Colin R. Stuckert's Blog, page 26

The Grim Reaper

“You’re alive, Bod. That means you have infinite potential. You can do anything, make anything, dream anything. If you can change the world, the world will change. Potential. Once you’re dead, it’s gone. Over. You’ve made what you’ve made, dreamed your dream, written your name. You may be buried here, you may even walk. But that potential is finished.”

― Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book

I write and think about death a lot. I do it so I can live a better life in the now. I use death to remind myself that Resistance is the nasty force inside that is keeping me from realizing the life I want. By visualizing my death, I’m trying to destroy Resistance and prevent it from ruining my chance at being the best I can be.

If you’ve been following my work for any period of time, you know how often I refer to death. I think about it, and usually write about it, on a daily basis.

Well, guess what? Life is still freaking hard!

I still hesitate. I still take the easier route at times. I still miss opportunities. I still yearn and desire and want. I am far from perfect and have a million things I want to improve on.

But I am getting better.

I recently made a big move to another state. I’m putting myself out there. I’m meeting people and developing new relationships. I’m saying “yes” when I’d regularly say “no.” I’m going out instead of staying home to work.

And I feel the progress.

Situations are coming more naturally, and easier. I’m getting better in the areas I want to get better. This motivates me to do more, which I will and am.

But it’s still freaking hard.

This is why I’m constantly reminding myself that hard is par for the course. That it’s the price. That if it wasn’t hard, it wouldn’t be worth it.

So I press on. I happily press on. But it’s still hard.

What’s the secret to success? The key is to keep pressing on, inch by inch, day by day.

Start with the next step. Say “Yes” in place of your typical “No.” Then count each time you do that as a win. Then do it again tomorrow. 

As days go by, the process gets easier. What used to be hard becomes easier.  You becomes less resistant. Eventually there’s no resistance at all and you just do what you do. This is the progress of the person, and you’ve been been doing it your entire life.

As a kid, your first day or school is terrifying, which tends to be the worst at a new school or in graduating from elementary to middle and middle to high. But by the time you hit JR and SR year of high school, it’s no big thing. But man, being a freshman in highschool, that was a big thing.

The first day of a new job is the usually the same thing. So is your first kiss. And so on. The first of anything is usually filled with anxiety and unknown. But the 100th time? Well, by then you’re a pro. You know what’s going to happen. You might even enjoy the process and look forward to any unknowns yet to come. 

Your entire life has been a series of 1st times, 2nd times and for most things, 100th times.

How did you do all this? You pressed on inch by inch, day by day, time by time, and you got better as you did.

You’ve been doing it your whole life. It’s nothing new. But still, there are situations in your life where you are stuck; where you are not applying the inch by inch, step by step principle of progress. Being aware of this is the first step to overcoming the obstacles in your way.

Your life is a house forever under construction. Never miss an opportunity to build it. Never miss a day, a time, an opportunity. Keep improving yourself step by step, inch by inch.

Keep building. Keep pressing on.

Yours in Success,

-Colin Stuckert

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The Power of Simple

“The busy man is never wise and the wise man is never busy.”

― Lin Yutang

I’ve always had a profound respect and admiration for Asian culture. The slowness, the wisdom, the not-too-witty-but-supremly revealing proverbs, and the simplicity of the culture.

This has a lot to do with my martial arts training as a kid, but at the time, I didn’t respect the teachings for what they were: life-changing. It was more about kicking and punching and being fast like Bruce Lee.

Which I still love, don’t get me wrong.

But now, as I am older, and a bit wiser, I revisit some of the teachings of my childhood idols and the culture that produced the “arts” that I so respected and sought as an impressionable kid.

Nowadays, I look to the teachings of Buddha and Taoism. I think about, and write about, the art of Wu wei, which literally translates to non-action or non-doing.

I try to embrace the power of simplicity and the power of doing less, not more. (Of course, as far as this goes, it’s a major work in progress.)

When I think of a figure in Asian culture worth admiring, I now think of the old grandmaster that isn’t showy or flashy and always has a line or two of wisdom for his pupils.

This is a reminder to slow down. To act without acting; to appreciate the beauty of the moment; to say more by saying less; to do more by doing less.

Here’s to the power in simplicity and the moment.

After all, this moment may be your last, or my last. Hell, it could be our last. Savior it, appreciate it, use it wisely. Then repeat the process again the next moment.

Yours in Success,

-Colin Stuckert

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You Can Never Overdo Life But You Can Overdo Parts Of Life

“You can never be overdressed or overeducated.”

― Oscar Wilde

I agree with Mr. Wilde.

To me, this quote signifies more than just showing up with too much education or clothing. It reminds me to always go above and beyond what others expect of me, and far beyond what I expect of myself. It reminds me to always put my best foot forward and to always over-deliver.

It reminds me that you can never overdo life.

***

Life is short, fickle and will end before you have time to live it for all its worth. This is the reality for most people.

