Leo Babauta is a simplicity blogger & author. He created Zen Habits, a Top 25 blog with a million readers. He’s also a best-selling author, a husband, father of six children, and a vegan.
He started Zen Habits to chronicle and share what he’s learned while changing a number of habits, including: Quit smoking (on Nov. 18, 2005), became a runner, ran several marathons and a 50-mile ultramarathon, began waking early, became organized and productive, eliminated his debt, wrote several best-selling books and ebooks, started a successful blog on simplicity.
“Smile, breathe and go slowly.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
“The art of life lies in constant readjustment to our surroundings.” – Kazuko Okokaura
1. Slow Down and Smile
Seriously, I want you to take a minute right now, slow down, and smile.
Life happens so darn quickly and so few of us ever take the time to slow down and appreciate it.
As the week goes by, I want you to make a conscious effort just to slow down and smile.
Enjoy the little moments, focus on people that you love, stop worrying so much, and smile more.
I promise you won’t regret it.
2. Pick One Habit and Stick to It
If you want to change your life, then just pick one habit.
That’s it.
Not 3, not 5, and certainly not 10.
Just pick the habit that will make the biggest difference and commit to change it starting today.
Maybe you need to stop smoking, start exercising, start drinking more water, or cut out excessive porn and masturbation.
Pick your habit and commit to a change that you can stick to.
Don’t go crazy and overwhelm yourself.
Start small and work your way up.
3. Readjust and Recalibrate as You Go
As you are taking steps to change your life and become a better man, you must occasionally take the time to readjust and recalibrate along the journey.
You might find that one habit is not as helpful as you imagined or that one change is much harder to stick to than you had hoped.
And that is ok.
Take time and reflect on what is working well and what is not and make changes accordingly.
4. Start Small, Really Small
If you want to change a habit, then start small.
Really, really small.
For example, if you want to start exercising every day, then just commit to putting on your running shoes and stepping outside.
That’s it.
You don’t have to commit to a 10 mile run each day.
Just decide that you will take this one small action.
It’s doable, it’s small, and it’s easy.
But what you will find is that once you step outside with your running shoes on, you will not want to go back inside and lay down.
You will want to run for at least 10 minutes.
Once you are running for 10 minutes you will want to go for 20, then 30, and eventually a whole hour.
And it all started with the simple act of putting on your shoes and walking out the front door.
5. Be Mindful of Your Urges
If you are trying to overcome an addiction or a problem, you must start by gaining awareness of your urges.
Whenever you want to go and have a cigarette, become aware of your experience.
What is driving the urge? Why do you want to satisfy your need with a smoke? What is really going on?
Once you gain awareness of your urge, you can approach it mindfully.
For example, if you are tempted to watch porn, ask yourself “Why?”
What is going on in your life that is driving you to sedate with piexalated women?
The more mindful you can be of your urges and the emotions associated with them, the more power you will have over them and the easier they will be to control.
Michaela Boehm is among the most gifted counselors and teachers to be found globally today.
Born and raised in Austria, Michaela received degrees in Psychology from the University of Vienna and received further extensive training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Hypnosis, NLP, and Yoga.
Upon moving to the United States in 1994, Michaela quickly became counselor to the stars in Hollywood, California, working with the world’s best-known celebrities, including actors, producers, writers, musicians, and international business founders.
Michaela began studying with David Deida in 1997 and in 2007 began co-teaching with him, focusing on women’s empowerment in the 21st Century.
Michaela is currently the only counselor in the world personally trained and authorized by David Deida
“Set your life on fire, seek those who fan the flames.” – Rumi
1. Quit Chasing Comfort
Comfort is the greatest killer of dreams and ambitions.
When you are constantly pursuing comfort you are not willing to take the risks and the chances that you need to achieve your goals.
You need to learn to embrace uncertainty, accept the struggle, and internalize the fact that life happens outside of your comfort zone.
The greatest experiences that you will ever have, the most awe-inspiring moments of enlightenment, and the most humbling lessons that you will learn all happen when you are uncomfortable.
So stop chasing comfort, forget about safety, and dive into life.
2. Eliminate Resistance in your Life
The more resistance that you face each and every day, the less energy you will have the and less you will be able to contribute to the world.
As such, you must master the art of eliminating resistance.
Eliminating resistance starts by automating your habits and rituals.
If you have a specific set of activities that you must complete each day, then automate the way that you do them.
Sit in the same place, have the same routine before you sit down, build rituals into your life that make productivity automatic.
