I posted the video below on Instagram today after realizing I have some really dope friends in my life.

 

 

They’re all doing great things in their lives—growing businesses, excelling in their careers, raising families and everything in between. The part I love the most is that we all support and push one another to be better people. 

I think it’s extremely important, and maybe even vital, to your success that you surround yourself with people who have your back. I talk a lot about the mental struggle that comes with pushing through your fears and committing to giving your all to your business. Having supportive people in your life alleviates some of the stress that comes with that struggle. 

You should be able to share your dreams with your friends without fear of being insulted or laughed at. You should be able to tell them about your ideas and get their feedback—even if whatever you’re selling isn’t something...

There’s a saying, “When it rains it pours”. When things go wrong—one after another, after another—it can certainly feel like that saying is true. You can convince yourself that the Universe has it out for you or that things won’t ever get better. Your problems overwhelm you and trouble seems hard to escape.

I’ve been there before. Honestly, I’ve been there a few times in my life. Everything around you crumbles and negativity takes over your thoughts. It feels like no matter what you do, you can’t fix your situation and you can’t see your way out. 

When you’re in that state of mind, it’s hard to stay motivated. Your dreams as an entrepreneur take a back seat to how you feel, and you end up going...

I can’t tell you how many times people have responded to me in that way. Now, I understand that there’s a difference between complaining about something and not being complacent about something. I’m not talking about complaining. I’m not a fan of complaining, so what I’m talking about is the way people react when you dream out loud and share your future plans with them. It’s as if some people, who are fine with their lives, want to make you feel bad for wanting more out of yours. 

Of course if I’m healthy, it could be worse and I could be unhealthy. Of course there’s someone out there struggling with their health who...

Today is a day of celebration for me. It’s almost hard to believe that, exactly 66 days ago, I decided that I would face down my fears and do the things that horrified me to do but that I knew would help me as an entrepreneur. 

Almost 10 weeks ago, I decided that I would challenge myself to take one bold action per day for 66 days. To qualify as a bold action, it had to be something that I was uncomfortable doing, moved me closer to my goals, and defied an irrational fear that I’ve allowed to hold me back in the past.

So I decided to start a podcast. My plan was to record an episode of the podcast every day for 66 days, with the hope that maybe I could get over my fear of putting myself out there, front and center, as the face of my business. In addition to hosting my podcast, I wanted to push myself even further by sharing my message on Instagram and Facebook. I chose 66 days after researching how habits are formed. I wanted to make taking bold action a...

There’s a lot in life and in business that we can run out of and just go get more. Supplies, products, customers, and even money can all be replenished. But there is one thing that we all need that is gone forever once it runs out. That is time.

As an entrepreneur, you probably often feel like there’s just not enough time in the day to get things done—I know I do. You need to email customers, market your products or services, update your blog, record your podcast, fulfill your orders, post on social media, and so much more. Juggling your personal life with your business can make it all very overwhelming. 

When you’re an ambitious person, you try to pack as much productivity as possible into the time you have available. If you don’t have a workable time management plan, you can find yourself running in circles and getting nothing done.  

My One Bold Action per Day commitment has really helped me to become much more productive, because...

I had a dream last night about a former friend that I haven’t seen or talked to in years. In the dream, I hadn’t seen him in a long time, but we ran into each other in a club and we basically picked up where we left off with our friendship. 

We had a few drinks in the club and when we left, he offered to drop me off at home. From that point on, there was a series of things about our interactions that made me really uncomfortable. Remember, this is a dream, so I’ll try to explain some of the things that happened. 

First, I had allowed him to use my phone in the club. As we left the club—to my surprise—I saw my phone at the door of the club, on the ground, in the rain. He casually picked it up and handed it back to me with very little regard for the fact that it was my property and was very likely ruined. 

Next, when I opened his passenger side car door, there was a young child there, sitting in the passenger seat of his car. This...

When I’m out around town or travelling and I see something that I find beauty in, I—naturally—want to take a picture of it. I pull my phone out of my pocket, find a great angle and I snap away—fully expecting to have a masterpiece to post on social media or to, at some point, frame and hang on my wall.

More often than not, I get home, look at the pictures, and realize they came out horrible. I could run into Big Foot, see a UFO, take a selfie with Barack Obama, and discover dinosaur bones, all in the same day, and every single picture would be unrecognizable. For years, I was convinced that I was horrible at taking pictures.

It’s not that I’m horribly bad at actually framing the picture or anything like that—I actually do a descent job at that. The most common problem I run into is that my pictures come out blurry. Not shaky hand blurry though. See, I either keep my phone in my pocket or my hands most of the time. If my phone is in...

Limiting beliefs attack at the worst possible time, causing self doubt, loss of focus, and a lack of desire. You can end up letting your mind go down a negativity wormhole and before you know it, you’re binge watching Game of Thrones on the couch and haven’t taken action in days. This is where dreams go to die. 

If the #1 reason businesses fail is due to the lack of capital, then the #2 reason has to be due to the lack of the right mindset. It’s of supreme importance that you’re mentally prepared to get through the times that you will most certainly want to quit. 

If you’ve started businesses and failed in the past, this message...

Buckle your seat belts, stow your carry-ons, let your seat backs and tray tables up on take off and landing, blow into the red tube to inflate the life vest, there’s a flotation device under the seat, 2 exits in the front, 2 in the middle and 2 in the back, and if there’s a drop in cabin pressure, an oxygen mask will drop—place it over you nose and mouth, adjust the straps and always put on your own oxygen mask before you help other people. 

Always put on your own oxygen mask before you help others. Why would you want to do that? It’s counter intuitive, especially when we’re trying to protect someone we love from harm—like small children or the elderly. But think about it. If you don’t put on your mask first, you could potentially lose consciousness, and if you lose consciousness, you’ll be no help to anyone and that person you want so badly...

Shameful fact about me—I can’t swim. In fact, I’m pretty horrified of putting my face under water. When I was 14, I fell into a giant wave pool at a crowded water park and would’ve very likely died if a stranger hadn’t noticed and pulled me out. 

It’s been a lifelong desire of mine to conquer my fear of water and learn to swim, so last summer, I signed up for beginners level swimming lessons at my local YMCA. In the weeks leading up to the class, I had imagined myself doing cannon balls into the pool, snorkeling on white sand beaches and doing Olympics worthy dives from the diving board at the next pool party I graced with my presence. By the time the first class rolled around, I was super pumped but also very nervous.

That day, I excitedly showed up to class, put on my trunks and made my way to the pool. To my surprise, there were already 5 other students in the pool with the instructor. I asked a lady standing near the pool with a...