This reminds me of a paradox that envelopes the motivated individual—like myself. You see, I work hard because I want to live the fullest life I can. But the paradox of this is I end up having to spend a lot of life slaving away to build the wealth and success necessary to enjoy the fullest life has to offer in the future. (Although, “slaving” may not be the best word as I’ve freaking love what I do.)

This concept is lost on many ambitious people that end up reaching their goals only to find themselves stuck trying to answer the question, “Why am I not happy?”

The thing is, for me, it’s not just about enjoying life in the future. It’s also security and freedom that drives me. Security for my friends and family is my main concern, and like it or not, money and success provides that.

Wealth provides a longer and safer life. It grants one the power to combat external forces that will threaten my well-being and the well-being of my family and friends. This is my primary drive for becoming “successful.”

My second reason for pursuing success is time. If I am tied to a “job” because I have to support my family, I am not free in how I spend my time. My time is set by someone else.

And I can’t live with that.

They say that autonomy is more important to one’s happiness than money. I totally agree.

I’d rather live a financially “comfortable” life that is full of time and freedom over a billionaire’s life that is “too busy.”

In the immortal words of Biggie Smalls, “Mo Money, Mo Problems.”

Amen.

Life is a balance of many factors. And to borrow the words of Mr. Wilde again, “The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”

Your Life

Think about your life. What are you after? What is your why? What are your goals?

Blindly chasing money, fame and success is a losing proposition—even if you manage to get there.

However, if figure out your why and operate from an understanding of that why, it’s a completely different scenario.

You can never overdo life, but you can definitely overdo certain parts of life if they are not aligned with who you are and what fulfills you. The key is figuring out what you should be overdoing so you don’t waste time overdoing the wrong things.

Overdoing the right things is an oxymoron—there’s no such thing. Overdoing the wrong things is pure waste.

Find out what you should and shouldn’t be overdoing. Then go out and overdo as much possible.

Yours in Success,

-Colin Stuckert

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7 Life Blunders and How To Avoid Them

Gandhi once gave his grandson, Arun, a talisman that listed seven “blunders” he believed led to violence. They are:

Wealth without work.

Pleasure without conscience.

Knowledge without character.

Commerce without morality.

Science without humanity.

Religion without sacrifice.

Politics without principle.

Just now, as I was trying to figure out which way to go with this, my fingers stopped while I blankly stared off into the coffeeshop-distance, and I realized what it made me think of.

It made me think of life. (Groundbreaking, I know.)

More specifically, it made me think of the lack of emphasis society puts on being good at life.

When I say “being good at life,” I don’t mean having skills or knowing how to make money: I mean being good at understanding oneself and how he or she interacts with the world based on this understanding.

We grow up memorizing facts and figures and dates under the pretense that this is going to prepare us for a future in our capitalistic society. Having knowledge is supposed to help us get a job so we can support a family and pay taxes and become an all-around, working-class American.

If there ever was a “corporate system,” this is it.

Unfortunately, most of us are sucked into this vortex of bullshit because it is how we grew up. Because our parents grew up in it. Because our teachers are in it. And, most importantly, because our peers are in it.

Every so often—at a rate of probably 1% of the time—a renegade emerges that questions the status quo and challenges social mores. This individual asks “why?” It is programmed into her being to need an explanation and understanding of why she is supposed to act, think and do what everyone is telling her to.

She (or he) can’t help needing an explanation. And thus, she ends up being one of these small percent that go their own route, and as a result, often end up changing the world.

I don’t think the enlightened life should only be reserved for the 1%. It should be available to everyone.

The thing is, it is now available thanks to the Internet, but few grasp it because they are still blinded by the vortex that is pop culture, politics, and the consumer reality of their community and family life.

This is why I propose a change.

Our children need to be educated differently. And the rest of us need to wake up and see the truth: that most of what you’ve been fed your whole life is biased-crap. That happiness is not found in a high-paying job or through being famous or rich. That you don’t have to freak-out in traffic. That life can be lived in a way that brings happiness regardless of circumstance.

Let’s start with education. These are my suggestions:

Ideas and questions should rule the classroom, not facts and figures.

Practical philosophy needs to be a required course in every year of schooling, like math or english is.

Sociology and morality should be taught, debated and lead to students asking more and better questions. Problem solving for the actual things that happen in life should be practiced over problem solving some made-up fixed-set problem that will never apply to the real world.

Students should learn to debate constructively and embrace other points of view. They should learn how to challenge their own beliefs instead of holding-fast to their perceived ideas and perceptions. They should not shy away from disagreement, but see it as a constructive, necessary even, path to learning.

The Lying Culture

We have a culture that would rather lie than disagree. That would rather take the easy path than the difficult path.

This is the root of it all.

This “seeking of easy” is why we would rather watch YouTube videos than to read or watch content that challenges us. We would rather say “I’m fine” than tell the truth. We would rather take the safest path that protects us and those around us from unpleasantness. We would rather bottle our feelings up than having an “uncomfortable” conversation.

