Dan Waldschmidt's Blog, page 7

One Smart Way to Make Doing Hard Things Easier.

Here’s the thing about working hard. It’s hard.

And while that makes obvious sense, I have found that I’m not really good at making what is hard a little bit easier.

That’s part of the crazy mindset that I’ve been trying to fix over the last few years.

I used to revel in doing things that were hard.

It wasn’t a macho thing. I just figured out that most people don’t like doing hard things. And since they don’t like doing hard things they work really hard to do anything but things that are hard.

It doesn’t really make a lot of sense, but it’s how most people operate — “If it’s hard, I must be doing something wrong…”

HERE’S WHERE I WENT WRONG.

Because I was young and scrappy and a college dropout with a massive chip on my shoulder, I intentionally went out of my way to do impossibly hard things, knowing that my competition for winning those projects was quite a bit slimmer then where everyone else was competing.

Unfortunately, that created a monster. At least inside my head.

See, now I intentionally look for the hard things. I go out of my way looking for trouble.

That’s neither smart nor a recipe for longevity.

Sure — sometimes you do need to intentionally do things that are difficult. But then, there are a whole lot of other things that just need to get done.

They need to be completed. And they need to be wrapped up as soon as possible. With as little trouble as possible.

MAKING EASY THINGS HARD DOESN’T MAKE YOU BRILLIANT.

It kind of makes you stupid (talking to myself here).

It’s not smart to resist improvement or a proven process. It’s not a badge of honor to intentionally create everything “brand new.”

One of the really cool lessons I learned last year from one of my mentors was this:

“Start looking hard at the people in your life that you admire, who are also successful. Take a look at the steps that they’ve taken and the processes they use right now.

Don’t copy their journey. Emulate their attitude and actions in the present.”

Here is what my mentor intended for me to understand — successful people got that way by doing things that I need to shut up and pay attention to.

“LOOK AT WHAT THEY ARE DOING RIGHT NOW.”

Instead of doing hard things and making needless mistakes, I just need to emulate, internalize, and improve.

And maybe you do too?

Think about it… It makes sense to follow people who have probably already figured out the same mistakes you’re going to make. It’s not magic. They just have more repetitions than you do.

Copy. Improve. Level up. Then keep repeating that.

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The Power of Saying No

This episode of Dan’s podcast will remind us that clarity comes from activity and not the other way around. You can’t wait to know what you are going to do perfectly before you get started.

Great breakthrough never happens without sacrifice.

Dan Waldschmidt

The things that you should say NO to are the things that you’re using to patch over your feelings, your concerns, the outcomes, and results that re their that teach us something.

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You’ve Got This.

You’ve got this.

This moment you’re going through right now. This trying time. The sleepless nights. The tossing and turning. The self-doubt and embarrassment that you feel.

You’ve got this.

Let me remind you that life is what you make it. The outcomes you experience aren’t always fun or fair or logical.

Sometimes it just feels like you’re getting screwed.

Here’s the thing. You’ve got this. You really do.

You’re strong enough to take the blows. You’re smart enough to find a new angle. You are resilient and determined and uniquely capable.

It’s the moment right here that’s dangerous. The one you’re in right now.

See, the only thing that can defeat you is your decision to give up. It’s deadly. And dangerous. And sometimes feels like the only option you have.

But here’s the truth — on the other side of all of this mess you’re going through is the progress you’ve been begging for.

The struggle is messy but success is sweet.

It’s a small thing to not give up. But it requires big people and even bigger thinking.

You might need other people to hold on for you. You might need to put yourself in the position where you can’t back down, slow down, or quit.

Whatever you have to do, remember that you got this.

Take a breath. Take another step. Keep focused on the prize.

It’s always worth it when you get there.

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What Do You Want

This podcast episode talks about the importance of knowing our purpose in life. As we age, this purpose that we focused on might change. What we want at 4 years old is not the same at 40 years old. Your life purpose is your contribution.

If you don’t know your purpose you will not be able to execute at the highest level.

DAN WALDSCHMIDT

Why is finding your purpose so important? Listen to this podcast episode and uncover the answer to this question.

After you listen, come to our Edgy Facebook page or join our new Edgy community and share how this episode change the way how you look at your purpose in life.

