SUCCESS AND GOALS



“People with goals succeed because they know where they’re going.”
- Earl Nightingale



“All you have to do is know where you’re going. The answers will come to you of their own accord.”
- Earl Nightingale



”Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal.”
- Earl Nightingale

Most people to achieve any great success in their life, not through lack of wanting, but through lack goals.

Without clear direction, you will end up in the wrong section.

 Without a clear target to hit, you will miss the mark every time.

 YOUR GOALS are your TARGET. They give you something MEANINGFUL to aim for in life.

Having meaningful goals gives your life the challenge it needs, it gives you something to wake up for, something to chase, and when you succeed, something to be proud of. 

That’s why people with goals succeed, because they know where they are going… and when they get there, they can be proud as they know they EARNED their place with deliberate intention.





COURAGE





“We are all self-made, but only the successful will admit it.”
- Earl Nightingale



“People are where they are because that is exactly where they really want to be – whether they will admit that or not.”
- Earl Nightingale



“The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice… it is conformity.”
- Earl Nightingale

We are products of our own choices. 

We all stand where we are in life, as a result of the consistent choices we have made.

Circumstances only define you if you let them. Those who succeed in life choose to accept responsibility for where they are, even if that place is not somewhere they want to stay. 

Especially if that place is not somewhere they want to stay.

You are where you are because of your decisions. If you don’t like where you are you must take better actions!

Everyone is self made. But only those who like where they are will admit it.

If you’re strong enough to stand where you don’t want to be, and admit that you are self made… that is the first step to freedom. The first step towards your new life. A life you’ll be proud to call SELF MADE.





PROBLEMS





“Problems are challenges to creative minds. Without problems, there would be little reason to think at all.”
- Earl Nightingale

Don’t call them problems, call them challenges and find solutions.

 Words are important. The meaning you give to life is important. Those who see only problems will always have them. Those who see challenges and are ready to face them, will likely OVERCOME THEM.





FEAR




“Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use.”
- Earl Nightingale

“Whenever we’re afraid, it’s because we don’t know enough. If we understood enough, we would never be afraid.”
- Earl Nightingale

Fear can either paralyze you or MOVE YOU. 

Most people talk themselves out of chasing their dreams. The fear of losing and false beliefs about time get in the way of their goals.

But, for most people, if they look back 5 years, or 10 years from today, there are surely many things they WISH they would have done. Dreams never started. GOALS never completed. 

Don’t let that be you in 5 years, 10 or 20 years from now. 

Ask what you want from your life in 5, 10, 20 years, and commit to take all the needed steps to make that life your reality.

SUBCONSCIOUS




“Everything begins with an idea.”
- Earl Nightingale



“Whatever we plant in our subconscious mind and nourish with repetition and emotion will one day become a reality.”
- Earl Nightingale



“Our attitude toward life determines life’s attitude towards us” 
- Earl Nightingale



“You are now, and you do become, what you think about.” 
- Earl Nightingale



“Your world is a living expression of how you are using and have used your mind.”
- Earl Nightingale



“The mind moves in the direction of our currently dominant thoughts.”
- Earl Nightingale



“Picture yourself in your minds eye as having already achieved this goal. See yourself doing the things you’ll be doing when you’ve reached your goal.”
- Earl Nightingale



“Everything that’s really worthwhile in life comes to us.”
- Earl Nightingale

The meaning behind the proverb “You must reap MORE than you sow” is that future RESULTS are undoubtedly shaped by present actions. 

More than that, FUTURE RESULTS are absolutely shaped by PRESENT ACTIONS and PRESENT BELIEFS.

If your convictions are bleak… If you believe that you are destined to be broke and miserable, your subconscious mind will help you out by finding circumstances to back up your convictions, and you will inevitably end up broke and miserable.

On the other hand – if you plant strong seeds in your mind, seeds of faith, belief and strength… if you truly believe that you will succeed – your mind will get to work and find circumstances and resources to aid you in becoming successful.

 Opportunities will arise. New paths will appear. You will still have to do the work – but when you truly believe and see yourself in your minds eye as achieving what you want in life… solutions will become available to you.




MAKE IT HAPPEN




“We can let circumstances rule us, or we can take charge and rule our lives from within.” 
- Earl Nightingale



“We tend to live up to our expectations.” – Earl Nightingale

If there is one thing we can all be certain of, it is this: Life tests us all. 

Within those tests some RISE ABOVE and unfortunately most HIDE BELOW.

You can either let life run all over you, or you can stand up to life, face your challenges and EARN the PRIDE that comes when you overcome the toughest times in your life.

Challenges equal GROWTH to those who face them head on and GROWTH is one more step on the ladder to SUCCESS and MEANING in life.

PLAN




“All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination.”
- Earl Nightingale



“Your problem is to bridge the gap which exists between where you are now and the goal you intend to reach.”
- Earl Nightingale



Without a plan you will perish.
As the saying goes “If you don’t plan to succeed, you are planning to fail”.

Wherever you are right now in life – if there is an area you must improve and you have these two things – you CAN AND WILL IMPROVE in that area.

The first is a CLEAR PLAN. A detailed, precise plan of action that could take you from where you ARE to where you MUST BE.
What actions need to be taken?
What’s it going to cost you?
What’s it going to COST in time, in relationships, financially?

The second thing you must have after a solid plan is the DESIRE to see the plan through to the end – NO MATTER WHAT. With those 2 things firmly in place, there are no limits to how great a transformation you could make in your life.



HAPPINESS



“Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don’t wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it’s at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored.”
- Earl Nightingale



“We are at our very best, and we are happiest, when we are fully engaged in work we enjoy on the journey toward the goal we’ve established for ourselves. It gives meaning to our time off and comfort to our sleep. It makes everything else in life so wonderful, so worthwhile.”
- Earl Nightingale

Happiness doesn’t come from things. It doesn’t come from money, or success, or buying things, or having thousands of followers on social media. 

Real happiness can only ever come from MEANING. 

MEANING is something you create in your life through MEANINGFUL pursuits. The goals you are working towards. The intention you have to serve others.

Every moment you spend in the present moment can be meaningful if that is your intention.





ATTITUDE



“A great attitude does much more than turn on the lights in our worlds; it seems to magically connect us to all sorts of serendipitous opportunities that were somehow absent before the change.”
- Earl Nightingale



“We all walk in the dark and each of us must learn to turn on his or her own light.”
- Earl Nightingale



“Our environment, the world in which we live and work, is a mirror of our attitudes and expectations.”
- Earl Nightingale



“Our attitude towards others determines their attitude towards us.”
- Earl Nightingale



It seems pretty obvious that a positive attitude leads, mostly to positive outcomes and positive interactions. A negative attitude seems to attract mostly negative outcomes and negative interactions with others.

Cultivating a positive attitude starts first with INTENTION.

 You set the INTENTION for the kind of person you wish to become, and that is reflected in both the GOALS you are working towards in your life and the DAILY ROUTINE you have.

 Things like GRATITUDE and MEDITATION and AFFIRMATIONS are all things you could be doing every day that develop a positive attitude.

OPPORTUNITY AND RISK



“Wherever there is danger, there lurks opportunity; whenever there is opportunity, there lurks danger. The two are inseparable. They go together.

You can measure opportunity with the same yardstick that measures the risk involved. They go together.”
- Earl Nightingale

Opportunity is around every corner but there aren’t many people willing to turn that corner because RISK also lives there.

 But ask yourself what is more RISKY:
- Taking the risk to chase your dream or goal, and possibly failing, or;
- NEVER TRYING and forever living in REGRET?

You see, even if you fail once, twice or 100 times while chasing your dreams – you LEARN the lessons and become WISER and STRONGER for having taken that risk. 

The character you develop along the way is priceless.

I’ve yet to meet a person who refused to give up on their dream that hasn’t CAUGHT IT. 

Failure is inevitable. There’s not a single successful person who is alive or dead that never failed.

 One thing they would never do though is let an opportunity pass them by… no matter the risk.






ABUNDANCE



”No man can get rich himself unless he enriches others.”
- Earl Nightingale



“Don’t concern yourself with the money. Be of service … build … work … dream … create! 
Do this and you’ll find there is no limit to the prosperity and abundance that will come to you.”
- Earl Nightingale

Wealth, abundance, happiness – all of it – can not come to any person who is obsessed only with GAIN and GREED.

 These things come as a result of service.

What can you create that will benefit others?

 How can you best serve the world?

 Ask yourself these questions and you will be one step closer to true abundance, in every sense of the word.

The post These Earl Nightingale Quotes Are Life Changing (Motivational Speech) appeared first on Fearless Motivation - Motivational Videos & Music.

Transcript: Wayne Dyer Life Changing Quotes

“The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of the state of your mind.” – Wayne Dyer

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” – Wayne Dyer

No matter what circumstances have shown up in your life… the quality of your life will always and only be a reflection of your state of mind.

In other words, how you FEEL about your life… IS YOUR LIFE.

That is the very reason we have people who have nothing materially speaking who are miserable… and others who live in a consistent beautiful state. The same reason we have people who seemingly have it all, the money, the cars, the wealth – but are depressed – and others who have it all and feel blessed.

How you FEEL – IS YOUR LIFE.
 
 You can be happy with little or miserable with a lot. You can feel like you have A LOT with a little and feel like you have nothing with A LOT.

Spending time, every day in gratitude can shift your entire life. Spending time deliberately thinking about all the things that ARE GOOD in your life will not only make you feel better about your life (which is the ONLY important thing) but it will also start attracting more better things into your life. You could call this the law of attraction, but it is really just you NOTICING the good around you more.

Try it, there is literally NOTHING more important than you giving this gift to yourself. What could be more important than feeling good?

“I cannot always control what goes on outside. But I can always control what goes on inside.” – Wayne Dyer

As a human being you can guarantee one thing for sure:
 Life will serve you up a great variety of highs and lows.

Even though we are all guaranteed highs and lows, very few of us realize that we have the power to control what those highs and lows MEAN TO US.

We can not control the circumstances and events of our lives… but we can ALWAYS control our response to them.

