Dan Waldschmidt's Blog, page 49

Stop It Already.

Stop whining because you have problems in your life that you weren’t expecting.

Stop whining because it’s harder to get to where you want to be than you thought it would be.

Stop whining because you’re tired of working, trying, and doing what it takes.

Stop whining because other people don’t understand what makes you tick.

Stop whining because you don’t have enough money, time, or friends.

Stop whining because you’re life doesn’t seem to be getting any easier.

Stop whining because other people seem to have less of a struggle than you do.

Stop whining because all your effort doesn’t seem to be working fast enough.

Stop whining because you can’t see far enough ahead to feel safe and confident.

Stop whining. Stop whining. Stop whining.

Stop it already.

Your whining is killing you.

It is killing your dreams. Killing your motivation. Killing your hope. Your power. Your spirit.

No one wants to be around you, help you, or hear it anymore.

You might not have noticed before, but your whining hasn’t gotten you any closer to where you want to be.

It’s time to stop. Right now. 

You don’t have any more money. You don’t have any more time. You aren’t in a better mood or more motivated.

In fact, you feel a little bit more broken. You feel more confused. More frustrated.

That’s only going to get worse until you decide to change your habits. You’re only going to get more stuck. More frustrated. More angry. 

That hopelessness is going to impact everything you do and how likely you are to get to where you want to be.

Refuse to let yourself be a whiner.

Take back control of the demons in your mind.

Stop yourself when you feel your fears bubbling over into negative thoughts, miserable words, and bad habits.

Make the choice to stop.

Keep making the choice to stay stopped.

Live life awesome.

The post Stop It Already. appeared first on Dan Waldschmidt: Author of EDGY Conversations.

Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...

You’re Right.

Think that you can’t dig your way out of debt? You’re right.

Think that saving pennies leads to financial success? You’re right.

Think that you don’t have enough skills to win that promotion? You’re right.

Think that you’ll work hard enough to figure it out? You’re right.

Think that you’re never going to lose that weight? You’re right.

Think that making healthy choices each day matters? You’re right.

Think that nothing seems to be working? You’re right.

Think that it matters how hard you work? You’re right.

Think that life is horrible and that everyone is out to get you? You’re right.

Think that you are in control of getting to where you want to be? You’re right.

It doesn’t matter what you think. You’re right.

You’re right even what you think is wrong, self-limiting, and tragically negative.

What you think about you become. What you allow yourself to keep thinking about becomes your reality.

You create your future one thought at a time.

Every moment, every perspective, every reaction you have to the obstacles life puts in your way either builds a bridge to where you want to be or destroys the progress you’ve made this far.

Right now, you’re absolutely right where you’ve thought your way to being thus far.

If you don’t like where that is, you need to get serious about controlling your thoughts. Protect your positivity.

Make sure you’re right about the right thing. 

The post You’re Right. appeared first on Dan Waldschmidt: Author of EDGY Conversations.

Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...

Never Give Up.

Never stop believing that you are an exception to the rules that apply to everyone else.

You can beat sickness. You can dig your way out of debt. You can pass that test, win that race, get promoted, make more money, and live the life of your dreams.

Whatever you want, you can have — as long as you never give up.

You can’t stop believing that your hard work matters.

You can’t for a moment stop imagining that a better future is right around the corner.

If your mind quits then your body will quit soon after.

That’s why you have to be careful about what you think about. You can’t entertain the notion f that you might be a loser.

You can’t let negativity cripple the power your persistence.

You have to take your lumps, get pushed down, and stand boldly back up.

Those aren’t just words you repeat at a motivational seminar.

The idea of never backing down is a lifestyle that you must continually cultivate.

You have to feed the flames of your inspiration daily.

You have to be deliberate about keeping your mind strong.

You can’t ever give up.

Not one fiber of your being. Not one neuro-transmission through the grandness of your brain.

You’re a machine that produces success. Your fuel is hard work. Your inspiration is a dream.

And you can’t give that up because you have a few bad days. You can’t back down because life beat you up.

Resiliency is your language.

Determination is your weapon of choice. Focus is your plan.

Behind it all is a simple strategy that no matter what happens, you’re never going to give up. You’re going to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes until you get to where you want to be.

Fortitude. Fearlessness. Faith. Fight on, my friend. Fight on.

The post Never Give Up. appeared first on Dan Waldschmidt: Author of EDGY Conversations.

Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...

