Eclipse Motivation Videos

Ever wonder what it takes to commit to your goals? 

How can you guarantee your success?

Check out my YouTube channel. Be sure to subscribe for a weekly #MondayMotivational 

https://youtu.be/nDD8485MiFc

Also, this site has officially moved to eclipsemotivation.com. Be sure to check that out as well!

Work Hard/Play Hard: Finding the Balance

Some say in order to get the most out of your life, you need to spend every waking hour working towards your goals. Others say the true meaning of life is found in simple pleasures, and one should have a stress-free life to truly live to the fullest. However both of these extremes are better suited when there's an optimal level of both in your life. Yes, in order to achieve things in your life, you will have to work hard and make sacrifices, but you also need time to have fun and enjoy life. 

Being at either extreme will either make you very lazy or very overworked. If you work too much, you'll burn out and kill your motivation and passion. If you have too much fun, you'll lose your ambition to do anything, and won't accomplish much in life. The goal should be to balance your hard work with your fun. This is why many large companies provide their employees with a work-life balance. They understand that employees will be more motivated, satisfied and productive if they are given vacation time off and weekends to relax and recover. 

Some of us choose to work seven days a week with hardly any breaks. That may be the case when we have extremely high goals, but it can also be defeating. Working too many hours kills your efficiency and can actually inhibit your success. If you were to take at least one day, or one hour of each day, and spend it doing something you enjoy simply for pleasure, you'll be much more refreshed and ready to work hard when the time comes! So work hard today, stay motivated, but make sure to have fun! Taking the time to reward yourself with a break could be the most beneficial thing you can do for yourself.

Eclipse Your Fears

Yesterday, August 21 2017, the entirety of North America was treated to a solar eclipse. This event was so significant because it probably won't happen again in our lifetime. Hopefully everyone wore eclipse glasses, and nobody had any significant eye damage from looking at it. I myself took a break from work to check it out (with glasses of course). 

But during the moment that the moon covered the sun and created near-darkness that afternoon, something else occurred to me. Other than the fact that it looked cool, the eclipse also served as a symbol for success. The moon completely blocked out the sun's light for a few minutes. The sun is about 400 times the size of the moon, yet for just a few minutes, the moon was able to cover up the sun. Something so small in comparison to the sun was able to block it out entirely. 

Obviously the scientific reason for this phenomenon is that the moon is 400 times closer to Earth, making it appear bigger. However I still like the metaphor of something small being able to do something significant. Many of us are similar to the Moon, because we seem much smaller and less significant than the Sun. The Sun is more of a representation of those who are super-successful, well-liked and get a lot of attention of everything. Yet, the real reason we must continue to chase success is for those few minutes where we'll make a difference in the world. Unlike the moon however, most people won't make a change in the world, because they're afraid. They're afraid of failing. They're afraid of judgement. And they're afraid of working too hard. And most of all, they're afraid of the uncertainty.

But if you choose to eclipse your fears, and take your life to the next level, then just like the moon, you will eventually overpower those with the "natural talent". And it won't be just for a few minutes. Once you reach your true goals in life, you will feel a sense of euphoria that most others won't. You deserve to know what your life will be like when you work restlessly towards your goals. You deserve to live your dreams. But remember, you don't get what you want, you get what you work for. 

Elliott Hulse Review: How to not give a F**k

Excuse the language in this one, but here Elliott Hulse provides a great insight on life. You may look at this title, and assume this is the opposite of motivation, but it is in fact the opposite. Essentially what Hulse is implying, is that you need to live your life the way you feel is right, not what others tell you to do. This video really impacted my life in a positive way, as I used to be someone who would literally lose sleep over other people's opinions of me. Now to say I've made a total 360, but I've certainly opened up much more than I have in the past. 

