How To Build A New Habit

According to researchers at Duke University, habits account for about 40 percent of our behaviors on any given day. 

Understanding how to build new habits (and how your current ones work) is essential for making progress in your health, your happiness, and your life in general.

But there can be a lot of information out there and most of it isn’t very simple to digest. To solve this problem and break things down in a very simple manner, I have created this strategy guide for building new habits that actually stick.

The basic principles mentioned in this article will be more than enough to get you going.

1. Start with an incredibly small habit.

Make it so easy you can’t say no.

—Leo Babauta

When most people struggle to stick with a new habit, they say something like, "I just need more motivation." Or, "I wish I had as much willpower as you do."

This is the wrong approach. Research shows that willpower is like a muscle. It gets fatigued as you use it throughout the day. Another way to think of this is that your motivation ebbs and flows. It rises and falls. Stanford professor BJ Fogg calls this the "motivation wave."

Solve this problem by picking a new habit that is easy enough that you don’t need motivation to do it. Rather than starting with 50 pushups per day, start with 5 pushups per day. Rather than trying to meditate for 10 minutes per day, start by meditating for one minute per day. Make it easy enough that you can get it done without motivation.

2. Increase your habit in very small ways.

Success is a few simple disciplines, practiced every day; while failure is simply a few errors in judgment, repeated every day.

—Jim Rohn

One percent improvements add up surprisingly fast. So do one percent declines.

Rather than trying to do something amazing from the beginning, start small and gradually improve. Along the way, your willpower and motivation will increase, which will make it easier to stick to your habit for good.

3. As you build up, break habits into chunks.

If you continue adding one percent each day, then you’ll find yourself increasing very quickly within two or three months. It is important to keep each habit reasonable, so that you can maintain momentum and make the behavior as easy as possible to accomplish.

Building up to 20 minutes of meditation? Split it into two segments of 10 minutes at first.

Trying to do 50 pushups per day? Five sets of 10 might be much easier as you make your way there.

4. When you slip, get back on track quickly.

The best way to improve your self-control is to see how and why you lose control.

—Kelly McGonigal

Top performers make mistakes, commit errors, and get off track just like everyone else. The difference is that they get back on track as quickly as possible.

Research has shown that missing your habit once, no matter when it occurs, has no measurable impact on your long-term progress. Rather than trying to be perfect, abandon your all-or-nothing mentality

You shouldn’t expect to fail, but you should plan for failure. Take some time to consider what will prevent your habit from happening. What are some things that are likely to get in your way? What are some daily emergencies that are likely to pull you off course? How can you plan to work around these issues? Or, at least, how you can bounce back quickly from them and get back on track?

You just need to be consistent, not perfect. Focus on building the identity of someone who never misses a habit twice.

5. Be patient. Stick to a pace you can sustain.

Learning to be patient is perhaps the most critical skill of all. You can make incredible progress if you are consistent and patient.

If you are adding weight in the gym, you should probably go slower than you think. If you are adding daily sales calls to your business strategy, you should probably start with fewer than you expect to handle. Patience is everything. Do things you can sustain.

New habits should feel easy, especially in the beginning. If you stay consistent and continue increasing your habit it will get hard enough, fast enough. It always does.

From Business Insider

How to Build a Business in Just 10 Days

The decisions you make in a split second can be just as valuable as the ones you spend days, weeks or months mulling over. If you've decided that you want to start your own company, seize the day and get going. 

The process can be daunting, but we've broken it down into 10 steps -- a 10-day plan to making your business a reality.

Day 1: Write a business plan. This is a critical step in your success. You might want to eschew the napkin for something a little easier to copy and distribute to potential investors and colleagues. 

Day 2: Study the market. Figure out where your products and services stack up compared to your competitors. Find out who your target customers are and what rules and regulations are unique to your industry. But remember, there is such a thing as overdoing it.

Day 3: Create your brand. To build your identity you need a name, a logo, a website and a social-media presence to get going.

Day 4: Get your legal affairs in order. Hire an attorney to incorporate and draw up documents for legal agreements and ideas you want to trademark.

Day 5: Keep overhead low. Keep startup costs at a level that gives you room to maneuver. If you have to work from home, or in an office space without furniture for a while, find a coffee shop or restaurant to frequent for your meetings.

Day 6: Network, network, network. Get the word out about your business anyway you can, from social media to a company launch event. Find the conferences and events you need to be at to meet fellow industry peers.

Day 7: Media exposure. Find the outlets and writers whose readership will be interested in your products and services, and pitch them in an engaging and dynamic way. 

