How to Gain Personal Freedom and Control

My dad was a strict disciplinarian. I hated that. I hated it so much that I grew up desperately wanting to control my own life. To have the freedom to do what I want, how I want, when I want.

But here’s the thing. The pursuit of personal freedom has brought me face-to-face with an interesting dilemma. Turns out, it takes a tremendous amount of discipline and work ethic to achieve that lofty dream. And guess who I learned that from?

Yup, it pains me to admit it, but I learned it from my dad. The irony.

Since most of you are probably in pursuit of the same thing, more or less, I thought I’d fill you in on exactly how I’ve managed to achieve freedom and control over my life. Yes, it’s all about discipline, but not exactly the way you’d think.

Always get the job done. Sure, I like to procrastinate as much as the next guy, but I’m also deeply committed to my work. I always do whatever it takes to get the job done. That’s my number one priority. No exceptions.

Be a Schmoozer. I’m a people person who loves to schmooze, network and build relationships. I didn’t plan it that way, but it kills two birds with one stone: You’ll never have a shortage of friends or business opportunities.

Love your work. Turns out, it’s really hard to be disciplined when you hate what you’re doing. I could never pull that off.

Learn to delegate. It’s a good thing I became a manager early in my career. Climbing the corporate ladder taught me how to delegate effectively. 

Don’t drink before 5. I like to party, so, unless it’s in some way associated with work, my days are more or less alcohol free. It’s a lifelong habit that’s paid off well.

Become a caffeine addict. Caffeine is an amazing stimulant. Long ago I went decaf for 10 years. I call that time the Dead Zone. It was the least productive part of my life. I have no idea what I was thinking.

Work hard, but only when you have to. In the past – when it counted – I commuted halfway across the country, travelled millions of air miles, relocated, and worked long hours, including weekends. But I did all that on my terms … and only when I had to.

Strive to be the best at everything you do. And I do it right the first time. Turns out, if you’re really good, you don’t have to work as much. And if you get it right the first time, you don’t have to do it over.

Take care of yourself. I try not to let work or anything else get in the way of my health and wellbeing: sleep, exercise and eating right. Sure, I have vices, but I try to live a balanced life. And I’m very active, especially outdoors.

Be selfish. I try to make work fun by working outdoors as often as I can and, if there’s not a lot of thinking involved, with the tunes on. And when I’m not working or doing chores, I mostly do what I want, when I want. I’m not big on obligations. After all, it’s my life.

Look, it takes all kinds, and my way of doing things is definitely not for everyone. The point I’m trying to make here is that everything comes at a price. If you want personal freedom and control over your life, you’ve got to go about it in a disciplined way. You’ve got to have certain rules. There’s just no way around that.  

From Entrepreneur

8 Surprising Ways to Make Your First Million Dollars

Say you want to become a millionaire. Or a multimillionaire.

Or hey, even a billionaire. (Why not?)

The goal is clear...but the path can be anything but.

But not to Dharmesh Shah, co-founder of HubSpot (No. 1,100 on the 2014 Inc. 5000 and a company that recently went public). Dharmesh sees a clear, if slow and difficult, path to becoming a millionaire--or to reaching whatever level of financial success you aspire to.

Here's Dharmesh:

Money of course isn't everything. Not by a long shot. Where your definition of success is concerned, money may rank far down the list. Everyone's definition of "success" is different.

Here's my definition: Success is making the people that believed in you look brilliant.

For me, money doesn't matter all that much, but I'll confess it did at one time (probably because I didn't have very much).

So let's say money is on your list. And let's say, like millions of other people, that you'd like to be a millionaire. What kinds of things should you do to increase your chances of joining the millionaire's club?

Here are the steps I'd suggest. They're neither fast nor easy. But they're more likely to work than the quick and easy path.

1. Stop obsessing about money

While it sounds counterintuitive, maintaining a laser-like focus on how much you make distracts you from doing the things that truly contribute to building and growing wealth.

So shift your perspective. See money not as the primary goal but as a byproduct of doing the right things.

2. Start tracking how many people you help, even if in a very small way

The most successful people I know--both financially and in other ways--are shockingly helpful. They're incredibly good at understanding other people and helping them achieve their goals. They know their success is ultimately based on the success of the people around them.