Hulse talks about the importance of remaining detached from the comments and opinions of others. I liked how he talked about his own experience creating his YouTube Videos. He'll often receive positive feedback, where people say "Elliott, you helped me turn my life around!" And Elliott is glad he helped them, but at the same time he doesn't let it get into his head. He understands the importance of detachment, and realizes he's just doing what he enjoys, and is glad that others can benefit from his videos. Other times, Elliott receives hateful, negative comments on his videos. Elliott is sorry they feel that way, but tries to stay detached from them. 

I loved how he went a step further with another, yet hypothetical example of this concept. He uses a great example of the hummingbird. The hummingbird represents you, following your passion or dream in life. Of course this is just a comparison, but Hulse talks about a hummingbird singing in the tree. One person yells that the hummingbird made his whole day! And another person yells that the hummingbird woke him up early, which pissed him off! Either way, the bird doesn't care, so he keeps on singing. That's just what the bird does. You need to realize, that like the bird, you have something or multiple things you want to do in your life. Unlike the bird, you instead choose to do what's comfortable and won't ruffle other people's feathers.

Remember that anyone who's one anything great, has been hated or judged by others. People voted against Abraham Lincoln. People judged Henry Ford. People thought Thomas Edison was an idiot. And still to this day, these people are judged for their success. People will always judge you, and they are likely doing so right now. Think about it. People you may be friends with or work with or even barley know might be judging you at this very moment. So people will judge you regardless of what you do, so you may as well do what you want. You may as well become successful and do what most others are afraid to do!

I want you to really think about this concept. Eat it. Live it. Breathe it. Don't just read this article and pass it by, I urge you to really try and detach yourself from the opinions of others. Only then will you truly be yourself. Only then will you be able to complete your life's work to the best of your ability!

HAPPY MONDAY!!

Build Some Momentum

In order for a car to go 100 miles an hour, it must first go 20 miles an hour

Before someone can bench press 300 pounds, they must bench 135 pounds

Before you can run a marathon, you must first run a mile.

Before you can be successful, you must build some momentum

Everyone who is successful at anything was once just getting started. The important thing however, is that you DO get started! What is it that you've been putting off? I don't care what it is or how long you've been putting it off. It doesn't even matter why you've been putting it off, because more than likely you will feel much better once you finally take that first step. At the very least get your feet wet. 

I've spent so much of my life simply doing what was required of me. Going to work, going to school, filing my taxes, etc. And during this time I had goals. I had goals that I really really wanted to achieve in my life. But I never took any steps to get there. Now, one of my big goals is to be a motivational speaker. Instead of thinking up ideas and even creating doubts in my mind, I decided to start this blog to build some momentum. Sure, I may not be a motivational speaker yet, but I'm much closer to becoming one than someone who never did anything to reach their goal.

Similarly, I got extremely out of shape during 2016. It wasn't entirely my fault, because I hurt my chest and was unable to workout. And being so out of shape, it was intimidating for me to go back and try some tough workouts. So what did I do? I built momentum! I started by doing a 30 minute workout every single day. There was no pressure to perform, my only goal was to get a single workout in no matter how tired I was. Eventually, I got myself to the point where I could do longer, more intense workouts. And now, I'll be doing my first triathlon this coming Sunday!

You see it's not at all about being great to begin with. Nor is it about going all out on the first try. It's more about building momentum. Momentum is built through persistence. Persistence is built through will power. And that all begins with YOU. Making the decision to act, and work towards your goals.

3 Types of Pain you Must Push Through

Throughout the course of your life you will be exposed to a lot of pain, especially if you're trying to be very successful. A key skill that will help you on your journey to success, is understanding how to deal with different types of pain. Here, I've divided the types of pin you will encounter int three broad catergories. Knowing how to manage each type when you encounter it will make you much less prone to failure or quitting early.

1) Physical Pain

This is most commonly talked-about pain. This is the kind of pain you literally need to "push through" if you want to be successful. This pain occurs when you're doing physical activity. The majority of motivational videos are based upon pushing through pain in the physical sense. Understanding the basis of physical pain is very simple, but it's not necessarily easy. It takes a lot of willpower to increase your physical pain threshold. That's why many Olympians and professional athletes are such a rare breed. Because they're not afraid to push through extreme physical pain. You have to stay focused on the destination and reward for not quitting. If you focus too much on the physical pain, you will not be successful.