Day 8: Be your own self-fulfilling prophecy. If you think you can do this, you will.

Day 9: Focus on earning income. If possible, find a way to make some hires to help with the day-to-day tasks so you can focus on the big picture.

Day 10: Celebrate. Get feedback and be proud of yourself. 

From Entrepreneur

5 Characteristics Successful Entrepreneurs Have in Common

Nobody is born a perfect entrepreneur, but some have more of these traits than others.

Knowing the most common characteristics of successful entrepreneurs is a good place to start in order to better your own business chops. The good news? If you don't have these traits, you can develop them over time.

It won't always come naturally to you, but mimicking the positives of successful entrepreneurs can give you the edge you need. While there are certainly exceptions to the rule (after all, Steve Jobs wasn't exactly known for his social skills), if you want to optimize your odds of running a successful business, it's wise to pick up every feasible tool.

Here are some of the most common characteristics shared among entrepreneurs who have achieved great success. How many do you have--and how many can you develop?

1. Type-A personality

People with a Type A personality are generally more ambitious, more driven, and have more follow-through. They're not dreamers; they're doers. Of course, this also comes with a slew of other problems like high stress levels (and everything that comes with them), but it's the drive and follow-through that you should focus on. Dreams can be great, but what's the use if you lack motivation to do anything about it?

2. Morning people

Study after study has shown that morning people are more successful in their careers (and in many other aspects of their lives) than night owls. However, there are certainly successful night owls, and if it's truly impossible for you to get up at 5 a.m., then it's not required for your success. The reason morning people get more done is that they're not as prone to procrastination, which is something you can work on no matter what your internal clock settings.

3. Just likable enough

Being super-outgoing and having everyone adore you can be great for securing promotions and climbing the corporate ladder. That's not, however, the best personality to have when you're an entrepreneur and in the executive's shoes. You need to be sociable enough to network and build a solid reputation, but being too much of a social butterfly (or a complete hermit) is going to make people not take you seriously.

"Making friends in your industry or online is similar to making friends in the real world" says James Parsons, an entrepreneur and Internet marketer. "People who are influential and knowledgeable are not easy to come by, so make a good impression and be social. I can't say how many friends I've made early on that have ended up introducing me to dozens of other thought-leaders and important connections that I may have never found otherwise."

4. Written goals and POAs

This is where the dreamer in you can take over. You need to have a written business plan with objectives that are regularly updated and pored over. When you plan things, you need to put it all in writing and (at times) have it signed by the correct legal representatives. Putting things in writing makes them more real and easier to remember, and can help avoid confusion down the road.

5. Passion

While it's certainly possible to build a successful business providing SEO services for B2B clients, it's not likely if you don't have a clue what SEO is or even an interest in technology. Following your passion is the best way to stay motivated, but you do have to find an avenue to make it lucrative. Don't pursue a field just because it's hot right now. Choose an industry that you're passionate about and take it on from a unique angle.

From Inc.

6 Tactics to Avoid Risk as an Entrepreneur

One of the myths of entrepreneurship is that entrepreneurs are risk takers.

However, this is not true at all. Successful entrepreneurs actually avoid risk.

Successful entrepreneurs are focused on earning a profit from their activities and avoid risks that may cause them to lose money. If you want to have a successful start-up you must learn to avoid risk.

Successful entrepreneurs do everything possible to minimize the risks involved in earning that profit to the degree to which they create successful start-ups and succeed in their ventures. As an entrepreneur, profit seeking must be your central focus as well.

How to Avoid Risk in Your Business Venture

1) Decide. Decide you want to enjoy the rewards of entrepreneurial success and that you really want to start a successful start-up.

2) Explore every detail. Once you have decided that you want to enjoy the rewards of entrepreneurial success in particular, the next step is for you to explore every detail of the business that you are thinking of going into.

3) Investigate the business. You must investigate all aspects of the business before you invest.

4) Make sure that nothing is left to chance. You must accept nothing on trust and leave nothing to chance. To ensure your business success, rely on yourself. It is your money that you will be investing into turning nothing into a successful start-up.

5) Talk to people in your industry. You should talk to lots of people in business and get lots of input. Your aim is to minimize, reduce, and even eliminate risk wherever possible in the pursuit of profit.

6) Make sure that you can make a profit. Assure potential profits are real and potential losses are minimal or controllable.

