“Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not.” -Oprah Winfrey

Don’t expect anyone to notice. Do it because you care. You want to help. You want to make someone’s day. You want to improve a process for the better. 

Don’t do something because you want the recognition. That shouldn’t drive you. You should do something because it’s the right thing to do. 

Do something because you want to. Do something because you want to make a difference. Believe in what you’re doing. Don’t do it for the glory. What people think should not effect your actions.


Go ahead and change the way things are being done. Whether you receive recognition or acknowledgement shouldn’t matter. Focus on helping. Focus on being the difference. 

Do something to help someone else. Too many people do things for recognition. That can’t be your motive. 

If recognition is your motive you’ll change yourself. You’ll do things to get the attention of others. You’ll act nice to people when others are around. Just be a genuine person. Don’t act differently when you have an audience. 

Have a different motive. Become a better person. Focus on being the best version of yourself. Focus on helping others more often. Whatever it may be that needs to drive you more than recognition. 

Do the right things. If recognition follows your accomplishments, then that’s an added bonus. Don’t make recognition your only driving force. 

That feeling deep down. That feeling you get when you lose. When you see your opponents cheering. Not the feeling of defeat. The feeling of a fire in your belly. A drive to win. 

You want it so badly. You don’t want them to win again. You don’t ever want to see them at the top again. You’ll do whatever it takes to win. You need to win. It feels more personal now. 

Let your team know this. Show your passion. Show your commitment. Show your drive. Your willingness to succeed when no one thinks it’s possible. Why can’t that be us? 

It can be. You can win. Don’t doubt yourself or your team. You can become great. If you want to be great, you’re going to have to do what others are unwilling to do. You have to out work them. You have to study harder. Practice constantly and always be learning. 

If you want something bad enough you can do it. Fight for what’s yours. 

Don’t back down from the challenge. That’s what they’re expecting you to do. Fuck that. Push yourself harder than you ever have. Get outside of your comfort zone. Believe that it’s possible. 

Losing sucks. It’s not fun. No one likes to lose. It’s how we decide to react to it that makes us winners or losers. 

You can either coincide or fight. Lay down or stand up. Go hid or come out guns a blazin. That fire will drive you to do things you never imagined possible.

It’s when people doubt you the most. When people least expect you to be close. When you’re not even in the conversation. That’s when you attack. That’s when you’re driven by something larger than yourself.

“Football is a great deal like life in that it teaches that work, sacrifice, perseverance, competitive drive, selflessness and respect for authority is the price that each and every one of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.” -Vince Lombardi

Don’t worry about it. It’s something so small that there’s no need to get angry about it. Just move on. Learn from it. 

If you don’t have any control over it then it really shouldn’t matter. Things happen. You won’t even remember this event 5 years or 10 years from now.

No reason to get upset by it. The best thing you can do is try to stay positive about the situation. Tell yourself everything will be okay. Everything will work out. Don’t dwell on it. Move on. Focus your energy towards something that matters.

Something you can impact. Something you care about. Too much energy is wasted on things we can’t control. Stop worrying. Stop getting upset. Acknowledge it and move on.

Solve the problem. If it’s something that someone did to you, let them know how you feel and end it. If your car broke down, call a tow truck and fix it. 

These small things can be frustrating but shouldn’t make you frustrated. They’re just minor bumps in the road. Okay, so maybe your day didn’t go as planned. Its one day out of the year. Get over it. At least you have a car to drive. At least you have a job. At least you have friends. Be grateful for what you have. Don’t let things eat away at you. 

Don’t let others control your life. If someone says something that pisses you, walk away.Don’t  give them the satisfaction of a response. Theyre just trying to egg you on. They’re not worth your time.

Take a deep breath and appreciate the moment. No matter how bad it may seem right now remember, it will get better. 

“At the age of 18, I made up my mind to never have another bad day in my life. I dove into a endless sea of gratitude from which I’ve never emerged.” -Patch Adams

“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.”    -Eleanor Roosevelt

Bring new ideas to the the table that will help your team improve. Everyone can get better. There’s always a more efficient and effective way to do things. 

Brainstorm what areas of your team and life are lacking. Come up with new ideas to try to improve these areas.

For example, you might work on the right things for the most part, but you watch 2 hours of tv per night. How can you more effectively manage your day? 

Maybe after completing a task that takes an hour you get 15 minutes to watch your favorite show. So, instead of spending 2 hours watching tv, you cut it down to 30 minutes and you get 2 hours of work done. It’s a win win. You’re preparing for your future and spending time doing something you like. 

With your team, find areas everyone seems to be struggling in. If you realize your team is completing work but it’s taking them longer than usual, it’s time to see how they’re prioritizing their day. Maybe you could give more realistic timelines. Maybe you need to be more strict with timelines. 

