What would make someone leave his comfortable, known life and set out on a new and uncertain journey?

I’ve asked myself this question many times in the past.

In 2003, I left a very comfortable apartment in downtown Tel Aviv, quit my stable project management job, said goodbye to all my friends and family, and started a completely new life in Australia.

In 2009, I quit a well-paying corporate job, sold almost everything I owned, packed a small backpack, left my beloved Australia and went on a 4 years nomadic journey around the world.

And these days, I transition from being a digital nomad, living and travelling in dozens of countries around the world, to having one home in a brand new country, the United States of America.

The answer, I’m certain, is different for each individual. For me it’s all about personal growth – about stepping outside the comfort zone and bringing a new vision into life.

When you think about it, growth and change are at the heart of the human psyche. Almost every movie, every novel, and every good story portray a hero’s journey: leaving the comfortable realms of the known, facing fears, crossing the brink, finding new wisdom.

And here I am, writing this from my new office in my new one-year lease apartment, starting a new adventure down a path paved with many possibilities and potential directions.

People ask me how I could give up a life of unlimited travel. The answer: I claimed my treasure; I achieved my heart’s desire of long term world travel (for now, anyway). Moving rapidly from one place to another became too tiring, too known. It started to miss the sense of a community, of a home.. So I had to leave it behind and step into a new story.

   What about you?
   Is your heart calling you to a new direction?
   What do you have to leave behind in order to answer that call?

Life is a series of journeys, not one long continuous, unbroken trip. To grow, to become more, to claim our treasure, we have to go into the unknown and follow the call to adventure! Where one journey ends, another eventually begins.

Here’s to the journey!

Tal

P.S Below are some photos from my new home and new adventure playground (for at least the next 12 months) – Newport, Rhode Island.

 
Our new home:

 
Well not all of it – We live on the 3rd floor.

 
My new office space with the first table I ever made..

 
but the coolest part of our new apartment:

 
the whole roof top is ours to hang out on

Live Out the Dream!
 

Lifestyle Makeover is a post from: Live Out The Dream

Do you find yourself checking emails while working on something else?
Do you log into Facebook multiple times a day, often spending aimless time on it?
Do you sometimes feel an uncontrollable urge to just check Twitter one more time?

It has happened to all of us. During a time when we know we should be doing something else, we find a reason to log into Facebook or Twitter or Gmail or… whatever – we may convince ourselves we’ll stay for “just a few minutes”, but instead we stay far longer. Minutes turn into hours and soon, half your day has gone by with little to show for it.

Does this sound familiar to you?

From the moment the internet came into being, the word “distraction” was raised to an entirely new level. It provided us with a means of diversion unparalleled by
any other. As my friend Shanna once said “It’s like a fire hose that we can’t turn off”.

“What’s the big deal?” some of you might be asking. “A few minutes here and there can’t do much harm.”

I used to believe the same way. Getting distracted from time to time indeed seems harmless. -However recently, I took the time to examine the true cost of my behavior. I realized how deceptive and costly this belief could be.

The True Cost of Online Distractions

I think it was Tim Ferris who first brought to my awareness the concept of setup cost.

As he well puts it, there is an inescapable setup time for all tasks, large or minuscule in scale. The psychological switching of gears can require up to 45 minutes to resume a major task that has been interrupted.

Let’s use an example to illustrate the concept.

Suppose you take six short 10-minute Facebook sessions throughout your day. Your productivity loss from using Facebook is not just one hour, it is one hour plus the time it takes you to get back into a good work mode after Facebooking.

And when you add in all the other different distracting activities in a day, you can see how it quickly adds up. All of the side trips to the Internet’s guilty pleasures can add up to hours of wasted time.

Jonathan Spira and Joshua Feintuch, in their special report, “The Cost of Not Paying Attention”, estimate that close to 30% of each 9-5 period is consumed by such distractions.

On a 5-day work schedule, this is 12 hours per week.

Now, imagine what you could do with an extra 12 hours each and every week!?

You could start an online business. You could write an eBook. You could learn a new skill, You could promote your services. You could land a major client. You could have a part time job. The possibilities are endless.

Still not convinced?

Consider the financial cost then. How much is an hour worth to you? If you value your time at $25/hour (~$50,000/year salary), over the course of the year you’ll be spending $15,600 worth of your time on productivity-killing sites.

And when you add the emotional energy – the sheer amount of willpower needed to get back to a task – the cost is even higher.

Eliminating Online Distractions

Now that I (hopefully) convinced you that online distractions come with a heavy price tag, let me share with you my top 10 strategies to eliminate these distractions.

1. Know your distractions – Before you tackle every internet distraction in your life, it would be more effective if you focus only on the most time-consuming and least valuable distractions.

Think about your online usage during work hours. What eats your time? What is important? Which activities are value-creating and which are wasting time and energy?

For example, keeping up with what is happening with friends and family on Facebook might be valuable for you, while trying to beat a stranger in a game maybe eating up your life minute at a time.

Over the course of a day, make an estimate of the time you’ve wasted and note it down. By the end of the day, you’ll have an estimate of the amount of time spent being distracted. This can serve as your wake-up call!

* Technological hack: If you’re interested in having a more accurate measurement of your actual time on Facebook, twitter, Gmail, or any other service you use, check out rescuetime.com. It installs a small app on your computer to track exactly what you spend your time doing.
Alternatively, you can install a free browser extension for both Firefox and Chrome browsers called timetracker.

2. Associate MORE pain to being distracted – It’s important to remind ourselves that every time we choose to distract ourselves, we benefit from it on some level.

For instance in my case, even though I knew I was wasting valuable time, I used to continuously log onto Facebook in order to socially interact and share experiences.
It was an affirmation to see the number of “likes” add up and read comments from people I know and love. Facebook used to be my “quick social fix”.

The goal is therefore to associate enough pain to not changing the behavior that it would not serve us to continue with it.

We already covered some of the financial and emotional costs of being distracted in the previous section so now it’s time to get even more leverage.

Announce your commitment online and get an accountability partner who will hold you responsible to your promise and who can implement a consequence if you don’t reach your goal. Whoever you choose – your spouse, parents, or close friend – make sure it’s someone you highly respect.

* Technological hack: check out stickK.com, a tool that helps you stick to your commitments. The short story of stickK is that allows you to put money on the line in case you do not follow through. Do you dislike the Republican party? Use stickK to harness that view in your favor. If you fail to meet your commitment, money you’ve put on the line is donated to it. Now that’s painful!

3. Interrupt Your Distractions – Wanting to change is not always enough. Sometimes ‘life’ happens, things come up and you end up reverting to your old behavior. This is where most people fail.

If and when it happens, a key action is to interrupt the repetitive pattern. You don’t have to deactivate your accounts or go cold turkey right away. Instead, simply interrupt your unwanted behavior and be aware of the choices you are making

* Technological hack: For an immediate interruption with a friendly warning message, check out keepmeout.com – It is a simple online tool that lets you create a new bookmark address for your distracting site. So instead of typing the URL directly in your browser or using your old bookmark, you click on the new “keepmeout” bookmark and it will gently suggest that you give it a rest for an hour, or whatever time period you set.

4. Take a full vacation – Sometimes, you just need to take a vacation
from your distraction. It may be hard at first, but it may also help you develop a new perspective about your overuse.

You can do so by temporarily deactivating your distracting service or by simply using your willpower. In either case, it can be helpful to advise your contacts that you aren’t going to be available during your little “internet vacation.”

Another helpful strategy is to schedule it during a busy time period in your life such as a family holiday or a long business stay. You never know, you may like being away so much, you might make it permanent!

* Technological hack: If your self-restraint is particularly low, you can download a blocking add-on for your browser such as LeechBlock (for your Firefox browser) or BlockSite (for chrome browser). All you need to do is to simply enter the URLs for the sites you want blocked and you’re good to go.

Alternatively, you can download a free software such as getcoldturkey.com which allows you to temporarily block yourself off from any site you want and from any browser. Mac users can also try the free “SelfControl” application.

5. Regulate Yourself Gradually – If you feel like you’re not strong enough to go cold turkey, then gradual abandonment might work for you.

