“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Rest in peace.

I recently recalled a conversation I had with Corbett on our way back from Portland and the World Domination Summit several months ago.

On the plane, there was a young lady a few rows in front of us feverishly working on a PowerPoint presentation that admittedly looked boring as all hell, with too many words, graphics, and colors to make any logical sense at a glance.

Though I didn’t have to do any PowerPoint presentations at my old job, I thought about all the other things I had to do that I wasn’t very fond of.

The traditional job world always felt like a maze to me. Either that, or a hamster wheel… getting instruction, producing output, doing it all over again, day after day. I was always looking for the big wrap-up, but it was like a stale, recurring dream with no end in sight.

All the seemingly unimportant tasks, the work that needed to be completed NOW NOW NOW and the internal clients who made those requests, the unavoidable feeling of confusion and having to ask, “What’s the point of all this?”

—

I was in a dream-like state, recalling this old life of mine that seemed to have ended years back (but in reality was only 2.5 months ago at the time) when I quietly declared I would much rather wonder where my next rent payment will come from, than die a little inside with each passing day.

The feeling of dying on the inside when you’re in a position of hopelessness is unavoidable. I knew I was on the wrong path when I was at a job. I could tell I was meant to do other things, but when you’re stuck, all roads out look intimidating, dark, and uncertain. One can’t help but conjure up thoughts of failure, confusion, possibly homelessness.

In reality, things never turn out that bad.

That feeling of being alive, however, is infectious. It invades your every thought, your every minute, every single thing you create. There’s a hunger that awakens and a confidence that grows with every little win.

It’s about what you’re meant to do

It’s not about quitting a job if you like it, it’s not about running marathons if you hate running, it’s about taking the time to really discover what it is you’re meant to do. Perhaps the whole picture isn’t clearly visible, but it’s your job to uncover the rest of it, little by little.

It’s about pursuing the sweet spot, that intersection where your passions, skill, and potential for profitability meet. It’s about attacking opportunity and venturing out further than you thought possible, to a place where it’s a bit uncomfortable. Discomfort is simply an opportunity to grow and learn, so embrace it.

Constantly reassess your life

Who says you have to stay at your job? If you’re a homeless drug addict, who says you have to stay that way? No one. You can change your circumstances. It may not be a walk in the park, but it’s not impossible. Change comes one step at a time, day after day. It’s work, but it’s worth it.

You have one life

Wherever you are in your life right now, this is it. This is your life. Are you content? Are you where you want to be? Are you really happy, or are you just telling yourself you are?

Finding success by any measure can be difficult.

How do we become successful? For the purposes of this three-step process, let’s say we define success as “an arrival at a particular outcome”.

Seeing Iguazu Falls in Argentina with your own eyes, learning to speak fluent Mandarin, sitting in on a studio recording session with Jay-Z. The more specific your outcome, the better your chances are of achieving that outcome.

This example leads us to our first step.

STEP ONE: Decide.

Simple, right? Here are some guidelines.

1.) Specificity wins

Reread my examples above, right after I defined success as we are using it here. Those are very specific outcomes, and the more honest and specific you can be about what you want, the easier it is to get those things.

Solidify your vague outcome. You don’t want an abstract idea, you want one that you can vividly picture in your imagination, something you can play out scene by scene in your own mind.

Be specific about what you want.

Here’s my personal example: I want to live in Waikiki from January to March of 2012, and while I’m there, I want to explore the island, eat a lot of tuna poke and kalua pork, learn to be comfortable on a surfboard, and disconnect as much as possible to focus on writing, creating, and building our brand. I want a small apartment with a lanai where K and I can eat our meals, brainstorm ideas, people watch, and listen to the ocean.

Not vague at all, right? When you have a specific outcome, the more achievable it becomes.

2.) Be limitless yet realistic

If success, to you, means growing 12″ taller in one month, you could (technically) do it, but it comes at the expense of plenty of things (an empty bank account, lower quality of life, surgical complications, appearing batshit crazy).

Keep your goals within the parameters of what’s considered natural, but don’t limit yourself to easily achievable outcomes. Be bold and daring when defining your personal success.

No, traveling to every country in the world isn’t out of the question. Neither is learning multiple languages, letting your appetite (and freedom from a 9-5) dictate your next destination, or making simplicity a priority in your everyday life.

3.) Stand up to yourself

The voices of doubt and reasoning like to creep in during this exercise. They mask themselves under the guise of reality. They tell you “That’s not realistic,” or “That can never happen,” or “Are you crazy? You have bills to pay.”