We need to evaluate what we’re doing constantly. With new ideas comes change. Change is crucial if we want to grow as an organization or as individuals. If you don’t change you’ll be left behind when the industry does. The small changes you make in your life and at work will pay dividends in your future. 

Change is hard, but it makes the difference between you being irrelevant and succeeding. Help yourself and your company evolve by bringing new ideas and changes to your team/self. 



There’s someone close to you who you deeply care about that you haven’t talked to in a long time. Call them. Send them a quick message. Let them know how you feel. Don’t wait to do this. Talk to them right now. 

Ask how their day is going. Ask what amazing things have been going on in their life. Ask what they’ve been struggling with. Ask how you can help. Show them that you love them. Tell them that they mean the world to you. 

It’s important for both of you. It shows them that you care. It helps you recognize how grateful you should be for having someone like them in your life. Let them know how grateful you are to have them. 

Try to call one person you love per week. Call your mom. Call a sibling. Talk to your niece or nephew. We all get caught up in life. We try to make excuses on why we haven’t been reaching out. We’ve been too busy to call. I have so much going on. I have no time. They should be the one calling me!

Make the time. Put your pride to the side. We all have a lot going on. Prioritize your life. If these people are important to you you’ll make the time. You’ll take time out of your day to call them.

It doesn’t have to be long. Just let them know that you’re thinking of them. Let them know how fantastic it was to talk to them. Make it a focus to call one person close to you per week. 

You’re never alone. Make sure the people you love know that too. 

“The most important thing in the world is family and love.” -John Wooden

Force yourself to go talk to someone you don’t know. Maybe someone you’ve seen before and waved at but never have actually had a conversation with. Go connect with them.

Introduce yourself. Wear a big smile on your face. Have a genuine conversation. You may feel strange the first person you do this with but after the 100th it should start to feel easy. You’ll not only become more comfortable introducing yourself to other people, you’ll be more confident when you do. 

Speaking in front of people will become much easier. Your communication skills will increase. Your nerves will subside when you have that interview or blind date. You’ll become comfortable with the uncomfortable. You’ll listen deeply. You’ll ask better questions. You’ll pick up on little queues. 

Think of every interaction not as a coincidence but as fait. Learn something from everyone you meet. Do more listening than speaking. Listen to what they’re saying. Don’t try to think of what you should say next. Have a conversation. 

Everyone you meet is unique and special. No two people are exactly the same. Listen deeply to the stories they tell. Everyone wants to be heard. Everyone wants to feel loved. Give them that feeling. Make them feel joy and happiness. 

Talking to someone you’ve never spoken to will feel weird. It will feel awkward. We go through so much of our life just walking past each other. We stay to ourselves. We all live in this world together but we’re separated. Its weird to have someone talk to you that you don’t know. You have to show your true intent. 

It’s so important for your growth in life. Your conversation doesn’t have to be long. It can be 30 seconds. It can be 10 seconds.

Try to start up a conversation with someone you’ve never met. You’ll never know how amazing they are until you ask them. 

“The best ideas start as conversations.” -Jonathan Ive

Don’t stress out so much. Stop worrying so much about the future. It will all work out. Focus on what you can do now to positively impact your future. 

Worrying doesn’t help. It does you no good. Worrying never solves the problem or you’re dealing with. Only you can. 

Everything you’re going through now will pay off. It has to. Focus on the quality of your work rather than the what-ifs. What-if this happened or what-if that happens. Hypothetical situations aren’t situations you’re dealing with now. Wait till you cross that bridge. It may never happen.

The things you’re worrying about now may simply be irrational fears. Fears of failure. Fears of looking stupid. Fears of losing it all. Fears of death. You have no idea if any of these things will actually happen at least not the way you perceive it.

You will have temporary setbacks. That’s okay. That’s part of the learning process. It’s part of getting better. It’s never a straight line to becoming great at anything. You’ll have ups and downs. 

Don’t worry about the things you can’t control. If you can’t control them they are useless to worry about. You’ll never have to focus on them. You’ll never have control of them. Instead focus on what you can control. Focus on his moment now instead of what will happen if…

Everything will work out. Good or bad. You’ll survive. It doesn’t help worrying. Control what you can and everything else will work itself out.

Focus on being the best version of yourself. 

“I believe God is managing affairs and that He doesn’t need any advice from me. With God in charge, I believe everything will work out for the best in the end. So what is there to worry about.” -Henry Ford

Life’s too short to be serious all the time. You don’t have to know all the answers. You can let your guard down every once in a while. 

Humor helps dissolve uncomfortable situations. It helps everyone relax when you’re first meeting. It lets the tension out of the room. It’s ok to joke around. Even in an important meeting it helps everyone relax and become more comfortable. 