Why It Can’t Ever Be Good Enough.

One minute I was flying down the trail the next I was airborne spinning head over heels.

The tip of my left shoe snagged the edge of a root , somersaulting me through the air.

It took me a few seconds to realize what happened.

The impact of of an expected crash landing took my breath away.

Looking down I didn’t see any blood, so I knew I was going to be alright.

My left foot was throbbing.

But the shock of falling and the urgency of knowing that every second I wasted on the trail was a second longer I was stuck running the race jolted me out of the situation.

I grabbed the water bottle that had fallen out of my hand and frantically headed back down the trail.

I was a little more than 23 miles into my run and not even a quarter of the way from the finish line. This was no place to get hurt. I needed to be better at paying attention.

That was the only time I would fall that race. A few days later, three of the middle toenails on my left foot would fall off.

Damaged by that crash.

A little more than 13 hours later, I would cross the finish line — my second 100 mile ultramarathon in the last eight months.

This time, and for the first time ever as an elite ultra-athlete, I crossed the finish line in 1st place. Champion. Winner. More than 20 miles ahead of second-place.

It’s been two weeks now since that race. I’ve thought about how I feel about winning that race every day since.

I’ve thought about all the progress I’ve made over the last few years. I’ve thought about how amazing it was to have my wife there supporting me — crewing like a champ. I’ve thought about how awesome it was that friends in town and family came to see me, run with me, and cheer me on.

The biggest thing I think about is what I can do better next time.

Eight months ago it took me 2 1/2 hours longer to run the same distance.

That time I finished in fourth place.

This time a few positions better.

It was much hotter this race, yet my body stayed better hydrated and my nutrition and fat metabolism were much more effective.

I should be happy that I won. And I am happy.

I just can’t seem to shake this feeling in my center of my soul that I haven’t achieved my full potential yet.

I’m not as fast as I could be. I’m not as strong as I should be. My strategy is good, but it’s not great. I’m better than some but not as awesome as I want to be.

Here is what I have come to realize: Every breakthrough is an opportunity for even higher performance.

Every step up is an chance to compete at a higher level.

That’s just the way it needs to be. I don’t want to be content knowing that I could have been better but just give up on myself. I’m afraid of realizing too late that I could have been awesome if I would have just kept pushing myself.

For me, whatever I achieve probably won’t ever be good enough — no matter if it’s a win, personal record, or a world record.

I have to keep pushing further and faster until I reach that moment when I surpass all concept of what is humanly possible for an individual like me. That moment in time, that experience, is when I’ll know that I am good enough.

That it’s time to stop pushing. Time to stop trying. Time to be happy with what I have accomplished so far.

I suspect you’re a lot like me.

You have this nagging feeling doing what you do best — you know you could do better.

You know you have a greater capacity to push yourself. Another gear. Another level of performance.

Don’t quit on yourself. Don’t stop pushing. You have to be dissatisfied with where you are, even if it’s a good place, if you want to be awesome.

You’ll trip and fall along the way. Maybe even lose a few toenails.

But you’ll never end up ordinary. In fact, you might just change the world.

How incredible would that be?

The post Why It Can’t Ever Be Good Enough. appeared first on Dan Waldschmidt: Author of EDGY Conversations.

Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...

Maybe Just Maybe.

Maybe you should be more intense about the direction your life is leading.

Maybe you should be working harder than you are right now.

Maybe you should care a little less about what other people think about you.

Maybe you should reconsider your priorities and do what matters most more of the time.

Maybe you should stop pretending that you have it all figured out and learn something new for a change.

Maybe its time to admit that earning a degree isn’t the same thing as earning experience.

Maybe failure and utter disappointment is the wake up call you need right now to change your life for the better.

Maybe the bad habits you’re ignoring in your life are about to undo all the amazing progress you’ve made so far.

Maybe you do have the capacity and courage to perform at a much higher level.

Maybe a different mindset is the only thing separating you from the success you’re looking for.

Maybe you need to get a little bit further away from the negative people distracting you from doing what needs to be done.

Maybe you need to stop chasing success ideas that promise fast results and easy money without needing to work hard.

Maybe you need to make fewer excuses and whine less. Maybe you just need better friends.

Maybe it’s time to stop getting ready and just start moving towards where you want to be.

Maybe it’s not them, it’s you.

Maybe, just maybe, the biggest problems in your life are the results of your own doing.