Tell those voices to fuck off.

Standing up to yourself and the notion of uncertainty simply means reprogramming your thought processes, recognizing when doubt creeps in, and telling it to go away.

4.) Dream proactively

Recognize that our first human inclination is to accept defeat before we start, to tell ourselves that it really can’t be done, or that it’s irresponsible to dream.

It’s your responsibility to listen intently, and to do everything in your power to block all that crap out.

How? By allowing yourself to continue the process of deciding what your idea of success is. It takes a conscious effort to block out the negativity and self-doubt during this step. It may be difficult at first, but you can do it. Just practice.

STEP TWO: Internalize.

Internalizing an idea means an idea becoming a part of you. Essentially, the thing you want already IS, it just hasn’t happened yet.

You know how you can say with complete certainty that something is the color green just by glancing at it? Or how you know your height measurement by heart? Or that, in darkness, light will illuminate a room?

These are facts we accept as truth. They just are, and our subconscious never questions it. We expect these things to just be.

If we internalize our goals and ideas of success the same way we know light illuminates a dark room, how can we NOT be successful? If someone approaches you and says a plugged-in, fully-functioning lamp with a brand new light bulb does not illuminate a room… would you immediately dismiss them? Or would your internal doubt creep in and start questioning what you already internalized as fact? I can guarantee you’d consider that person completely delusional, because you know for a FACT that light illuminates a dark room.

Internalize your goals and your desires; that way, there will be no doubt as to whether or not they’re achievable. They just… are.

The benefits of internalization are two-fold. Not only do they become unquestionable (because they are simply truth), they also alleviate the question of how.

When there is no doubt in your mind something will happen, you stop bugging yourself about the details. You just make shit happen. You blindly go after it because you know of no other outcome but success. It already IS, you just need to follow through.

And that’s step three.

STEP THREE: Act.

This is the step that success hinges upon. There is no success without action, right?

Easier said than done, sure. We all understand analysis paralysis and the overwhelming feeling of being unsure where to start.

The beauty of uncertainty when starting is that you’re free to carve your own path. Most likely, there’s no one true way to get to your destination. As long as you start somewhere, you can figure out the next logical step in the process.

Afraid you won’t figure out that second step? Stop jumping ahead. Just take that initial step, and I guarantee you’re resourceful enough to figure out what to do next.

In my personal example, my first step was in planning how a two-month extended stay in paradise could work logistically. We’d have to ditch our 9-5s and sustain a side income and growing business, not to mention find an apartment that allows subletting (we’re currently in the process of moving). Then we have to devise a plan to continue the operations of our business while we’re away.

I have a plethora of first steps to take in this situation. I could leave my job, I could line up a couple freelance gigs for extra income, I could start searching online for long-term rentals on Waikiki beach.

You can dig down further to find even simpler initial steps within those. What comes before leaving a job? Maybe assessing my current finances, making sure I have enough to survive for at least a couple months. How about before lining up some freelance work? Maybe talking to prospective clients and seeing what they need help with. Finding long term rentals? How about deciding where on the beach I want to live, so I can narrow down my search?

You get the idea. Drill down your initial first step, until all that’s left is one simple, straight-forward action. Doesn’t matter if it’s small, all that matters is that you act.

OTHER NOTABLE SUBSTEPS

Make your goal a priority. Keep it in the very front of your mind.

Base all your decisions around your success, and question whether or not each action you take will help you get one step closer. I do this all the time, asking myself, “Will buying this thing for $200 get me closer to what I truly want, or would stashing the money away make more sense?” It’s a no-brainer.

Be resilient, and practice delayed gratification. It’s tough denying yourself short-term happiness for something more grand (and most likely, further away). It’s also very difficult staying committed to your goal, but then again, if it’s a specific outcome you desire with your whole heart, soul, and being, and you’ve already internalized that outcome as fact, being resilient really isn’t that tough.

ON RESULTS

Shoot for perfection, but don’t kill yourself if you fall short. Don’t use this as an escape or a cop-out; truly give it your all. It’s about striving for what you desire deep down, and going at it full-speed.

For example, I know our company’s philosophy of traveling and unplugging to focus on creation and idea generation is monumentally important, and that our yearly Inspirational Getaways will happen. Then again, this is our first year, and we’re still ironing out the details. Am I certain it will happen from January to March? Not necessarily. Do I question whether or not it will happen at all? Hell no. It may happen from February to April, or maybe May to July, but no matter what, it will happen, year after year.