And on and on and on.

The world has more access to information than ever before yet is becoming more and more segregated. On one side you have the “enlightened”—those that ask themselves hard questions, that seek out what’s difficult, and that thrive in business, relationships, and in their own person happiness. On the other side you have the blind majority that sit in front of their TV or computer in an attempt to entertain their problems away—which is, in m opinion, just a more socially accepted form of addition.

The blind majority rarely tries to understand themselves or the world around them. They don’t ask themselves or those around them hard questions. They are polite liars. And, deep down, they are full of discontent and always searching for the next “fix.” Their fix is found in the multiple forms of pleasure. Basically, they float through life plugged into the Matrix.

So, what is the answer?

Well, I’m not going to pretend I have one, or all of them, but I do think that changing the way our children are educated is a great start. Plus, we all know the education system needs to get with the 21st century.

Schools teach you how to read and write, but do they teach you how to learn? Do they teach you how to problem solve? Do they teach you how to know thyself? Do they teach you how to be happy?

Not really.

Fundamentally, our schools are not teaching us how to be good at life. And really, shouldn’t that be the ultimate point of education? To be good at life?

Absolutely.

I’ve already shared a few ideas I have about what education can do to produce more students that are “good at life,” but there are plenty of people much smarter than me that already address this, so I’ll just leave it at that.

And everyone else?

Maybe you have kids, maybe you are a teenager or maybe you are an adult that is caught up in the hustle and bustle of life. Whatever the case is, this is a calling for you to take matters into your own hands and educate yourself. If you won’t take the learning of life into your own hands, no one will.

How to do this?

First, start asking yourself hard and objective questions. Be as honest as you can with yourself, no matter how much it hurts. (In fact, it hurting is a sign you are doing it right.)

Second, start asking others hard and objective questions—and make sure you shut-up and listen.

Third, read the great philosophers.

Four, learn the basics of psychology.

Fifth, learn about our ancestors and how the way they lived plays an integral role in your physical and mental health.

Sixth, slow down and spend more time in the moment. Be mindful, mediate, slow down.

Seventh, take time to think. Take a walk without music, sit outside without a book, and do things in nature without external mental stimulation.

Eighth, be open-minded. Forget everything you think you know. Be like Socrates when he said, “I know that I am intelligent, because I know that I know nothing.” This is the ego-separation we all need to live better lives and to truly learn who we are as people.

Finally, go back to the beginning of this piece and reread the list of “blunders” Gandhi observed of mankind. Now try to think about them and how they might apply in your life.

Yours in Success,

-Colin Stuckert

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Do Good Art And Work No Matter What

“The Paradoxical Commandments

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.

Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.

Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.

Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.

Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.

Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.

Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.

Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.

Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.

Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.

Give the world the best you have anyway.”

― Kent M. Keith, The Silent Revolution: Dynamic Leadership in the Student Council

In words, this is great advice. The thing is, when you face reality, this often becomes a case of, “easier said than done.”

How painful is it when you aren’t appreciated, and what you do is discredited, sabotaged and destroyed? How even more painful is it when you are nothing but the best intentions?

It freaking sucks!

But fear not, this is not a cop out. I’m not suggesting you ignore the above quote’s advice. I’m fully in support of the advice above. You need to do what you need to do, and with your fullest and upmost ability and potential.

Ignore the haters. Embrace the supporters.
Shun the thieves, bullies and users. Keep giving to those that appreciate it.
Be yourself. There will never be another you again. Marvel in that fact.
Make art. Art is made for those that appreciate it and no one else.
Do good in the world. Not only will it come back around, but it will make you happier.

Do this all for yourself first. Then align the doing for yourself with the benefiting of others. That’s where you get life-changing results.

Too many people seek validation of other people. The ironic thing is, it’s the artists that create the art they want to create for themselves that end up doing the best.

You may not be appreciated the way you want to be or think you should be. This is just life. Only a minority % of the world is ever given all the respect and adulation they desire. Most of us have to make do with what we get. The way to combat this is to focus on you.

By focusing on yourself, you do what you do because that’s what you do. Awards, praise, or validation mean nothing; if you get them you get them, but it won’t change what you do either way.

And that is the way.

Most people try to do things they think will be popular or will sell. This is from a place outside of themselves. It is inauthentic. And it usually fails because of it.

You have to create value for other people to be successful. This is the way things are now. The thing is, you can’t really create value for others if you aren’t first creating value for yourself. You have to align your passions with creating value for others. When you do that, you have your life’s work.

Because the Internet now connects the world together, if you are creating value, people will take notice. It can be a slow, arduous process, but if you keep creating, you will find those that appreciate you and your work.

This concept applies to anything in life.

Are you looking for your soul mate? Be authentic and genuine and helpful to other people and he or she will eventually come around.

Want better relationships with your friends and family? Give more.

Want that promotion? Help others around you even if that means you set someone else up for that same promotion.

Keep building. Keep pressing on.