So they work hard to make other people successful: their employees, their customers, their vendors and suppliers...because they know, if they can do that, then their own success will surely follow.

And they will have built a business--or a career--they can be truly proud of.

3. Stop thinking about making a million dollars and start thinking about serving a million people

When you only have a few customers and your goal is to make a lot of money, you're incented to find ways to wring every last dollar out of those customers.

But when you find a way to serve a million people, many other benefits follow. The effect of word of mouth is greatly magnified. The feedback you receive is exponentially greater--and so are your opportunities to improve your products and services. You get to hire more employees and benefit from their experience, their skills, and their overall awesomeness.

And in time, your business becomes something you never dreamed of--because your customers and your employees have taken you to places you couldn't even imagine.

Serve a million people--and serve them incredibly well--and the money will follow.

4. See making money as a way to make more things

Generally speaking, there are two types of people.

One makes things because they want to make money; the more things they make, the more money they make. What they make doesn't really matter that much to them--they'll make anything as long as it pays.

The other wants to make money because it allows them to make more things. They want to improve their product. They want to extend their line. They want to create another book, another song, another movie. They love what they make and they see making money as a way to do even more of what they love. They dream of building a company that makes the best things possible...and making money is the way to fuel that dream and build that company they love.

While it is certainly possible to find that one product that everyone wants and grow rich by selling that product, most successful businesses evolve and grow and, as they make money, reinvest that money in a relentless pursuit of excellence.

"We don't make movies to make money, we make money to make more movies."--Walt Disney

5. Do one thing better

Pick one thing you're already better at than most people. Just. One. Thing. Become maniacally focused at doing that one thing. Work. Train. Learn. Practice. Evaluate. Refine. Be ruthlessly self-critical, not in a masochistic way but to ensure you continue to work to improve every aspect of that one thing.

Financially successful people do at least one thing better than just about everyone around them. (Of course it helps if you pick something to be great at that the world also values--and will pay for.)

Excellence is its own reward, but excellence also commands higher pay--and greater respect, greater feelings of self-worth, greater fulfillment, a greater sense of achievement...all of which make you rich in non-monetary terms.

Win-win.

6. Make a list of the world's 10 best people at that one thing

How did you pick those 10? How did you determine who was the best? How did you measure their success?

Use those criteria to track your own progress towards becoming the best.

If you're an author, it could be Amazon rankings. If you're a musician, it could be iTunes downloads. If you're a programmer, it could be the number of people that use your software. If you're a leader, it could be the number of people you train and develop who move on to bigger and better things. If you're an online retailer, it could be purchases per visitor, or on-time shipping, or conversion rate....

Don't just admire successful people. Take a close look at what makes them successful. Then use those criteria to help create your own measures of success. And then...

7. Consistently track your progress

We tend to become what we measure, so track your progress at least once a week against your key measures.

Maybe you'll measure how many people you've helped. Maybe you'll measure how many customers you've served. Maybe you'll evaluate the key steps on your journey to becoming the world's best at one thing.

Maybe it's a combination of those things, and more.

8. Build routines that ensure progress

Never forget that achieving a goal is based on creating routines. Say you want to write a 200-page book. That's your goal. Your system to achieve that goal could be to write four pages a day; that's your routine. Wishing and hoping won't get you to a finished manuscript, but sticking faithfully to your routine ensures you reach your goal.

Or say you want to land 100 new customers through inbound marketing. That's your goal; your routine is to create new content, new videos, new podcasts, new white papers, etc., on whatever schedule you set. Stick to that routine and meet your deadlines, and if your content is great, you will land those new customers.

Wishing and hoping won't get you there--sticking faithfully to your routine will.

Set goals, create routines that support those goals, and then ruthlessly track your progress. Fix what doesn't work. Improve and repeat what does work. Refine and revise and adapt and work hard every day to be better than you were yesterday.

Soon you'll be good. Then you'll be great. And one day you'll be world-class.

And then, probably without even noticing, you'll also be a millionaire. You know, if you like that sort of thing.