Maybe today is the moment you decide to get out of your own way and start being awesome.

The post Maybe Just Maybe. appeared first on Dan Waldschmidt: Author of EDGY Conversations.

Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...

How To Avoid Getting Crushed By Uncertainty.

No news isn’t good news. It’s the worst news of all.

Uncertainty will destroy your momentum, cripple your health, derail your ambition, and make your life miserable.

Not knowing what to do or what is happening — while what you love hangs in the balance — is an ugly, fearful position to be in.

Uncertainty will crush you.

And it’s something you have to deal with every day of your life.

Someone else gets to decide how much money you get paid, how hard you need to work to earn a little bit more, and how valuable your position is when things get tough at the company you work for.

Strong friends battle sickness while you’re only helpless to watch. Bad people seem to catch all the lucky breaks. You’re still trying to figure out what you really believe in anymore.

That’s a heavy load to carry each day.

It’s crushing at times. All you can think about. An inescapable burden.

To make it you have to be stronger than you’ve ever had to be in the past. Here are a few ways to do that:

Embrace a purpose higher than survival — Be possessed by an outrageous reason to fight. Have a mission. Whether it’s changing the world or just your community, remind yourself daily of what the purpose that only survives if you keep heading down the path. Fight for that mission.
Be deliberate about protecting what you think about — Take time to meditate for a dozen minutes at the middle of the day. Write down your thoughts in a journal. Stop yourself from dwelling on fearful thinking as soon as you realize what you are doing.
Avoid negative people at all costs — Staying focused is already hard enough without the added poison of people who just want to add more chaos to everyone around them so that they feel better. Find new friends. Move jobs. Do whatever it takes to stay motivated.
Get your frustrations out on physical exercise — Hit a punching bag in the face. Go running until you’re too exhausted to worry any more. Turn your fear into sweat — and your sweat into rage. You might still have the same worries, but you’ll feel better. You’ll be more in control
Make progress each day towards your long term goals — It might be as simple as making one more phone call, networking with key mentors who can help you, or saving a few extra dollars you would have spent at your coffee shop towards your financial goals. Do something.
Smile at the silly things — Don’t let the stress of your daily existence stop you from noticing the beauty around you. Be purposeful to slow down and take a deep breath. If nothing else you have to smile at the absurdity of the situation you are in right now.

Bend. But don’t break.

Life is going to swirl tempestuously around you. The stress you feel might be all consuming.

In spite of that fear and panic, you have keep heading towards where you want to be. You can’t stop. You can’t quit.

Don’t let the uncertainty you feel now rob you of the future you’ve always dreamed about.

Never stop climbing.

The post How To Avoid Getting Crushed By Uncertainty.  appeared first on Dan Waldschmidt: Author of EDGY Conversations.

Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...

Awesome Only Comes Slowly.

There is no fast track to achieving amazing goals.

Anything life-changing is going to take you most of your life to achieve.

What is fast, proven, guaranteed to work, or quick is a recipe for mediocrity.

Making money fast is a scam. Earning more while doing less is ridiculously absurd. Changing the world without pain and personal loss is impossible.

Being awesome takes time.

The bigger your goal the more time it will take. Get ready for the long run. Plan for the long-term.

Dig in your heels. Get settled. This battle isn’t going to be over quickly.

In fact, it might seem like it’s not ever going to be over.

Every day you’re going to have to wake up to the reality that you’re still not where you want to be. There is still more room for progress.

How you view success matters.

If you think you’re going to work really hard for a few months and then spend the rest of your life celebrating on a beach, you’re due for some big disappointment.

You’re never going to achieve your financial goals. You’re never going to live a fulfilled life.

No. You’re going to be that person who runs from idea to idea believing that this next great thing is going to be the one thing that fixes everything. And it’s never going to work for you.

Because that formula has never work for anyone.

The truth is that financially independent people earn that privilege by working hard for decades, saving more money than seems reasonable, and investing the money that everyone else excuses away on short term pleasures.

You can’t make more money than a lousy mindset will allow you to earn. You can’t innovate more than you’re willing to work hard.

You can’t build and grow and leverage your skills if you’re not willing to to be wrong sometimes, pay for a coach to make you stronger, and surround yourself with mentors and friends who are committed to doing whatever it takes.

It’s time to get honest.

You might be stuck because you’re around a circle of friends who believe that you can achieve your dreams quickly.

Avoid hucksters who tell you that selling their product and building an affiliate sales pipeline is the immediate answer to your problems.