We can always control how we choose to FEEL about the circumstances and events.

That doesn’t mean it will be easy. It doesn’t mean we won’t have to take action. Sometimes action will be needed to better a negative situation, but we need not carry negative energy about the situation.

The clearer our mind in challenging situations, the better our response.
 Next time you are faced with a challenge, see if you can gain more control of your feelings in order to handle the situation in the best possible way.

“Our lives are a sum total of the choices we have made.” – Wayne Dyer

“With everything that has happened to you, you can either feel sorry for yourself or treat what has happened as a gift. Everything is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose.” – Wayne Dyer

“Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.” – Wayne Dyer

“You are not stuck where you are unless you decide to be.” – Wayne Dyer

The results of people’s lives are rarely ever an accident or a mistake. Almost always, regardless of the circumstances, it is less about luck, and more about the choices people have made.

Your responses, actions and choices have led you where you are today.

That might be hard to hear, especially if you feel you’ve been dealt a bad hand, but no matter where you are now, you can CHOOSE to be in a better position in the future.

You can choose to make excuses, and you might have some great ones, or you can choose to drop all the negative stories and FOCUS on what YOU CAN DO to make your situation better.

Regardless of what has happened in the past YOU DECIDE what happens next.

Holding on to negative feelings toward circumstances and people that have done you wrong does NOTHING to benefit YOUR LIFE.

They say the best revenge is massive success… but really it is not, there is no need for revenge, and the best thing you can do is LET GO of negativity and FOCUS on creating the best life possible for yourself, that is how you win.

“Stop acting as if life is a rehearsal. Live this day as if it were your last. The past is over and gone. The future is not guaranteed.” – Wayne Dyer

“Go for it now. The future is promised to no one.” – Wayne Dyer

Too many people put the really important things in their life off for another day.

We work too much and play too little. We spend too much time worrying about what other people think about us, and too little time being our true self, living free from anyones opinion.

They say no one on their death bed wished they worked more at the office, and I doubt they wished they worried more about what other people think of them.

Whoever you want to be – however you want to live – whatever you want to do – whatever you need to SAY – do it all, now, before it is too late.

Live with no regrets.

WAYNE DYER ON SELF WORTH

“Self-worth comes from one thing – thinking that you are worthy.” – Wayne Dyer

“You cannot be lonely if you like the person you’re alone with.” – Wayne Dyer

“The essential lesson I’ve learned in life is to just be yourself. Treasure the magnificent being that you are and recognize first and foremost you’re not here as a human being only. You’re a spiritual being having a human experience.” – Wayne Dyer

“When you’re just like everybody else, you’ve nothing to offer other than your conformity.” – Wayne Dyer

Be yourself. It’s that simple. Because you can have a FULL LIFE if you are not fully yourself.

If you are hiding who you are – wearing masks to fit in with other people… always afraid to express you true self… well, you’re not REALLY LIVING are you?

So many people are unhappy… feeling completely drained every day… because it is EXHAUSTING pretending to be someone else all day every day.

You are unique and because of that you need to follow your own unique path.

Do not be afraid to say what you feel, and be who you are, because in the end – even though SOME people will fall away, those are all the wrong people. When you be yourself – the right people will be attracted to you, and they will stay.

WAYNE DYER ON THE LAW OF ATTRACTION

“Our intention creates our reality.” – Wayne Dyer

“You’ll see it when you believe it.” – Wayne Dyer

They saying goes “I’ll believe it WHEN I see it” but the truth is you will NEVER see it unless you first BELIEVE IT.

Have you ever seen a champion sports person who had no self belief win ANYTHING?

Have you ever seen a super successful person, in any field of life, achieve anything they did NOT BELIEVE would happen?

The truth is BELIEF must come first, and when it does you will start seeing that which you want in your life.

How do you start believing it?

First you set the INTENTION for what you want to show up in your life. Then you take whatever actions you need to take to make that thing your reality.

Then, you consistently keep improving in that area, from all the action, learning and new intentions you are setting – then, from all the improvements you are making you start BELIEVING more and more.

Greater intentions, greater beliefs, mixed with action and learning creates amazing results.

1. Set intentions for everything you want in your life.
2. Write down all the actions you need to take to make those intentions your reality.
3. Commit to work towards these intentions every day, by learning all you can and taking all the action you need to take to make it a reality.
4. Track your progress and give yourself some credit when you make progress.
5. Write down what or who you’re doing this all for and carry this around with you everywhere. If you have a purpose that goes beyond yourself – a deep, meaningful purpose – you will not give up when things get hard.

“It’s never crowded along the extra mile.”
 – Wayne Dyer

“Successful people make money. It’s not that people who make money become successful, but that successful people attract money. They bring success to what they do.”
 – Wayne Dyer

“Anything you really want, you can attain, if you really go after it.”
 – Wayne Dyer

The truth is you can have ANYTHING you want – if, and only if you are willing to go after it.

The reason it is not crowded at the top is because most people are NOT willing to go the extra mile.

The want the life of their idols, but are not interested in doing what it took to get there, nor what it takes to stay there.

Success comes to those WHO REALLY WANT IT… not those who SAY they want it.

Do you really want what you say you want?

“Doing what you love is the cornerstone of having abundance in your life.” – Wayne Dyer

“There’s no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love. There is only a scarcity of resolve to make it happen.” – Wayne Dyer

Can you really call yourself successful if you are making a lot of money, but doing something you hate every day?

Would you rather do something you hate and earn a lot of money, or earn ENOUGH money and do something you love every day?

The truth is, none of us can be happy doing things we hate, for money.

Even if we are unaware of it, spending the greater part of our life doing things we hate in exchange for money does nothing but chip away at our soul.

Although it doesn’t suit the establishment, it would be great if we were all taught at a young age that the only thing of importance is that we FEEL GOOD – and that means choosing WORK that feels good as well. Not work that earns us the most amount of money so we can feel important and significant… work that makes us happy, lightens our load… inspires creativity…

Ask yourself if your work is contributing to a better YOU?

What would you love to do, if money wasn’t an issue?

“Loving people live in a loving world. Hostile people live in a hostile world. Same world.” – Wayne Dyer

I’m sure you know someone who is always angry, and seems to always be attracting other angry people – confrontation and negative situations into their life. It’s almost as though they have a negative magnet they carry around.

Likewise, I’m sure you know someone who almost always seems upbeat, positive and rarely if ever speaks negatively – no doubt this person rarely if ever attracts negative situations or angry people.

How do you want to live your life?

Now is a great time to come together as people, to support each other, to lift each other up – to change our energy first, so we can have a positive effect on those around us.

Start with you.

How can YOU be better today?

“The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.” – Wayne Dyer

There’s two words that describe one of the biggest reasons people suffer and fail to live a life they deserve:
 Narrow minded.

Being open to all possibilities, including the possibility of yourself being wrong is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself.

Having the humility to accept that you MAY BE WRONG, no matter what the topic, no matter how crazy and far fetched it may seem, is a gift, because it means you are not only open to all possibilities, but you don’t believe everything you hear either.

Trust your gut and your intuition – you know intuitively when something is off. No matter how many “experts” tell you something is a certain way, look at the facts, use your COMMON SENSE – come to your own conclusions based on facts, common sense and what you believe – not what society tells you to believe.

“You don’t need to be better than anyone else, you just need to be better than you used to be.” – Wayne Dyer

Compete with no one and compare yourself with no one.

Your greatest competition is never going to be another human – it will always be yourself – and the greatest part about that is that you can always defeat your former self.

You can have the intention, every day to be better in some way, than you were YESTERDAY.

That is how your life gets better in a huge way, by improving just a little bit, in one or a few areas, every single day.

Make that commitment to yourself – to compete with no one but yourself, and become your best ever self.

WAYNE DYER ON JUDGING OTHERS


“When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself.” – Wayne Dyer

“How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.” – Wayne Dyer

Judging others says nothing about them, but says a lot about our need to judge and our insecurities.

Secure people don’t judge.

Do your best to understand where others are coming from, and if you can’t understand… move on and let them live their life however they wish to live it.

If someone judges you, rightly or wrongly, whatever the situation, it is your choice how you REACT.

Reacting with negative energy will never do anything positive for YOUR LIFE.

That does not mean there won’t be times where you have to react, respond or take action against some negative person or situation in your life – it means checking yourself, so you are not adding fuel to the fire – so you are not doing the very thing you hate in the other person.

Action might be needed, negative energy is never needed.

“It is impossible for you to be angry and laugh at the same time. Anger and laughter are mutually exclusive and you have the power to choose either.” – Wayne Dyer

This is an important choice we all make every day, and in so many moments throughout every day.

The choice to live in a positive or negative state… and you better believe these choices have a massive flow on effect on the overall quality of your life.

It doesn’t take much common sense to understand the more anger and negativity in your life – the worse the quality of your life – and the opposite, the more positivity and happiness you bring to each day, the better your life will be. Not just from the obvious perspective of HOW YOU FEEL – but also the decisions you make are known to be better when you are in a positive state.

Have you ever made a good decision when you are raging angry?

Try to spend more of your days in joy, laugh more, play more – spend more time with things that make you smile and less time consuming things that make you angry.

“To be more childlike, you don’t have to give up being an adult. The fully integrated person is capable of being both an adult and a child simultaneously. Recapture the childlike feelings of wide-eyed excitement, spontaneous appreciation, cutting loose, and being full of awe and wonder at this magnificent universe.” – Wayne Dyer

“Everything you need you already have. You are complete right now, you are a whole, total person, not an apprentice person on the way to someplace else. Your completeness must be understood by you and experienced in your thoughts as your own personal reality.” – Wayne Dyer

Feeling complete is not determined by what you have, but only be how you FEEL.

The sooner you realize that you are well capable of feeling complete without much at all, the sooner your life and how you feel about your life will improve.

