successhabits

Smart People Read Biographies - Here's 19 To Add To Your Reading List

Smart People Read Biographies - Here's 19 To Add To Your Reading List

Once the motivational flame is lit, it doesn’t take much to keep it going.

One of the best ways to keep the internal fire raging, is to flood your brain with the stories, biographies and memoirs of great people who have achieved the impossible. Their stories inspire us to keep pushing. There’s a reason why almost all transformative leaders read biographies.

Here's 19 you should add to your reading list. 

"Billionaire" Reading Habits -- 11 Ways to Read 52 Books In 52 Weeks, 2X Your Reading Speed and Improve Your Comprehension By 500%.

"Billionaire" Reading Habits -- 11 Ways to Read 52 Books In 52 Weeks, 2X Your Reading Speed and Improve Your Comprehension By 500%.

My 8th grade geography teacher used to say "leaders are readers". I was skeptical. It seemed like a clever phrase designed to trick us into reading, instead of watching another episode of The Simpson's. 

It's been a few years, but I'm finally starting to understand the depths of the phase. After reading the biographies of the world’s peak performing billionaire leaders, it's clear... They read. A lot.

Here's a few examples of "Billionaire Reading Habits":

  • Oprah Winfrey has one of the biggest and most popular book clubs.
  • Bill Gates reads 50+ books each year and takes vacation time each year devoted to reading.
  • Warren Buffet still reads 600-1000 pages each day and spends about 80% of his work day reading. 
  • Phil Knight was a reading fanatic and used the philosophies of great military and business leaders to build Nike into a multi-billion dollar shoe Goliath. 
  • Mark Cuban reads 3+ hours each day.
  • Elon Musk taught himself to operate 3 multi-billion dollar companies (in different industries) through reading.
  • Charlie Munger reads so much that his family refers to him as "a book with a couple of legs sticking out".

If you want to start your billionaire reading habit, below we'll outline a series of strategies that will help you to read at least 52 books a year. In part 1, we'll discuss the basics of starting a reading habit and in part 2 cover specific strategies to 2X your reading speed, improve your comprehension by 500% and build billionaire wisdom. 

What I Learned From 1001 Days of Tracking My Habits: 6 Massive Lessons In Exponential Personal Growth

What I Learned From 1001 Days of Tracking My Habits: 6 Massive Lessons In Exponential Personal Growth

If you're not amazed by how naive you were yesterday, you're standing still.

Over the last 1001 days I've transformed into a completely different person (several times) and the transformation continues at an exponential rate…

Each day I’ve recorded my progress by tracking how I spend my time and if I execute my daily “success habits”…

Keeping this daily record and analyzing my habits has taught me about the massive importance of measuring personal growth…

It’s forced me to be brutally honest with myself about what’s working, what isn’t and make changes when I fall off course…

Today, I'm going to share with you the top 6 things I've learned about personal growth from tracking my habits 1001 days…

Let’s dive in…

In this Article, You’ll learn:
-How to self-awareness leads to personal blasting through mental barriers.
-How to make your best performance today, your average performance.
-The true cost of all personal growth in any field.
-How tiny personal habits early in the day lead to colossal results later.

The 4 Elements of Deliberate Practice -- The Source of Kobe's Greatness

The 4 Elements of Deliberate Practice -- The Source of Kobe's Greatness

As a kid, I remember practicing my jump shot in the driveway. I would imagine the clock ticking down -- "5", "4", "3", "2", "1" and releasing my jump shot, while yelling "Kobe!" --- Only to watch the ball clang off the rim. For some reason we thought that calling out the name of a prominent athlete (Jordan, Garnett, Iverson, etc) would somehow magically cause us to shoot a higher percentage. Perhaps it did.

This was at the age that all of my peers dreamed of becoming a professional athlete. We wanted to be the next Jordan, Pele, Elway or Agassi. We wanted to be superstars and somehow still live the lives of normal kids -- going to birthday parties, playing after school and learning to become productive members of society. We didn't understand the price they paid in order to achieve greatness in their sport.