You already knew this would happen. After deciding and internalizing, you knew this would be your outcome. Take a moment to pause and reflect on where you are and what you’ve achieved. Relish in that moment and be happy you’re there. It wasn’t easy but you made it happen.

That moment is yours.

The other day, I saw Seniors 2011 painted on the rear windshield of a Toyota Camry as I was driving home from Safeway. I did a double-take and had a brief flashback of my senior year in high school, when everyone had Seniors 2001 scrawled across their rear windows.

How fitting that just today, I received a notice in the mail that our ten-year anniversary reunion is approaching. I can’t help but wonder where all the time went.

I think back on my 17-year-old self and wonder what exactly was going on in my head back then. What did I plan to accomplish in the next five or ten years? What obligations and expectations did I have? Where did I imagine myself to be in 2011? I wish I could go back and give 17-year-old B a pep talk.

A couple things I would tell him:

Don’t go to college

… just because it’s something everyone else does after high school. In fact, take a year off and go somewhere. Anywhere. It’s a massive, wide-open world. If you have an opportunity, go explore. College will be there waiting for you when you get back. What’s one year if it leads to real-world experience and self-discovery?

If you must go to college immediately, at least go because it’s your choice. Go because you want to further your learning, build relationships, or discover new things you otherwise wouldn’t anywhere else. Don’t just sign yourself up because everyone else is, or because life implies that college is the next step in the plan of “Go to school, earn good grades, get into college, get a great job, work 40 years, retire at 65, happy and wealthy”.

That plan doesn’t work anymore; the world has changed and the people who are pushing this plan are slow to realize it.

If you do go, don’t pay for it

… at least not out of your own pocket. Treat school loans like the fucking plague, which is exactly what they are. Go to community college for two years and work part time if you have to, but whatever you do, avoid school loans.

Getting loans for school is just another form of instant gratification: “I want it now, let’s worry about paying for it later.”

Your 27-year-old self is currently experiencing “later”, and paying an extra $500 a month on top of my other expenses when I’m trying to run a business SUCKS. Have the foresight to realize it’s a dumb move burdening your future self with a half-grand loan payment every month.

Alternatives? Sure: Grants. Scholarships. Community college for the first two years. Part time jobs.

Are those easy alternatives? No, but they’re well worth it. It’s much better to be in pain while you’re going through school; at least you can appreciate the hard work you’re putting into paying for it. It’s not as fun when you’re paying for something today, when the whole experience is years behind you.

Major in something realistic

And when I say “realistic”, I mean something you’re truly, genuinely interested in. This doesn’t mean you’ll never diverge, or that you won’t ever lose interest and move on to something else, but try and find something that really moves you.

Life is too short to base your decisions on what your parents expect of you, what your friends are studying, or what some career forecast is predicting will happen in the next five years. You’ll never make a dent by walking down other people’s pathways or taking the ones with the least resistance. You certainly won’t make a mark by being a lazy ass and coasting through life.

Forge your own path, starting now, and you’ll make some great discoveries along the way.

You won’t remember a damn thing

… from the classes you take. If you want to learn a lesson, make sure you pay close attention, or better yet, figure out what you want to learn (even if it’s not in your major, your department, or from one of your professors), and actively seek out an expert that has the knowledge. You’re surrounded by brilliance, so take advantage of it.

You’ll learn the most once you’re out of school. The shit they teach you there isn’t real, it’s merely a primer, a glossy generalization of what you *might* need to know once you leave. The things you learn once you’re out is raw and instantly applicable, and you’ll remember it most because you’re probably paying for it out of pocket with the mistakes you make. Take note, and don’t make those same mistakes again.

Go out of your way to be uncomfortable

…in life, but especially in college. You’re in a place where everyone is new and you’re all sharing the same set of experiences. Make the most of it.

Make a bunch of friends while you’re there (other than the five cool people you met already), and learn what you can from them. They may all seem like drunk idiots, but in the future, they may actually be doing some cool stuff.

Continue to be as uncomfortable as possible, even after college. Never settle for the mediocre routine that everyone else follows. Find ways to support yourself on your own, doing something you love, so work will never truly feel like work.

Swim upstream

… even when it’s difficult as fuck. When the crowd moves left, make sure you go right. Don’t blindly follow the masses like a flock of birds mid-flight. The precision, ease, and predictability of that life may seem enticing, but mediocrity, to you, means a slow and painful death. You don’t know it yet, but you’re not meant to live that life.

