mindset Archives - Page 2 of 18

Maintaining A Desire To Grow

When you change your perspective, you grow. The reason why some people have a boring, uneventful life is because they’re scared to say ‘yes’ to anything different.

There are people who seem to live such an epic life, but were they lucky or did they keep an open mind and take advantage of the many opportunities? What does it take to grow and lead a fulfilling life?

Grow With Your Mistakes

We all make mistakes – the real question is, do we learn from them?

Most people have been brainwashed into thinking that making a mistake is detrimental. They’re afraid of the embarrassment and negative labels that may come with it. This is what stops them from improving and moving forward.

Let’s make it clear – you never may a mistake, you learn. When you own your mistake, you learn how to take a different route, how to go about it differently and most of all, what NOT to do the next time.

Some people will make a mistake and point the finger at someone else, simply because they don’t want the criticism that may come with it. Owning your mistake and taking that responsibility means you’re making progress. It’s impossible to gain any ground if you’re constantly finding fault and placing blame.

It’s a process that requires determination to see it through to completion. Think of anyone who has reached their goal, whether big or small – they wouldn’t have been successful without learning from their mistakes. In order to learn from your mistakes, you have to own them and grow.

Try New Things

Another way to enhance your desire to grow is to try new things. Doing something new every once in a while pushes your boundaries for learning and opens up a new world for you.

People who never want to try anything limit themselves. Understandably, you shouldn’t attempt to do every single thing that you come across, but when you avoid everything, you cut off your potential.

It doesn’t mean to walk a tightrope at 100 feet in the air for the first time, but maybe try it at 3 feet. Maybe you’ll like it, maybe you won’t, but at least you’ll know because you made an attempt.

Simple things, like taking a new route to work, trying different food or writing with your opposite hand can exercise your brain. There are many things you can do everyday that will open your eyes to a new (and possibly better) process.

Expand Your Thinking

Is there a right way to think? The wrong way to think is to think you know it all and close yourself off to other people’s suggestions or opinions.

There are some people who haven’t read a book since high school or who have never traveled to another country. When the opportunity presents itself, their first reaction is always ‘no’. This promotes passive behavior, which leads to a closed mind.

Instead of always having your staunch opinion, try thinking from the other side. It doesn’t mean you agree, it just shows that you have the ability to think on another level.

The more you expand your thinking, the more you’ll learn. Your desire to grow will increase and you’ll gain more knowledge about different things in the process. Never be afraid to think strategically or from another angle.

Your Adventure Starts Now

Life is all about growth. When you’re born, you don’t stay a baby forever – you grow everyday. It’s the same concept with maintaining your desire to grow. Your capacity to learn is enormous, but you have to activate that curiosity, which can lead to amazing things.

Overall, take the time to explore new places and new people. It’s okay to say ‘yes’ to something new. It doesn’t mean you lose or you wasted time if you don’t like it – it means that you were open enough to see what it does, how it works and if you would possibly like it.

Create your life by maintaining your desire to grow. When all is said and done, you will have discovered an adventure that was worth living!

When You Complain, Does It Change?

We like to complain when things change. Life is full of moments that you love and moments that you wish never happened. Those experiences make you into who you are today.

Understand that adapting to change is necessary. If you don’t, your entire life will keep going in the same circle, day in and day out. Most people don’t like change, because it’s out of their routine and they don’t know what to expect – actually, you should expect to learn something.

Then, there are those things that we know will happen like clockwork, yet, we avoid the responsibility of preparing for it. Granted, it’s impossible to be ready for every little thing that could possibly happen, but having an emergency fund and keeping an umbrella in your car goes a very long way.

Paying bills is one of those things. If you think the internet bill is too much, don’t complain about it, simply find another provider or cut it off. Problem solved. There’s no need to expand on why it’s too much and how they should have done it.

Complain or Move

“Is your cucumber bitter? Throw it away. Are there briars in your path? Turn aside. That is enough.”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

These are the types of little complaints that we spew everyday. “It’s always something,” you think. There are some things that occur on a regularly scheduled basis, but we still complain about it (like the bills), and it’s a total distraction and waste of energy.

Have a solutions-based mindset. Be proactive and responsible with your thoughts. Complaining all the time is a drag, not only to you, but to those around you. It benefits no one to constantly speak on things without suggesting a strategy to make it better.