Try regulating your distracting activity by setting some kind of gradual curfew for yourself. For example, instead of spending 2 hours a day online, you could try cutting it down to 1 hour for the first week or two, then slowly cut it down further to 30 minutes for the third and fourth week, then try stabilizing your use to 15 minutes daily.

* Technological hack: “Stay Focused” is a brilliant add on for Chrome browser that allows you to set the maximum number of minutes per day that you will be allowed to browse sites on the Blocked Sites list. Once the time you have designated comes to an end, this extension blocks your chosen site from being opened in Chrome for the rest of the day.

6. Consider turning off wireless completely – If you don’t need to use any online resources for the task at hand, you might want to simply turn off the wireless connection for a while. The extra step of having to turn it back will remind you of the need for focus.

* Technological hack: MacFreedom.com is a simple software that locks you away from the internet for up to eight hours at a time. At the end of your offline period, MacFreedom allows you back on the internet. It is especially effective because your computer must be rebooted to get back online. The hassle of rebooting means you’re less likely to cheat… You might also want to try their other anti social distraction tool, anti-social.cc that turns off the social parts of the internet.

7. Regularly remind yourself of your commitment – Often we just need a reminder first thing in the morning to renew our commitment.

A post-it note near the space you use your computer can work wonders. It serves as an obvious reminder and will encourage you to stop!

* Technological hack: Not a lot of people know that Windows has a small sticky Notes accessory that enables you to plaster the electronic equivalent of the old-fashioned Post-It notes all over your desktop (Start–> All Programs–> Accessories–> Sticky Notes)
Alternatively, or if you have a different/old operating system, you can simply download a free Post-it Software.

8. Focus on quality not quantity – Don’t overload yourself with tasks. It will only increase the desire for distractions. Remember, doing more to feel productive does not count. Becoming effective is much more important than being productive…

Instead, each morning, make a list of a few primary tasks that absolutely need to get done and do at least one of them separately from start to finish without distraction. You will build your ability to focus gradually and develop a habit of consistency.

* Technological hack: For setting my most important tasks for the day I use Tasks Software, a simple but extremely powerful tool which I developed to stay on top of what I really need to achieve. I only spend a few minutes a day on it, something that allows me to track progress over time.

9. Focus on your tasks at hand – This goes without saying but do not multitask. You will get much more accomplished and feel better at the end of the day – research continuously shows that not only are we unable to focus while we’re multitasking, we continue to be distracted even after we stop.

The key is to take regular breaks to keep your focus sharp and rebuild your energy. From my experience, frequent time outs amount to greater productivity.

I usually break down periods of work into 30-45-minute intervals and separate them by breaks of 10-15 minute. It’s a great way to practice expanding my attention span without going overboard. Works wonder!

* Technological hacks: FocusBooster is a free downloadable app that challenges you to focus on a single task for 25 minutes (or more) and then give yourself a 5-minute break (often referred as the pomodoro technique). When your chosen work time is up, an alarm sounds and you get a break. You can also Check their online version.

Another good online timer tool is MinutesPlease.com. This free online tool allows you to impose a time limit on how long you can spend on a particular website. Great for addictive sites such as Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter….

If you get distracted by emails or messaging services, simply disable their notifications. Sometimes what keeps you coming back to a distracting site is a pop up or a sound notification that interrupts whatever you’re working on.

If you get distracted while writing, the Mac-based WriteRoom and its Windows counterpart, Dark Room, promise distraction-free writing by trimming your screen down to one function: Writing. These lightweight text editors are without buttons, menus, or anything else that might disturb your concentration.

I personally can also recommend Ommwriter software which I used several times this year.
Mac users can also enjoy a little utility called Think – it fades out everything but the application you’re working on at the moment.

Another useful Mac software is getconcentrating.com that lets you configure a different set of programs for each task. For example, you can activate a “Writing” task and configure it in a way that will automatically closes your email client and blocks you from Facebook and Twitter.
Lastly, Mac users can also enjoy another free and simple intervals tool called “Time Out” – At set intervals it pops in and gently reminds you to take a short break.

10. Create a new, empowering alternative – You already know that the key to overcoming an addiction is to form a new habit that will replace the unhealthy one.
Eliminating distractions is no different.

For every distraction you want to eliminate, you need to come up with an alternative productive routine that will provide an identical reward as the distraction provided.

For instance, instead of logging in to Facebook when you get home, you could go for a walk or call a friend. The idea is to choose something that you can be consistent about and, concurrently, gives you the same reward as Facebook gave you.

Make your own list, commit to one or two alternative practices, and don’t forget to associate pleasure to your new behavior!

* Technological hack: If you’ve been following me on this blog, you already know I’m a huge fan of habits. For me, developing good habits is the basis of any personal journey and the key to accomplishing absolutely anything in life. The Habits Software I created will motivate you to stick with new healthy habits and, in addition, add a bit more fun to the whole process by giving yourself a daily score.

Final Words

There are more ways to eliminate online distractions, but these are some to get you started. What I’ve listed here should take you a long way toward ridding yourself of online distractions. . If not, you might have developed a strong addiction.

In that case, check out cureFacebookaddiction.com. It’s a step by step eBook (Free for a limited time) I wrote about Facebook addiction but the concepts are valid for other addictive sites.

The central message I want to convey is that distractions are not the enemy! They represent repetitive choices that, over time, simply became a habit. These choices benefit us on some level and our goal is to wisely manage them.

Use distractions as a reward. When you approach a task, break it down into a 30-45min chunks and make it a rule that you will not succumb to distractions until that task is completed.

However, none of this really matters without you taking ACTION. Whatever you decide to do after reading this post, make sure you implement at least one strategy toward being less distracted.

As long as there is some positive pressure and strong emotions… You will succeed!

Photo Credit: Michael Pieracci

Eliminating Online Distractions is a post from: Live Out The Dream

After more than 3 and a half years of being a wandering world traveler, my partner and I set our sights on having a home base that can support our future goals. This was not an easy task, suffice it to say. While we both love Australia Kyle’s family is in the USA and following many long discussions, a few intense debates, and multiple residency applications for each country, we have decided to come to live in the US. Now we just have to choose a state…

In between our visits back and forth to the US and Australia we managed to get in some travel and adventure time. I had always wanted to visit the Caribbean so we picked Dominican Republic as our desired destination for its Spanish-speaking culture and relatively large size. We spent close to 2 months in the DR with a majority of time in a quaint coastal town called Las Terrenas. Seeing the poverty of a nearby school which had one broken table, no chairs, and no books, we gathered some donations from friends back home and helped to build and provide supplies for a new school.

Another highlight travel destination was a long road trip along the west coast of the USA from Portland, Oregon, where we attended the brilliant World Domination Summit conference, to L.A, where we visited family and friends. If you ever visit California, be sure to visit the Redwood Forest in the northern part of the state. Driving through the majestic giant trees is just something you can’t explain.

Lastly, after a year+ of engagement and multiple wedding celebrations around the world, we officially got married in Melbourne, Australia. And, to make it fun and more meaningful, we did it in a dress. Well two dresses to be exact; we both wore school dresses to our wedding in order to send girls to school in Sierra Leone. It was an easy decision as both Kyle and I think of ourselves as citizens of the world before we’re citizens of any country so when the opportunity presented itself, we jumped

2012 Focus

Each year I use the holiday season to choose a primary focus for the upcoming year. This practice allows me to immerse myself within the chosen area of focus and spur more growth as a result of it.

In 2012, my primary focus was to diversify and grow my financial wealth. And When I say “financial wealth” I’m not necessarily referring to money but to other types of assets, especially those geared toward income generation.

For the first time in quite a long time I explored the options of investing in real estate and trading foreign exchange and global commodity markets. I completed an 8-week course in Forex trading and another one in Futures trading. I traded the CFD markets for a while and had some success with it.

I also explored the options of investing in real estate, especially during this downturn in the US market. I read books, attended workshops, and had meetings with experts. In the end, I decided to forgo both these options… for now. What can I say, trading felt like gambling and providing housing is not exactly my number one passion.