“The ego is only an illusion, but a very influential one. Letting the ego- illusion become your identity can prevent you from knowing your true self. Ego, the false idea of believing that you are what you have or what you do, is a backwards way of assessing and living life.” – Wayne Dyer

“Miracles come in moments. Be ready and willing.” – Wayne Dyer

“The more you see yourself as what you’d like to become, and act as if what you want is already there, the more you’ll activate those dormant forces that will collaborate to

transform your dream into your reality.” Wayne Dyer

“If we focus on what’s ugly, we attract more ugliness into our thoughts, and then into our emotions, and ultimately into our lives.” – Wayne Dyer

The post These Wayne Dyer Quotes Are Seriously Life Changing (Motivational Video) appeared first on Fearless Motivation - Motivational Videos & Music.

Narrated by Josiah Ruff, for Fearless Motivation
Music by Fearless Motivation Instrumentals

Freedom is like OXYGEN…
You don’t know how precious it is until it is too late. 


Freedom means you are unobstructed in living your life as you choose. Anything less is a form of slavery.
– Wayne Dyer

May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is RIGHT.
– Peter Marshall

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.
Viktor E. Frankl 


The secret of happiness is FREEDOM.
 The secret of freedom is COURAGE.
– Carrie Jones

Those who deny freedom to others DO NOT deserve it for themselves.
– Abraham Lincoln

You can’t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at PEACE unless he has his FREEDOM
.
– Malcolm X


The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.
– Albert Camus

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream.
It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.
– Ronald Reagan
 


Freedom is the oxygen of the soul.
– Moshe Dayan

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, NONE, but ourselves can free our minds!
– Marcus Garvey

Liberty is not the power of doing what we like, but the right to do what we ought.
– John Dalberg-Acton

There are two freedoms – the false, where a man is free to do what he likes; the true, where he is free to do what he ought.
– Charles Kingsley

Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.
– George Bernard Shaw

Man is free at the moment he wishes to be.
– Voltaire

It does not take a majority to prevail… but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.
– Samuel Adams
 


For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.
– Nelson Mandela

People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.
– Soren Kierkegaard

Freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it.
– Pericles

Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.
― Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own


The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.
― Coco Chanel

I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn’t, than live as if there isn’t and to die to find out that there is.
– Albert Camus

The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave.
– Ronald Reagan


Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.
– Viktor E. Frankl

The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. You trade in your reality for a role. You trade in your sense for an act. You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask. There can’t be any large-scale revolution until there’s a personal revolution, on an individual level. It’s got to happen inside first.
― Jim Morrison

When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw.
― Nelson Mandela


They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
― Benjamin Franklin,

Better to die fighting for freedom then be a prisoner all the days of your life.
― Bob Marley
 


Each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible.
– Viktor E. Frankl

Freedom has cost too much blood and agony to be relinquished at the cheap price of rhetoric.
– Thomas Sowell

The most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.
– Ronald Reagan


‘Emergencies’ have always been the pretext on which the safeguards of individual liberty have been eroded.
– Friedrich August von Hayek

If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.
– George Washington
 


The welfare of the people has always been the alibi of tyrants
– Albert Camus

The evil that is in the world almost always comes of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence if they lack understanding.
– Albert Camus

The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them.
– Patrick Henry

A thought transfixed me: for the first time in my life, I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth – that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire.
– Viktor E. Frankl
 


Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.
– George Orwell

What is ominous is the ease with which some people go from saying that they don’t like something to saying that the government should forbid it. When you go down that road, don’t expect freedom to survive very long.
– Thomas Sowell

Let us know what your favourite FREEDOM quote is, in the comments below.

The post This is Why We Must Fight For Our Freedom (Famous Quotes on Freedom) appeared first on Fearless Motivation - Motivational Videos & Music.

“Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.” – Jim Rohn

Formal education is standard, structured and systematic education. It is what you learn in schools and colleges. There’s nothing wrong with formal education but it is designed to get you a job… or make you a living… it is not designed to make you financially free or mentally strong. 

It is designed to keep you part of the system.

There are limits to how far you can go with formal education. It is for people who want limited risk, and not much responsibility.

Self-education knows no limits and that is why it has the POTENTIAL to make you a fortune.

Self-education can not only make you a fortune, it can also make you fulfilled – because it gives YOU the choice to educate yourself on things that will enhance the quality of YOUR life.

 Think of all the greatest entrepreneurs of today, and in history… these are all self-educated people.

They’re all likely formally educated as well… but for all successful people self-education NEVER ends, not after school, not after success or failure. 

Life is the classroom and the only goal is to learn and GROW every day.

“The major value in life is not what you get. The major value in life is what you become.” – Jim Rohn

“The major question to ask is NOT ‘what am I GETTING here’ the major question to ask is ‘what am I BECOMING here” – Jim Rohn

It’s never the material success that gives us the most value – it is the SELF-PRIDE that comes when you extend yourself

It’s not the money, or the house that will bring you the joy… it is the pride in knowing YOU EARNED the money and the house… that is where the value is… and you won’t get the money or the house without it.

 You won’t get anything MORE until YOU BECOME MORE.

“If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.” – Jim Rohn

If you’re waiting for others to hand you success… you’ll be waiting with your hand out until your dying day.

If you want ANYTHING in life the responsibility falls on only one person… and that person is YOU. 

No one owes you anything.

 If you want it – you must PLAN for it. 
If you want it – you must SACRIFICE for it. 
If you want it – you must WORK FOR IT.

Don’t wait for anyone to give you a handout, or a magic map to achieve the life you want… you have to educate and execute your own life plan to live the life you want to live.

“You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight.” – Jim Rohn

Nothing worthwhile is built overnight. The overnight success is a myth…. But one thing that can change instantly is your ATTITUDE.

 You can decide in an instant that your life will change – and if you keep that promise to yourself – that could be the moment everything DOES CHANGE.

You can decide ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
 You can decide NO MORE.

 You can decide FROM THIS MOMENT… It only takes a moment.

“If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.” – Jim Rohn

Life is a risk.

 It is a risk to turn down a safe job to go after your dreams. The risk is failure. The risk is embarrassment. The risk is suffering.

But perhaps a greater risk is taking the option that will almost certainly lead to regret down the track.

Regret is almost guaranteed when you choose an easy option that is far less than your potential or less than the quality of life you dreamed of for yourself.

 I guess it is pretty obvious that every great success story on this earth was a great risk taker.

 Great rewards can only come following great risks. You can’t win the raffle unless you have a ticket… and in the game of success the ticket is RISK – it is the putting yourself out there… putting your fears and reputation on the line – knowing there is a POSSIBILITY of failure and being brave enough to TRY ANYWAY.

“If you don’t like how things are, change it! You’re not a tree.” – Jim Rohn

Many people complain about their situation when they have the power to change it.

 Whether the change is going to be comfortable or not – if you have the POWER to change and you WANT to change – CHANGE.

 Perhaps the greatest destruction of the human spirit is when we go against our own intuition. Worse is when we go against our intuition… then complain and blame others for our situation.

If you want to change… CHANGE. 

Take responsibility for where you are and TRUST you have the capabilities to learn and grow enough to get where you want to go.

“Either you run the day or the day runs you.” – Jim Rohn

“Don’t say, ‘If I could, I would.’ Say, ‘If I can, I will.’” – Jim Rohn

When it comes to how we live our lives… ALL OF US have two choices… 

We can choose to take control of the day… get on the front foot and BELIEVE we can change our REALITY…

or…

We can be at the mercy of circumstance… believing we can only RESPOND to reality.

I challenge you to find any GREAT human being who allowed LIFE to dictate their reality.

GREAT people… HAPPY people… SUCCESSFUL people take control of the day… they take control of each moment and try to CREATE a better NEXT MOMENT in each and every action they take.

 Mentality is everything. You really do decide how reality is served to you. Do you CREATE YOUR OWN REALITY? 

Or do you wait for life, or circumstances to tell you what kind of day you’re going to have?

“We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment.” – Jim Rohn

“Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day.” – Jim Rohn

“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.” – Jim Rohn

“For every disciplined effort there is a multiple reward.” – Jim Rohn

There perhaps is no greater single word when it comes to achievement, growth, success and even happiness

Discipline is everything and in discipline there are so many rewards.

 Those with the discipline to follow through, consistently are those who will succeed in the end.

 The discipline to say NO when you need to. 

The discipline to say YES when you don’t want to. 

The discipline to work hard.

 The discipline to be consistent in all areas of your life.

 It’s not the HUGE actions that matter long term… it is the tiny, but frequent daily disciplines compounded over years that will lead to your greatest success.

“Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.” – Jim Rohn

“You don’t get paid for the hour. You get paid for the value you bring to the hour.” – Jim Rohn

Those who are paid the most are paid the most because they bring the most VALUE to their fellow humans.

There’s nothing magical or mysterious about success… it’s pretty straight forward, uninteresting and unexciting… and that is precisely why most people give up.

It’s the consistency that brings success… not the magic.

There’s no secrets. Just keep showing up, every day – improving, growing and adding value, and eventually you will be rewarded.

“Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better.”

 – Jim Rohn
Most people wish life were easier – but life only gets easier when you push yourself to be better.

 Don’t even wish you were better – be prepared to WORK for your BETTER.

 Be prepared to EARN your better.

“Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.” – Jim Rohn

And now we come to the most important piece… happiness… fulfilment… emotional stability.

Happiness, says Jim Rohn is NOT something you postpone for the future…

 You don’t put it off for “ONE DAY”… when I get that car, or when I am a millionaire… or billionaire… or attract that one person in my life…

 Happiness is something you DESIGN… something you DECIDE for the PRESENT… for right NOW.

You decide every day to be happy… by the choices you make every day.

You decide what kind of day you are going to have by the time you allocate every morning.

 Are you franticly rushing out there door, stressed and agitated – or are you making time for gratitude, meditation, learning – things that make you FEEL GOOD – things that keep your mind on the positive.

ONE DAY will never come if your primary goals are materialistic – because ONE DAY always turns into MORE and NEVER ENOUGH.

Decide you have enough… LIVE and FEEL like you have more than enough and life will always deliver to you more.