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You Don’t Have To Enjoy The Pain To Celebrate The Progress You Are Making.

They call it the pain cave. I never heard it called that before. So I stopped and paused. Turned my head a little.

The pain cave? I was new to ultra-running and felt out of place as a group of seasoned competitors were talking about how they would feel in the race.

We were all gathered together the day before the race to talk through logistics. The race director was sharing the different segments of the race, where staff would be located, and what we needed to do if we ran into a bear accidentally.

Most people listening were in a good mood – laughing and joking, and sharing what seemed important to them and their crew.

I remember the words “pain cave” distinctly. I’m not a fan of tight spaces and so being in a cave seemed like an absolute disaster. After all, I had signed up for a race. Not a spelunking expedition.

I figured it out the next day.

It was a 5 a.m. start. And cold as hell. In the mountains of Arkansas. And I had never done this before. I was going to run my first 100 mile race.

There were 23 aid stations broken up by 3 to 5 miles of ugly terrain in-between. It might have been cold when the day started but it quickly got warm and then hot.

As day wore on, I noticed that the crowd got less talkative. Some people had earbuds on or were listening to music on a Bluetooth speaker attached to their hydration pack. Others seem to have a glazed over look at they stared at the trail ahead.

The hot midday sun turned a bit cooler as lunchtime turned into dinner time. More than 12 hours later I was still running.

And then I entered the darkness. Literally. I had started running in the darkness of the morning. And now I was running in the darkness of the evening.

My muscles were strained and sore.

I was uncomfortably dehydrated. No one was around me anymore. I was quite literally all alone in the middle of the mountains with only my headlamp and the promise of there being an age station a few more miles down the road.

There was no reason to continue except that I didn’t want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere. Every fiber of my being was screaming out in rebellion. Even my mind started talking nonsense to me.

“Why would you do this?”

“Is this even safe?”

Every step felt like torture. Self-imposed torture – which made it seem all the more crazy.

And there, in the middle of the Arkansas mountains, more than 80 miles into a race that I had never attempted before, I found myself in the middle of the pain cave.

Emotional. Physical. Pain.

I knew exactly what that seasoned runner was talking about.

And in an instant, it all made sense. I also remembered what the race director said the day before: “Have fun, people. Go out there and finish. It’s not about how fast you are. it’s about you making it back across the finish line.”

As the minutes turned into miles, I figured out something that I have never forgotten.

The only way out of the pain cave is to keep moving towards the light. To stop is to stay stuck. To give up is to stay stuck. To make excuses just slows you down.

It’s going to keep hurting until you make it through to the other side. It’s going to feel like everything around you is falling apart. Your friends are going to call you crazy. Your mind is going to trick you into thinking that what you want to achieve isn’t worth it.

You’re going to doubt yourself. You’re going to question your abilities.

In the end, the pain cave makes you tougher.

It’s what sets you apart from everyone else. It’s your secret to being unstoppable. Not because you’re a superhuman who isn’t bothered by the things that affect others. But because the pain brings out something primal inside you.

It refines you and makes you better. It shows you clearly how amazing you can be in spite of the obstacles that seem to be holding you back from where you want to be.

The pain cave isn’t your enemy, it’s your enabler.

Throughout my life, I have found myself in the pain cave all too often.

Most of the time, it has nothing to do with me running. It’s something a bit more insidious – usually a pain cave of emotions and financial worry, thoughts of inadequacy and questions about clarity.

What it all comes crashing down and I’m awake at 2:15 in the morning wondering why I’m here again and what to do to make it better, I’ve realized the power of being in the pain game.

The secret to being better isn’t to worry or whine, quit, give up, or blame someone else.

It is to turn worry into wonder.

“What lesson am I supposed to be learning right now?”“How would I act if I knew that everything was going to be okay in the end?”

Instead of being frantic, I tell myself that I am fortunate. Because even though what I am learning will be uncomfortable, it is also the lesson I need to be a champion.

And perhaps the same is true with you.

Maybe you’re not struggling because you’re a loser and you keep making bad choices. Maybe you’re in the pain cave so that you can be the person you were meant to be.

So stop wasting your time revolting against it.

You don’t have to enjoy the pain to celebrate the progress you’re making.

