When you’re in the zone, you forget the world around you and are 100 percent focused on your current task. To perform at high levels, getting in the zone is mandatory, yet only a minority of people are able to get into flow on demand.
41 Short And Powerful Quotes To Make You Feel Unstoppable
Cover Photo by @zacdurant: https://unsplash.com/photos/_6HzPU9Hyfg
Over the course of my first 30 days writing on Medium, I noticed that, with reason, what gets highlighted the most are powerful quotes from wise and/or “successful” people.
As such, I’ve accumulated lots of them during that period. This article contains some of the most powerful ones I’ve collected.
Let these strong quotes inspire you; motivate you to be what you want to be; motivate you to dare act, change, and think differently.
Feel the power of these quotes and become unstoppable.
Success
“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” — Robert F.Kennedy
“There’s a six-word formula for success: Think things through, then follow through.” — Eddie Rickenbacker
“Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph. Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be.” — Zig Ziglar
‘Be so good they can’t ignore you.’ — Steve Martin
“Your level of success will rarely exceed your level of personal development, because success is something you attract by the person you become.” — Hal Elrod
“Success is not to be pursued; it is to be attracted by the person you become.” — Jim Rohn
Learning
“Live life as if this will be your last day; Learn as if you will live forever.” — Mahatma Gandhi
“The person who can learn from everything will beat out the person who judges harshly who and what to learn from.” — James Altucher
“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
“The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways.” ― Robert Greene, Mastery
“Approach everything with an open mind, with a learning mind. You will never stop learning as long as you keep the mindset that everything works, because everything does work. There’s a time and a place for every single move. If you work on it enough, it will work.” — Conor McGregor
“If your why is strong enough you will figure out how!” — Bill Walsh
“Once you’ve taken a few punches and realise you’re not made of glass, you don’t feel alive unless you’re pushing yourself as far as you can go.” Green Street Hooligans
“Become a millionaire not for the million dollars, but for what it will make of you to achieve it.” — Jim Rohn
Being/Becoming Different
“To achieve what you have not, you must become what you are not. You have to grow into your goals.” — Darren Hardy
“The day before something is a breakthrough, it’s a crazy idea” — Peter Diamandis
“Who you are today is not who you have to be tomorrow.” — Zdravko Cvijetic
“The more you seek the uncomfortable, the more you will become comfortable.” — Conor McGregor
“Successful people do what unsuccessful people are unwilling to do.” — Darren Hardy
“If you want to live an exceptional and extraordinary life, you have to give up many of the things that are part of a normal one.” — Srinivas Rao
“Every next level of your life will demand a different you.” — Leonardo DiCaprio
Self-Awareness
“When the student is ready the teacher will appear.” — Buddha
“The thing about truth is, not a lot of people can handle it.” — Conor McGregor
“The trouble is, you think you have time” — Jack Kornfield
“Defeat is the secret ingredient to success. What defines us is how we rise after falling.” — Conor McGregor
“What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create.” — Buddha
“The moment you accept total responsibility for EVERYTHING in your life is the day you claim the power the change ANYTHING in your life.” -Hal Elrod
“Don’t wish it was easier wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenge wish for more wisdom.” — Jim Rohn
Productivity
“What gets measured gets managed.” — Peter Drucker
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” — Mae West
“Shipping beats perfection.” — Khan Academy’s Development Mantra
“There’s no talent here. This is hard work. This is obsession. Talent does not exist.” — Conor McGregor
“Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline.” — Jim Collins
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” — Charles Dickens
“Small, seemingly inconsistent steps completed consistently over time will create a radical difference.” — Darren Hardy
Positivity
“I have never encountered a winner that held hate towards something.” — Conor McGregor
“Excellence is not a skill. Excellence is an attitude.” — Conor McGregor
“Stay away from negative people. They have a problem for every solution.” — Albert Einstein
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” — Maya Angelou
“Nothing good ever comes from worrying or sitting there feeling sorry for yourself. Keep positive and keep pushing on and things will turn good.” — Conor McGregor
“At the end of the day, you’ve gotta feel some way. So why not feel unbeatable? Why not feel untouchable?” — Conor McGregor
Feeling Inspired?
Bookmark this article and refer to it regularly. I know I will.
Feel free to share some of your favourite quotes in the comments below.
Thanks for reading! :)
Let’s All Learn This Lesson From Arnold Schwarzenegger
Cover Image source: HULTON ARCHIVE / STRINGER / GETTY
Arnold’s story is an amazing one. If you haven’t read his biography: “Total Recall: My Unbelievable True Life Story”, add it to your list. There’s something for everyone and it’s incredibly inspiring.
Of all the things he did, here’s where I think I learned the most valuable lesson:
“I knew if I exposed only my better body parts — my arms, chest, or deltoids — all I’d get from my peers would be wonderful comments and I’d soon forget about my horrid lower legs, so I continued to wear the cutaway sweatpants that invited ego-bruising pain … and it worked. I trained them first every workout, and very often I did a few sets at the end of my workout.” — Arnold Schwarzenegger.
How often do we expose our weaknesses?
Very rarely.
I have really small legs for a man. I’ve always been ashamed of them. In fact, I was teased for it when I was younger. For a long time I would not wear shorts because of that. I didn’t want to expose them. I didn’t want to expose this weakness.
I was afraid of judgement from other people. I still am actually. Aren’t we all?