Bring some type of value to your conversations (with yourself and with others). We all know that gas is expensive – how many different ways can you openly be bitter about it? Go to another gas station, purchase an electric vehicle or stay home.

We tend to make things harder than they have to be. We can solve most of our problems if we can get past the initial negative reaction. Getting stuck at the “complaint” stage encourages laziness and holds us back.

Don’t sabotage yourself – if you’re going to complain, do it for five seconds. Then, find an answer and move on. There are better things to do with your life than to waste it on something you’re likely going to continue doing anyway.

Make A Commitment or Hope For A Coincidence?

Your level of commitment has a lot to do with how far you’ll go with your goals. If you never promise yourself to remain determined and unbothered, you’ll be in the same place, year after year.

What about those people who seem to be lucky – the ones who are born into money or who have numerous assets passed down to them? Is it fair to say it was merely a coincidence of life?

Commitment Is A Great Start

There’s this thing you want to do. It’s going to change your life and take away all of your worries and stress. Within that moment, you decide to commit to making it happen.

Committing to a goal is a huge part of the success foundation. Things don’t just happen out of the blue or fall into your lap – there must be an idea, an action and a result.

How do you develop an idea into a result? By commitment. Committing yourself to the journey that is supposed to create a better version of yourself is part of what it takes.

Some of us will commit in the beginning and fall off, mainly because the result isn’t coming fast enough. Yes, it becomes challenging and the obstacles can be overwhelming at times, but by making the commitment, you should have the desire to see it through.

People say motivation is a scam or it doesn’t work, but everything starts with a thought. Nine times out of ten, motivation sparked your decision to commit in the first place. Your greatness may not happen in a week, but it surely won’t happen if you give up.

This is what separates the average from the extraordinary.

Coincidence

Granted, there are some people who will never have to start their life from the bottom or know what it feels like to struggle. We all are dealt a different hand, but don’t let that get in the way. Stop comparing and get to work.

It does no good to be jealous of your friend’s massive inheritance or their family passing on a job to them. Are you just going to pout and speak badly upon their “luck” to make yourself feel better?

That’s what most people do. It’s easy to complain and blame someone else for your shortcomings. It’s not a coincidence that they were born with more advantages. Stop thinking you got the short end of the stick and become the person to create an inheritance to pass to your family.

We fail to see that this is what happened to the “lucky” ones. Someone started, prepared and made the commitment to build their empire. This doesn’t happen out of the blue – someone was determined, consistent and did the work.

Advantages don’t happen by coincidence. It started somewhere, with someone who was forward-thinking. It’s not that someone wished hard enough, but someone took action hard enough and it happened.

Call it a coincidence if you want to, but at some point, someone had to get the ball rolling and it created a benefit for others. That’s how coincidence works.

Will You Wish Or Work?

Your grandparents may not have had a million dollars for you to inherit, but you can make the commitment and begin creating opportunities that will assist the ones you love. Life isn’t always fair, but you do have the ability to do something about it.

For one, you can take advantage of the internet. There are limitless videos, pdf’s and other sources you can look into. Commit to investing in yourself and improving your circumstances. The access is available for everyone, but you must not become distracted by the noise and use it to your best interest.

Also, mind your own business. Everyone is living their own lives – they don’t need a commentator or someone to talk about what they’re doing wrong. Discussing someone else’s downfall might make you feel good, but you’re only slowing down your own progress – its’ a waste of energy. Instead, use that energy to train your mind to focus on you and what you’re going to accomplish.

Overall, pick your poison – are you going to compare yourself to others, blame it on coincidence and complain, or are you going to roll up your sleeves and decide to commit to the betterment of your future?

#TBT: Make The Commitment To Do Your Best Everyday

Commitment begins with a thought or an idea. The goal is to stick with the task, so that you can incrementally improve day by day.

You have an unspoken responsibility of becoming the best person you can be. No one has to tell you this, you just know. Laziness can kick in at any time, followed by complacency.

To become better and more productive, you must make a commitment. How do you start? What does it mean to be committed?

Identify Your Commitment

When you commit to something, you make a conscious effort to do it consistently. No matter what you decide to do, a commitment has to be made first.