My biggest passion, however, was and is entrepreneurship, especially in developing online businesses that deliver real value to people. So, for the remainder of the year I focused on diversifying my online portfolio and also start offering products and services that I’m truly passionate about.

The five areas I mainly focused on are: blogging, Social Media, Online services, eBooks, and Software.

1. Blogging:
- I rebranded and redesigned my existing blogs and grew their email subscriber list from a few dozen subscribers to more than a thousand today.
- I interviewed 60 inspiring men and women, from diverse backgrounds and passions, who all made their dream reality and became extraordinary heroes of their own stories.
- I created a new blog for those who are passionate about freedom and living life on their own terms.
- I started a free daily motivational thought service to help others stay motivated in their pursuit of their dreams, (including your humble servant, myself that is).

2. Social Media:
- I created an active Facebook page with thousands of likes from scratch.
- I built my Twitter list from 30 followers to around 1500.
- I became an active user of Google+, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.

3. eBooks:
- I wrote an eBook about how to pick a niche to build your business around and offered it for free to my subscribers
- I also wrote an eBook about how to cure a Facebook addiction and offered it for sale on Amazon store.

4. Online Services:
- After having been approached by a few people, I now officially offer coaching services to clients with big dreams and big goals. I’ve been pouring my heart and soul into my clients’ progress this year. It’s been hard work and it’s taken a lot of time and energy, but the reward of seeing someone’s life starting to transform has been truly precious.
- I launched a service for small scale and aspiring entrepreneurs who are looking to build and grow an online presence. I called it “Dream to Business”. Strategic planning, effective marketing and website conversion are my strengths and I really enjoy the creative process of turning ideas into businesses so it was just a question of time before I started to offer this type of service.

5. Software:
- Lastly, after using too many mediocre softwares to help me reach my goals, I started developing my own softwares. This year I launched the Habit Software, a simple and free online tool to instill and track habits. If you’re curious about why habits are so important to track and how they can dramatically change your life, I suggest you give it a try.

Turning a page to 2013

Although I achieved my 2012 goal of diversifying my wealth, I felt that I was stretching myself too thin, exploring too much time and energy in areas that are not leading me to my best purpose such as trading and real estate.

This year I’m committing to put all my effort into growing my wealth in areas that I absolutely love and believe in. No more wide-ranging explorations, but focused and continuous effort in projects I truly enjoy doing.

I contemplated exploring different focuses in 2013 but my goal of creating a happy, settled, and comfortable home base this coming year requires every bit of my attention.

Stay tuned!

What is YOUR 2013 focus?

Where are you going to put the majority of your effort this coming year?
Are you clear about what you love to do?
Are you going to commit to a plan that will lead you to doing what you love doing best?

As my wise friend Raam Dev so eloquently put it “In the end, when your entire life flows into a single moment of time, it won’t be your possessions, your worries, or your missed opportunities that cumulate into that single moment, but rather how you truly you lived, how deeply you loved, and how completely you followed your heart.”

Wherever you are, however you’re feeling, and whatever your plans are for this holiday season, I wish you blessings of abundance, joy, and freedom.

Yours,
Tal Gur

2012.. 2103 is a post from: Live Out The Dream

Sometimes you just can’t get your big dream off the ground.

It’s not a matter of lack of knowledge; you’ve read just about every blog out there. You’ve tried countless “self-help” books and you’re still where you are.

This happens to the best of us.

Yet some people seem to almost magically advance their big dreams forward again, and again, and again.

So what is the secret?

Perhaps the following story can shed a light,

Six Months to Glory

“What have I done?” I thought to myself, starting at my laptop.

The message on the screen read “Congratulations. You have been successfully registered for the following event: Ironman New Zealand 2008″.

The date was September 17, 2007. That was less than six months to race start.

Saying I was ill prepared was an understatement. Not only I was out of shape, I also had a demanding full time job and a busy social life.

So, what had I signed up for? What is this “Ironman”?

2.4 mile swim, 112 mile cycle and a 26.2 mile (marathon) run all on the same day, making it the most grueling one day endurance event in the world.

I felt excitement and fear rolled into one. After all, this was going to be my first ever Ironman.

A bunch of training books were piled high on my desk. I read a few of them throughout the week but felt so overwhelmed that I didn’t know where to start.

I began to question myself, “Can I really do this? Is this even possible?”

I’d been training for a few weeks but couldn’t feel or see any improvement. The only thing that increased was my fear. I was worried that I would get injured.

I mentally ran through a list of options that included everything from quitting to gathering more information, and finally settled on one viable option:

I would need regular, focused support throughout my journey.

Big Dreams = Big Support

Big Dreams, by their very nature, are inherently complex. That’s just part of the deal.

Similar to how large buildings require strong foundational structure, your big dream requires a strong support system too.

And when I say “support”, I’m not referring to family encouragements or a random friend’s advice. I’m referring to a well structured support system from an objective person that will enable you to regularly and systematically progress towards your goals.

The decision to seek help was the best decision I’ve made during my Ironman journey. Within two weeks of hiring a coach and joining a group of liked minded people, I felt like I had finally mapped out a plan to make my dream a reality.

During the interceding weeks, we took my fitness and mental toughness to the next level. My coach helped me to focus only on the critical aspects of the final task and ignore the rest.

I was finally talking to someone who knew what was required, who spoke my new “Ironman language”, and who could hold me accountable to the highest standards.

Perhaps even more importantly, I received regular feedback and guidance from an objective person who could see solutions to the problems I had as clear as day.

My confidence grew with each passing day. On 1st of March, 2008, I managed to cross the finish line, injury free, and happy as I could ever be

Building your own Support System

Since 2008, I’ve created support systems for almost every big journey I had, from surfing, to doing SEO, to blogging and writing. I’ve been also a support system for others.

Over time I began to see clear patterns of what makes a good support system. Here are the most significant ones:

Your support system:

Reflecting back on my younger years, I realize that I was too casual in my choice of support. I now know that the lack of adequate support slowed down and often halted the process of attaining my dreams.

I hope the above list proves useful in your own journey. Be picky.

Last words

A hero’s journey is often seen an independent quest but in reality it is a shared victory and the result of a combined effort.

No matter how independent or self-reliant we consider ourselves to be, we are better off with a strong and reliable support system.

Big dreams are rarely achieved without the enthusiastic help and support of others.

In our “instant gratification” culture we seem to have forgotten that some goals are more challenging than others and therefore require a more elaborate setup.

A setup that involves the best people you can get on your side. People who will motivate you, encourage you, guide you, support you, and hold you accountable for your commitments.

The equation is simple: The greater the support system you have, the greater the likelihood of achieving your big goals.

Live Out The Dream!

Supporting Your Big Dream is a post from: Live Out The Dream

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” Aristotle

In April 2008, I was nearly drowning in AUD $33,598 of credit card debt.

A year later I not only eliminated all my debt but had also built a passive income source that allowed me to travel the world for more than three years.

What made the biggest difference you might ask?

In one word, “habits.”

I believe habits are the single most important factor between success and failure. Habits are the key to accomplishing absolutely anything in life.

This post is all about what I have learned about effectively building new habits and changing old ones.

In the last 10 years I’ve been fascinated with the science and brain chemistry of habit development. I studied numerous books and performed various experiments in order to find the most effective and easy way to instill healthy habits. It even leads me to develop my own habits software, which is now freely available to anyone.

First let me share a story.

The struggle of feeling powerless

It was a cold Melbourne night and I was driving aimlessly with no real destination in mind.

A full packet of cigarettes was sitting next to me on the car seat. I stared at it for a brief moment and felt anger rekindle in my heart.

The memory of the small smokers booth at Bangkok Airport was still quite vivid in my mind and replayed on a continuous loop.

Being enclosed in a glassy death cube with enormous cloud of yellowish smoke and no ventilation was probably one of the lowest points of my life.

I felt ridiculous and…angry.

Abruptly I stopped the car, got out, and threw the packet into a nearby trash can.

“That was about $100 worth of cigarettes” I thought to myself.

I tried to pretend to be victorious but deep down I knew the truth – I was powerless and severely addicted.

Nothing I’d tried in the last few years worked and this little act wasn’t going to work either..

