Have you ever wondered why we experience pain? Not physical pain but emotional pain.

If you really think about it, some of the most painful moments in your life have probably happened when you decided to make a difficult change that you perceived to be for the better—in other words, when you decided to seek growth. The pain we experience, in these instances, could be as simple as the discomfort of taking on the unknown or as deep as the agony of heartbreak. 

In any case, it’s difficult to sit in the pain and allow it to take its course. Like accidentally touching a hot burner on a stove, your natural reaction is to retreat out of the pain back to the safety of the what is familiar and comfortable, but then you don't grow.

When we get accustomed to situations, ideas, and people that once may have served us but no longer do, it can be hard to let go—even when we’ve grown unhappy with it or them. As purpose-driven entrepreneurs, we have to seek...

I’ve shared a few stories about running a dropshipping business that allowed me to stay hidden in the background and never take the “risk” of putting myself on display for the world to see. I’ve talked about how my focus with that business was solely to make money—which should be the focus of every business—but I didn’t choose to start it based on any particular passion or interest that I had, other than the desire to have an ecommerce business.

I always had a nagging feeling, though, that I should be and could be doing more. I felt like there was something deeper within me that I could be doing to help other people, and that’s when I decided to start my current business helping to motivate other people to follow their dreams. It’s something that I’m actually passionate about, it allows me to authentically share my gifts with the world, and it allows me to do something that could help other people change their...

I’m a pretty neat person. Not obsessively neat, but I like things a certain way. I never lose my keys at home, because I always put them in the same place. I never have to search for a left shoe, because all my shoes go back in the box as soon as I take them off. I never have to pick up clothes off the floor, because I just don’t put them on the floor. 

Although I don’t like to clean, at times, I’m pretty much a robot when it comes to keeping my living and working space neat and tidy. There are times, though, when I let it get out of hand. Surprisingly enough, the cleanliness of my home is usually a direct reflection of what’s going on in my life. 

When I’m feeling great about life and everything is somewhat in order, my space is clean and neat. When I feel like my life is out of order, you guessed it —I allow my space to get out of order and messy.

I only noticed this pattern a few years ago. I noticed that when I was...

In your planning, you may even consider all the reasons you’ve been told that most businesses fail—the lack of proper planning, insufficient funding, poor location, the owners not understanding their customers, or a whole litany of reasons. The one reason you never hear mentioned is that many businesses fail because so many entrepreneurs never bother to do the proper work building the right mindset.

According to SCORE, cashflow (or lack thereof) is the #1 reason businesses fail, but I don’t believe that. I believe that a...

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...