When You Think You Are An Impostor, You Are On The Right Track

Cover Photo by Paweł Furman on Unsplash

Have you ever felt like you shouldn’t be doing something because you felt under-qualified, yet circumstances made it so you are doing it?

In the words of the great King Ragnar Lothbrok:

“I never asked for power. Power is only given to those who are prepared to lower themselves to pick it up” — Ragnar Lothbrok

Ragnar was a farmer who become an earl, who became a king, who become a legend. He never asked to be king.

In his mind, he was always a farmer.

There are a few times in my life when I felt like I was acting something I was not. Intentionally or not.

I always saw myself as an introvert. In high school, I was far from a popular kid. I wasn’t an unpopular kid either. I was one of the forgotten ones. I bet not half the people remember me there. It was a very small school. 80 people finished the last grade that year.

In my mind, I am still that kid.

But I don’t act like it. People would never believe me. I’ve somehow became way more social in the past 6 months. I did many things an introvert would probably never do:

• I’ve been leading outings to dinner and other activities;

• I’ve been giving talks and telling stories;

• I’ve been motivating people to go beyond their perceived capacities;

• I talk to strangers on planes, buses, etc.;

• I started a fitness squad at the co-working space;

• I grew my company to 8 people in a year;

• I even celebrated Christmas last year with a total stranger I met while waiting for a bus ride.

And with every of these little things, I reflect back on who I am, in my mind, and I don’t get it.

That’s not me. I’m an impostor. I’m just a regular, long-forgotten, introvert kid. Why are people listening to me? Why are people asking me for advice?

Like Ragnar, I never asked for it. I never aimed to do these things.

Circumstances made it so people saw a different perspective of me. The more people saw me that way, the more I acted that way, until I became it. Without realizing it.

In her TED talk, Amy Cuddy touches on the subject. She said:

“Fake it ‘till you become it” — Amy Cuddy

This couldn’t speak to me more. I don’t like the word “fake” because it feels like a lie to me, so I prefer: “Act it ‘till you become it”.

Leonardo Di Caprio said:

“Every next level of your life will demand a different you.” — Leonardo DiCaprio

Actors do it all the time. They become who they play. For better or worse.

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How To Apply This

Picture who you want to be.

It doesn’t have to be a real person. It can be a set of skills and qualities you want to acquire. Or things you want to remove from your life, like a bad habit.

Then act like that person. That vision. Act consistently.

Deconstruct the behaviours, starting from the end.

How did that person get there? No one gets somewhere from luck only. Trace the steps. Be precise.

Act it out. Every step of the way.

Without you realizing it, you will become it.

People will realize before you. Read the signs.

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Conclusion

When you act it out, consciously or not, you train your brain to be what you act. You will feel like you’re cheating, lying to people you are acting to.

When you feel that way, that’s when you’re on the right track. Before you know it, you’ll become it.

Think like an actor. Play a role. Become that role.

You can do this!

Thanks for reading! :)

Want To Be More Productive? Start This Simple Daily Habit

Cover Photo Credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/ABGaVhJxwDQ

I walk fast. Really fast.

What takes a normal person 30 minutes to reach, it takes me less than 20. I learn the shortcuts. I avoid red lights. I am efficient.

This all started when I was a kid working in strawberry fields. I was paid by productivity. Each filled basket I would return to the truck, I would get money for it. Now sometimes the truck was not very close. Sometimes it was a 3 minute walk just to get there.

That’s a lot of wasted time.

If we count going to and coming back, that’s 6 minutes where I was not getting paid for. Multiply that by at least 10 times during the day and there was a full hour lost!

Now if I would reduce the time it takes to reach the truck to 2 minutes, I would have another extra 20 minutes that other people don’t have. When you work by production, time really is money.