The wonderful and sometimes dangerous power of Habits

The above story illustrates the enormous power of habits.

My smoking addiction was nothing but a strongly ingrained habit that had a dangerous impact on my life.  

But not all addictions are negative.

An addiction (i.e. a compulsive habit) is only negative when the activity is harmful. Some are just the opposite as we’ll see in a moment.

At this point you’re probably curious as to how I overcame my smoking addiction.

The answer is probably not what you’d expect.

No, I did not use any nicotine patch, nicotine gum, nor availed any counseling or treatment.

I…trained for a marathon.

More on that later but the key point I want to make here is that changing this one habit had sparked off a series of changes that would ultimately ripple out to every part of my life.

Replacing smoking with running changed how I ate, slept, worked, and generally felt about myself. It triggered a whole new set of routines and inspired me to seek out a new and empowering future.

Through this journey I came to understand that we are the master and creator of our habits and they can definitely be changed if we understand how they work.

In fact, I believe that understanding the psychology of habits and using it to our benefit might just be the most important thing we can do for ourselves.

Excited? Great! So, without further introduction, let’s delve into the mechanics of habits and how they are created.

Understanding Habits – The Art and Science of Habit Creation

By understanding how habits really work, you’ll have greater ability to identify patterns that will aid you in making new habits stick.

The habit creation process is a three-part loop:

1. Cue: A stimulus that precedes your habit and tells your brain to go into automatic mode. For example, if every time you drive home from work, you pass a McDonalds sign and crave a cheeseburger. The cue is pretty easy to spot – A big yellow ‘M’ sign.

2. Routine: The series of actions you undertake when you are triggered by a cue (these can be physical, mental or emotional). So in the example above, the brain starts a set of orders that starts with “See a big yellow ‘M’ sign –> crave a cheeseburger“.

3. Reward: The immediate benefit you experience as the result of that action. It is easy to identify the reward in our McDonalds example; quick inexpensive meal that tastes extremely good.

After a while, this loop “cue, routine, reward; cue, routine, reward,” becomes progressively automatic.

Eventually, a habit is born.

Companies spend millions studying customers’ habits in order tighten this exact habit loop. Every McDonald’s, for example, looks exactly the same so it can serve as a constant cue. And their food is deliberately and repeatedly engineered to deliver immediate rewards.

We usually don’t pay attention to the patterns that create our habits. By being aware of them we will be in better position to challenge habits that don’t server us.

Which brings us to our next point.

How to Effectively Change Unhealthy Habits

Do you remember how I mentioned that training for a marathon helped me to stop smoking?

Well, it did not happen right away.

During the first week of training I was still smoking but I noticed that my nicotine cravings disappeared after each training session. More importantly, this craving-free feeling lasted for hours.

So I decided to try something a little crazy. I went for a short run each time I had a craving. This meant that occasionally I ran a few times a day but after a couple of weeks I was free from cigarettes

It took me a while to see the big picture, but at some point it hit me: Replacing unhealthy habits with healthy ones is much more effective than just stopping them.

Let’s say you want to stop eating unhealthy snacks. The question, then, is what will you do or eat instead?

If snacking gave you the pleasure of eating something sweet, How about replacing it with healthy sweet dates?

On the other hand, if snacking helped you to stave off boredom, how about dealing with the boredom?

Perhaps going for a walk instead will relieve the boredom and wipe out the desire of eating at the same time.

The idea is simple. For every habit you want to change, you come up with an alternative routine that will be triggered by the same cue.

It would not only make the adjustment easier but also provide an identical reward as the old unhealthy habit.

How to Make Your New Habits Stick

If you’ve tried incorporating new habits before, you already know that making them stick can be tough.

What frequently happens is that we usually start out strong and then end up sliding back into our old habits after only a few days.

I’m sure you know the feeling.

The skill of making desired habits stick is the most important part of our discussion and it holds the key to successfully and dramatically changing our lives.

I’d like to suggest a simple but extremely effective 4-step process to mastering this skill.

Step 1 – Identify Key Priorities

Let’s face it; no one can get every single thing right.

Instead, it’s more effective to identify key priorities and turn them into powerful levers that will ripple through other areas of your life.

In other words, some habits matter more than others.

Where to start? Here are some suggestions of beginning positive habits:

1. Read or meditate before sleeping
2. Exercise or go for a long walk every day
3. Get up 30 minutes earlier and get some things done
4. Eat one serving of vegetables during lunch
5. Eliminate one snack of junk food
6. Drink 3 cups of water first thing in the morning
7. Work on your dream business instead of watching evening TV
8. Give up coffee and replace it with herbal tea
9. Call or email a friend, family member, or business contact every day
10. Write in your journal or on your blog every day
11. Socialize or go out every night

These are examples of keystone habits that have the power to start a chain reaction which are likely to transform your life.

For instance, when an exercise routine is firmly established, other habits, such as diet and sleeping, fall into place on their own.

Lastly, aim to tackle just a few habits at a time and start with something that is both important and realistic. You can always upgrade your list later when you feel more comfortable with the process.

Step 2 – Build a Powerful Habit loop

The second step is to properly identify the components of your habit loop.

First, identify the routine. This is quite obvious; it is the behavior you want to adopt.

Be specific. If your new desired habit is running, how long or how far would you run? Is it a daily or near-daily habit? Would you rather run alone or in a group?

Next is to reinforce a simple but powerful cue for your routine.

This is the first link in the chain of a habit which can help you to eventually control the entire behavior.

The majority of habitual cues fit into three categories:

Location – Where exactly would you be?
Time – When exactly would you start?
Scenario – What will serve as a reminder?

Note that I used the word “exactly” a couple of times. By making a new habit more uniform, it will be easier to follow and eventually get more consistent.

So with our running example, a good cue would be to leave your sneakers next to your bedroom door and lace them up as soon as you wake up.

I ran a few marathons thanks to this simple cue

Finally, what would be the reward?

Be clear. Will it be a morning treat such as a yummy smoothie? Maybe the sense of accomplishment gained from tracking miles will be the motivating key? How about the endorphins rush and burst of energy that comes from a jog? Or maybe all of them?

By having a clear expectation of the reward, a craving for the new activity will naturally develop. In turn, your brain has created a new autopilot!

Step 3 – Start a 4-week Trial

We already know that getting started and sticking with a new habit can be challenging. Most of our energy, which takes the form of willpower and discipline, is spent in the first few weeks.

For this reason, the third step is a commitment to implement the new habit for 4 consecutive weeks. No exceptions.

By week 4 the new habit will be a reflex, requiring minimal mental energy to maintain.

The 4-week trial works because that is roughly how long it takes for the brain to adjust to the change. Less is usually not enough and more can seem like an overwhelming commitment.

Once you completed your 4-week trial, you can decide if you want to go back to your old habits or continue with your new lifestyle.

Having done many of these trails in the last decade, I’ve found that doing them greatly increases the likelihood of habit formation. A trial is less intimidating to our mind than deciding on a permanent change from the start.

The power of this tool lies in its simplicity. It is important to choose trials that can be done every single day without exception. Otherwise it is too easy to skip a day, lose interest or give up altogether.

This brings me to the final point.

Step 4 – Track your progress

Completing all 4 weeks is essential to the process of creating a new habit. To be successful it is imperative that you maintain consistency which can be a struggle.

Most people quit after a week, not because of lack of willpower, but because they either lose motivation or simply forget.

Tracking progress will help address these two issues and lead to success.

After years of trying different habits software I decided to create my own. It’s simple, fast, and extremely effective. And best of all, it is free! Take a few minutes to check it out at HabitsSoftware.com .

This simple but powerful tool will motivate you to stick with your habits and, in addition, add a bit more fun to the whole process by giving yourself a daily score.

Like many other principles here, it will only work if you use it. Give it a try. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Last Words and Your First Step

A wise man once said, “We are all at the mercy of our wild monkey minds. Incessantly swinging from branch to branch.”

What he meant is we are all creatures of basic habits, repeating the same behaviors over and over through the course of the day.

Of course, from time to time we’re able to control our mind to overcome an unhealthy behavior but unfortunately our willpower and self control are limited. We can consciously resist a temptation for a while, but that is all we’re doing — resisting.