From Inc. Magazine

How Knowing Yourself Leads to More Productivity and Efficiency

Everyone wants to become more productive. Particularly as the new year looms, people are thinking about what they’d like to do differently as the calendar year changes over.

The problem with many productivity plans, however, is that they depend on your changing your life to fit what someone else says will work, rather than your knowing yourself well and deciding how to schedule your time accordingly.

As long as you’re seduced by everyone else’s plan for your life, your wallet will be seemingly stuck open when it comes to paying for help with time management. Every new system will appeal to you and it will always seem like someone else has an answer.  

No one else has the answers. You have your answers already, and here’s what you need to know about yourself to discover them. When you understand yourself well enough, you’ll be able to set up systems for your business and life that truly work. 

1. Determine whether you’re an early bird or a night owl.

Work when it’s most natural for you. Parents or anyone else whose life is dictated to some degree by someone else’s schedule should find a compromise to lean into. For instance, maybe you can’t realistically stay up until 2 a.m. the way you want to, but you could stay up until midnight.

And imagine if the other people in your house wind down around 10 p.m. If you're a natural night owl, you’ll work better between 10 p.m. and midnight than if you worked for four hours in the morning and forced yourself to rise earlier.  

2. Understand your needs.

We’re all different. The very thought of getting up for an early-morning appointment gives me insomnia 99 percent of the time, even when it's pertaining to something I want to do. That’s why I don’t schedule early meetings.

The only way that someone else might be able to sleep would be knowing that the first thing in the morning, he or she would hit the ground running, attending a meeting that tackled something important. So what do you need, in order to not feel overwhelmed by the day-to-day operations of your business?  

3. Figure out what mitigates that feeling of being overwhelmed.

The things that overwhelm people point them to where they need to pay more attention and make changes.

Take a moment to see if there’s a way on the cognitive level to reduce your feelings of being overwhelmed. For instance, if overwhelming feelings arise because you become very worried, address that root issue rather than not taking a risk.

But overwhelming feelings that accompany poor strategic decisions, such as piling on the projects or working for a client whose manner is contrary to yours, can be mitigated by making different choices. 

4. Consider whether working in community or solitude is better.

Some people struggle to get work done because they need a hum of noise around them and the office is too quiet. Others find that their focus takes a nose-dive when others are talking.

Instead of trying to force yourself to become a different person, find the places and spaces where you can work in the way that you like. If you work from home and get lonely, schedule “co-working days” with other home-based entrepreneurs. Or find a co-working space.

If you work in an office that’s noisy and busy, use headphones or earplugs. If you’re worried that people will find this rude, try this polite explaination with a friendly smile: “I’m trying something out to see if I can be more productive at work. Feel free to let me know if you need anything.”

5. Set priorities.

If the truth is that you really just don’t think it’s important to spend your time using  social media, figure out a way to engage with it that works for you, rather than trying to be “all in” and constantly tweeting. Or decide to hire someone else to handle all things related to social media.

The same applies to how you let your priorities infiltrate your work. If it’s a vision for your business to have fun, ask yourself when starting to do a task that isn't your favorite, “How can I make this fun?” 

6. Be cognizant of natural strengths and leverage them.

If writing is not your natural strength, then someone else needs to handle the company blog. If meeting people is a natural strength, see if you can contribute to video pieces or be the first person to pick up the phone when a client situation becomes tricky. 

7. Know what takes you from bad to worse.

When you’re already having a bad day, understand what makes you feel even more unfocused. For instance, if you’re feeling insecure about your company's growth, you might go from feeling bad to even worse if you read about a competitor’s recent profitability.

While this seems like an obvious tip, many entrepreneurs might be stuck and struggling with a rough time and then lose themselves in scanning Facebook to deal with the stress. Become clear about the patterns that don’t serve you or your business.  

Stop drifting through the day-to-day activities of your business, hoping that you’ll hit on a solution for more work efficiency. Productivity isn’t about someone else’s systems and rules. Know who you really are and what you’re about, and use that to create systems that nourish and support that, so that you’re better equipped to cultivate your business.

From Entrepreneur

Why Entrepreneurs Must Believe in Themselves

I can remember sitting in a classroom at Santa Clara University and looking out of a window at the rain, feeling desperately unhappy. I didn’t want to be studying economics. It wasn’t that my classes were tough, although they definitely were. It just didn’t feel right. This is not my future, I thought. I knew it in my bones.