2) Mental/Psychological Pain

Have you ever been studying for an exam or reading a book, and felt exhausted after a certain amount of time? Or been sitting in meetings or filing taxes/paperwork for an extended period of time, and felt exhausted? This is mental pain. That's why people who work at a desk all day can come home and feel tired. It's not because they are physically exhausted, but mentally and psychologically exhausted. You must understand that your ability to persist through this type of pain is essential to your success in this day and age. With the advancement of technology, you may have to be at your computer or laptop for hours on end in order to be successful. You have to be willing to persist and push through the pain!

3) Emotional/Spiritual Pain

Whenever you are rejected by others or turned-down for a certain opportunity, you will experience emotional pain. The reason this pain differs so greatly from that of the other two, is that we on't actively seek out this type of pain. This specific type of discomfort occurs when another person rejects or betrays you, which is entirely out of your control. Ever applied for a job and didn't get the job offer? How did it make you feel? Most likely, you were less inclined to apply for a different job from that same company. That's becasue you let the hiring manager break your spirit, and you gave up. The way to push through emotional pin, is simply to be persistent. Here, you'e not just fighting against your own willpower, but your fighting against other people's opinion of you. You have to be strong-willed her. Other people will be against you, but if you persist against the grain, you will be successful.

All in all, you need to be persistent in your pursuit of your goals. If you choose to push through the massive amounts of pain that will be throw your way, you'll eventually succeed. It won't be easy, and it won't happen overnight. You need to stay motivated over the long-term, and set our goals high.

Video Review: Who Do I Need to Become?

I'll be honest, I was planning on using a different video for Monday Motivational. I initially had an Elliott Hulse video planned, and he'll certainly be featured here soon. But that was before I came across this one, and I feel as though this one is more relevant. I also liked how the first minute of this video had me hooked with the line "who do you want to be tomorrow? The guy who quit? Or the guy that kept going?"

This video features two speakers, Freddy Fri and Chris Ross. I hadn't previously heard of either of these speakers before, but after watching this video I definitely need to listen to more of their speeches. I personally loved the unique insight this video brought. Most motivational videos I've come across have focused mainly on the present moment, and the challenges you'll have to face. This video however, focuses on tomorrow. It's not about waiting until tomorrow to get to work, but more about how you will feel about yourself in the future if you choose to act today.

Every single decision you choose to make will affect your future. You choose to go to the gym this morning? Then you'll be more inclined to do so in the future. You choose to wake up at 5AM today? Then you'll be more productive and better prepared for the future. You choose to go to a networking event? That might land you a great business opportunity in the future. 

You must realize that every opportunity you have is significant to your future. It may seem like no big deal to skip your workout, call in sick for work, or sleep in late one day. But it is a huge deal! While it may not seem that way, the decisions you make today, especially the really difficult ones, will determine who you'll be in the next month, year, and further in the future. 

I want to leave you all with this one thought before you go about your day:

Even if you have the best thoughts and ideas, but don't put them into action, you will achieve nothing. An average thought plus execution, is worth much more than a genius thought that was never put into action. Make the decision to act today. It will make you a better person tomorrow. 

Happy Monday!

How to Give 120% Effort!

A lot of times you'll hear motivational speakers, coaches, or other influential leaders talk about putting 110% or 120% effort into whatever you're working towards. On the surface, this may seem like a good phrase to use when motivating a group of people, but in a factual sense it's only physically possible to give 100% effort, right? When you give 100% effort, you're literally giving all you have, right? 

