Tom Nikkola | VIGOR Training

Low thyroid, or hypothyroidism is more common than most people, including doctors, realize.



Do you eat like a bird and still gain weight? Feel depressed and exhausted even though you eat well and sleep enough? Do you have high cholesterol? It might be low thyroid.



Fortunately, it's relatively easy to improve your thyroid levels. In fact, many cases of hypothyroidism are preventable. Here’s what you need to know…



The Prevalence of Low Thyroid



Low thyroid affects one in seven.



Five to eight times as many women as men get diagnosed. However, that doesn’t mean it occurs in women five to eight times as often as it does in men.



Women are more proactive about their health, so it’s more likely the much higher occurrence of hypothyroidism is due, in part, to the fact that they get tested more often.



Read also: Irritable Male Syndrome, Andropause, and Reclaiming Your Manhood



Thyroid Hormone Basics



The thyroid gland sits on the front of your neck and regulates metabolic rate.



When someone with low thyroid says, “I have a slow metabolism,” they're right. However, it doesn’t mean they have to have a slow metabolism forever. They just need to do something about it.



The thyroid hormones include thyroid-stimulating hormone, thyroxine, triiodothyronine, reverse T3, and thyroid peroxidase. Technically, thyroid peroxidase is an antibody, not a hormone, but it should be measured along with the others.



HormoneNormal LevelsThyroid-Stimulating Hormone (TSH)0.45-4.21 mIU/L (optimal: 0.45-2.3 mIU/L)Thyroxine (T4)0.93-1.71 ng/dLTriiodothyronine (T3)2.3-4.2 pg/dLReverse T39.2-24.2 ng/dLThyroid Peroxidase (TPO)<34 IU/mL



The Thyroid-Related Hormones



Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)



TSH is usually the first (and unfortunately, sometimes only) thyroid-related hormone doctors measure. TSH stimulates the thyroid gland to produce T3 and T4, the main thyroid hormones.



Elevated TSH indicates low thyroid production, or hypothyroidism. Low TSH indicates high thyroid function, or hyperthyroidism.



When a doctor uses only TSH to diagnose thyroid issues, he or she makes an assumption about your thyroid needs.



As an example, let’s say your co-worker drives up in a brand new, full-loaded Tesla. Your first assumption might be that he is wealthy, or just came into a bunch of money. But if you were to look at his finances, you’d see that he’s racked up all kinds of credit card debt, sleeps on his parents couch, and has enough money after his car payment to eat ramen noodles and tuna fish three times per day.



Your assumption was wrong because you didn’t have all the facts. That’s what can happen when a doctor only looks at TSH to determine your thyroid health.



The only way to know whether your thyroid levels are optimal is to test the actual thyroid hormones, T4 and T3.



Thyroxine (T4)



T4 is the weaker of the two thyroid hormones, but it is 30-100 times more concentrated in the body than T3. So even though it isn’t as powerful, there’s so much more T4 than T3 that T4 has the greatest impact on metabolism.



Free T4 is the T4 available for use by the body.



Triiodothyronine (T3)



T3 is the most powerful thyroid hormone. Some T3 is produced directly by the thyroid gland, and some is converted from T4.

In virtually every aspect of life, a small percentage of people thrive, most get by, and some barely survive.

Rarely, is the difference a result of environment or luck. Instead, the difference is in the mindset of those who thrive and those who do not.

For example, weight loss for most people is pretty straight forward. Exercise to maintain muscle, get enough sleep, eat to shed fat.

Success in a network marketing business is also quite simple. Present your product or service to other people, help them get in the habit of using it regularly, and then help them present it to people they know.

Relationships? Those come down to investing quality time, being humble enough to hear how you could be a better partner for the other person, and learn to see things from his or her point of view instead of insisting the other person see things from yours.

The point is, the “recipe” for success in just about anything is hardly a secret. Most of the time, you could summarize it on a napkin.

It’s the “doing” part that separates those who thrive from those who get by.

To do what needs to be done consistently, you have to rewire your brain with a bias toward action.

Weight training has a unique way of doing just that, which is why, when someone asks me, “How can I develop the traits to succeed in _______?” I often respond with, “Join a gym and get on a weight training program four days per week. Stick with it for a minimum of six months and then let me know how the rest of your life has improved."