But by exposing my legs at the gym now, I am so much more motivated to work them out. It’s very hard for me. I’ve got weak legs. But at the gym, no one is judging me for it. They get it. They see that I’m working on my weakness and respect that.
I just mentioned one of my body weakness, like Arnold, but this really applies to everything, not just the body. It can be a skill you can’t pick up, a fear you have, in business, at work, anything really. I can hardly ride a bicycle. I’m afraid of heights. I’m afraid of drowning, etc.
Exposing your weaknesses is incredibly hard to do. It’s made a little easier by having more self-confidence. But, there’s a key lesson here: expose your weaknesses in the right environment.
I prefer not to expose my legs outside the gym. Out of context, people will judge me negatively for it.
Unless you have Arnold’s confidence, I suggest you do that same. Expose your weaknesses in environment where people will be more open to seeing your weakness. And gradually expand that environment.
For me, I’ve grown my legs considerably this month. They’re still really small, but less so than before. Little by little, I’m becoming less ashamed of them.
If I didn’t expose on my legs, chances are I would have worked mostly on my arms, where I have a clear strength.
So let’s all learn from Arnold!
A Little Exercise
What are your weaknesses?
How do you hide them?
How do you expose them?
What are you doing towards them?
Let’s help each other out. Feeling brave? Post in the comments. You’ll see it feels good to let it out there, in a non-judgemental environment.
You can do this!
Thanks for reading! :)
In Need Of Motivation? Try These Simple Tried And True Productivity Tips
Cover Photo by Joseph Gonzalez on Unsplash
Think about this simple idea: Productivity leads to wins. Wins lead to momentum. Momentum makes you unstoppable. Being unstoppable means that motivation almost becomes irrelevant.
Waking up at 5:45am? Piece of cake once you’re unstoppable!
Going to the gym? Piece of cake once you’re unstoppable!
Finishing a hard, or a boring task at work? Piece of cake once you’re unstoppable!
Working on the same game for 2–3 years? Piece of cake once you’re unstoppable!
Learning a new skill? Piece of cake once you’re unstoppable!
You get the idea.
But this all starts by being productive.
“Focus on being productive instead of busy.” — Tim Ferriss
And being productive is not all about working more than others, it’s also about working more efficiently. Differently. Thinking outside the box.
Apply the following 5 tips. Let them inspire you to come up with your own. Let me and the world know what works for you in the comments. Let’s all be productive and build our momentum!
Tip #1: Split Tasks into their smallest components
Is an orange a single component?
Well, no. When you break it down into its smallest components, there’s quite more to it.
A lot of our tasks are similar. For some reason, we don’t dare break it down into smaller components.
I personally aim to break everything down into about 10–15 minutes tasks.
As proven by science and explained in this article, the brain dumps a little dopamine every time we successfully accomplish a task — no matter how big or small.
This habit also has a tendency of keeping you moving toward your goals, and clearing the mental clutter in your mind. — TheMindUnleashed.com
Photo Credit: https://eduwithtechn.wordpress.com/2007/02/26/improving-student-achievement-through-small-wins-introduction/
Tip #2: Start the day with one or two easy tasks
Photo Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sK3wJAxGfs
Even though I consider myself to be highly motivated, I still need a “win” or two to start my day. After completing easy tasks, I have the motivation and energy to tackle the real hard problems.
Working as a programmer, I typically start with an easy bug fix or small UI change that can be done in 10 minutes or less. Pushing the code up and moving the Trello card to “Done” gives me the drive to keep going.
Working out? Do 10 push-ups as you wake up. You’ll be ready to go to the gym.
Writing? Start by praising a writer you like.
Or even easier, start by making your bed. I personally find it a little too easy and doesn’t really work towards my own personal goals, but it works for other people.
Tip #3: Work on your hardest tasks when you work best
For me, it happens in the morning, right after I finish my one or two easy tasks. I start so early that I don’t have any distractions for about 2 hours, and I have all the energy from having woken up not too long ago + coffee + dopamine rush from previously completing tasks. It’s a recipe for success!
Hard tasks for me include game design/balancing and engineering new systems. Things that require all my brain power. It will be something different for you.
The point is: Don’t spend your high-quality energy on low-importance tasks, otherwise you’ll end up with high-quality results for low-importance tasks.
Photo Credit: http://www.matthew2323.info/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/sisyphus-267x300-267x300.jpg
Always aim for high-quality results for high-importance tasks. It’s that simple!
“Nothing is less productive than to make more efficient what should not be done at all.” ~ Peter Drucker
Tip #4: Prepare your next day the night before
This greatly helps with waking up in the morning! At the end of my workday, I write down all the tasks I’ll be working on for the next day and review it before going to bed. This helps me wake up with a sense of purpose. I know what needs to be done, and I want to do it!
As a bonus, my brain keeps working while I sleep, so sometimes I come up with genius ideas on how to complete my tasks while I sleep! Everyone has heard the expression: “sleep on it”. Well, there you go! It’s been proven many times that it helps and here’s an explanation:
REM [sleep] helps to stabilize, consolidate, and enhance connections between memories. Information that was stored in long-term memory during the day is activated (also called rehearsed) and turned into useful connections while we experience REM sleep. — factmyth.com
Tip #5: Take breaks and relax
Have you ever worked on a problem you couldn’t figure out for hours, and later went back to it and solved it in a matter of minutes? Often right?
