Knowledge For Men

Adam Grant has been recognized as Wharton’s top-rated teacher for five straight years, and as one of the world’s 25 most influential management thinkers and Fortune’s 40 under 40. As an organizational psychologist, he studies how we can find motivation and meaning, and lead more generous and creative lives.

Adam is the author of two New York Times bestselling books translated into 35 languages. Originals and Give and Take.

Adam received a standing ovation for his 2016 TED talk on the surprising habits of original thinkers and was voted the audience’s favorite speaker at The Nantucket Project on the success of givers and takers, which was the subject of his most recent TED talk. His speaking and consulting clients include Facebook, Google, the NBA, Merck, Goldman Sachs, Disney Pixar, Johnson & Johnson, BCG, Amex, the U.S. Army and Navy, and the World Economic Forum, where he has been honored as a Young Global Leader.

“The best way to succeed is to help other people succeed.”

1. Become a Master of “Five Minute Favors”

One of the secret weapons of high performers, their proverbial “special sauce” if you will, is the five-minute favor.

These favors are simple, easy-to-do tasks that can have a huge impact on your network and future success.

One of the simplest examples is devoting 10 minutes a week to connecting at least 2 people you feel need to know each other.

This simple tactic resulted in the formation of the Beatles and Apple.

Another example is taking the extra initiative at work or in the classroom.

Simple things like providing your boss with ten easy-to-implement actions to save the office money or helping a co-worker with a project that they are behind on can drastically increase your social capital and build reciprocal kindness and goodwill.

2. Being an “Original” Is Simple

If you want to be original, the path is simple.

First, avoid the status quo.

Second, look for a new way to do things.

And third come up with a superfluous number of ideas, even bad ideas, until you find the solution for which you’re looking.

Many people seem to think that being an “Original” is a complicated process that requires psychedelic drugs, a MENSA IQ, or a real creative genius.

But the simple truth is that all non-conformists, originals, and real industry disrupters have followed the same three steps.

3. Learn to Reframe the Mundane 

One of the most immediate and impactful ways that you can increase your own levels of happiness and satisfaction is to reframe the mundane tasks in your life and find a way to enjoy them.

The simplest example is email.

How many of you spend at least an hour a day sorting through, organizing, and responding to emails?

How many of you think that one hour sucks?

I get it…

It might seem hard to reframe this seemingly sucky task into something that is genuinely meaningful and enjoyable, but just imagine if you could.

Imagine if instead of seeing your email as a drudgery, a  life-sucking task, you saw it as an opportunity.

An opportunity to touch every life with which you connect.

An opportunity to inspire love, gratitude, and empowerment in every interaction.

Because isn’t that exactly what it is?

It’s a chance for you to connect with people from all around the globe and inspire them with your attitude, your mindset, and your values.

When you approach it from this angle and with this mindset, checking your email because an empowering and exciting task because, instead of thinking “How many freaking message do I have to handle” you get to think “How many lives will I get to shape?”

4. Being an “Original” Is About Execution Not Ideation

Being an original has nothing to do with the idea.

Everyone, if they think about it long enough, can develop a “Billion dollar idea” that would change the world and disrupt entire industries.

But they never take the requisite action.

They allow their dreams, their hopes, and their ideas to wither away and die because they cannot bring themselves to execute.

They take their ideas with them to the graveyard because they were unwilling to take action on those ideas!

At the end of the day, those who truly succeed and shape the world are those who are willing to take ideas and run with them.

To take massive action in the face of uncertainty, and give their idea the chance to see the light of day.

5. Fear the Failure to Try

Many gurus and self-help proponents shame the fear of failure.

They instill a toxic belief that fearing failure is a bad thing.

But the simple truth is that you should fear failure.

In fact, it should scare the hell out of you!

But not in the way that most people imagine.

You shouldn’t fear the failure of your business, your relationship, or your bank account… you should fear your own failure to try.

At the end of the day, when you lie in your bed, weathered by time, and near the end, you will not look back in regret on the things that you tried and failed.

You will look back with regret on the times that you failed to try.

You will wonder “What if” I had asked her to marry me?

You will wonder “What if” I had started that business?

You will wonder “What if” I had embraced my truth and lived a life that was in alignment with my values and my beliefs instead of allowing my family and society to dictate my actions.