I’ll explain why in a moment, but I first want to explain how I recently came to this realization.

The Fitness-Network Marketing Connection

On February 1, 2015, I resigned from a very successful, 13-year career at Life Time Fitness, and joined Vanessa and what I’ve called, “a most fascinating and eye-opening human behavior experiment.”

This human behavior experiment is our network marketing business.

When I joined Vanessa in 2015, we had about 7000 members in our downline. Today we have about 13,000. In addition to helping new members get started with Young Living ourselves, we do a lot of coaching, business development education, and mentoring others who also want to build a business.

Like fitness and weight loss, a small percentage of would-be business builders take off and rock their business, while a large percentage don’t.

Over time, I saw patterns in behavior, excuses, and belief systems. The reasons so many people didn’t get their business off the ground were the very same reasons people didn’t succeed with their fitness or weight loss programs.

It’s in the practice of doing that gets you to your goals. So why don’t people do the work? Why don’t they do what it takes in their personal and professional lives to reach their potential?

In a sense, they’re satisfied with the way things are. They’d like things to be better, as long as there isn’t much work involved.

But all too often, people subconsciously throw up their hands as soon as they face the work that has to get done.

Which leads me to weight training.

From my experience and observation, when someone follows a well-designed weight training program, and makes progress month after month, they end up training their brain to see their goals with a new perspective.

And when they take an hour, four times per week, to invest in their personal and professional success through following a periodized weight training program, the effects spill over into all areas of their lives.

Weight training develops the following five mental, emotional, and physical traits, which help you succeed in almost every area of your life.

1. Discipline - The Ability to Exercise Self-Control

If you’re a “free spirit,” or someone who hates planning or being held any expectations, you probably hate this word.

I’m not referring to discipline as you following someone else rules, or being controlled by someone else.

Discipline is self-control.

In virtually every aspect of life, a small percentage of people thrive, most get by, and some barely survive.

Rarely, is the difference a result of environment or luck. Instead, the difference is in the mindset of those who thrive and those who do not.

For example, weight loss for most people is pretty straight forward. Exercise to maintain muscle, get enough sleep, eat to shed fat.

Success in a network marketing business is also quite simple. Present your product or service to other people, help them get in the habit of using it regularly, and then help them present it to people they know.

Relationships? Those come down to investing quality time, being humble enough to hear how you could be a better partner for the other person, and learn to see things from his or her point of view instead of insisting the other person see things from yours.

The point is, the “recipe” for success in just about anything is hardly a secret. Most of the time, you could summarize it on a napkin.

It’s the “doing” part that separates those who thrive from those who get by.

To do what needs to be done consistently, you have to rewire your brain with a bias toward action.

Weight training has a unique way of doing just that, which is why, when someone asks me, “How can I develop the traits to succeed in _______?” I often respond with, “Join a gym and get on a weight training program four days per week. Stick with it for a minimum of six months and then let me know how the rest of your life has improved."

I’ll explain why in a moment, but I first want to explain how I recently came to this realization.

Article Shortcuts* The Fitness-Network Marketing Connection* 1. Discipline - The Ability to Exercise Self-Control* 2. Focus - The Ability to Tune Out Noise or Distraction* 3. Strength - The Ability to Overcome Resistance* 4. Stamina - The Ability to Sustain Prolonged Physical or Mental Effort* 5. Resilience - The Ability to Recover From Difficulties (“Toughness”)* Weight Training Enhances Your Ability

The Fitness-Network Marketing Connection

On February 1, 2015, I resigned from a very successful, 13-year career at Life Time Fitness, and joined Vanessa and what I’ve called, “a most fascinating and eye-opening human behavior experiment.”

This human behavior experiment is our network marketing business.

When I joined Vanessa in 2015, we had about 7000 members in our downline. Today we have about 13,000. In addition to helping new members get started with Young Living ourselves, we do a lot of coaching, business development education, and mentoring others who also want to build a business.

Like fitness and weight loss, a small percentage of would-be business builders take off and rock their business, while a large percentage don’t.

Over time,

In virtually every aspect of life, a small percentage of people thrive, most get by, and some barely survive.

Rarely, is the difference a result of environment or luck. Instead, the difference is in the mindset of those who thrive and those who do not.