Don’t buy into the lies you’re told that a business model is proven and guaranteed. Don’t waste your time chasing quick fixes.

Put your head down, shoulder your load, and push forward.

Inch by inch by inch.

Commit to being awesome slowly. No matter how bad it hurts. No matter how long it takes.

Decide to be up for the challenge. That’s the only chance you have.

The post Awesome Only Comes Slowly. appeared first on Dan Waldschmidt: Author of EDGY Conversations.

Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...

You Have More Choices Than You Think You Do.

You are more in control of your destiny then it often feels to you at the time.

Sometimes you’re in a situation where your peers or boss are hard to get along with — overbearing, arrogant, and abrasive.

You feel stuck because even though you don’t like how you feel working there you don’t have the courage to leave your job to go find a different position.

The decision is yours whether you stay or go.

Each day you get bullied, badgered, and beat up is a choice that you make. No one else is forcing you. It’s your decision alone. Yet these sort of situations make you feel a lot less in control than you actually are.

Whether it be conflict at work, in your family life, at church, in the community, or countless other places — you always have more freedom to choose then you feel like you do at the time.

You feel stuck. The reality is that you’re not stuck at all.

You’re just not making the right choice.

Or you’re blaming someone else for the uncomfortable consequences of your past choices.

You can change anything as long as you’re willing to make hard choices and do the hard work that it takes to achieve the success you want for yourself.

Don’t waste your life feeling miserable because of lies you tell yourself when you’re not feeling okay.

Choose something else.

The post You Have More Choices Than You Think You Do. appeared first on Dan Waldschmidt: Author of EDGY Conversations.

Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...

The Danger Of Not Having A Purpose.

The only thing you can’t do is what you’re not possessed by a purpose to get done.

You can do anything as long as you want it bad enough. It’s probably not going to be easy.

You might not be able to achieve your goals right away. It might take you an entire lifetime to do what you want to do.

You can achieve anything as long as you’re willing to be consumed with enough desire, purpose, and intensity.

That starts with what you think about.

If you think you don’t deserve me to be happy or rich or satisfied, you probably won’t be. If you don’t think achieving a goal is possible then it probably isn’t for you.

There is something uniquely powerful about being possessed with a purpose. It takes over your life. It colors your perspective. Catalyzes your curiosity. Prioritizes how you spend your time.

You find a way to get to where you want to be even if no one else on the planet has ever found that way before. You find the path because you’re crazy enough to keep pushing for progress even when everyone else around you tells you that what you’re trying to do is impossible.

That’s the power of having a purpose.

There truly isn’t anything you can’t do.

You’re only limited by how big you can dream. Your only constrained by how far you allow yourself to see the future.

There will be those who tell you that “Of course you have limitations, you’re human”. There will be those who tell you that “You just need to be realistic” — that you need to keep your feet on the ground.

There will be those who criticize your flaws, point out your weaknesses, and ascribe the worst intentions to your sense of urgency.

What they don’t know is that your purpose gives you lift.

It carries you above the doubters. It propels you past the critics and haters.

You might just be an ordinary person. But your drive isn’t. And that is what makes you extraordinary.

Maybe your limitations are too big because your purpose is too small.

The post The Danger Of Not Having A Purpose. appeared first on Dan Waldschmidt: Author of EDGY Conversations.

Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...

Being Willing To Suffer.

Great tragedy unifies people.

It drives focus. It accelerates progress.

It eliminates distraction. It enables massive change by bringing people together around a common cause.

But tragedy hurts.

It hurts to attempt a big dream and fail miserably. It hurts to invest in new relationships that don’t work out.

It’s uncomfortable to lose weight, save money, quit your job, ask for help, or do countless other things that would lead to break through in your life right now.

And being uncomfortable isn’t even in the same category as experiencing tragedy. That’s a whole new level of suffering.

So you avoid suffering.

And you find out that “not hurting” isn’t as safe and rewarding as you thought it might be.

Your willingness to suffer in order to achieve your goals is directly related to how amazing you end up becoming.

The suffering in your life is there to accelerate your progress — not to hold you back.

It can make you better.

But you have to let the lessons you learn make you better. Stronger. More resilient and committed.

Be willing to do the things that hurt until you get to the place where you can celebrate.

The post Being Willing To Suffer. appeared first on Dan Waldschmidt: Author of EDGY Conversations.

Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...