Wrong

You see, when you give 100% effort, you're actually putting in as much effort as you THINK is possible. The issue that most of us have, is that we put mental limits on our ability to do things. We naturally leave 20% of our ability in "storage" and never truly put in as much effort as possible when we go 100%. The reason for this is biological. It's never evolutionarily helpful to exhaust 100% of your energy or abilities, because you may need that extra 20% later on to survive if you're a hunter-gatherer. 

Today however, this evolutionary trait screws us over, because we naturally don't put in that extra 20% effort unless we can tap into it. So by saying you'll give 120%, you're mentally going above and beyond what YOU THINK your true abilities are. People who put in 100% effort say "I'm going to try my absolute hardest to win this game". Those who put in 120% effort say "I will win this game, no matter the cost!"

Think about it as if you're running away from a school shooter, dangerous animal, etc. I don't care how tired you are, you WILL not stop running from this threat until you reach safety. I know this is an extreme example, but when your life is in danger, that's one of the only times where we naturally can break that 100% mental barrier. You need to have that same mindset with whatever you're doing. Pretend your life is at stake.

In the past, most of us (myself included) have been putting in 70-100% effort, thinking we're doing all we can. Today, I want you to trump that 100% barrier. Put in 120% effort into whatever you set out to do today! Don't simply try your hardest, but find a way to make your goals and dreams a reality. 

No mater the cost!

Off Days

Ever have one of those days where you feel awful? And know matter how important something may be to you, you're still not motivated to do it? That was me yesterday. 

I set my alarm to get up early, as usual. Except this time, I didn't wake up right away. This time, I decided to press the snooze button a few times, and wake up only when I absolutely needed to. I didn't do my Monday Motivational video as usual. To finish up, I didn't get my workout done, I took a mid-day nap, and before I knew it I had wasted the entire day away!

We've all been there. We've all had those lazy days where we can't find the motivation to get anything done. But what can we do about it? How can we recover from such a day, or even a week in some cases?

Of course the best thing to do would be to use your willpower to push through the pain of the day. By doing so, you'll end up doing much more than you initially planned, and you'll feel good about yourself afterwards! The problem is, this won't always be the case. Some days you will fail. Some days you will disappoint yourself. And the worst thing about these days, is they get into your head. When you take a full day and waste it doing hardly anything productive, that can mess with your head and reduce your motivation going into the future! So the best thing to do after an off day, is to follow it up with a Rebound Day!

By the time 8:00 or so rolls around and you've done nothing productive, it's time to call the day off, and start preparing for your rebound day. Rebound days are meant for you to catch up on everything you skipped the day before, and essentially get as much done as you can in your life. Make today your rebound day! Step outside your comfort zone. Get a tough workout in. Wake up at 5AM. Be super energetic and friendly all day. Don't be afraid to do anything on your rebound day! Today is my rebound day, and I will make the most of today. 

How about you?

Ways to Deal with Stress

Stress is what that occurs when we are exposed to uncomfortable situations in life. All of us have stress in our lives, but how do we deal with it? Some people choose to live stress-free by abandoning hard work, and having no real ambition in life. Others may use drugs and alcohol to reduce stress. But is there a healthy way to eliminate stress in my life? If you want to be very successful in life and have big goals, you will have to deal with a lot of stress regardless. However, there are ways to significantly reduce this stress to prevent the negative impact on our bodies.

1) Smile more often

Very simple, and extremely effective. Studies show that when you smile, you release endorphins that make you feel more optimistic and happy about life in general. Yet, so often you'll see people walking around every day with a depressed, angry or neutral look on their face. They're only creating their own stress, and you can make your day 10x better my remembering to smile often. And when you're enjoying your day, then you're bound to be less stressed and more productive.

2) Increase your social/speaking skills

Ironically, when I started focusing on my ability to communicate more effectively, I felt much less stressed. The reason this works is because when you are confident in your ability to communicate, you worry less about everything you're saying. And less worrying means less stress. It does take time to develop these skills if it's not your strong suit, but it will diminish your stress levels, and will make you more effective in reaching your goals. So this one is a win-win scenario. 