Keep your head up

Shit can get ugly before it gets beautiful, so stay focused. Only pay attention to the things that matter, and disregard the rest.

You don’t have to live the way others expect you to

…and you certainly don’t have to live the way everyone else lives, as one of my favorite writers has taught me. It may seem that you have no choice, that you’re bound by the restrictions placed on you through the expectations of others, through financial obligations, or simply through the mounds of crap you managed to buy and are still trying to pay off.

Stop yourself before you get to that point of realization, where it’s much more difficult to turn back. Start young, consume only what you need, create and build awesome things, and enjoy the fruits of your labor once you have the fruits… and after you’ve exerted energy through your labor.

Have fun.

Life, your time, the things you do to fill it… everything is an adventure. Enjoy it, but more importantly, make everything you do worthwhile, because after all, this moment happens only once.

birds photo credit

You ever stop at the crosswalk of a busy intersection where scores of people surround you, waiting to cross to the other side? Have you ever witnessed a moment when absolutely no cars are driving past, and there isn’t another car in sight?

99.97% of people stand there and wait until the orange hand disappears and the little white guy signals us to cross.

Why? Why do we wait?

Is it societal norms that keep us standing still until we’re “allowed” to cross? Do we feel like we’re breaking rules by crossing too early? Are we afraid of being judged if we cross too soon, thereby shattering the idea of what is considered “normal” or “right”?

It’s an interesting thought when you apply it to your life. Society’s expectations seem to limit us; they throw us in boxes labeled Acceptable, and if we attempt to displace ourselves or relocate ourselves outside the box, we’re immediately outcast. We’re no longer fitting inside this frame of “normal”.

The saddest part, at least to me, is when an individual feels confined to this box and is too paralyzed by fear to hop out of it. And it’s not like the walls of this box are unbelievably high, though they may sometimes seem that way.

Oftentimes these walls just exist within ourselves under the guise of insecurity, or fear of being judged, or fear of failure. Sometimes all it takes is a simple mind shift to move from the confines of this box to right outside its walls.

Once you’re outside, however, a whole new set of issues can arise. That old doubtful feeling, the hypnotizing buzz of critics and naysayers, your own mental limitations and inexperience.

When we’re paralyzed by this fear, whether behind these walls or directly outside of them, we rarely think long term or big picture. Thoughts such as these are often too vague and abstract. It’s too bad not enough people attempting to leave that box have this long term vision, otherwise they wouldn’t have chickened out so soon. They wouldn’t be so quick to hop back in.

—

If a number of seconds pass and no cars drive through the intersection, there tends to be one brave, pioneering soul who looks left, then right, then left and right again, and crosses. Rarely does this individual second guess himself, and I can guarantee he never doubles back. Once he builds momentum, he goes all the way to the other side.

What if you knew, that by taking one single step forward, you’d make it all the way? What if you knew that as long as you looked both ways and made sure no cars were coming, that you’d live to see the other side… that you’d make it to your destination?

Would you hesitate to cross? If you knew the box’s barriers weren’t high at all, would you make the leap to the other side?

If not, what’s holding you back?

Would you believe me if I told you that your largest obstacle to great change is yourself?

Listen to the conversation going on inside your head.

Remember the time you thought of a great new invention that could revolutionize an industry? What about your ideas to improve an already existing product in a marketplace? How about that book you planned on writing years ago? That time you wanted to quit your soul-crushing job? That half-marathon you promised yourself you’d complete by December of LAST year?

Did you tell yourself quietly that it’s too tough, that someone’s probably already beat you to the punch, that it’s not really worth your time in the first place? Are you defeating yourself before even trying?

You are your own saboteur.

Continue on this path of self-destruction, and you’re destined for a life filled to the brim with mediocrity and dissatisfaction. Take active steps to overcome self-sabotage, however, and you reclaim your chances for greatness.

How to stop self-sabotage in its tracks

Step 1: Admit you’re doing it

Don’t make excuses. Don’t justify your inaction. Having a full-time job isn’t an excuse for inaction, it’s called laziness. Being tired after a long commute isn’t an excuse; talk to the multitudes of entrepreneurs who built successful businesses in their off-hours, or authors who wrote novels when the world was sleeping. It’s called sacrifice.

Having a family isn’t an excuse for lack of productivity. Don’t believe me? Ask Leo, a guy who built a thriving online business despite having six children. Now he has all the time in the world and can do whatever he damn well pleases. He doesn’t have to trade away eight hours a day, five days a week for two days of freedom with his family.