Similarly, when I was last in Toronto, I was walking to work. It took me 23 minutes. A normal person would take about 32 minutes. That meant that on average, I had an extra 18 minutes per day. There are many things you can do in 18 minutes. I recently started meditating. I do it for 20 minutes. It’s basically the amount of time I’m saving from walking fast.

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Why Walk Fast?

I can’t prove this scientifically, but I believe walking fast teaches our brain to work at a different pace.

One observation I made over the last few years is that most people I know who walk fast and strategically are really productive people. Fast walkers understand the value of time, and it transfers that understanding to other areas, like work.

And of course, there are many health benefits to walking fast:

• Raises your heart rate to a higher heart rate zone;

• Increases fitness and endurance;

• Increases muscle flexibility;

• Tones muscles;

• and more.

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When To Walk Fast?

The idea is to do that when you are simply going from a point A to a point B.

If you walk to and from work, that’s the best time to power walk. Same with going to the grocery store, to the gym, etc. Any time there’s a destination in mind.

Keep your leisure walk at a speed you’re more comfortable with.

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Conclusion

Changing your walking speed is such an easy thing to do, yet it changes your health and perspective on time.

Try it the next time you have a destination in mind, and like any skill, do it consistently. Before your know it, you’ll be a fast walker!

You can do this!

Thanks for reading! :)

You Are A Polymath, You Just Don’t Know It

Cover Photo Credit: https://www.warble-entertainment.com/blog/how-to-plan-the-perfect-wedding-party/

Am I the only one who is tired of reading articles about focusing on one specific thing you’re really good at to be successful?

If you ask me what I’m best at, I don’t think I can answer the question.

If you think you can answer that question, you’re probably wrong.

For those who don’t know, a polymath is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas.

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Following Dreams

I knew very early on that I wanted to build games growing up. I directed my life to reach that goal. In my teenage years, I built games using free software like RPG Maker and Game Maker. I later learned to program in college. As soon as I could get in the industry, I did. It was great. I was very good at it.

I shifted gears 5 or 6 years later and worked for a non-game company. It was great. I was very good at it.

I left 6 months later to travel around the world. I tried as many things as I could. Things I had no idea if I’d be good at it or not. But I tried. I surprised myself most of the time. I was very good at other non-programming related tasks.

“If you can dream it, you can do it” — Walt Disney

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“Becoming” A Polymath

This realization put me in a year of self-doubt about the direction of my life after I came back from that trip a year later. Some people travel to find themselves, I was definitely more lost than I was when I left.

It’s then the I started experimenting on every new skill I could pick up. I became good at lots of things. I’ve since then developed this framework where I learn (at least) 3 new skills every month.

In a very short timespan, I:

• started getting contracts for taking professional photos;

• started writing semi-professionally;

• started an eCommerce selling Viking gear;

• built the (self-proclaimed) best yet-to-be-released Text-to-Speech app;

• started speaking other languages;

• gave talks on time management & productivity;

• gave English classes;

• and more.

And that’s only the professional skills I’ve learned. I tried many new sports, I did sleep experiments, food experiments and more.

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You Are A Polymath, You Just Don’t Know It

I am certainly no genius. I know people much smarter than me. The only difference is I dare push myself into doing things out of my comfort zone. It’s not easy at first, but the first wins lead the way to more and more wins.

You work in tech? Dare try creative work. I did, I can draw using Photoshop now.

You are a creative person? Dare try programming. Follow tutorials. Start with games.

You do manual work? Try mental work.

You take photos? Try being the model.

You take videos? Try being the actor.

You work in healthcare? Try working in third-world countries with Doctors Without Borders or another NGO.

You speak only one language? Go to a country where the language is somewhat similar as a first step. Go to India or East Asia next.

“To know, is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge.” — Socrates

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Success

How would you know what you can do if you don’t even try? How can you safely say what you’re best at if you haven’t tried anything else. Sure you might have success doing what you know how to do, but maybe there’s something else you could do better?

But then, who cares if you’re not doing what you’re best at.

I’m certainly not the best photographer.