For example, weight loss for most people is pretty straight forward. Exercise to maintain muscle, get enough sleep, eat to shed fat.

Success in a network marketing business is also quite simple. Present your product or service to other people, help them get in the habit of using it regularly, and then help them present it to people they know.

Relationships? Those come down to investing quality time, being humble enough to hear how you could be a better partner for the other person, and learn to see things from his or her point of view instead of insisting the other person see things from yours.

The point is, the “recipe” for success in just about anything is hardly a secret. Most of the time, you could summarize it on a napkin.

It’s the “doing” part that separates those who thrive from those who get by.

To do what needs to be done consistently, you have to rewire your brain with a bias toward action.

Weight training has a unique way of doing just that, which is why, when someone asks me, “How can I develop the traits to succeed in _______?” I often respond with, “Join a gym and get on a weight training program four days per week. Stick with it for a minimum of six months and then let me know how the rest of your life has improved."

I’ll explain why in a moment, but I first want to explain how I recently came to this realization.

The Fitness-Network Marketing Connection

On February 1, 2015, I resigned from a very successful, 13-year career at Life Time Fitness, and joined Vanessa and what I’ve called, “a most fascinating and eye-opening human behavior experiment.”

This human behavior experiment is our network marketing business.

When I joined Vanessa in 2015, we had about 7000 members in our downline. Today we have about 13,000. In addition to helping new members get started with Young Living ourselves, we do a lot of coaching, business development education, and mentoring others who also want to build a business.

Like fitness and weight loss, a small percentage of would-be business builders take off and rock their business, while a large percentage don’t.

Over time, I saw patterns in behavior, excuses, and belief systems. The reasons so many people didn’t get their business off the ground were the very same reasons people didn’t succeed with their fitness or weight loss programs.

It’s in the practice of doing that gets you to your goals. So why don’t people do the work? Why don’t they do what it takes in their personal and professional lives to reach their potential?

In a sense, they’re satisfied with the way things are. They’d like things to be better, as long as there isn’t much work involved.

But all too often, people subconsciously throw up their hands as soon as they face the work that has to get done.

Which leads me to weight training.

From my experience and observation, when someone follows a well-designed weight training program, and makes progress month after month, they end up training their brain to see their goals with a new perspective.

And when they take an hour, four times per week, to invest in their personal and professional success through following a periodized weight training program, the effects spill over into all areas of their lives.

Weight training develops the following five mental, emotional, and physical traits, which help you succeed in almost every area of your life.

1. Discipline - The Ability to Exercise Self-Control

If you’re a “free spirit,” or someone who hates planning or being held any expectations, you probably hate this word.

I’m not referring to discipline as you following someone else rules, or being controlled by someone else.

Discipline is self-control.

Irritable Male Syndrome…Did you know there is such a thing? Of course, you knew that guys could be irritable, but did you know there’s a syndrome with a physiological cause?

Based on the name, do you think you know someone who has it? If you’re a guy, is it possible you do?

An estimated one in five men has Irritable Male Syndrome, so I can safely assume you either have it or know someone who does.

Irritable Male Syndrome isn’t a male version of PMS, where a guy just has a few “off” days.

It is an almost-everyday issue. Unfortunately, it doesn’t just hurt the guy who’s got it.

Irritable Male Syndrome (IMS) affects his career, quality of life, friendships, and most of all, the relationships with those he loves most.

In fact, some women who live with a husband with IMS feel they are to blame for their husband’s erratic behavior, short temper, and grumpy attitude. Ladies, it’s not your fault.

Though relationship and psychological problems could also cause emotional issues for a guy, the symptoms of Irritable Male Syndrome often have a hormonal cause.

Before delving into the cause of IMS, I first want to cover how it shows up in a man’s life.

Read also: (Grand)Fathers, (Grand)Sons, and Reflections on Turning 41.

Symptoms of Irritable Male Syndrome/Andropause

Do any of the following scenarios sound like you, or someone you know and care about?

You’re crabby and feel like everyone or everything around you is the problem. In fact, you seem to find flaws in everything you see, and you weren’t that way in the past.

You’re a ticking time bomb. Sometimes you’re kind, considerate, and selfless. Other times you are a selfish jerk. You’re especially poopy towards those you love the most. But even in your jerky state, you know that it isn’t the real you. 