3) Have fun regularly

This goes along with smiling, but you need to have fun every so often. Whether it's going to a sporting event, watching a good movie, or having a fun conversation, you need to have fun if you want to reduce stress. So many of us are focused on the negative in life, that we forget to enjoy what we're doing. This is the case, because we live in such a negative society. Angry clients, demanding bosses, and upset customers that we constantly deal with create this negative environment for us. Having fun regularly can and will counteract this feeling, and make you feel more positive about life, making you less stressed. 

Remember, you're a human being with feelings, emotions and needs, and you need to treat yourself as such if you want to stay in good health and be productive.

Last Second Negative Thoughts

Have you ever wanted to do something so badly, that you prepared night and day for it? You stayed up all night preparing for that moment, and we're excited about it for the past few weeks. You've read several books and watched videos on the subject matter. But once it's time to perform, you start to feel doubtful about yourself. You don't want to do it anymore, and you start freaking out.

What you're experiencing is your body's last line of defense against your imminent success. It happens when you're giving a big speech, starting a new business or even asking out that special someone on a date. You've already done everything you need to to prepare for this moment, but your body's not physically ready to jump out of your comfort zone. It almost feels as though your body is trying to make everything you're doing seem logical. This is not the case at all, and the best thing you can do is ignore all of your negative thinking, especially in those 30 minutes right before the event.

If you really want to be successful, you have to be able to perform under pressure, and the best way to do that is to stay confident and calm. When you're confident, you know in your Hard that you can achieve whatever you set out to do. When you're calm, you don't worry about failure and let it get in your head. The point is, that if you've prepared enough for something, then you are able to perform. Don't let your body stop you at the goal line, and push through the fear of failure!

Les Brown Review: Invest in Yourself

I try to post these early in the morning, but I was up late studying for my test last night. Today we'll be focusing on Les Brown, another fantastic motivational speaker. Les Brown is a great speaker and also a former politician and radio host. While he was in school, he was labeled "educable mentally retarded". 

It wasn't until later on, when he had a teacher call on him during class. Brown said he couldn't answer, because he was "educable mentally retarded". The teacher told him to never use those words ever again. From that point on, Les Brown took control of his life and began to put 110% effort into everything he did. 

In this video Brown focuses on how our inability to invest in ourselves, prevents us from reaching our full potential. The whole idea is to follow your personal dreams in life, despite the fear of failure and disappointments you'll encounter along the way. Life should be an adventure, not something you just wake up and go through the motions of. The more time and effort you invest in yourself, the more satisfied you'l be with your life. I hope you all enjoy, and happy Monday!

You Know The Right Decision

Every single day of your life, it doesn't matter who you are, you have to make several decisions. When you wake up in the morning, you make the decision to either press the snooze button, or turn your alarm off and get the day started. For breakfast, you make the decision to cook, get fast food, or even skip breakfast. You decide what to eat later on, which route to take to work, what time to leave for work, what you should do afterwards, etc. As a fully functional adult, you make decisions about literally everything you do in life. At first a lot of these decisions seem really difficult to make. But here's the crazy thing.

You already know the right answer.

You know exactly which of the two decisions will be the most beneficial. Obviously there are some decisions, like buying a house or car, that do require a lot of thought, but I'm talking about small decisions that can have a big impact on your life. Typically, one decision will feel pleasure now, and the other one will be more beneficial long-term. Almost every day, I have to decide between eating fast food, or eating something healthy. A lot of times it feels like a tough decision, but deep down, I know the right decision is to get the healthy food. 

I'll often try to justify that the fast food will be cheaper, taste better and probably have more calories in it. But I already know the right answer is to get the healthy meal. 

You already know it's better to workout rather than sleep in. You already know it's better to not buy the new iPhone the day it comes out. The problem is, your making decisions based on your own biological desires, rather than what you know is best for you. That's why it's so easy to say you'll do something tomorrow, because you're trying to satisfy your biological desires, before your life's desires.