Because at the end of the day, we are all dead men.

The worst thing that can happen to you, death, is already a certainty.

So don’t fear failing to succeed.

Fear failing to try.

Jocko Willink is a decorated retired Navy SEAL officer, author of the book Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win, and co-founder of Echelon Front, where he is a leadership instructor, speaker, and executive coach. Jocko spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy SEAL Teams, starting as an enlisted SEAL and rising through the ranks to become a SEAL officer. As commander of SEAL Team Three's Task Unit Bruiser during the battle of Ramadi, he orchestrated SEAL operations that helped the "Ready First" Brigade of the US Army's First Armored Division bring stability to the violent, war-torn city.

As commander of SEAL Team Three's Task Unit Bruiser during the battle of Ramadi, he orchestrated SEAL operations that helped the "Ready First" Brigade of the US Army's First Armored Division bring stability to the violent, war-torn city.

Task Unit Bruiser became the most highly decorated Special Operations Unit of the Iraq War. Jocko returned from Iraq to serve as Officer-in-Charge of training for all West Coast SEAL Teams. There, he spearheaded the development of leadership training and personally instructed and mentored the next generation of SEAL leaders who have continued to perform with great success on the battlefield.

During his career, Jocko was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and numerous other personal and unit awards. In 2010, Jocko retired from the Navy and launched Echelon Front where he teaches the leadership principles he learned on the battlefield to help others lead and win. Clients include individuals, teams, companies, and organizations across a wide-range of industries and fields.

"Discipline equals freedom"

1. Discipline Gives You True Freedom

If you want freedom, then forget all the crap about life hacks, smart drugs, and shortcuts.

If you want freedom, then you must cultivate extreme levels of discipline.

Period.

I don't care if you want to do the important things.

Do them.

I don't care if you feel like handling your responsibilities.

Handle them.

I don't care if you want to wake up early and grind.

Just fucking rise and grind.

Discipline equals freedom.

2. You Have to Be Humble

Once you have cultivated discipline and overcome your weakness and propensity to allow your feelings in the moment to dictate your life, arrogance becomes your most dangerous enemy.

Just because you have achieved a certain level of success does not mean that you have it figured out.

The day that you think you know it all, the day that you stop trying to grow, and the day you stop learning from others…

That's the day that you will fall and you will fall hard.

3. Take Extreme Ownership

Whatever circumstances life has given you, it's time to man up and own them.

Step up and take charge of the results that you are producing or failing to produce.

Take ownership of your marriage, your business, and your finances.

Sure, you can piss away your time blaming others, whining, and moaning.

But you will lose respect from the people who matter and accomplish nothing in the process.

Or, you can let go of your ego, accept responsibility, and take extreme ownership.

And when are willing to swallow your pride and take ownership of your life and success, you will cultivate respect for yourself and respect from others.

4. Detach Emotions from Your Decision-Making Process

If you want to sabotage your success and ruin all chances of high achievement, then allow your emotions to dictate your decision making.

If you want to achieve greatly, lead effectively, and create massive success in your life, then learn to detach your emotions from important decisions.

I don't care if you like an under-performing employee and feel bad about letting them go.

If you have done everything you can to empower them and call them forward, and they still fail… it's time to let them go.

I don't care if you don't feel like getting up and doing your work for the day.

It's time to rise and hustle.

When it comes to important decisions, you must lead with logic.

I don't care how you feel.

Feelings don't win wars, build businesses, or change the world.

Smart and consistent action does.

5. Win the Mornings and Win Your Day

If you want to have great days, then start with great mornings.

Jocko rises every morning at 4:30 a.m. and hits the gym long before distractions or other people's agendas can start to distract him and interfere with his goals.

To achieve high levels of success, you must accomplish your most important tasks first thing every morning before the rest of the world is awake.

If you can do this, success is all but guaranteed.

If you're struggling with an existential crisis, this guide will help.

I don't have all of the answers, but I've been through the ringer.

From quitting my job to devastating breakups, to losing my father and best friend in the same month... I've been through challenges that have made me question the purpose of life and my place inside of it.

And this is how I overcame those challenges.