The problem is we obsess over problems we can’t solve. We spend the little energy we have left trying to figure it out, but the mind just doesn’t work as it should. Take a damn break! It’s a skill that takes practice: figure out when and how to take breaks. Don’t do it on a schedule, that makes no sense. Take a break when you can’t solve a problem that you should be able to solve with minimal to low-effort.
Photo Credit: http://highexistence.com/images/view/50-ways-to-take-a-break-%E2%98%AF/
My favourite ways to re-energize are: Power Naps, Coffee Naps, Walking, Showering and Meditating, in no particular order.
Bonus tip: Ignore the people judging you for taking a well-deserved break.
People may label you as a slacker but they’re wrong. Ignore them, reap the rewards and be more productive than them!
Conclusion
Remember that being unstoppable all starts from being more productive.
Whatever you find hard to get motivated on can be made simpler with a series of small productivity wins.
The tips above help you manage your expectations, but also help with respecting your body and mind.
Have you tried applying any of these tips?
Which ones work for you?
What are some of your personal favourite tips?
Feel free to share your experiences in the comments and inspire the rest of the world!
You can do this!
Thanks for reading! :)
That Dreadful Snooze Button And Fighting Dragons In a Sea Of Flames
Cover Photo Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2N74EkqA7k
As I’m writing this, I haven’t touched the dreadful snooze button in 15 days, waking up at 5:45am every morning.
To be honest, I don’t even know why our phones make it the easiest button to press. It should be hard to snooze. So hard that you wouldn’t even want to do it anymore and just wake up.
Am I the only one who thinks that?
Anyway, since this year, I haven’t touched it. Waking up super early is not only easy now, it’s mandatory in my mind.
Just this morning I was in pretty deep sleep, dreaming about fighting a dragon in a sea of flames. I was standing on a floating chair, trying to attack the dragon with a sword attached to a cord. Hilarious dream of course, but I guess not out of the realm of possibilities for a video game designer haha. Needless to say, it was a very captivating dream for me.
Anyway, the alarm went off as I was fighting this epic dragon, which clearly had all the advantages in the world to win against me. But I was close to winning, and that damned alarm went off, taking it all away from me!
I had a good reason to hit that snooze button. At least my brain did. I so wanted to know the end of the story!
Screw You Snooze Button and Epic Dragons
But I didn’t press the snooze button.
I thought about all the “real” things I wished to accomplish today. Or every day for that matter. You see, I’m following a pretty crazy schedule this month because I set myself a bunch of really hard goals to reach. Here it is, unedited:
With a jam-packed schedule like that, I don’t have time to hit the snooze button. With my goal of eating 4,500 calories per day, if I delay my schedule, that means I’ll need to push everything on that list down, ultimately meaning that I would have to skip the nap, the meditation or the free time at 9pm. Or delay the time I go to bed. I don’t want any of that.
When I see it that way, it takes less than 1 second to convince my brain to let me out of bed. It’s already a tight schedule, I don’t want it to be even more difficult to accomplish.
“It will remain a dream if you hit snooze this morning.” — addicted2success.com
Conclusion
You will never be able to stop using that dreadful snooze button unless you set clear expectations of what needs to be done for the day. Be specific, and believe in what you’re going to be doing.
Not achieving what’s on your schedule for your day should be so undesirable that the brain will choose to let you out of bed, and to hell with the epic dragons!
You can do this!
Thanks for reading! :)
Be Aware Of All The Greatness Around You
Cover Photo Credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/NVlen5UZ7u0
When’s the last time you stopped and looked around?
When’s the last time you took the time to observe, for real, your surroundings?
I don’t know where you’re going to be reading this story from, but I have a feeling that if you look around you right now, you can see someone or something you like or inspire you.
Hopefully you don’t have to look too far or think too hard.
The first step towards change is awareness, the second step is acceptance. — Nathaniel Branden
When you open all your senses to your surroundings, that’s when you discover that the world around you is much greater than you could imagine.
People who, on the surface, may look normal to you at first, start to become incredible and inspiring. Everyone has their own story and have something you can learn from.
A park you walk by every morning starts to have its own story. It’s visited by different kinds of people all with different backgrounds and motivations in life. Let that inspire you.
The Mind Shift
The day I started to be aware of my surroundings is the day my perspective on everything changed. I let everyone and everything inspire me. I’m more positive and more productive. I’m motivated and achieve so much more than I did before.
The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness. — Lao Tzu
I’m a different person than I was six months ago when I left the comfort of my home in Canada. I met incredible people in my nomadic life since then. But I didn’t recognize it at first.
I started to realize it when people took interest in my stories. In my journey. I did not understand how my journey inspired them, when in reality, I realized that I found THEIR journey more inspiring.
The more people I inspired, the more I became aware of everyone and everything that shaped me. It’s when I wrote my first story to ever get published about gratefulness and happiness as a side effect.
My mind has shifted and I’m happier and a better person for it.
Conclusion
Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around in awareness. — James Thurber
It’s when I started to be aware of all the greatness around me that I realized I could achieve (almost) anything I wanted if I set my mind to it.
Look around you. See the greatness. Let it teach you. Let it inspire you. It changed my life and can change yours too!
You can do this!
Thanks for reading! :)
Junk Food, You Are Not Winning This Time!