So I took a chance. I took an art class. I wasn’t an artist but I remember thinking that there had to be more to life than economics. This turned out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made.

Looking back, I can see that I made a lot of decisions that my friends and family didn’t understand at the time. In fact, I’m not sure that anyone believed in me back then.

I’m proud that I have had the courage make changes when something didn’t feel right.

One of the defining qualities of being a successful entrepreneur is the willingness to stop and re-evaluate a situation that's not working. And entrepreneurs are constantly hoping for improvement.  

The truth is that I believed in myself when no one else did.

There will be so many unknowns in your career. But one thing I know for sure is that entrepreneurs must believe in themselves, especially when others don’t. Own the fact that it’s your life that you're living and trust yourself to make good decisions.

Here are a few of the sentiments that keep me going and help me continue believing in myself: 

1. Time heals all wounds.

This statement is a cliché, but I’ve found it to be true. Time gives people the perspective they need to deal with difficulties, whether they are physical scars or personal struggles. I have started thinking about failure as my friend.

If I’m failing, I’m moving forward. So I try to not let it discourage me and take solace in the fact that as time goes on, my failures will become less and less painful.

2. Anything worth achieving takes longer than one might expect.

Pride and appreciation are developed over time. That’s actually a great thing. Learn to be patient. Keep moving forward and try to not become discouraged by how long it takes to create something. There are no overnight successes and you need to hang tough to be successful. 

3. I can figure out anything.

My dad taught me that the power of observation is unparalleled and that there isn’t anything someone can’t learn by teaching himself or herself. I may not always end up with results that are 100 percent right, but I can get close.

This belief has empowered me to try new things all my life. I know I don’t have to wait for someone to give me permission. I know I don’t need to become an expert to get things done.

4. The path to success is never straight.

You might as well learn to how to navigate curves since the way forward is never completely straight.

Finding my purpose in life has helped me continue to have faith in myself. I let this be my guiding light. When I become distracted, this reminds me of what's important. When things aren’t going my way, I turn to my purpose for inspiration.

And when all else fails, I stop focusing on myself. I surround myself with positive people. I read books about other peoples’ lives for perspective.

Don’t get me wrong: I still get nervous. I still wonder whether I’m making a mistake. That feeling never goes away.

But everything else has fallen into place (like I always knew it would) because of my conviction. I found a way to live with the unknown and you should try to, as well. Your path to becoming a successful entrepreneur will be littered with failures and successes. Don’t let either of them define you. It’s a marathon not a sprint.

From Entrepreneur

5 Habits Of Emotionally Intelligent People

Emotional intelligence is the most powerful tool for success — not only in in romantic relationships, but business, too. In fact, the same rules for achieving your goals in business also apply to love.

Here are five practices that people with high EQs use to achieve success at both work and in their personal lives:

1. Follow actions, not words. 

When I hire someone, I don’t pay much attention to lip service about accountability or hard work. Instead, I screen for a solid track record — do they meet deadlines? Make calls? Close deals? What are they doing (not saying)?

In business and personal matters, talk is cheap.

2. Check yourself. 

We’re all emotional people, and sometimes little things can turn into unnecessarily big deals. emotionally intelligent people know how to push pause before making a perceived slight into a colossal deal. Did someone interrupt you in a meeting? Instead of stewing about it or plotting revenge, consider that the person is possibly distracted by personal issues at home. Maybe they felt scrutinized by their boss that day and was over-compensating with their boisterous presentation. Rise above it and give them the benefit of the doubt. It’s not always about you.  

The same rules apply to your romantic and business relationships. Everyone has bad days and everyone has their quirks. Just because your date doesn’t feel like dancing doesn’t mean she is embarrassed to be seen with you, or that you should never go out with her again. Take the incident for what it is and move on.

3. Keep the end goal in mind. 

Those who succeed in life and business keep an eye on the big picture. This means letting go of petty perceived slights and road bumps that present themselves each and every day. When you keep the end goal at the top of your mind, it is easier to negotiate with a difficult client, create successful, win-win partnerships, and focus your energy on what is most important — not getting sidetracked by petty annoyances and putting out little fires.

