Knowledge For Men

Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist of Canva, an online, graphics-design service, and an executive fellow at the Haas School of Business at U.C. Berkeley. Formerly, he was an advisor to the Motorola business unit of Google and chief evangelist of Apple. He is the author of The Art of the Start 2.0, The Art of Social Media, Enchantment, and ten other books. Guy has a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from UCLA as well as an honorary doctorate from Babson College.

“If you believe it, you will see it” ~ Jesus Christ

1. Things Are Seldom as Good or Bad as You Think

In life, you will be presented with numerous challenges and triumphs. Accompanying these experiences will be a roller coaster of emotions from tear drenched depression and frustration to euphoric highs of achievement. However, despite what you may feel in the present moment, things are rarely as good or bad as they appear.

The failure in your business or relationship is not the end of the world, and generating your first 7 figure company is not as life-alteringly incredible as it once seemed. As the Latin proverb states “En medio stat veritas,” the truth lays in the middle.

Learn to see life’s struggles and accomplishments for what they truly are and always keep perspective on the good and the bad.

2. Life is Short

Don’t waste  time waiting for tomorrow. If you want to build the business, build it, if you want to talk to the girl, do it, if you want to pack up and travel the world, now is as good a time as any. Do not wait for all the lights to turn green or for the stars to align, if you want something, make it happen. The only certainty in life is death, act in accordance.

3. Your Customer Cannot Tell You What They Want

Your customers are an excellent source for improving existing products, but they lack the innovation and vision to tell you what they really want. They did not know that they wanted an iPhone or Amazon.com or any of the other industry shattering creations of the past. It is up to you as a producer and entrepreneur to innovate and create something that alters the way the industry works

4. The Goal is To Ship

Your goal as a businessman is not to secure funding or build capital, but to ship. Ship your product or service as soon as humanly possible. Then, after you have shipped; learn, improve and ship again.

5. Tell a Story

If you want to connect with a customer or client, tell a story. Don’t hash out the same, dried up marketing hype surrounding every new product. Tell them a story that they can relate to, tell them a story about what your product can do for their lives, tell them a story about who you are and why you are doing what you are doing.

If you can engage your audience into your story, into your journey, you have a much greater chance of closing the sale and building customer loyalty in the long term.

6. Man Up

Quit whining, grow a pair, and put in the work. Quit complaining about how unfair life is and make something of it. If you want something, than go after it, pursue your goals tirelessly, never quit, and at the end of the day, you will achieve what you want.

7. Take Advantage of Opportunity

The biggest key to being a successful entrepreneur is to have the ability to seek out and take advantage of opportunity. When you see a viable opportunity, don’t be like most people who simply say “That’s a great idea,” or “Someone will make millions off that one day.” See the opportunity and take it. You never know when you may pass up on the next billion dollar enterprise

8. Work Your Butt Off 

“Good things come to those who wait, but only things left by those who hustle.” ~Abraham Lincoln

You cannot sit on the sidelines and expect the world to hand you the life of your dreams. You have to be willing to put in the work to make it happen. Wake up before everyone else, stay longer, train harder, invest more, educate yourself more. Do not settle for mediocre work. Strive to be above average, to be extraordinary.

Be willing to put in more work than anybody could reasonably expect of you, and you will achieve the results you want in less time than anyone could reasonably expect of you.

Dean Graziosi is well known as America's #1 real estate expert, author, speaker and entrepreneur. Based in Scottsdale, AZ, Dean has written Multiple New York Times best-selling books and has touched the lives of Millions of people around the world with his powerful investing education.

"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm" ~ Winston Churchill

1. Failure is an Essential Piece of Success

Many entrepreneurs and other businessmen believe that success is a straight road, you simply get on the path and once you get enough momentum you will succeed.

What they don't understand is that there is no success without failure, as Ryan Holiday says, "The obstacle is the way." Even the most illustrious of companies and entrepreneurs have faced tremendous adversity and "unconquerable"situations before they achieved the renown they know today.

When going into any new endeavor, expect failure, expect to be tested beyond your perceived limits, and expect things to which you devoted your whole life to fail.