Cover Photo Credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/Vv5u98EFfWk
We’ve all been there: eating that dreadfully delicious pizza after a bad day, even though we had all the intention in the world to reach our craziest goal of eating healthier.
But what gets me most is a bag of chips.
Perfectly salted crispy potato chips are so incredibly difficult to resist. To make things worst, just yesterday, I went to a restaurant serving healthy food, but dammit, they had to give out a delightful bowl of chips as a free side dish! I swear there was a beam of light pointing to it too!
It was a true test of my will!
I know it sounds stupid, but it was a real challenge! Resisting putting even a single chip in my mouth felt as hard as Kyle Maynard climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
Ok, I’m overreacting here, but you get my point.
I did not succumb. I did not want to falter. I had to keep my momentum going!
How did I do it?
Below are some suggestions. I tried to keep them broad enough that it should apply to any crazy goal you have:
Don’t EVER Let It Happen, Not Even Once
Like anything in life, the first time you do something is the hardest. It applies to both good and bad habits, learning new skills and more.
I thought about that principle when resisting to eat the chips.
As the Lay’s slogan says: “betcha can’t eat just one”. They couldn’t be more right. I can’t have just one. Never have been able to! No human or animal can!
Remember The Big Picture
I know it’s cliché, but visualization helps. See the results you know you’ll get by not giving in. In your mind, live the joy it brings you to have achieved your goal.
Visualize the process. See yourself doing the right things. Pretend to enjoy it in your thoughts. This can actually re-wire your brain that way.
I’ve always hated broccoli, until this year. I like it now. Before, when I thought about broccoli, I could feel the bad taste and texture in my mouth. So, I taught my brain that it’s delicious by seeing myself eat it and enjoy it. I eat it every day now.
I saw the big picture. I remembered it was important for my healthy diet.
“When I feel tired, I just think about how great I will feel, once I finally reach my goal.” — Michael Phelps
Make The Stakes High
Wether it’s a reward you can’t imagine yourself living without or a gift to your worst enemy, it doesn’t matter as long as you firmly believe that you have to get or avoid it.
I will not have seen my wife in 3 months by the end of my crazy workout. I want to look great. I want to impress her. I know she loves me the way I am, but why not go from good to great?
I also want to open a store where I will be selling Viking stuff. I need to look like a Viking. I need to be convincing. Would you buy from a skinny-ass Viking? No! You’ll buy from the badass looking Viking. His stuff is more real. It’s better! It’s more believable.
If I don’t gain the mass I don’t set out to gain. I will make less sales. If I make less sales, I can’t afford even my most basic needs. I’m being extreme here, but make your brain believe the stakes are high and motivation will come by itself.
Conclusion
Next time you have a bad day:
Will you go for the pizza?
Will you reach for the bowl of chips in front of you?
Will you risk doing a destructive action towards your goal?
Always remember that the first time you give in opens the door for other times, until you ultimately falter. Don’t ever give in. Be unbeatable!
“At the end of the day, you’ve gotta feel some way. So why not feel unbeatable? Why not feel untouchable?” — Conor McGregor
You can do this!
Thanks for reading! :)
When People Think You Are Crazy, You Are On The Right Track
Photo Credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/xEh4hvxRKXM
People thought I was crazy when:
I left my stable job working for the government;
I bought a condo as a poor student;
I dropped out of university to start my own business;
I decided to gain 6kg of mass in one month;
I left Canada to travel the world for a year;
I left another awesome high-paying job to become a nomad;
I applied for a grant competing against big names in the video game industry;
I decided to write one article a day on Medium or Quora.
You get the point.
I’m sure you’ve had similar experiences when people thought you were doing something crazy. Something that’s out of the norms of the society we live in. Something they thought you would fail because the odds were against you.
Sometimes you gave in, sometimes you persevered.
Which times do you regret the most? I’m willing to bet it’s the times you listened to them and gave in.
Of the things above that people said I was crazy for, I succeed at all of them.
Every time I “quit” something, I got something better in return.
The condo I bought, I sold for 28% more than what I paid for, after one year only.
I started four companies. Some were “successful”, some “failed”. The lessons I learned from both made me a better person and a better entrepreneur.
Not only did I gain 6.9kg of mass, I lost 3% body fat. I’m doing that again this month.
Traveling the world for a year changed me in so many good ways. I always considered myself an introvert. That’s definitely not how people see me today. I’m not afraid to approach people anymore. I’m more confident and I’m more proficient at speaking. In multiple languages now. And I used to be a much pickier eater. Now I eat many more things.
The grant I applied for, I got it two years in row, beating some of the best Canadian video game studios. My studio has no track record, and I was competing against much larger and successful game studios.
In my very short journey as a writer (7 days to be precise), I got a top answer on Quora and 3 articles published by The Startup.
And I’m not saying any of this to brag. I’m saying to make you believe in your crazy ideas, because they can work.
Think about times when people said you were crazy.
Make a list. I’m sure it didn’t only happen once.
Were they right?
How has not listening to them changed you? For better? For worse?
Do that same exercise I did above.
Can you see that you’re on the right track?
Conclusion
Dare do things out of your comfort zone — out of any normal person’s comfort zone. Be special. Be on the right track. The right track for you!
Leaving on you on a very powerful quote from Steve Jobs:
Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes, the ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things — they push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do. — Steve Jobs
If that doesn’t inspire you to be crazy, you’re crazy(?).
Stay crazy my friends.
