Dreams are the means...

What is a dream? In psychological terms, a dream is defined as thoughts, images, and feelings that occur in your mind when you dream. If you think about it, that definition is not so far off from our concept of a dream or an aspiration.

Have you ever wanted something really badly? Have you ever closed your eyes and imagined something that you wanted? Have you ever had a vision that you wanted to create?

These are all forms of dreams. In many cases they can be while you are asleep. In many other cases they can also be in waking moments. The common theme between sleeping and waking dreams is that they give life to thoughts, pictures, and/or feelings. It is these thoughts, pictures, and/or feelings that give life to these dreams.

Likewise, when it comes to the life goal/aspiration type of dreams, these visuals/sensations are what makes dreams so powerful. It is what makes them seem REAL. It is what makes them seem ATTAINABLE. It is what brings them closer to you. The book Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill talks about goals and how visualization is a crucial part of manifesting your dreams. After all, if you can't see it, feel it, and believe you can reach it, how can you ever attain it?

I can't say it better than my man Kanye West, "I always had a passion for flashin' before I had it I close my eyes and imagine, the good life."

That's it right there. Dreams are the means for us to express our desires. They are the means for us to see them and feel them. They are the means to make us want them more. Most importantly, they are also the means for us to believe that the very thing we are dreaming (and maybe imagining) can be real for us.

Keep DREAMING. Keep STRIVING. Keep BELIEVING! These dreams are the basis for the things that can materialize in your life. I say can materialize, because it comes down to one question. How bad do you want them? Is your desire strong enough to carry you on through all opposition?

Once you have those dreams in mind, believe that you can have them and then there is NO SUPPLEMENT for HARD WORK. There are three simple steps to achieve your dreams.

1. Dream
2. Believe
3. WORK HARD, WORK HARDER, and CONTINUE TO WORK YOUR HARDEST

I didn't say it's easy...I said it's simple. I'm on my journey to achieve my dreams. First I had to dream it. Second I had to believe that I can. And third, I continue to work my hardest. Do you?

Another important element is DESIRE. The intensity of your desire (once you believe) will determine how hard you are willing to work for your dreams! Remember, keep dreaming!

Persist On Regardless of Your Opposition!

Yesterday I met a gentleman that forever changed my life.

Without getting into details, this man had necessary brain surgery to save his life.  The result was brain damage and paralyzation of the right side of his body.  He was a high level mathematician and after the surgery, he said he couldn't even do times tables.

Through speaking with him, I learned the true power of positivity and belief.  His doctors told him that he shouldn't try to rehabilitate his right side because the feeling would never come back.  He was not convinced.  He went against the doctors recommendation and worked at it -worked hard at it.

Feeling has slowly been returning to his right side and mobility of his right arm is looking hopeful.  He is now able to articulate his thoughts and he even relearned math up to Calculus.  His advice - "Don't listen to the doctors."  

Translating this into the implications it has on life, it means that you should not let people stop you from doing what you believe.  Take their recommendation more-so as an opinion and a lesson for you to learn from, not an obstacle or a blockade.

Speaking with him and meeting with him made me realize several things.  I decided to make a list of the top 5 lessons I learned from him:

Top 5 Lessons I Learned:

#5:  Just because it hasn't happened already, doesn't mean it won't happen

#4:  If you want it bad enough, keep working at it

#3:  Believing in yourself is SOO important

#2:  Be positive - NOTHING is impossible!

The #1 Lesson I Learned:  Enjoy every minute of everyday - do what you love!

I want to hear your thoughts, comments and questions!  Blog with me!

Performance & Success Advice Blog Post # 15 - Achieve YOUR Full Potential!

It is certainly funny how life works.  Just the other night while I was in New Orleans, I made friends with Lloyd, the night manager at the hotel I stayed in.  We ended up talking about our goals in life, leading me to tell him about my blog and the Collegiate Performance Magazine.

I told him that my goal is to become a professional speaker, a business coach and consultant, to publish the book I am writing, and to film the reality TV show I am writing.  Likewise, he told me about his goals.  Lloyd was my first inspiration for writing this blog post since we spoke about what was keeping him from reaching his goals or Achieving HIS Full Potential. 

Life works in miraculous ways.  The second motivation of why it was imperative for me to create this post was revealed to me while driving from New Orleans to Tulsa yesterday as I was listening to podcasts by people I like.  This one in particular by Scott Smith of the Daily Boost called “How to Achieve Your Full Potential,” ironically was exactly about what Lloyd and I had talked about – our own Human Potential.