I’m certainly not the best writer.

I’m certainly not the best programmer.

I do all those things at a level people qualify as very good. Probably just “good” for writing since it’s all new to me.

And I’m doing pretty well for myself. I may not be rich and famous, but I’m ridiculously happy.

I can relate to a lot of people on so many levels. I think that makes me a better person overall. Being a better person for other people, to me, is a better definition of success.

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Conclusion

Screw one-trick-ponies; dare be good at many things. Get out of your comfort zone and do things you want, not things you can. Do things you don’t want to do to teach your brain that you can actually do it. Expand your horizons.

Become the polymath that’s hidden inside you.

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!

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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

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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! :)

A Single Mom, Strawberries and Rain — A True Story About Real Hard Work And Perseverance

Cover Photo Credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/YBknv7glj-k

Step 1: A Single Mom

My three brothers and I grew up in a poor family, raised by a single mom. My mom was always working really hard to make sure we always had food and a roof over our heads. She would always find ways to give us gifts on our birthdays and at Christmas. But apart from that, we couldn’t get any luxury.

Because of that, I had every reason to want to chase money. To want to end this “miserable” life.

The thing is, I never actually cared for money. Strange isn’t it?

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Step 2: Strawberries

It’s made stranger by the fact that I started working on the farm (strawberry picking) when I was 8 years old. I was getting paid by productivity. The more baskets I filled, the more money I made.

By the age of 12, I was one of the best, if not the best. Jealous kids thought I was cheating, grown-ups looked up to me. And that’s what I cared for. Being treated like a grown-up and learning from them. I was hanging out with people 3–4 times my age. Even today, I have much deeper conversations with people who are older than me.

But back then I was a kid. I had not realized the truth of it. I thought I was doing it for the money. Heck, I remember that summer when I was 11 years old. I had bought a 27 inch TV (back then, that was impressive), a Playstation, a surround sound system and tons of games. When other kids told me their parents bought them a Playstation, I was so much more proud to say to I had bought my own.

The truth is, that money and what I bought back then is long gone. Long gone.

What is not gone are the lessons and skills I learned so early in life: Working hard (as if I couldn’t bring food on the table), perseverance, waking up early, listening to “mentors” and more.

“Become a millionaire not for the million dollars, but for what it will make of you to achieve it.” — Jim Rohn

Back when I was the king of the field, I didn’t make the most money because I chased it, but because I aimed for excellence. I worked harder than the rest, I woke up earlier than the rest, I listened to advice and I showed up consistently. Rain or shine, literally.

Money was more of a metric. Like a scale when you work towards gain or losing weight. It was a good way to gauge if my learning was progressing or not.

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Step 3: Rain

I met my wife in the strawberry fields when she was 15 years old. We had plans to go out to the movies and to the restaurant with friends for her 16th birthday.

I remember that day so well not because it was magical or anything, but because it was a *shitty day (pardon the term). It was down-pouring rain, but our boss would not allow us to stop. There was at least 10 cm of rain on the ground and we were all down on our knees picking the strawberries up. Definitely no enjoyable experience. For a normal person.

While most gave in and left, I was still there picking strawberries. Remember, rain or shine. I had to brave this rainstorm. If my mom could raise four brats by herself with nothing, there’s no way that rainstorm would win against me! My memory may serve me wrong here, but I think I had a record day that day.

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Lessons Learned

And this is how I approach life. It took me years to realize it, but now I get it. Real hard work and perseverance matter. That is how you reach your craziest goals.

I’m leaving you with great quotes that resonate with the lessons I learned from these early experiences:

“There’s no substitute for hard work” — Thomas A. Edison

“Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance” — Samuel Johnson

“…I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” — Louisa May Alcott

“No one succeeds without effort… Those who succeed owe their success to perseverance.” — Ramana Maharshi

Thanks for reading! :)

Fuel On Crazy Goals

Cover Photo Credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/0w-uTa0Xz7w

Yesterday, a co-worker asked me how I was able to consistently wake up at 5:45am every day. It’s then that I realized that it had actually become easy for me because I “Fuel on Crazy Goals”.

