How many times could you have made a real contribution to the world, only to retreat back to the warm, bubble bath of your comfort zone, afraid of what others would think of you if you failed?

Like the time you could have spoken up when the leaders were all in the room, and shared your expertise and unique perspective on the problem, but you pulled back, and the opportunity slipped away?

What about the business you dreamed of launching, but shelved the idea because your friends said you were “crazy”, that you should “play it safe” and “not take chances with your retirement?”

Or the beautiful someone you were afraid to approach, for fear you didn’t measure up—fear of being rejected?

At some point, someone who cares about you saw you pull back in one of these moments, and said, “Don’t worry about what other people think…”

Truth is, they’re only half right.

The Whole Truth

Someone once said, “Never...

A runner with 26 miles ahead of him works to conserve energy for the long race. He sets his pace, being careful to never go all-in and burn up his precious reserves.

By contrast, a sprinter crouches into the starting block, stares at the distance ahead with a steel resolve to win. She isn’t concerned about using up all his energy, because that is precisely what she intends to do.

You're probably as familiar with these two sporting events as you are the old adage, “Life is a marathon, not a sprint.”

But is that really true? Is life really a marathon?

These days, we’re gagging mentally on more information, responsibilities, options and opportunities than we can possibly process. The beeping, buzzing, dinging, tugging and honking of modern demands and devices that are supposed to make life simpler seem to use up our brain’s resources by mid-day, and mid-week.

We feel the pressure and the obligation to press on. To be the last man or woman...

A man wearing a GoPro camera strapped to his helmet was riding a mountain bike on a forest trail. Suddenly, a very hacked-off grizzly bounced into view, picking up speed with the obvious intention of cutting him off at the pass and having him for lunch.

The next video in my YouTube feed had a thumbnail image that read, “No Fear”.

Really? No fear? As in, none?

You can bet the dude on the bike had plenty of that stuff we're not supposed to have...you know..."fear".

Bumper stickers and T-shirts of all kinds, all over the globe would lead us to believe we should be fearless in the face of things that naturally scare the shizzle out of mere mortals.

We’ve had this pounded into our heads since childhood. There’s a playground name for it. At some point, you were likely called “chicken” or “scaredy-cat” on the playground by your peers. (Or was it just me?)

But is fear bad? Is it a sign of weakness? Should we really have no fear?...

We all talk to ourselves, either aloud or in our thoughts. In fact, our mental chatter is hard to stop. Sleep is the only time we get a break from it, unless you’re really good at meditation.

For most of us, the words stream on, jumping from one topic to another, mostly unmanaged and unchecked. And the natural tendency of these internal discussion is to spiral downward, into negativity.

According to Shad Helmstetter, author of “What You Say When You Talk To Yourself”, there are five levels of self-talk. The first two are most common, are very destructive, and are the hidden forces that hold most people back. Here’s what they sound like:

Level 1: Negative Acceptance (“I can’t…)

This is the most common and most destructive level of self-talk you can use. It’s easy to spot, and is most often characterized by the words,

“I can’t…”

“If only I could…”

“I wish I could, but I...

Actually, some of them can’t be avoided, only minimized.

Here they are:

1. Taxes

It’s hard to avoid taxes completely, nor should we want to. As capitalists living in a free society, we should all be willing to pay our share of taxes. They of course fund many of the things we enjoy, like highways, schools, and our soldiers who preserve our freedom.

The key, though, is to pay only your fair share, and no more. To do this, you could invest hours, days, weeks or more learning all about the tax laws. And, you’d still not be able to become as tax efficient as possible.

The smart thing to do here is educate yourself on the basics and hire a good CPA. Not just a tax preparer, I mean a real Certified Public Accountant. If you’re in business of any kind, this is a must for at least three reasons:

First, you don’t have time to become a tax expert. Second, you’re paying a lot more in taxes than you should. A good CPA can use the tax laws to your advantage....

A group of tired and hungry ten-year-old soccer players are invited to an after-game macaroni and cheese fest.

As the kids arrive, they are assigned to two different tables, each set up in a different room.

The kids were given the nod to partake in the scrumptious macaroni and cheese; a blend of irresistible cheddar, perfect noodles, and savory seasonings.

The kids don’t know it, but they are part of an experiment conducted by Change Anything Labs to explore how our environment effects our behavior (which affects our results).

At one table the kids were given nine-inch plates, and at the other, twelve-inch plates. Both groups were invited to enjoy seconds or thirds, until they were full and wanted no more.

Turns out, the kids with the twelve-inch plates ate more macaroni.

70% more!

Grocery stores present you with flowers and fruits just inside the door to lift your mood. They arrange the more profitable, irresistible and highly engineered snacks at eye level, so they are easy...

The Mentorship360 mastermind group is studying what it takes to achieve the goals that most everyone wants, but many often fail to achieve. In this post, you'll learn how to reach your goals...from a man diagnosed with ADHD and nearly flunked out of school. Few expected him to succeed in life.

He became the CFO for one of the most successful hedge funds in history, and earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records (but wait until you see HOW he did it). He discovered the secret to reaching goals, "one gray square at a time." He shares his secret in the video below.

Enjoy the video:

Want more help reaching your goals?

We meet every Thursday evening at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on zoom.  If you'd like to learn about the Mentorship360 Mastermind Group and coaching program, get back with the person who shared this post with you . It’s invitation only. They can provide more details and explain the application process.

Also, you might find these free e-book...

Why do some folks, who seem to have everything in life, end up losing it all? We’ve all heard of athletes and lottery winners who end up broke and worse off than before their ship came in.

And worse are the stories of suicide by celebrities and others who seem to "have it all".

These unfortunate souls believed the fantasy that success would protect them from life’s struggles. But when success came with its new struggles and responsibilities, they weren’t prepared.

There’s a new devil at every level. For some, their disillusion and disappointment with this truth is more than they can bear.

The fact is, the things that make us envy a successful lifestyle do not make everything that’s difficult in life disappear. No level of achievement will stop the universe from presenting you with challenges.

According to psychologists Phil Stutz and Barry Michaels, it’s possible to turn struggle into success by first accepting 3 things:

1) Life never stops...

You have goals you’d like to reach. You’d like your life to be better.

Better marriage. Better career. Better financial situation. Better friendships.

According to James Clear, author of the book, “Atomic Habits”, the people you associate with are perhaps the most important influencer in your efforts to reach your goals.

According to Clear, it’s critical to “Join a culture where your desired behavior is the normal behavior, and get an accountability partner.”

Napoleon Hill, author of the classic book, “Think and Grow Rich”, defined association as “the mastermind group” principle. According to Hill, the mastermind is:

“The coordination of knowledge and effort of two or more people, who work toward a definite purpose, in the spirit of harmony.”

Here’s more wisdom on the topic from General Colin Powell:

“The less you associate with some people, the more your life will improve. Any time you...

Yes, it's possible to shop with confidence and know that you're in control of your money, and avoid the downward spiral of debt. All you need is this simple tool. Here's an overview:

Most folks are so overwhelmed with life...keeping the boss happy, paying student loans, getting the kids to ball practice, caring for aging parents, planning meals, shopping for essentials...that they take their eye off the very thing that can give them more time freedom and less stress.

Specifically, they take their eye off their cash flow.

They're driving their financial mini-van down the road 70 miles per hour looking through a drinking straw. All they can see is what is right in front of them. Plus, they're distracted with kids throwing french fries at one another, cell phone buzzing, traffic whizzing by, and their mental chatter playing in the background.

Then they get slammed in the side--"T-Boned" by a financial surprise.

They didn't even see it coming.

I’ve personally experienced this...