Because when resistance is eliminated and productivity is automatic, success is inevitable.
3. Learn to Give Better Feedback
One of the best ways that you can immediately improve the quality of your relationships and your team’s performance is to become a master at giving feedback.
Learn to take time to figure out what the problem really is, come up with several solutions, and tell them precisely what is going on and how they can improve.
When you are giving feedback in your romantic relationships, how you give feedback is just as important as what feedback you are giving.
Reassure your partner of your love and commitment to them and make it clear that the feedback you are offering is not being given to change them, but to accelerate and elevate your relationship.
If you can master this one simple skill, your entire world will shift and you will unlock unprecedented power with your team, your friends, and your lover.
4. Offer What You Can While You Can
Life is short.
Tomorrow is not guaranteed.
And as such, we must learn to offer what we can while we can.
There are no promises beyond the present moment, yet we waste so much of our time, depriving the world of our gifts, talents, and abilities because we are scared.
Scared of the future, scared of failure, scared of what other people will think.
To be blunt… who cares?
Who cares if you fail? Who cares what other people think? Who cares if things don’t go your way?
We are all going to die anyways, so we might as well die giving our all and living life fully.
5. If You Want to Be Trusted then Don’t Compromise
If you want to be a trustworthy man, a man who women can feel safe with and other men can rely on, then you must know who you are, know what you want, and be unwilling to compromise.
The second that you compromise your vision and your character for the approval of anyone else is the second that you lose all trustworthiness in your woman’s eyes, your friend’s eyes, and the world’s eyes.
If you cannot stand strong and hold to your own self-proclaimed values, then how in the world can other people rely on you to help and serve them and their values?
Understand the power of integrity and never compromise your values and beliefs, no matter what the potential reward or what the cost.
Elliot Katz is the author of 7 nonfiction books including Being the Strong Man a Woman Wants: Timeless Wisdom on Being a Man. Seeking to understand the challenges he faced, Elliott Katz explored the wisdom of the ages. He discovered powerful, often-forgotten insights that gave him the answers he needed to change. He also discovered that many people face similar challenges. People started seeking his advice and he was repeatedly told, “Why didn’t someone tell me this before?”
“If a man is worthy, the woman will be his partner, if he is not then she will be against him.” – Elliot Katz
1. Manliness Requires Leadership
To be a “manly” masculine man means, first and foremost, that you are a man with a plan.
You are a leader.
If you want to be the strong man that a woman truly wants, then the first step is to start leading the women in your life.
Don’t shirk all decision making and responsibility onto your woman with the mistaken belief that you are “empowering” them.
Women don’t want that responsibility.
They want a man who can take charge, step up, and lead them to a better life.
And it starts with the simple decisions each and every day.
If you ask a woman out on a date, then show up with a plan.
If you decide to take your wife or girlfriend out, do so with a plan of action.
Just step up and take charge of the relationship.
Women can only fell truly feminine, safe, and secure when they are with a man who is willing to take charge and lead them forward.
2. Women Want Men with Strength
A big mistake that many men make is to follow the false belief that women want men who are “nice” and tender.
Sure, women want a man who can be soft and loving.
But more than these feminine qualities, they want a man who is strong.
Strong in his morals, strong in his convictions, and strong in his character.
How can a woman feel safe with you if you are not willing to stand up for what you believe in?
If you allow women to step on your values and your beliefs because you don’t want to be overbearing, you are slowly and quietly undermining your strength and eroding your woman’s ability to trust you .
You must eradicate this nice guy behavior from your life.
Stand up and be strong.
Speak your mind and don’t hold back.
3. Find Successful Men and Emulate what they Do
If you want to be a better man, then surround yourself with men who are better than you.
It’s that simple.
If you want to figure out how to be the “manly” man who is respected by his peers, society, and his wife, then find men who possess those qualities and emulate them.
Join a men’s group, find a sport’s team, join a local mastermind.
Find places where strong men congregate and then show up humble and eager to learn.
The more you can surround yourself with strong manly men, the stronger you will become.
4. You Must be More than a Provider
As a man, your primary role is that of the provider.
Your job is to protect and provide for those that you love and to make sure that they are taken care of.
However, your job goes much deeper than that.
If you are just providing your wife and children with financial wealth and stability, you are not doing your job as a man.
Your family needs more from you.
They need you to be present.
They need you to be available to help them through their struggles, support them through their hard times, and love them unconditionally.
Yes, you need to provide for the people in your life.
But you also need to realize that provision is not your sole job as a man.