 DECIDE that the primary importance of your life is NOT material things… but FEELINGS – how you FEEL should always be the most important – because that is why people chase material things in the first place – they think they will FEEL BETTER in having them…

 Just decide to feel better first, then you will always have enough.

“The walls we build around us to keep sadness out also keeps out the joy.” – Jim Rohn

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” – Jim Rohn

An important message in a world where not many seem to care what enters their body.

 Of equal importance to your MENTAL HEALTH is your physical health – and they are often inseparable for a truly quality life. 

Treat your body like you would the greatest love of your life. Feed it with nutrients that will make you feel alive, giving you more energy to live the life you deserve to live.

“Some people plant in the spring and leave in the summer. If you’re signed up for a season, see it through. You don’t have to stay forever, but at least stay until you see it through.” – Jim Rohn

If you’ve signed up for a better life… SEE IT THROUGH.

 If you signed up for a successful business… SEE IT THROUGH… don’t quit before your success starts to come into season.

If you’ve signed up for a healthier stronger body… SEE IT THROUGH…

It takes more than one season to create a great life… whatever you’re going through… SEE IT THROUGH.

“Character is a quality that embodies many important traits, such as integrity, courage, perseverance, confidence and wisdom. Unlike your fingerprints that you are born with and can’t change, character is something that you create within yourself and must take responsibility for changing.” – Jim Rohn

What is your favourite Jim Rohn Quote? Let us know in the comments below

The post Jim Rohn – Life Lessons From The Great Motivational Speaker appeared first on Fearless Motivation - Motivational Videos & Music.

See also: These Albert Einstein Quotes Are Life Changing

Transcript: 20 Things Napoleon Hill Said That Changed Millions of Lives

“The starting point of all achievement is desire. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small fire makes a small amount of heat.” – Napoleon Hill

Without DESIRE there is no FIRE. The fire within can only come out when YOU really want it to…

That is why the START of anything GREAT is the moment YOU DECIDE you HAVE TO HAVE IT. That burning desire from within… that moment when YOU DECIDE: THIS IS IT!

That is the start of something great. Do whatever you can to find that spark, to get that FIRE WITHIN burning.

“Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.” – Napoleon Hill

“Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting.” – Napoleon Hill

NOTHING is over for the person who REFUSES to give up.

There is no failure to the person who DOES NOT QUIT… there is only DELAYED SUCCESS.

If it isn’t happening right away: DO NOT QUIT. Have patience for the fact that it hasn’t showed up yet, but impatience in working TOWARD IT.

Persist… and eventually it will be YOURS!

“Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.” – Napoleon Hill

“Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.” – Napoleon Hill

“Most great people have attained their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure.” – Napoleon Hill

“Opportunity often comes disguised in the form of misfortune, or temporary defeat.” – Napoleon Hill

Most people strive for a life of little or no struggle. No-one seeks pain or challenges and nor should they… but that is precisely where GROWTH lies. In the challenges and the struggle that come from PUSHING for what you really want in life.

Those who refuse to go after what they truly want in life have failed by default.

Sure, they might not have to suffer through setbacks… they won’t have to live with the embarrassment of failure… but they will have to live with something much worse… and that is REGRET.

If you’re really pushing to become the VERY BEST VERSION of yourself… there is going to be FAILURE… there is going to be HEARTACHE, EMBARRASSMENT and everything in between… but if you refuse to quit… if you persist… not only will you succeed in getting to your goal… but you will EARN something much more valuable: PRIDE and CHARACTER.

Pride and character only come from GROWTH. GROWTH only comes from pushing yourself. You can’t buy it, you have to EARN IT.

“Tell me how you use your spare time, and how you spend your money, and I will tell you where and what you will be in ten years from now.” – Napoleon Hill

How can you tell what your future will look like? Have a look at your daily habits.

If they are strong, your future will be strong.

If they are designed to move you TOWARD a life you want… you will move toward a life you want. If they are not… you won’t.

You have to be INTENTIONAL about how you spend your time and your money.

Create a plan of daily action that will, over time lead to strong habits…. Habits that will move you closer to your goals.

“A goal is a dream with a deadline.” – Napoleon Hill

Goals are great, but without deadlines they are WISHES, HOPES… DREAMS.

Dreams can only come true if you get serious about them… and the first step to getting serious about your GOALS is to set a DEADLINE for when you must achieve it.

It should be difficult enough to reach to get you MOVING immediately… but realistic enough to attain.

It should be a struggle to attain it… but not impossible.

Another way of saying it is: The person you are right NOW should not be able to achieve it. You will have to GROW into someone else entirely by pushing yourself, in a positive way to make sure it is achieved.

That is a GOAL!

“When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal.” – Napoleon Hill

Defeat comes to all of us. Most of us give up.

Don’t be like most. When temporary defeat visits you – take responsibility. What can YOU DO BETTER?

How can you USE the failure as a lesson. How can your PLAN or PATH be clearer next time around?

DO NOT GIVE UP.

SHOCK everyone with your persistence and staying power. Then shock them with your results the second time around.

“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” – Napoleon Hill

“There are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge.” – Napoleon Hill

Napoleon hill believed there were NO LIMITS.
Most of the greatest people in history refused to entertain the limits of the majority. If they did… they’d never have been great and we’d perhaps never know they existed.

REFUSE to accept limits of your family, friends or society.

If it’s never been done before… believe you can be the FIRST.

If no one believes in you… BE THE ONE WHO STARTS.

It is very clear that MINDSET is the greatest asset you can have if you want to do great things with your life.

Develop that mindset, believe in yourself and become unstoppable.

“The ladder of success is never crowded at the top.” – Napoleon Hill

The ladder of success is never crowded at the top, because most people settle.

Most people settle before getting on the ladder. They settle in their job, they settle in relationships… they settle in their health.

They refuse to put in the effort at the start, and so their life… getting through the day becomes a giant effort.

Be one of the few who aren’t afraid to take the harder path EARLY ON so you can enjoy the easier path later in life. Keep climbing that ladder, and when you get to the top, see if you can inspire someone else to work their way up too.

“It takes half your life before you discover life is a do-it-yourself project.” – Napoleon Hill

“If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self.” – Napoleon Hill

This life of yours is exactly that… YOURS.

It’s YOURS to create whatever you want of it. If you want a great body: that’s YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. If you want a great MINDSET: YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.

The government can tax you to the hills… but no one can tax your mind… that is ALWAYS something YOU CONTROL. No one and no event can conquer you but YOURSELF.

Take care of your mind, there is nothing more important. Nurture it with positive thoughts, with teachings that help you to GROW, with anything and everything that makes you feel better, stronger as a human being.

There is nothing more important.

“The way of success is the way of continuous pursuit of knowledge.” – Napoleon Hill

“Deliberately seek the company of people who influence you to think and act on building the life you desire.” – Napoleon Hill

“Education comes from within; you get it by struggle and effort and thought.” – Napoleon Hill

No one ever got ahead by acting like they knew everything about everything.

Be humble enough to know you DON’T KNOW everything

Be curious enough to SEEK new knowledge EVERYWHERE you go. In books, in teachings and in EVERYONE you speak with.

There’s always something to learn, from everyone.

Surround yourself with mostly people that will either enhance your future, or make you feel good in the present.

“You are the master of your destiny. You can influence, direct and control your own environment. You can make your life what you want it to be.” – Napoleon Hill

“If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.” – Napoleon Hill

“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right. Start where you stand, and work whatever tools you may have at your command and better tools will be found as you go along.” – Napoleon Hill

What is your favourite lesson from Napoleon Hill? Share with us in the comments.

The post 20 Things Napoleon Hill Said That Changed Millions of Lives appeared first on Fearless Motivation - Motivational Videos & Music.

“I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.”
– Carl Jung



The sad reality of most human beings is just that… Most people DO believe they are what happened to them.



Most people equate self-worth with their past, with their achievements, with how OTHER PEOPLE view them.

 But we are none of those things… we are, as Jung puts it who we “CHOOSE to become”.



We are always only ONE DECISION away from a completely different life.



What happens to us is NEVER a choice… but how we choose to FEEL about what happens is ALWAYS our choice.



How we choose to RESPOND to life circumstances is A CHOICE.

 Who we decide to be in EVERY moment, including adversities, will determine the quality of our life.

Leave your past behind, and decide, today… NOW… WHO YOU WILL BE… from this moment forward.

“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”
– Carl Jung

“

Why do bad things keep happening to me?” Some say… 

“Why do the same (negative) kind of people keep appearing in my life?”…

The unconscious, or rather sub-conscious controls almost all human behaviour. 

It has been said that almost all brain activity happens on a subconscious level… the problem is, most people do not understand this basic principle, and therefor are running their life on autopilot, repeating the same reactions and responses, and often repeating the same problems, over and over again in a figure 8 loop.

Einstein said: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

 Until you CHANGE the reactions, responses and actions you’ve conditioned into yourself unconsciously, you won’t see different OUTCOMES in your life.



Until you learn WHY you are acting in a certain way, you’ll never be able to act better.

Until we learn WHY we FEEL a certain way, on a consistent basis, we will not be able to consistently feel better, in any way.

You need to step back and examine your life… examine YOU.

What feelings, behaviours, habits and actions are running on autopilot?

What can you bring forward to the light, into your conscious, into your PRESENCE… if you can manage that, you can start changing those habits – consciously.

With repetition you can reprogram these new habits, feelings and behaviours into your NEW subconscious program.

Better habits. Better reactions. Better outcomes.

“As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.”
– Carl Jung



“Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. It is far better to take things as they come along with patience and equanimity.” – Carl Jung



“The least of things with a meaning is worth more in life than the greatest of things without it.”
– Carl Jung

Without the contrast of sadness, happiness does not exist.

Without dark, there is no light.

A happy life then, is not one without sadness, or misery, or failures, or problems. A happy life… A FULL LIFE… is a life with MEANING.

 If you had in your possession every penny on earth, and all the material possessions you desire, it would still give you no guarantees of happiness, and certainly no meaning. 

You don’t need THINGS, money or possessions to have meaning – but meaning does make for a RICH LIFE. 