Do you want to lose weight? Start by committing to drinking a glass of water and an evening walk everyday. Are you ready to take control of your finances? Commit to saving ten dollars a week. Want to study history? Do the research and find the right books to read and documentaries to watch.

Identify what you want to do and go for it. Most times, we think about what we want to do, but we never get around to actually doing it – that’s because a commitment was never made.

Establish what it is that you want to achieve, commit and take the first step.

How To Make Your Commitment Stick

It may be difficult for you to commit to a personal goal – it happens to everyone. Comfort sneaks in and takes over any challenge you had in mind. How can you make a commitment stick?

One strategy you can use is writing it down. Creating a list of things to do will hold you accountable for taking action. Instead of relying on your memory to do something, write it down. Writing it down makes it official. You won’t get away with conveniently forgetting about it and it allows you to ‘see’ what needs to be done, so you can plan accordingly.

If writing it down isn’t your thing, find a responsible person to hold you accountable. This should be someone you trust. If you don’t perform your committed task, the consequences should be something uncomfortable, like paying them one hundred dollars. You wouldn’t want to give up that kind of money, therefore, you’ll do your best to follow through. Check in at a certain time with this person everyday to be sure you are staying committed to your goal.

Be Relentless

Making a commitment doesn’t work unless you’re consistent with your actions. You have to be ready to see past the distractions and adapt to change. If not, the whole idea of being committed to your idea simply won’t happen.

If you make a commitment and it doesn’t work out, that’s fine. It’s not the end of the world. You always have the choice to do it again. Has success ever come easily on the very first attempt?

Your will encounter adversity of some sort. You will have to shift in order to keep going. Be relentless with your commitment. If you’re serious about reaching your goal, you’ll do what’s necessary to get there.

Your ambition and determination should drive your commitment. You must be convinced that no matter what happens, you won’t give in to negative ideas and people. When it does happen, you must make the adjustment and adapt to the new plan.

Are You Ready?

Making a commitment says a lot about you. It says that you’re focused and decisive about what you want to do. Too many people drift into a life of nothingness, by giving away their advantage. The power is within you, but you have to be intentional and use it proactively.

Like anything else, it takes time and effort to be committed to your plan. Don’t be the one who stops at every obstacle you come across. Trust yourself to build the future of your dreams. You don’t have to start big – don’t let someone else’s accomplishments deter you from beginning your journey. Everyone has to start somewhere.

It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it. Take baby steps. Make the commitment and take the responsibility to grow into your greatness.

#BeGoalden

How To Unlearn What You Learned

To unlearn what you thought was right will give you an advantage in life. Most people keep following the same thing they were told, just because it worked for someone else decades ago.

What was right thirty years ago, isn’t necessarily right today. It’s not the fundamental principles of life (being kind, respectful, having integrity, etc.) that have changed, but the previous generations’ blueprint we use to go about navigating our own lives.

Fear

Fear will keep you from greatness. You saw that it didn’t work out for your friend, so you think it won’t work out for you. What you must understand is that everyone has a different journey in life – we’re not the same.

That particular plan doesn’t apply to everyone – no matter how many social media influencers tell you they have the “secret” or the “ultimate plan” to do whatever – your journey is unique to you.

Unlearn FOMO (fear of missing out). You’re not missing out on anything. It’s just reverse peer pressure. Peer pressure is when someone convinces you to do something, while making you feel a certain way. FOMO is what you do to yourself, because you think you’ll miss out.

It’s all fear, called by another name. We tend to live our lives off of other people’s results. Amy became successful after taking an online course about marketing. Now, you want to take the same course, yet, you’re not experiencing Amy’s successful results.

The same thing doesn’t work for everybody. Think about what you like, how you feel about it and go from there. Unlearn the trap of doing things that worked for other people.

Traditions

Traditions is another thing we have to respectfully unlearn. Your family may instill certain traditions in you, but it doesn’t mean that it’s right for the time you’re living in.

Let’s take college as an example. Some parents think college is the end all, be all. You absolutely can not get a good job unless you go to college, right? They even may have a college already picked out for you, simply because three generations of the family have graduated from ABC University.

Living in the age of the internet, college is not the only way to achieve your goals. The World Wide Web has made many things possible, that weren’t possible years ago. With college, once you factor in the debt, it may make better sense to attend a credible workshop (for a third of the cost) that will fast track your life’s plan.