Last month, when I prepared my list of goals for this month, I went a little over board. I’ve starting working towards them on January 1st, and the results have been phenomenal already.

“The day before something is a breakthrough, it’s a crazy idea” — Peter Diamandis

Here’s my list of goals for this month:

• Gain 5kg of muscles;

• Lose 3% body fat;

• Become a much better and more efficient writer;

• Start making money;

• Release Soul Reaper on Steam;

• Become much more fluent at day-to-day Spanish conversations;

• Restore my eCom store: De Viking Butikk;

• Restore Text-to-Speech app;

• Find partner company to help with Soul Reaper;

• Meditate every day.

It’s been 12 days and here are the results:

• I wake up at 5:45am with ease;

• I gained 2kg;

• I got most of my daily articles published and 50% of my Quora answersbecame Top answers;

• I speak Spanish 80% of the time (I’m in Spain right now);

• I found a partner to help me with a Text-to-Speech app I had started doing 3 months ago;

• I have a final call this Saturday with a potential partner on Soul Reaper;

• I meditate every day; and

• I started investing a minimal amount of money in crypto-currency.

But more important than the achievements is the level of energy I have.

I’m so driven. Throughout the day, I’m almost constantly in the state of flow.

There’s no “Should I keeping doing it?” when I wake up in the morning. I’m pumped to start my day. There are so many things I “have to” accomplish towards these insane goals that not getting up early is not an option.

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How You Can Implement This

It’s simple really.

Think about a really difficult goal that you really want to reach.

Can you break it down into smaller tasks?

With really hard work, can you do it in a short timeframe? Let’s say one month for example.

If you answered yes to those questions, you’ve got your first crazy goal for the month!

Now pile on with more insanity. Let your imagination run wild. Put most of them on your list for the month.

Do this for every month. Where you do your personal re-cap of the year in December, you won’t believe how much you grew in so little time!

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Conclusion

When we have a clear picture of everything we have to do and how to do it, our minds can achieve so much more than we really think we can.

You’re likely not going to achieve all the stepping stones towards your insane goal, but the progress you’ll have made is still a major win!

“Defeat is the secret ingredient to success.” — Conor McGregor

The amount of energy you get for really wanting to reach your goals is incredible. Always bite off more than you can chew. You’ll surprise yourself. Frequently.

You can do this!

Thanks for reading! :)

Be Aware Of All The Greatness Around You

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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.

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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.

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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! :)

Stop Doing What You Can, Start Doing What You Want

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How many things have you done in life simply because you could?

Now how many things have you done in life that you really wanted to do?

I bet you did more things that you could than things that you wanted. Maybe it started as a “want”, but ended up as a “can”.

“Just because you can? Nah, it’s not a good enough reason to do something. Even when it means having more, be discerning, choose it, because you want it, do it because you want to.” — Matthew McConaughey

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The Turning Point For Me

Up to a little over two years ago, I was following a more traditional way of life.

I had a “9–5” job that I was good at and liked. But even though it was “9–5”, I was tired after work. I didn’t want to do anything. I would play video games mostly. I called this research, because that’s what I do for a living.

Programming for me is something I do well. I can do it. I enjoy it too, but back then I didn’t do it for projects I was passionate about.

Now, what I really wanted to do was just leave everything behind and travel with my wife, without worrying about making money.

A few months after discussing it, we did it: we traveled around the world.

For a full year, it was all about doing what I wanted, not what I could. I wanted to:

• Experience India;

• Go to wedding celebrations in other cultures;

• Meet inspiring locals all around the world;

• Finish building a video game I had started on my own;

• Do volunteer work globally;

• and more.