Do what you can to prevent failures by reading books by those who have gone before and gathering an army of mentors, but realize that even with all the preparation in the world, you will fail. And when you do, have the courage to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and go again.

2. Use Your Pain as a Motivator

The natural state of human-kind is to move towards pleasure and away from pain. This is the driving force behind every action we take. Therefor, learn to use the pain in your life to motivate you towards success.

Make the pain of inaction or ultimate failure (not temporary setbacks) far greater than the pain of getting off your ass and doing what needs to be done. Overweight? Learn to make the pain of dying young, and being unable to live a full life greater than the pain of going to the gym. Broke? Then make the pain of not having the money to live the life of your dreams greater than the pain of forgoing temporary pleasure.

Pain is one of the most powerful tools in your belt if you learn to harness it properly. Leverage pain to create the life you want.

3. Don't Work on Your Weaknesses

One of the biggest lies of our society is to work on our weaknesses. From grade school we are taught to focus on things we suck at instead of improving things for which we have a natural propensity. If you made an A in math and a C in English, you were told to work harder in English instead of doubling down in the areas which you already excel.

Root out this mentality like a cancer, embrace your strengths and delegate your weaknesses, the only way to build a vibrant business or life is to fill it with people working from areas of excellence and passion. Forget your weaknesses and work on your strengths. You will be healthier, wealthier and wiser for it.

4. Most People Will Not Understand

If you are on this site, you are unique. Most people are not filling their heads with the knowledge and wisdom of the wise and successful and as such, they will try and bring you and your dreams down.They do not understand the world the way you do, they are victims and pessimists.

Do not let small minded underachievers prevent you from achieving the life of your dreams. Go for what you want, go big, build the life of your dreams the business of your dreams, do what you damn well please and don't let broke unhappy people stop you.

5. Protect Your Confidence

Ensure that you guard your confidence in yourself above all else. If you do not believe in yourself and your abilities, you will never accomplish great things. Realize the importance of confidence in all areas of your life and take daily actions that reaffirm your self belief.

6. Remove Energy Vampires

Plain and simple, if you sigh when someone calls or messages you, they need to be cut out of your life. As harsh as this sounds, you cannot afford to waste time and energy on people who do nothing but drain you.

7. What Your Surround Yourself Shapes Your Destiny

Your environment will, in large part, determine your destiny. Surround yourself with inspiring and high caliber individuals, fill your head with knowledge and ideas from the best minds, listen to audio tapes and CDs. No matter where you are in life, by altering your environment, you will alter who you become, get started today creating an environment conducive to excellence.

8. You Have to Actually Do The Work

No amount of positive thinking or visualization will make the life of your dreams fall into your lap, you have to get up and do the work. Period.

9. Go 7 Levels Deep to Find Your Why

One of the most powerful tools for getting the motivation required to succeed is to go 7 levels deep with your "why." Ask yourself what you want, then follow up with "why?", then again and again, 7 times until you are at the very core of what it is that is truly motivating you.

Do this exercise and your eyes will be open to the truth behind every action you take. Do this, and you will be better equipped to crush it in life, love, and business.

10. Trust Your Heart and Not Your Head

Trust your heart above your head. Your heart knows what you truly want and what will truly fulfill you in life, your head only knows what friends, family, and society have told it will fulfill you. Do the hard thing now, condition yourself to trust your heart and you won't go wrong.

Dean Graziosi is well known as America’s #1 real estate expert, author, speaker and entrepreneur. Based in Scottsdale, AZ, Dean has written Multiple New York Times best-selling books and has touched the lives of Millions of people around the world with his powerful investing education.

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm” ~ Winston Churchill

1. Failure is an Essential Piece of Success

Many entrepreneurs and other businessmen believe that success is a straight road, you simply get on the path and once you get enough momentum you will succeed.

What they don’t understand is that there is no success without failure, as Ryan Holiday says,  “The obstacle is the way.” Even the most illustrious of companies and entrepreneurs have faced tremendous adversity and “unconquerable”situations before they achieved the renown they know today.

