Mindset + Discipline + Meaningful goals.

That's what creates the lifestyle you desire.

Most of your bad habits are caused by two things:

Stress and boredom.

Brutal truth:

Nothing hurts more than opportunities you missed because you waited for the perfect timing that never came.

If you want to build something valuable, stop giving your time to others who don't value it.

Thumb rules for food: 1) If it needs to be "manufactured" - don't eat it 2) If it has vegetable oil - don't eat it 3) If it is mostly sugar (like ice cream) - don't eat it It's ok to slip up every once in a while, but follow the rules and you'll be fine.

To develop self-discipline, one needs to learn how to delay gratification for the purpose of future benefit.

Mindset helps, but to be successful in business you need a good plan, a clear routine, and a receptive attitude.

Normalize saying positive things to yourself every day.

Secret to great success:

Embrace discomfort.

Don't save today so you can invest in yourself tomorrow.

Invest in yourself today so you can actually have some money to save in the future.

Many people will struggle avoiding awkward silences or simply having meaningful and interesting conversations.

The problem in conversational skills is that there is a fine line between an interesting conversation and crossing your interlocutors boundaries. That’s for those who are courageous enough to speak up.

Others will face a different type of problem where they feel like their interlocutor is being invasive.

The trick I want to talk to you about today solves both issues.

This is a 3 step system that you can use over and over during the SAME conversation without it getting neither boring nor too invasive.

It goes like this.

1- Pick up a clue:

People talk.

They talk a lot.

But are you listening to everything?

Yes? You shouldn’t.

No? You should.

I know this might be confusing but let me explain.

You don’t have to listening to everything.

In fact, there are keywords you should focus on in order to filtrate the noise and useless information while still managing to stay involved in the conversation.

Keywords like “I like” “I love” “I was” or “I am”.

You get the idea.

You need to pay attention to when people give you more information about themselves, this is your ticket to controlling the conversation.

2- Ask!

Once you get your clue and topic, it’s time to ask an open-ended question.

Now that you’ve spotted a topic that interests them, you have to let them tell you more.

Now there are two potential scenarios:

1- You have no clue wtf they’re talking about

2- You have know what they’re talking about

This determines whether you will start the process again or not.

Let me explain.

3- Your turn to talk:

Let’s dig into each of the before-mentioned scenarios.

A- You’re clueless:

If that is the case, don’t dive right into the topic like an idiot.

Ask more.

In this scenario, you have to restart looking for cues to find a topic to which both of you converge and are knowledgeable; which makes the conversation more interesting and also brings you more opportunity to speak and exchange.

The good thing is, this can allow you to make your interlocutor talk more (it doesn’t mean you have to actively listen, you can give the illusion that you’re doing so; a topic for another post)

Even if you never reach a common topic (assuming you and your interlocutor are way too different) this allows you to drag the conversation longer and make your interlocutor talk more so you don’t have to.

Remember, people love to seem knowledgeable.

They will not miss an opportunity to “teach” something or simply talk about something they value.

B- You have a certain level of knowledge about the topic:

Your goal is almost attained.

At this stage, what you should be looking for is the limits of knowledge of your interlocutor about the topic you guys are discussing.

Once that is done; it is your opportunity to teach them something new; they’ll love you for it (as long as they do show signs of interest; which you can recognize through their body language.)

The goal and process of this technique is to drag the conversation longer without being intrusive.

It allows you to put in practice all aspects of a conversation:

1- Listening

2- Asking

3- Adding Value

You can never go wrong with this.

Bonus tip: Smile. I don’t need to explain this. Wait maybe I do.

Don’t smile all along long like a fanboy idiot.

Smile when they’re explaining something; show that you understand and appreciate their explanation.

This will bring you closer to your interlocutor and create feelings of intimacy.

Life becomes 10x better when you stop overthinking what people think about you and realize they rarely think about you at all.

Set your mind on a definite goal and observe how quickly the world stands aside to let you pass.

Focus on the process that leads you to the goal, not the goal.

Zen tip:

Maintain an irrational sense of humor. Take your life seriously, but live it playfully...

Most people are only capable of one or the other.

Without the former - you’ll be comfortable living without a purpose or mission, merely existing to survive.

But living with a serious heart is also an unnecessary burden. In fact, lightheartedness triples your creativity & effectiveness.

The supreme understanding in life is that success & failure are but man made illusions, no matter how alluring they seem. Ultimately, you aren’t getting out of life with anything.

So work extremely hard to create a life worth remembering, but be laid back.

Find the balance between drive & detachment, purpose & pleasure, relationships & solitude...

Formula to success:

- Double your rate of failure.

Nobody cares what you did yesterday.

What have you done today to better yourself?

A mistake is a signal that it is time to learn something new, something you don’t know before.

The greatest detachment is being close to everything and not letting it consume and own you.