Since then, I try everything I want to do. Climbing — done. Surfing — done. Taking photo professionally — done. Writing — done. Make my own games — done. Live as a nomad — done.

It doesn’t mean I don’t do things I can anymore. It just means I do a whole lot more things I want to do.

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Why Is It Better?

I’m more passionate and motivated for it. I’m 10x more productive because I work on things I want to work on, wherever and whenever I want to.

I’m more “successful” because I achieve so much more than if I did something I didn’t want to do. Waking up at 5:45am is not even difficult anymore. I look at the time not because I’m bored, but because I dread that the day will end and I will not have done enough. But then again, I don’t have time to look at the time, because I’m busy doing things I like.

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What If I Can’t Do What I Want?

Who says you can’t? Time? Responsibilities? Others?

You can always make time. Change priorities. Wake up earlier. Change your environment. Reduce your commute time.

Responsibilities are trickier, but you don’t have to do EVERYTHING you want. Gradually increase them with the little things. Be clever. Think outside the box and you’ll figure out how to do things you want while still taking care or your responsibilities.

As for others, unless you consider them mentors, don’t listen to them. Just do it. You’ll lose friends, but you’ll make new better ones. Sounds terrible I know, but it’s a price to pay to have a better quality of life.

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Conclusion

Write down the list of things you do because you can.

Now write down the list of things you do because you want.

What’s the ratio?

How do you turn that around?

Be daring enough to do what you want.

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:

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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!

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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

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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.

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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! :)

Are You Even Mentor-able?

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“When the student is ready the teacher will appear.” — Buddha

Let’s start with a definition of the word “Mentorship”:

Mentorship is a relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps to guide a less experienced or less knowledgeable person. — Wikipedia.org

We all know some benefits of having a mentor, but for me personally, these are the best reasons:

• They accelerate your learning curve;

• They expand your connections;

• They tell you the cold, brutal truth; and

• They motivate you.

Here are some articles on the subject:

• The Value Of Having A Mentor — The StartUp

• Benefits Of Having A Mentor — Monster.co.uk

• 10 Benefits of Having A Mentor — SurfCareers.com

• 6 Key Benefits Of Having A Mentor — Fortune.com

However, the point of this article is more fundamental than that:

Are you even worth a mentor’s time?

Sounds harsh right? I’m saying that on purpose.

Photo Credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/AsahNlC0VhQ

To receive the benefits of mentorship, it has to be a mutual relationship. There are some unspoken “principles” that exist to make the relationship work. In this article, I’ll focus on what are some good qualities to be mentor-able:

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Listen, Be Open-Minded

A mentor will give you advice on a solution to a problem based on their experience. They take their precious time because they want to help YOU. You owe it to them to listen to what they have to say.

They will often tell you things you don’t yet comprehend. Be open-minded. Don’t correct them. Don’t interrupt them when they speak. Try to grasp their point of view.

Take notes. It shows you value their time. It’s also much easier for you to remember their advice.

Don’t check your cellphone or smart watch. Don’t check the time unless you’ve got something really urgent to do after. And when that’s the case, mention it at the start of the meeting.

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Apply

There’s no better proof that you listened than when you apply the advice they’ve given you. You may not always agree with their advice, but sometimes they just see further ahead. For better or worse, try it nonetheless. Unless you’re certain it’s destructive to you or your business.

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Follow Up

After you’ve applied and let enough time pass to assess the results of the advice, follow up with them. Tell them what worked and what didn’t. A good mentor won’t be mad if you tell them your idea didn’t work. If they think they can improve on the advice, they’ll do their best.

Nonetheless, they’ll be happy you listened to them and did your best. They’ll be more willing to give you their time and give you important connections that can help you in other ways.

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Be Grateful

I’ve written about gratefulness before. This is very important for a healthy mentorship. Thank them for their valuable advice. We always complain, yet always forget to thank the people who help or inspire us. Do it. But do it for them, not for you. Mentors are people like you and I. Being recognize for your work is always nice.