That goes for relationships, too. If a long-term committed partnership with your spouse is your top priority, then you are less likely to focus on the proverbial toothpaste cap conundrums that trip up so many couples. Even bigger issues such as differences in money management or raising kids are more easily negotiated when you are both focused on lifelong collaboration.

4. Cleanse out the toxins. 

Good business feeds off good energy — and negative people can destroy an organization. Entrepreneurs with high EQs know there are enough positive people in the world that there is no need to waste valuable energy managing the toxic ones. Sometimes even high performers are not a good fit if they are manipulative, combative or otherwise a negative force in the office.  

Ditto for your love life and business relationships. If someone zaps your energy or otherwise makes you feel bad about yourself, have the strength to move on. Emotionally intelligent people have little tolerance for others who are insincere (or downright lie), critical, needy or have addictive habits. There are some people who are better out of your life — or on the other side of the courtroom.

5. Stay connected. 

Just because a relationship ends doesn’t mean that you have to obliterate the bridge. Even if a deal falls apart on a sour note, emotionally intelligent people make all efforts to take the high road and keep the connection alive and positive. You never know when you may cross paths again — or need that person in the future.

Just because a relationship doesn’t last a lifetime doesn’t mean that you must part ways as enemies. More often than not relationships end because of differences or circumstances — not personal slights. When a bridge is still available, there is far more opportunity for you to enjoy richer experiences on nearly every level.

From Business Insider

If You Want to Succeed, Here Are 5 Things You Need to Do Differently

No matter what your individual definition of success may be, finding it can often be a challenge. Whether its career success, monetary success or something in between, most people have a certain level of accomplishment that they want to reach in their lives. However, many fail to reach that magical level of success and have no idea why. The good news is, there are a few things that every person can do differently to change their current course of action and find the success that they deserve.

Below are five:

1. Stop looking for a perfect strategy

For the many people who take their quest for success seriously, they can get caught up in looking for a “perfect” strategy in reaching their goals. The truth is, there is never a perfect time to do anything, and there is no such thing as a perfect strategy. Many people fail to start “doing” the things they need to do, because they spend so much time planning. The only way to start a strategy is to get out there and take the first step. You can tweak and improve along the way but getting out and doing will be much more beneficial than spending all of your time trying to find the ideal strategy.

2. Stop seeing problems, start seeing opportunities

If you start looking at hurdles that come up as problems, you can put yourself in a negative mindset that will prevent you from finding success. If you instead start looking at these obstacles as opportunities, you can start finding more success. Take the challenge of approaching every problem and instantly calling it an opportunity. It can be hard to find opportunities in some problems, but if you look hard enough, there are positives even in the most overwhelming of issues.

3. Stop the information overload

Some people unfortunately find they spend too much time gathering information on how to succeed. When people do this too much, they can struggle with what is known as information overload. When you have too much information, you can suffer from paralysis by analysis and all of the research you have done can actually hurt instead of help. Nothing is as powerful as taking action and getting started.

4. Stop focusing so much on entertainment

While all people love to be entertained in a certain manner, society spends far too much time focusing on entertainment, instead of education. While you should always have you personal time outside of your professional life, many people spend too much time watching television, gossiping, playing video games and reading celebrity news. Doing this too much can prevent you from staying focused on your goals and your success. Spend your personal time entertaining yourself by consuming educational materials for personal growth. It will pay off in the long run and help you enjoy your personal time in a way that is still beneficial to your overall success.

5. Stop looking at the short term

Focusing on short-term accomplishments can actually get in your way when it comes to finding the substantial success you seek in life. This is something that many people struggle with, as there is nothing wrong with fulfilling short-term accomplishments but this shouldn’t be your focus. You should always be focusing on laying down a strong foundation for long-term growth. You can do this in a number of ways. Start looking at everything you do as a long -erm investment. Invest in your education, the future and do your best to ignore the appeal of instant gratification. This can take practice, but you can condition yourself to no longer find the same appeal in instant gratification.