Unlearning or adjusting traditions isn’t popular, because it’s tradition and “we’ve been doing it this way for years and your great-grandfather would be so disappointed”.

At the same time, parents should allow their children to grow and learn. Although parents may try to eliminate some of the hardships by promoting their advice, sometimes, that advice could be the very thing that’s holding your children back from a rich and fulfilling life.

The Victim Mindset

The victim mindset is the biggest thing to unlearn. A parent can unconsciously teach their children to complain, blame or be entitled.

You hear people say, “My kids are going to work hard just like I did – they’re going to know what it’s like to struggle!” Just because you struggled doesn’t mean you have to pass that down to your child.

It becomes a generational curse – everyone believes they have to struggle, remain complacent and find new ways to “trick” the government to pay them, as opposed to working. Instead of creating better habits or working to place you and your family in a more productive position, they choose to let life ruin them.

Life comes along and ruins everyone at some point, but the difference is based on how you respond. Do you look for solutions or wallow in the problem? Are you satisfied with losing, or will you learn and adjust for better results?

You shouldn’t want someone (especially your child) to do worse than you, just to make you feel good. Uplift and support one another – that’s how you build a strong family and a winning environment. Wanting to pass down poverty, guilt and fraud is something that definitely needs to be unlearned.

Unlearn And Start Living

Understand that you don’t have to take everyone’s word or follow their advice. You have your own mind to make up and your own mistakes to learn from. Everyone’s opinions aren’t words to live by. You do have a choice.

The best way to live is to follow what’s in your heart and mind and keep it moving. Some people may not like it or may even disown you, but you’re living for you, not for them.

Be responsible for the outcomes you produce. Don’t give yourself the slack to blame it on someone else (because they told you to) – be accountable for your own decisions. There’s nothing worse than being regretful over doing what someone else told you to do and you did it without thinking for yourself.

Unlearning is a part of life. No one talks about it, but it can benefit you in tremendous ways. It doesn’t have to be done with disrespect – just move in silence and live your life on your terms.

#TBT: How To Find the Opportunity In Fear

It sounds impossible, but you can find the opportunity in fear. Depending on your mindset, fear can either hold you back or take you to another level.

We’ve been trained to see fear and hurt as something to avoid. It’s something ‘bad’ that we want to get away from and we don’t ever want to experience it.

Have you ever considered that maybe your fear is pushing you in the right direction? Let’s examine how we normally react to fear.

Blaming And Complaining

Fear gets the best of our emotions. As soon as something makes us fearful, our feelings kick in and take over.

For some of us, that means we automatically become defensive. We create different excuses as to why we haven’t done something. The excuses are portrayed through blaming and complaining.

We say things like, “I couldn’t make the speech because they didn’t give me the right microphone…” or, “The lights were so bright, I couldn’t see the audience.” That’s fear consuming your mind and your attitude.

Those may be somewhat legitimate reasons (to an extent), but they’re still excuses. Sometimes, you will have to get things done, whether you are comfortable or not. Everything is not guaranteed to happen to your personal satisfaction. The end goal is to make it happen, the best way you can.

Practicing Fear

Some of us actually practice the fear within us. When you have pity parties and feel sorry for yourself, that’s being supporting of a negative emotion.

We say things like, “They said I’m no good at singing. I never was and I guess I never will be…”, or “I flunked the test twice already – I guess it’s not meant for me.” You’re indirectly inviting negative energy to take hold of your life.

If it’s something you really want to overcome, don’t feel bad because it didn’t happen the first time around. As long as you breathe, you can make another attempt.

There will always be people who are critical of whatever you’re doing. Never allow what someone else thinks, to interfere with what you’re doing. It’s their insecurity, not yours, so don’t claim it.

The Pity Party

The pity party is the ultimate setback. Some of us were raised to think and be fearful of things we’ve failed at. We’ve been taught to accept that we’re not ‘good enough’ and that’s not okay.

We’re used to reacting to obstacles by putting ourselves down. “Why me? What did I do to deserve this?” Then, you begin playing all of your failures from the past, over and over in your mind.

This is not the ONLY way to respond to fear. Yes, it hurts when challenging situations happen, but have a mindset of power and opportunity. Stop practicing fear by having a “woe is me” attitude and thinking that you’ll never succeed.