When you’re hustling double-time, it takes sacrifice. Sacrifice comfort and sleep to build that thing you’ve been meaning to build.

Admit you’re making excuses, and stop telling yourself these are real obstacles.

Step 2: Identify your most vulnerable times

What activities are you most uncertain about? What times do you doubt yourself most? There may be processes you’re dealing with that cause you to question your expertise, your motivation, your resolve. Seek to solve these things or work through them; sometimes an obstacle only seems like one because you’ve never tried to overcome it.

What do you need to help you through those times you’re most vulnerable? Most likely, there are resources out there. Trust me, you’re not the only one who’s ever been doubtful of his or her own potential. Seek out peers in similar situations. It’s a big internet out there; someone’s gotta share your pain and your worry. Seek out mentors, people who have already been through this stage and have successfully made it to the other side.

Are you feeling vulnerable because you lack certain skills? Don’t hesitate to learn; something you’re unsure of presents you an opportunity to gain that knowledge. Is it something super complicated like say, coding a website? You can outsource that, ya know.

Don’t let your vulnerabilities deter you from taking that next step towards building what you’ve been meaning to build.

Step 3: Listen to your self talk

How do you address yourself? Are your thoughts full of negativity, worry, and doubt? Stop it immediately! Channel your Little Engine and tell yourself you think you can, you think you can. The more you tell yourself it’s possible, the more possible it becomes, simply because you allow yourself to believe it.

Put it this way: Would you let someone else talk to you that way? Would you allow another person to tell you that you’re unable to do something? Would you let someone walk all over you like you walk all over yourself?

Aid in this self-doubt by surrounding yourself with like-minded people, people who are approaching the same goals you are, people in that world you want to be a part of. They’ll be a source of inspiration and motivation when things are difficult and you’re doubting yourself.

Step 4: Cut out the overwhelm

When you decide to take action, realize there are millions of things you need to do, and you only have a limited amount of time. Remind yourself that worrying about the million things you need to accomplish only wastes more time.

Instead, ask yourself this: What are the two things you can do right this second? Doesn’t matter how small or insignificant it seems, every step you take is progressive and is one step closer to your goal of finishing that book, running that marathon, or revolutionizing your space.

Do you have a limited amount of time? You need to practice prioritization. What can you get done in a 20-minute time block? What is the most important thing you could make progress on, given the amount of time you have? Small steps and steady progression gets you to your goal, worry doesn’t.

Step 5: Chill out with the asshole attitude

Don’t be such a jerk to yourself. It all goes back to the realization that you’d never let another person talk to you the way you’re talking to yourself… all the more reason you should stop.

Be grateful for the little victories, the tasks you were able to complete. Maybe you didn’t complete every single thing on your ever-growing list, but you did enough in the amount of time you had.

If you’re not satisfied with the amount you completed, perhaps you can work more efficiently. Maybe you need to realize that your daily goal amount is too high, and you need to adjust your expectations.

Every step counts; remind yourself of that.

—

Just as building something of value is a process, so is learning to stop with the sabotaging of your plans and your ambitions.

Sure, you’ll find that it’s not easy sometimes; it may take you longer than you think to do a seemingly simple task. You may be tired after a long day at work. You might have family and kids and a wife that deserve your attention.

You also have choices. You have a choice to turn off the TV. You have a choice to get off those time-sucking websites, a choice to get rid of that XBox, and a choice to not go out to the bar for once.

Tomorrow will be another day. April is just another month, and 2012 another year. If we spoke in 365 days, will you be in the same place you are right now?

If you have that burning desire to build something great, are you putting every ounce of effort into building it? Or are you choosing excuses over action?

If someone asks me how I’d visually represent “freedom”, my mind immediately pictures birds in flight. I’m sure I’m not alone on this one. Don’t they just seem so… well, free? Soaring all majestically and shit, thousands of feet above you, so high up they’re practically just dots in the sky?

Even the ones that stick closer to Earth seem free. The pigeons lined up on street lamps, blackbirds on electrical wires, seagulls hovering over the ocean. Some of them may be grounded, perched on their stoops, but at any moment, they can spread those wings and take off to anywhere they damn well please.

They just seem so satisfied, and I’m eternally jealous of them.

Idealistic people such as myself see these birds and imagine their lives to be all fine and dandy. I tend to forget birds are susceptible to broken wings, falls, missed landings, poor calculations, and the occasional ultra-clean window.