When going into any new endeavor, expect failure, expect to be tested beyond your perceived limits, and expect things to which you devoted your whole life to fail.

Do what you can to prevent failures by reading books by those who have gone before and gathering an army of mentors, but realize that even with all the preparation in the world, you will fail. And when you do, have the courage to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and go again.

2. Use Your Pain as a Motivator

The natural state of human-kind is to move towards pleasure and away from pain. This is the driving force behind every action we take. Therefor, learn to use the pain in your life to motivate you towards success.

Make the pain of inaction or ultimate failure (not temporary setbacks) far greater than the pain of getting off your ass and doing what needs to be done. Overweight? Learn to make the pain of dying young, and being unable to live a full life greater than the pain of going to the gym. Broke? Then make the pain of not having the money to live the life of your dreams greater than the pain of forgoing temporary pleasure.

Pain is one of the most powerful tools in your belt if you learn to harness it properly. Leverage pain to create the life you want.

3. Don’t Work on Your Weaknesses

One of the biggest lies of our society is to work on our weaknesses. From grade school we are taught to focus on things we suck at instead of improving things for which we have a natural propensity. If you made an A in math and a C in English, you were told to work harder in English instead of doubling down in the areas which you already excel.

Root out this mentality like a cancer, embrace your strengths and delegate your weaknesses, the only way to build a vibrant business or life is to fill it with people working from areas of excellence and passion. Forget your weaknesses and work on your strengths. You will be healthier, wealthier and wiser for it.

4. Most People Will Not Understand

If you are on this site, you are unique. Most people are not filling their heads with the knowledge and wisdom of the wise and successful and as such, they will try and bring you and your dreams down.They do not understand the world the way you do, they are victims and pessimists.

Do not let small minded underachievers prevent you from achieving the life of your dreams. Go for what you want, go big, build the life of your dreams the business of your dreams, do what you damn well please and don’t let broke unhappy people stop you.

5. Protect Your Confidence 

Ensure that you guard your confidence in yourself above all else. If you do not believe in yourself and your abilities, you will never accomplish great things. Realize the importance of confidence in all areas of your life and take daily actions that reaffirm your self belief.

6. Remove Energy Vampires

Plain and simple, if you sigh when someone calls or messages you, they need to be cut out of your life. As harsh as this sounds, you cannot afford to waste time and energy on people who do nothing but drain you.

7. What Your Surround Yourself Shapes Your Destiny

Your environment will, in large part, determine your destiny. Surround yourself with inspiring and high caliber individuals, fill your head with knowledge and ideas from the best minds, listen to audio tapes and CDs. No matter where you are in life, by altering your environment, you will alter who you become, get started today creating an environment conducive to excellence.

8. You Have to Actually Do The Work

No amount of positive thinking or visualization will make the life of your dreams fall into your lap, you have to get up and do the work. Period.

9. Go 7 Levels Deep to Find Your Why

One of the most powerful tools for getting the motivation required to succeed is to go 7 levels deep with your “why.” Ask yourself what you want, then follow up with “why?”, then again and again, 7 times until you are at the very core of what it is that is truly motivating you.

Do this exercise and your eyes will be open to the truth behind every action you take. Do this, and you will be better equipped to crush it in life, love, and business.

10. Trust Your Heart and Not Your Head 

Trust your heart above your head. Your heart knows what you truly want and what will truly fulfill you in life, your head only knows what friends, family, and society have told it will fulfill you. Do the hard thing now, condition yourself to trust your heart and you won’t go wrong.

Alistair Overeem is a Dutch mixed martial artist and professional fighter. He is one of the only fighters who holds a belt in different combat sports and the only mixed martial artists to win the K-1 Grad Prix Title. Alistair is currently training for his next fight against Roy Nelson on March 14th in Dallas, Texas.

Alistair Overeem is a Dutch mixed martial artist and professional fighter. He is one of the only fighters who holds a belt in different combat sports and the only mixed martial artists to win the K-1 Grad Prix Title. Alistair is currently training for his next fight against Roy Nelson on March 14th in Dallas, Texas.

