As we begin a new year and a new decade, we all have aspirations and things that we want to be, do, and have in our lives.

Most will never get these things because of one major challenge that haunts us as human beings.  That challenge is "choice."  It haunts us not in the way you may think.  We make choices every day,  Making a choice is easy for us.  Making the right choices...the deep life-changing ones...the ones that truly allow us to get to completely new levels in our lives are extremely hard.  And because of this, we make the opposite choice.  The choice to keep things the way they are or settle for much less (But, hey, we feel better).

At the core of things in our lives, it comes down to the choices we make.  The choices we make are driven by the principles and beliefs we have as they drive our results.  To truly make a life-changing choice requires great commitment, resolve, sacrifice, and tenacity over a long period of time - as well as the ability to deal with fear.  And that goes against what we have been conditioned to in our instant society.  If people don't see results fast, they move on.  And nowadays, not even a little result is good enough.  It needs to be significant right now or it's a failure.

Sadly, most people fall prey to this way of thinking and running their life, time and time again, when the true path, the real breakthrough, comes over the long-term.

Case in point.  As I write this, it is the beginning of the year.  Fitness centers are going to be filled for the next month with all those people that "are finally going to lose the weight and get into shape."  But, what happens after January?  Most people have started working out, but haven't seen any real results.  They may not have lost a pound.  They didn't get that immediate gratification they thought they'd see, even after putting in soooo much more time than they thought they should to get a result.  Right. Because just 3-4 weeks of fitness is going to drastically reverse what took years to create.

If people would look at things from the perspective of what can be accomplished over the course of the year if they keep at it, they'd see a massive difference.  Sure, they'd probably lose some weight, but even more importantly is the fact that they would be healthier, be in better shape both internally and externally, and would have discipline that can last for years for them - effectively changing their life and probably helping them live longer.

It all comes down to that BIG choice.  Not the half-hearted, "OK, I'll try it" choices that last for a short time.  No, it is that deep, life-changing choice, that you sit down before making, and think deeply on it as a total change to your life and your future.  That is the ability you have right now for anything in your life.  Make the RIGHT choice(s) and see it or them through this year and into the rest of the decade.  You have the ability to change your life.  Choose wisely.

I recently watched a scene from the movie Alice in Wonderland where Alice is talking to the White Queen (the good one) and the conversation goes like this...

Alice laughed. “There’s no use trying,” she said: “one can’t believe impossible things.”
“I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

As I ran the quote through my mind a few times, it got me thinking.  With 2020 right around the corner, what "impossible things" could I accomplish in the New Year?  I thought further and wondered, what if I was able to inspire a large amount of people to accomplish just 5 of what they think are impossible things in the next year?  What impact could we have on the world?

It dawned on me that I had found impossible thing #1.  What if?  What if we could resolve to accomplish 5 impossible things in our lives over the next year?

First, it would be pretty fun to do so. 
Second, it may just change someone's life.  
Third, it may just change the world.

I got to brainstorming and before I knew it, I had a number of "impossible things" ranging across business to personal and in-between.  For example, one of my impossible things is to make enough in 2020 so that I can give more than made the entire year of 2019.  Wouldn't that be amazing?  Some would say it's impossible - but I know it's not.  The limits to possibility exist in our mind and our willingness to act.  We are limited to what we believe is possible and by if we will act on it or not to make it become reality.

2020 begins not only a New Year, but a new decade.  How many impossible things are you going to accomplish?  Join me in committing to 5 Impossible Things for 2020!  Believe and Act!

​In every episode of the Misfit Entrepreneur, we get amazing wisdom, success tips, lifehacks, and strategies for how to perform at our highest levels.  But, my favorite part of the episode is when each Misfit Entrepreneur gives us their Misfit 3.

The Misfit 3 are their 3 most important pieces of advice that each guest wants you to take away above all else.  If you have not gone through the episode archives and checked them out, you should make it part of your weekly personal growth routine in 2020.

To help you, I have gone through all of 2019's Misfit 3 from each guest and come up with my Top 25 for you.  There is so much wisdom in the following thoughts.  Feel free to print the list to refer back to help you succeed in 2020! 