Next time you're forced to make a decision, remember to make the one that's best for you in the long-term. Your body may tell you to get the tasty cheeseburger, but your mind always has the willpower to make the right decision. 

You just have to execute.

Workout Multiplayer Card Game

We all have goals in our lives, and one of the most popular is to get in better shape. While very few people are able to commit to this, making it into a game seems to make hard work a lot more entertaining. We've all heard of the deck of cards workout (from my video from a few weeks back), but here's a sample game you can play with a group of friends. We're always more motivated when around other people, so this is a great competitive game which involves a lot of positive feedback and pressure. Give it a try!

- Pick a workout move (push ups, sit ups, squats, etc)

- First Player picks a card from the shuffled deck of 52

- That player may choose to either do the number of reps on that card or draw again

- If the player draws a higher card, the person to the left has to do the number of reps on the second card

- If the player draws a lower card, they have to do all the reps on the lower card PLUS the number of reps on the originally drawn card

- If the same number Card is drawn, BOTH PLAYERS have to do the total number of reps on BOTH CARDS
- All face cards are worth 10 reps, Aces are 25 reps, and each Joker is 50!

- The next player draws, and the process continues until the whole deck is finished

- Shuffle them again and pick a new workout move

- Continue this cycle until you're fully exhausted 

Eric Thomas Review: The Only Way I Eat

Eric Thomas is the focus for this week. Compared to some of the other speakers, I personally love Mr. Thomas' intensity level. It never fails to motivate and make you start getting to work. Similarly to what I've been doing, Eric Thomas posts a video each Monday called TGIM (Thank God it's Monday). This one focuses on one of his experiences while vacationing in Dubai. 

Essentially, while on his trip, he had to go to the Apple Store to fix his equipment. While seeking advice, he speaks to an employee, whom he later finds out is fluent in five languages! Shocked, Thomas asked where this guy went to school and how he learned the languages. To his amazement, the man learned 4 of the languages in roughly 4 years time! Thomas asks how he did it. The man replied,

"It's the only way I eat"

The man goes on to talk about how if you only speak one language in Dubai, you have to work in the fields with the common people in 100+ degree weather. This man wanted much more in his life, so he was essentially forced to learn these languages so quickly.

The point of this message today, is to demonstrate that when you really really want something in your life, you will do whatever it takes to get there. The thing is, you have to truly want something, and be willing to sacrifice. If you're not willing to make sacrifices, then you don't really want that particular thing. Almost everyone wants to be in great physical shape, yet very few people are actually willing to workout and eat healthy. Almost everyone wants to be wealthy, but very few are willing to work hard and save their money. 

But those people are average, and if you came across this page, I personally believe you are already above average in your aspirations. You are already seeking motivation and life advice so you can desperate yourself from the average people around you. Now, you need to make certain that you work really hard each and every day trying to meet your goals. Today is the start of the week, and you NEED to get some serious momentum going. I challenge you to make this week your most productive week possible. I challenge you to be great today, not average. 

Beginner's Luck

Remember the first time you tried at something?

What was the result? 

Were you successful, or did you fail horribly? 

And how did this result affect your desire to try again in the future?

I could go all day with these questions, but a concept known as beginners luck, or natural talent, is known to drastically boost someone's confidence in the future. When at first you succeed, you don't question your initial success, but instead you label yourself as talented. The opposite is true for those who fail initially. These people hardly ever want to try that activity again. This is how society tries to tell us we are either good at something, or not good at something. This is a terrible mindset, because anyone who puts in the right amount of effort into something can be successful in the future.

I'll use my first accounting course as an example here. When I took the course my freshman year of college, I had no trouble getting As on the exams. Sure I studied a bit, but other kids in the class would spend hours trying to learn concepts that came naturally to me. These kids did poorly on the exams, while I did very well. My confidence skyrocketed, and I believed in the idea that I was "skilled" at accounting, while everyone else was "unskilled".