Yours in Success,

-Colin Stuckert

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Why “Clocking Out” Is A Huge Opportunity For Success

“Some people see things that are and ask, Why?

Some people dream of things that never were and ask, Why not?

Some people have to go to work and don’t have time for all that.”

― George Carlin

It is sometimes hard for me to relate to other people’s situations because of the “unconventional” life I live.

It’s also probably hard for many of you to relate to my situation for this very reason—although I still hope you can at least learn whatever you can, especially considering I was once where you were (probably worse off, in fact).

Either way, I can only speak from my own experiences… and my life is one of autonomy.

It’s not often I have to do something I don’t want to do. I’m extremely fortunate in this way (although I’ve worked hard to make it so).

I set my own schedule for work, play and sleep.  I travel when I want to, read when I want to, watch a movie when I want to, and do absolutely nothing when I want to (which I need to do more of).

I’m not financially rich… not even close. You could say I’m “time rich” or “freedom rich.” Whatever.

Of course, getting to the point of being “time rich” took a lot of time and mountains of hard work.

When you start a business, especially a brick and mortar one, you become responsible for employees, taxes, inventory, ordering, selling, marketing, customer support, and everything else that a small business takes to run (which is a lot).

Even though you are the “owner” or “boss,” you end up becoming more like an employee to the million little details in your business. In time, if you are smart and work hard, you can build a team to handle these tasks for you. This is when you get your time back and become an “Investor.”

That’s where I am at now in my two small businesses: Owner/Investor instead of Owner/Operator.

This allows me to be free in my schedule and living location (I’m currently in Austin, Texas and my businesses are in Fort Myers, Florida).

Of course, there are times when I miss the restriction of having a schedule, of having to be somewhere. Sometimes “doing whatever you want” isn’t the easiest thing to manage. (I know, I can see those of you with a job shaking your head.)

Now, with all that said, there is something that those of you with a job have going for you that I don’t get to enjoy.

It’s this: You get to clock out!

I never get to clock out. I’m 24/7 on the job. I’m 24/7 working. And when I’m not physically working, I’m 24/7 thinking about it in some way. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to turn this off. Being able to clock out is a huge benefit to having a job that most of you are not taking advantage of.

What so many fail to realize is the majority of what gets done in life is the result of mental energy welling up before being expended into action. Let me explain.

When someone says, “I don’t have time,” what the really mean is they aren’t setting aside time to form thoughts, plans and action towards doing something. They think they don’t have time but what they really aren’t doing is making “mental space” by committing to something.

This is often the result of a skewed perception of what it actually takes to get stuff done, or from the thoughts about what committing to a new project will mean.

Every single thing in your external world started in your internal world. Every tangible thing you have created for yourself has started as a thought, idea or plan in your head. After you formed that thought, you took action to make it so.

Let the real work begin

Simple to understand, right?

The thing about action is it’s easier to take than its ever been in the history of mankind. You can hire VA’s for dollars an hour, you can research information in minutes that may have taken weeks, months of years to access. You can build a business and have everything you need to run that business for less than a hundred dollars a month. And on and on.

All that stuff is absurdly easy. Like ridiculously easy. Yet still, you struggle with getting shit done. This is because of the thoughts in your head. To get shit done, you have to make commit then fill up mental space with ideas and plans.

Most people think they don’t have time. That’s false. What they don’t have is commitment. Simple as that.

If you have a job, you have the opportunity to make all kinds of room in your head. You get to clock out each day, both physically and mentally, and this allows for a completely free mind that you can fill with a new business or project.

This is a huge opportunity, but to utilize it, you have to commit to filling that mental space!

Like I said, I never get to “clock out.” I have to be careful with what I research, read, and think about because my mind is always full (usually with things that get in the way of my work). It’s a pain in the ass to deal with and wrangle under control. I have to be the boss and the employee in the business of me.

After 8 years of working for myself and growing multiple businesses, I’ve learned the power of simplicity. Action is as simple as starting at point A and moving forward until you reach point B. That’s the easy part.

What’s hard is committing to filling your mind with the ideas, plans and intention needed to take action.

Maybe you think you don’t have enough time; maybe you paralyzed by fear or the uncertainty of it all. Whatever it is, the fact is: You have more opportunity than you know. (And if you are like most people, you squander it.)

Instead of watching Netflix for 4 hours, how about cutting it down to 2 then spending those two hours to form beliefs and plans that will translate into something tangible, like action?

If you work 8 hours a day, after you clock out, you have another 8 hours to do with as you please. That’s plenty of time. Start carving out 1, 2 or 3 of those hours to commit to filling your head (and spreadsheets) with plans. The action will come soon after.

The second you “clock out” of your day job, you have all the opportunity in the world. Start using it.

And… NO, you don’t need to quit your job to get started. That’s just an illusion. Most companies and business are started by people that have (had) jobs.

Clock out and get to work.

Yours in Success,

-Colin Stuckert

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Animus is Latin For Spirit, Mind, Courage

There’s a word I recently learned and it’s called, “Animus.” Animus is Latin for spirit, mind, courage.