Feel free to leave a comment about what people thought you were crazy for and why they were wrong.
Thanks for reading! :)
Can You Handle the Obsession Needed to Reach Your Most Insane Goals?
Cover Photo Credit: http://www.atzmut.com/no-pain-no-gain/
We all have big goals, wether they be short term or long term. Goals that, even in our wildest dreams, would seem unachievable. We dream about them yet never act on them, simply because we “failed” once or twice in the past.
The truth is, we just weren’t ready for the obsession needed to reach them.
Here’s a quote from Conor McGregor, the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion:
I have to agree with him.
Think about a goal you set yourself and “failed”.
Why did you not “succeed”?
Did you REALLY do what was needed to accomplish it?
Were you obsessed with figuring how to do it, came up with a solid plan and executed, executed, executed?
Not a lot of people can handle it.
Let my current obsession inspire you:
My mission to gain 5kg of muscles in a month
This month, I decided it was time for me to put on 5kg of muscles. I have my own reasons for that, but that’s not the point of this story.
Notice how precise I was. Not “some” mass. Precisely 5kg. I original decided for 4.5kg, but you know, why not push myself even harder!
Be precise in your goals!
I’m an ectomorph, so gaining even 1kg in a month is hard work. So imagine how insane 5kg is! Hard for non-ectomorphs to comprehend this, but it’s at least as hard as losing 5kg for a mesomorph.
Planning
Here’s the summary of my 8 hour manic research:
I need to eat at least 4k calories per day, split at about 40/40/20 for proteins/carbs/fat. I’m aiming for 4.5k.
Those calories need to come from high quality foods.
I need to do full-body workouts, 3 times per week.
I planned every meals I would eat for the month. Sounds easy but it’s not! I obsessed over every little detail. I looked up all the nutrition facts for each ingredients I would put in my dishes. I had to know where the calories came from! Heck, I’m even eating broccoli for its benefits!
I came up with 3 meals, 2 snacks and 2 shakes I would eat/drink every day, leading to 4,506 calories. It’s basically 642.86 calories every 2 hours. I’m obsessive enough that I’m willing to eat the same 3 meals for a month, for the sake of achieving that insane goal.
Execution
That part is beyond hard.
With all that food, I’m always close to throwing up. It’s way too much for my 56kg body to handle. Heck, Dwayne Johnson needs about the same to maintain his weight. That guy’s a beast. In theory, I need 2036 calories to maintain my weight. So it’s more than double.
That workout is no walk-in-the-park either. It is REALLY intense! I very much struggle to even do half of it. Lifting a pen or going up/down the stairs afterwards shamefully painful.
Like the famous idiom says: “No pain, no gain”. It’s the truth.
“The thing about truth is, not a lot of people can handle it.” — Conor McGregor
Saying no
And the hardest part is saying “no” to things I would normally say “yes” to.
Yesterday there was a going-away party for a friend, and I drank nothing, except for water. I have a strict no-alcohol policy for this month; it defeats the purposes of eating healthy and is very counter-intuitive to my goal. I also had to say “no” to going out to dinner where there would be nothing I could eat, or quantify stealthily enough to not look insane.
I have to let friends down for this month. Social pressure is hard but I persevere.
Are you ready to handle the obsession?
Are you ready to fantasize about precision on all aspects of your goal?
Are you ready to do things that TRULY push the limits of your body and mind?
Are you ready to disappoint people you care about?
Can you handle the obsession needed to reach your most insane goals?
You can do this!
Thanks for reading! :)
Become Happier By Recognizing And Thanking People Who Inspire You
Cover Photo Credit: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/20-ways-gratitude-improves-productivity.html
How many people around you inspire you?
How many people in your life have inspired you?
Do you even think about that?
Have you ever thanked them?
I originally started off writing a completely different story about a co-worker who really inspires me, until I realized I never thanked her for what she inspires me for. Then my brain branched off to other co-workers who inspire me in the their own way and realized than so many people inspire me, yet I haven’t really expressed any gratitude to them. Yet.
Take a minute and think about it for a moment.
You’ll see it takes no time to realize things other people do that inspire you. And it doesn’t have to be people you know really well either. Heck, it could even be someone you hate! You don’t have to agree with everything they do.
Recognize and Thank Your Family
Photo Credit: http://www.investingforme.com/family-inventory
You rarely give much thought about recognizing your family because you take them for granted. When you take the time to think about the things they do, you’ll realize how much they’ve influenced your life decisions.
My mom is an incredible person. She raised me and my 3 brothers by herself. My father left when she was pregnant with my younger brother. She was left with nothing. We obviously grew up poor, but my mom made sure we always had food and lodging. She did everything she could to earn enough money while making sure she had time to spend with us. I’ve learned my perseverance and hard work from her and will always thank her for that.
My wife is a gift to everyone. When she’s not organizing vaccination camps across the poorest countries in the world with Médecins Sans Frontières, she’s raising hygiene awareness through Sundara, an NGO that recycles hotel soaps and re-distributes to communities in need around the world. How can I not be inspired by her?
No one has a perfect family, but everyone can find things some family members inspire them with. Give it some thought and you’ll find the good in them.
Recognize People Around You
Photo Credit: https://tlr-coworking.com/
Here’s a very interesting quote from Jim Rohn:
You’re The Average Of The Five People You Spend The Most Time With — Jim Rohn
Think about it.