Freddie Achom is a Nigerian born British business man, entrepreneur, and investor who decided to follow an unconventional route by dropping out of medical school and starting his own business. Freddie founded what would be his first million dollar company, the Rosemont Group, in his early 20's and is currently serving as Chairman of the company.

Freddie is now focused on giving back to the next generation of entrepreneurs helping young inventors, businessmen, and CEO's acquire the capital and develop the relationships necessary for personal and professional success.

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage continue that counts." ~Winston Churchill

1. You Cannot Live Your Life for Others

Each of us have a plethora of voices vying for our attention. Our parents, friends, coworkers, and even society all tell us how we should live our lives. Although none of these voices is necessarily bad, almost none of them are looking out for our best interest.

They all want something different for our lives than we do, they want us to have security, they want us to have safety, they want us to stay on the same playing field they're on, in short they do not want us to live the lives we were designed to live. As men, we want lives of danger, lives of risk, and above all, lives of purpose, but we cannot accomplish our purpose if we are following a plan laid out for us by someone else. We must march to our own drum and create our ideal lives, not the live's of others.

2. Relationships Are Key to Business

Many young and aspiring entrepreneurs forget the famous saying "It's not what you know, but who you know." We focus on developing our skill sets, on absorbing as much knowledge as possible, we read as many books and listen to as many podcasts as is humanly possible in a single day. But we forget that first and foremost, all business is relationships.

No matter what you are building or creating, you cannot do it without creating and sustaining relationships with your customers, employees and mentors. As you begin building your knowledge and skills, remember to focus on growing your network as much as yourself.

3. Do Not Try and Scale too Quickly

Many otherwise promising businesses have failed because of hasty growth. Do not try and force your business into its next chapter prematurely. Build your companies core values, build your brand and client base, and allow the growth to happen naturally over time.

4. Focus on the Core Values of Your Company

Instead of getting caught up in the valuation of your company or your projected growth over the next quarter, focus on the core values of your company. What are you and your business here on this earth to do? How well are you achieving this mission? Every couple of months, take time to analyze your business and the direction it is headed in, make sure that every action is in alignment with your ultimate vision for your company and your life.

5. Make Sure You Have a Large Market Disruption

Too many companies aim for small or mediocre impact within the marketplace. Set audacious goals, make it your mission to have such a huge effect on the marketplace that your niche will never be the same again after you enter. Think of companies life Google and Microsoft who have revolutionized entire industries, you must strive to have an effect on the same scale.

Regardless of whether you believe you can have an impact on the same level as these companies, companies that have defined a generation, remember the wise words of Benjamin Franklin, "I would rather aim for the stars and hit a stump than aim for a stump and miss." Don't aim for a stump in your life, dare mighty things, and at worse, when you fail, you will fail heroically.

6. Failure is Never Final

In the modern world, almost no failure is final. There is always a way to pick your self up by your bootstraps and get back on your feet. Think of people like Donald Trump who went $9 billion dollars in debt when the recession hit…and then paid it all back and became, once again, one of the wealthiest people in the world.

No matter how catastrophic you may feel your failure is, there is always a way to get back to the top if you are committed.

7. The Journey is More Important Than The Destination

As men who are not content with average lives, it is often very difficult to live in the now whenever our whole existences are so far below what we imagine. However, we cannot lose sight of the joy of the journey, we can't stop enjoying the grind.

In reality the only end destination is death, enjoy the journey, because the journey is life, enjoy improving, enjoy failing, enjoy succeeding. Whatever you do, enjoy it, and enjoy it to the full, don't wish for tomorrow, because tomorrow will bring its own challenges, live for today.

8. Understanding People is Key to Success in Business

One of the most crucial skills you can develop in your life is the ability to read and understand people. This will put you heads and shoulders above your competition in business, love, and life. Take time to study human psychology, understand what drives people to action, what holds people back.

Learn to understand what people want and to read how they react to situations and you will have yet another force multiplier in your quest for the good life.

9. You Must Balance All Pillars of Your Life

Life is short, you must never allow your desire for material success and fame to outweigh the important things in your life like family and friends. Learn to balance your life. Build your business, hustle like heck, but spend time with people in your life that are important to you, reignite old hobbies, call a friend you haven't seen in years, in short, live life like you knew you would die tomorrow.