We all have goals, dreams and aspirations.  In this podcast, Scott speaks on why some are successful in achieving theirs and why others are not.  Those that are not yet successful all have one thing in common – constraints, or things that hold them back.  

To successfully achieve your ultimate goals, dreams and aspirations one must:

1. Recognize what your constraints are
2. Remove your constraints so you can move forward
3. Move forwards to Achieve YOUR Full Potential!

You can achieve anything and everything you set your mind to.  Don’t take it from me; go listen to Scott’s podcast to hear it first hand!  He ends the podcast powerfully by saying - “You have all the potential in the world.  You have some hope that believes you can get there.  You have the faith that it’s within you right?  You have that.  You have the frustration that says you have all this potential. If you can only remove the constraints, your on your way!” 

My constraint was the full-time commitment that my college education demanded of me, which diverted my focus, time, and effort away from growing my business.  On August 8^th, I graduated with my Bachelors of Science in Marketing and a concentration in Sales eliminating my constraint. 

I am now moving forwards to Achieving MY Full Potential.  There is nothing holding me back.  I have embarked on my journey with my compass pointing me daily towards Achieving MY Full Potential. 

What is holding you back?

Listen to Scott’s podcast on iTunes called “How to Achieve Your Full Potential!”  Invest in yourself!  Don’t let anything stop you and Achieve YOUR Full Potential!

Questions?  Comments?  Blog with me!

Performance & Success Advice Blog Post # 13 - Success is Paid in Advance

One of my mentors, Dr. Jeff Magee, gave me some wise advice not long ago. He said, "Success is Paid in Advance."

As I make the transition this Saturday from college student to full time business professional, this piece of advice has never resonated more strongly...allow me to share with you why.

I am an ambitious young professional with many goals in sight. My goal is to help others become successful through business coaching, consulting, writing, speaking and more. You may be wondering, "how is a 21 year old recent college graduate going to achieve these grandiose goals?"

It is this very question that inspired me to write this blog post entitled "Success is Paid in Advance."

The answer to that question in my mind is simple. I do not plan on becoming any one of these things overnight. I am aware that success is paid in advance, thus I am prepared for the long journey and hard work ahead of me.

Success is a journey of self-discovery. It is crucial to realize this to prepare yourself to work harder then you ever have before, longer hours then you ever have before, and to pay your dues for the sake of learning and experience.

As we near graduation and eventually graduate, we all experience the same streams of thoughts flowing through our minds. Most of these thoughts surround the question, "what am I going to do now?" This is the moment we have been working towards our entire lives! Many expect to graduate and get a job paying a nice salary...but largely, this is not the case. Don't be discouraged if you are not one of those few! Remember that determination, commitment, consistency, passion, a desire to succeed, positivity and hard work are what breeds success.

The take away from this lesson is this:

On our journey for success, we all need to...

1. Decide what it is that you want to do/become
   
2. Write down the goals and steps you must achieve to get there
3. Commit yourself unreservedly to attaining these goals
4. Prepare for the journey ahead of you...remember "Success is Paid in Advance!"
5. Be willing to work hard and give it your all
6. Stay Positive and HAVE FUN!!!

One of the best ways to stay on top of your goals is to lock onto your target. Once you write down the goals you must achieve to get there, create a daily action plan of actions and do a little every day! Please view my blog post entitled "The Power of Doing A Little Everyday" to see why this works so well!

Questions? Comments? Please blog with me!

Performance & Success Advice Blog Post # 8 - Health & Fitness

Health and fitness are unquestionably a part of achieving high levels of performance and success.  Start today...we all want a healthy mind, body, and soul!

Having good health and fitness habits will:

• Ensure good cardiovascular (heart) health
  
• Allow yourself to like the way you look
  
• Strengthen your Self-Discipline
  
• Enable you to practice setting and achieving goals
  
• Give you the confidence to take on anything

The most important part about eating healthy and being fit is that you feel good about yourself.  

I recently took on a healthy diet and became a student of fitness and nutrition.  Here is my weekly routine:

• I lift weights everyday for muscle tone (different muscles of course)
  
• I go spinning for cardiovascular exercise every other day

*TIP* - Pushing yourself in the gym and seeing improvement will give you the confidence to take on the world.

Onto health and nutrition.  When consulting some trainers about my goal of getting a six-pack, aside from consistent exercise, the most important factor they all listed was a healthy diet.  

Here is my current diet:

• Only 100% Whole Wheat Breads
  
• No fastfoods or junkfoods
  
• HIGH protein, LOW fat foods
  
• Lots of fruit!
  