When I think of Animus, I think of the ancient Romans, Spartans and Greeks. I think of these civilizations not just because the word is Latin, but because it was a time in human history when people extolled the virtues of courage, valor and pride for one’s nation (which is not the case anymore, but that’s best saved for another discussion).

When I think of these times, I think of Socrates. His philosophy and ideals are as valid today as they were 2000+ years ago… and the thought of that fires me up.

“He is a man of courage who does not run away, but remains at his post and fights against the enemy.” -Socrates

For most of us, our most dangerous enemy is the one looking back at us in the mirror every morning. It is us. The enemy inside us has many names and takes many forms, but it’s most prevalent manifestation is called “Ego.”

Your Ego exerts control over your life in many ways, most of which aren’t helping you. What’s particularly insidious about the Ego is, when the Ego is pulling your strings, your brain disguises things as “practical” when they are not practical at all.

It warps your view of the world in a way that what’s easy seems what’s best. But this is false. This is just your Ego keeping you in your bubble of comfort. This is Ego keeping you from taking risks or putting yourself out there.

It is human nature to avoid pain and seek pleasure. We are all good liars when it comes to ourselves: We’ll tell ourselves anything to take the easy path.

Some of us know we do this, most of us have not the slightest clue, and we all have the Ego to thank.

If we spend time becoming self-aware, and actually thinking about the things we do, think, say and feel, we can break free from Ego’s grip. We can see that what’s hard or painful is usually the very route we should take to get the outcome we want.

For anything worth having in life, what’s hard is the way.

This might seem obvious in a competition setting: Of course it’s going to be hard when others are competing against you for the prize. But what about the times in life when there isn’t a clearly defined opponent?

Examples include:

Asking for a raise

Sharing your feelings with someone

Saying “NO”

Saying, “Yes”

Reaching out to someone

Asking for a favor

Being vulnerable

Etc.

In these instances, the opponent is You. The enemy lives deep down inside you. It is Resistance manifested by your Ego, which is trying to keep you safe and comfortable. It is your brain conspiring to maintain the status quo of safety. And this is the root of every lie you tell yourself.

If you want greatness, you have to break free from the Ego’s grasp. You have to come to terms with your fears. Then you have to act. Mark Twain said it best, “Courage is not the lack of fear. It is acting in spite of it.”

This is why, for most of us, our enemy is Us. We have to fight our brain’s inclination to take the path of least resistance to get anything great done in life. If we don’t, safety and comfort rule our world.

When I think of animus, I think of doing what’s hard, of what you know needs to be done. I think about how the only way to greatness is through the enemy that exists inside us all; through us.

Whether it is on the court, in the gym, at work, or in our relationships, animus is recognizing the fear and doing what needs to be done still.

If you constantly seek out what’s hard because you know that’s where the results are, you have a platform for achieving anything in life.

Anything.

Conquer the enemy inside you and you can conquer all outside you. Fail to conquer the enemy inside you and the enemies outside will crush you with ease.

You must first conquer yourself before you can conquer anything.

Yours in Success,

-Colin Stuckert

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A Piece of Paper Can Change Your Life

“Your life is your story. Write well. Edit often.”

― Susan Statham

I’m going to ask you to do something at the end of this piece. It’s going to be simple to do, cost you nothing other than a second of your time, and still most of you won’t do it.

Each one of us carries a set of cognitive biases that shape the way we view the world. They are the reason we seek the things that confirm what we think about ourselves, and they make us ignore the things that challenge these beliefs.

I’m a big believer in personal introspection and seeking out the “hard” in life. This isn’t for masochistic reasons or anything like that. It’s the very opposite in fact: It’s so I can become better at life, and to grant myself the power to limit the negative experiences in my life through choice instead of being a victim to happenstance.

Whenever I use the “average person” as an example, I’m saying something about all of us, even those of you that wouldn’t consider yourself “average.” We are all the “average person” to one degree or another. We each have the same tendencies that the average person has. Some of us are more average than others, but we all share similar beliefs, habits and ideas.

So, back to what I said earlier: I’m going to ask you to do something simple that the “average person” probably won’t do.

In saying that, I hope to motivate you to not let your “average person” come out and rule your day in this instance.

This is what I want you to do..

Grab a small piece of paper or index card
2. Write on it: “Be above average NOW”
3. Put this piece of paper in your pocket or wallet.
4. Look at it throughout the upcoming day, at least 3 times. The more the better.

Now, as you go about your day, pull that little sucker out and remind yourself to be better than the average person, whatever that means to you. During the situations in your day, find ways to be “above average.” Go above and beyond what you might normally have done. Be better.

This might mean you do a bit more work than you normally do. It might mean smiling extra wide to the barista. It could mean striking up a conversation while in line for your coffee instead of putting your face in your phone. It might mean saying “I love you” to your partner or children or brother or sister when you may not have. And so on.

What will you write on this powerful tool?