All the material gains in the world aren't worth a damn when it's all said and done, all that you will have to take with you into the great beyond are the people you loved and the lives you impacted.

10. Break The Rules

As Mark Twain so famously said "When you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect." No one on this site wants to be average, no one here wants to work an average dead end job for 50 years only to find they can't retire and then continue that job until they die.

Everyone here wants to be extraordinary. But to be extraordinary sometimes means bending the rules, it means taking the path less traveled or doing the unconventional thing. Do not be a slave to tradition and "supposed to's" create the life you want, whether it fits society's mold or not.

Freddie Achom is a Nigerian born British business man, entrepreneur, and investor who decided to follow an unconventional route by dropping out of medical school and starting his own business. Freddie founded what would be his first million dollar company, the Rosemont Group, in his early 20’s and is currently serving as Chairman of the company.

Freddie is now focused on giving back to the next generation of entrepreneurs helping young inventors, businessmen, and CEO’s acquire the capital and develop the relationships necessary for personal and professional success.

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage continue that counts.” ~Winston Churchill

1. You Cannot Live Your Life for Others

Each of us have a plethora of voices vying for our attention. Our parents, friends, coworkers, and even society all tell us how we should live our lives. Although none of these voices is necessarily bad, almost none of them are looking out for our best interest.

They all want something different for our lives than we do, they want us to have security, they want us to have safety, they want us to stay on the same playing field they’re on, in short they do not want us to live the lives we were designed to live. As men, we want lives of danger, lives of risk, and above all, lives of purpose, but we cannot accomplish our purpose if we are following a plan laid out for us by someone else. We must march to our own drum and create our ideal lives, not the live’s of others.

2. Relationships Are Key to Business

Many young and aspiring entrepreneurs forget the famous saying “It’s not what you know, but who you know.” We focus on developing our skill sets, on absorbing as much knowledge as possible, we read as many books and listen to as many podcasts as is humanly possible in a single day. But we forget that first and foremost, all business is relationships.

No matter what you are building or creating, you cannot do it without creating and sustaining relationships with your customers, employees and mentors. As you begin building your knowledge and skills, remember to focus on growing your network as much as yourself.

3. Do Not Try and Scale too Quickly

Many otherwise promising businesses have failed because of  hasty growth. Do not try and force your business into its next chapter prematurely. Build your companies core values, build your brand and client base, and allow the growth to happen naturally over time.

4. Focus on the Core Values of Your Company

Instead of getting caught up in the valuation of your company or your projected growth over the next quarter, focus on the core values of your company. What are you and your business here on this earth to do? How well are you achieving this mission? Every couple of months, take time to analyze your business and the direction it is headed in, make sure that every action is in alignment with your ultimate vision for your company and your life.

5. Make Sure You Have a Large Market Disruption

Too many companies aim for small or mediocre impact within the marketplace. Set audacious goals, make it your mission to have such a huge effect on the marketplace that your niche will never be the same again after you enter. Think of companies life Google and Microsoft who have revolutionized entire industries, you must strive to have an effect on the same scale.

Regardless of whether you believe you can have an impact on the same level as these companies, companies that have defined a generation, remember the wise words of Benjamin Franklin, “I would rather aim for the stars and hit a stump than aim for a stump and miss.” Don’t aim for a stump in your life, dare mighty things, and at worse, when you fail, you will fail heroically.

6. Failure is Never Final

In the modern world, almost no failure is final. There is always a way to pick your self up by your bootstraps and get back on your feet. Think of people like Donald Trump who went $9 billion dollars in debt when the recession hit…and then paid it all back and became, once again, one of the wealthiest people in the world.

No matter how catastrophic you may feel your failure is, there is always a way to get back to the top if you are committed.

7. The Journey is More Important Than The Destination

As men who are not content with average lives, it is often very difficult to live in the now whenever our whole existences are so far below what we imagine. However, we cannot lose sight of the joy of the journey, we can’t stop enjoying the grind.