Be Proactive

All of our lives, we’ve allowed fear to steal valuable moments from us. We’re so used to believing in a negative, emotional power, that it literally takes up our most important asset – time.

Reclaim your time and take advantage of your fear. Be productive by turning it into an opportunity to become better. Make it a personal project that you must successfully complete!

Instead of letting fear control you, take control of it. See the benefits of what fear has to offer and use it in your favor. On the other side of fear is improvement. See through it, then, see it through.

#BeGoalden

I Have A Vision, Now What?

A vision is one way to help you stay consistent with reaching your goals. You hear the ‘gurus’ talk about having a vision (and a vision board), but what does it really take to make it happen?

This is where most people stop. They imagine what they want to be and forget about it, but crafting your vision isn’t something you do only one time. It takes more than a simple, floating thought to manifest your dreams.

Make The Commitment

Again, you hear people say you need a vision to be successful, but what goes into that? Is it just looking at pictures of your dream home and a bunch of money? Of course not – there’s a more intentional way of getting there.

One of the first things you must do is make the decision to commit. If this is your goal, you want to use all of your power to make it come true. Just saying, “I’m going to open my business,” is not enough.

With commitment, you create new habits. You may even think new thoughts in order to make your way towards the achievement that you want. These habits and thoughts are what’s going to support the start of your goal, but only if you commit.

Don’t just say it – be it. If it requires getting up at 5am, get up at 5am. If you’re more productive as a night owl, rearrange your schedule to accommodate a new routine. You don’t have to wait for something to happen – immerse yourself in it and make it happen.

It all starts in your mind. Know what you want to do and be direct with how you’re going to approach it. Commit yourself to the process, just as you would if you were planning your vacation. If something gets in the way (as it will), hold yourself accountable, find a solution and follow through.

Focus On Your Vision

Your mindset has to be focused on getting to your goal. Do the research, make the phone calls or whatever it takes to get you going. It’s your vision – make it real. See yourself working hard, making progress and overcoming potential obstacles. Don’t just see it once a week, see it everyday, several times a day.

To ‘think’ of your vision isn’t enough. Smell the ocean air when you walk onto the balcony of your beachfront home. Feel your feet sinking into the sand as you walk across the ebb and flow of the water. See the sun set as you eat your dinner. Taste the freshness of the seafood that was caught fresh from the ocean, moments before you purchased it.

Your vision involves your senses and your action. None of this will happen if you don’t make any forward movement. You can imagine what it’s like all you want, but making it happen is totally different.

Put a strategy in place to grow your vision. Letting it sit in your head only keeps you in the same place as before. There must be some sort of daily starting point to push the needle towards your dream. Develop a physical strategy that pulls your vision into existence and be proactive.

For example, write down what your vision looks like, along with building your vision board. Make time to read and look at it everyday, when you awake and right before you go to sleep. Research success stories about others who’ve made it in the same industry. Actually do something everyday that promotes your idea. Not just thinking – doing.

Your Success Is Waiting…

The vision is already in your head, it’s just waiting to see the light of day. The only way that’ll happen is if you take baby steps.

Whether your vision is big or small (but it should be big), it needs to be broken down into manageable tasks. These are things that you can do daily to contribute to the bigger picture.

You don’t just lose thirty pounds in a day. Don’t let the size of the vision overwhelm you. Start drinking water in place of soda, or eat an apple instead of chips. The little things are what make the big things happen, but you must take action.

Your vision is done – it’s just waiting on you to fill in the blanks and complete it. All you need is the confidence to commit and follow through with your daily focus. Your commitment may become greater and your strategy may change, but it will lead to that magnificent vision you created for yourself and your future.

Be proactive! Every action you take brings you one step closer!

When Worry Lives In Your Head

The things you worry about take up space in your mind. It’s like the bandwith on your device – it drains your time and energy and slows down other parts of your life.

We can get so caught up in our worrying that we forget to work towards a solution. Is worrying productive? Of course it’s not, but some of us make it a priority as if it’s necessary in order for us to live.

To Worry Or Not To Worry

Worrying is one of those things that can be picked up as a habit from your environment. If you grew up seeing someone being stressed out all of the time, there’s a great chance that you’ll follow the same pattern.