It’s a simple exercise: List the five people you spend the most time with now. Last month. Last year.
Didn’t you pick things up from them? Good or bad?
Who was it?
What did you pick up from them?
Anything that inspires or inspired you?
Did you thank them for it?
Without naming anyone, I’m currently inspired by co-workers here who:
have changed career paths when people deemed them too old or incapable;
share their experiences and help others achieve their dreams;
made the leap into very risky fields and see their hard work pay off years later;
live in countries very different from where they come from;
are able to communicate fluently in Spanish in a record time;
live a perfectly serendipitous life abroad with their life partner; and
build a medium-scale international co-working space in a city, or country, not known for diversity.
And that’s only scratching the surface.
When you stop to think about it, you realize the good in people. Be grateful and give them the thanks they so deserve.
Why thank them?
Doesn’t it seem awkward?
“Thank you for inspiring on/about <insert reason here>!”
They didn’t really do it for you after all. Most of the time, they’re doing it “for their own good”. Because they want to do it. Nonetheless, a simple thank you will inspire them to keep going. You don’t know, but maybe the thing they inspire you for is hard for them and they were thinking of quitting. Thanking them proves them they’re on the right track and will inspire them to continue.
The graphic below summarizes very well why thanking them is good, both for you and the person receiving the gratitude.
Photo Credit: http://happierhuman.com/benefits-of-gratitude/
However, don’t think of thanking someone for your own benefits, you’re doing it for the wrong reasons. Thank them for them. That is true gratitude.
Conclusion
Now that you’ve done it once, do it again. Yearly, monthly, weekly. Daily even! You’ll be a better person and be happier for it.
Hope this was helpful!
You can do this!
Thanks for reading! :)
Visualize the journey, not the reward
Cover Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash
Sometimes you really want something in life. You see yourself having it and it brings you joy:
Losing weight, gaining mass, stopping smoking, buying a new house or car, speaking a new language, etc.
The problem is, you never end up getting it and it ends up being another wasted dream. It happens to the best of us.
But I have good news for you!
You can turn that around. You can get the reward, provided you apply the necessary mind shift. The answer is in one of Steve Jobs famous quote:
“The journey is the reward” — Steve Jobs
It’s simple, instead of visualizing the reward, visualize the journey. Visualize the steps necessary to get to the reward.
For example, for this month, I have a crazy goal of gaining 5 kg of mass while losing about 3% body fat. That is the reward. I can visualize what my body would look like and the satisfaction that would bring, but that would never help me get to the goal. As an ectomorph, gaining such mass in such little time is an extremely hard task.
But I will make it!
I will make it happen because I spent time researching the best workouts for my body type. I researched the nutrition I need and prepared meal plans for the month. Down to the little details.
I will make it because I can now visualize my journey clearly: I see myself eating my protein bars in the morning, running to the gym, feeling the pain of lifting weights, filling my workout sheets to track results, measuring the gains, taking my protein shake after, etc.
The reward is already pleasing. You need to visualize yourself succeeding at the pain points, like lifting the weights. That way, you have a clear view of how to get to the reward and be motivated to do the painful work to get there.
If you’ve been good at visualizing the journey, feel free to visualize the reward as well, but it’s not what will make you achieve your goal.
And now it’s your turn!
Next time there’s something you really want, try this method out. Apply it to all your hard goals. Apply it to your New Year resolutions. It’s a simple but powerful mind shift that you can start applying now!
Thanks for reading! :)
Next time you think you can’t do something, think about Phil.
Cover Photo Credit: https://www.wired.com/story/the-overlooked-heroes-who-lead-climbers-up-everest/. Note: this is not a photo of Phil.
Many things is life seem insurmountable. Sometimes it’s true. Sometimes it’s just ourselves telling our brains that we can’t do it… Or society. Or as Tai Lopez says: “our 500 year old archaic mind”.
“What we face may look insurmountable, but what I learned is that we are always stronger than we know” — Arnold Schwarzenegger
Most of the time, it’s just a matter of perspective. And this is what this story is about.
When my wife and I were ready to leave Canada for the second time as nomads, we were getting rid of the only few things we owned, namely, a mattress on the floor and a bookshelf. Seriously.
I put an ad to get rid of the bookshelf and about 30 seconds later I received an email from a guy named Phil, asking if the bookshelf was still available. He’s the main protagonist of this story and will become our main source of inspiration here.
Audrey and I in our empty apartment before leaving Canada, for the second time.
So I wrote back saying that of course it was still available, it had been 30 seconds only! Talk about a guy eager to get himself an almost pristine bookshelf for peanuts! He wanted to come pick it up pretty much right away. I couldn’t arrange for that, so we agreed on the next day.
The next day came and he arrived at my apartment fully prepared, complete with gloves and a two-wheeler dolly. This guys was not messing around! You could tell it wasn’t his first time. He was very skilled at maneuvering the dolly and making sure not to bump into anything. He loaded that bookshelf like a true moving pro. I don’t remember what he did for a living, but it was not moving furniture. Then we took the elevator down and I asked him where he parked his truck. He looked at me and said: “I don’t have a truck”. Confused, I asked: “So hmm… where’s your car?”. Maybe he was prepared to put it on top of it or something. After all, he was really well prepared when he pick it up upstairs, so it wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities. Then he looked at me again and said: “I don’t have a car”. So, scratching my head, I really had no other clue as to how he’d bring it back home. Maybe a friend would come to pick him up? But it wasn’t so.