Humor is an important trait. It shouldn’t matter where you are or who you’re talking to, humor is always allowed. Of course, it needs to be the right kind of humor in the right situation. You can’t say vulgar shit in front of a group of people who could be very easily offended by the joke. Know your audience. 

It is good to show you’re different from others though. Show you’re an actual human being. You can interact in a non business way. 

Just have fun. Relax. Test what works and what doesn’t. People will like you for you, don’t try to be someone you’re not. If they don’t like you that’s on them not you. 

Joke around as much as you can. Be quirky. Do weird things. Life is supposed to be fun and enjoyable. Don’t waste time being someone you think you should be. Be you. 

“Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about.” -Oscar Wilde

Whenever you’re have a meeting with a potential client, exchange pleasantries. After that genuinely ask them how they’re doing. Ask how there days been but mean it. Don’t just jump right into conducting business. Make them feel comfortable. 

Act like you’re talking to another human being. Sometimes we feel like we should just jump right into things. Take a step back. Learn a little more about the person you’re talking to. 

Do some research on them beforehand. Figure out where they’re originally from. Where they went to college. What their favorite sports teams are. What they’ve done previously.

Most likely there are some commonalities between you. Know the common ground. Relate to them in some way. It helps you connect on a deeper level. You go from being another potential vendor to a human being. Someone they like. Someone they can trust. It shows you’re prepared. You’ve done some back end research.

Especially if you can find their company in the news. Some award they’ve won. Anything that’s positively associated with them. 

When you show up to a meeting unprepared it shows the prospect you don’t care. It shows them your true intentions. You’re just looking at them as any other prospect. You’re just trying to sell them. Even if your intentions aren’t to sell them and move on, it comes off that way. 

Personality is a huge component in the sales process. Don’t worry about jumping right in. Take time to get to know the other person across from you. Let your personality shine through. They have to buy you before they purchase your product. It will pay out dividends in the future. 

“Social media requires that business leaders start thinking like small-town shop owners. This means taking the long view and avoiding short-term benchmarks to gauge progress. It means allowing the personality, heart and soul of the people who run all levels of the business to show.” -Gary Vaynerchuk

If you’re not doing something right now that will benefit your present and future-self, re-evaluate. 

Think about your future-self. Am I doing something right now that will help me in 5, 10, or 20 years? It will help you prioritize your life. 

Partying may be fun in the moment but it’s not something that will positively impact your future. It’s good for telling stories. You need to focus more on the work you can do now to impact your future. 

It’s very easy to think of today. We all want immediate satisfaction with whatever we’re doing. We want to be great immediately. We don’t want to miss out on a cool event or party. When selecting which event you should do think about this: which event will positively impact my future? 

It may be very fun to go get wasted with friends tonight but studying for your test will positively benefit your future-self. So you have to make the decision to defer your satisfaction to a later date. 

Whenever choosing what you should do in your life think about what impact it will eventually have. If it’s either read a book or watch a movie, which should you choose? When you start to examine life from a wider picture it helps you focus on the things that truly matter. You’ll feel good watching a movie and it’s the easier route, but will it provide you with any benefit? Most likely not. 

Be aware how much control you actually have over your life. You have the ability to change. You can improve yourself. You can become better. You just need to be more aware of where and what you’re spending your time on. If it’s something you won’t see any positive impact from, eliminate it. Add something more beneficial. 

Remember, it’s not an immediate impact. It’s something that will compound after years of work. Focus on your future but be aware of what you’re doing now.

“The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival.” -Aristotle

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”  -Barack Obama

Don’t wait for a situation to change, be the change. Lead the charge. 

Whether that be on a team or creating a product to fill a void. If you’re not happy with the way things are going don’t wait around for something to happen. Change it.

If you think your product can solve a problem, act on it. Change the way things are being done. If you don’t, someone else will for you.

If your team is not performing up to their expectations sit everyone down and address the elephant in the room. Don’t try to let the situation resolve itself. It won’t change on its own. You have to be the change.

 Ask the necessary questions as to why they think things aren’t going their way.

What are some areas you think our team to can improve upon? What can we do to help each other out? It’s the same thing as asking your customers for feedback on how to improve your product or service. You need to work together to change things. Don’t try and do it alone. Get everyone involved. 

Your employees are your well being. If they don’t perform it reflects poorly on you. If the team starts to fall apart, you get blamed for it. It’s more likely that a manager will be fired before an entire team. You should be helping them improve and constantly asking for areas where you can improve. If you want to implement a successful change you all need to work together. 

You should all have the same goal in mind. Make small changes. Once you’ve changed one area, move onto the next. Small incremental changes will go a long way. Think long term. 

If you work as one cohesive unit you can accomplish anything.