From Entrepreneur

How to Determine If There's a Market for Your Business Idea

In their book, Start Your Own Business, the staff of Entrepreneur Media, Inc. guides you through the critical steps to starting a business, then supports you in surviving the first three years as a business owner. In this edited excerpt, the authors describe the importance of market research in order to obtain information on the three key areas you'll need to investigate before launching your new business.

So you have a great idea for a product—something that’s bound to capture the hearts and minds (and wallets) of consumers everywhere. Or perhaps you've stumbled on a service that isn’t being offered by anyone else—one that's desperately needed. This is your opportunity! Don’t hesitate ... don’t look back ... jump right into it and …

Wait! Before you shift into high gear, you must determine whether there really is a market for your product or service. Not only that, you need to ascertain what, if any, fine-tuning is needed. Quite simply, you must conduct market research.

Many business owners neglect this crucial step in product development for the sole reason that they don’t want to hear any negative feedback. They're convinced their product or service is perfect just the way it is, and they don’t want to risk tampering with it.

Other entrepreneurs bypass market research because they fear it will be too expensive. With all the other startup costs you’re facing, it’s not easy to justify spending money on research that will only prove what you knew all along: Your product is a winner.

Regardless of the reason, failing to do market research can amount to a death sentence for your product. “A lot of companies skim over the important background information because they’re so interested in getting their product to market,” says Donna Barson, president and owner of Barson Marketing Inc., a marketing, advertising and public relations consulting firm. “But the companies that do the best are the ones that do their homework.”

Consider market research an investment in your future. If you make the necessary adjustments to your product or service now, you’ll save money in the long run.

So what exactly is market research? Simply put, it’s a way of collecting information you can use to solve or avoid marketing problems. Good market research gives you the data you need to develop a marketing plan that really works for you. It enables you to identify the specific segments within a market that you want to target and to create an identity for your product or service that separates it from your competitors. Market research can also help you choose the best geographic location in which to launch your new business.

Before you start your market research, it’s a good idea to meet with a consultant, talk to a business or marketing professor at a local college or university, or contact your local SBA district office. These sources can offer guidance and help you with the first step in market research: deciding exactly what information you need to gather.

As a rule of thumb, market research should provide you with information about three critical areas:

1. Industry information.

In researching the industry, look for the latest trends. Compare the statistics and growth in the industry. What areas of the industry appear to be expanding, and what areas are declining? Is the industry catering to new types of customers? What technological developments are affecting the industry? How can you use them to your advantage? A thriving, stable industry is key; you don’t want to start a new business in a field that's on the decline.

2. Consumer close-up.

On the consumer side, your market research should begin with a market survey. A thorough market survey will help you make a reasonable sales forecast for your new business. To do a market survey, you first need to determine the market limits or physical boundaries of the area to which your business sells. Next, study the spending characteristics of the population within this location.

Estimate the location’s purchasing power, based on its per-capita income, its median income level, the unemployment rate, population and other demographic factors. Determine the current sales volume in the area for the type of product or service you will sell.

Finally, estimate how much of the total sales volume you can reasonably obtain. (This last step is extremely important. Opening your new business in a given community won’t necessarily generate additional business volume; it may simply redistribute the business that’s already there.)

3. Competition close-up.

Based on a combination of industry research and consumer research, a clearer picture of your competition will emerge. Don't underestimate the number of competitors out there. Keep an eye out for potential future competitors as well as current ones.

Examine the number of competitors on a local and, if relevant, national scale. Study their strategies and operations. Your analysis should supply a clear picture of potential threats, opportunities, and the weaknesses and strengths of the competition facing your new business.

When looking at the competition, try to see what trends have been established in the industry and whether there’s an opportunity or advantage for your business. Use the library, the Internet and other secondary research sources to research competitors. Read as many articles as you can on the companies you'll be competing with. If you're researching publicly owned companies, contact them and obtain copies of their annual reports. These often show not only how successful a company is but also what products or services it plans to emphasize in the future.

One of the best websites for researching the competition is Hoover’s Online, which, for a fee, provides in-depth profiles of more than 85 million  companies. However, there's also free content available, plus you can sign up for a free trial subscription. You can also gather information on competing businesses by visiting them in person.

From Entrepreneur