It’s only through the habits which we form, which allows us to make genuine and lasting changes in our life.

In fact, the only reason I could finish this long post is thanks to a daily writing habit. Without it, this post would not have seen the light of day.

So my advice to you is to start today and start slow.

Think of one or two habits you’d like to form and make it official by recording it on paper or in a Habits Software

It takes only a few minutes but it has the power to change your life.

Live Out Your Dream!

Changing Your Life Using Habits is a post from: Live Out The Dream

Are two minds better than one?

The answer seems obvious but I’ve been asking myself this question throughout my life and could never find a definite answer.

During my school years, both in high school and college, I’ve been invited to be part of study groups before big exams. At times I found them valuable but most of the time I avoided them as they were time consuming and ineffective.

I’ve continued to wrestle with versions of this question throughout my professional life. As an IT manager I stressed the need for regular weekly management meetings but in the end, many of those meeting ended up causing delays and wasting time.

Even now in my current life as a solo entrepreneur, I prefer to rely on my own brain to come up with ideas and sort things out.

Lately, however, I started to realize the power of having two and sometimes three brains working together.

Over the course of the past year I’ve been part of multiple Mastermind Groups and the benefits were quite immediate and significant.

In this post, I would like to share with you why a Mastermind Group is such a key component for anyone who’s serious about reaching big goals and why I would highly recommend it for anyone who wants to move their business, career, or their lives in a more focused manner.

But before I get ahead of myself and talk about these benefits, some of you may be wondering:

“What the heck is a Mastermind Group?”

Simply put, it’s a group of like-minded individuals with a common interests who meet together (online or offline) on a regular basis to brainstorm, support, and assist one another in their business endeavors.

It’s important to note that a Mastermind Group is not a coaching session or a networking group. While a group can decide to bring in a paid facilitator or share leads and opportunities with each other, the primary focus of a Mastermind Group is the accountability support and brainstorming among the group members.

Mastermind Groups have been around for a while now, but it only took off with Napoleon Hill’s famous book ” Think and Grow Rich “. Napoleon Hill interviewed over 500 wealthy people to see if there were any common characteristics between them. He published his results as ‘Think and Grow Rich’, which became and still is a best seller. One of the key characteristics that all the people interviewed seemed to share is that they had a Mastermind Group.

Hill describes a Mastermind Group as: “The coordination of knowledge and effort of two or more people, who work toward a definite purpose, in the spirit of harmony”

“Now that’s great,” you may be thinking, but…

“Why should I start a Mastermind Group?”

Mastermind Groups are a prime example of synergy: the total is greater than the sum of the individual parts.

When you put two people together and have them work on a common goal, you don’t have two brains. Rather you actually have three; the third being a mixing of the first two brains…

There is literally an exponential growth of creativity, ideas and suggestions as you increase the size of the group. (Though from my personal experience, a group of 3 people can hit the limit of efficiency so you want to weigh the pros and cons of a large group size)

This new synergy also means that you get the opportunity broaden your own perspective and hear other people’s ideas. When you have a few like-minded people in your group and everyone is focused, you can get an overwhelming amount of great feedback. This is especially true when you start talking about your biggest obstacle or opportunity.

Another major benefit of being part of a Mastermind Group is accountability. Putting your goals out there and sharing them with people who respect you can be a very strong motivator.

We all get off track a little now and then due to busy schedule or lack of energy and for some of us it may take time to get back up to full speed. And if you’re self-employed like me, you know how easy it is to put off goals, or justify not acheiving them.

In a Mastermind Group you feel accountable to your fellow group members and that keeps you from losing sight of your goals.

* P.S. If accountability becomes a problem (i.e. people are not following up on what their promises), I always recommend using leverages. There are two types of leverages: sticks and carrots. Sticks are basically punishments while carrots are rewards. Tip: money can be a great stick (i.e. fine) and a great carrot (i.e. prize).

Now that you know the benefits of being part of a mastermind group, here are a few recommendations of how to find a group and how to run it based on my personal experience.

How to find (or start) a Mastermind Group?

First, I’d like to mention that when I encourage you to think of a Mastermind Group, I don’t necessarily want you to think of it as being a permanent, long-term group that is going to last forever.

People stay in a Mastermind Group because they see value in it. When new commitments arise or and priorities start to shift, people may leave and you’ll find new members or join a new group.

So, like many things in life, it will probably go through a life-cycle. Just be aware of it and make sure that there is enough value for everyone.

Now, the word ‘value’ is important here. You want to join a group or add people to an existing group that can add value to every other person.

I applaud you if you want to help or teach others but a Mastermind Group is not the place for it. You’re in this to grow.

Make a list of people who share similar values to yours and that have massive potential to help you be where you want to be in the future.

Be Picky. Look for people who have experienced levels of success and who are willing to make a sustained commitment to show up each time.

And now the big question:

How to run a Mastermind Group?

There’s quite a lot of advice out there about how to run a Mastermind Group, but after experimenting with different models, I settled on a process that has proven highly effective.

The Mastermind Groups I facilitate meet at least once a month through Skype for approximately 45 minutes. We operate on a structured process that enables the participant to explore new ideas and commit to a course of action.

It includes the following 3 main components:

1. Check-in: Time to say what we’ve been working in since we last spoke, indicate if we reached our last month’s goals and share some success stories.
2. Feedback & Brainstorming: Time to provide specific feedback regarding reached and unreached goals and bounce ideas off one another in order to foster creativity and generate solutions to a problem
3. Goal setting: Time to set goals for the next month, announce our primary goal and set penalties for failing to attain primary goals.

Finally, but not less important, we make sure we have fun with it.

A few ideas, suggestions and recommendations

• Each meeting focus on a different member of the group and review his or her biggest challenges/opportunities (Often referred as the “Hot Seat”). There’s also a lot of value that members get from listening to ideas and solutions generated for others.
• During the Feedback & Brainstorming stage, try to focus on how to make the other Mastermind members more successful.
• Set a few ground rules and be disciplined about your start and end times.
• If the conversation starts to veer off course, make an effort to get it right back on track so that people feel it’s worth their time to be part of these meetings.
• After the meeting has ended, share your goals via email or through your online goals application for added accountability.
• If needed, keep the dialogue going via email/phone in between meetings. You can also create your own email discussion list for free by going to groups.google.com.
• Before you start a Mastermind Group, make sure you commit for an agreed period of time. I suggest that the minimum time should be 3 months. You need time to connect to one another, to form trust, respect and rapport.
• Consistency is key. Keep to a regularly scheduled time and ensure all members are punctual. Note that if meetings are too far apart, momentum is lost.
• Communication is important. If your Mastermind date is getting close and you haven’t heard from everyone, make sure you send out something to the group.
• Remember, all Masterminds have a lifetime. There will inevitably come a point where either you’re Mastermind is scheduled to end or you just feel it’s losing its effectiveness. You’ll want to end it with positive tone.
• It might be worth it for you to join (or start) more than one Mastermind Group. Simply pick a key area in your life and find the right people for the group.
• Make sure your group is small enough to ensure that everyone can participate (I like to be part of a 3 person group). Smaller groups tend to work in a more cohesive manner.
• Construct it in a way that EVERYONE in the group participates.
• Start with success stories instead of failures. Positive atmosphere does matter. Something that help to set the right tone and mindset for the rest of session.
• Hold all comments until someone finishes speaking. I usually write my questions and suggestions on a notepad while I listen to others.
• If you conduct your sessions using Skype, consider using a free MP3 Skype Recorder to record mp3s of your calls.
• Don’t treat the Mastermind Group like a class. There is no need to lecture others. Instead, encourage everyone to work with each other like a peer advisory board.
• Select at least one goal to be completed by the next meeting and hold others accountable for their goals.
• It really helps if everyone shares similar values and it’s even better if they have similar interests (i.e. entrepreneurship, personal development, etc.).

Last words

So, are two minds better than one?

Like many things in life the answer is…it depends.

I find that when there is a need to come up with new ideas or get feedback, the answer is yes.

But when the need is to execute those ideas or to make a decision about them… well, the answer from my perspective is usually no.