5. Take Ownership of Your Problems
If you are facing problems in your personal, professional, or romantic life, then you need to take responsibility and own the problem.
Stop blaming your wife, your boss, or your peers.
If you have a problem, it is your fault and no one else’s.
Period.
You are the one who decided to get into the relationship, to take the job, or to get involved with that group.
You hold ultimate responsbiilty for every situation in your life, and as such, you also hold every solution to solve the problems that you are facing.
So take extreme ownership for your life, cut the excuses, and achieve greatness.
Chris Hogan stirs audiences to action wherever he speaks. Whether delivering a keynote on personal money management, teaching an all-day leadership training for business owners and professionals, or hosting the EntreLeadership Podcast, iTunes’ number-one podcast on leadership, Chris keeps his audience entertained and challenged.
Chris Hogan is a sought-after, diverse speaker who loves to challenge, motivate and encourage business leaders, real estate professionals, military personnel and students to be their very best—no matter what!
“If it is to be, it’s up to me.” – Chris Hogan’s mother
1. If Results Are Something You Desire Then Effort is Something You Must Put Forth
Plain and simple, if you want the results, then you have got to put in the effort.
There is no way around it.
You cannot hack your way to massive achievment.
You cannot become great on a “4 Hour work week.”
The only way to achieve real and lasting success is to put forth the effort, fail, learn, and keep pushing through.
2. You Must Follow Before You Can Lead
The first step to becoming a great leader is to become a great follower.
Until you understand what it is to follow, what it feels like to be under the command of someone else, you cannot properly exercise command yourself.
So if you want to become a great leader, then learn to follow.
Become an excellent servant to other people.
Be humble and willing to learn.
Analyze the people who are leading you and figure out what it is that makes them great or terrible.
Emulate their good qualities and eliminate the bad.
Once you know what it is to follow, then you are ready to lead.
3. Business is a Team Sport
There are a lot of people in the modern business world who believe that business is an individual sport.
They think that they can make it as a “solopreneur”.
And if your only goal is to make a few thousand dollars a month, then yes, you can operate this way.
However, if you want to be great, if you want to build a business that will have a lasting impact, and if you want to create a legacy that will be remembered for generations, then you must build and train a highly skilled team.
You cannot do it by yourself.
If you really want to succeed in the game of business, then you need to find players for your team who are strong where you are weak.
Find players who can see your blind spots and cover your back.
The only way to experience high levels of success in business is to surround yourself with a great team.
4. Don’t Try and Please Everyone
You cannot please everyone.
You just can’t do it.
And if you try, you will be burnt out, angry, and miserable.
And here’s the thing.
Some people aren’t worth pleasing!
So quit trying to make everyone else happy and focus on making yourself and the people who are important to you happy.
Who cares what the haters think? What the competition thinks? What your college buddies think?
Build a life and a business that you can be proud of and that you want to share with the most important people in your life.
Forget everyone else.
5. Enjoy Where You Are
It never gets easier, the challenges only get bigger.
This is one of the hard truths about life.
You are never going to arrive, you are never going to reach “success”, you are never going to be finished until you die.
So you might as well enjoy where you are right now.
Enjoy the journey.
Enjoy the pain, the struggle, the hardships, and the lessons.
Because where you are right now is all that you have.
Yesterday no longer exists and tomorrow is not guaranteed.
So enjoy the moment and keep on hustling.
R. Michael Anderson, M.B.A., M.A., is an international speaker, radio show host, and author who specializes in leading competitive, driven people through the same transformation that he’s been through to bring joy and happiness into their lives.
“Nothing great is ever created when we’re in our comfort zone.” – Michael Anderson
1. You Are Totally Worthy As You Are
No matter where you are in life, no matter how far you might be from your goals, you are totally worthy just as you are.
You are not worth any less because you don’t have the 7-figure job, the big house, or the beautiful wife.
You are totally worthy just as you are.
You are enough.
You have everything that you need inside of you right now in this very moment.
So embrace this fact.
Embrace that you are enough and stop acting like you have to prove yourself to feel worthy.
2. Internal Peace Brings About Success
One of the great ironies of life and business is that people tend to focus on drive, hustle, and grinding it out in order to achieve success.
But success almost always comes from a place of internal peace and alignment.
Success comes whenever you are on your path and purpose, when you eliminate fear and anxiety, and whenever you have the peace and harmony inside of yourself knowing that you are enough whether you “succeed” or not.
So before you focus on earning money, building a business, or achieving greatness, focus on becoming at peace with yourself and the world.