This simple technique is profoundly powerful and it ddoesn’thave to stop there. Each day, you can write something new on a small piece of paper and use it as  reminder as you go about your day. It could be a quote, something/someone you are grateful for, a reminder to not eat sugar or that bag of chips, whatever.

What you are doing is programming your behavior. You are changing your habits with the aid of a simple piece of paper with ink on it.

As far as habits go, techniques like this are the best way to mold or change them. Habits die hard and slowly, and for some people, never.

Human beings are routine-based creatures of habit. It’s how we can get through the day with some kind of order. It reduces our decisions and makes us more productive in getting things done.

Habits are good, necessary even. But they can also have a dark side. The dark side of habits dictate how much you eat, exercise, sleep, socialize, work, study, and so on. They control things in your life that you do more than once. And if they go unchecked, they lead to compulsion and obsession.

From what I’ve learned in life, habits have to be controlled or they naturally lead to compulsion and obsession. Motivated or not, we all have the tendency to go to the polar extremes. This might be you being too lazy, or maybe it is you working too hard. In each case, when you reach the far end of the spectrum, you get problems.

Habits are best suited when they have you seeking moderation. You are better in the middle than you are at either end of the spectrum (in most cases). Sure, there are times you should be lazy and do nothing, and there are times you should work your ass off and forgo sleep. In each case, these should be only a part of a larger, balanced whole. Make sense?

Good.

So, back to that piece of paper. What you are doing by reminding yourself with a little piece of paper is you are training yourself to raise your baseline level of habit. For most of us, our habits are about average.

We have what we have because our habits dictate our daily lives that give us what we have. That’s why I’m always interested in improving the baseline. By raising the baseline, you raise the ceiling (positive/extreme end) as well as the floor (negative/lowest end). Like I said, both the floor and the ceiling are necessary, so if you can raise your midpoint, your ceiling and floor both raise. You get better.

Make sense?

If none of this makes sense, try the paper experiment and see how it works for you. (Hint: You will get better in all kinds of ways.)

Change your behavior–and life–with a piece of paper.

Yours in Success,

-Colin Stuckert

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Do You Have Grit?

“If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it would not seem so wonderful at all.” 

―Michelangelo 

I’ve learned a lot about people over the years as a small business owner. The number one thing that I have observed is this:

Most people don’t have grit when it comes to success or accomplishment.

I define “grit” as having the unwavering dedication to do what you say you are doing to do no matter how hard it gets. It’s rare when you find someone that has natural grit.

Grit is necessary for accomplishing great things, but it’s not just grit that keeps people from reaching the greatness they have inside of them. I know plenty of people that have all the grit in the world, but still lack the understanding of what it takes to be successful. They don’t realize how long or how hard the work really is, and it’s this lack of understanding that sabotages their best efforts.

Success is always longer and harder than people expect. 

I know people that have mountains of natural talent yet are in the same place they were 5 years ago. I also know that most of them will be in that same place—or very close to it—5 years from now.

This is because they either 1) don’t have the grit necessary, or 2) haven’t made the commitment to do the work that is necessary because they either do’t understand what the commit entails or because they are paralyzed by fear or laziness.

It’s sad because so many are stuck and there’s nothing I can do about it (although I try to help through my writing). There is no amount of advice or opportunity I can give them to make them change their ways. The human condition is one that changes from within, and only from within. No amount of coaching, advice, or help will ever do anything for the person that hasn’t first made the decision to do it for themselves.

You have to want it. Then you have to be willing to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to get what you want.

How far will you go

What if you have the grit and you want to do the work for as long as it takes?

I’m glad you asked. There is a way.

First, you have to understand what the work looks like. Second, you have to do everything you can to get good at doing that work (yes, getting good at work takes practice) until you get to the point where you do the work naturally on a daily basis.

Before we get to my specific recommendations for doing the work, I want to point out a few things that you have going for you as you venture on this journey.

First, you have access to all the information you will ever need, which has not always been the case. This is something most of us take for granted, especially the younger generation. 20 years ago, if you wanted to start a company, you would’ve needed network and capital, and most of the time plenty of each. Most business back then were started by those already in the business, or that had a partner that was in the business (or by those that paid a consultant a lot of money to teach them the business). These were the rules of the game before business become democratized by the Internet.

Nowadays, you can go from idea to first sale for a fraction of what it used to require and cost (free in some cases). Thank the Internet for that.

Not only has the Internet provided access to the information you need, it has also commoditized nearly every part of the business process. You can run a business for less than $100 a month and still have a website, 800-number, customer support, newsletter service, fulfillment service, and so on. It’s incredible.

What this all means is there has never been a better time to build something for yourself (and you should because the only way to have real security in life is to invest in yourself).

You would think that the opportunities the Internet now provides would mean a larger percent of the population would become independently successful. But the numbers don’t show this, and from what I’ve seen, it’s still the same 1% it’s always been.