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Now be honest with yourself

With all that said, it’s time for you to think honestly about yourself. About your behaviour:

Do you REALLY listen when someone tells you something?

Do you try to apply what people tell you, even when you don’t necessarily agree?

Do you follow up with people who give you advice?

Do you thank them for their help?

If you can honestly “yes” to those questions, you have some of the most important characteristics of someone who is mentor-able.

If you have mentors already, they probably like you. If not, now’s a good time to find some!

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Conclusion

Think about this before seeking your next mentor. Evaluate yourself honestly. Be a better mentoree and reap the benefits of a successful mentorship!

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?

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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:

Photo Credit: https://motivationgrid.com/conor-mcgregor-quotes-to-make-you-a-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:

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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.

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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.

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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.

Photo Credit: http://www.businessinsider.com/10-athletes-with-insane-diets-2015-9

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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! :)

How I use luck to make meaningless decisions and focus on what matters

Cover Photo Credit: https://unreasonable.is/jane-miller-book-1/

I don’t know if you’re like me but I really, I mean REALLY, value my time. I don’t want to waste a single minute on decisions that won’t change my life in any meaningful way.

So here’s how I came up with a solution I’ve used for years to make meaningless decision:

About 7–8 years ago, I was trying to find a good place for dinner for a special occasion. I’m sure everyone has been through that. So after some research, I narrowed it down to two awesome options I could choose from.

But how to choose between them? They were both great, but what if one was greater? I could start listing the pros and cons of each options; or check the places in person to see which one had a better feel. Or read ALL the reviews online for each of them. But all of that is time consuming!

I opted for a solution that changed my life forever! It’s so simple yet I’ve never seen anyone else do it:

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Just flip a coin!

Photo Credit: http://verdant.me/tools/virtual-coin-toss/

There are times when you can’t make a decision. In your mind, both are great options. Around 50/50. So why debate in your mind, or with someone else?

Flip a coin!

Pasta or Burrito for tonight?

Flip a coin!

Should I buy this or not?

Flip a coin!

Mexico or Argentina?

Flip a damn coin!

Well, you get the point. However, there are very important things to note on this approach:

Limit yourself to using it on things that are meaningless.

I like to joke that I flipped a coin to decide to marry my wife or buy our condo in Montreal, but yeah, no, it wasn’t so. Some decisions really should be thought about!

Do it when you think both choices are very close to equal.

Things that, no matter the outcome, you would consider to be a good choice.

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So now you’ve flipped the coin, what happens?

There are two approaches to that. I only use the first one, but feel free to use the second one too:

1. You accept the decision and never look back. If it was part of the coin toss, it can’t be that bad. Who cares if the other option might end up having been better. You’ll never know anyway! As Michael Jordan has said, “Once I made a decision, I never thought about it again.”. I always choose this option. But here’s option #2 if you need it:

2. The toss is done. You look at the result: “Aww damn it’s tails!”. Well, you got your answer! You really wanted heads. Just go for heads. I don’t personally like this approach since that means you used the coin toss when deep down, you didn’t think the choices were equal. But hey, if that helps you make meaningless decisions, do it!

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But what about 55/45 decisions? Or 60/40?

I gotcha. That happens. Surprisingly not that often for me, but here’s an example that happened for me in Thailand:

I was wandering through the markets in Chiang Mai and found really cool Samurai pants! But it was double the price I was willing to pay (after bargaining), plus there was no way I would ever wear those outside of South East Asia. On paper, buying them seemed like a poor choice. But I liked them.

Similar to the ones I wanted to buy: https://es.dawanda.com/product/63717483-pantalones-aladino-pantalones-de-haren

So for me, that was a 60/40 decision.

I couldn’t flip a coin.

Or could I?

Here’s what I came up with: For every 5% difference with 50%, flip an additional coin.

So with a 60/40 decision, that’s 2 additional coin toss. Meaning I would need 3 heads in a row to make the purchase.