As a child, if you see your parent(s) worrying about bills, it seems like the ‘adult’ thing to do. At a young age, you never think that maybe your parent(s) could be irresponsible with money, which could be the cause of their own stress.

In situations like this, it can be helped. Sometimes, we don’t realize that we cause our own frustrations – we do it to ourselves. No one likes to blame themselves, but we have to take accountability before we can move forward.

If you budget your money in a way that takes care of the bills, you alleviate the weekly worry that you cause. Go to sleep earlier or wake up earlier, so you won’t be late. Exercise and eat a better diet if you don’t feel your best when you’re around others. Whatever puts you in a state of constant worry, do something that can prevent that feeling of uncertainty.

When you prepare in advance for things that you can control, it becomes possible to live in a more productive and happier space. There are things you can do to enhance your confidence and eliminate the doubt that you create.

What happens when things are out of your control and you can’t help but to worry?

Is There Ever A Reason To Worry?

“What about when someone ends up in the hospital or their house burns down?”

Yes, these life situations happen. Some things, we aren’t able to control, but we still have to adapt and adjust. To sit in worry and sadness does not benefit anyone.

Our first reaction is to start worrying, but it shouldn’t be the only reaction we have. In cases when life happens, it’s natural to worry. It’s unnatural to stay in that worry.

If someone is in the hospital, don’t add to their worries with yours. The best thing you can do is be positive and speak life into them. It doesn’t help them if you’re as uneasy and unstable as they are. See the possibilities with them.

When people worry, it can do more harm than good to those they’re worrying about. To be strong when others are in their weakest moments is definitely a difficult thing to do, but you can be the light that they need to see. If everyone else is depressed along with them, it takes away from the strength needed to fight their battle.

Words and actions are powerful.

Be Helpful, Not Hurtful

When it comes to things we can control, the best way to prevent worrying is to prepare. We may not be able to predict everything that’s going to happen, but some things can be helped.

It doesn’t make sense to be a worry-wart when you can actively participate in your own life and make things better. We’re all a work in progress, but you must be active and allow yourself the opportunity to improve.

Life happens to everyone and it can be a cause of worry. The best thing you can do is look on the bright side and work towards positive action. Deal with the situation at hand, but also, be brave enough to see the possibilities. Don’t let worrying make it worse.

Believe in yourself, don’t belittle yourself. Don’t let stress and anxiety live your life for you. The more confident and prepared you are, the less worrisome you’ll be.

Be a warrior, not a worrier.

Opportunity Will Make You Shrink Or Grow

We’re given opportunity through various situations in life. Depending on how you respond, it can build you or break you. When things happen out of our daily rhythm, the opportunity is there, but we have a choice to either shrink back or grow ahead.

There’s no blueprint to life – no one knows what’s going to happen or how it will all end. The best thing we can do is control how we respond and make the right choices.

Blame And Complain Are Friends

One of the easiest things to do, especially when things don’t go our way, is to blame and complain – it’s almost impossible to do one without the other.

Blaming and complaining come as a package deal. If you use one, you’re bound to use the other. It’s the easiest way to avoid responsibility and the quickest way to escape accountability. It’s the lazy man’s “get out of jail free” card.

The lazy man doesn’t exactly get the point. As long as he’s blaming and complaining about his circumstances, others have control over him. If he won’t answer to himself, he’s only allowing others to answer for him.

Blaming and complaining lets you off the hook. It allows you to hand the reins to someone else to take charge. Just know that when you do this, the other person has power over what happens and can maneuver the situation at their will.

You could make suggestions, but you’re not the one holding the reins anymore, so ultimately, it’ll be their decision. This leads to coming up with excuses, just to make yourself feel better, because you gave up your opportunity.

We need to realize that opportunity can come in the form of hard work. It’s not always presented as being wrapped in a bow with a guaranteed happy ending. You must make the choice to commit and mold it into what you know it can become.

Blaming and complaining doesn’t give you that option.

Discomfort And Change Are Friends

Yes, opportunity is sneaky. It’s not easy to recognize, especially when everyone around you is expecting it to look pretty and enticing. You need to be able to spot it, even if it’s dressed ugly.

You wonder why it seems like others seem to have all the luck? It’s because they know how to see what other people look past. Opportunity looks uncomfortable and risky and too hard. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t, but you have to get in the trenches and make something out of it.