Take up a practice of meditation, learn to be grateful for the smallest things in life, figure out what you love and find ways that you can pursue it.
When you have the internal peace and confidence, the external accolades and achievements will come naturally.
3. Compete to Elevate
Life is competition.
And while you cannot change the inevitability of competition, you can change the reason that you compete.
Some people compete to crush their opponents, to be the best, or to feel like they are worthy.
Other people compete so that they can have the resources and credibility to bring joy and life to others.
If you want to live a life of real success and fulfillment, compete to elevate others, not yourself.
When you are competing so that you can bring others up, so that you can provide a better life for the people that you love, and make a difference in the world, you will have more drive and willpower than all of the other self-centered competitors combined!
By seeking to elevate others, you are competing for something bigger than yourself and will have the internal fortitude and drive to overcome any obstacle.
4. Own the Emotions You Are Experiencing
We all experience a vast array of emotions in any given day.
But most of us do not own these emotions and take control of our state.
Whenever you feel an emotion like fear, anger, frustration or anxiety arising, ask yourself one simple question…
Is this serving me?
If the answer is no, then figure out how you can show up differently and live in a more empowered state.
If you are angry with your spouse, how can you curb your anger and show up differently?
If you are frustrated at work, how can you calm yourself and show up in a more empowered state?
The more you learn to own and control your emotions, the more empowering life you will be able to live.
5. Block the Things that Steal Your Time
Succeeding at a high level will require you to become an absolute scrooge with your time and energy.
You can no longer permit activities and habits into your life that steal your time and drain your energy.
Whether it’s social media, TV, video games, porn, or even self-development without action.
Find your time vampires and drive a stake through their heart.
There is no other way to succeed.
Russ Whitney overcame a difficult childhood and went on to build a solid, successful life as a family man, civic leader, self-made millionaire, philanthropist, best-selling author, mentor and businessperson.
An entertaining and inspirational speaker, Russ Whitney has shared the stage with some of the world’s most respected motivational and entrepreneurial thought leaders, including the late Lady Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s first female prime minister; former U.S. Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton; as well as well-known figures such as the late Zig Ziglar, Tony Robbins and others. The message Whitney now shares goes beyond motivation – he delivers a life-changing action plan that has positively impacted millions of people.
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he”- Proverbs 23 7
1. It’s About Impact. Not Income
Most of us get into our chosen fields and professions for the money.
Sure, there are some of you reading this who are exceptions, who genuinely want to serve.
But most of us? We are, first and foremost, focused on the money.
However, as you continue through life you will realize that making an impact always trumps the income.
If you can change someone’s life, if you can transform someone’s reality, if you can make a dent in their universe, then the money becomes secondary.
Don’t get me wrong.
Money is great, and the more of it that we have, the more we can use it to serve others.
But as you look to expand yourself and your business, pause and realize that true wealth comes from the impact that we have on others, not the income that we create for ourselves.
2. You Cannot Run on Self Will Alone
Our willpower is finite.
If you have big, audacious goals and you are trying to achieve them based entirely on your willpower alone, you are going to fail.
Because you do not have a big enough “why.”
You don’t have something bigger than yourself that is driving you.
Success at the highest level requires a commitment to something greater than just your own desires and selfless wants.
Success at the highest levels requires a deep source of motivation that goes beyond the finite reserve of willpower that each of us possess.
If fast cars, big houses, and hot models are your only motivators, you will eventually burn out and fail.
Because quite simply, those things are not worth the effort that you will be required to put forth.
But if your motivation is deeper, if your “why” is derived from a desire to serve, a desire to make an impact, and a desire to leave a legacy, you will be able to push through the tiring times, the rejections, and the pain.
So go deeper and find what really motivates you to get to the next level.
3. Understand the Power or Humility
Humility is at the root of all greatness.
Yes, you need to have borderline insane levels of self-confidence.
Yes, you must love yourself at a level 10.
Yes, you must have a delusional level of self-belief to achieve your goals.
But…
You must also be humble.
You must be willing to learn, grow, and take advice.
Because the simple truth of the matter is this, you don’t know everything.
You need other people who can help you succeed on your journey.
You need to be willing to put your own ego aside and serve others first.
You need to be willing to occasionally shut up, quit talking, and just listen.
And always remember, no matter how successful you are, there is always another level.
Stay humble, stay foolish ~Steve Jobs
4. If You Don’t Control Your Emotions You Will Fail
One of the biggest keys to success is the optimization and mastery of your emotional control.