I imagine setbacks such as these are simply punches to be rolled with, and birds seem to take them in stride. Maybe their day-to-day shortcomings are easily overshadowed by the tremendous satisfaction they get from being free.

—

I try to picture a life steeped in mediocrity, one without wings. A life that may be safe, but void of any challenge, excitement, and fire. I think of all the people who currently live this way, bored to tears and deeply unsatisfied yet not willing to make any changes. I wonder why they’re stuck, why they’re so deeply entrenched in their broken processes that they can’t get themselves out of that slump.

Is it motivation? Could it be belief, either in themselves or in the possibility of making that change?

In my case, that ill-defined, deep-seated unhappiness transformed into a nagging thought that wouldn’t leave me alone. It was as if a spark ignited inside, and soon the warmth from that glowing flame became so intense, it was impossible to ignore.

I knew I needed to do something, and I had two choices: Either make an epic change, or stay safe and comfortable and not change a thing. The former decision paralyzed me; my cautious mind rang the alarms because of the uncertainty that lay ahead. The latter decision just made my blood boil. The thought of living life dormant goes against every fiber of my being.

In the end, I’d rather risk discomfort if it meant feeling truly alive.

—

I imagine the multitudes of listless, defeated bird watchers, tracing flight paths with longing stares while wishing they too could be free… hoping to one day garner enough courage to attempt a flight of their own.

The moment I recognized I was doing this very thing, I vowed to never again be among the listless and the settled, idly hoping for my time to come. The flame that burned could no longer be ignored. So I made that change. I quit.

Here’s to a whole new set of adventures.

“Is a blog really necessary for my website?”

I get this question every now and again from potential clients. The answer really depends on a couple things, and ultimately, it’s up to you. Depending on your niche, I could make a strong suggestion as to whether or not it would be beneficial, but that’s a decision you’ll have to make on your own based on several factors.

Here are some benefits as well as some issues with having a blog on your business’ website.

The benefits

Your site becomes an extension of your personality.

If you have an awesome personality, then this is a good thing. You want your business to be something people can relate to. You do this by humanizing your business. You can add images of your blog contributors, display their names, give them life. You can discuss not only your product, but the stories of the people who use them. You can write about topics people in your niche care about.

For example, if you’re a bowling ball company and you sell balls, your blog can cover the league during the season. It can give tips for beginning bowlers, reviews on bowling ball bags, lists of the top bowling alleys in the country and descriptions of why they’re so awesome. This blog is providing value to its niche instead of adding to the noise.

You can demonstrate your abilities and expertise.

You should consider yourself an expert and an authority if you know more about your topic than the people in your audience. You don’t have to be a certified, world-renowned expert to be able to provide value to your audience. If you have a business, then most likely you know more about your product and your niche than your customer does. Demonstrate that in your blog by answering the questions you expect them to ask. That’s a great place to start.

You will generate search traffic naturally

…through the topics you write about as people in your niche search for that info. Google likes useful sites, sites that provide value to people. Blogging about in-depth topics related to your niche provides value. (Are you seeing a theme here?) Google will favor this and honor you by boosting your search visibility when your customers are looking for you. Additionally, when you’re covering related topics in your blog, you will probably be hitting on subjects that your customers are searching for anyway. This creates a natural path to your site’s doorstep.

Some issues

Blogs are tough to maintain

You have to write regularly, and you won’t benefit from a blog on your site if you post haphazardly. This can be an issue if you’re a one-man or one-woman show.

Ideally, you’ll have a scheduled posting date, but if that’s tough, you’ll need to update at least once a week around the same time. Once you build up a readership, they tend to expect posts regularly. Let them down and their visiting frequency will drop off and you’ll lose momentum.

Difficulty finding time and topics

Idea generation takes time, and I’d advise that if you’re just starting out, to come up with a list of 50 blog topics before you even think about starting a blog. If you’re having trouble finding at least 50 topics, I’d think twice about rushing to put up a blog on your site. If you can’t think of 50 topics but are intent on starting one anyway, think about possible points of conversation outside your immediate area of specialization.

Going back to the bowling ball company, their blog could discuss bowling gloves, or the best bowling shoes. Know what people in your niche do other than participate in that primary activity. Maybe you know that bowlers also enjoy drinking Miller Light, shopping for bowling shirts, and watching Family Guy. Maybe they also enjoy playing poker and fishing at the nearby lake. You can write about these topics and find a way to relate it to your niche.