• Daily vitamins
  
• Oatmeal with a glass of milk for breakfast
  
• Bora Bora bars as snacks
• LOTS of water

I am no fitness or health expert, but I am planning on reading more and becoming a spin instructor (I highly recommend you trying a spin class!).  Below you can find some books you can get to learn more!

Questions? Comments? Blog with me!

Performance & Success Advice Blog Post # 7 - Self-Discipline

As a graduating senior with 6 weeks left of school, critical change is imminent in my life. As an entrepreneur, it is my duty and job to create wealth and abundance from scratch. With this realization, I decided to take it upon my self to live a life of Self-Discipline.

One definition of Self-Discipline is the ability to pursue what one thinks is right despite temptations to abandon it. Taking a look at this definition in depth, there are three distinctive parts to Self-Discipline.

1. Identify something you want strong enough (Ex. I recently decided it's time I have six-pack abs)

2. Make a commitment to doing the things that will get you what you want (To get six-pack abs, I will work out everyday & take on a healthy diet)

3. Be unwilling to compromise on what you want (I stick to my healthy diet and work out everyday at all costs!)

Self-Discipline is the bridge between wanting something and attaining something you want. It is what gets me out of bed in the morning, gets me into the gym everyday, gives me the ability to stay on my healthy diet, allows me to work long hours, etc. The reason it works for me is because the goals that I have set for myself (what I want) are a motivation for me to dictate a strategy (a commitment to doing what will get me there) and since I have such a strong commitment to my goals, I am unwilling to compromise them.

Word of Caution: In order for successful implementation of your goals using Self-Discipline, it is crucial to adhere to the Law of Congruence. The Law of Congruence enables people to identify goals that are congruent with their true desires with the understanding that in doing so, the individual is making a commitment to taking all of the necessary actions to reach that goal. The bottom line is be true to yourself, your internal drivers, and your personal intentions when setting goals and deciding where you need more Self-Discipline.

*TIP* - By matching good practice of Self-Discipline with well defined, congruent goals you will find Self-Discipline will allow you to form positive daily habits to reach your goals.

Currently, I am reading a book by Michael Janke, a former Navy SEAL, called "Take Control: Master the art of Self-Discipline and Change Your LIfe Forever." As I mentioned at the beginning, I am also a student of Self-Discipline so I have been reading up on the subject to integrate it into my life. This book is one great source to jump start Self-Discipline in your life that I know of. There is a wealth of others out there too!

Questions? Comments? Blog with me!

Performance & Success Advice Blog Post # 5 - The Power of Doing A Little Everyday

Have you ever set a goal like running a mile?  How do you reach that mile goal?  We know that there are 5,280 feet in a mile and that it takes X paces to get there...so the simple answer is one pace at a time.

Everyone has goals that they want to reach.  Here is a little tip to help you reach them - do a little every day.

When you wake up everyday, are your goals in front of your face?  Do you visualize them?  The first step to reaching any goal is to first put that goal in front of your face everyday.  A good place to start is first thing in the morning, when you wake up.  Make a conscious effort to think about your goal(s) every day.

Step two is about deciding what to do everyday.  What can you do TODAY, and ever other day, to reach your goal(s)?

Step three is the most difficult part - the implementation of it.  This is where you have to remind yourself everyday to make time to take those actions that will progress you closer to your goal(s).  This is where you will see how strongly you desire your goal(s).

Step four makes the process easier - formulation into daily habits.  Here you reinforce those actions progressing you towards your goals DAILY, thus solidifying these actions into daily habits.

Step five now is the simple part - following through.  These daily habits WILL progress you closer and closer to your goal(s), until you finally reach them.  KEEP WITH IT!  These are YOUR goals.  Commit to those actions that will propel you to reaching them.  WARNING: As you get closer to reaching them, you will experience feelings of excitement and fulfillment. Welcome those feelings, they will only help to motivate you along the way.

Quick Take-Away:

1.  Put your GOALS in front of your face EVERY DAY!

2.  Decide what ACTIONS you can do EVERY DAY to progress towards your goals

3.  IMPLEMENT these actions DAILY

4.  REINFORCE these daily actions until they become DAILY HABITS

5.  FOLLOW THROUGH with your daily habits and you WILL reach your GOALS!

Don't take it from me...doing a little every day WORKS!

For more information on Goal Settling, check back soon as it will likely be my next blog post. 

In the meantime, please check out my friend Jeb Blount's book called Power Principles where I learned a lot about goal setting and DOING A LITTLE EVERY DAY!

Did I miss anything?  Questions?  Comments?  Blog with me!