Total Reading Time: 2.5 minutes. Know the feeling when you hear a ridiculous statement or opinion that makes you want to rip your hair out and pray for humanity? I used to get offended easily by perspectives that conflicted with my own. I would try to see and appreciate the new perspective, but couldn’t. But what is an opinion anyway? An opinion is just an individual’s model of the world.   Making the Shift It isn’t logical that another person’s opinion should ever cause so much emotion in ourselves. Here’s an idea: what if instead of immediately judging the opinion, we shifted to ...

Total Reading Time: 7 minutes. If you don’t implement this weekly exercise soon, your precious texting thumbs could fall off. Okay, now that I’ve got your attention, let me give you a brief introduction to the single greatest (and most effective) productivity ritual I’ve ever discovered: The Hour of Primetime. Simply put, the Hour of Primetime is a weekly review. This ritual and exercise is something all high-performers and achievers complete in one form or another. You may have heard of people performing an annual review (I have some free templates you can download here). This is quite similar, and is a necessary ...

Total Reading Time: 4 minutes. Why would you ever want to be an expert? Pride. Money. Fame. Interest. Ego. Passion. Lifestyle. Career. All commendable answers. All things that are worth working and fighting for. But here’s another motivation for developing expertise in something: Freedom. Yup, this is another way to create complete freedom (and fulfillment) in your life. Here’s how: all expertise is relative. Meaning, if you know even slightly more than I do about copywriting, you’re an expert (in my eyes). Becoming an expert means you create demand for your raw skills, knowledge, and intellectual property. And when you’re in demand, your ...

Total Reading Time: 2.5 Minutes When I was in high school, I became an expert in the art of procrastination. And believe me, I was damn good. I would somehow complete homework assignments the morning they were due, and take tests with minimal studying (i.e. glancing at the chapters the night before). For years I said, “I just work better under pressure. I wait until the last minute because that’s when I get laser focused and do good work.” Cool story. Well, I got away with that in school, but it doesn’t work in the real world. We humans are basically a ...

I was sitting under a bodhi tree when it first happened… Enlightenment. And then I woke up from my dream and felt the sharp shooting pains in my ankles. Years of soccer has token its toll, and I can barely sit cross-legged for more than one minute. I got up, laughed it off, and thought “maybe one day I’ll figure this stuff out.” Something has always intrigued me about meditation. We’ve all heard about the many benefits (summary of research studies, Harvard Business Review, Wired Magazine). Why then do more of us not partake in this ancient, beneficial spiritual practice? ...

Total Reading Time: 4 minutes. In “real life”, he’s a lot like what you might expect: direct, confident, and sharp. I recently had the opportunity to attend a keynote speech by Kevin O’Leary, founder and star of ABC’s hit show, Shark Tank. The keynote was in San Diego, CA, at the annual Traffic and Conversion Summit event. Kevin, or “Mr. Wonderful” as he’s called on Shark Tank, has great stage presence and enjoys the limelight. More than anything, it was the content that stood out most. The keynote’s focus was on investing and finance, but the message came down to a handful of brilliant life lessons. ...

Total Reading Time: 6 minutes My friend Jonathan is the kind of guy who shows up at the airport and purchases a flight the day of his departure. He doesn’t make appointments, he rarely commits to events in advance, and hardly ever prepares for anything. He’s a happy-go-lucky guy and believes in living as spontaneously as possible. You could say Jonathan is living for today. My friend Rachel is driven by success. She lives by her calendar and knows exactly where she’ll be at any given time in the next three months. She’s organized and will always give you a yes ...

Total Reading Time: 4 minutes. Recently, I was feeling inspired to learn more from my friends and network. So I randomly posed a simple question on my personal Facebook page: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received for your life or career? The answers were remarkable, to say the least. When I was in college I learned something I’ll never forget: the fastest and most effective way to learn anything is to ask people questions and listen. If we can learn how to be more open-minded, we will have built a durable foundation for education and success. Being ...

Total Reading Time: 6 minutes. An Odd Interim I was in 7th grade. I rode around everywhere on my GT Mach One BMX bike. I rarely ever did my homework. I didn’t pay attention in class. And I didn’t care to listen to anyone, especially if it was unsolicited advice. I hung out with a sixteen year old homeschooled kid that was obsessed with vampires and Marilyn Manson. Eventually, I became obsessed with those things too. He slept in until 4 PM every day, and we’d hang out after I got home from school. My other friends were kids that rebelled against ...

Total Reading Time: 5 minutes. What do you see when you look at a successful human being? I see a determination, definiteness of purpose, and plan that most people are too afraid to ever create for themselves. Have you ever met anyone who achieved something important in life, something they would consider a dream, by dropping back to a plan B? It just doesn’t work that way. Backup plans are not for winners. A person with a backup plan is likely to use that backup plan. This automatically means they’ve settled for less than what they initially wanted. If you ...