You must be able to control your thoughts, feelings, and actions regardless of the circumstance if you want to succeed at any high levels.
When you lose your temper, lash out in anger, take action without contemplation, or start to envy the possessions and success of others, you lose your power.
If you cannot control your emotions, you cannot control anything.
The only thing over which we have absolute power is our mind.
That’s it.
And the second that you forfeit that power and allow external circumstances and other people to take control, your life will nose dive into a downward spiral until you crash and burn.
5. Struggles Are a Gift in Disguise
Every struggle, every bad circumstance, and every challenge is a gift in disguise.
Life is a constant struggle.
That’s just the way that it is.
You must understand that these struggles are always meant to teach us something.
They are meant to help us grow, to help us break through, and to elevate our lives to new heights.
Joy and passion come from overcoming and breaking through obstacles that you once thought impassable.
So stop fretting about struggles and challenges in your life and start getting excited.
The more struggles you face, the more opportunities you will have to truly prove what you are made of and take your life to a whole new level.
Jim White PhD is Founder & President of JL White International, Inc., the best selling author of What’s My Purpose?, A Journey of Personal and Professional Growth, and the creator of the What’s My Purpose Life Mastery Course. He is also the creator of The Circle of Success®, a customized, yearlong, leadership and management transformation process, Jim White’s Classic Movie Series®, and The “Red Carpet” Tour™. These innovative events have attracted more than 100,000 participants worldwide, including Fortune 500 CEOs, management teams, entrepreneurs, governments, and trade associations.
Whether working with multi-billion dollar corporations or the individual, Jim’s approach is the same: to help you clearly identify how you lead and how you live—professionally and personally—so that you can discover your life’s purpose. This is how leaders launch their real success
“Living life on purpose if it’s not then it’s not worth living.” – Jim White
1. A Life Without Purpose isn’t Worth Living
A life that is lived for the pleasure of others, a life that is lived without a purpose and a meaning, a life that is lived without passion and zest is not a life worth living.
So many of us today are just going through the motions.
We wake up each day, do what we’re told, and live our lives on someone else’s terms instead of our own.
Gentlemen, you only get one shot at this life.
You only have one chance to make it count.
You only have one opportunity to truly live.
So quit living for the wishes and whims of others, and live your life for a purpose that is meaningful to you.
How do you want to be remembered, what do you want to do with your life, what legacy do you want to leave?
Find the answers to these questions and then go live it.
Life is too short not to.
2. You Must be a Life Long Student
No matter how successful you become, no matter how much money you make, no matter how many lives you impact, there is always more to learn and do.
To live a life of joy and fulfillment requires that you commit yourself to lifelong education and improvement.
Until the day you die, you must commit to never stop learning, never stop being curious, never stop searching for more.
The world we live in is full of mystery and splendor.
Just as soon as you think you have it all figured out, a new layer is peeled back and you are brought to terms with how truly ignorant you are.
Learn to view this as a positive thing.
As long as you are alive, you have lessons to be learned and skills to acquire.
So never settle, never stop learning, and always be curious.
3. “Stay Fresh”
One of the biggest problems in our modern society is that once people reach a certain level of success, they stagnate.
They forget the infamous Subway slogan “Stay fresh.”
They forget that the joy and the juice of life is found by constantly learning new things and reinventing yourself.
This applies to every area of life.
If your workout program has become dull and boring, take up gymnastics and parkour to bring the life and the fun back into your daily routine.
If your relationship has stagnated, be spontaneous, surprise your partner with a trip to a new city.
If your business is stagnating, commit to innovation and figuring out the solution to a new problem within your industry.
Life is only truly lived whenever we are staying fresh and constantly pushing the envelope further and further each and every day.
So, take a bite out of the sandwich of life, follow Subway’s lead, and “Stay Fresh”.
4. Just Do the Work
At the end of the day, if you want to succeed, just do the work.
It might sound overly simplistic or massively generalized, but it’s how the world works.
If you want to succeed, then do the work.
Period.
Quit whining, quit moaning, quit being lazy.
Get off your butt and get to work.
5. Learn to Be Present
Life is lived in the moment.
It is not lived in past mistakes or future victories, it is lived right now, in this very second.
As you take a breath and read this sentence, this is life.
Learn to enjoy it.
Learn to be present.
Notice the world around you.
Be thankful for everything that has collided to bring you into this very moment.
Be grateful no matter what your current lot in life is.
Learn to enjoy this moment.
Because it’s all that we truly have.