Jocko Willink is a decorated retired Navy SEAL officer, author of the book Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win, and co-founder of Echelon Front, where he is a leadership instructor, speaker, and executive coach. Jocko spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy SEAL Teams, starting as an enlisted SEAL and rising through the ranks to become a SEAL officer. As commander of SEAL Team Three’s Task Unit Bruiser during the battle of Ramadi, he orchestrated SEAL operations that helped the “Ready First” Brigade of the US Army’s First Armored Division bring stability to the violent, war-torn city.

As commander of SEAL Team Three’s Task Unit Bruiser during the battle of Ramadi, he orchestrated SEAL operations that helped the “Ready First” Brigade of the US Army’s First Armored Division bring stability to the violent, war-torn city.

Task Unit Bruiser became the most highly decorated Special Operations Unit of the Iraq War. Jocko returned from Iraq to serve as Officer-in-Charge of training for all West Coast SEAL Teams. There, he spearheaded the development of leadership training and personally instructed and mentored the next generation of SEAL leaders who have continued to perform with great success on the battlefield.

During his career, Jocko was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and numerous other personal and unit awards. In 2010, Jocko retired from the Navy and launched Echelon Front where he teaches the leadership principles he learned on the battlefield to help others lead and win. Clients include individuals, teams, companies, and organizations across a wide-range of industries and fields.

“Discipline equals freedom”

1. Discipline Gives You True Freedom

If you want freedom, then forget all the crap about life hacks, smart drugs, and shortcuts.

If you want freedom, then you must cultivate extreme levels of discipline.

Period.

I don’t care if you want to do the important things.

Do them.

I don’t care if you feel like handling your responsibilities.

Handle them.

I don’t care if you want to wake up early and grind.

Just fucking rise and grind.

Discipline equals freedom.

2. You Have to Be Humble

Once you have cultivated discipline and overcome your weakness and propensity to allow your feelings in the moment to dictate your life, arrogance becomes your most dangerous enemy.

Just because you have achieved a certain level of success does not mean that you have it figured out.

The day that you think you know it all, the day that you stop trying to grow, and the day you stop learning from others…

That’s the day that you will fall and you will fall hard.

3. Take Extreme Ownership 

Whatever circumstances life has given you, it’s time to man up and own them.

Step up and take charge of the results that you are producing or failing to produce.

Take ownership of your marriage, your business, and your finances.

Sure, you can piss away your time blaming others, whining, and moaning.

But you will lose respect from the people who matter and accomplish nothing in the process.

Or, you can let go of your ego, accept responsibility, and take extreme ownership.

And when are willing to swallow your pride and take ownership of your life and success, you will cultivate respect for yourself and respect from others.

4. Detach Emotions from Your Decision-Making Process 

If you want to sabotage your success and ruin all chances of high achievement, then allow your emotions to dictate your decision making.

If you want to achieve greatly, lead effectively, and create massive success in your life, then learn to detach your emotions from important decisions.

I don’t care if you like an under-performing employee and feel bad about letting them go.

If you have done everything you can to empower them and call them forward, and they still fail… it’s time to let them go.

I don’t care if you don’t feel like getting up and doing your work for the day.

It’s time to rise and hustle.

When it comes to important decisions, you must lead with logic.

I don’t care how you feel.

Feelings don’t win wars, build businesses, or change the world.

Smart and consistent action does. 

5. Win the Mornings and Win Your Day 

If you want to have great days, then start with great mornings.

Jocko rises every morning at 4:30 a.m. and hits the gym long before distractions or other people’s agendas can start to distract him and interfere with his goals.

To achieve high levels of success, you must accomplish your most important tasks first thing every morning before the rest of the world is awake.

If you can do this, success is all but guaranteed.

If you're struggling with an existential crisis, this guide will help. 

I don't have all of the answers, but I've been through the ringer. 

From quitting my job to devastating breakups, to losing my father and best friend in the same month... I've been through challenges that have made me question the purpose of life and my place inside of it. 

And this is how I overcame those challenges. 

Isaac Lidsky "may possess the most eclectic resume in entrepreneurship" according to Inc. Magazine.

