Success for Everyone

Too often, perhaps instinctively, we think of success as a finite resource like water - in limited supply and once claimed there's less for everyone else. 

While success means different things to different people it isn't a finite resource. Instead of being jealous of other people's successes we ought to be supportive of them as there's nothing stopping us from also achieving success for ourselves.

If you're not competing, and are fortunate enough to live in a country with rights, then the only person stopping you from winning is yourself.

Fear - The Long, or Short, Battle

Have you ever been afraid of speaking infront of a crowd? Talking to a potential mate? The easiest thing to do in the moment is often to run away of the things that we're afraid of but when ever we do then the fight becomes trying to be at peace with the regret that ensues. 

If we don't face these fears then the work becomes trying to be a peace with the regret felt whenever that event pops up in a memory.

Face these fears and the fear disappears but run away from them and they will stick for a long time afterwards.

Talk to that person... speak infront of that crowd ... make the career change... You'll regret not doing it and you may not a chance at these things later on. It's now or never!

The Priorities - 2021 Edition!

Every once in a while, I write about priorities trying to figure out a universal order for it something that most can agree upon as being the correct order of things and something to thrive towards. The following is my updated list:

1. Health: If your Mental/Physical Health isn't on track then everything else on this list becomes more difficult. Regardless of how many time I review these priorities, this always comes at the top.
2. Self-Improvement: Self-Improvement goes beyond official schooling - it's a lifelong process. We're all students in the school of life and we should learn until the day we die. Education doesn't guarantee success but it does help in all areas of life.
3. Freedom: Learn about the governmental system of your country and get involved if only to give your opinion. Freedom is important and it's our responsibility to insure that it's not needlessly taken away by those in power. Without freedom, the everything on this list becomes more difficult. This comes after self-improvement because you need a knowledgeable opinion.
4. Relationship: Being successful means little if you don't have anyone to share it with.
5. Finance: It's not about being a millionaire as much as being financially stable. The financial system is all around us and it's important for all of us to know how to swim in it.
6. Fun - Why is this here? Well it's here because we seem to forget that we also need to find some enjoyment in life. While the other items on this list may also be enjoyable, this one is to set some time aside for the activities that you enjoy most.

The above are the priorities in the order I feel they should be... but if you were to look at my life today, you would probably see the priorities as follow:

1. Finance: I've been fortunate enough to be able to save and invest money during these toughs times. Budget is more important to me than ever as we never know what tomorrow will bring especially when Covid is around.
2. Fun: During Covid, I've tried to find many escape and "fun" seem to have been the focus.
3. Health: Nutritious meals, or a good workout, is a bit more difficult to come by again because of Covid. I'm one that seeks the comfort of junk food during difficult times and it's a bit difficult to control these urges.
4. Freedom: The focus of most Governments right now is on Covid and the Canadian Government has been, for the most part, an example for other Countries to follow. As I'm writing these words, a few provinces are about to go back to "Green" (normal).
5. Self-Improvement: My reading/learning time has been spent on new boardgames I'm trying to learn (Fun). While this is still "learning", it's not really learning anything useful hence why I haven't put this high on my current list.
6. Relationship: I've never been that good at keeping in touch with friends. This has become even more of a problem during Covid. 

Do you agree with my list? Comment below! 

Take Responsibility Over Your Education

A child usually start school at around 4-5 years of age and continues his education until adulthood. After College/University, however, many stop learning somehow thinking that they won't have to learn anything new once they've settled in a career.

This was certainly the path I was going to take having barely read any books in School/College... I was all but done with them until I was approached by a successful business owner who said "You're worth minimum wage from the neck down - it's what you know that will make a difference in how successful you'll be." and then proceeded to mentor me for the next 4-5 years. Needless to say, this encounter changed my life and my perspective on education.

The education system fails because it makes the entire process boring, at least it was to me, and ultimately doesn't instill a desire to learn from the student. Everything is pushed down your throat whether or not you have an interest in the subject and you come to hate the process never knowing that it doesn't have to be like that. 

There's actually a lot to love about learning if you take responsibility over it rather than take in whatever someone else wants you to learn.

I remember an encounter I had with one of my co-worker. He had a look at the book I was currently reading, which was on Philosophy, and asked why I would read something like this considering that it didn't have any, at least not direct, use in I.T. (I work in I.T.). 

My belief is that if you want to "think outside of the box" you actually need to know what's outside of the box. There's definitely value in reading materials from your field of work but don't be afraid to get out of that comfort zone. 