It took me 19 hours, 29 minutes, and 21 seconds to finish my first hundred-mile race and learn an important lesson about pain, progress, and the only way to reach full potential.

I’ve heard Joel Osteen say multiple times over the years that: “What you go through, you grow through.”

But there’s a word missing from that sentence.

What you go through you can grow through.

The hard truth is that you can be in the pain cave forever. You can stay stuck, in a self-imposed pattern of whining and giving up. You can refuse to learn lessons that will make you better.

You can point your finger at everyone else and miss out on the valuable opportunity to become the winner you’ve always wanted to be.

Pain doesn’t need to bring you down. It can build you up. But that’s a choice. One you might have to make every step of the way for 19 hours.

In everyday life, you might have to make that decision every hour for a thousand consecutive days.

You might have to choose to get back on your feet a million consecutive times.

When you choose gain, you sign yourself up for pain.

So you have a choice to make. Do you want success or do you never want to feel bad?

If it’s success and progress and being a better version of you that you choose, welcome to the pain cave.

The post You Don’t Have To Enjoy The Pain To Celebrate The Progress You Are Making. appeared first on Dan Waldschmidt.

On Being Effective

This episode talks about being effective versus being efficient. Performing or functioning in the best possible manner with the least waste of time and effort, Being effective is about doing the right things while being efficient is about doing things right.

Being effective is not just about doing more work — but rather to stop doing it, and consciously put yourself in a position where you can look at where you are and know if what you are attempting to do is working.

Dan Waldschmidt

As you listen to this episode, try to ask yourself this question, Is this getting me closer to where I want to be?

Recommended book: The Miracle Club by Mitch Horowitz

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5 Unshakeable Truths About The Power Of Positive Thinking.

You only have to spend a little bit of time around negative people to know the devastating impact of thoughts.

What you think about most becomes the reality of your life.

If you are controlled by bitterness and regret, all you seem to see around you are things that make you angry and frustrated. The same as true in the opposite sense when you choose to find the bright spot in whatever situation you find yourself.

Regardless of your reality, you feel happy and fulfilled. You have high hopes for the future.

But beyond your own personal experiences with the thoughts you think, how does this work?

Do positive thoughts really lead to better outcomes? Does it really matter that you allow yourself to brood over negativity in your daily life?

A lot of research has been done and many books written on the topic of positive thinking. From The Secret to The Power Of Positive Thinking, Think And Grow Rich, and the writings of Neville Goddard to new age religious thinkers that include Joel Osteen and TD Jakes, many people have put their spin on the power of your thoughts — from religion to metaphysical to personal motivation.

Right off the bat many people label this entire category of discussion as “woo-woo”. They’ll tell you right away with a quick turn of their head “I don’t believe in any of that crap”.

These same people will tell you to be realistic and keep your feet on the ground — all the while complaining about how other people have negatively impacted their lives for them.

No amount of personal experience or reasoning will convince them of anything to the contrary — especially their own culpability.

If you fall into this category of being an automatic skeptic then you should know that I do not intend to make a believer out of you. However, if you have been as puzzled as I have been about the power of thoughts and how thinking leads to outcomes, both good and bad, then let’s debate the following points together.

1. Negativity is never helpful.

Whether it starts as actions or attitudes, negativity creates tension in your life that always leads to poor outcomes.

We don’t want to be around negativity in others. Since we all have problems and are busy dealing with our own crap, being forced to deal with your negativity as well is just another reason to avoid you.

It’s hard to find breakthrough in your life or catch a break from others when you put them in a position where they don’t feel like helping you.

That’s the dynamic created by negativity — in any shape or form. It is absurd then that negative thinking attracts goodness into your life.

2. Thinking without action doesn’t lead to success.

Just thinking about success doesn’t make you a success. You taking action is what leads to better outcomes. You have to do something if you want to get something.

It’s preposterous to believe that thoughts alone will lead you to a life of wealth and good health. You have to do things that lead to wealth and good health.

But that doesn’t mean that thinking about success isn’t important.

Continuous thinking creates obsession. Obsession is what gives you that extra advantage over everyone else. Instead of giving up when you face problems you confront them and find a way around them.

Thinking is what leads to better action. You still have to do something to be effective.