Now, it’s important to note that Phil lived 30–40 minutes away by car from my apartment. There was no way in my mind that he would walk that. It would take at least 3 hours. And it was raining that day. And… he wasn’t in a particularly good shape.
Then he told me: “I’m taking the bus home.”. “What?!?” I said. We’re talking about bringing a 7 foot-tall bookshelf on a bus! But remember, he lives far. That ended being 2 buses, taking 2 hours in total. Imagine the scene. I don’t know about where you live, but Toronto buses are certainly not made for that. And it’s normally packed too. I can’t believe how hard to must have been to load this into the bus and not break anything or hurt anyone. I can’t imagine people’s reactions and especially that of the driver. He made it home and wrote me after.
Toronto (TTC) bus. Photo Credit: https://www.blogto.com/arts/2010/05/what_happens_when_a_streetcar_becomes_an_art_gallery/
I just couldn’t believe it. I could not stop laughing thinking about that story. But that guy, Phil, taught me a very valuable lesson that day:
When you desire something so much in life, you don’t care what other people are going to think and you’ll figure out a way to make it happen, even when all odds are against you.
I laughed at his idea when he told me. I just wasn’t ready for such an unconventional approach. I’m sure everyone on the bus were judging him and the driver was pushing back at the idea. But Phil persevered. He didn’t let anything phase him. He had his convictions and knew what he wanted and how to get it.
And put that in perspective too: he only saved $20 by getting it from me. If Phil has the motivation to go such lengths for $20, how can we not do the same for things we say we care so much about? He was laughed at. People thought he was crazy, yet who’s the winner here? Phil is! He achieved his perceived-crazy goal and taught everyone a valuable life lesson.
Thank you for that encounter Phil. You won’t remember me, but I sure will remember you.
So next time you think you can’t do something, think about Phil.
What about you?
Have you met other people in your life who did things you didn’t imagine possible? Have you done things people deemed crazy to achieve some of your goals? Does Phil’s story inspire you?
Thanks for reading! :)
I learn 3 new skills a month, and so can you!
Tried and True: 7 tips on staying motivated and productive
I’ve been working on Soul Reaper on and off for more than 2 years. It’s a lot of time working on the same project without having released anything yet. For most people, it would be hard to find the motivation to still work on the project on a day to day basis.
For me, it’s as easy as it’s ever been! I wake up at 6am every morning and work until 7 or 8pm, 6 – 7 days per week. I’m super motivated and highly productive, and so can you be with these tips!
Tip #1: Split Tasks into their smallest components
Here’s a task I had as a Trello card: “Menu for organizing team”. Seems kinda small right? But this task can take 1 to 7 days to complete, or more. Where do you start? When does it end? What is the menu about? How does it work? This is too big a task! You can easily break it down into more manageable parts. Here’s how I broke it down:
As proven by science and explained in this article, the brain dumps a little dopamine every time we successfully accomplish a task — no matter how big or small.
This habit also has a tendency of keeping you moving toward your goals, and clearing the mental clutter in your mind. — TheMindUnleashed.com
Tip #2: Start the day with one or two easy tasks
You might find this tip less frequently from other articles, but it works great for me. Even though I consider myself to be highly motivated, I still need a “win” or two to start my day. After completing easy tasks, I have the motivation and energy to tackle the real hard problems.
I typically start with an easy bug fix or small UI change that can be done in 10 minutes or less. Pushing the code up and moving the Trello card to “Done” gives me the drive to keep going.
Tip #3: Work on your hardest tasks when you work best
For me, it happens in the morning, right after I finish my one or two easy tasks. I start so early that I don’t have any distractions for about 2 hours, and I have all the energy from having woken up not too long ago + coffee + dopamine rush from previously completing tasks. It’s a recipe for success!
Hard tasks for me include game design/balancing and engineering new systems. Things that require all my brain power. It will be something different for you.
The point is: Don’t spend your high-quality energy on low-importance tasks, otherwise you’ll end up with high-quality results for low-importance tasks.
Always aim for high-quality results for high-importance tasks. It’s that simple!
Tip #4: Prepare your next day the night before
This greatly helps with waking up in the morning! At the end of my work day, I write down all the tasks I’ll be working on for the next day and review it before going to bed. This helps me wake up with a sense of purpose. I know what needs to be done, and I want to do it!
As a bonus, my brain keeps working while I sleep, so sometimes I come up with genius ideas on how to complete my tasks while I sleep! Everyone has heard the expression: “sleep on it”. Well, there you go! It’s been proven many times that it helps and here’s an explanation:
REM [sleep] helps to stabilize, consolidate, and enhance connections between memories. Information that was stored in long-term memory during the day is activated (also called rehearsed) and turned into useful connections while we experience REM sleep. — factmyth.com
Tip #5: Take breaks and relax
Have you ever worked on a problem you couldn’t figure out for hours, and later went back to it and solved it in a matter of minutes? Often right?
The problem is we obsess over problems we can’t solve. We spend the little energy we have left trying to figure it out, but the mind just doesn’t work as it should. Take a damn break! It’s a skill that takes practice: figure out when and how to take breaks. Don’t do it on a schedule, that makes no sense. Take a break when you can’t solve a problem that you should be able to solve with minimal to low-effort.