About a year later I started taking upper-level accounting courses. In these classes, I struggled to pass, while my classmates got A's and high B's. 

What happened to me?

I thought I was "skilled"?

The issue was that I wasn't trying quite as hard as I should have. Once I turned it around and starting studying harder, I did much better. That was the issue with me, and that's the issue with so many of us these days. We believe that we're either skilled or unskilled at things, instead of working hard and looking to grow stronger. This is exactly why we quit so early on at things. We quit, because the very first time we try and fail, our minds are convinced that we're not good enough and never will be. 

I know it's the weekend now, but today I want you to jot down at least one thing you're currently not good at. One thing you've thought you can't do well. And I want you to commit yourself to improve in that area within the net few weeks. I want you to work hard and prove that you can grow stronger and your talents aren't set in stone. On the other hand, pick something you're already "good" at. Then I want you to challenge yourself as hard as you can to the point where you're uncomfortable. This will make you even stronger, and much better at these activities, than talent or luck alone.

3 Things Stopping You from Success

Every single one of us, no matter who you are or where you're from, has had an ambition. You've had an ambition or a desire to do something, but you fell short for some reason. A few weeks ago I talked about a few factors that help motivate you. Today, I'll be talking about the factors that will inhibit your success. These are patterns and traps we all fall into, and can certainly be avoided with some simple, factual realization.

1) Inconsistency

One day you'll wake up at 5AM, ready to get to work and accomplish everything on your to-do list and then some. The very next day you sleep in late, and get nothing started until mid-afternoon. Your problem isn't being unmotivated. The real issue is your lack of consistency and commitment.

There's a common saying that motivation doesn't last. Neither does bathing, which it why it's recommended daily. Do something every single morning to get you in the right mindset. For me, I set my weekday alarm clock to play a motivational speech. Instead of just pressing the snooze button several times, I'll sit in my bed and listen to the speech, which gets me motivated for the rest of the day. 

A lot of us will watch or read something motivating very occasionally. Maybe once a month you'll come across a motivational video on YouTube, it listen to a speaker/podcast, or come across a page such as this one. The real issue of that we only actively seek motivation when we're down or depressed or when it happens to find us. You'll only stay motivated when you're surrounded by motivating media, so make sure to use something every day to make sure you're motivated and focused from the moment you wake up to when you go to bed at night.

2) Negative Peer Pressure

I use the word "negative" here, because some peer pressure is positive. We're exposed to both forms on a daily basis, and need to recognize the difference between the two. Positive peer pressure occurs when people around you influence you in a way that's beneficial to your goals in life. This could be having a group of friends who go to the gym every morning, a study group, or any sort of high-performance group. 

Negative peer pressure is the one that inhibits your success, and it's not just limited to what they teach you in middle school health class. This also refers to anyone who holds you back from achieving your life goals. It could be as simple as a good friend who talks down or against your daily activities used to pursue your goals. 

The best thing you can do for yourself, is know the difference between positive and negative peer pressure when it occurs. Avoiding and distancing yourself from the negativity will increase your potential and stop bringing you down. You are the average of the 5 people you hang out with the most, so surround yourself with those who will bring you up, not tear you down.

3) Fear of Failure

This happens to every one of us at every stage in life. We want something great, but are too afraid to try and fail. If you try for something, one of two things will happen. You'll either fail or succeed, but either way you're growing stronger, and learning a lot in the process. If you fail to even try and work towards something, then there is a 100% chance you won't succeed. It's a guarantee.

The thing you should really be afraid of is not trying. Failure is but a milestone in the journey towards success, but the failure to even put in the effort is the worst thing you can do for yourself. Put in the effort, learn from your mistakes, and you'll find that the more you fail, the stronger you become. Then, after life breaks you down, there's nowhere left to go but up!

I hope this article really opened up the concept of motivation, and it's inhibiting factors. I hope you are able to apply it to your life, and see how it may be preventing you from reaching your full potential. 