3. The breakthrough you are looking for already exists.

Thinking about breakthrough doesn’t create breakthrough any more than thinking about success without action create success. Here’s the thing about possibility — it is endless beyond measure.

What you want to achieve is already possible. No one is holding you back, slowing you down, or stopping you. It is your thoughts that create the perception of limitations.

Time and time again in sports or academic excellence a breakthrough by one person almost immediately spawns that same accomplishment by many others. There is something inside you that triggers when you believe that what your attempting to do is likely to happen.

Maybe you try harder. Maybe you give up less. Maybe you trust your instincts and go for it when otherwise you would have backed away and tried something else. The possibility for you to achieve success doesn’t just exist, it is inevitable. But you have to believe that before it matters for you.

4. If you think it’s true, it’s true for you.

The simple truth about beliefs is that you believe what you want to believe, how you want to believe it. Truth isn’t necessarily based on universal reality. It’s based on solely on your perspective — how what you see matches up to what you believe. This begins to explain the power of positive thoughts.

When you believe that blessings are in your future, that truth will live out in your daily existence. When you belief that success is your destiny and that good things happen to people who do good work, you literally create the future you believe exist.

And not because your thoughts are a magic wand that create that future. It’s a bit simpler than that.

What you think, you believe. What you believe, you see. You actively look for goodness, greatness, and glory. It feels like magnetism. Like success is brought to you. In truth, it’s been there the whole time, just waiting for you to find your truth.

5. None of this matters if you don’t care.

There is an ancient Buddhist philosophy that says “When the student is willing the teacher will appear”. There is an Arabian proverb that says something similar: “The taste of the bread depends upon how hungry you are”.

The same can be said about personal development. You don’t need to care about getting better. And if you don’t, it shows. The same applies to your thoughts.

If you don’t need to think better, this entire discussion feels like mumbo jumbo.

Here is the crazy irony — at some point you will care. Because you’ll be stuck and need to find your way out of the mess you’re in. But then, you’ll have all the odds tipped against you.

You have to figure out how to get back on your feet without having worked on the skill of powerful thinking.

So even if you don’t think you care, take a moment to think about how you’ll feel when you do care. Or when you have cared in the past.

From my earliest days in church and throughout seminary studying the Holy Bible, I was often reminded of a single proverb written by King Solomon: “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he”.

Perhaps that sums up the essence of this entire discussion.

You are what you choose to think about.

Negativity, fear, and doubt are choices that you allow ourself to make.

The same is true about hope and promise, wealth, love, and goodness.

Regardless of where you are on your personal journey towards success, know that what you think about most you become.

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The Unspoken Truth About Having Integrity And What To Do About It.

So here’s the thing about integrity. A lot of people talk about having it. No one claims to have lost it. Few know what it even means.

Think about it — you yourself have probably talked about yourself to others and shared with them that you are a “person of integrity.” I know that I have.

It’s something that we all want to claim. But it’s a lifestyle that’s a bit harder to live up to.

The truth about integrity is that it is most often discovered in the moments when life is the most unfair. That’s because integrity isn’t a series of actions, it’s a lifestyle.

It’s a set of rules that are wired into every part of who you are.

It’s not something that you have to do. It’s quite literally your code of conduct.

All too often, integrity becomes a list of requirements.

The rules for public engagement.

It’s the compromise we all agree to — so that we can do business together.

The problem with not having integrity and just going through the motions is that you eventually demonstrate that you don’t have integrity.

It’s not something that you can hide from others for very long.

A person of integrity delivers what they promise at the time they’ve promised. They follow up and follow through.

And, they do it for the right reasons. It’s not about receiving money or losing rewards. It’s about delivering on the commitments that you have made.

Having integrity is about valuing your word and living an intentional lifestyle that automatically nudges you towards success rather than inevitable failure.

Having integrity is a lot like gambling in Las Vegas.

There’s a reason that the casino always win. It’s built to win.

The games are intentionally built for the casino to get that extra edge and the entire system works to that end.

Management isn’t sitting around hoping that they make money. They know exactly what to do to make that happen.

You might be given a free meal — so that instead of going home, you stick around an extra day. In that extra day, you gamble a little bit more. When you gamble a little bit more, you increase the amount of money that you give to the house.

The house isn’t lucky. It’s religious. It delivers on the promise of taking your money.