You won’t benefit immediately

In fact, it’s completely possible you may not reap the benefits of blog ownership for months or years. Is that something you’re willing to dedicate your time to, without the obvious short-term benefits? If you’re tweaking copy on a sales page or headlines in a Google Ad, you can see instant gains or losses in your revenue. It doesn’t work that way when it comes to building a blog. Growth is much slower and more organic. It takes a while to build a fan base and to find a loyal set of readers who hang on your every written word.

Don’t expect rave reviews and instant traffic because you decide to blog. Generating traffic and authority takes a while and you’ll have to put out consistent, quality content on a regular basis. If you’re impatient or your expectations are too high, maybe blogging isnt for you.

(Relevant, quality) content is king

Sure, content is king. But if you’re talking to avid bowlers, and you start writing about the effects carbohydrates have in our diet, or the latest style tips to try this spring, do you think your audience is gonna give a shit? Similarly, if you’re writing to bowlers about the process of putting on bowling gloves (1. take gloves out of package, 2. un-velcro wrist fastener, 3. put gloves on, 4. secure velcro wrist fastener), your readers will not take you seriously and hate you deep down inside for adding to the crap on the internet.

You’re going to have to focus on delivering relevant, quality content to maintain your authority. This takes research and time. Will you have the manpower / persistence / dedication to do this?

You run the risk of polarizing your audience

This may or may not be a good thing. I use my own blog as a tool to polarize my audience, which is what I want. I aim to whittle down my audience to a specific group of people that are one or several of the following: a.) in business for themselves, b.) looking to start a business, c.) looking for help with a website, d.) interested in the idea of living a deliberate life.

So if you’re a die-hard 9-5 corporate ladder-climber, you probably wouldn’t find my content relevant. If you’re a pro designer or developer, you probably wouldn’t find my tips on web design that exciting (because you already know this stuff), and if you’re a mindless drone intent on leading a life people expect you to lead, you most likely find my idea of deliberate living to be way over your head.

That’s okay with me though, because I don’t want those people on my site anyway. And you shouldn’t either! If you’re a business targeting mid-30s semi-professional bowlers in Northern Indiana, your blog’s content shouldn’t be so broad that a 19-year-old blond-haired surfer from Malibu is reading it.

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Hopefully this list helps you decide whether or not a blog is right for your particular business. It’s possible a blog would do absolutely nothing for you; on the other hand, there’s a chance it will help you reach an audience you could have never touched otherwise.

Find me on Twitter.

As someone who works a 9-5 and then comes home for a second shift to take care of my own projects, I often wonder how more successful people tend to manage their time and optimize their working hours. What makes them more successful, more efficient, and more effective with the hours they have? How can some work half the hours I do, but seem to get much more done?

Although there are several factors involved (9-5 vs. no 9-5, kids vs. no kids, type of business, specific niche or specialty) I think a big one has to be finding your optimal time frame.

Night owl? Early bird?

Being the type who can easily work till 2 or 3am, I’ve always admired the early risers. I call it a night around the time most East Coasters are waking up to start their day. Here at home, I have friends who get up at 4:30 or 5am to work out and eat breakfast, read the paper and check email, all before they have to leave for work.

What. How? Seriously?

So after listening to several people about the benefits they’ve received by waking up just an hour or two earlier every morning, I decided to try it myself. Several months ago I experimented for a week, in an attempt to see if I would experience the same benefits.

Since my schedule is essentially the opposite (night owl style) it took several days to adjust to a new routine. Once I did get up early, I found that I had more time to get the morning tasks done (eating, getting ready) but my typically post-work productivity (the stuff I do for my own projects when I get home from work) didn’t increase at all.

In fact, my productivity lessened because 1.) I couldn’t get anything done that early in the morning; my brain wasn’t functioning optimally since I was still super sleepy, and 2.) I didn’t get much work done in the evenings because I was so tired from getting up that early.

Go with what’s most natural

I imagine that if I had stuck it out for say, a month, I might have had more success and my body would have had more time to adjust to the new sleep schedule. But then, would I have enough time to accomplish my most important tasks?

Getting up early requires going to bed at a decent time (definitely not 2am) which means less time being productive. Remember now, in my case I couldn’t effectively work at such an early hour. Plus, when the gf wakes up and starts her day, I mentally shut down because I have to think about all the pre-work tasks I have to take care of. Too many distractions, not enough productivity.

This brought me to the realization that finding your time frame is crucial to getting anything accomplished.