He played series regular "Weasel" on Saved by the Bell: The New Class; graduated from Harvard College at age nineteen with a degree in mathematics and computer science; graduated from Harvard Law School magna cum laude; served as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg; argued more than a dozen appeals in federal court on behalf of the United States and never lost a case; started a tech company that sold for $230 million; transformed a struggling $15 million concrete subcontractor into an industry-leading $150 million construction services company in five years; and founded Hope for Vision, a nonprofit organization that funds the development of treatments and cures for blinding diseases.

Lidsky was born with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a rare degenerative disease of the retina that caused him to gradually lose his sight. Lidsky lives in Windermere, Florida with his wife, Dorothy; their triplets, Lily Louise, Phineas, and Thaddeus; and baby Clementine.

"Try not to become a man of success, rather become a man of value" ~Albert Einstein

1. Make Your Own Definition of Success

Each and every day, we are bombarded by images, videos, and social diatribes about what it means to be a success.

Fancy cars overtake us in traffic, well-dressed men dating beautiful models captivate our attention, and the "Houses in the Hills" earn both our scorn and envy.

And most of us allow this societal autopilot to determine our goals, dreams, and ambitions.

We all want to make millions, sleep with beautiful women, and have a luxurious lifestyle, but we never stop to ask ourselves why.

We define our success by the world's standards instead of our own, and as a result, most of us are angry, confused, and frustrated.

But there is another way.

You have the power to create your own definition of success.

To decide for yourself what is important and what is not.

To create your own goals based on your deepest values and desires.

Forget what society says.

Success is subjective.

If you wake up each morning, happy, fulfilled, and full of life, then you are a success.

The only question that remains for you to answer is "What is my definition of success"?

2. Your Reality is Determined by Your Choices

If you are drawing breath and reading this paragraph right now, then chances are, you have been through the ringer.

And if you haven't, then you might want to put on your raincoat, because there are a couple of storms on the horizon that are headed in your direction.

Struggle is an axiom of the human experience.

Everyone has challenges, problems, and setbacks.

So why is it that two people who are faced with exactly the same circumstance can create massively different results?

One simple word.

Choice.

In each moment, you have the power to choose how your circumstances will affect you.

You can choose to believe that life is happening for you, that everything happens for a reason, and that you will achieve your goals and dreams.

Or you can choose to believe that life is happening to you, that people are all inherently evil and trying to hurt you, and that you are doomed to a life of failure.

The choice is yours.

But as the Knight in Indiana Jones said "Choose wisely."

3. There is No Tomorrow

Yesterday no longer exists.

It is nothing more than a series of mental projections that often occurred in a completely different manner than you remember.

Tomorrow has not yet arrived and never will.

All that we have is right now.

This present moment.

Take a minute to appreciate it.

Enjoy the next breath you take, feel the chair underneath you, listen to the sounds around you.

Each moment that we have is a gift, you must learn to appreciate it and be grateful for it instead of waiting for a tomorrow or "Someday" that may never come.

4. Reframe Fears as Fiction

In AA, they define fear as "False evidence appearing real".

And truthfully, that is all that it is.

Most of the things that we worry about, lose sleep over, and allow to paralyze us will never come to fruition.

The worst case scenarios almost never happen, and when they do, they are rarely as awful as we initially imagined.

Fear is nothing but fiction.

Every fear that is holding you back and preventing you from achieving your greatness is little more than fiction.

It is a projection that your 10,000+ year old brain is creating to try and keep you safe from an imaginary fate.

Realize this.

Embrace this.

And step into your fear and take massive action.

5. Get Congruent with Your Values

We live in a world that utterly and completely lacks integrity.

I don't mean this in the sense that we all run around lying and breaking our promises, but rather in the sense that what we think, say, and do rarely align.

Most people think that they want to be rich, they say that they want to be well-off, and then they act like they want to be poor.

People say think that they want to be shredded and healthy, they say that they want to be in "Decent shape", and then they act like their body is a playground to use and abuse.

People are rarely congruent and almost never in integrity with their values.

You need to realize that you cannot have your cake and eat it too.

You cannot say that you value health and well being and then abuse your body, skip the gym, and deprive yourself of sleep.

You cannot say that you value wealth and then spend every penny you make and waste hours on end in front of the television.

If you want to be successful, whatever your definition of success is, then the first step is to get in integrity with your values.

