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June 30, 2015 By Jack Jones Leave a Comment

Cliff Notes: Start With Why – Simon Sinek – Leadership and Branding Book – Review and Synopsis

Simon Sinek draws three circles, the innermost is why, followed by how, and what. The why is tied to the oldest parts of our brain, the part that deals with emotion. The how and what are tied to the parts of our brain that deal with language. The why deals with our gut intuitions and our feelings – things that we can’t verbalize because they are generated by the part of our brain that doesn’t deal with verbal logic.

You can find more cliff notes and synopsis on great books every entrepreneur should read here.

Best Books On Entrepreneurship (1)

People typically communicate using their logical reasoning faculties. The how and whats. Simon gives the example that Dell communicates that they are a computer company and build computers. Simon asserts that it’s much more effective to communicate with your why first, because your why touches the emotional centers of the brain and will produce an emotional reaction and it’s that emotional reaction that truly builds loyalty and success in the long term.

He gives the example of Apple. Apple’s why is to fight the status quo. They set out to make computers because they saw computers as a way for the common man to fight the power of the corporations and a computer would give a person the ability to do things that previously required massive amount of capital and the support of a big organization to accomplish. From that why they are able to constantly develop technologies that fight the status quo and that’s why they’ve been able to be successful across a variety of industries. If they didn’t start with why they might have been stuck as a “computer company” like Dell and so many of the other players who make computers.

Simon asserts that leaders need to start with a clear why and constantly communicate it. That starting with a clear why will attract and retain people who are passionate and that will be the core of what drives great success in business. You don’t need people that want to build computers. You need people that want to fight the status quo. You’ll get much better results from hiring the latter as opposed to the former even if how you’re fighting the status quo is by building and selling computers.

He gives examples of companies who started with a clear why and had great success but then a “split” occurred, where they lost that sense of why and instead focused on the what, and that’s when the company started its decline. Wal-Mart started as a place that Sam Walton envisioned to help better the community, and he wanted a shop that really treated its employees and customers well and how he did that was by creating a chain of discount retailers. The split happened when Sam died and the company started focusing all of its efforts on the how and the what – selling cheap goods, so they drove down costs wherever they could at the expense of employees and thus started the spiral of huge lawsuits and overall poor public perception. He points out that Costco operates on the same business model as Sams club yet Costco has much higher benefits, treats employees better, and has better profit overall.

Cliffs:

  • Communicate your why, be very clear on your why.
  • Your how and what should reflect your why. Build your how and what based on your why.
  • Focus on the why and everything else will take care of itself.
  • Be careful not to lose your why. Don’t get stuck on the how or what once your company has grown.
  • You need to be very clear on communicating your why as your company grows. Small companies it’s easy to see the why embodied in the leader but as the company grows that why often grows fuzzy.
  • The why is what will inspire you day after day. Focus too much on the how and what and you’ll find any project will turn into drudgery.

Review:

9/10 book. Worth the read. It has fundamentally changed how I will approach branding and communications in all of my business and life endeavors.

Filed Under: Cliff Notes: Book Reviews & Synopsis

April 17, 2015 By Roy Perez Leave a Comment

The Greatest Obstacle Between You and Success

Discipline. It’s what wakes you up at 5AM in the morning and allows you to get one more rep when it feels like your arms are going to burst. It’s essential if you plan on reaching any goal in life. Yet people still seem to find excuses that stop them from reaching their potential. They say things like…

Arnold in the Army
One thing stands between you and success.

“My genetics are just not made for this, I was born this way.”
“I’ll just workout “tomorrow”, that’s when I’ll be really motivated.” (Ends up skipping the whole week…)
“It’s only ONE cheeseburger.”
Why do we do this to ourselves? We know the rights and wrongs, yet we never listen. It’s because our minds aren’t trained to do the impossible… yet.

Insight #1: If others can do it, so can you.

People eliminate themselves from the competition before they even start.

“Oh I’m not good enough to accomplish X”.
“I’ll never win that contest, so there’s no point in trying.”
“That internship requires 2 years experience?! I’ll never get it.”
Let’s take the famous story of Arnold Swarzenneger as an example. In Austria, no one’s ever heard of bodybuilding or even working out for that matter at the time, but despite what anyone said he told himself “If someone like Reg Parker can do it, why can’t I?”. He developed the mindset, focus, and drive to do whatever it took to get him where Reg was and when opportunity knocked he escaped from the Austrian military base to embark on his journey.

I used to always think that I was never good enough, that I could never win so why would I bother right? For example, there would be free tickets given away to an event where all I had to do was give in my name. No cost, just MY NAME. Yet I bombarded my mind with the thought that “Oh there are 300+ employees in this company, I’ll never win”. This just goes to show that even the smallest barrier can have you beat. Turns out I was right, I’d never win because I’ve already eliminated myself from being considered at all.

