“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'” – Muhammad Ali

Doing the little, tedious actions on a daily basis are crucial. It’s tough. That’s why so many people give up. It’s not easy. You feel like you’re working everyday not seeing any return on the work you’ve put in. You have to sacrifice time with friends. With family. Social aspects of your life suffer. Relationships suffer. It can be a very lonely journey. 

The work will pay off though, one day, when you least expect it. The ballon has to burst at some point. Believe in the grind. It’s an incredible important aspect of any endeavor. Muhammad Ali hated training. Training sucks. He forced himself to train. He knew the work he was putting in now would pay off. He believed he was a champion even before he was. He sacrificed his days to training. To working. To getting better. That’s why he’s the greatest that ever lived. He outworked everyone. 

Acknowledge that the work upfront is going to be hard. It will be draining. You’ll get frustrated. You’ll give up. Restart your plan. Try again. Quit. Try something else. Pivot. As long as you keep going it will pay off. 

You’ll look back one day and appreciate the grind. 

“What I lack in talent, I compensate with my willingness to grind it out. That’s the secret of my life.” -Guy Kawasaki

If you don’t like the way people are doing things say something. If you’re not enjoying what you’re doing be honest with yourself. If you like someone tell them. 

Be honest with people. Let them know when you’re being bothered, nervous, scared, angry, sad, happy, excited, indifferent, worried, shy, etc. Quit holding back how you truly feel about certain situations. Tell the truth. Focusing on being more honest with people. Don’t be a complete asshole about it. Don’t say, “you look ugly today sweetie” or “I think you’re a stupid bumbling idiot”. That will most likely get you slapped and/or punched in the face. Say, “instead of doing your hair like that do it like this, I love your hair like that”. If they ask, “Don’t you like my hair how it was?” Tell them the truth. “No I don’t.” They might be upset at first but appreciate the honesty. Shit, they might still hit you. My point is it helps to be honest. 

When they come to you with questions now, they know you’ll answer them truthfully and honestly. Sometimes, the truth really does hurt but it will help others grow. It helps you grow. No more hiding behind lies. If you feel a certain way express it. You’ll get bad responses every now and then. People will still get pissed. It’s better for them to hear it from you, face to face, then hear it from someone else. 

Being honest is hard. You’re going to hurt some feelings. In the end though would you rather be called a liar or honest? 

“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” -Thomas Jefferson

It helps you realize what you truly should be working on. What your stressing about is the most pressing issue. If it’s bills then focus on paying them off. If it’s work, focus on improving your work situation or moving on. If it’s a relationship, repair it or end it. If you’re worrying about it, it’s important. 

Think about what’s most troubling. What’s always on your mind. Then focusing on eliminating that worry.

Stop worrying about little things and solve them. Don’t worry about your future. Don’t worry about what might happen. Solve your worries. Be grateful. 

Your life is a lot better than you realize. 

“If only the people who worry about their liabilities would think about the riches they do possess, they would stop worrying.” -Dale Carnegie

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!”― Benjamin Franklin

Most people have now heard or seen the Maria Carey live meltdown. Holy shit. If not, here you go: http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/mariah-carey-epic-meltdown-after-9544984. 

Basically there was a malfunction with her equipment and she couldn’t hear – she was lip syncing anyway. She then proceeded to act weird, saying random things into the microphone, and then walking off stage. She had clearly not been ready for something like this to happen. 

“Expect the best, plan for the worst, and prepare to be surprised.” -Denis Waitley

Maria Carey has been around for years. She should have been prepared for a situation like this. For someone as high of a profile as Maria Carey she should be able to do some sort of improv to lessen the harm of the situation. It was a great example of under preparing for a huge event. She had done live performances thousands of times in the past. It was blatantly obvious she had never entertained the thought of something going wrong. She could have handled the situation in a different way. Instead of blaming others or getting frustrated she should have had fun with it. 

She should have reacted like her tweet after the event: shit happens. It seems like she’s learned her lesson. I’m sure the next time she steps on stage she’ll be more prepared. 

We all start from same point. It’s tough at first. Really tough. You’re not good in the beginning. You’re probably not going to be good for a long time. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, consistency, courage, and time. Most people can’t get past the fact they suck. We do though. We all do. 

Overcome this fear that you’ll always suck. You won’t be good or even average for a while. Keep practicing and trying. Have the courage to mess up and learn from it. Put a time everyday to do something. Anything that advances your learning and skill.

Have fun during this process. You’ll realize the climb is often more enjoyable then the peak. 

It’s fantastic having time with your friends and family. Having dinner. Going to parties. Celebrating holidays and birthdays. Friends and family are the key to true happiness. Key to surviving in life. But, we also need time alone. 

Time to reflect. Time to focus on ourselves. Time to work on important projects. Time to practice and learn. Time to mediate on ideas and thoughts. Fuck around. Try something new. Have fun. Play games. Do nothing. Improve on areas where we struggle. 

Some of our best work is done alone. It’s when we have that freedom to do what we want, how we want. When there are no distractions. It’s pure work. It’s uninterrupted thinking. It’s when we’re most dedicated and motivated. 

Be grateful for every second you spend with your family and friends but don’t overlook the moments you have alone. 

Do something engaging. Something challenging. Something you’ve thought a lot about. Something you’ve wanted to try but never have. Do something creative. Whether that’s writing a novel, learning a new language, playing an instrument, starting a podcast, etc. 

Have fun with it! If your same plan hasn’t been working, try the opposite. Try a different approach. Take a creative approach to your creative project – woah. Don’t compare yourself to others. Work at your own pace. Fuck up a bunch. Fuck up constantly. Just have fun with it.

It doesn’t have to be for that long. Start with 10 minutes each day and build up from there. Try a bunch of shit. If you get bored, move on to something else. Just do something. Anything really. Just try.

“A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others.”      -Ayn Rand

My hope is to positively impact one persons day everyday. Through simple gestures such as holding the door, buying their lunch, saying thank you, complementing their clothes, etc. I try to do a simple gestures at least once a day. You can overkill your complements. You can’t tell everyone that their shirt looks nice or you like their hair today. Then those complements don’t seem genuine. 

There is one gesture you can do to everyone to impact their day positively: Smile. Smiling is a simple gesture. If you smile at everyone it still comes off genuine. It’s hard to not smile back when someone smiles at you. Even if someone doesn’t, don’t take it personally. Maybe they didn’t see you or they’re having a horrible day. Just keep on smiling. It eventually has to work. Worst comes to worst, smiling puts you in a better state. It’s hard to feel unhappy while you’re smiling. 

If you combine your smile with a wave or a “Great day isn’t it?” It increases your chances of a positive response. Most likely the other person will mimic what you did. Sometimes you will still be ignored but at least you tried. Try to smile at as many people as you can but be genuine about it. Smile with the intention of making someone’s day or with the intention of saying hello. Have fun with it. Count the amount of people you can smile at, wave at, and say hello to. It won’t only impact their day, it will have a great impact on yours. 

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” -Thich Nhat Hanh