

This one thing is the toughest part about winning.  In fact, it is so tough, that most never learn it, and those that do, still struggle with it.  

What is it?  It is the ability to outlast.  Now that may sound simple and may sound like everything you've heard before about "never giving up, never quitting, and so on;" but outlasting takes more.  You can finish a race when you wanted to quit...then never race again.

Those who truly reach the top of the packet, not only have an attitude that they won't quit, but also that they will outlast until they are the last one standing.  They have the will and fortitude to keep going.

I was recently reading a book that reminded me of this.  The book is Redefine Impossible by James Lawrence.  Now, most people may not know his name, but instead may recognize him by his nickname, "The Iron Cowboy."  James is the man who created and completed the 50-50-50 challenge to raise awareness for child obesity.  50 Ironman Triathlons in 50 States in 50 days.  That is a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and full 26.2 marathon every day for 50 days.

In reading the story, I can relate to a lot as an endurance athlete, but where James goes beyond anyone I have ever seen, is in his ability to outlast.  There were so many instances where he could have thrown in the towel on this thing.  Not because he was tired, but literally because he could not physically walk or his feat were bleeding through his shoes.  But no, he chose to find a way to finish, even it meant walking the marathon until 3 AM to only get in the car and drive to next state to get up in 3-4 hours to do it all over again.

If your life, you may not be doing a 50-50-50, but you are probably trying to succeed at something and may not be getting the results you want or any results at all.  And after a while, that little voice starts saying that "this isn't worth it" "You given this X amount of time and seen no results, cut your losses, etc."  If you truly believe in what you are doing and believe that it can make a difference, choose to outlast.  Even if it takes years, I promise you, it will be worth it.

This can work for anything.  Stick with a prospect in sales long enough to outlast the competition and you will get it.  Stick with a podcast long enough and it will grow an audience - even it doesn't have hardly anyone listening for the first 6-12 months (I speak from personal experience).  Don't succumb the pressure of a larger competitor trying to threaten your business and intimidate you when you know what you are doing is perfectly right.  Outlast them.  (I speak from experience here as well!)

Put the secret of an attitude of outlasting to work for you and like James, you will be amazed at what happens in your life.

This won't be a long post, but the message may be one of the most important you ever hear.

What makes a great leader?  What do some leaders stand out from the pack?  Why do people follow someone?

The answer is simple, yet so powerful.  Great leaders understand that they must lead themselves before they can lead others.  What does this mean?  It means that you must develop the discipline to be best you can be before you can ask others to do the same.

This means leading in all areas of your life.  Personal, health, wealth, business, spiritual, and so on.  You must develop the consistent discipline to be the best you can possibly be in each area, then you must take it a step further.  You must show the ability to execute.

You cannot ask others to do something that you have not taken the time to learn, understand, or do.  It will show immediately and people will not follow you.

You must be able to show people what you are asking them to do and then help empower them to execute.  In other words, you must be willing to get in the trenches.

Are you leading yourself and have created the discipline you know is needed to succeed and lead in all areas of your life?  If not, pick one and be obsessed with being the best you can be.  Master it.  Then move on to the next, and so on.

This one thing matters most when it comes to becoming a great leader!