The essential idea I want you to take from this post is that utilizing multiple minds in the form of a Mastermind Group is extremely valuable and effective way to achieve your goals.

Think of a Mastermind Group as a Board of Directors for your life, business, or both.

Wouldn’t it be fun to to have a group of advisors who are already doing what you’re doing and who motivate you on regular basis?

I’ll let you answer it

Live Your Dreams!

P.S If you’re interested in me facilitating your own mastermind group or having a one-on-one mastermind session with me, please fill out the form in this link. Beside managing the time and structure for each session, I also provide advice, feedback, ideas, resources, as well as celebrating wins with you.

Tal is unbelievably reliable at organising mastermind sessions, and always ensures that we stay on-topic. Despite this, he’s a lot of fun to speak to, enjoys a laugh, and possesses multi-disciplinary insight that’s exceedingly rare. Basically, he’s one of those people that you wish you could clone. Ashley Bloom

I have been involved with a mastermind group that Tal initiated and was the key facilitator of. Tal has come up with a structure for these mastermind sessions that I found to be extremely effective and efficient. I found Tal to have great active listening skills and he was instrumental in keeping the sessions going and not exceeding the allocated time. Michael Ginsburg

Photo Credit: MIT OpenCourseWare

Masterminding Forward is a post from: Live Out The Dream

We are unmotivated.

Some people would call this a burnout; others may say a bad month. I call it a motivational slump and I’ve just hit it in full swing.

Hitting the Slump

I had great plans for this month. Building a library in the Dominican Republic, enjoying a romantic stay at one of the most beautiful Caribbean beach villages, working on a new online business, becoming fluent in Spanish, and the list go on.

But as I’ve learned over the years, life does not always turn out as planned.

It all started when Paypal decided to limit my account until I provided them a fundraiser license. All the funds donated to our little library project have been frozen with no other viable alternatives. It did not matter how many times I provided them with real evidence that a fundraiser license is not needed in our case, they kept ignoring it, leaving us with no answers and no resolution.

It then continued when my partner decided to leave the US in order to address a few health problems. I had to deal with a number of issues myself including a lingering ankle injury that forced me to stop my 365 days of running challenge after more than 4 months.

What else? My server crashed for almost a week, my camera broke down when I needed it most, and worse of all, the number ’6′ on my keyboard stopped working.

Now here’s a serious issue for you!

As the month progressed I began to feel completely deflated. I tried to pretend ‘business as usual,’ but it did not really work. Something more radical had to be done – I needed back my motivation!

Step 1 – Giving the mind and body vacation

I haven’t being so unmotivated in quite some time, so it almost felt like a new experience for me. The funny part is that I have always been the guy you call when you needed some motivational pep talk.

In fact, the following email has recently landed in my inbox: “I get very motivated in the beginning, but then the motivation drops. My question to you, how do you handle motivation and focus?”

My email response did not take too long to come: “I suggest you let the day pass and do not judge it. Perhaps, give it a few days. If you still feel unmotivated when you get back to it, you might have to examine your goal.”

Sometimes the best solution for an unmotivated period is also the simplest one: a break. We all need to take a breather at some point in order to rest and recharge.

So, I followed my own advice and took a break from everything. I went on long walks on the beach, started a new novel, watched movies, and pretty much gave my mind and body vacation.

Long story short, a break was not the solution. On the contrary, I progressively became frustrated from not seeing any progress. It was time to take my second advice and reexamine my goals.

Step 2 – Reconnecting with the why

Most people set goals in life but far fewer take the time to connect with the “WHY” behind them.

I believe that “why” we’re doing something is more important than what or how we’re doing it. A deeper understanding of that “why” keeps us motivated throughout the journey and is the starting point to everything we do.

Often the secret of being more motivated is to simply remind ourselves WHY we were interested in pursuing our goals in the first place. The stronger our reason, the more energy we will bring towards it.

When you think about it, nothing really important has ever been achieved without a big why behind it.

I started my little exploration by asking myself a few questions:

  -  Why is it absolutely necessary that I achieve my goals this year?
  -  How committed am I to my journey?
  -  Why is it an absolute must for me to make a change?
  -  What will happen if I continue with the unmotivated path I’m currently on?
  -  What will happen if I don’t?
  -  What would be the best environment for achieving my current goals?
  -  Are there better goals to have?

The first thing I realized as a result of answering these questions is that I expected too much of myself during this month, especially in my current environment. I’ll need to change my pace and take smaller steps in order to keep me on track.

I also realized, I need to make a few adjustments to some of my goals and set different routines to support them.

Lastly, I realized that even though I was motivated for the big picture, I still needed a constant and stable source of daily motivation.

Step 3 – Establishing daily motivation

The first question that popped into my head after my little reassessment was “how the hell am I going to motivate myself 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is it even realistic?”

I decided to tackle this by dedicating a few minutes a day while taking my showers, to feed myself doses of affirmations. These are basically positive statements I’d tell myself repeatedly like a mantra.

To get maximum benefit from this morning exercise, I started to use affirmations that create pictures in my mind (numerous studies show that a mental picture provides a much greater impetus to making lasting changes).

For example, instead of saying to myself something like: “I am highly motivated.” I used something more like: “I can SEE myself taking massive action in a purposeful way. I can SEE the results and the satisfaction I’ll have when this project is done.”

Now I know affirmations might sound silly to you, but I figure that a ceaseless repetition of positive self-talk can only help

The other alteration I did was to spend a bit more time on constructing daily motivation quotes and share them with others. You can visit my Daily Motivational Thought site and get a daily dose of motivation straight to your inbox. This will be an ongoing collection of observations about living life, pursuing dreams and making changes. My hope is that through this collection, you’ll be even more motivated as you pursue your own meaningful path.

Step 4 – Defeating procrastination

Besides adopting a new affirmation routine, I decided to review my other habits. I knew that even the smallest change in my routine could help me get out of the slump and back into a mode of productivity. What I basically needed is a way of getting my important tasks (which I was constantly procrastinating on) as part of my daily duties in order to stop avoiding them.

One of those tasks was writing. I’ve been procrastinating several writing projects for a couple of weeks, finding every way I could to keep myself from getting started on them.

It was time I set a new habit in place: writing every day, even if it’s only for a few minutes, until I get my project done.

To make the commitment even more effective, I made sure a daily writing checklist was in place so I’m not going to miss anything. Seeing a checklist near to completion always worked for me as a great boost for my motivation. If I’m able to accomplish so much already, surely I can accomplish the rest.

Step 5 – Taking smaller steps

I always find that it’s easier to get motivated when I’m already in motion. Once I get myself going, it takes less effort to maintain momentum.

The key, I find, is to start the day with the most simple and non-demanding set of tasks and then work my way up. After all, just getting started is everything.

My plan was simple. I will break up some of my goals into smaller pieces so they only require about 10-20 minutes of my time. On top of that, I will time myself so I can get better in the process.

For example, instead of focusing on the goal of building a library in the Dominican Republic, my new goal would be to simply call Paypal to recover the donated funds. That’s it. Nothing more. No attachment to the results and the satisfaction would come from simply knowing I did the best I could.

We often tend to ignore our “unmotivated” feeling and push ourselves to achieve goals in the exact same way as other people. I think it’s unreasonable and I think it’s better we take baby steps towards our target honoring the amount of time, energy and motivation we have available.

Step 6 – Boosting the energy up

One of the most vital resources for motivation is our physical energy. In my book, low physical energy and low motivation are almost synonyms.

It only makes sense that when we’re low on the necessary energy needed to start a particular project, our motivation is rerouted to indulge in something more effortless like food or entertainment.

Due to my running injury at the beginning of this month, I was now lacking a reliable source of energy. If you add the limited access to fresh and organic food at the village where I stayed, it’s not surprising that I suffered from low energy throughout the month.

My solution: switching running with swimming. The result: a new daily swim regimen that left me refreshed, more spirited, and more capable of tackling my projects each time I got back to my desk. Making my physical needs a priority made the difference. I allowed myself to neglect these needs for too long…

Step 7 – Environment change

Motivation is contagious. Hanging around others who are energized and enthusiastic could be extremely beneficial in my case. However, the fact that I am staying in a small town with very little social activity and without my partner around means that I’m not in the best environment to get my mojo back.