Similarly, today many of my peers dream of becoming the next Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Malcolm Gladwell, Ramit Sethi, Richard Branson, Marc Cuban or Bill Gates. We want to be a superstar and still live the life of a normal working adult. We want to see our friends, hangout on the weekends, live a low stress lifestyle (no worries), and yet have all of the riches and freedom the life of a high-profile entrepreneur promises.

But, are we willing to pay the price?

You’ll “Sleep Like The Dead” If You Do These 9 Things After 9 PM

You’ll “Sleep Like The Dead” If You Do These 9 Things After 9 PM

It's 4:59 AM and I'm waiting outside of Starbucks at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. A mob of exhausted travelers gathers near the entrance and waits impatiently for the barista to lift the gates. Each weary traveler scans the menu with their bloodshot eyes, anticipating the quick hit of caffeine and sugar before they head to their final destination. With their sunken eye sockets, drooping shoulders and outstretched arms, they look more like a group of zombies than a group of upper middle-class business travelers.

After getting my morning cup of coffee, I head to the bathroom and look in the mirror. An unrecognizable set of bloodshot and sunken eyes stares back at me in the mirror.

I am one of them.

As I return to my waiting area I'm reminded of the importance of a good night of sleep and a successful routine that always precedes a night of rejuvenating rest. In the last year, I found that you burn out fast when you aren't doing the little things that set you up for success. With that in mind, I've highlighted 9 things that I try to do each night before bed. I don't always complete each one, but when I do, I know tomorrow will be successful. It’s that simple.

9 things may seem like an awful lot, but you’re already doing 9+ things each night and what I'm going to describe isn't that crazy. Most of these ideas I've borrowed from top performers like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Charlie Munger, Dave Asprey, Napoleon Hill, Thomas Edison, Jim Rohn and my dad.

My intention with this is to give you a set of tools to help you maximize your nightly routine.

See what resonates with you. Try one. Maybe two. Test and see what happens.

Let's dive in.

The #1 BrainBlock To Avoid At All Costs

The #1 BrainBlock To Avoid At All Costs

The the other day I was in deep conversation with a friend who’s a business strategist, marketing guru and fellow podcaster. I was telling him about the vision for my soon to be released podcast, my goals and my struggles with creating the show.

He asked “What’s blocking you achieving all of your goals for the podcast?”

Immediately my head flooded with all the normal excuses and negative thought patterns -- I’m not good at talking, the title sucks, the theme is bad, it’s not clear, the headline needs to grab attention, my intro is weak, it won’t be good enough, people won't listen to it, i’m an impostor, and who would want to be on my show?

Finally, I stopped -- recognizing the ego based thoughts, paused and took a deep breath and said “Nothing. I just need more reps.”

After our conversation, I thought about it -- my perfectionist tendencies are getting in the way of me releasing the podcast. My desire to make things perfect is getting in the way of me releasing. If I expect my podcast to be the best thing in iTunes right out of the box, I’m setting myself up for failure and a long and painful journey.


In this article, you'll learn:

  • What's better: Quantity or Quality? The answer may surprise you. 
  • Why learning any new skill is frustrating and what you can do to speed up the process. 
  • The bodybuilding principle which describes all personal development growth. 
  • Why perfectionism is one of the most menacing brainblocks.
  • How you can become unstoppable.  

You're A Badass: The Simple 5 "R" Framework To Become Your Best Self Even When You Feel Stuck

You're A Badass: The Simple 5 "R" Framework To Become Your Best Self Even When You Feel Stuck

Becoming the most badass version of yourself is hard work and can be exhausting. Sometimes you just don't have it and feel stuck or like you're not making any progress.

Because you are the driver of your own success, it's easy to stop when you get overwhelmed. No one has a gun to your head and is forcing you become more confident, increase your leadership skills, get fit or make more money. There's no due date. 

You have to be your own motivator, coach, manager, CEO and worker bee and it's easy to get lost in the mindless sea of to-do's, social media, sports, Netflix and societal pressure to conform. Falling off the path is the norm. 