You feel depressed. Nothing excites you or motivates you. You don’t feel like you have any “fight” left in you. Even the stuff you used to stand up for, you’d prefer to ignore. 

Your body feels more fragile and looks more flabby. You’ve gotten weak and soft. You don’t need to shave as often, and your moobs (yeah, man boobs)…where did those come from?

The only thing that excites you in your bedroom is going to sleep, and you can’t remember the last time you woke up with an erection…come to think of it, you can’t remember a lot of things. 

This is “real life” for a lot of guys. Unfortunately, most guys don’t say or do anything about it, because if they did, they’d have to admit something is wrong.

The symptoms of emotional disorders among males at [andropause] include moodiness, irritability, nervousness, depression, aggravation, fatigability, poor concentration, deteriorating memory, worse stress management and stress-related coping techniques, new aversion to certain activities that usually were enjoyable, or prolonged mood disorders.

Jakiel G, et al.

What is Irritable Male Syndrome/Andropause?

Irritable Male Syndrome goes by many names: Andropause, male menopause, male climacteric, viropause, androgen deficiency in aging males (ADAM), partial androgen deficiency in aging males (PADAM), symptomatic late-onset hypogonadism (SLOH), and testosterone deficiency syndrome (TDS).

There are slight nuances in how each of these conditions is classified. But for the most part, the core problems and symptoms in each are the same.

By the way, I use Irritable Male Syndrome, IMS, and andropause interchangeably throughout this article. It makes it easier to read, and it sounds better than repeatedly reading symptomatic late-onset hypogonadism.

You could also imagine “Grumpy Old Men.” It’s just that you don’t have to be old. And it isn’t always about being grumpy.

Andropause is the result of declining testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). In some cases, the decline is due to age, and in others, it’s the result of poor lifestyle, nutrition, and exercise choices.

Irritable Male Syndrome…Did you know there is such a thing? Of course, you knew that guys could be irritable, but did you know there’s a syndrome with a physiological cause?

Based on the name, do you think you know someone who has it? If you’re a guy, is it possible you do?

An estimated one in five men has Irritable Male Syndrome, so I can safely assume you either have it or know someone who does.

Irritable Male Syndrome isn’t a male version of PMS, where a guy just has a few “off” days.

It is an almost-everyday issue. Unfortunately, it doesn’t just hurt the guy who’s got it.

Irritable Male Syndrome (IMS) affects his career, quality of life, friendships, and most of all, the relationships with those he loves most.

In fact, some women who live with a husband with IMS feel they are to blame for their husband’s erratic behavior, short temper, and grumpy attitude. Ladies, it’s not your fault.

Though relationship and psychological problems could also cause emotional issues for a guy, the symptoms of Irritable Male Syndrome often have a hormonal cause.

Before delving into the cause of IMS, I first want to cover how it shows up in a man’s life.

Read also: (Grand)Fathers, (Grand)Sons, and Reflections on Turning 41.

Symptoms of Irritable Male Syndrome/Andropause

Do any of the following scenarios sound like you, or someone you know and care about?

You’re crabby and feel like everyone or everything around you is the problem. In fact, you seem to find flaws in everything you see, and you weren’t that way in the past.

You’re a ticking time bomb. Sometimes you’re kind, considerate, and selfless. Other times you are a selfish jerk. You’re especially poopy towards those you love the most. But even in your jerky state, you know that it isn’t the real you. 

You feel depressed. Nothing excites you or motivates you. You don’t feel like you have any “fight” left in you. Even the stuff you used to stand up for, you’d prefer to ignore. 

Your body feels more fragile and looks more flabby. You’ve gotten weak and soft. You don’t need to shave as often, and your moobs (yeah, man boobs)…where did those come from?

The only thing that excites you in your bedroom is going to sleep, and you can’t remember the last time you woke up with an erection…come to think of it, you can’t remember a lot of things. 

This is “real life” for a lot of guys. Unfortunately, most guys don’t say or do anything about it, because if they did, they’d have to admit something is wrong.

The symptoms of emotional disorders among males at [andropause] include moodiness, irritability, nervousness, depression, aggravation, fatigability, poor concentration, deteriorating memory, worse stress management and stress-related coping techniques, new aversion to certain activities that usually were enjoyable, or prolonged mood disorders. —Jakiel G, et al.