Save Your Money, Don’t Lose Your Money

Whenever a person reaches the point where they say they can “afford to lose” a little bit of money, you can be sure of just one thing. They are going to lose their money and probably lose a lot. The very attitude of being willing to “lose money” seems to assure that the money will be lost in some way. Learning to avoid risks like losing money is the key to becoming a successful entrepreneur.

The only thing that is easy about money is losing it. Making money is hard, harder and harder still.

“Making money is like digging in the sand with a pin. Losing money is like pouring water on the sand.”

Successful Entreprenuers Educate Themselves First

In order to become a successful entrepreneur you must educate yourself first on the business you are going into. When you decide to start your own business, begin by reading several books on small business formation. Some of the best books ever written are on the bookstands today. Read about every single aspect of planning, market research, financing, delivery, and distribution systems, people, processes, promotion, advertising and especially sales.

From Brian Tracy International

4 Management Traps to Avoid at All Costs

From Michael Scott to Miranda Priestly and even Monty Burns, pop culture is littered with bosses who are fun to watch but who’d be hell to work for. If you want to be a positive, effective leader, you’ll want to steer clear of the following four traits at all costs:    

1. Complaining.  Don’t do it. It undermines your efforts, the work of your colleagues and generally erodes trust and company morale.

2. Emotional volatility. Good managers can read a room and know how to respond under pressure. If you let your frustrations get away from you, you won’t be able to focus on the problems that most need your attention.

3. Playing nice. Treat everyone with respect but remember that you can't be everyone's friend, especially when it comes to the tough calls. 

4. Micromanaging. When you're in charge, it's easy to feel like if you aren't keeping all the balls in the air, no one will. But as the company grows, you have to trust that the people you hired will do the work you need.

From Entrepreneur

Why You Need a Marketing Plan

On the way to success, a comprehensive strategy is key, and one of the first things on a savvy CEO's list is building a marketing plan. 

The plan should focus on the coming year and the specific campaigns you hope to roll out. Be aware that things can change quickly, but remember, having a plan that needs to be revised will serve you far better than not having a plan at all. But make sure it stays private – it's imperative to keep your ideas out of the hands of competitors. 

Take the annual writing of a marketing plan as an opportunity to share your vision of the company with your employees.  It will give them a context of the company's progress and in turn will give them an added investment. Input from your team is crucial and having a plan to refer back to can be invaluable for a new employee looking for ways make an impact.

And ultimately, reviewing your marketing plans will allow you to reflect on your big picture goals and chart your company's growth.

From Entrepreneur

How To Persuade Anyone Of Anything In 10 Seconds

You’re on the most important elevator ride of your life. You have ten seconds to pitch- the classic "elevator pitch."

Love or Hate. Money or Despair. And you may never get this chance again. As PM Dawn says, "I feel for you. I really do."

There are books about this. But don’t waste your time. They are all garbage.

I’ve been on both sides of this equation. I’ve had people pitching me.

But mostly, I’ve been scared and desperate and afraid to ask someone to give me, want me, love me, all in the space of an elevator ride or in the time it takes one to ride an elevator.

Perhaps the hardest thing for me was when I was doing my "3am" web series for HBO.

I had to walk up to random strangers at 3 in the morning on the streets of New York and convince them within 5 seconds to spill their most intimate secrets to me rather than kill me.

Not quite an elevator pitch but the same basic idea. I had a lot of practice. I probably approached over 3000 people cold.

In some cases people tried to kill me. In one case I was chased. In other cases people opened up their hearts and I am infinitely grateful to them.

The ideas below have worked for me in the hundreds of times I’ve had to be persuasive. Either in writing, or in person. In business and in friendships and in love. I hope variations on it can work for you. You decide.

A) WHO ARE YOU?

People want to know they are talking to a good, honest, reliable person that they can trust and perhaps even like, or love.

Yes, love.

They won’t love you by looking at your resume.

You have to do method acting. Imagine what your body would feel like if they already said "Yes" even before you open your mouth.

You would be standing up straight, smiling, palms open, ready to close the deal. You have to method act at the beginning of your pitch.

If you are slouched and your head is sticking out then your brain is not as well-connected to your nervous system and you won’t be in "flow".

I can drag out the science here but this is a Facebook status update and not a peer-reviewed scientific paper for the Justice League of America.

The reality is: when you’re slouched over, not only are you not using the full potential of your brain, but you look untrustworthy.

B) RELAX

Think about how you breathe when you are anxious and nervous.

I will tell you how I breathe: short, shallow breaths in my upper chest.

So do the reverse before a ten second pitch.

Breathe deep and in your stomach. Even three deep breaths in the stomach (and when you exhale try to imagine your stomach almost hitting your back) has been shown to totally relax the mind and body.