With MEANING and PURPOSE in your life you can face the inevitable challenges of life without fear… With MEANING and PURPOSE in your life you can LET GO of the past, because there is always a brighter to work toward, to believe in… tomorrow.

MEANING and PURPOSE give you reason to get up in the morning… enthusiasm to go about your day, PURPOSE for living…

Kindle a light in the darkness of your being. Discover who you are, develop a life of meaning and purpose, and accept every inevitable challenge that comes your way.



“It all depends on how we look at things, and not how they are in themselves.”
– Carl Jung

Whatever happens in your life is NOT reality, but rather your interpretation of it.

 Let me repeat, whatever happens is NOT REALITY, but your interpretation of reality.

On one of your best days, a challenge appears, and you deal with it, with presence, with confidence, with competence… Then, the challenge disappears, perhaps even turns into a blessing… a new understanding. 

On one of your worst days, the same challenge appears, you react angrily, unconsciously, the challenge turns into a bigger issue, a larger problem and consequently affects your life and others in a much bigger, not so pleasant way.

 What happened? It was the same challenge?

 It depends how you look at it.

We’ve all experienced moments like this. 

Problems that escalated due to our reaction. Challenges that disappeared due to our reaction. 

It is not how things are, but how we see them.



We can see BEAUTY in anything and UGLINESS in anything… 

The real question is, what do you CHOOSE to see?



“Thinking is difficult, that’s why most people judge.”
– Carl Jung

We have to step back and catch ourselves judging… and this is not easy, because we all want to think of ourselves as good human beings… and you may well be… but you must take ownership for your judging, as much as the next person. Judging people, judging things, judging circumstances… How do you judge? Who do you judge?

Has there ever been a moment in your life where you’ve judged a person, or a situation… and then realized you were completely wrong? 
I think we’ve all had this experience.

We should never judge a person or a situation where there are no facts. If we don’t KNOW… we must accept we don’t know… and expect the best.

We really do CHOOSE how we see everything, and anything can be seen through a positive, optimistic lens if that is our intention.

Make it your intention.

Less judgment, more optimism.
Less negativity, more positivity.
Less despair, more wonder.

“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”
– Carl Jung



Those who look outside, at others, to society for an indication of how they should act or fit into the world… are lost in a dream… perhaps a nightmare.

A life lived, not authentically, but how they perceive will be most acceptable by the standards of society.

To awaken is to look within. To look within your own heart. To trust your intuition and to be brave enough to live life on YOUR TERMS.

Not caring for others opinions and judgements. Only focused on the life that lights you up. The authentic you… living your authentic life.

That is the awakened life. The REAL YOU… living with freedom of all outside expectations and opinions.

“Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people.” – Carl Jung



When we understand, from a place of true humility, that we are all capable of the “darkness”… and that darkness is within us ALL, we can then have empathy for the way others act. Understanding that everyone is doing the best with the life circumstances they were presented.

As Maya Angelou said, “if they knew better, they’d do better”

We’ve all made mistakes… and for most of us, when we stuffed up… we knew better, so we did better.

 We no longer wanted to hurt others, or ourselves through our behaviour… we learned the lesson, and we moved on.

 For most people, the darkness doesn’t hang around for long… but it should give us some compassion for others, knowing that even we have made mistakes, no one is perfect… and perhaps with the same life circumstances we would not do any better than the other.

 Perhaps if we went through what they went through, we would not have the tools to do any better than they are doing.

It does not mean condoning any type of behaviour – it is an understanding that no baby was born evil, or with bad intentions.




“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” – Carl Jung

Anything that irritates you in another is likely within you, or within your shadow. They are the things we are most afraid will come out of ourselves.

It’s like a mirror for your own personality. What irritates you in others can teach you important things about yourself.

Pay attention to those things in others that irritate you, perhaps there is something you can work on too.





“Where love rules, there is no will to power; and where power predominates, there love is lacking. The one is the shadow of the other.”
– Carl Jung



And how badly do we need MORE LOVE and LESS POWER in the world today…

The endless seeking of power and control is due to a lack of love… a lack of connection and empathy for others.

Ask yourself how you can let go of your own need for power and control… even a little… and how you can bring more LOVE, compassion, understanding and giving in your own world.

“If there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves.
– Carl Jung

“The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.”
– Carl Jung

“The debt we owe to the play of imagination is incalculable.”
– Carl Jung

“We cannot change anything until we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate, it oppresses.”
– Carl Jung

“You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.”
– Carl Jung



We do live in this kind of world, where many people talk too much, and act too little.

 As Jung says, you are what YOU DO… not what you SAY you will do.



You do not need to tell the world, or tell anyone what your plans are… you can show them with your ACTIONS… with your RESULTS.

That is ultimately how we are all judged anyway… on how we show up everyday… WHO WE ARE… WHAT WE DO… never what who we SAY WE ARE or what we’re going to do.

Less talk. More action.

Leaving the need for validation behind and BEING who we intend do be… DOING what we want to do… and letting the right people show up because of those choices.

The post Carl Jung – I Am What I Choose To Become (Must Watch Motivational Video) appeared first on Fearless Motivation - Motivational Videos & Music.

“A man who views the world the same at fifty as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life.” – Muhammad Ali.


A life fully lived, is a life that has learned lessons from the past, and used them to create a more magical present and a better future.

If you’re still complaining about the same things you were 30,20,10 or even one year ago… it’s time to change something…. And that something is YOU.

You should be constantly evolving and growing WHO YOU ARE from life experience and from the work you do on YOU.


Are you better than you were 10 years ago?

Have you grown?

What areas can you improve?

“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” – Muhammad Ali.


Everything worthwhile in life will require an element of risk.
 Everything in life that has the possibility of a GREAT REWARD… carries with it an element of risk.

The reward is not guaranteed… failure is a possibility… and so there is RISK.

The real question is this… is the REWARD worth the RISK?
 
 Whatever you REALLY WANT in life… IS WORTH THE RISK.

Starting that business… is a risk… but will the REWARD of success be worth the risk?
 If the answer is YES, you must go for it.

Asking that person out is a risk… they might say NO… but the life together on the other side might be worth taking that risk.
 And so the point is… for the things that REALLY MATTER… you must take the risk.

Do not live in regret, for fear of failure, because the only real failure is not attempting to live the life you want to live.

“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” – Muhammad Ali.


Giving is it’s own reward. It doesn’t cost anything, it’s not expected, but it sure makes your life a whole lot more fulfilling.

Giving to others doesn’t have to be financial or material… it could mean giving of your time, giving your experience… giving your presence… understanding… love.

How can YOU make this world a better place today?
 
How can YOU make someone else’s day BETTER, TODAY?


Look for opportunities to serve, anyone and everyone you come into contact with.

“It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to BELIEF. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.” – Muhammad Ali.


Step one: AFFIRM with REPETITION until you BELIEVE.
Step two: REPEAT step one until it is ingrained into your very being.

You have to speak and FEEL what you want.
 
 You have to AFFIRM and FEEL who you want to be… before you are that person…

You must believe you deserve it, work toward it until you see it, and affirm it until you BECOME IT.


The greatest gift you can give yourself is SELF-BELIEF. Develop that belief in yourself through repetition. Repetition of affirmation and repetition of action.

Constantly trying, getting up after failing… continuing to beat the drum until you find the winning beat.

“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.”- Muhammad Ali.


Champions, like Ali, are willing to suffer now, to live the rest of their life as a champion… and in the same way, those who succeed, in ANY area of life are willing to delay gratification. They are prepared to SUFFER for a period, knowing the REWARD coming in the future.

Most people seek comfort in the moment, even if it leads to pain later…. Very few people are willing to go through PAIN in the moment for the possibility of a brighter future.


One person might take the first crappy job that comes in order to pay the bills tomorrow… knowing full well they will be stuck there, miserable for years to come.

Another person might suffer through financially, while they work on developing their skills, and getting a better job, or starting their own business that will lead to less pain in the FUTURE.

It’s a choice. It’s a mindset. Your best life will never be gained by choosing the easy option.

What is your favourite Muhammad Ali quote? Let us know in the comments.

The post These Muhammad Ali Quotes Are Life Changing (Motivational Video) appeared first on Fearless Motivation - Motivational Videos & Music.

“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” – Epictetus

In creating your best life, it would never be wise to expect for the circumstances of your life to be perfect, rather to develop the character required to overcome and thrive through all challenges. 

Life happens. Challenges welcome all of us, and so, the difference in the quality of life we lead, is in our response.

However you respond to the challenges of life, determines the quality of your life. 

However you choose to view the world around you, is what will be reflected back to you.

Do you view life through an optimistic lens, or a pessimistic one?

When life gets tough… when challenges arrive… do you RISE to the challenge, or complain, curse and quit?

The character and strength developed through refusing to quit when things get hard is priceless.

 Remember, it does not matter what happens, it only matters how you REACT TO WHAT HAPPENS.


“We have two ears and one mouth… so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” – Epictetus

Most of us live this way. We talk too much and listen too little.

 We want to be seen all knowing, so we voice our opinion when we don’t know… and don’t know because we fail to listen.

We all want to be heard, but very few of us hear the other.

Next time you are in a conversation with someone, especially those you care about, practice intentional listening. Do not wait for your turn to speak, just listen, with the intention to understand.

 Be present. Listen more.



“There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.” – Epictetus



Trying to change things out of our control is often referred to as insanity, most likely because it is.

Accept all things you can not change and work to change all things you can.

 Release resistance and all stress for all things outside of your control. That energy used in fighting against what-is… should be used for something more positive… like improving other areas of your life you do have control over.

Happiness simply can not come to those who are fighting against life.



“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”



“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” – Epictetus

Gratitude. The greatest power on earth. When you LIVE in it, you are complete. When you live without it, no matter how much you have, you’ll never have enough.

 Rich are those who are happy with ALL they have, no matter how much they have… and usually those are the ones who attract more to be grateful for.

If you don’t already, make gratitude a daily practice. Spend a few moments every day thinking about everything that IS GREAT in your life… everything that makes you truly rich… all the things money can’t buy.