I've recently set myself a goal to learn about, what is widely considered to be, the greatest work of humankind. I have acquired such books as "The Origins of Species" by Charles Darwin (Science), "Human Actions" by Ludwig Von Mises (Economics) and a few books on "Alexander The Great" (History) just to name a few. To me, learning about our greatest achievements is both necessary and inspiring.

Listening to Politicians - We are no Longer a Country of Entrepreneurs

Both Canada and the United States were built on the idea that success comes to those that dream. We are Countries that were created with an entrepreneurial spirit but that seems to have faded in the last 50 years.

Politicians spends thousands of dollars to figure out what exactly the mass wants. They do so because they want the bulk of the population to vote for them. What kind of promises do those politician usually make? They talk about raising the tax on the rich, creating more jobs, job security or some new thing that will be "free".

This is telling me that most Canadians and Americans no longer have the entrepreneurial spirit. It was surrendered in favor of job security. People would rather work for someone else's dream than to work on their own. Not only this but people are jealous of those with financial success and, in some cases, want them to pay taxes that are unfair.

The "I want someone else to take care of my future" mentality is making us complacent. We need to come back to our roots and it starts with us learning to think for ourselves.

It's Easy To Say "Make America Great Again"

"Anyone can steer a ship when the sea is calm."
-Publilius Syrus

It's easy to say "Make America Great Again" when you know you're going to inherit an America that's already great: All you really need to do is to maintain it.
Some things got worse ever since President Trump was elected and I'm sure some things were improved as well but one thing is certain, however, is that things aren't great anymore and everyone is looking at the President to "Make America Great Again" (again?)

America has the most Covid-19 cases, the economy is the worse it's ever been (due to the pandemic), a few weeks ago they were protesting the lock-down (that was silly) and now they are on the brink of a civil war following the death of George Floyd but this new protest, unlike its direct predecessor, is at least justified.

America is going through the perfect storm right now where they have one of the worse crisis ever faced with possibly the worse leadership it ever had.

How to "Make America Great Again"?

In order to turn any failing situation around you need strong leaders that take responsibility for the failures. A President that suggest that we ingest disinfectant to kill the virus isn't the type of leader that can turn around a Country that is on the brink of collapse.
What stand out the most to me is his golf outings. At the time of this writing, President Trump has golfed 254 times, costing Americans 134 millions in the process, during his first term. This is someone trying to get away from his responsibilities and it comes from someone that said he wouldn't have time to golf because he would be too busy working for America ... well it looks like you've found time to play golf after all.
This is also someone who said he was going to hire the best of the best people; most of which are either in jail now or in the process to be.

Hello? Can you please remind me why this guy was voted in? Perhaps America confused Narcism with genius.

Even though I'm not American, I yearned for the day where America will be great again but this ultimately falls on the American people. There's an election coming up soon - you guys know what to do. I don't want another 4 years of a President suggesting we take unproven medicine to fight off a new virus.

Beyond Self-Help

I've been consuming self-help type of materials for the better part of 10 years. In the last few years there's been a shift in my thinking that made me want more "meat" out of my self-improvement diet. The nicely packaged quotes and processes were no longer enough to sustain me.
While I haven't turned my back on the self-help genre, I have now included more of the below subjects in order to define my own path rather than follow someone else's. The subjects are:

• Philosophy - The study of fundamental truths, which includes religion/spirituality, is Self-Improvement in it's "raw" form. It's undigested information and that may be difficult to read for those just starting out on their Self-Improvement journey.
  "Living issues in Philosophy" book by author Harold Titus and Marilyn Smith is a great place to start as it will introduce you to many great thinkers and ideas.
• Psychology - One of the most important thing about success is the understanding of self. Once you understand yourself, you have a better understanding of others which will prove to be a great asset to you on your success journey.
  "Personality PLUS" book by Flaurence Littauer is a great place to start as learning about personalities will help you better understand yourself as well as others.
• History - History can provide perspective and inspiration. It's even better if it is combined with Philosophy and Psychology as it help understand the reasoning behind the action of the great men and women of the past.
  Here, you may want to start looking for information about the person of history that you're most interested in. For me, it started with an "Alexander the Great" biography closely followed by "Ghost on the Throne - The death of Alexander the Great and the bloody fight for the empire his empire" book by James Romm.

While there are no particular order for which subject you should start with I would recommend that you save History for after you've developed an understanding of Philosophy and Psychology as you'll get the most out of your history reading that way. The goal here is simply to find your path towards success and the above subjects, mixed with your own experience, are sure to help.