Everyone has the potential to be successful, but very few are willing to do what it takes.

Ray Lewis Review: Deck of Cards

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1dHZfD0O0s&t=292s

This video had a very accurate title, but saying it gave me goosebumps would be an understatement. This about brought me to tears, envisioning how Ray Lewis had to grow up with his step dad physically abusing his mom. I can't even imagine the pain and suffering he went through. But I also admire the way he handled it. Doing push-ups and sit-ups in the garage every day just to get stronger. This man is a legend, and every single one of us can learn something great from him.

I personally was lucky enough to have both parents in a stable home while growing up, while people like Ray had situations like this. The dude was only ten years old, and he had no choice but to become a man. 

Nobody was there to help him during his struggles.

Nobody was there to encourage him during hard times.

Nobody was there to congratulate him on his success.

But he made it happen.

I think I've figured out that adversity is what makes us stronger, or rather puts our limits to the test. The reason for this, is that when you are given a choice between your comfortable life, or a life of high-acheiving success, everyone would choose the more successful life. The issue is that there is not desperate need to be uber-successful, because the other option is a comfortable life, without any hard work or risk-taking necessary. In Ray Lewis' case, the complete opposite was true. His only other option was a life where he livd in a garage, and his mother was beaten on a daily basis. He literally had no choice but to become who he is today.

Consider the following scenario:

First, lets assume you're taking a class. Your professor says that the first exam is worth only 5% of your overall grade. How hard are you actually going to study for this test? You might not even look at the material given the circumstances. 

Now, let's say the night before the exam, you receive a all from an unknown number. A man answers the phone and tells you he will kill you unless you get an A on the test. Now the stakes have been significantly raised! Now there's a good chance you on't sleep at all that night since you'll be studying up until the very moment that test begins.

Obviously that is a very extreme (hopefully fictional) scenario, but I hope you get the picture. When you are forced into a position where you have no choice but to succeed, then you WILL find a way. Ray Lewis' story in't unique. Several high-acheivers had rough childhoods, or had to overcome extreme adversity to get where they are. Abraham Lincoln grew up in a small house in Kentucky with an abusive father. LeBron James grew up with no father-figure, and a sixteen-year-old mother. See the trend?

Unfortunately for some of us, we never experienced that kind of adversity. I grew up in a middl-class table home whee I was always encouraged and loved. I never experienced any real sturggles until I went to college. If you'e in a similar scenario, the best thing you can do is chase the difficulties and challenges. Force ourself into uncomfortable and painful situations where you're given no choice but to succeed. 

And then you will.

Too Old, Too Young

You’re too old to go back to school, but too young to start a business

Too old to join the military, but too young to travel 

Too old for football, but too young for golf

Too old to change careers, but too young to retire

We’ve all heard these sayings, or even used them ourselves. So many of us use these excuses as a means to stop trying and doing what’s right for ourselves. Age is just a number. You’re not really too old or too young for anything. I’ve seen 60 year olds in college and 7 year olds starting businesses. I’ve seen elderly and very young people run marathons. Age is no excuse for not trying.

What you’re actually doing is pushing your responsibilities into either the past (too old) or the future (too young). And by doing this, you’re avoiding your current responsibilities. You know exactly what you need to do in order to succeed, but you also know it will take effort and commitment. It’s far easier to make excuses, and push your responsibilities into another point in time.   

So what can you do instead?

Whatever it may be that you want to achieve. Whatever desire you have that you want to achieve. Make sure you start doing something NOW to work towards it. Not when you’re older, not next week, not tomorrow, not an hour from now. Right NOW. Now is the only moment in time where you have 100% control over the decisions you will make. You can’t simply trust that you’ll make the right decision tomorrow. You can’t control your past or your future. You can only control the decisions you make today.

If you choose to continue to push your responsibilities away, or choose not to try, then you are doing yourself a disservice.

But if you choose to try, and put forth the effort today, that’s the best decision you can make for yourself. 

Have a great day everyone!