What do you want? Say it.

And once you say it, go and do it.

It's that simple.

Isaac Lidsky “may possess the most eclectic resume in entrepreneurship” according to Inc. Magazine.

He played series regular “Weasel” on Saved by the Bell: The New Class; graduated from Harvard College at age nineteen with a degree in mathematics and computer science; graduated from Harvard Law School magna cum laude; served as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg; argued more than a dozen appeals in federal court on behalf of the United States and never lost a case; started a tech company that sold for $230 million; transformed a struggling $15 million concrete subcontractor into an industry-leading $150 million construction services company in five years; and founded Hope for Vision, a nonprofit organization that funds the development of treatments and cures for blinding diseases.

Lidsky was born with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a rare degenerative disease of the retina that caused him to gradually lose his sight. Lidsky lives in Windermere, Florida with his wife, Dorothy; their triplets, Lily Louise, Phineas, and Thaddeus; and baby Clementine.

“Try not to become a man of success, rather become a man of value” ~Albert Einstein

1. Make Your Own Definition of Success

Each and every day, we are bombarded by images, videos, and social diatribes about what it means to be a success.

Fancy cars overtake us in traffic, well-dressed men dating beautiful models captivate our attention, and the “Houses in the Hills” earn both our scorn and envy.

And most of us allow this societal autopilot to determine our goals, dreams, and ambitions.

We all want to make millions, sleep with beautiful women, and have a luxurious lifestyle, but we never stop to ask ourselves why.

We define our success by the world’s standards instead of our own, and as a result, most of us are angry, confused, and frustrated.

But there is another way.

You have the power to create your own definition of success.

To decide for yourself what is important and what is not.

To create your own goals based on your deepest values and desires.

Forget what society says.

Success is subjective.

If you wake up each morning, happy, fulfilled, and full of life, then you are a success.

The only question that remains for you to answer is “What is my definition of success”?

2. Your Reality is Determined by Your Choices 

If you are drawing breath and reading this paragraph right now, then chances are, you have been through the ringer.

And if you haven’t, then you might want to put on your raincoat, because there are a couple of storms on the horizon that are headed in your direction.

Struggle is an axiom of the human experience.

Everyone has challenges, problems, and setbacks.

So why is it that two people who are faced with exactly the same circumstance can create massively different results?

One simple word.

Choice.

In each moment, you have the power to choose how your circumstances will affect you.

You can choose to believe that life is happening for you, that everything happens for a reason, and that you will achieve your goals and dreams.

Or you can choose to believe that life is happening to you, that people are all inherently evil and trying to hurt you, and that you are doomed to a life of failure.

The choice is yours.

But as the Knight in Indiana Jones said “Choose wisely.”

3. There is No Tomorrow 

Yesterday no longer exists.

It is nothing more than a series of mental projections that often occurred in a completely different manner than you remember.

Tomorrow has not yet arrived and never will.

All that we have is right now.

This present moment.

Take a minute to appreciate it.

Enjoy the next breath you take, feel the chair underneath you, listen to the sounds around you.

Each moment that we have is a gift, you must learn to appreciate it and be grateful for it instead of waiting for a tomorrow or “Someday” that may never come.

4. Reframe Fears as Fiction

In AA, they define fear as “False evidence appearing real”.

And truthfully, that is all that it is.

Most of the things that we worry about, lose sleep over, and allow to paralyze us will never come to fruition.

The worst case scenarios almost never happen, and when they do, they are rarely as awful as we initially imagined.

Fear is nothing but fiction.

Every fear that is holding you back and preventing you from achieving your greatness is little more than fiction.

It is a projection that your 10,000+ year old brain is creating to try and keep you safe from an imaginary fate.

Realize this.

Embrace this.

And step into your fear and take massive action.

5. Get Congruent with Your Values 

We live in a world that utterly and completely lacks integrity.

I don’t mean this in the sense that we all run around lying and breaking our promises, but rather in the sense that what we think, say, and do rarely align.

Most people think that they want to be rich, they say that they want to be well-off, and then they act like they want to be poor.

People say think that they want to be shredded and healthy, they say that they want to be in “Decent shape”, and then they act like their body is a playground to use and abuse.

People are rarely congruent and almost never in integrity with their values.