Discomfort and change are friends. They may not look good, but if you stay committed, you can make it into something beautiful – you can be one of the “lucky ones”.

When things look difficult and dirty, your first instinct is to leave it alone. Who wants to waste time working towards something that doesn’t look successful? Why keep trying if it doesn’t work out within the next day or two?

Train your mind to be flexible. When you’re flexible, you have the ability to move and think through any situation. Discomfort doesn’t scare you and change doesn’t make you freeze in your path. Instead, it makes you ambitious and resilient and that’s where the opportunity opens up.

We all have a choice to stand still or to move. Standing still is safe, but moving allows progress. Be uncomfortable for a little while, so you can build towards the comfort that you seek. Change is only hard in your mind – once you put one foot in front of the other, little changes grow into that opportunity you were looking for.

Growth Takes Courage

It takes a strong person to embrace discomfort and change. Anytime you have the choice to leave things as they are and play it safe, you’re letting your power slip away from you.

Courage is feeling the fear and following through – even in the face of defeat, you’ll find the strength to push through. The distractions will always be there. If it’s wrong, keep going until you make it right.

As they say, fortune favors the bold. Never be afraid of what might happen. Give yourself a chance to see how well you can adapt and adjust – always bet on yourself.

Discomfort and change are your teachers. It may hurt a little, but it won’t hurt for long. Don’t be afraid to grow yourself into the person you know you are.

Education Doesn’t Just Happen In School…

The world is lot bigger than you think. The internet has shown that, but what about seeing it personally, for yourself?

Education doesn’t just happen in school, it happens all around us. Some people get their best education interacting with the real world. There’s many things you can learn with real world experience.

On the other hand, some people are still stuck on formal education. Not so long ago, that may have been the only way to “guarantee” your success, but times have changed and it’s important that we realize this and change along with it.

Formal Education

In some places around the world, formal education is the law. There still may be some countries that lack a public school or a place for kids to learn initially, but it’s the desire for every parent to provide some sort of formal education for their child.

It starts with elementary or grade school. You’re taught the basics of how to read, write and how to do math. This is the foundation of all learning. From here, it gets a bit more intricate.

Somewhere down the line, we begin taking standardized tests, among other types of measurements of intelligence, to see how “smart” (or standard) we are. Are we moving at the average pace? Did we retain enough knowledge to move forward to the next grade? In essence, are we really learning anything, or taking in just enough to get to the next level?

Experiencing Education

In most instances, we’re taught the theory of operating in the real world, without having to go through real world experience. Can you learn how to run a business just by reading a book about it? Maybe you can, but it’s much better to get hands-on experience, as opposed to speculating and reading information about it.

You may be book smart, but that’s not where your education should end. Working in different places offers a different look at how the outside world operates. Every transaction with every person won’t give you the same outcome. This type of learning allows you to adapt and adjust to different situations and circumstances.

It’s good to read about how to drive a car, but until you get behind the wheel, it’s totally unlike what you would expect. Would you rather someone read the book and teach you, or have someone who has actually driven before teach you?

The outside world should be an extension of your inside education. Being taught by experience offers a new perspective of how things really happen. It gives you a better appreciation of how things are done. This is where real growth happens.

We’re All Cut Different

All people are different and we have different strengths and weaknesses. There’s nothing “standard” about anyone of us. We may have similarities in how we do things, but we’re still individuals with the ability to think out own thoughts and to act beyond what we’ve been taught.

And that’s where the real world comes in. The real world allows you to think outside the box and create your own path. In school, we’re taught to memorize several theories and equations for various things, but that always doesn’t compute to success in the real world. Some may argue that those theories and equations teach you how to think, but it’s not the only way – there are more strategies that demonstrate how to stretch your thinking.

With that in mind, the real world teaches you how to think in all types of situations. Depending on what you want to be in life, a formal education can be important, but just know that one type of education fits every type of person.

Get Out

Don’t close yourself off after you’re done with school. There’s so much more to learn – so many more experiences to be had.

Whether you prefer a formal education or a real world education, you’re still in control of your mindset and how to set your path.

Whatever you choose, always keep an open mind. Be aware by allowing learning to take place wherever you are. It doesn’t always have to be in a classroom for it to be real – it occurs any and everywhere.