I pondered whether I should change environment now but eventually decided not to. I’m here for a good cause and I want to justify the countless hours I’ve spent with Paypal and the commitment I made to numerous people who entrusted me with their money. I believe this long-term approach will make a huge impact in the life of many and at the same time allow me to emerge stronger, spiritually and physically.

Time will tell.

In the mean time, I’ve already made plans to be in a more social setting while traveling in the US so I can breathe motivation and enthusiasm.

Step 8 – Finding motivation from inspiring stories

Have you ever read an inspiring article and felt so motivated that you immediately got to work on your goals?

I know I did. Stories have tremendous transformative power to shape our lives. They capture our imagination. They teach. They stir up our emotions.

I decided to spend a bit more time this month examining other people’s successes and share their stories online. You can find some inspiring stories to light up your day in my
Below Zero to Hero blog.

Step 9 – Incentivization

If there is something that I’ve learned while working in the corporate world, it’s the power of rewards. I was definitely more motivated when I’ve been given proper incentives from my previous company.

Now that I’m self-employed, I need to create my own incentive program. I decided to start off with this post. If I finish it today, I’ll treat myself with a trip to the cinema.

I’ll have to think about new and creative rewards for my other benchmarks, but I can already see how I can have fun with it. Getting a soothing massage, trying a new restaurant, going on a trip.

It does not have to be big. It only needs to be big enough to keep me motivated. It can even be something as simple as letting myself be lazy, doing nothing, for a whole day…

Step 10 – Putting enough pain behind

Rewards are great but pain might be even a more potent motivator for change. In fact, most people will not change until it becomes too painful to stay the same. How many times have we heard stories about people who started their dream business only when they felt the crushing pain of being without a job?

The key here is not to wait until pain hits you in full force. You need to imagine the pain in advance so it can drive you to take action, something with a real sting to it!

One of the reasons people still smoke cigarettes, despite knowing that they are more likely to get cancer, is because they don’t believe it can happen tomorrow. Would you still smoke if you knew that every cigarette you smoked was going to cost you a $1000? How about if it was paid to your most hated organization/politician?

One of my biggest motivators is being without my freedom, working in a job that I absolutely hate. The thought always existed at the back of my mind but it became too abstract and distant to be a credible force for motivation. I needed something more tactile and immediate.

I decided to bring the thought to the front of my mind and start visualizing it on regular basis. My main goal is to experience how the pain will feel and to notice every single detail of it.

In addition, I decided to adopt other painful motivational tools such as giving money to someone I don’t like. I’ll arrange it with my mastermind group for added accountability and might write more about it in the future.

Now, what about you? What kind of an immediate pain can you put at your back to move you forward?

Final words

The key point I want you to take from this post is that you have control on the length and duration of your motivation. You, and only you, decide when to turn it on or off.

In psychology there is a term called “secondary payoff.” What it means is that anything “bad” you do has some short-term benefits to it otherwise you wouldn’t do it. So in other words, you are creating the feeling of being unmotivated for a reason and part of your journey is to find why you do it.

I hope this article provided some insights of the processes you can take in order to understand and overcome a motivational slump.

From my perspective, motivation is the beginning of all things. It is the petrol and the force that propel you to go ahead. When you have a strong enough motivation, you can move mountains. When motivation lapses, however, you get sidetracked. In a few cases, you give up totally.

Setting goals is easy. What truly matters at the end of the day is having the sufficient sums of drive and determination to place all your heart, mind and work into moving yourself in the direction of accomplishing your goals.

Life is a one-time opportunity. This day, once gone, will never ever exist again. Don’t let it go by feeling uninspired and unmotivated. It is not out there. Motivation is developed and sustained from within…

Live out the Dream!

Unstoppable Motivation is a post from: Live Out The Dream

Such an occasion has just presented itself.

My partner and I are currently in the Dominican Republic travelling in a quaint coastal town called Las Terrenes. A week ago we took a motorcycle trip to get to know the local scene a bit better. We found our way to Agua Sabrosa, a small neglected village off the main road. We wanted to see what the local school looked like and what we found was nothing short of utter poverty.

I’ll let the photos speak for themselves (See below) but here’s a little summary:

1. There is only one teacher for more than 100 kids.

2. The teacher is a local girl herself who earns less the $30 a month. Yes, a month…

3. The curriculum never changes. Every year the kids learn the same thing over and over again.

4. There is one broken table, no chairs, and no books.

5. Everyone fits into a window-less shack smaller than the size of a one-car garage.

6. The floor is dirt, though muddy when it rains.

7. There is no electricity and the only light they have filters in through the cracks in the roof and walls.

I can go on but I hope these few examples are sufficient. Here are a few photos I took while visiting:

We want to make a difference in the short time we’re here. The local church agreed to contribute a small space for the kids and we thought we can help them by creating a little library-area to enrich their lives. Nothing fancy but a place with resources for learning and tools to open their minds. Something that will give these unfortunate kids some hope for the future.

From my previous experience with building a house in Peru, I learned that a small contribution, combined with dozens of others, can make a huge difference in the lives of others.

If you feel like being a part of this little outreach, you can do so via the donate button on Help Third World, a site I built specifically for that purpose, or simply drop me an email via the contact form.

It’s important to note that 100% of your donation will go directly to the project, not a penny less.

I also would be grateful if you can share this with others via facebook, twitter or email.

Update – 18 June 2012

After a couple of months of hard work by so many good people, the small town of Agua Sabrossa now has a new school, a new English teacher, new books, and a lot of community spirit.

Thank you so much for all the people who donated. Below are some photos of the new school and one of the community meetings held in it.

Helping in the Dominican Republic is a post from: Live Out The Dream

You and I are programmed.

We have been programmed from early age to acquire more possessions and never be satisfied with what we have.

We were told we need to buy new cloths every season, a new car every few years and the latest gadget each time it’s announced.

We were conditioned to trade our freedom for a 30-year mortgage, so we can fill our 4 walls to their maximum capacity with stuff we don’t really need; another candle holder, another piece of furniture, another cute little bowl.

And when the space runs out, we go and rent more storage. The Self Storage industry is now an estimated 20 billion dollar business, and that’s in the U.S. alone. In fact, North Americans have more than twice the amount of space than a few decades ago, despite the fact that the size of their families has decreased in that time.

We have far more freedom than any people in the history of mankind, yet we choose to trade it back for more stuff.

What we do not have though is more happiness.

Do you enjoy running around like a mouse on a wheel, always in a hurry to get things done, trying to cram more and more in just so you can pay off your bills?

Does that luxury item you can barely afford give you real fulfillment?

If this all sounds a bit depressing to you, don’t fret. After all, we did not have much choice. We were conditioned from an early age to be consumers in a well-functioning system built for profit.

I want to use this space to offer a new paradigm, one that I have been embracing for the last three years; a paradigm that advocates for a more healthy and sustainable lifestyle.

I call it “Minimalist Living”.

What is Minimalist living?

First, let me address what it is not.

Minimalist living is not about being frugal or living on a shoestring budget. I own quality products, I travel the world, I spend when it matters.

Being minimalist is not about denying pleasure or depriving yourself of all the things you want.

It does not mean we have to give up the comforts of the 21st century. Consumerism, after all, is not the devil.

Minimalist living is rather a balancing act.

It’s about being fully aware of all the options we have, yet choosing only those which give us the most benefits and eliminating those that don’t.

It’s about stripping away the unnecessary and getting rid of things we don’t really need, so we can free our time and resources for that which gives us true joy.

It’s about living without an obsession with material goods or an obsession with newness.

It’s about quality, not quantity.

Minimalist living can mean something different to each person. For some, it may be giving away unwanted clothes and cleaning things up, and for others it may be living in a bare-essentials cabin surrounded by nature.

Whatever it means to you, being minimalist is something that is worth getting excited about.

Less stuff, less debt and less clutter mean more freedom, more joy and more room for what’s important.

A story of two lives

Perhaps my first awareness of the concept of Minimalism came after watching the movie American Beauty.