“No man is free who is not master of himself.” – Epictetus

No matter how much wealth you have accumulated or how much you own, if you aren’t the master of your mind, you can not be free.

Nothing can be more important than mastering your mind, mastering your emotions. 

Throughout the years there have been countless stories of millionaires, billionaires and those who seemingly had it all… ending their own life… Although they had accumulated a lot of material wealth, they did not feel rich on the inside… and that’s just it, riches should always begin on the inside.

Society has it backwards… putting material success and winning on a pedestal when there live so many “winners” who are emotionally void.

Focus first on your mental, and physical health and everything else will fall into place.


“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.” – Epictetus

Have that conversation with yourself. First ask exactly what you want to experience in your life. Everything you must have.

 Then, be prepared to work for, sacrifice for, and EARN what you must have.

If you really want it, it won’t feel like work, you will do the work, you will put in the hours, you will make the sacrifices, but you will do it willingly, with no resistance – because the OUTCOME will be more important than the time it takes to get there, or whatever you have to give up to get there.

Go on that journey. Find what you really want… and go get it.

The post These 6 Epictetus Quotes Will Change How You View Life appeared first on Fearless Motivation - Motivational Videos & Music.

The wisdom of Albert Einstein is well documented, but what is the meaning behind his quotes? Here’s our take:

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” – Albert Einstein

“The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.” – Albert Einstein

“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.” – Albert Einstein

There is perhaps no stronger trait one could have, than that of a strong imagination.

Imagination is EVERYTHING… because without it we can not create ANY-THING NEW.

Imagination is the preview of life’s coming attractions, because without it we are guaranteed to repeat the same patterns, make the same mistakes and live the same life over and over again.

WITH IT, there are NO LIMITS… there’s no limit to what we could attempt, no limit to how high we could soar, how big we could dream…

Sure, our dreams might end in the dust… but what if they don’t? Would you rather LIVE having tried to reach the life you WANT… or die with regret?

We need to let go of our need to fit in… fit in to this small box society placed us in… and we must imagine the life we really want… then, when we are certain what that life is, we have to go for it…

We only get one shot at this miracle of human life… live it fully and exactly how you want!

Sure, we all have dreams… the problem is MOST PEOPLE stuff their dreams in the closet when things get hard… when life presents challenges most people turn to what they know… they turn to what is EASY… but the easy road… and the KNOWN will never lead you to your dreams.

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” – Albert Einstein

“He who can no longer pause to wonder… and stand rapt in awe… is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.” – Albert Einstein

It really is that simple. It really is a choice. No matter the circumstances of our life we can choose to see everything around us as a miracle.

The very fact that we are here, in a human body, is said to be a ONE in FOUR HUNDRED TRILLION chance. Very few of us believe we are a walking miracle…

Sadly so many people are walking around, living their life in their head, pessimistic of the future and bitter from the past, so much so, that they are missing the miracles in the present.

Open your eyes and open your heart to the magic all around you. The miracle of human and animal life. The miracles of nature. The miracle of YOU and what you’re really capable of when you let go of caring what other people think of you…

Choose, from this moment on in your life… to SEEK and find the miracles around you.

“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.” – Albert Einstein

They say the only things guaranteed in life are death and taxes… you can add to that list – the impossibility to please everyone.

The simple fact is… when you want to change… as in, when you want to BETTER YOUR LIFE… there will be opposition, and unfortunately, that opposition is most likely to come from people close to you.

Many people won’t like your advancement because it will remind them of their lack of it. Many people won’t agree with your direction because it will remind them of their lack of it.

No matter WHAT or WHO the opposition… you must stay true to you, and true to what is right. Do the right thing, by others, and most importantly by yourself.

Those who matter will come around eventually, and those who don’t, don’t matter.

Live your life with purpose, intention, FULL OF SPIRIT and make no apologies to mediocre minds for dreaming and living big.

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” – Albert Einstein

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” – Albert Einstein

Yes, we must dream big. Yes, we must try new things… but if life is not going the way you planned, perhaps it is time to try a different approach?

You don’t need to change your GOAL, but you might need to change the road you take to get to it.

Never stop learning and developing yourself. You will find a way.

“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein

The very fact you’re committed to grow, learn more and BE MORE almost guarantees you will make mistakes and fail, somewhere, somehow along the way.

Remember, it is only considered a failure though… if you give up. Keep at it, learn the lesson and allow it to serve you.

Don’t let anyone discourage you because of mistakes… it is a guaranteed trait of all winners and curious seekers.

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” – Albert Einstein

“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” – Albert Einstein

Never stop questioning… everything in your life.

Be so present, and in touch with yourself, that you can feel when it’s time for change.

Never lose that child-like curiosity to learn more, develop more, and discover more. Never lose HOPE that your best is yet to come. Never lose that knowing, that you are a miracle. Never lose that presence… that not many have…

“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” – Albert Einstein

Add value, wherever and whenever possible… not just in your work life, but in ALL interactions… with everyone… then, you will be a success… you will have more riches than money can buy.

What is your favourite Albert Einstein quote? Let us know in the comments.

The post These Albert Einstein Quotes Are Life Changing! (Motivational Video) appeared first on Fearless Motivation - Motivational Videos & Music.

We cannot call something a distraction unless we know what it is distracting us from.

Let me say that again. You can’t call something a distraction unless you know what it distracted you from.

If you don’t plan your day, somebody is going to plan it for you. The social media companies, the news, your boss, your kids, somebody is going to take up that time in your day unless you decide in advance how you want to spend your time.

We need to talk about the leading cause of distraction. The leading cause of distraction is not what is happening outside of us. Because what I discovered in my five years of research is that most distraction begins from within. We call these “internal triggers”.

What are internal triggers? Internal triggers are uncomfortable emotional sensations that we seek to escape from.

You see, in fact, all human behavior, all human behavior, everything you do, you do for only one reason: the desire to escape discomfort.

So calling yourself indistractable doesn’t mean you never get distracted. That’s impossible. The difference between an indistractable person and a distractable person is that an indistractable person understands why they got distracted, and has the tools to do something about it.

There’s a wonderful Paulo Coelho quote. He said, “A mistake repeated more than once is a decision.” If we keep getting distracted by the same stupid things day after day, week after week, month after month, we are choosing to be distractable.

An indistractable person looks at why they got distracted with this methodology I’ve developed and understands the source of the problem to make sure that they don’t keep getting distracted by doing something today to prevent getting distracted tomorrow.

To understand distraction, we really need to understand what that word even means. When people say they got distracted, what does that actually mean? I didn’t understand the real definition of the term “distraction” until I started along this line of research. The best way to understand what distraction is, is to understand what distraction is not. If you ask most people what is the opposite of distraction, they’ll tell you it’s focus, of course, right? Hmm, not exactly. You see, if you look at the origin of the word distraction, the opposite of distraction is not focus, the opposite of distraction is traction, that both words come from the same Latin root “trahere”, which means “to pull”. So traction, by definition, is any action that pulls you towards what you said you were going to do, things that you do with intent, things that help you live out your values and become the kind of person you want to become.

Now, the opposite of traction is distraction. Distraction, by definition, is any action that pulls you away from what you plan to do, anything that is not consistent with your values, anything that pulls you away from becoming the kind of person you want to become.

So this isn’t just wordplay. This is incredibly important, because I would argue, any action can be either traction or distraction. Let me give you a great example. For years, every time I would get into work, I would sit down at my desk and I would say, “Okay, I’m going to get started on that big project, I’ve got to focus, I have to concentrate, I’m not going to get distracted. I’m not going to procrastinate.” I’m going to get started on that big project that I’ve been putting off. Here I go, I’m going to do it right now. But first, let me check some email, let me scroll this Slack channel. let me do all these other tasks that feel work related.” But really, I didn’t realize that I was allowing distraction to trick me into prioritizing the easy and urgent stuff to trick me into prioritizing the easy and urgent stuff as opposed to doing the important work that I knew I had to do.

So even tasks that feel like they’re work related, if it’s not what you plan to do with your time, they are, in fact, distractions. And in fact, they’re the most pernicious form of distractions, because if we play a video game at our desk, well, we clearly know we’re off task. But when we think we’re working on one project, when we think we’re doing one task that seems to be the right thing to do because it’s work related, but really, we’re putting off doing more important work. That is a much more sinister form of distraction. Conversely, just as anything can be a distraction, anything can be traction. So don’t listen to these chicken-little tech critics that tell you the sky is falling and that technology is addicting us and hijacking our brains. It’s rubbish.

There’s nothing wrong with playing a video game or watching a movie on Netflix or enjoying social media, if it’s what you PLAN to do with your time. You see, the difference between traction and distraction is one word. And that one word is “forethought”. The time you PLAN to waste is not wasted time.

So if you want to take a walk, take a nap, scroll social media, pray, meditate, whatever it is you want to do with your time is totally fine as long as you do it with intent, as long as you have planned ahead as to how you want to spend your time. You can otherwise turn a distraction into traction by planning ahead, by using forethought.

So now that we understand the difference between traction and distraction, we need to ask what drives us towards traction or distraction.

We have two kinds of triggers. The first kind of trigger is called an “external trigger”, and it’s what people tend to blame, the usual suspects like the pings, the dings, the rings, anything in your outside environment that can lead you towards traction or distraction. We can get back to those in just a minute. But first, I want to focus on what’s even more important than the external triggers.

We need to talk about the leading cause of distraction. The leading cause of distraction is not what is happening outside of us, because what I discovered in my five years of research is that most distraction begins from within. We call these “internal triggers”. What are internal triggers? Internal triggers are uncomfortable emotional sensations that we seek to escape from. You see, in fact, all human behavior, all human behavior, everything you do, you do for only one reason: the desire to escape discomfort. In fact, even the desire to feel pleasure is, itself, psychologically destabilizing. This is called the “homeostatic response”.