Regarding early bird or night owl schedules, don’t go according to what you hear is better. Listen to your body tell you what it needs. With enough repetition, your body will acclimate to whatever schedule you adhere to, but if you’re flexible just go with what comes more naturally.

Whether you’re adjusting your schedule slightly or attempting to switch it up all together, just realize you will be tired. Really tired. If you can stick it out and manage to not give in to extended naps during the day for the first week or so, you will adjust.

Regarding tasks

The whole point of finding a more optimal schedule is to streamline your process, which in turn maximizes output and productivity.

When you’re working during your prime hours, take care of the hardest tasks first. You’re sharp and receptive and not yet worn down. Take intermittent breaks to stretch and clear your mind.

Take a stab at multitasking. If you have a larger project for the day, take breaks to work on smaller and easier tasks. The brain switch might help keep you alert. If this hinders your effectiveness, stop and focus on the task at hand. Multitasking isn’t for everyone, even if you think you’re great at handling it.

Whatever you do, don’t save the tough shit for last. You will be too tired to focus and there’s a good chance you will postpone the task for another day, or worse, produce sub-par results. At the very least, break it up into chunks, and commit to working and finishing up one chunk at a time. That way you will continue to make progress even if it isn’t a one-shot deal.

Optimize your time frame: work on what matters

Don’t spend your prime working hours creating to-do lists and organizing your thoughts. You should be doing that during your downtime. Be ready for your most productive hours by having your list of tasks broken down into manageable chunks. Have those chunks listed out, and focus on your three to five most pressing items.

Now, do them!

All this “identifying your optimal time frame” crap is worth nothing if you don’t actually do the work you set out to do. Turn off the Tweeter and the Facebook, disconnect from the interwebz if you have to. But get to work. In a couple hours you will be crazy tired, distracted, or no longer functioning.

Identify that time frame (ignoring what everyone tells you is best, and instead, listening to your body), prepare your list of tasks and break them down ahead of time, take on only 3-5 of those chunks, depending on your length of time, buckle down and do that shit.

BOOM. Thank me later.

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What kind of productivity hacking have you tried in the past? Was it helpful? Let me know in the comments below. Also, if you find my musings helpful or entertaining, I’d love if you subscribed by email or RSS. You can also find me on Twitter.

“If you could be anywhere at this very moment, where would you be and what would you be doing?”

This is a question I ask Katie every now and again. I do my best to catch her off guard.

I never want her to think too long about her response; it’s meant to be spontaneous and the quicker she is to answer, the more genuine her desire.

It’s a question I ask myself from time to time as well. Usually my answer hovers somewhere around “Learning to balance myself atop a surfboard in the blue waters of the Pacific, off the shores of Waikiki.”

Super specific, right? I know exactly what it is I would be doing if I lived my optimal life, versus a life of circumstance.

I take full responsibility of the fact that a series of decisions I’ve made led me to where I am today, instead of where I really intend to be. I don’t necessarily see this as good nor bad, just misaligned, incongruent, inharmonious.

How to progress after this realization

Sadly, most people stop at this step. They accept their circumstances, regardless of the discontent it may bring them. They don’t even stop to think about how to change their current situations into situations they want.

Or, maybe they tried, but they were easily swayed by the naysayers.

The naysayers are so quick to shout,

“Stop dreaming. Be realistic. No one actually surfs in the middle of the week. Everyone has jobs! You have to make money. How do you expect to survive? It’s all a part of growing up. It’s called ‘being an adult.’”

And on, and on, and on…

When did it become a crime to dream?

Dreamers tend to get a bad rap, mostly because they spend too much time thinking, wishing, and hoping.

Ironically, dreaming is an essential first step to living a deliberate life. Dreams are the overall mission, the representation of where you want to be, the visualization that stirs overwhelming emotion inside of you.

Most importantly, it’s all about what you do with those dreams once you solidify them as goals.

The whole premise behind this mini-movement of deliberate living is: you get just one chance to walk this earth. Have you ever attempted to wrap your head around that one simple fact? Mind-blowing.

If people (myself included) lived with more urgency, especially with the realization of this one sad truth, we’d all be doing more epic and remarkable things.

The biggest difference between those who dream and those who lead deliberate and fulfilling lives is action. Simple action. There’s more that goes into it, but essentially, they act upon their dreams… They take meaningful, active steps to get them where they want to go.

So what actions will you be taking today? What little step will you be making towards the one big dream you have?

Let’s discuss it in the comments below.