What is Irritable Male Syndrome/Andropause?

Irritable Male Syndrome goes by many names: Andropause, male menopause, male climacteric, viropause, androgen deficiency in aging males (ADAM), partial androgen deficiency in aging males (PADAM), symptomatic late-onset hypogonadism (SLOH), and testosterone deficiency syndrome (TDS).

There are slight nuances in how each of these conditions is classified. But for the most part,

Irritable Male Syndrome…Did you know there is such a thing? Of course, you knew that guys could be irritable, but did you know there’s a syndrome with a physiological cause?

Based on the name, do you think you know someone who has it? If you’re a guy, is it possible you do?

An estimated one in five men has Irritable Male Syndrome, so I can safely assume you either have it or know someone who does.

Irritable Male Syndrome isn’t a male version of PMS, where a guy just has a few “off” days.

It is an almost-everyday issue. Unfortunately, it doesn’t just hurt the guy who’s got it.

Irritable Male Syndrome (IMS) affects his career, quality of life, friendships, and most of all, the relationships with those he loves most.

In fact, some women who live with a husband with IMS feel they are to blame for their husband’s erratic behavior, short temper, and grumpy attitude. Ladies, it’s not your fault.

Though relationship and psychological problems could also cause emotional issues for a guy, the symptoms of Irritable Male Syndrome often have a hormonal cause.

Before delving into the cause of IMS, I first want to cover how it shows up in a man’s life.

Read also: (Grand)Fathers, (Grand)Sons, and Reflections on Turning 41.

Symptoms of Irritable Male Syndrome/Andropause

Do any of the following scenarios sound like you, or someone you know and care about?

You’re crabby and feel like everyone or everything around you is the problem. In fact, you seem to find flaws in everything you see, and you weren’t that way in the past.

You’re a ticking time bomb. Sometimes you’re kind, considerate, and selfless. Other times you are a selfish jerk. You’re especially poopy towards those you love the most. But even in your jerky state, you know that it isn’t the real you. 

You feel depressed. Nothing excites you or motivates you. You don’t feel like you have any “fight” left in you. Even the stuff you used to stand up for, you’d prefer to ignore. 

Your body feels more fragile and looks more flabby. You’ve gotten weak and soft. You don’t need to shave as often, and your moobs (yeah, man boobs)…where did those come from?

The only thing that excites you in your bedroom is going to sleep, and you can’t remember the last time you woke up with an erection…come to think of it, you can’t remember a lot of things. 

This is “real life” for a lot of guys. Unfortunately, most guys don’t say or do anything about it, because if they did, they’d have to admit something is wrong.

The symptoms of emotional disorders among males at [andropause] include moodiness, irritability, nervousness, depression, aggravation, fatigability, poor concentration, deteriorating memory, worse stress management and stress-related coping techniques, new aversion to certain activities that usually were enjoyable, or prolonged mood disorders.Jakiel G, et al.

What is Irritable Male Syndrome/Andropause?

Irritable Male Syndrome goes by many names: Andropause, male menopause, male climacteric, viropause, androgen deficiency in aging males (ADAM), partial androgen deficiency in aging males (PADAM), symptomatic late-onset hypogonadism (SLOH), and testosterone deficiency syndrome (TDS).

There are slight nuances in how each of these conditions is classified. But for the most part, the core problems and symptoms in each are the same.

By the way, I use Irritable Male Syndrome, IMS, and andropause interchangeably throughout this article. It makes it easier to read, and it sounds better than repeatedly reading symptomatic late-onset hypogonadism.

You could also imagine “Grumpy Old Men.” It’s just that you don’t have to be old. And it isn’t always about being grumpy.

Andropause is the result of declining testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). In some cases, the decline is due to age, and in others, it’s the result of poor lifestyle, nutrition, and exercise choices.

I don't know about you, but I'm burned out from all the clichéd quotes about fear that fill up my newsfeed. While fear is a factor in one's lack of success, few people understand the fears that actually drive their behavior.

The obvious fears, such as the fear of public speaking, the fear of rejection, or the fear of dying, are rarely the fears that affect us most. In fact, the fears you talk about are probably just symptoms of other fears deep in your subconscious mind.