Let's face it -- you will get lost and fall off the path. It's inevitable. What you must learn is: What to do when it happens... 

In this post I'm going to share 5 things that you can use to become the best version of yourself. 

I call it "The  5 "R" Framework of Becoming The Most Baddass Version of You".

In this post, you'll learn about (mostly through car metaphors):

  • How to deal with overwhelm and keep your focus on what matters.
  • A simple software tool you can use to create an awesome dream board (one of my favorite exercises).
  • The worst (and smallest) car in the world. 
  • Jim Rohn and Ronnie Coleman's personal development philosophies.
  • How to become the most badass version of you. 

The Consistency Formula I Discovered From Tracking My Habits For 913 Days

The Consistency Formula I Discovered From Tracking My Habits For 913 Days

Everyone knows what they should be doing. That's easy. Doing it is the hard part. 


The other day a reader and friend told me his biggest struggle. He said: "My biggest struggle is that I can't maintain any sort of consistency with my habits. I know exactly what I should be doing, I just can't get myself to stick with it long enough to see results."

After analyzing 913 days of data from tracking my habits.... I've discovered that that are 5 things and only 5 things that help me to be consistent each day. When I follow this simple formula, I'm productive and make progress towards my big goals. 

I'm calling it The Consistency Formula!

The 7 Step Method To Achieve Any Goal

The 7 Step Method To Achieve Any Goal

To all my peak performing and goal achieving friends out there (yes, that’s you!), let’s discuss the finest and most comprehensive goal setting process available. It’s called…

The 7 Step Method To Achieve Any Goal

Whatever YOUR top new year's goal is -- grow your business, get organized, lose weight, spend less, get fit, be happier, get promoted, fall in love, enjoy life more, you can use this ultra effective goal setting process to achieve your top new year’s goal.

What's Driving Successful People Today? - Interview With Jason Bay of Gen Y Success

What's Driving Successful People Today? - Interview With Jason Bay of Gen Y Success

Jason Bay of GenY Success is a top performer, marketing/business consultant, he’s interviewed 73+ uber successful entrepreneurs in various industries on his podcast and is an all around ninja-bad-ass.

He and I connected and talked about what's driving successful people today (Hint: It’s different than previous generations).

Just and FYI: I took your struggles, suggestions and comments and formed the interview based on those. So if you’ve asked me a question before, you’ll probably find the answer here.

In this interview, we talk about:

  1. Habits, Routines and Productivity: Morning routines of world class performers, productivity hacks, and maintaining high energy levels despite working such long hours.
  2. Marketing, Influence, Mindset and Dealing With People: How to find your mentor over a glass of beer, the single most important aspect of branding, and the secrets of massive self belief.
  3. Resources, books and tools: His most suggested book (hint: it's on my book list), why Ramit Sethi is one person you should be following and the best course in the world about starting your own business from scratch.

The 4 Fundamentals Of Unstoppable Motivation

The 4 Fundamentals Of Unstoppable Motivation

The other day, I was asked a question by a reader and friend.

She asked: "It’s hard for me to stay motivated and consistently make progress towards my goals. How do I get motivated and stay motivated?"

It's a good question, because when we are motivated, we stay consistent and we make progress. We'll stay up late, read all the books, put in the extra work, develop the skills, create the habits and do all the little things necessary to realize our goal.

It's that simple.

This got me thinking about the times where I was driven like an obsessive maniac to accomplish a goal, and the times I was unmotivated and failed. 

After searching through my stories, and re-reading the lessons of great leaders and peak performers, I noticed that there are 4 fundamentals to getting motivated and staying motivated.

When we understand and implement these fundamentals we create unstoppable motivation and achieve our goal. 

How To Quit Your Job, Find Your Purpose, Become The Next Steve Jobs, And Start A Revolution!

How To Quit Your Job, Find Your Purpose, Become The Next Steve Jobs, And Start A Revolution!

Admit it! You want to quit your job and become the next Steve Jobs.