You need to realize that you cannot have your cake and eat it too.

You cannot say that you value health and well being and then abuse your body, skip the gym, and deprive yourself of sleep.

You cannot say that you value wealth and then spend every penny you make and waste hours on end in front of the television.

If you want to be successful, whatever your definition of success is, then the first step is to get in integrity with your values.

What do you want? Say it.

And once you say it, go and do it.

It’s that simple.

Nicolas Cole is a former pro World of Warcraft player turned entrepreneur.

He is writer and essayist, and a Top Writer on Quora. His work has been published in Time, Forbes, Fortune, Inc., The Huffington Post, Business Insider, and more. He is best known for writing true stories about self-development.

He recently authored the book, Confessions of a Teenage Gamer.

"You can't steer a stationary ship"

1. There Are Always Lessons to Be Learned

Few people consider video games to be a vehicle for learning powerful life and business lessons.

However, according to Nicolas, the exact same skills and strategies that made him a phenomenal World of Warcraft player were the exact same skills that translated into professional body building, entrepreneurship, and writing.

And while I am not suggesting that you go and become a professional gamer to build up your resume for the business world, you need to realize that there are life lessons to be learned in almost any endeavor.

Because the rules of success are universal.

The same laws that governed your success in the gym will govern your success in business.

The same laws that governed your success in business will govern your success with women.

Understand that there are always lessons to be learned and look for ways that you can apply seemingly disparate concepts and ideas from one area of life to achieve success in another.

2. Feel Don't Think

If you ever watched Star Wars growing up, then you probably remember Obi Wan's famous line to Anakin in Attack of the Clones "Feel. Don't think.. Use your instinct."

And while I am not training you to bring balance to the force or defeat the dark side, this same truth is applicable in our everyday, non-Jedi lives.

People, especially men, think too much.

We allow logic and egoic reasoning to dictate what we want (or what we say we want) and what goals we pursue.

But if you want to be truly happy.

If you want more joy and fulfillment in your life, and you want to live for your true purpose, then you need to feel your way through life.

When you trust your instincts instead of your head, you will be in greater alignment with your true purpose and your actual desires.

So drop the logic and just feel.

What do you really want? Who do you really want to become? And most importantly… Why?

3. Learn to Gamify Your Life

If you want to quickly achieve success in life and business, then stop taking it so damn seriously.

Relax and gamify your experience.

See your different goals and dreams as quests. And in order to achieve those quests, you need to "level up" by practicing different skills and breaking through different milestones.

When you begin to view your life and goals as a game, they start to become less of a chore, and more of an adventure.

How can you begin to gamify your life more, starting today?

4. You've Got to Start the Quest

Once you have created a "quest" that you are going to pursue… You have to get started.

You cannot hope to achieve success without taking action and actually taking the first step towards your dreams.

I don't care what this step is. It can be buying a new domain name, writing your first blog article, or launching your podcast.

Just do something.

Just get started.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step ~Lao Tzu

5. Learn to Hustle

If you want to achieve success, then you've gotta hustle.

This applies to professional gaming, entrepreneurship, bodybuilding, and success with women.

You can have whatever you want, but you have to work for it.

You have to get off your butt, show up, and do the work.

If you are willing to do this day in and day out over the years, you will succeed.

It will not be all at once, but over time, as Charlie Munger said, "If you live long enough, most people will get what they deserve."

Nicolas Cole is a former pro World of Warcraft player turned entrepreneur.

He is writer and essayist, and a Top Writer on Quora. His work has been published in Time, Forbes, Fortune, Inc., The Huffington Post, Business Insider, and more. He is best known for writing true stories about self-development.

He recently authored the book, Confessions of a Teenage Gamer. 

“You can’t steer a stationary ship”

1. There Are Always Lessons to Be Learned 

Few people consider video games to be a vehicle for learning powerful life and business lessons.

However, according to Nicolas, the exact same skills and strategies that made him a phenomenal World of Warcraft player were the exact same skills that translated into professional body building, entrepreneurship, and writing.

And while I am not suggesting that you go and become a professional gamer to build up your resume for the business world, you need to realize that there are life lessons to be learned in almost any endeavor.

Because the rules of success are universal.