If you remain unaware of your unconscious fears, you won’t know why you avoid opportunities that would most benefit your health, happiness, career, business, or relationships.

I’ve observed five unconscious fears in co-workers, clients, network marketing business owners, friends, family, and of course, myself.

If you only scan the list, you will probably tell yourself you don’t have any of these fears. But, if you read through the full article, I have a feeling you’ll discover that at least one of the fears affects you more than you initially think.

Note: Throughout this article, I intentionally never use the phrase “face your fear.” To face your fear means you can look at it, stare it down, or become fully aware of it. It doesn't do you much good to just know that it's there. You have to change your mindset about the fear, or take action. If you don't, nothing will change.  

Fear of Failure

Why do you fear failure?

You assume the emotional pain from failing will hurt more than the pain of life remaining the same. Or, you fear that by failing, others might see you as "less than" -- less capable, skilled, credible, knowledgeable, successful, etc.

You’re not really afraid of the outcome. You’re afraid of how the outcome might make you feel.

And that is the core of the problem.

You believe the outcome of failure is a feeling.

What if, instead of believing that failure's outcome was a feeling, you believed its outcome was a lesson?

Think of the first time you tried completing a maze. You put the tip of your pen down on the paper and moved it from the start, into the maze. Eventually, you found yourself at a dead end.

Did you pick up your pen, throw the maze away, and feel like a failure? Did others judge you for making the wrong choice?

Of course not!

You kept your pen on the paper, backed away from the dead end, and found a new path. Perhaps you took another route that didn't work, or maybe you found your way through the maze. The point is, you didn't give up just because you took a wrong turn. You turned around and tried a new way forward.

Failure is just a temporary dead end.

Failure is merely a sign that you need to adjust your strategy, get stronger, try harder, ask for help, or improve your skills.

It was a beautiful, sunny, 80-degree morning in Longboat Key, Florida. I was at the driving range with a friend.

If you would have driven up to the range about 9:00 am that morning, you would have seen me crush a drive over 300 yards on the fly, straight as an arrow, down the middle of the range.

You might have thought, “Jeez, that guy must be a pro.”

But you would have made that judgment based only on a single shot, not knowing what success and failures led up to that drive that morning.

Before that nearly perfect drive, I shanked, hooked, chunked, sliced, and topped dozens of range balls.

After each shot, I paused and briefly reviewed my swing in my head to figure out what went wrong. With the next shot, I’d make a slight adjustment in my grip, swing speed, stance, or something else.

Little by little, my swing same together.

The last shot was the final result of learning from a lot of crappy shots, or a lot of failures.

Often, we see only the final shot from other people, after they post their status updates. We assume they have a special gift, or that they're blessed or lucky. We don't realize their success was the result taking a lot of shots that sucked, learning from them,

I don't know about you, but I'm burned out from all the clichéd quotes about fear that fill up my newsfeed. While fear is a factor in one's lack of success, few people understand the fears that actually drive their behavior.

The obvious fears, such as the fear of public speaking, the fear of rejection, or the fear of dying, are rarely the fears that affect us most. In fact, the fears you talk about are probably just symptoms of other fears deep in your subconscious mind.

If you remain unaware of your unconscious fears, you won’t know why you avoid opportunities that would most benefit your health, happiness, career, business, or relationships.

I’ve observed five unconscious fears in co-workers, clients, network marketing business owners, friends, family, and of course, myself.

If you only scan the list, you will probably tell yourself you don’t have any of these fears. But, if you read through the full article, I have a feeling you’ll discover that at least one of the fears affects you more than you initially think.

Note: Throughout this article, I intentionally never use the phrase “face your fear.” To face your fear means you can look at it, stare it down, or become fully aware of it. It doesn't do you much good to just know that it's there. You have to change your mindset about the fear, or take action. If you don't, nothing will change.  

Fear of Failure

Why do you fear failure?

You assume the emotional pain from failing will hurt more than the pain of life remaining the same. Or, you fear that by failing, others might see you as "less than" -- less capable, skilled, credible, knowledgeable, successful, etc.

You’re not really afraid of the outcome. You’re afraid of how the outcome might make you feel.

And that is the core of the problem.

You believe the outcome of failure is a feeling.

What if, instead of believing that failure's outcome was a feeling, you believed its outcome was a lesson?