“The superior man understands what is right; the inferior man understands what will sell.” – Confucius

People can tell when you’re coming from an honest place. When you have their best interests in mind it makes them trust you more. It’s about your intentions. You have to believe you’re helping someone out. You have to believe your product can solve their problems.

If you don’t feel like what you provide won’t positively impact them and their business don’t sell them your product. Kindly tell them you don’t believe your products right for them at this time and provide an alternative solution.

Once you do this, you’ve established your intent. You’ll help them no matter what. Once you feel like they’ve hit a point where your product can benefit them let them know. They most likely will come back to you. They’ll ask you what they should do. Then you can provide your solution. 

You’re the expert advisor. You’re not someone who wants to sell them no matter the consequences to them. You’re not like everyone else they deal with. 

In today’s competitive marketplace you need to find a way to differentiate yourself from everyone else. Be truthful. Be honest. Be caring. Be genuine. That’s the best differentiation. You can use all the references and gimmicks you want but if they don’t trust you they’ll never buy your product.

Sales people have one stereotype. They’re slimy, manipulative, and have their own self interests in mind. Break that stereotype. Be the difference. Be the change. It’s crucial for your career. No matter what you do for work. Bring the right intent. 

It will benefit you more in the long run. 

It’s okay to not be perfect. You’ll never be perfect. Your life will never be perfect. It will never go exactly as planned and that’s absolutely fine! 

You should reach for perfection but you can’t wait until you reach perfection to release your work. Whether that be your business or a piece of writing. You can’t wait. Perfection won’t come. 

Your view of perfection is most likely different from your customers. It’s most likely different from your peers. It’s something you strive for but don’t get caught up on being perfect. 

Focus on completing your project or your writings first. Put it out in the world and receive feedback. You need to hear how other people feel about it, especially customers.

Don’t wait for that perfect moment to release your perfect product. It will never happen. Instead, build a valuable solution to other people’s problems and send it out. No matter how basic it may be. Get feedback and alter it.

Ship it first then make changes from your customer feedback.

“Software innovation, like almost every other kind of innovation, requires the ability to collaborate and share ideas with other people, and to sit down and talk with customers and get their feedback and understand their needs.” -Bill Gates

Don’t involve yourself in it. It’s a slippery slope. You’ll become negative and cynical. You’ll begin to resent the company. You’ll more openly complain to others. You’ll critics management for the way hey do things. Your now the gossiper. 

Just avoid it. When someone try’s to talk about something negative or complain to you, walk away from the situation or say something positive about their negative. Help dissolve the situation. If you prevent the gossiper from spreading gossip, they don’t get the satisfaction of gossiping. They stop going to you to gossip about dumb shit. Disassociate yourself from the negative people.

Stay away from these types of people as much as possible. Avoid them like the plague. They’re like a sickness. You will become infected and beginning spreading negativity throughout your team. Once the teams turned it’s hard to come back without starting over. Without firing the staff or management. 

Flip the script. Become overly optimistic. Become the person that sees positivity in every situation. You only spread positive “gossip”. Make your presence known. Announce to everyone you will not partake in gossip. 

Spread positivity throughout your team. Things can always be much worse. You’re job is much better than you think. You’re situation is better than you think. Be proud of what you do. Be confident in what you do. 

Nothing beneficial comes from complaining about a situation and not doing anything about it. If you’re unhappy with something, do something about it. Remain positive and optimistic. 

You also have to tie in action and a plan to change the situation if it truly is not working. Positivity is crucially important but take action if you need to change he situation. 

Being overly optimistic and positive is never a bad thing. Be aware when you’re leaning towards negativity. Change it once you feel yourself becoming negative. 

Negativity can quickly spread through a team but so can positivity. Stay positive and optimistic. Don’t gossip. 

If you have something that’s bothering you. If you can’t stop thinking about it. Don’t keep it inside. It will build up and blow up at some point.

Talk to someone. Someone close. Don’t talk about it with everyone. You can ask them for their opinion on the matter or you can just tell them the situation.

You need to get it off your chest. It will eat you up if you don’t. 

Don’t think you can solve the problem on your own. Ultimately you have to be the one who makes the decision, but it’s good to get an outsiders perspective on the situation. Let them know how you feel. They may not have to give you the answer you’re looking for. They may not give you any answer. You may just need to talk about it out loud. 

Once you talk about out loud with someone you may realize what your answer is. You may have to do something tough. Something you never thought you would do. Follow your heart on this. It should give you your answer.

You know who that person may be. Be grateful for having someone close. Someone who you can go to for anything. That’s a special bond. 

Once you get it off your chest you’ll feel so much better. Don’t prolong the situation. Once you’ve figured out the answer, act on it. If you keep waiting it will make it harder. 

Go talk about it. 

“It’s a great big step for me to open my heart up even a little bit.” -John Denver