They All Laughed
Other than the above being an awesome song by the Charlie Biddle Trio, it is also an illustrator of a key component of successful people. Just take a couple minutes and listen to the lyrics of the whole song carefully.
Notice how every one of those historical names has one thing in common: they all have irrational expectations for themselves, no matter what other people may think. The world is run by people with extraordinary, unrealistic, and irrational expectations. Without lofty goals, none of the successes that we see again and again today would be possible. This comes back to knowing your outcome and taking whatever steps and making whatever adjustments are necessary to achieve it.
Don’t be afraid to set goals that other people may laugh at or consider unachievable. It only seems that way to them because they can’t do it themselves. You may very well get the last laugh in the end, and if you stick with it you most certainly will.
Be Willing To Walk Away
A great quote from De Niro at the 2:35 mark : “Don’t let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in thirty seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner”.
This is not to encourage you to go be some master thief 
, but to illustrate an important point. It’s very easy to get caught up in wanting something so badly in your pursuits of personal development and sometimes just life in general that you are almost willing to compromise your integrity or self-worth to get there. If you find yourself in a situation where you feel things are impossible or you have to give too much at that point in time, don’t be afraid to step back or walk away altogether even if it’s only to re-evaluate what steps you will have to take later on.
Notice I didn’t say to give up, but it’s very easy to let the strong emotions that come with passionate pursuit of a goal or an end to sweep over you at times. And while emotion can be a great motivator, it can also be a blinder at times.
Take your time with your goals and enjoy the experience. Pursue what you want with an attitude towards quality and be willing to walk away if it’s necessary so that you can find a better way.
The Biggest Movie Star in The World
This video was sent to me recently. It shows pretty much a highlight reel of Will Smith’s best quotes and the way he lives his life. I admire the guy immensely and his drive is something I hope to emulate in my own life, as would anybody hoping to achieve their goals.
Enjoy the video and you might want to take notes. It’s that GOOD.
Personal Development Training
I’m taking a break from seminars and courses this year to narrow my focus to improving in very specific areas in my health, wealth, and relationships. That being said I have been very blessed and fortunate to take part in some great seminars and courses over the past few years and those have led to a lot of personal growth and development in my life. I believe that any time you have the chance to take advantage of a high end seminar or course of some kind on a topic that really fascinates you, then you should go all out and take the course.
Here are some of the more interesting courses I’ve taken:
1. Relationships: I took a bootcamp with Venusian Arts led by Mystery himself. I never really spoke about this in detail because I was somewhat secretive about it at the time but I’ve always been a fan of pickup and I really have no qualms about sharing it now. It is the means by which I got into the Rich Jerk’s Playboy Mansion party. This in turn introduced me to my fascination and obsession with internet marketing and led me to starting this blog as well. It was one of the best and most rewarding weekends of my life. I got to meet Neil Strauss, Ross Jeffries, Eben Pagan (a.k.a. David DeAngelo), and a slew of other guys who are big names in that realm. I also learned more about not just women, but relationships and human interaction than at any other stretch in my life.
It literally was a game changer for me and I would recommend that any man who would like to learn more about women and how to improve the relationships in their life to take a bootcamp from a reputable company. The importance behind it is they are not just teaching tricks to get more women, but rather a lifestyle of constant improvement. By cultivating this attitude of always getting better in all areas of your life, you will naturally become more attractive and more women will be attracted to you anyway which is just icing on the cake. I’ve also looked at many related books and courses on the subject since then and have gained a mass amount of knowledge on evolutionary and general psychology. It’s almost eerie how related that dating and marketing can actually be sometimes, which leads me to my next section.
2. Wealth: I have written about a few of these here, but it’s worth noting that I have dedicated a vast amount of time into ebooks, books, courses, and seminars on marketing the last few years. I’ve even selected marketing as a minor when I go back to school later this month because I’m so passionate about it. I’ve gotten courses from the Rich Jerk, Frank Kern, Mike Filsaime, Eben Pagan, and so on and so forth. I’m taking one currently about SEO that is already paying dividends with this site as well as the other projects I’m involved in.
One of my favorite experiences is getting to be at Frank Kern’s Mass Control 2.0 seminar in San Diego and getting to soak up such great information and be around a crowd that is so passionate about the subject. I learned a massive amount of great tips and techniques that weekend that I either have implemented or will in the coming years.
One of the downsides of all this is that I overwhelmed myself with information at times and didn’t take action to the extent that I should have. I’ve gone about correcting that problem this year and am already seeing results from it and hope to build on my progress as I get better.
I have no doubt that someday I will be making my living as a marketer and writer as a result of my introduction to this community. (Be here when it happens! )
3. Health: Because of the progress I made in the other two areas of my life, I noticed that I was slipping physically at times. So I started to work out again. I made a little progress right away but wanted a little structure and a plan I could follow. So I got my hands on a copy of P90X and it made a big difference for me. I made it to the third phase but found that I was getting a bit bored with the redundancy of the workouts so I switched to a more traditional weightlifting, cardio, and sports combo of exercise which has been phenomenal for me. I’m now in great physical shape and am training to run a half-marathon in May and then a full marathon later in the year.
The point here though is that P90X was HUGE for me. It got me into a habit of eating in a disciplined fashion and understanding how my body reacts to eating and working out. This allows me to make necessary changes on the fly and even if I eat some junk food now I don’t worry because I know when to be a little more conservative with my diet and/or when to rest and change up my workout routines.
Summary: I’ve been able to either take a seminar or go through a home study course for each area of my life over the past few years and all have made a huge difference for me. I am narrowing my focus to taking more action this year and taking less courses, but the foundation of knowledge I have built by taking high value trainings is invaluable to me. I have invested literally tens of thousands of dollars into my personal development and it has paid dividends for me in every area of my life and my overall well-being. I would encourage anybody else to do the same.
You don’t have to buy a big expensive course, but just simply start out with a book or a good blog. Try to practically apply the fundamentals of what you learn and use what works for you in your life and personal situation. Then as you gain a little more knowledge and experience, consider taking a higher end course of some kind. It will most likely be one of the most rewarding and fulfilling experiences of your life.
Case Study: The Work Ethic Of Lil Wayne
The guy is one of the most successful rappers in the world, in a time when people just aren’t buying music like they used to. How does he do it? How does he connect with his audience? More importantly, what you can take away from these videos is the part about how Lil Wayne makes his product as great as it is. His work ethic has taken him from a young up and coming artist to a prodigy in a business where acts come and go daily.
Lil Wayne has been rapping since long before he was a teenager and had his first album released at age 12. His first real commercial success was at around age 16 and he’s now in his mid-20′s, and considering that he’s probably what many would consider as the hottest artist out right now it seems very applicable that the Gladwell rule of 10,000 hours of practice is in effect and he’s producing his best work now.
My favorite quote from the interview with Katie Couric is when he talks about not trying to make something “good” but rather just focusing on the hard work and letting the good results come to him. How can you improve your work ethic for your dream or career path?