First flip: Heads

Second flip: Heads!

Third flip:

Drumrolls….

HEADS!

I bought them. Awesome purchase. Never regretted it. And if I did, well, it wasn’t my decision anyway haha!

Me rocking my samurai pants… with hiking shoes…

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Conclusion

So there you have it! Whenever you need to make meaningless decisions and end up spending WAY TOO MUCH time trying to make it, just flip a coin! You’ll thank me and the coin later!

Just promise me not to choose your wife/husband or house that way!

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Bonus Tip

For those like me who don’t carry cash, there are plenty of apps for that both on iOS and Android.

Thanks for reading! :)

2018 is the year I will fail the most

Cover Photo Credit: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-abeyta/three-things-you-should-know-about-failure_b_5405061.html

…and so should you!

In 2017, I set out to do lots of things. It was a year of doing, whatever the result was: “success”, “failure”, it didn’t matter. I wanted to stretch what my brain considered limits.

I’m afraid of heights, so I started rock-climbing. I may have failed to become as good as I had hoped, but just the fact that I had the guts to even combat this fear is a win.

I’m afraid of downing, so I started “surfing”. Nothing as glorious as what you see in videos online, but I body surfed in Thailand. I failed to do “proper” surfing, but I had the guts to go on a board and “risk” drowning.

I did many little things like that to mess my brain up. To tell it: “You know what, you can do this.”. Try, “fail”, try harder, “win”.

So now I know. Failure is just an experiment. You learn from it. It’s not a negative experience.

It’s all about the growth. Any progress is progress. The higher you aim, the higher the growth and the more epic the failure will seem. Yet in reality, higher growth is the underlying goal.

As Nicolas Cole puts it:

“However, “failing” to meet the expectations you set for yourself when aiming outside your comfort zone actually moves you much closer towards your goals than if you were to “achieve” something easily within reach.” — Nicolas Cole

And this is my mentality going into 2018. Here are my goals for January 2018 alone (unedited from my notes):

Gaining 4.5kg of muscle while losing about 3% body fat for an ectomorph in one month is INSANE!

Yet I set myself up for “success”. I researched workouts catered to my body type. I researched supplements. I researched nutrition. I know exactly what I’ll be eating for the month. And I mean that to the nutrition facts level. How many grams of proteins, carbs and fat for each ingredient of a dish. I know the proportions I need for growth.

In the end, I’ll be eating 4500 (good) calories every day. To put that into perspective: Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson eats 5000 calories a day! How insane is it to think I’ll eat almost the same and weigh 61kg only!

Photo Credit: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/man-who-ate-trained-like-7614915

I will likely fail.

In that same list, I’m mentioning multiple business ventures: Become a writer, Sell a video game, become an investor, revive an eCom site I turned off and revive a web app I had stopped doing.

Pretty likely that I will fail.

Writing one article on Medium a day? While going to the gym and working 9.5 hours a day? And while doing other side-businesses?

What are the chances of me succeeding?

Now that’s one month in the year. I plan for all my months to be that insane. Maybe I’ll need one or two months of rest though haha!

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” — Robert F.Kennedy

“What defines us is how we rise after falling.” — Conor McGregor

I will fail all year, yet all the growth I’ll accumulate will be unparalleled. I will learn more in that year then I’ve ever learned in my entire life.

Now that’s what I call success!

Who’s ready to you fail alongside me?

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.

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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! :)

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!

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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

Photo Credit: https://eduwithtechn.wordpress.com/2007/02/26/improving-student-achievement-through-small-wins-introduction/

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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.

Photo Credit: https://rrhr.com.au/office-survival-celebrating-the-small-win/

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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!

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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

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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/

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!

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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/

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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:

Which one am I? https://www.facebook.com/thelivingroomcoworking/photos/fpp.307633346070900/877225835778312/?type=3&theater

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.

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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?