If you think about it, if you go outside and it’s cold, well, the brain tells you, “Oh, this is uncomfortable, you should put on a coat.” When you walk back inside, the brain says, “Oh, it’s too hot in here, take it off.” If you feel hunger pangs, you eat. If you’re full because you ate too much, you stop eating. And so physiologically, everything we do is about a desire to escape discomfort. This is called the “homeostatic response”. It’s pretty common sense.

But what most people don’t realize is that the same phenomenon occurs with our psychological sensations. Think about it. Where do people go when they’re feeling lonely? Well, you check a social network like Facebook. And what about when you’re uncertain? Before you scan your brain to see if you know the answer, you’re Googling? And what about when you’re feeling bored? Oh my goodness, so many solutions to boredom, right? Check the news, check stock prices, sports scores, Pinterest, Reddit, all kinds of solutions to take care of this uncomfortable sensation of boredom, because we don’t like those internal triggers, they don’t feel good, and we look for escape from them.

So here’s the fact of the matter:

TIME management is PAIN management.

And if all human behavior is about a desire to escape discomfort, if you don’t understand what is that emotional itch, what is the uncomfortable sensation you are looking to escape, whether it’s with too much news, too much booze, too much football, too much Facebook, it doesn’t matter; we have to first start by mastering these internal triggers, so that we can gain control over them, as opposed to them controlling us.

So now that we understand the difference between traction and distraction, and we understand that we are driven towards traction or distraction by internal and external triggers, we can actually plot out the four points of how we become indistractable. It starts, first and foremost, by mastering the internal triggers, by understanding the deeper reasons why we look for escape from those uncomfortable sensations. The next step is to make time for traction.

Over the past five years research in my book, I’ve talked to thousands of people, and many of them have complained to me about how distracting the world is, how they can’t get anything done because social media this, and did you hear what happened in the news that, and their boss wants this and their kids want that, and they tell me how distracted they are. But when I asked them, “Okay, but what did you get distracted from exactly? Let me see your calendar. What was it that you plan to do?” They haven’t a clue. Sometimes they’ll show me their calendar.

And I’m guilty of this as well. I used to do this several years ago before I wrote this book. My calendar was blank. I’d have maybe an appointment here and there, but for the most of my day, I didn’t have anything planned. What I did have was a super long to-do list with all kinds of tasks I wanted to check off. What I’ve since discovered is that running your day with a to-do list as opposed to a calendar, is just about the worst thing you could possibly do for your productivity. Instead of keeping it to do list, which we tend to tick off the easy stuff and the fun stuff as opposed to the important stuff, when we keep a calendar, not just a calendar, a time box calendar, we utilize this fundamental truth that we cannot call something a distraction unless we know what it is distracting us from.

Let me say that again. You can’t call something a distraction unless you know what it distracted you from. And so if you don’t plan your day, somebody is going to plan it for you. The social media companies, the news, your boss, your kids, somebody is going to take up that time in your day unless you decide, in advance, how you want to spend your time. There’s a reason we call it spending time and paying attention. The same type of language that we use to describe spending money and paying with dollars and cents, because our time and attention has value. And so if you just give it away to whoever wants it, don’t complain when you haven’t gotten done what you wanted to do with your time, and frankly, with your life.

So, this comes down to turning our values into time. What does that mean? Fundamentally, we have to ask ourselves, what are our values? So what are values anyway?

Values are attributes of the person you want to become, meaning you have to ask yourself, how would the person I want to become spend their time?

Now we can ask ourselves within these three life domains of you, your relationships, and finally your work. How would the person I want to become spend their time starting with you? So whatever is important for you in terms of personal values, how much time would the person you want to become spend on reading, on yoga, on prayer, on meditation, whatever it is that’s important to you, heck, playing video games, if that’s important to you, that’s part of your values, and the way you want to take care of yourself, wonderful, but plan that time in your schedule.

Next, our relationships. We are going through a global loneliness crisis, because over the past several decades, and this didn’t start with social media, but since the 1990s, social scientists have told us that the time that people devote to planned activities with their friends has markedly decreased. And so we can bring that back. We can make sure that we spend time with our friends, loved ones, and family members by putting time for it in our schedule.

If part of your value system involves being a devoted spouse, or a loving parent, or an available sibling, do you have that time to connect with the important people in your life scheduled and held on your calendar? And then finally, when it comes to our values around our work.

You see, work is split up into two kinds of work. We have what we call “reactive work” and “reflective work”. Reactive work is how most people spend most of their time at work. It’s responding to emails, answering phone calls, messages, slack notifications, reacting to what other people want you to do with your time. Now, that time is clearly part of many people’s jobs, but what we neglect to do is to carve out and protect time for reflective work.

Listen, if you want a leg up on the competition, if you want to do your job better than anyone else can, let me give you a little secret. Make time to think. You know why? Because it’s such a rare skill; nobody’s doing it.

Nobody’s making time in their day to work without distraction, to allow you the time to reflect, to plan, to strategize. You have got to have that time held and secured on your calendar.

So the second step to becoming indistractable is to make time for traction by keeping a time box calendar and then doing what we call “doing a schedule sync with the important stakeholders in your life.” So this will not only change your work-life balance, it’ll also change your relationship with your life partner. For example, when you can sit down with your schedule once a week, takes maybe 10-15 minutes, and review that physical artifact of your schedule, this is how we make sure that we live up to our obligations to others and to ourselves. The third step to becoming indistractable is to hack back our external triggers. So external triggers, again, are these pings, dings, and rings, anything in our outside environment that can lead us off track towards distraction rather than traction. And so there’s all kinds of things that we can do. Many of these things are really common sense.

Two thirds of Americans never change their smartphone notification settings. What? Can we really complain that our smartphones are addicting us when we haven’t taken five minutes to turn those notifications that don’t serve us, off?

So the critical question is to ask ourselves, when it comes to all of these external triggers, all of these pings and dings, which external triggers serve me and which am I serving? And to critically evaluate in all the different external triggers in your life, not just on your phone, but on your computer, at home, at work, meetings, emails, all of these external triggers, which are serving you and which are you serving? And it turns out that there are, in fact, thousands of free tools that we can use to hack back technology. And I used that term very deliberately. “To hack” means “to gain unauthorized access”. Does anybody not know that the big tech companies and the big media companies are in the business of harvesting our attention?

This isn’t something new to social media. If you think about newspapers, cable TV shows, all of them sell your eyeballs to the highest bidder. They sell them to advertisers. And there’s nothing necessarily wrong with the news or television or social media as long as you know what you’re in for. And the good news is, as opposed to television and newspapers, you can actually hack back with interactive technologies.

So there are all kinds of tools that we can use. For example, when I scroll Facebook, I love Facebook, but I don’t need to see that newsfeed. There’s a free Chrome extension called Facebook Newsfeed Eradicator that does exactly what it says. It gets rid of that newsfeed so that you can check Facebook without looking at this wall of noise. Instead, you can go to specific friends and see what’s up on their specific pages. Another great tool is YouTube DF. I love YouTube videos. You’re probably watching me on YouTube right now. But do I really need to see all those ads, all those extra videos that are put there in order to keep me watching and watching? No, I can install a great Chrome extension called YouTube DF. DF stands for “distraction free”. And this free Chrome extension will scrub out all the superfluous stuff around the video, so that you can just see the video you’re watching without a lot of the tricks that they use to keep you hooked. But this is really the tip of the iceberg.

We can learn how to hack back these external triggers in all different facets of our life. How to hack back meetings, how to hack back email, how to even hack back working from home when so many of us are working at home and our kids might distract us from time to time, what do we do to make sure that we can hack back all the various distractions in our life, so that these external triggers lead us towards traction rather than distraction?

Finally, the fourth step to becoming indistractable is preventing distraction with pacts. Pacts implement this psychological technique of making a precommitment. Now, a precommitment is when we decide, in advance, what we want to do to prevent ourselves from doing something we don’t want to do. And there are three types of pacts. We have effort pacts, price pacts, and identity pacts. Effort packs are when we put some bit of friction in between us and something we don’t want to do.

So for example, in my household, for many years, I found that my wife and I were going to bed later and later every night. She was scrolling her iPad and I was on my computer. And so one night, we decided to use some of these techniques, and we decided to get ourselves a $10 outlet timer. Now, this outlet timer, you plug it into the wall outlet, and anything you plug into it will turn on or off at any time of designated day or night. So in my household, at every night at 10 pm, my internet router shuts off. In fact, today you can buy internet routers with this functionality built right in, so some devices can stay on while others turn off. And this is an incredibly effective technique to make a pact with yourself. Now, could I get back online somehow? Of course, I could find a way to cheat. But I’ve inserted a bit of mindfulness because of the extra effort required so that I can think for a minute and say to myself, “Wait a minute, is this really important, is this really consistent with my values, or is this leading me down the path of distraction rather than traction?” So that’s one example of an effort pact. A price pact is when we put some kind of monetary disincentive on the line. And then perhaps the most powerful of the three types of pacts is what we call an “identity pact”. And identity pact comes out of the psychology of religion.

Research has shown us that when we have some kind of name, some kind of moniker that we identify with, it becomes much more likely that we’ll reach our long-term goals.

So for example, when someone calls themselves a devout Muslim or an observant Christian or even, for that matter, a vegetarian. A vegetarian doesn’t wake up in the morning and say, “Hmm, I wonder if I’ll have a bacon sandwich for breakfast?” No, a vegetarian knows that they don’t eat that because they don’t eat meat. They are a vegetarian. Well, we can adopt a similar mindset and use this psychological hack ourselves by labeling ourselves as indistractable.

When you think of yourself as the kind of person who strives to do what they say they’re going to do, the kind of person who lives with personal integrity, you can call yourself indistractable. And that moniker has been shown to help us stay on track and achieve our long-term goals. One of the things I learned over the past five years of researching the psychology of distraction, is that distraction is not a new thing. Facebook and the internet and the iPhone didn’t invent distraction.

