I'm a big fan of setting big-ass goals. Dreaming BIG is my natural state - which is why S.M.A.R.T. goals are not all that smart.

S.M.A.R.T. stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Bound.

While it may seem like a good plan, I can't wrap my head around not setting goals because they don't seem achievable or realistic.

Excuse me?

When did big goals seem achievable and realistic?  

If that were true, you would already be doing them. Anytime you are moving from dreaming into doing, you will be living in the land of crazy and scary.

If you hold yourself to what is achievable and realistic, you might as well keep doing what you're doing.

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Around this time every year, people begin to declare to me the WORD they have chosen to guide their lives for the following year. 

I like words - especially when combined with wisdom and a few wisecracks - but that might be just me. 

Still, I'm always amazed at how excited people get and how much they believe their WORD will guide them into the next year.

I'm jealous. I need a WORD, too - and that's where the trouble begins.

I can't imagine choosing a word to represent 365 days of getting after it. However, having a word is an emotional trigger that fires neurons in your brain to keep you moving, so why can’t my word be several words?

Just like magic - they arrived…

Simple. Sophisticated. Focused. Automated. Delegated. Deleted. Ritualistic. 

It's a little Stoic and a lot of Scott LOGIC - it works for me.

If you could use an emotional supercharger, choose a WORD… or WORDS for the year… and see how the next year ROCKS!

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In 300 BC, political life was driving people crazy. To calm the masses, several schools of philosophy popped up. Stoicism still resonates powerfully today.

1. Don't enslave yourself to annoying people.

2. Choose reasonable expectations.

3. Pre-meditate those expectations.

4. You are a mind that is operating a bag of chemicals you call a body.

5. Stop pretending you know that things are bad.

6. You were put here to reason, so use it already.

7. Life is NOT too short.

8. Feel your emotions like a Stoic would. They are your power.

9. Anger is a choice.

10. When it comes down to it, we are dogs tied to the back of a cart.

Sound wisdom never goes out of style.

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When will you get to do what you want to do? 

More people than you know lose sleep over that question. If that sounds like something you have experienced, you’re not alone. 

Almost everybody begins their journey when a thought pops into their mind. Then, day-to-day life keeps them busy, and they spend frustrating months fixin’ to get ready. You know, starting to prepare… so you can begin to do… so you can do… and say you did. 

If that doesn’t work, you summon your friend, Will Power. 

Will is not a person, but more like a kind of friend that you don’t know why you keep letting into your life.

They are a bit slacker, live rent-free in your mind, say they want to help, and never deliver on their promise. Will’s job description should read -- to force you to do things you say you want to do but can’t get yourself to do. When you give up, Will leaves.

The good news is, there’s no need to force yourself to do anything. Achieving your biggest goals in life has nothing to do with willpower. Instead, shift your mindset - 

“To act at your discretion without constraint.” 

That’s the definition of Free Will, Will Powers’ good cousin. 

Use your Free Will to harness your excitement and choose the path of least resistance. Start making the slightest changes in your life. Those steps will lead to big results sooner than you think.

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I’m not sure how you feel about the Universe and how things work in the world, but does the Universe speak to you?

I can’t tell you if the ‘Universe’ stands alone or if ‘God’ created the ‘Universe’ and runs the show. That’s above my pay grade. 

What I can say is this. 

We live and breathe every day in a world that is ganging up on us and trying to get our attention.

The question is, are you listening?

While there are many ways people seek to receive messages of guidance as we make life decisions, my favorite has always been events that occur in triplicate. If something happens three times, I pay attention.

Call me hard-headed, distracted, or set in my ways, but life has taught me that wisdom tends to come in whispers - usually when our thoughts are screaming in our heads and drowning out our dreams.

Now, let me be clear...

A friend calling three times to go out on the town doesn’t count in my book.

Snoozing your alarm clock three times isn’t a message from the Universe that you should sleep in more.

The grocery store being out of your favorite chips three times is not a sign that you should go on a diet. 

All that is what they call the “stuff that happens while you’re alive.”

So what counts? 

1) Seemingly random situations and people that happen in quick succession or at the same time. 

2) They are different in their approach and appearance, yet each delivers a similar message. At first, it may seem disconnected, but in relation to the other messages, you begin to notice.

3) The message you receive is likely something that has been on your mind, keeping you awake all night and speaking to you. Even though you may not immediately recognize its impact, you find yourself slightly redirected in your search for answers. Your path altered.

While this is undoubtedly only my description of how I know it when the Universe is ganging up on me, I have learned to allow space for a message to arrive. Whether I realize the impact or not, I have also learned that it always motivates my decisions, choices, and future actions. In other words, things change with little effort.