The same laws that governed your success in the gym will govern your success in business.

The same laws that governed your success in business will govern your success with women.

Understand that there are always lessons to be learned and look for ways that you can apply seemingly disparate concepts and ideas from one area of life to achieve success in another.

2. Feel Don’t Think

If you ever watched Star Wars growing up, then you probably remember Obi Wan’s famous line to Anakin in Attack of the Clones “Feel. Don’t think.. Use your instinct.”

And while I am not training you to bring balance to the force or defeat the dark side, this same truth is applicable in our everyday, non-Jedi lives.

People, especially men, think too much.

We allow logic and egoic reasoning to dictate what we want (or what we say we want) and what goals we pursue.

But if you want to be truly happy.

If you want more joy and fulfillment in your life, and you want to live for your true purpose, then you need to feel your way through life.

When you trust your instincts instead of your head, you will be in greater alignment with your true purpose and your actual desires.

So drop the logic and just feel.

What do you really want? Who do you really want to become? And most importantly… Why?

3. Learn to Gamify Your Life

If you want to quickly achieve success in life and business, then stop taking it so damn seriously.

Relax and gamify your experience.

See your different goals and dreams as quests. And in order to achieve those quests, you need to “level up” by practicing different skills and breaking through different milestones.

When you begin to view your life and goals as a game, they start to become less of a chore, and more of an adventure.

How can you begin to gamify your life more, starting today?

4. You’ve Got to Start the Quest 

Once you have created a “quest” that you are going to pursue… You have to get started.

You cannot hope to achieve success without taking action and actually taking the first step towards your dreams.

I don’t care what this step is. It can be buying a new domain name, writing your first blog article, or launching your podcast.

Just do something.

Just get started.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step ~Lao Tzu

5. Learn to Hustle 

If you want to achieve success, then you’ve gotta hustle.

This applies to professional gaming, entrepreneurship, bodybuilding, and success with women.

You can have whatever you want, but you have to work for it.

You have to get off your butt, show up, and do the work.

If you are willing to do this day in and day out over the years, you will succeed.

It will not be all at once, but over time, as Charlie Munger said, “If you live long enough, most people will get what they deserve.”

William Eckstrom is the President and founder of the EcSell Institute. Bill has spent his entire career in the sales arena; the first 14 years in personal production and then 13 in various sales leadership roles.

His management career began in 2000 as a District Manager for a medical equipment company and was promoted to U.S. Director of Sales in 2003. In 2004, Bill was lured away to become Senior Vice President of Business Development for a publicly traded healthcare organization. In 2008, he founded the EcSell Institute to fill a void he witnessed and personally experienced in the sales leadership

"The constant facade of order hides the wilderness that is craving to seek out and teach us that life wasn't created to be what we think it is. Beyond words we must experience the wilderness to be taught what otherwise cannot be known." ~Dr. Serene Jones

1. We Only Grow in a State of Discomfort

We live in an age of unprecedented comfort.

Things are easier today in 2017 (or whenever you are reading this) than they have ever been before.

If we get hot, we turn up the AC. If we get bored, we open up YouTube. If we are hungry, we order a pizza.

Life is too darn easy!

And with this ease, has come a disease that is plaguing society.

The disease of stagnation.

The more comfortable you become, the less drive and ambition you have to grow, create, and build a better life for yourself.

The more comfortable you become, the easier it is to relegate your dreams, desires, and aspirations to the realm of "someday".

Unless you are facing massive discomfort in your life, then odds are, you are slowly dying.

True growth, real, visceral growth is always predicated by discomfort.

If you are living a mediocre life and want to break free to achieve levels of success and happiness that you have been searching for for so long, then you must get uncomfortable.

It's as simple as that.

It's not pretty and it's not easy… but it is the truth.

You need to actively seek out discomfort in your career, your personal growth, and your physical health.

If your job isn't inspiring you, then find ways that you can take on new and uncomfortable responsibilities or quit.

If you are not growing as a man and becoming stronger and more grounded each and every day, then find mentors and friends inspire you to level up your game and quit playing it small.

If you are not constantly pushing the limits of your body and breaking through to new feats of strength, speed, and agility, then get your butt in the gym today and start sculpting yourself into a stronger man.