In fact, Plato, the Greek philosopher, talked about distraction over 2500 years ago. He called it ‘akrasia’ in the Greek; the tendency that we have to do things against our better interest. And Plato wondered why is it that despite knowing what to do, we don’t just do it. And if this was difficult in Plato’s day, it’s even more baffling today. In previous generations, people could say, “Well, I don’t know what to do. I don’t have access to the information to tell me some kind of secrets.” But there are no secrets. Who doesn’t basically know how to lose weight? You have to eat right and exercise. Who doesn’t basically know how to improve your work performance? You have to do the work, especially the hard stuff that other people don’t want to do. Who doesn’t know that to improve our relationships with our family and loved ones, we have to be fully present and invest in those relationships?

We already know this stuff. What we don’t know is how to stop getting in our own way. How do we stop getting distracted?

You see, there are typically two types of people when it comes to dealing with distraction. We have what we call the “blamers” and the “shamers”. The blamers blame things outside themselves. “It’s Facebook, it’s my boss, it’s the modern world these days that makes me so distracted and unable to accomplish my goals.” And then you have the shamers. The shamers, they don’t blame things outside themselves; they shame themselves. And here’s what it sounds like.

This is what I used to do all the time. “Oh, maybe there’s something wrong with me. I’m not very good at focusing. Maybe I have an addictive personality. Maybe I’m this, maybe I’m that. There I go again, doing this thing that I said I wasn’t going to do once again. There’s probably something broken in my brain.” And that’s almost never the case. Both techniques are not very effective. The blamer blames things outside of themselves that they have virtually no control to change.

We can go back into some time machine before these technologies existed. And even if we could, there was no magical time without distraction. The shamers really harm themselves with that mindset because the more shame we feel, the worst we feel. And ironically, when we feel shame, a very uncomfortable emotion, many people escape that sensation with guess what? More distraction to take their mind off of how crummy they feel about themselves. So we don’t want to be blamers. We don’t want to be shamers.

We want to be what we call “claimers”. Claimers claim responsibility not for how they feel. This is a really important point. Most people don’t realize you cannot control your feelings, you can only control how you respond to those feelings, that the reason we get distracted, the reason we procrastinate, it’s not a character flaw, there’s nothing wrong with you; it’s simply that you don’t have the tools to deal with those uncomfortable feelings in a healthy manner to lead you towards traction rather than distraction.

You see, many things in the world these days are not your fault. You didn’t invent Facebook, you didn’t invent social media, you didn’t create what’s happening in the news today; these things aren’t your fault. But managing your response to the discomfort that you feel every day that can lead you towards distraction is your responsibility. Many people will classify distraction as certain behaviors. Playing a video game, that’s bad, that’s distracting, but doing your work is somehow good. But that can’t be right. I would argue that any action can be either traction or distraction, whether it’s something we do with intent, with forethought.

So for example, if you sit down at your desk, and guide your work life based on what’s on your to-do list, you’re going to have attention for doing the things that are urgent, easy, or fun, as opposed to doing the stuff that’s actually important. You see, distraction tricks us by us thinking that what we’re working on is what we think we should be doing: checking emails. slack notifications, whatever it is that seems like a work related task.

What we’re doing is allowing distraction to trick us into doing what I call “pseudo work”: these things that we feel like we’re being productive by doing these work-related tasks, but if it’s not what we plan to do with our time, working on that big report, finishing that proposal, whatever the case might be, not doing the work we’re avoiding, that is, in fact, a more dangerous, insipid form of distraction because we don’t even realize we’re getting distracted.

So being indistractable is really the skill of the century. Look, if you think that the world is distracting today, just wait a few years. All trends point to the fact that the world will become an increasingly distracting place.

As technology improves and becomes more ubiquitous, there will be more potentially distracting things in the world. Whether it’s virtual reality or augmented reality or who knows what other kinds of reality, the temptation to get distracted will only increase if you are looking for distraction and you are not armed to deal with it. Which is why becoming indistractable really will be the skill of the century.

Look, I think, in the future, there will be two kinds of people in the world. There will be the kind of people who allow their time and attention and their lives to be manipulated and controlled by others. And there will be the kind of people who stand up and say, “No, I will decide how I spend my time, how I spend my attention, how I live my life. I am indistractable.”

So you hear a lot of people these days saying that technology is addicting us, that it’s hijacking our brains, and there’s basically nothing that we can do about it. And I want to tell you right now that you are much more powerful than you think. Look, I wrote the book on how companies get us hooked. The book is called Hooked: How to Build Habit Forming Products. And I know every which way that these companies are designed to manipulate your time and attention. And I will tell you, these techniques that the tech companies use are good; they’re not that good. Meaning if we use a few simple techniques to regain control over our time and attention, we are much more powerful than the tech companies.

One of the worst things that you can do is to believe that you are somehow addicted. Now, some people are in fact addicted. If you think about alcohol, for example, alcohol is highly addictive, but is everyone who has a glass of wine or a beer with dinner an alcoholic? Of course not. Very few people are actually addicted to alcohol, and very few people are actually addicted to social media. Now, short of people with the pathology of addiction, the rest of us have to understand that there are things that we can do right now that are very simple to do to make sure that we can control these technologies, as opposed to these technologies controlling us.

The study of what people will do when they feel bored is fascinating. In fact, a study by Timothy Wilson at Harvard found that a significant proportion of people would rather shock themselves with an electrical shock they were told would be painful, than to sit alone in a room and feel boredom. Now, this study reveals to us that there are steps that we will take to try and avoid this uncomfortable sensation, that we would rather have some kind of stimulus than to be stuck alone feeling this uncomfortable emotional itch.

So what this tells us is that we have to find ways to cope with discomfort in a healthier manner. Because many of us, when we feel bored, lonesome, indecisive, fatigued, uncertainty, we reflexively look for some kind of escape. whether that escape is by turning on the television or checking our phones or doing something to take our mind off of that discomfort. Instead, what we can do is we can use those internal triggers, those uncomfortable emotional sensations as rocket fuel to move us forward towards traction, as opposed to trying to escape them with distraction. How can we do that? Well, we have to start with understanding that feeling bad is not bad.

I think that there’s a very popular myth in the self-help communities these days, that somehow if we feel any kind of emotional discomfort, we have to escape it as quickly as possible; that if we feel lonesome or bored or indecisive or anxious or fatigued or stressed, God forbid, we should have to feel those sensations. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.

The default human condition is not to be perpetually happy, to be always contented; quite the opposite. Our default state is perpetual disquietude, is always wanting more. And if you think about it, what drives entrepreneurs, artists, politicians, what drives people to change the world is this uncomfortable desire for more, to do something better. That’s what has always driven our species forward. And if you can harness that discomfort and use it to your advantage, this is how we get ahead, this is how we make the world a better place, by understanding that discomfort and dealing with it in a healthy way, as opposed to trying to escape it with distraction in an unhealthy manner.

So there’s a technique called “progressive extremism” that can really be a useful tactic if you’re trying to change your life in a positive manner. And this acknowledges the fact that temporary fixes are pointless. What’s the point of getting in shape by going on some kind of fad diet so you can fit in your wedding dress for just one day, if you’re not maintaining a healthy lifestyle forever? The point of getting in shape is to have the benefits for the rest of your life. So instead of having some kind of crash diet, which we know people tend to bounce back from and with a vengeance, instead, what we want to do is to train ourselves with this technique called progressive extremism.

What does progressive extremism mean? Progressive extremism means that we are going to remove some kind of unhealthy behavior in our life for the rest of our lives, nut we’re going to do it in a very small way.

Here’s how it works: So for me, when I decided I wanted to eat less processed sugar, I didn’t say, “That’s it, I’m never touching processed sugar ever again.” Instead, what I said was, “I am going to cut out one food that’s refined sugar for the rest of my life.” But it has to be easy. So the first food I started with was candy corn. Now, I don’t know if you like candy corn, I don’t really like candy corn all that much. I would eat it kind of on Halloween when my daughter would bring it back from trick-or-treating. It’s kind of the dregs of the Halloween haul. And so I decided one year, “You know what? I’m eating these things not because I like them, but because they’re just here. Well, they’re never going to be here ever again.” And so I pledged myself, “I’m never going to eat another candy corn for the rest of my life.” No big deal, I didn’t really like him to begin with. And then I was ready to do a bit more, to progress. So the next thing I said I’m not going to eat ever again, was I excised sodas, sugary sodas in the house. Now, I told myself I could drink sugary sodas outside the house, just not in the house. That was the first tiny baby step that I was going to take along this path of progressive extremism. When I was ready, about a month later, I decided to excise more and more and more. And so today, after years of doing this, there’s all kinds of things that I just don’t eat. And what we’re doing is leveraging an identity that we know that people who say that “they don’t” versus those who say “I can’t”, are much more likely to stick with their long-term goals.

Because when you say “I don’t do something,” for example, “I don’t eat meat, I am a vegetarian,” versus “Oh, no, thanks, I can’t because I’m on a diet,” you’re much more likely to stick over the long term. So when you regularly review this list of “Wow, look at all the things that I don’t have in my life anymore, starting with candy corn, sugary drinks,” whatever the case might be these small, simple things that you’ve removed from your life over years, and this takes time and commitment, what you’ll find is that you’ll be very proud to have this entire list of things that you don’t really miss anymore, because you took this path of progressive extremism. So if there’s one mantra that summarizes my five years of research into the psychology of distraction, it’s this: that the antidote to impulsiveness is forethought.

You see, our species has an amazing gift that no other animal on the face of the earth has, which is that we can see into the future. We can predict what is going to happen with greater fidelity than any other animal that roams the earth. And so we should use that capability because if you wait till the last minute, you will lose. If you wait until the cigarette is lit in your hand, you’re going to smoke it. If you wait till the chocolate cake is on a fork on the way to your mouth, you’re going to eat it.

If you sleep next to your cell phone every night, of course, it’s going to be the first thing you pick up in the morning before you say hello to your loved one. So don’t wait to the last minute. What I discovered in my five years of research, is that people who are indistractable, they don’t have a lot of willpower, they don’t have a lot of self-control; what they have is a system. They plan today to make sure they don’t get distracted tomorrow. By mastering the internal triggers, making time for traction, hacking back the external triggers, and preventing distraction with pacts, this is how anyone can become indistractable.

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