Here are my favourite ways to resource my brain power:
Power Nap: My personal favourite. Sleep on your chair, a couch, a bed, a bean-bag, anything really. If you really are mentally tired, you should fall asleep in between 5–15 minutes. And even if you don’t fall asleep, the rest from trying still helps. I always set an alarm for 25 minutes. 10–15 minutes to fall asleep (for me) and 10–15 minutes of sleeping. After practicing for a while, I rarely wake up to the alarm; I usually wake up a few seconds before the alarm goes off. It takes another 10–15 minutes to be fully energized, so you might want to tackle an easy task first before jumping back to the hard task.
Coffee Nap: One step more hardcore than the power nap. A coffee nap is when you chug a coffee before a power nap. The effects of the caffeine take about 20 minutes to kick in. Just in time for your nap to finish! When done right, I find this technique to be the most efficient. I’m immediately refreshed right after the nap, but the problem is that I have a harder time sleeping at night, so I don’t use it that often.
Take walks: Another favourite of mine. I go out, put some uplifting music in my ears and just stroll around for 15–60 minutes. I think about nothing important, like what I going to do for dinner and other mindless thoughts. Near the end of my walk though, I try to transition to thinking about the task I was working on before the break. This helps me be ready for when I’m at my desk again.
Take “thinking” showers: I don’t know about you, but I’ve had most of my most brilliant ideas while showering or walking. “Since [showering] do[es]n’t require much thought, you flip to autopilot. This frees up your unconscious to work on something else. Your mind goes wandering, leaving your brain to quietly play a no-holds-barred game of free association”. More explanation here: http://mentalfloss.com/article/52586/why-do-our-best-ideas-come-us-shower.
Entertain myself: This one doesn’t work as well for me, but I know it works for other people. If I do entertain myself, I play on my Nintendo Switch, watch an episode of a TV show on Netflix or read a chapter of a book.
Bonus tip: Ignore the people judging you for taking a well-deserved break.
People may label you as a slacker but they’re wrong. Ignore them, reap the rewards and be more productive than them!
Tip #6: Remember the ultimate goal
When you work for two years on the same project, it’s hard to see the big picture. I look at my Trello board and all I see is a mindless list of “micro” tasks, leading to something… but what?
For motivation and sanity’s sake: you need to visualize the end result. Every day. Ideally at all times really.
What can you see on Elon Musk’s desk? A miniature model of a rocket, amongst other things. Subconsciously, it keeps reminding him of the big picture: “Traveling to Mars”.
Me? I carry around a paper foldable version of Soul Reaper. It reminds me how much I want to play the final game.
Created by the talented Bryan: https://www.instagram.com/paperfoldables/
Tip #7: Every day, surround yourself with like-minded, highly motivated, individuals
I saved the most important tip for last. In my experience at least.
If you work in an office with your co-workers, you might have that one taken care of already, but not necessarily, especially in larger corporations. Sure, everyone is working towards the same goal, but they might not be highly motivated. Working with people who hate their job is poisonous. They drag everyone down. If you have colleagues like that, hang out with the others who are motivated and it will uplift you.
The Power Level Studio team is fully remote. Most live in Toronto, but we don’t physically work together. I tried working from home, with bad to good results. As with any habit, it gets easier with time.
But back in August, everything changed. My productivity levels increased 10x.That’s when I started working 80+ hours per week while not even being exhausted and having enough time to hang out with friends regularly, watch Netflix, play video games, read, learn 3 new skills per month and start side businesses.
How did I manage that?
I found a great co-working/co-living space in Siem Reap, Cambodia. It’s called AngkorHub. Here’s a photo of my friends and I at the family-style lunch table:
For those who don’t know me personally, I’m the bearded dude with the Hurley shirt on the left. Photo credit: https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ3y6XFBHHH/?taken-by=angkorhub
Firstly, I lived above the coworking space, reducing my commute time to 30 seconds. Leaving me with probably 1–2 hours more than most in a single day.
Secondly, everyone working there are highly motivated people working on things they care about. We shared stories and motivated each other every lunch time over the communal table, where a cook would prepare food for everyone (for a very low price). In addition to being a much-needed social moment, it allowed me to save time (and money) by not having to cook or find food outside. I’m estimating 1 hour saved here on average.
Thirdly, by living at the co-working space with other people, I surround myself with like-minded people I quickly called friends. Every night, after our crazy 12+ hour days, we would go out to eat at the restaurant. It’s a really nice and much needed break.
So if you count 16 hours awake, 12 went to work (with lunch in between) and 1–2 for dinner out, 30 minutes max for the essentials (like showering) and the rest is free. If we round up, that means I had at least 1 hour of free, alone time, where I would play games, watch Netflix or start side businesses. Not too bad!
After AngkorHub, I went to Thailand and then Spain, working from my Airbnb rooms. My productivity tanked. It was terrible. Thankfully I found another awesome coworking space in Málaga called The Living Room. Here’s a photo of a few of us hanging out after work:
I travelled all over the world and tried many different co-working spaces, and AngkorHub, The Living Room and Networks were the best for me. It came down to two reasons: The owner(s)/managers and the social life. That’s it. Everywhere, Wifi is always good. Seats are always comfortable. Desks are always clean. Coffee is always available. The owners and the community is unique and make all the difference.
What do you think?
Have you tried any of the tips above? Did they work for you? Do you have other great tips? Any other questions, comments or suggestions?