Stop and Think

Most people out there will tell you to work, save up for retirement, buy insurances and live frugally. All good advice but have we ever stopped to think whether or not we want the same kind of results than the persons give us the suggestions?

The above suggestions are good for those looking to have a career their entire life but it's inadequate for the entrepreneurs at heart. The above promises a somewhat safe path to retirement but really what's the point? We'll die whether or not we work for ourselves or have a career. We can't carry anything with us in the afterlife. The act of living has it's fair share of risks attached to it.

So if you are an entrepreneur, don't be surprised that the rules may be different for you. You may not be looking at living frugally as much or thinking about retirement the same way someone with a career would. That's not only okay but also expected. The rules are different for you.

The 6 Areas to Consider for True Success

“Success is peace of mind that is the direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”
-Jamison Wooden

Success means different things to different people but there are areas to consider in order to achieve true personal success. If one, of the following 6, areas is not part of the equation then it may be hindering your success potential.

• Financial: Obviously, there’s a financial part of true success. Anybody that wants to be successful has to master his finances. Being debt free is the first step.
• Health/Fitness: If you focus on all other areas but forget your health, you won't be able to enjoy the life that you've built. If you have health problems, it will be more difficult for you to focus on anything else.
• Relationship: Robert Putnam once said “Happiness is best predicted by the breadth and depth of one’s social connections.” If you gain all the success in the world but lost all of your relationship connections in the process then it will feel empty.
• Spiritual: I've touched this already here. Spirituality is finding your moral compass either by following a religion or by other means. It’s to have a general understanding of the universe and your place in it - to be at peace with it.
• Freedom: This is may be outside of your control. To be successful in anything, you must be in an environment that allows it. Success is easier achieved in a free Country than it would be in a Country that isn't free.
• Education: Success in life is a matter of education. It is easier to be successful in a Country that has a good education system than to be successful in one that doesn't allow it.

Do you have another area that you feel should be added here? Share in comments!

Revised on November 9, 2018.

It's Within Your Grasp

"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't-you're right." -Henry Ford

We've all heard the phrases "I'll never be successful", "I can't loose weight", etc... and sometime we tell ourselves those things and that's okay. What's not okay, however, is to keep telling ourselves these things and not doing anything about it.

The reason why someone is successful in business is because they're doing something the unsuccessful business owner isn't doing. If the unsuccessful business owner knew how to be a success - would he intentionally fail? Of course not.
The successful bodybuilder knows more, and does more, about his craft than the unsuccessful one. It starts with knowledge!

In what ever field you're trying to get good at, you won't be until you learn the ins and outs of it - either with experience or with the help of someone else's experience (mentor or books on the subject).

Is Your Past An Excuse or a Reason?

Do you use your past as an excuse for your failures or as a reason for your success? Both a prisoner and a successful person can have similar upbringing but one of them used it as an excuse to misbehave while the other one used it as a reason to succeed. What happens to you is not as important as how you react to it.

Keep track of Progress

Keeping track of progress is important to those who want to achieve. Data doesn't lie and allows one to tweak their efforts as they go. A process some likes to call "PDCA" (Plan Do Check Adjust) or "PDSA" (Plan Do Study Act).
Daniel R. Castro once said that "I have come to realize that persistence simply for the sake of persistence is lunacy. Creative persistence is genius." and one can unlock this creative persistence genius through the PDCA process because it forces you to think differently about a problem.

If your goal is to loose 10lbs in a Month but don't track your progress, how will you know if you're on track? The PDCA process can help you improve constantly on your journey to the goal (as shown in above diagram).
The next time you do want to loose 10lbs, you'll already have an effective plan (that worked for you before) to get there.

For more information check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDCA

*Diagram by Karn G. Bulsuk (http://www.bulsuk.com).

---
Revision Wednesday
Blog post originally created on December 13, 2013 and can be found here.

Doing it Anyway!

If you want to get good in anything you will have do it even if you don’t feel like it. If you only do something when you feel like it, you'll never get anywhere.
It has been said that in order to be an expert in anything, one must have done it for more than 10 000 hours. I believe that a mentor is also necessary. Not only does a mentor speed up the process, a good mentor will also bring you higher than you could on your own.

It’s hard to do anything without being distracted these days. As I’m writing this, I’m receiving txt messages on my phone... You will need your undivided attention to what ever you’re doing in order to get good at it. Keep distractions away, they’ll only be wasting your time.

What do you want to get good at?

---
Revision Wednesday
Blog post originally created on November 14, 2011 and can be found here.

Think Success!