Your chances are actually higher than you think

Lets put this into perspective. [1] In a given year…

2,000,000 kids play in little league
455,000 kids play in high school
25,000 kids play in college
1,500 kids get drafted by MLB teams

This is a natural process elimination, Seperating those who think they want and those that actually want it. It would be ridiculous for every player that ever played little league to make it to the MLB. What I’m saying here is that for everything that you do, there will always be natural barriers that eliminate a portion of the competition for you. There are always going to be people who are equally or even more talented, intelligent, or quicker than you, but will never make it due to a lack of willpower and hard work. Which is the perfect opportunity for you to outwork them.

Anyone in Arnold’s time could’ve probably made it just as he did, but Arnold was the one able to create the focus, drive and mentality to separate himself from the pack. He did whatever it took to reach his goals, which is a key principle for developing mental toughness. You need to stay focused and chase your goals despite what the odds are and what other people say. All you need is a plan to get there.

Action Steps: Figure out what your goals are.

What is it that you want? Something you go to sleep and think about? “I want be less socially awkward” or “I want to be take care of my health”. Here are some steps to help define what you want:

Step #1: Determine what your goal is and write it down.
Maybe you want to look good this summer or you want to able to hit 20 chin-ups in one run. Whatever it is figure it out and write it down on a post-it note, flash card etc. Keep this close to you throughout the day, so you can frequently look at it, whenever you need to.

Step #2: Determine what you need to be doing in order to get to your goal?
What are the steps you have to take and what does the process look like? (Ex. I need to workout for X amount of days, for Y duration doing ABC exercises.) Create a plan and no matter what happens stick to it and I promise you’ll see a change.

Step #3: What are the rewards once you obtain your goal?
Why do you wake up every morning?  What are the rewards you can look at and say, I deserve this. (Ex. A mini vacation, Cheat meals etc.)

Keep in mind, that it’s not going to be all rainbows and butterflies. Those people that “aren’t motivated enough” or are “just too lazy” to workout they don’t have a plan, all they have is a dream. Most of the time all we need is to take a systematic approach, especially when it comes to working out, and to execute it our recipe faithfully.

Your takeaway – Set your mind right

If you’ve been following Jack, you would’ve received his Earl Nightendale’s audio tape. It’s one of the best audiotapes I’ve ever listened to. Earl talks about how a man becomes a product of his thoughts, so if your mind is bombarded with random thoughts and emotions, you’re going to feel and portray a random hectic life. But if your mind is organized, set to reach a specific goal and focused to do what it takes to get there, it’s a whole other game.

“A man’s life is what his thoughts make of it”

What are you doing to reach your goals? Leave a comment below I’d love to hear from you and I’ll respond to every one.

Sources:

[1] http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/how-to-win-any-competition-you-enter/
Roy is an electrical engineering student at McMaster University and is the man behind www.levelupyourlife.org. It’s now his mission to help others that are struggling get back up on their feet. Check out his website here or you can reach him directly at lvlupyourlife@gmail.com

Filed Under: Featured, Motivation Tagged With: discipline, hard work, mental toughness, mindset, motivation, work ethic

March 26, 2015 By Jack Jones 2 Comments

6 Min Home Abs & Core Workout for Six Pack Development

This workout requires no equipment and can be done at home. It’s designed to hit your core, abs, and help you develop out that six pack!

The workout:

3 rounds:
30 seconds plank
30 seconds sit-ups
30 seconds spider-man push-ups
30 seconds rest

If you need more work you can just add another 2-3 rounds.

Filed Under: At Home Workout, Fitness, Health, Motivation

March 26, 2015 By Jack Jones Leave a Comment

My Dad was Imprisoned for Political Dissension – Motivation From My Immigrant’s Perspective.

“Did you know that immigrants are 3-4 times more likely to become millionaires than native-born citizens?”

Statue of Liberty seen from the Circle Line ferry, Manhattan, New York

I heard that stat and it made me think about my own life. I was born in China and came to the US at 8 years old. In China we lived in a small one-bedroom apartment. Had no A/C. We boiled our drinking water and showered in communal showers(about once a week). If we wanted to go somewhere we took the bus. Shopping in the city would be a 2-3 hour commute(each way).

We never saw blue sky – Lanzhou was(and is) considered the most polluted city ON THE PLANET. Most days the smog hung over the city like a thick fog.

But all of that pales when you consider the freedoms we lacked. My father was imprisoned for two years after he lead an anti-government protest on the campus he taught at. They were non-violent. They didn’t riot. They didn’t destroy anything. He was arrested because he spoke out against the government.

I’ve always had an intrinsic drive to do my best. And I think it can be attributed to the perspective gained from my early childhood experiences. I think it’s difficult to truly appreciate the blessings that come from being a US citizen until you can juxtapose it against a place where those freedoms and opportunities don’t exist.

Be grateful that we don’t have secret police throwing us in prison for political statements. Be grateful that we can experience the beauty of blue sky, clear sunsets, and preserved nature. Be grateful that you have the opportunity to attend the most prestigious universities in the world. Be grateful that you have a warm place to sleep and a full belly.

Life is perspective, and attitude. Our minds can make a heaven of hell, and a hell of heaven.