The Misfit Entrepreneur "Misfit 3" Top 25

1. ​Always build something.  When we are building something in our lives – a business, a garden, a relationship, we find purpose and meaning.
2. Curiosity.  Learn to nurture your curiosity as a skill.  It is the bridge between where you are now and infinite possibilities. 
3. Read "IF" by Rudyard Kipling and think about how you can apply the lessons to your life.
4. Where the mind goes, the man follows.  Feed your mind with good things.
5. You can make money, or you can make excuses, but you can’t do both…
6. Give before you get.  Prove yourself first and you will stand out like crazy to others that can help you.
7. The stories that we tell ourselves are the most important stories.
8. There is freedom in vulnerability.  Get rid of the secrets, be open, and honest with yourself.
9. Everything starts with an idea.  They are the most powerful things in the world.  Make sure you use yours for extraordinary good.
10. Take the step on the other side of fear.
11. Don’t die with your lies and don’t let your loved ones die with theirs…
12. Embrace 70-20-10.  20% is going to be bad.  70% is mediocre.  10% is truly great.
13. Rule #1 is that there are no rules.  Disregard what anyone tells you unless they are further along the life journey you want to have.  Otherwise, they are only giving you advice to live their life and their life isn’t yours.
14. Choose to be happy.  Don’t just exist.  Life is meant to be enjoyed.  Happiness, regardless of circumstance is a choice.
15. ​There is a massive difference between building a living and building a life.  Be driven to build a life.  Drive your passion forward and share you purpose with others.
16. Go first.  For some reason, we don’t like to go first on things.  Go first.  You lose nothing.  Put your pride aside and lead.
17. Success is just a thing in life – it’s not THE thing.  
18. We all come from the creator and our creator does not make mistakes.  Every one of us has value and no one is inferior.  We are all here for a reason and there are no mistakes.
19. Live your life backwards.  Connect to your mortality.  Reflect on the last day of your life and ask how you want to be remembered?  Who do you need to become to be this person?
20. Forgiveness and Freedom – Forgive yourself and others.  On the other side of forgiveness is freedom
21. No matter what you want to do or achieve in life, the only thing standing between you and getting it is learning and that is why learning is the only skill that matters.
22. Language truly does matter.  What words to do you use with yourself?  Are you encouraging yourself and others to live out their story or not?
23. A sign that you are on the right track in business is that it will feel so much easier from the beginning vs. trying to force something through.  If you haven’t felt that feeling, you need to dig deeper and find a bigger edge or differentiator.
24. Refuse to be in the position you are in now.
25. Don’t let yourself have “rocking chair regret” or let the music die inside you.  Accomplish your dreams and goals

I recently found this poem that really resonated with me.  I do not know who originally came up with it, but it has a very deep and important message that I want to share with you.

Read it and give some thought as to what it means to you in your life...

He was going to be all that mortal should be—Tomorrow;

No one should be kinder nor braver than he—Tomorrow.
A friend who was troubled and weary he knew,

Who’d be glad of a life and who needed it, too,

On him he would call and see what he could do—Tomorrow.

Each morning he stacked up the letters he’d write—Tomorrow;

More time he’d have to give others, he’d say—Tomorrow.

The greatest of workers this man would have been—Tomorrow.

The world would have known him had he ever seen—Tomorrow,
​
But the fact is he died and he faded from view, And all that he left here when living was through,

Was a mountain of things he intended to do—Tomorrow.

As we get into December and the last month of the year, it's a great time to set things up for success in the new year.  Just about everyone knows that they can get better, but the biggest challenge is where to start?  What do you actually need to do to set yourself up for future success?  

Here is a 5 step plan to follow that will put you on the path to success in the new year.

1.)  Know Who You Are and What Guides You

Who are you?  What do you believe?  What do you stand for?  These are questions that most people never think deeply about in their lives.  On the surface, they think they know the answers, but when they dive deep into who they are and what they believe, most of the time they find the real answers to be much different.  

So, how do you learn who you truly are?  You ask a lot of questions - but start with defining your principles and your standards.  What are the principles you will live by and not sacrifice for anything?  What are the standards you will live up to in your life.  Principles are you foundation, your core.  Standards are how you maintain that core in your life.  For example, one of my principles is to act with integrity.  One of my standards is that I will carry myself as though my daughter is watching me in all situations.  This standard helps to ensure my integrity principle in my life.

2.)  Discover Your True Passion

What are you deeply, truly passionate about?  What makes you excited in anticipation like a kid waiting for Christmas morning?  What truly invigorates and excites you?  You're answers may be surprising.  I never thought that one of my deepest and most important passions would be loving to teach people, but it is.  And I use it throughout my businesses.  It brings me deep satisfaction to help someone discover how to get better or create success in their lives.  What are truly passionate about and how can you maximize it's impact in your life and the lives of others?


3.)  Set Goals with Milestones

Once you understand who you are with your principles/standards and what you are deeply passionate about, it makes it easy to decide where you want to go.  But, in order to get there, you need milestones - things to strive for.  In running Ironmans, the final portion, the marathon, is typically the toughest part for people.  After all, you are doing it after a 2.4 mile swim and 112 mile bike ride.  The best advice I ever received was not to focus on running a marathon - it's too overwhelming at that point - but instead to focus on running to the next aid station, fueling up, and the to the next one and so on.  The aid stations are the milestones and each one you make it to, the closer you are to your goal of finishing.  It is the same with your goals.  Once you know where you want to go, you can set the big goal for yourself, but then you need to break it up into your milestones, your personal aid stations.  

And remember, people overestimate what they accomplish in a week and underestimate what they can accomplish in a year.  Focus on getting the next milestone and you be amazed at how fast you can get to your larger goal.

4.)  Write Down Your Goals with Milestones and Share Them

The next logical step once you have your goals and milestones is to write them down, so you have your plan.  But, most people don't take the most important step and that is to share them with those that can help your achieve them and that will help hold you accountable.  No matter what, to get to your goals, you will need help in some form or another, so sharing your goals will open up those opportunities.  But, most importantly, you will put it out there for others to see and help hold yourself accountable to what you are going to do.

5.)  Set Deadlines and Execute

Lastly, you need to set deadlines in place and start executing.  Deadlines are important as they are set in stone.  Don't use time frames because "time frames" are expandable and let your weasel out of hitting your milestones and goals.  Of course, none of this matters unless you act on your plan and execute - so get rid of any excuses and resolve to act every day toward your next milestone.

This simple 5 step exercise will help you know yourself better, identify what really matters, your true goals, and ensure you act on them.  All you have to do is take action and follow it.  Here's to your success in the new year!