People sense this. Again, this builds trust and relaxes you.

Now, even though you haven’t said a single word, you’ve probably done the two most important things for persuading someone.

C) UHHH. YEAH. UHHH. MMMM-HMMM. UH-HUH

I have a hard time with this. It seems natural to say, "yup" or "right" or "uh-huh" or whatever.

But here’s the facts (and, again, there’s been studies on this): people perceive you as stupid when you do this.

Just keep quiet when someone is talking.

Then, when someone is done speaking, wait for two seconds before responding. They might not be done yet. And it gives you time to think of a response. If you are thinking of a response while they are talking, then you aren’t listening to them.

People unconsciously know when you are not listening to them. Then they say No to you.

D) THE FOUR U’s

FINALLY, now we’re getting to the heart of the matter. THE ACTUAL NUTS AND BOLTS OF PERSUASION

By the way, I’ve googled "the 4 U’s" and each time I get a different set of 4. So I’m going to use the 4 that have worked for me the best.

This is not BS. This is not a way to convince someone to do something they don’t want to do. This is a way for you to consolidate your vision into a sentence or two and then express it in a clear manner.

This is the way to bond and connect with another person’s needs instead of just your own pathetic wants.

You can use this in an elevator pitch, on a date, with your children, on your mother, whatever. But it works.

Think about these things when talking:

1. Urgency


   Why the problem you solve is URGENT to your demographic. For example: "I can never get a cab when it rains!"
2. Unique


   Why is your solution unique: "We aggregate 100s of car services into one simple app. Nobody else does this."
3. Useful


   Why is your solution useful to the lives of the people you plan on selling to or deliver your message to: "We get you there on time."
4. Ultra-Specific


   This shows there is no fluff: "Our app knows where you are. Your credit card is pre-loaded. You hit a button and a car shows up in 4-5 minutes."

Of course the example I give is for Uber but you can throw in any other example you want.

I’ll throw in a fifth "U"
5. User-friendly 
   In other words, make it as easy as possible for someone to say "yes". Like a money back guarantee, for instance. Or a giveaway. Or higher equity. Or testimonials from people you both know. Etc.

OH! And before I forget, a sixth U
6. Unquestionable Proof

   This can be in the form of profits. Or some measurable statistic. Or testimonials. Or a good wing-man. Whatever it takes.

E) DESIRE

A lot of people say you have to satisfy the desires of the other person in order for them to say "yes".

As much as we would like to think otherwise, people primarily act out of self-interest.

The less they know you, the more they will act of self-interest because to do otherwise could potentially put them in danger. We all know that kids shouldn’t take candy from strangers.

In an elevator pitch, the investor is the kid, what you are asking is the candy, and you are the stranger. So their gut reflex, unless you make the candy super-sweet, is to say "no".

So make sure you make your candy sweeter by sprinkling in their desires.

And what are their desires?

• recognition
• rejuvenation
• relaxation
• relief
• religion
• remuneration
• results
• revenge
• romance

If you can help them solve these URGENT problems or desires, then you they are more likely to say "yes" to you.

I don’t know what you are selling, but hopefully it’s not to satisfy their desire for revenge. But if it is, don’t do anything violent.

The one time I had to sell romance on an elevator I had to do three things: tell her life would be ok, make sure I knew her address and last name, and send her a teddy bear and flowers the next day.

But that’s for another story.

BUT FIRST

F) OBJECTIONS

Everyone is going to have gut objections.

They’ve been approached 1000s of times before.

Do you know how many times I’ve been approached to have sex in an elevator?

None.

But probably many others have and you have to put up with their non-stop objection.

I will list them and then give solutions in parentheses:

• No time
  (that’s ok. It’s on an elevator. So they have elevator-length time. The key here is to stand straight and act like someone who deserves to be listened to).
• No interest
  (you solve this by accurately expressing the urgency of the problem)
• No perceived difference
  (but you have your unique difference ready to go)
• No belief
  (offer unquestionable proof that this works)
• No decision
  (make their decision as user-friendly as possible)

- – -

With great power comes great responsibility.

Most people don’t have the power of persuasion. They mess up on each of the points I’ve outlined above. It takes practice and hard work.

But this is not just about persuasion. It’s about connection.

It’s about two people, who are probably strangers, reaching through physical and mental space and trying to understand each other and reach common ground.

It’s not about money. It’s not about the idea. It’s not about yes or no.

It’s about two people falling in love.

From Business Insider