My journey is about breaking from the status quo, exploring the possibilities of life, and going with the flow. I bet the Universe is ganging up on you right now - if you’ll only pay attention.

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A few years ago, my friend Louis Gates taught me about the nine-year life cycle. It's an easy way to get what you want using the Law of Attraction. 

9-year cycles begin the day you are born and repeat throughout your life. Happiness is as simple as paying attention to your cycle - and asking for what you want.

In year 1, start asking for a new purpose in life. It will reveal itself in year 2. Your focus will tighten.

Things start moving in year 3. You'll enjoy the changes happening in your life. 

You accelerate in the direction of your purpose in year 4.

Years 5 and 6 are for evaluation. You decide to focus on only what is working in your life. 

Years 7 and 8 are about letting go. You begin to remove all clutter from your life. 

When 9 years roll around, your mind begins to ponder the next phase of your life. The process continues. 

Where are you in your life cycle?  

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I'm sure you have a lot to do today. You’re probably in for a busy day if you use a traditional To-Do list. If I may, I’d like to pass on some advice to make your days much more fun.

LOSE your "To-Do List." Replace it with a "Did I Do It List."  

Of course, a traditional To-Do list will get the job done. But it’s far too easy to focus entirely on your list of things to do instead of what you're supposed to be doing.

Don’t get me wrong, when you are inside any project, you may need a list. I can’t imagine myself in the kitchen without a recipe to follow. To-do lists have their place. For everything else, there’s something better.

You should be using a “Did I Do It List.” 

As simple as it sounds, instead of chasing and stressing about what you must do, you simply ensure you’ve done what is needed.

Yes, it’s a simple mindset change, but it will change everything about how you get things done — and you’ll have far less stress.

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The Law of Attraction should be called the Law of What You Think About Most.

Like attracts like, what you think about, you get. 

If you think, "I won't get it because I never do," - you are correct.

Dreaming of something new while focusing on current problems is a sure way to keep spinning your wheels.

The secret is to focus your attention and actions on what you want to attract. That will require a dedicated effort. Vision Boards, lists of goals, and daily journaling are all great ways to stay on track. 

The "Law of What You Think About" is magical and straightforward…

Decide what you want. Believe it is possible. Focus on the future, not the past. Please don't stop until you get it.

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It’s Time To Explore What’s Possible

I’ve spent the last couple of days saying things like —

“What do you do when you are doing you, and your purpose is to find your purpose?”

Now, I realize that something so simple is also something most people will ignore. 

I also realized that for some people, as soon as they begin reading and realize they’ve already heard it, tune out and open the next email. 

That’s unfortunate.

Studies have long ago proven that repetition is the Mother of all skills. Yes, it takes time to learn new things and master them. But getting a new skill is not the value of repetition — it’s the doors it opens.

When you opened my email yesterday, you were a different person than now. And tomorrow you will be different than you will be by the end of the week.

As you explore your day, you’ll figure out what doesn’t work, lock in what does, and update your worldview. You will see things differently.

The wisdom you collect will transform your personality as you explore your life and you will begin becoming the person you are meant to be.

Of course, this should be no surprise since you’ve been doing it your entire life. 

But what if you purposefully did it every day?

What if you chose to purposefully explore all the possibilities of your life in hope that it will lead to your destination?

What if you explored the possibilities with full faith and trust that you are following your path, the correct path, and the one that will lead you to everything you desire?

It’s not a what IF. It’s what IS. 

It’s your choice to make that happen.

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Say YES to Yourself More This Year

Do you ever wish you had a less complicated life?  

Even if your job and life are overcomplicated out of necessity, like launching a rocket or performing brain surgery, you can still simplify everything.

How do you do it?

Your actions in your life and your job are probably not causing the overwhelm. It's the people and the results that are causing you to feel that way.

The easier way to under-complicate is to begin saying "No" to the arbitrary and unattainable demands of others and focus exclusively on the results you want. 

Here are a couple of ideas:

1) Practice the law of "Good Enough." Perfectionism is overrated. It will waste years of productive time you could use to enjoy life. Set your standards and rise to them.

2) Get good at saying "No." Make that two-letter word your default answer for everything. And remember, sometimes, saying nothing at all gets the same result.

3) Remember that the only thing you must do in life is take a BREATH. Everything else is optional and self-inflicted. 

Leonardo da Vinci said," Simplicity is the ultimate 

sophistication."  

Why not show everybody how sophisticated you are? 

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