In reality the only end destination is death, enjoy the journey, because the journey is life, enjoy improving, enjoy failing, enjoy succeeding. Whatever you do, enjoy it, and enjoy it to the full, don’t wish for tomorrow, because tomorrow will bring its own challenges, live for today.

8. Understanding People is Key to Success in Business

One of the most crucial skills you can develop in your life is the ability to read and understand people. This will put you heads and shoulders above your competition in business, love, and life. Take time to study human psychology, understand what drives people to action, what holds people back.

Learn to understand what people want and to read how they react to situations and you will have yet another force multiplier in your quest for the good life.

9. You Must Balance All Pillars of Your Life

Life is short, you must never allow your desire for material success and fame to outweigh the important things in your life like family and friends. Learn to balance your life. Build your business, hustle like heck, but spend time with people in your life that are important to you, reignite old hobbies, call a friend you haven’t seen in years, in short, live life like you knew you would die tomorrow.

All the material gains in the world aren’t worth a damn when it’s all said and done, all that you will have to take with you into the great beyond are the people you loved and the lives you impacted.

10. Break The Rules

As Mark Twain so famously said “When you find yourself on the side of the majority, it’s time to pause and reflect.” No one on this site wants to be average, no one here wants to work an average dead end job for 50 years only to find they can’t retire and then continue that job until they die.

Everyone here wants to be extraordinary. But to be extraordinary sometimes means bending the rules, it means taking the path less traveled or doing the unconventional thing. Do not be a slave to tradition and “supposed to’s” create the life you want, whether it fits society’s mold or not.

Growing up in a fatherless home, Tony Little experienced significant adversity in his youth. After moving to Florida to live with his uncle, he began a career in bodybuilding winning the Mr. Florida title and being on track to win Mr. America before a tragic bus accident ended his bodybuilding career.

After a bout with depression and uncertainty, Tony decided to build a career in the fitness and advertising markets. Tony's fitness products have grossed over $3 billion with over 45 million customers. At 57 Tony is still working in the fitness advertisement industry developing new and innovative products every year.

"When you change your mindset, you change your life. " – Tony Little

As a young man, Tony grew up in a small town with very few positive influences in his life. As such, he became involved with the wrong crowd at an early age experimenting with drugs and alcohol and butting heads with the law. After an unintentional GTA, his mom decided to move him to Florida to live with his uncle, and this is when his life changed.

By changing his environment, Tony was able to change his future. Regardless of your situation, there are probably some tweaks you can make in your environment to improve your life. Spend less time with unmotivated and uninspiring people, make your pantry more conducive to healthy eating, unplug your TV and buy more books, do whatever is necessary to get you to the life you want.

If you believe in yourself and work tirelessly to make your vision a reality, you will inevitably succeed in some manner. However, lack of belief in self will prevent you from even taking the first step toward your goals.

Growing up in a fatherless home, Tony Little experienced significant adversity in his youth. After moving to Florida to live with his uncle, he began a career in bodybuilding winning the Mr. Florida title and being on track to win Mr. America before a tragic bus accident ended his bodybuilding career.

After a bout with depression and uncertainty, Tony decided to build a career in the fitness and advertising markets. Tony’s fitness products have grossed over $3 billion with over 45 million customers. At 57 Tony is still working in the fitness advertisement industry developing new and innovative products every year.

“When you change your mindset, you change your life. ” – Tony Little

As a young man, Tony grew up in a small town with very few positive influences in his life. As such, he became involved with the wrong crowd at an early age experimenting with drugs and alcohol and butting heads with the law. After an unintentional GTA, his mom decided to move him to Florida to live with his uncle, and this is when his life changed.

By changing his environment, Tony was able to change his future. Regardless of your situation, there are probably some tweaks you can make in your environment to improve your life. Spend less time with unmotivated and uninspiring people, make your pantry more conducive to healthy eating, unplug your TV and buy more books, do whatever is necessary to get you to the life you want.

If you believe in yourself and work tirelessly to make your vision a reality, you will inevitably succeed in some manner. However, lack of belief in self will prevent you from even taking the first step toward your goals.