Gentlemen, if you are not growing you are dying.

It's time to cut the crap and start living life.

And it all starts by stepping outside what is easy and embracing discomfort.

2. Focus on Yourself First

If you have ever been on an airplane, then you are well aware of the boring (and often ignored) safety briefings at the beginning of each flight.

But if you pay special attention during those briefings you will notice something interesting.

The flight attendants will always tell you that, in the event of a crash, you need to put the oxygen mask on yourself first before helping anyone around you, including your children.

And while this might sound selfish and downright barbaric to some of you, it comes with good reason.

If you black out on during the crash while trying to help someone else, then what have you accomplished?

You have likely killed yourself and sealed the other person's fate as well.

And this lesson is applicable in all areas of life.

If you are not taking care of yourself, if you are not taking the time to grow yourself, mentally, spiritually, and professionally, then what use do you have to the rest of the world?

If you are so strung out on projects and problems that you can't think straight and need a double shot of espresso and a line of cocaine just to function, do you really think that you will be able to be the man that you woman needs you to be? That your family needs you to be? That your friends need you to be?

No!

Absolute selflessness is the ultimate selfishness.

It is only by taking care of yourself first that you can truly serve others.

If you want to truly serve your team, your loved ones, and your friends, then start by serving yourself.

Take time in solitude each day to meditate and be alone with your thoughts.

Take care of your health.

Take whatever time and resources are necessary to ensure that you can show up fully charged and alive.

Because when you are can unleash yourself on the world with power and energy, that's when you can serve others and make the biggest impact.

3. Life Happens for You Not to You

Each and every day you have a choice.

You can choose to believe that the circumstances and the events in your life are happening to you.

Or you can choose to believe that they are happening for you.

When you believe that life happens to you, you disempower yourself, rob your life of meaning and purpose, and will get lost in the downward spiral of negativity.

But when you can expand your mind and embrace the belief that life is happening for you, you will begin to see lessons and opportunities where previously, there were only obstacles.

If Bill hadn't been fired from his job, I would not be writing this article and would not have had the pleasure of interviewing him.

If I hadn't quit corporate and endured the pain of sleeping on my brother's couch and going broke to build this business, then I wouldn't have been privileged to have the business and the impact that I have today.

Whatever situation you are facing in your life, whatever struggle you don't believe you can overcome, choose to reframe it and see it as a gift from the universe.

See your pain as an opportunity to grow and become the man that you need to be so that you can truly achieve greatness when the time comes.

4.Realize that the Journey Never Ends

As you are reading or listening to this talk about discomfort, many of you might be thinking "When does this end? When can I sit back and relax and just enjoy all the comforts and ease life has to offer?"

The honest answer?

When you are dead.

You see, life is a journey.

And while you are on that journey, you are either growing or dying.

It doesn't matter how old you are, how accomplished you are, or how much you have achieved, in every moment you can either choose growth or death.

If you look at the statistics you will see that a large number of retirees die shortly after they leave their jobs, businesses, and careers behind.

And this isn't because of old age.

It's because they were no longer growing. Because they no longer had a deeper purpose driving their lives.

So yes, you can embrace comfort and just coast through life.

Just be prepared for decades of unfulfilling drudgery and overwhelming emptiness.

However, if you are listening to this podcast, if you are actively seeking out information that will help you grow to become the man you were born to be, then I would guess that you have no interest in coasting.

And if this is true, then you need to embrace discomfort.

Embrace the fact that until the day you die, you will never arrive, you will never be done, and the journey will never end.

Life is nothing more than a continual set of problems for which you are tasked to find the solution.

If you do it right, these problems will grow in size and magnitude as you grow.

But they will never end.

Embrace the journey and get excited about discomfort.

5. Focus on Your Passions

There has never been a time in human history where it was easier or more important to find and follow your passion.

With the power of the internet, you have the opportunity and the responsibility to find what you love and unleash it on the world.

It's time to start living your life and stop living someone else's.

Find what you love doing and go do that!

Stop squandering your time pursuing dreams and goals set by other people and start doing what you were meant to do.

If you get nothing else from this interview, get this.

You are meant to do so much more than you can imagine. But to do this, you must embrace discomfort and follow your passions no matter what the cost.

Period.