There were some scenes in that movie that stayed with me for a long time (My favorite by far is the “It’s just a couch” scene. Search for it in YouTube)

In many ways, American Beauty represents our Western society’s addiction to consumption in its futile attempt to regain more happiness.

The reality is that racking up debt to acquire more stuff has never been a reliable source of lasting happiness for anyone.

For many years I was craving simplicity and a life of less consumption but it only really happened three years ago, just before I left for my round-the-world trip.

I literally purged 95% of my possessions. I never really realized how much crap I owned until I moved.

Suddenly, my new life was more than the sum total of what I owned; it was rich with freedom and possibilities.

Everything I owned I could carry on my back. I had no return date, flight ticket home and no job lined up.

I thrived.

And it happened not only because of my trip but also because of my newly adopted minimalist lifestyle; a lifestyle with no cluttered schedule, no ongoing expenses and no giant TV.

Simplifying your Life Right Now

Obviously you don’t have to go on a round-the-world trip to enjoy the benefits of minimalist living.

Start by realizing you already have enough. Then start simplifying.

Choose a room in your home and asses each and every single object. Ask yourself – “Do I truly NEED this object?”, “Do I use it on REGUALR basis?”

If the answer is “No”, then pass it along to someone who could put it to better use by selling it, donating it or giving it away. If you can’t even give it away, instead of storing it, simply recycle or dump it.

Remember, less is more in this case.

Here are some specific item groups you want to focus on in your simplifying process:

1. Books – When I was young I had a dream of having floor-to-ceiling bookcases with all the books I’ve read. I’ve rationalized that I may need to go back to these books for future research. In reality, I’ve never gone back to any of my old books and they just collected dust on the shelf, so just before my RTW trip, I gave away 90% of my books to friends, complete strangers and the local library. These days, I own all my books in a digital form and mainly use Kindle or my laptop to read. It’s worked great for me.

2. Music – In this digital age, there’s no better time to get rid off your entire CD collection by converting them into high quality audio files. There are plenty of free software programs that will do the job.

3. Clothing – This might be a challenging one, especially for many women among us, but we’re all guilty of hoarding clothes that we no longer wear. Key questions to ask here: “Does this piece of clothing fit me?”, “When’s the last time I wore it?”, “Do I own too many similar items?”. In my case, I pared my wardrobe down drastically keeping only the most versatile and classic styles. It continues to work perfectly in my minimalist lifestyle.

4. Paper – There is no real reason to keep paper beside a few original documents that have legal signatures on them, such as Birth Certificates and Identification Cards. Everything else can be scanned and stored electronically. Say goodbye to all those overflowing paper folders and cluttered files.

5. Electronics – Multifunctional is the word here. Instead of keeping up with single-purpose devices, concentrate on multi-purpose items such as smart phone or a laptop. With my laptop, I am able to listen to music, watch videos, read eBooks, call on Skype, work on my business, browse the internet, store my documents, and even watch television online when a show particularly appeals to me. As a result, I have not owned a TV for eight years. No complaints!

Final Words

Despite what the media would like you to believe, you will not die if you don’t own the latest, greatest, soon-to-be-obsolete version of everything.

We are conditioned by a well-functioning marketing system to chase sugar high after sugar high without thinking of the true price we pay for them. Frivolous spending leads to excess consumption, debt, information overload and less free time.

In a world of endless shopping options, buying more stuff is easy, too easy. More often than not we do it in search of more “happiness”, but the truth is that it only brings temporary joy in our lives. We’re merely filling a “hole” rather than looking at what the true void may be.

What you need instead is to make a commitment to simplify your life right now.

- Cut back your possessions to what is absolutely needed. It will free you for the more important things in life.

- Buy and own quality stuff that you’ll love for years. Not in momentary events.

- Choose to spend money on experiences over possessions. Their memories last longer.

Minimalist Living is a rewarding path to a more meaningful life; a life with less attachment, more clarity, and more freedom.

Take the road less traveled and give it a shot. You’ll not regret it.

Minimalist Living is a post from: Live Out The Dream

Imagine waking up every morning knowing that you are completely free to choose what you want to do and how you want to do it.

Imagine being able to spend time with your loved ones, your friends, your family, whenever you need to.

Imagine being able to go anywhere you want and contribute to the world in whatever way you choose.

Close your eyes and really think about it for a minute.

Did you hear a little voice in your head whispering: “That will never happen“?

If you did, I encourage you to reexamine your way of thinking as your beliefs eventually create your reality.

The Choices We Have

The greatest freedom we have in life is the power of choice – to either be the victim of circumstances, or to grab the bull by the horns and actually try things out for ourselves.

Trading time for money has become so common in our society that it seems the only way to live our lives. We have been conditioned to believe that this is the most lucrative way to earn a living, while in reality, the majority of us are indebted to a financial system that is fraudulent to its core.

Millions of people in the “developed world” are now debt slaves, both individually and as citizens, to a system that has been designed to put us in debt and keep us there.

The system may or may not change in the future, but your relationship with it can change now.

The choice is yours. You don’t have to follow the crowd and you don’t have to live your life the way other people expect you.

If the last sentence resonates with you, I invite you to read on.

Your Journey to Freedom

For many years I believed that work is something that has to be done, something that must be endured in order to make a living.

I still remember my first day in that tiny cubicle, spending hours in front of a monitor, being extremely dissatisfied with the life society expected me to lead.

It was a limited reality. My job determined where I lived, how much money I earned, and what kind of lifestyle I had.

I knew I needed to do something else, to create my own circumstances. So I took the plunge and committed myself to nothing but freedom.

Fast forward to today and multiple streams of passive income I’ve created allow me and my partner a life of complete liberty.

Ever since then, people have constantly asked me how they can make money online, whether it is to supplement their current income or to replace it completely.

The answer of course is not that straightforward. It requires passion, focus, extensive knowledge of the subject matter and perhaps more than anything, a firm commitment and self sacrifice.

For many people that might be too time-consuming, difficult or scary, but for others the journey to freedom is exciting. I advised those people every once in a while, showing way through, sharing ideas face to face and via email.

I came to realize during this time that my passion to help others is not enough. It calls upon a central knowledge base of passive income experts and other inspired people who are totally committed to their freedom and who are willing to fight for it.

I thought of how I could fill this gap and that is how my new project, Passively Free, was born.

Passively Free

In the world I imagine, people are not stuck in fear of losing their job or in fear of what their boss would say. Instead, they work on projects they truly believe in and want to contribute to society in a significant way. A paycheck at the end of the month is not the focus but a natural outcome of their passionate contribution.

What about you? What is your first thought when you wake up on Monday?
Do you dread the morning commute to work?
Does the thought of another day at work make you want to hurl?

If you are not passionate about your work or curious about the concept of financial freedom, visit PassivelyFree.com.

My goal is to share experiences of successful entrepreneurs from all regions of the world, and by doing so, motivate as many people as possible to find freedom and fulfillment in what they do.

What this website will not do is promise people riches beyond their wildest dreams and a pie in the sky without them having to lift a finger. The road to financial freedom is a journey, an ongoing process that takes time, hard work, and sacrifice.

The truth is that you don’t need to be a millionaire to achieve freedom. For most people a few hundred dollars each month, earned passively, can make a world of difference.

If any of the above sparks your passion, I invite you to commit yourself to a new journey for regaining back your personal independence.

Final Words

The main message I want to leave you with today is this: don’t give up on freedom.

Financial Freedom is not about quitting your job and doing nothing. It’s about using your new freedom to create a life you are so passionate and excited about that you can’t wait to wake up in the morning.

I truly believe that work should not be something you have to endure around the clock, but something you enjoy and want to do.

You should be able to create a business or have a job that fulfills the life you want, not the other way around. Your job should not determine your life.

Rather than planning to retire from work, do work that is so rich and fulfilling that you will never want to retire from it…

Why retire from something you love anyway?

Live Your Dreams!
Tal

P.S. If you got anything out of this post, I hope you’ll share it with others. The world is a better place when people have more freedom, more choices, and passionately contribute to society without worrying if they get paid or not.

Your Journey to Freedom is a post from: Live Out The Dream