In exchange, you might have fun, watch a show, or create some memories that you can share with your family and friends. But in the end, you end up losing your money.

It tells you that it’s going to take your money, and then it does.

The casino has integrity.

What if that was your life in a thousand little ways each day?What if you were delivering on the promise of having integrity?What if you committed to following up and following through.?What if you built a system that nudged your effort and thoughts forward?

Your results weren’t an accident last time and won’t be an accident the next time. It’s all part of the system that you’ve built to make yourself a winner — even by a slimmest of margins.

See, progress doesn’t have to be something grandiose. Or majestic.

It’s the small things you do that shift the odds in your favor — that push you toward success.

One of the most impactful pieces of training that I’ve been a part of was a course from Mindvalley where T. Harv Eker was speaking about the spirituality of money.

Much of the course was information and insights that I already had a grasp of.

But in one of the trading sessions, Harv made the comment that: “How you do anything, is how you do everything.”

He kept saying that. It wasn’t just in one training course. He kept coming back to it in the follow up lessons.

He reminded all of us that the small things matter. Details become habits.

If you’re not willing to save money in small ways, you’re definitely not going to save money in big ways. If you’re not willing to invest small amounts of money, then you’ll never have big amounts of money to invest.

How you do anything is how you do everything — because everything is made up of a bunch of anythings.

Andwhile that might seem confusing, or a clever twist of words, it’s actually the definition of integrity.

How you do anything is how you will do everything. Sloppiness in one area of your life easily become sloppiness in all the other areas of your life.

Pretty soon, you know that you’re giving up and performing at much less than your best, but you aren’t sure how you got there and what to do to fix it.

You have integrity. That’s how you fix it.

You go back to the drawing board of your life with a clean sheet of paper and you start tackling the details.

Remember, the size of your success isn’t based on the large moments in your life — rather, the small, seemingly insignificant interactions that when combined together, create the integrity that safeguards your passage to success.

If it seems like you’re doing everything right, but not getting the results that you want — if you feel like you should be at a different place than you are right now, but aren’t sure how to get there — maybe it’s a matter of integrity.

Maybe you’ve slid backward in a few “anythings” that you need to tighten up and take back control over.

Here are a few small ways to get started:

Fulfill your promisesMake fewer commitmentsKeep your appointmentsSay “NO” more oftenLimit your gut reactionsImprove your communication skillsApologize fasterAvoid people who don’t share your valuesDevelop candorStay focused on what mattersSurround yourself with people you admire

What “anythings do you need to improve?

Make the house work in your favor.

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What Is Purpose

” Your present purpose doesn’t have always your purpose.” – Dan Waldschmidt

Do you know your purpose?

Once you find your path, you’ll almost certainly find others traveling along with you, hoping to reach the same destination—a community. The goals that foster a sense of purpose are ones that can potentially change the lives of other people.

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Here Is Exactly When The Magic Begins To Happen.

Massively successful people focus on one thing. Think about the times in your life when you really needed results.

Maybe you were broke and had to have money in the next 24 hours to pay your bills.

You had no other option but to figure it out. Chances are that you figured it out.

Why? Because you had to.

You had one big challenge in front of you with tremendously uncomfortable results if you were to fail. So you figured it out.

But how?

And why are you able to perform in some situations, but not in others. Especially when it seems like the goal you’re after would make your life so much easier.

When you really need to be successful, you are.

By needing to be successful, you become more creative. You become more open-minded to new possibilities. The obstacles that used to limit you before now aren’t so daunting.

What has really changed? Your situation hasn’t. Your problems haven’t.

But your mindset has. That might be all.

You flipped a switch that isn’t always easily accessible. And not because you’re not a smart human or a driven individual.

There’s something about desire that defies expectation. When you really want something with every fiber of your being, you see the world differently.

Problems that used to seem insurmountable are merely annoying. Your inadequacies and fears seem trivial.

Everything in your mind and body is focused at a singular conquest.

That focus and intensity is the lightning rod that shifts your results.

Which is why massively successful people focus on one thing. You can’t obsess like you need to if you are chasing multiple goals.

Pick one. Fuel your desire with obsession. Eliminate distractions.

Want it until it hurts. That’s when the magic begins to happen.

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