Jeff Hoffman is a successful entrepreneur, proven CEO, worldwide motivational speaker, published author, Hollywood film producer, and a producer of a Grammy-winning jazz album in 2015. He has been the founder of multiple startups, has been the CEO of both public and private companies, and has served as a senior executive in many capacities. Jeff has been part of a number of well-known companies, including Priceline.com. uBid.com, ColorJar, and more.

Jeff serves on the boards of companies in the US, Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia, supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses in more than 150 countries. He also serves on the boards of Global Entrepreneurship Week and The Unreasonable Group. He supports the White House, the US State Department, the United Nations, and foreign governments on economic growth initiatives and entrepreneurship.

Jeff is a frequent keynote speaker, having been invited to speak in over 50 countries, on the topics of innovation, entrepreneurship, and business leadership. He is the co-author of the book SCALE, a how-to guide for growing your business. Jeff also teaches innovation workshops to major corporations on a regular basis. Jeff is a featured business expert seen on Fox News, Fox Business, CNN, CNN International, Bloomberg News, CNBC, ABC, and NPR, and in publications including Forbes, Inc., Time, Fast Company, the Wall Street Journal, and more

1. Don't Fear Failure... Fear Not Trying

Failure is an inevitable part of life.

Most of us spend our whole lives trying to escape and avoid it when we should be running towards it.

We've been taught our whole lives that failure is somehow a bad thing, that it means you aren't a "real" man, or that you aren't good enough.

In reality, failure is simply feedback.

Instead of running from failure, embrace it.

Learn to fear not trying instead of failing.

... When you fail, you grow, you learn, and you improve.

When you allow your fear of failure to control your actions you end up paralyzed and never take action.

As a result, you stagnate, burn out, and eventually die with your best work inside of you.

2. Follow your Curiosity and Ignore the Labels

It's easy to allow your label to control you.

Think about it...

How many times have you thought to yourself

"Wow, I'd love to dive into real estate investing, but I'm in IT, I can't do that"

Or

"I would really enjoy learning how to dance the Tango, but I'm a powerlifter so that'll never happen"

Or even...

"I'd really love to produce an album but I'm a marketing guy... That's not really my style"

We get so caught up in our own labels that we prevent ourselves from pursuing our deepest passions and curiosity.

Remember:

You are a learning machine... Not an occupation.

Just because you make money in a certain way or have been in a specific niche for a long time doesn't mean that you can't learn new skills.

... It doesn't mean that you can't pursue new hobbies, passions, and businesses.

As Joseph Campbell says, "Follow your bliss".

Pursue what makes you curious, no matter how odd or out of character it may seem.

At the end of the day, the person who wins at life is the person who leaves it all on the field.

So stop holding back from life because your interests don't conform to your label.

3. Stick to One Pursuit at a Time

Although it's important that you have a wide variety of interests and hobbies to pursue, it's even more important that you understand how to successfully pursue each interest.

How do you do this?

... One at a time.

Although Jeff has a wide variety of achievements and accolades ranging from the transportation business to the music & film industry to consulting and keynote speaking, he didn't try to accomplish all of these things at once.

He devoted himself single-mindedly to each task for a period of 3-5 years.

In your own life, you can do anything that you want.

But you must learn to focus on only one thing at a time...

As the old adage goes, "The fox who chases two rabbits catches none."

Pick one passion, define what constitutes "success" with regards to that passion, pursue it single-mindedly until you achieve your goal an then move on.

4. Eradicate Your Fear of Failure with This Simple Exercise

If you are afraid of failure, then listen up.

I'm about to share a fool proof strategy to eradicate your fear and move forward with your life.

Are you ready?

Then here it is...

Anytime you are afraid of failing, dive into your failure.

Ask yourself "What will happen if I fail and how can I recover?"

For example, if you are considering starting a new business and you fail miserably, what will actually happen?

... And more importantly, how can you minimize the damage?

If you fail at the entrepreneurial endeavor you can:

• Move back in with your parents
• Get a 9-5 corporate job for 6-12 months
• Save every penny that you can
• Try again

When you break it down, it doesn't seem so scary, right?