Think of the first time you tried completing a maze. You put the tip of your pen down on the paper and moved it from the start, into the maze. Eventually, you found yourself at a dead end.

Did you pick up your pen, throw the maze away, and feel like a failure? Did others judge you for making the wrong choice?

Of course not!

You kept your pen on the paper, backed away from the dead end, and found a new path. Perhaps you took another route that didn't work, or maybe you found your way through the maze. The point is, you didn't give up just because you took a wrong turn. You turned around and tried a new way forward.

Failure is just a temporary dead end.

Failure is merely a sign that you need to adjust your strategy, get stronger, try harder, ask for help, or improve your skills.

It was a beautiful, sunny, 80-degree morning in Longboat Key, Florida. I was at the driving range with a friend.

If you would have driven up to the range about 9:00 am that morning, you would have seen me crush a drive over 300 yards on the fly, straight as an arrow, down the middle of the range.

You might have thought, “Jeez, that guy must be a pro.”

But you would have made that judgment based only on a single shot, not knowing what success and failures led up to that drive that morning.

Before that nearly perfect drive, I shanked, hooked, chunked, sliced, and topped dozens of range balls.

I don't know about you, but I'm burned out from all the clichéd quotes about fear that fill up my newsfeed. While fear is a factor in one's lack of success, few people understand the fears that actually drive their behavior.

The obvious fears, such as the fear of public speaking, the fear of rejection, or the fear of dying, are rarely the fears that affect us most. In fact, the fears you talk about are probably just symptoms of other fears deep in your subconscious mind.

If you remain unaware of your unconscious fears, you won’t know why you avoid opportunities that would most benefit your health, happiness, career, business, or relationships.

I’ve observed five unconscious fears in co-workers, clients, network marketing business owners, friends, family, and of course, myself.

If you only scan the list, you will probably tell yourself you don’t have any of these fears. But, if you read through the full article, I have a feeling you’ll discover that at least one of the fears affects you more than you initially think.

Note: Throughout this article, I intentionally never use the phrase “face your fear.” To face your fear means you can look at it, stare it down, or become fully aware of it. It doesn't do you much good to just know that it's there. You have to change your mindset about the fear, or take action. If you don't, nothing will change.  

Fear of Failure

Why do you fear failure?

You assume the emotional pain from failing will hurt more than the pain of life remaining the same. Or, you fear that by failing, others might see you as "less than" -- less capable, skilled, credible, knowledgeable, successful, etc.

You’re not really afraid of the outcome. You’re afraid of how the outcome might make you feel.

And that is the core of the problem.

You believe the outcome of failure is a feeling.

What if, instead of believing that failure's outcome was a feeling, you believed its outcome was a lesson?

Think of the first time you tried completing a maze. You put the tip of your pen down on the paper and moved it from the start, into the maze. Eventually, you found yourself at a dead end.

Did you pick up your pen, throw the maze away, and feel like a failure? Did others judge you for making the wrong choice?

Of course not!

You kept your pen on the paper, backed away from the dead end, and found a new path. Perhaps you took another route that didn't work, or maybe you found your way through the maze. The point is, you didn't give up just because you took a wrong turn. You turned around and tried a new way forward.

Failure is just a temporary dead end.

Failure is merely a sign that you need to adjust your strategy, get stronger, try harder, ask for help, or improve your skills.

It was a beautiful, sunny, 80-degree morning in Longboat Key, Florida. I was at the driving range with a friend.

If you would have driven up to the range about 9:00 am that morning, you would have seen me crush a drive over 300 yards on the fly, straight as an arrow, down the middle of the range.

You might have thought, “Jeez, that guy must be a pro.”

But you would have made that judgment based only on a single shot, not knowing what success and failures led up to that drive that morning.

Before that nearly perfect drive, I shanked, hooked, chunked, sliced, and topped dozens of range balls.

After each shot, I paused and briefly reviewed my swing in my head to figure out what went wrong. With the next shot, I’d make a slight adjustment in my grip, swing speed, stance, or something else.

Little by little, my swing same together.

The last shot was the final result of learning from a lot of crappy shots, or a lot of failures.

Often, we see only the final shot from other people, after they post their status updates. We assume they have a special gift, or that they're blessed or lucky. We don't realize their success was the result taking a lot of shots that sucked, learning from them,