You've imagined slamming down your resignation letter on your boss's desk, running over to Apple headquarters, slipping on a black turtleneck and pulling the next "i" product out of your pocket to a crowd of screaming Apple fans!

Or... maybe you haven't.

The point is, I talk with dozens of people each week who tell me their dreams. They want to build their own business, travel the world, start a revolution, create the next wave of consumer technology or cure degenerative diseases. "The Dream" of just climbing the corporate ladder, getting intoxicated on the weekends and retiring at 65 is dead. We don't want that anymore.

We feel like we're destined for something bigger and we are driven by something else. Our peers think were crazy and we feel awkward talking about our dreams to "normal people". 

Other generations really don't get it -- they are completely driven by top line sales revenue, business growth and personal financial gain...

 

WE ARE DRIVEN BY PURPOSE.

5 Crazy Things You Can Do To Overcome Your Fear Of Rejection

5 Crazy Things You Can Do To Overcome Your Fear Of Rejection

 

This post is going to be very different than anything else I've put out. 

It's going to challenge you, push you, make you uncomfortable and hopefully inspire you. It starts with a story about dealing with success barriers and follows with 5 crazy things I did to overcome my fear of rejection. 

Some of them are obvious, others are downright silly and they all can help you (if you actually do them). 

My hope is that you can learn from my experience and complete at least one of the five challenges. If you do, I'd love to hear about your experience. You can either post in the comments section or send me a email.

5 Simple Strategies For Becoming A Better Leader

5 Simple Strategies For Becoming A Better Leader

Look at Kobe, Oprah, Musk, Schwarzenegger, Gates, Buffet and Mother Theresa - they don't try to be someone else. They understand where they have talent and where they are weak. They know exactly who they are. 

Kobe isn't a governor, Oprah and Musk don't play professional basketball, Schwarzenegger isn't a speech therapist, Gates and Buffet aren't bodybuilders, and Mother Theresa didn't start an electric car company. They play to their strengths and use their talents to create world class results.

If you want to replicate their success, you must know yourself. This article discusses 5 different strategies to know exactly who YOU are and grow the leader within you.

8 Reasons Multitasking Is Bad For Your Brain

8 Reasons Multitasking Is Bad For Your Brain

We couldn't focus.

We couldn't get things done.

We were tired.

Our minds were always racing.

We couldn't sleep.

We kept making mistakes. 

And our To-Do lists kept growing and growing and growing. 

We tried to fix it…. by adding more to our to-do’s and doing more things at the same time. This only made it worse. 

To make matters more confusing we blamed it on gluten, high fructose corn syrup, vaccines, mercury in our fish, fracking, and the depleting ozone layer. Mass media fed on our fears and convinced us that the problem was everywhere and there was nothing we could do. All of this noise confused us and led us away from the root cause of the problem. 

It was right under our nose the whole time. You’re probably holding it in your hand. 

4 Books That Will Make You A Genius

4 Books That Will Make You A Genius

Many books are written and released each year. Most of them are bad, some of them are good, a few are great, and the top .001% are exceptional. 

It’s rare that an author is a great writer AND has deep domain expertise. This is a list of books by authors who are both.

Who’s this book list for? The creative/visionary/big picture thinker who wants to awaken their inner genius.  

Become A World Class Performer By Tracking Your Habits (The Matrix Method)

Become A World Class Performer By Tracking Your Habits (The Matrix Method)

It’s a jungle out there. 

We live in a soup of marketing messages, advertisements, and media channels that are constantly pull at our attention and awareness.  Because we get so distracted, we give into the resistance and we stop doing work that matters. This is so bad, that many early entrepreneurs spend all day dreaming about success without making any real progress. 

It's a very narrow road to success and most of us don't stay on the path. 


To get ahead in this world, you need to be doing things differently than everyone else. You can’t be the person who spends 6+ hours a day watching TV, mindlessly internet surfing, or using your mental RAM to dream about what your “life would be like if you just had _____”.

You need a complete view of your life, a way of measuring the actions you take, how you spend your time, a method that allows you to know what’s working and what isn't.