Think about that. Only 1 out of every 100 people have the grit and unwavering determination necessary to become independently successful. In fact, I think the numbers are probably less than that… like maybe 1 out of every 200 or 300 people have what it takes.

So, what does this mean for you? Well, it could mean a lot of things; take from it what you will. Now, with that long aside out of the way, I want to share with you some of my ideas about the specific work that is needed to become successful. But before we get to that, I want to offer a couple disclaimers.

Disclaimer #1: The word “successful” can mean different things to different people so let’s avoid getting hung up on schematics. Whatever successful means to you is what you will strive for. Either way, the principles of grit and work are the same whether you are trying to become rich or just live a happy and healthy life.

Disclaimer #2: I’m not claiming I am “successful”—I know I have a long way to go. That said, by certain standards of time and freedom but not necessarily money, I consider myself successful—I set my own schedule and have assets I’ve built that pay for my living expenses. I am writing this from the point of view of someone that has accomplished certain things in life yet who still wants to (is going to) accomplish much more.

Sitting in front of this thing to work can be tough, but it has the power to change your life. Do you have the grit to force yourself to stay off of Facebook and in a spreadsheet?

Here is the most fundamental lessons about success that I’ve learned so far in my life:

You can build anything in the world if you invest 4 hours of focused, non-distracted or interrupted work on a daily basis.

4 hours. That’s it.

Of course, I need to explain a few things.

First, doing an hour of work in a quiet room with your phone and Facebook “off” is different than work in a coffee shop, office space, or other distracted environment with your phone at your side and notifications and distractions running rampant. I would say it’s about a 4-1 ratio—for every 1 hour of work you do that is hyper-focused and uninterrupted, you are getting about 4 hours of the work output you get in a distracted environment that is constantly pulling you away from focus.

There is a ton of research showing the negative effects that interruption and distraction have on work output, but I won’t get into those here. Do some research on your own if you want to understand why this is. And no matter what: turn notifications off when you are working!

Since a large part of the American workforce works in an office environment that is full of distractions and interruptions, you can get miles ahead of others by locking yourself in a room and focusing. It’s as simple as that.

It’s not only people that work in offices that you can outperform, it’s most people. The majority of people are addicted to the distractions that social media and connectedness provides. So, when I say “4 hours,” it’s a different kind of 4 hours from what most are probably used to. This is your opportunity.

Hours in a day

If you sleep eight hours a day (and you should), you’ll have sixteen waking hours left to do with as you please. If you work the standard eight hour workday, you’ll still have eight hours left to do other things. If you commit only four hours of this “leftover” time to do focused work, you’ll still have four hours left to eat, commute and spend time with other activities. Not bad at all.

Of course, people are habitual time-wasters. This is why I always say that getting good at work takes practice. Building the habit of regularly putting in focused work takes time to develop. The more full your schedule is, the more time it will take to build the habit of focused work because you’ll have less time and energy to get the work slotted in. But if you keep at it, you will eventually build a solid routine. And that’s what you want because that’s where the results come from.

When you start dedicating two or more hours a day to focused work, magical things start happening. It gets much easier when you are habitually working focused hours because you will more easily get into flow state, and, before you know it, two hours becomes four, and four becomes six, and so on. It’s the first two hours of habit that are the bitch. This is why you should start trying to get the first hour into habit (then the 2nd and so on).

Take note: If you can’t commit to 4 hours a day to work towards your goals, regardless of how “crazy” your schedule is, you should take it as a sign that you don’t want it enough.

Of course, none of this is going to happen overnight. That’s why you should start with the goal of getting just one solid work hour in a day. Goal-reaching (is that a word?) 101 states that if you start small, you set yourself up for success because you can celebrate small wins—and on the flip side, if you start big, you are likely to fail because you make it too hard on yourself and you get frustrated and quit.

Start small, get a win, then build on that. Positive momentum is necessary for accomplishing anything in life. No matter how grand your goal is, you get there the same way you get any where: by taking strategic steps.

Start with one hour a day of focused work and grow from there.

What it takes

In anything you start that is hard, you are going to struggle in the beginning. This is the process so you better just accept it. From what I’ve seen, most people don’t have what it takes to stick with the long haul in anything. I say this not from judgement or contempt, but from pure factual observation.

Not everyone needs to be, or can be, “successful”—at least in the terms that society defines it. That’s totally fine. As Thoreau said, “The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” Not everyone needs to exchange life for success. Don’t assume that you need to just because those around you are or want to. C’est la vie… “That’s Life.”

Success is as glamorous as they make it out to be. Many successful people are miserable and become depressed or drug addicts. If you think about this, it makes total sense. Think about your life: If you had everything and anything you wanted at any time, what would add meaning to your life? So much of our lives is a balance of having and wanting and needing and if you immediately take away the wanting and needing and provide only the having, you get problems. I often think of this; I sometimes think that life would become too boring if money immediately become of no concern. Sure, I could spend time helping others and philanthropy, but I would lose the competitiveness that only comes with a yearning to excel in business and other competitive games like poker or magic (also known as Magic The Gathering… don’t ask). If I had all the money in the world, why would I want to play poker? The result wouldn’t sting or provide joy. It would completely lose it’s most valuable force motivator for wanting to win. I think the game would lose its appeal I think. (And I think this is the effect you see when you see millionaires and billionaires risking their entire fortunes to get more. It’s a form of playing the game in a way that provides enough “string” or excitement.)