The concept of failure is often more terrifying than failure itself.

When you look at the reality of your situation, you will quickly realize that you can overcome any setback with relative ease and quickly get back on your feet if things go South.

So feel the fear.

Figure out your escape plan.

And then take action.

5. Begin with the End in Mind

One of the biggest mistakes that most entrepreneurs make is that they begin without a clear end goal in mind.

They set all of these wild goals and ambitions but never really know where the path is ultimately going to take them.

Before you set out to achieve anything, you need to begin with the end in mind.

What counts as success?

What counts as failure?

What quantifiable metrics can you use to determine whether or not you've achieved success?

When you have a clear end game in mind, the day to day tasks of pursuing a goal becomes much simpler.

You know exactly what you need to do, what you need to avoid, and how you can expedite the path to your goal.

Take some time to sit down after listening to this interview and write out answers to the following:

What does success look like in my:

• Relationships
• Finances
• Career
• Personal development
• Physical health
• Spirituality

When you know exactly what you are trying to get out of life, life has a way of helping you succeed.

Begin with the end in mind and your path to success will be far smoother and simpler.

6. Make People Understand Your "Why"

Oftentimes, as men, we get so caught up in our careers and finances that we can neglect important relationships and connections in our life.

One of the reasons that this is so easy to do is that we understand the bigger picture and just assume that everyone else in our life understands it as well.

We think to ourselves, "I'm working this hard for my family, for my community, and for our future... Surely they understand".

But we never actually take the time to sit the important people down and help them understand why we are pushing so hard.

Your wife and kids probably don't know why you are always at the office.

They assume that work is more important than they are and that you'd rather work than spend time with them.

Even when this isn't the case...

As such, it's important that you sell your proverbial "Board of Directors" (the important people in your life) on the "Why" of what you're doing.

Why are you working so hard to build this business or advance your career?

Is it to...

• Retire early
• Pay for your kid's college
• Take your wife on a 3 year round the world trip
• Get out of debt and have the money to work less than 10 hours a week
• Enjoy a better quality of life
• Give back to your community and make a real difference

Why are you doing what you're doing?

Once you have the answer for yourself, share it with the important people in your life.

More often than not, they will understand and rally to help you.

7. Ideas are Welcomed, Execution is Worshiped

Simply put, ideas are great but execution is where the magic happens.

You can think and come up with ideas all day long.

But if you don't get your butt out of the chair and make moves to achieve your goals, you will remain stuck exactly where you are.

Execution is everything.

Without the grit and determination to take action and make things happen, you will never succeed.

Become a master action taker and the world is yours.

8. Your Success is Someone Else's Miracle

We live in such a guilt ridden society that it can be easy to get trapped in the mindset that success is dirty.

... It's easy to believe that making money is wrong and that you should give away all of your surplus.

But this is a false concept.

The more successful you are, the more power and influence you can exert to help others.

When you have millions of dollars in the bank, it's much easier to make a difference when disaster strikes.

When you have vibrant physical health, it's much easier to help others overcome their own challenges.

When you are successful, you can show up as a miracle in someone else's life.

If you want to make a real difference in the world, then success is your duty and obligation.

Forget what you've been told...

Becoming successful doesn't make you greedy or power hungry.

It gives you the ability to make a difference.

9. What is Enough?

In pursuit of any goal, whether its...

• Financial success
• Career success
• Marriage
• Physical health
• Travel & Adventure
• Or fame

You must know when enough is enough.

When can you call it quits and move on to the next goal or activity?

If you don't have a clear end game in mind, it's easy to get caught in the comparison trap and waste your life constantly trying to compete with other people and buy the biggest boat, fastest car, or most luxurious mansion in town.

Ask yourself...

"What do I really need to be happy and feel fulfilled?"

There's no right answer for everyone, but the more clearly you can figure out what you need to be happy, the easier it will be to achieve it.

Forget keeping up with the Joneses and showing off on Instagram .

Figure out what brings you joy and makes you feel fulfilled and then go achieve it.