Whether you say you're good or bad at something - you're right. How you think about something is the indicator of how successful you'll be at it. René Descartes once said "I think, therefore I am" which can apply to this as well.

I remember when I played soccer. I wasn't really good at it nor did I think I was. Some of my friends took the game seriously and it showed in their thinking and actions. They knew they were good and they put a lot of effort in it.

When we practice for something, we not only develop the body, we also develop the mind. We're telling ourselves that we're a winner; we worked too hard not to be!

Think success and you will succeed! Think failure and you will fail. It's that simple.

The No Complaining Rule

Whenever I'm in a new office, I start the day by printing the "No Complaining Rule" taken from the book "The No Complaining Rule" by author Jon Gordon. The rules help me keep things into perspective and are just good rules to live by. See below:

The No Complaining Rule

Employees are not allowed to mindlessly complain to their coworkers. If they have a problem or complaint about their job, their company, their customer, or anything else, they are encouraged to bring the issue to their manager or someone who is in a position to address the complaint. However, the employee(s) must share one or two possible solutions to their complaint as well.

-Page 96 from “The No Complaining Rule” by author Jon Gordon

Five Things To Do Instead Of Complain

1. Practice Gratitude. Research shows that when we count three blessings a day, we get a measurable boost in happiness that uplifts and energizes us. It’s also physiologically impossible to be stressed and thankful at the same time. Two thoughts cannot occupy our mind at the same time. if you are focusing on gratitude, you can’t be negative. You can also energize and engage your coworkers by letting them know you are grateful for them and their work.

2. Praise Others. Instead of complaining about what others are doing wrong, start focusing on what they are doing right. Praise them and watch as they create more success as a result. Of course, point out their mistakes so they can learn and grow, but make sure you give three times as much praise as criticism.

3. Focus on Success. Start a success journal. Each night before you go to bed, write down the one great thing about your day. The one great conversation, accomplishment, or win that you are most proud of. Focus on your success, and you’ll look forward to creating more success tomorrow.

4. Let Go. Focus on the things that you have the power to change and let go of the things that are beyond your control. you’ll be amazed that when you stop trying to control everything, it all somehow works out.

5. Pray and Meditate. Scientific research shows that these daily practices reduce stress; boost positive energy; and promote health, vitality, and longevity. When you are faced with the urge to complain or you are feeling stressed to the max, stop, be still, plug-in the ultimate power and recharge.

-Page 114 from “The No Complaining Rule” by author Jon Gordon

If you haven't done so already, be sure to pick this book up. Get it here!

*This post can also be found on Men 2.0

Don’t Fail!

Knowing that failing is a necessary part of success. If someone tells you not to fail, are they really saying that they don’t want you to succeed? No. What they’re saying is that they don’t have the slightest idea of what success is.

Telling someone not to fail is like a guy having unprotected sex with a girl, who’s not on the pill, and asking her not to get pregnant. There’s always a chance that it will happen.

The Downside of Reading about Great Men

Reading about great people is a shortcut to success but it can have a down side. As human beings, we tend to compare our short comings with someone else's strengths. Reading about the great things a person did can be demoralizing if we compare their success with our failures.

When reading about great men, focus on the positive sides of things. Be inspired by the stories and think about your strengths.

The Five laws of Stratospheric Success

The law of Value
Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.

The law of Compensation
Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.

The law of Influence
Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people's interests first.

The law of Authenticity
The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.

The law of Receptivity
The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving.

-Page 129 of "The GO-GIVER a little story about a powerful business idea" by authors Bob Burg and John David Mann.

Keep track of Progress

Keeping track of progress is important to those who want to achieve. Data doesn't lie and allows one to tweak their efforts as they go. A process some likes to call "PDCA" (Plan Do Check Adjust) or "PDSA" (Plan Do Study Act).

If your goal is to loose 10lbs in a Month but don't track your progress, how will you know if you're on track? The PDCA process can help you improve constantly on your journey to the goal (as shown in above diagram).
The next time you do want to loose 10lbs, you'll already have an effective plan (that worked for you before) to get there.

For more information check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDCA

*Diagram by Karn G. Bulsuk (http://www.bulsuk.com).

---
Revision Wednesday
Blog post edited/re-posted on April 8, 2015

The 10000 hours

It as been said that it takes 10000 hours to master a skill. We only have a limited amount of 10000 hours. What are you using yours for?

Most people are spread out too thin or spend too much time entertaining themselves. They never master anything of value.

Spend some time thinking about what you want to be really good at and start investing time in that skill. Find a mentor and track your progress along with how much time you've spent learning the new skill. Will it take you 10000 hours?