Hell, there are plenty times when I wish I wasn’t so driven to be successful. Life would definitely be easier, although probably more dull. I dunno. Either way, I long ago accepted the fact that I’m willing to forgo temporary pleasure in exchange for greater enjoyment, and security, in the future. This is my choice. Yours may be different, and again, that’s completely ok.

For those of you that want to be successful, and that are ok exchanging some life now for greater enjoyment in the future, you have to understand—and accept—what it’s going to take. Start by making it your mission to get to 4 hours of focused work a day, preferably in the mornings. After that, keep adding more work until you reach where you want to be for what you want to accomplish.

Closing disclaimers: Make sure you know what you are getting yourself into. Make sure you enjoy the journey. Make sure you have a clear “why.” Most importantly, make sure you don’t sacrifice health, family and friends throughout the process.

If you are true to yourself, and honest with the world about who you are, then you have done all that you can. The world will have to accept you for who you are. It isn’t a debate or as discussion; it is you. Make the world accept you. The easiest way to do this is to be completely yourself beyond any reasonable doubt.

Live for yourself. The rest will follow.

Yours in Fitness, Life and Health,

-Colin Stuckert

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Life Should Be Fun And If It Isn’t, Change It Until It Is

“As soon as something stops being fun, I think it’s time to move on. Life is too short to be unhappy. Waking up stressed and miserable is not a good way to live.”

― Richard Branson, Screw It, Let’s Do It: Lessons In Life

Why don’t more people live this way?

I think it’s because they are scared, they are risk-averse. They don’t have enough faith in their ability to do the work and figure out what works.

People want “security” but they go about it the wrong way. The only security you have in life is the security of you health and the skills and knowledge you posses. That is security because no one can take those away and you can always use them to do what you need to do to get what you need to get. It’s as simple as that.

You want security in life? Well, it’s definitely not in that job. It’s in the value you provide for others. As Zig Ziglar said, “You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”

To have security, start focusing on other people. Be useful to them. Ask how you can help. Tell them you are here to serve because it makes you feel good. Don’t ask or expect anything in return. Just give and help. You can help with your time and skills, so don’t think it’s always about money.

Are you a marketing major? Help someone rebrand their website or social media profile. Are you a writer? Help someone rewrite the same things. Are you a fitness professional? Train someone for free (and write it off). And so on.

Second, focus on becoming the best you can be by working on your people skills, and any other skills or hobbies you have that could end up helping others some way or another. Study psychological and sociology. Understand how people tick. Read “How To Win Friends and Influence People” and “It’s Not About You.”

Third, read. Read a lot. Read books, articles, magazines, whatever. Learn knowledge that makes you interesting. I’ve an avid reader and it is the single skill that is responsible every ounce of success I’ve had in my entire life. Not only can you read to become more interesting, you can also read to learn how to run any business or learn about any subject. With the Internet, reading is the most valuable skill in the world. If you can read, you can literally do and know anything.

Lastly, make sure you are healthy. Sleep 8 hours a night. Exercise daily. Perform resistance training at least 3 times a week. Walk multiple times a day. Always take the stairs. Drink coffee and tea. Laugh as much as possible. Eat Real Food. Avoid sugar and refined grains. Don’t drink soda. Limit  alcohol.

When you are healthy, you are a better person in every way. Let me say that one more time: When you are healthy, you are a better person in every single freaking way. Every one.

I just said that reading is the number one skill I’ve used to become successful, but health is the number one THING. If I don’t get my sleep, I’m useless. If I don’t eat well, I can’t focus and I feel like shit.

I’m going to toot my own horn real quick because I want it to be an inspiration to you by showing you what you can do when you are healthy and full of energy:

I run 2 brick and mortar businesses
I write 1-2 hours every day
I have a popular blog
I am starting a new company based out of Austin, Texas (Wild Foods)
I train at CrossFit Central twice a week
I lift weights 3-4 times a week
I walk twice a day on the treadmill for 30 minutes to an hour while reading
I make time for friends and family and regular
I read a lot
I cook most of my meals for myself from scratch with quality ingredients

The only reason I can do any of this is because I focus on my health. I eat clean, get plenty of sleep and exercise often. And I’ve made it so that I enjoy all of it.

Make your health a fun experience and you will have fun being healthy. Then make your work fun and you get to work while having fun. And so on.

Life really is too short. You will not get this breath back or the last. This day or the day before. This year or the many years before. And on and on. If you truly understood what this meant, would you still live the way you are now?

Yours in Fitness, Life and Health,

-Colin Stuckert

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