Don’t throw away this great opportunity that you’ve been given.

Filed Under: Featured, Motivation Tagged With: immigration, motivation

March 17, 2015 By Justin Case 3 Comments

4 Supplements that Improve Your Motivation, Test Scores, and Help You Earn More Money!

Entrepreneurs, aspiring executives, those of you low on the totem pole looking to climb the ladder… you need an edge.

The importance of a healthy diet, adequate exercise, and a good night’s sleep can’t be underestimated. But if you’re already doing all of that, you might want to go even faster to get more done in a day – if that sounds like you, nootropics are the answer.

But not just any nootropic – there are certain ones that will propel you further than others will. They’re below. There are four. Take a look, choose the one that’s most appealing to you, and get to the tippity top.

Supplements for Test Scores and Motivation

 #1 – Phenylpiracetam

Let’s start with a fact: phenylpiracetam is banned by countless sports committees (including the olympics) because of just how potent it is.

It’s consider to be the most potent racetam, actually. You get an extreme amount of focus (much more than regular piracetam), a better capacity for memory (always helpful for keeping track of tasks), and an increased ability to intake and digest new information and concepts (which, as someone trying to climb higher, you should be doing constantly).

Many users also report a mood lift. One of the biggest hurdles to overcome when trying to make money is the motivational aspect. Sometimes, it seems like nothing is working, and you’re on the verge of giving up as a result of that. Phenylpiracetam can help that stagnant, toxic mindset.

The effects of phenylpiracetam are immediate and very noticeable. If you’re looking for this, try phenylpiracetam. If you’re looking for something a little more subtle, keep reading.

Phenylpiracetam dosage: 100mg to 200mg 2-3x per day

You can learn more about phenylpiracetam here.

#2 – Sulbutiamine

Sulbutiamine is a derivative of vitamin B1. It was originally developed in Japan to counter the cultural diet’s lack of B1, but after the beneficial effects were noticed, it quickly spread to the western world.

The nootropic is interesting because at the sweet spot, it’s perfect for those looking to make financial gain. You get tons of focus and energy (but not an insane amount like you do with phenylpiracetam), and many users report a mood lift.

Just be careful with going overboard. The ideal dose is 500mg per day, broken down in 2-3 doses. If you go over, you might get too stimulated (and have trouble falling asleep), and your mood lift might turn into intermittent mood swings, which aren’t conducive to growing a business or climbing the corporate ladder.

#3 – Piracetam

Phenylpiracetam is a derivative of piracetam. With piracetam, you can expect phenylpiracetam’s effects, just with a bit more cognitive function and a lot less energy.

The cognitive boosting effects are pretty well-rounded – you’ll get an increased attention span, greater memory capabilities, more verbal articulation, and less “brain fog”. All of these effects are good for working and making money.

Piracetam probably isn’t your best bet if you’re a worker who needs to be moving at the speed of light. While some users to report a slight uptick in energy right after dosing, by and large, no stimulatory effects are reported.

If phenylpiracetam seems too intense for you but you want more than piracetam offers, it’s worth looking into a stack with piracetam, caffeine, and L-theanine. Piracetam will give you the cognitive effects, caffeine will keep you going, and L-theanine will “even you out” so you’re not jittery or flying off of the walls.

Piracetam dosage: 1.6g 3x per day, up to 10g per day

#4 – Noopept

Noopept users report similar effects to piracetam… but not identical.

The most prominent difference is how noopept is “in the forefront”, whereas piracetam is more “in the background”. When you’re on noopept, you’ll actively notice that you are. Whereas with piracetam, you’re experiencing the effects without even realizing it – some say that it’s an almost subconscious boost.

Another difference is the dosage. You have to take a ton of piracetam per day, and truth be told, it tastes absolutely vile if you don’t take it in a capsule. Noopept is different – the recommended dose is just 10mg to 40mg per day, and with such a small amount, you can barely taste it when mixed with water, even if you have extremely sensitive taste buds.

Noopept and piracetam are similar – if the effects of both are appealing to you but one doesn’t make you feel “right”, try the other.

Want to learn more about noopept?  Then read this article that goes more indepth.

Conclusion

  • Phenylpiracetam is one of the most potent nootropics out there – take it if you’re looking for an incredibly intense surge of motivation, focus, and energy.
  • Sulbutiamine is also pretty intense, but less so than phenylpiracetam. It’s a vitamin B1 derivative, so if you’re looking to go towards the natural side, go with sulbutiamine.
  • Piracetam is the most popular nootropic, and it provides a wide range of cognitive-boosting benefits. But it doesn’t give you much extra energy.
  • Noopept is similar to piracetam, but the dosage is smaller and the effects are more prominent. Try both piracetam and noopept (at different times, of course) to see which one you like the best.

Related Reading: Learn more about all these nootropics and more at NootropicsTopics.com

Filed Under: Featured, Health, Motivation, Nutrition Tagged With: energy, motivation, nootropics, piracetam, supplements

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