Are you ready to learn 4 secrets to making New Years resolutions that stick? January is a great time to start thinking about all the amazing things that you want to accomplish in 2018, but the trick is finding ways to stick with your resolutions.

Unfortunately, many people break their resolutions because they don't have a well-designed plan for success, nor do they prepare for the challenges that come with changing bad habits.  Research has shown that about half of all adults make New Years resolutions. However, fewer than 10% manage to keep them for more than a few months.

The good news is that you don't have to fall into this trap because I am here to share with you 4 secrets to making New Years resolutions that stick, so that you can confidently crush your goals in 2018!

Are you ready to start living every day with confidence, passion, and energy? CLICK HERE to join my Morning Ritual Mastery course!

Bad habits can be hard to break. Most of us can relate to this, whether that means trying to lose weight, quit smoking, or ditching coffee. Samuel Johnson once said, “The chains of habit are too weak to be felt, until they are too strong to be broken.”

The question remains, “If we know that bad habits aren't good for us, then why do we struggle to let them go?” New research by Duke University scientists suggests that a habit leaves a lasting mark on specific circuits in the brain, priming us to feed our cravings.

Changing habits comes down to willpower, and we all have it! Just like a muscle, it needs to be conditioned. Let's explore 4 secrets to making New Years resolutions that stick:

1. Fully Commit

Have you ever wondered why some people keep with their New Years resolutions, while others fail? It all comes down to commitment. Merely saying that you are going to change isn't enough. You need to take action.

Once you commit, create a realistic plan and write down what it is that you are going to do. A great way to hold yourself accountable to your New Years resolutions is to create a commitment contract, which has been found to have measurable effects when it comes to achieving personal goals.

Moreover, if you want to double your chances of reaching your goals, add a monetary component. One study found that people who had a financial incentive to lose weight lost 14 pounds more than those didn't have such incentives.

2. Set SMART Goals

The reason why a lot of people don't follow through with their New Years resolutions is that they are too general and not specific. If one of your resolutions is, “to lose some weight,” you won't get far.

The first step to changing any behavior is understanding what it is that you want to change. The best way to be 100% clear on what your resolutions are is to set S.M.A.R.T. goals, meaning ones that are smart, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely.

According to research by Edwin Locke and Gary Latham, people who followed goals that were both specific and challenging led to higher performance 90% of the time. By setting S.M.A.R.T. resolutions, it will give you an endpoint to move towards, thereby setting you up for success.

3. Start Small

Let's face it…changing a bad habit can be hard work. Everyone has attempted to start a new habit and failed at least once. Why? Oftentimes, it's because their goals were too big.

Start small and focus on simple mini habits. For example, if you want to lose 10 pounds, commit to 30 minutes at the gym 2 times/week, and then slowly increase the amount over time. When you remove the pressure and expectations that come with changing old patterns of behavior, it gives you the motivation that you need to stick with it.

In the words of psychologist Lynn Bufka, “Remember, it is not the extent of the change that matters, but rather the act of recognizing that lifestyle change is important, and working toward it, one step at a time.” Don't ever forget that small wins eventually transform into big gains over time.

4. Find An Accountability Partner

It's a lot easier to follow through with your New Years resolutions when you have someone in your corner, cheering you on, especially when you feel like giving up. Breaking a promise to yourself is one thing, but it's far harder to let someone else down.

According to a study at the Dominican University of California, more than 70% of the participants who wrote down their goals and then sent weekly updates to a friend reported successful goal achievement. Of those participants who created a goal and kept it to themselves, only 35% were successful.

Stop procrastinating and share your goals with a friend, colleague, or loved one. Having an accountability partner is one of the best ways to stay consistent and motivated so that you continually make progress towards your goals.

These are 4 secrets to making New Years resolutions that stick. What're your New Years resolutions? If you haven't already, I encourage you to sit down and make a list of the lifestyle changes that you want to make this year. This is the beginning of anything you want. Don't be afraid to dream big.

Are you ready to start living every day with confidence, passion, and energy? CLICK HERE to join my Morning Ritual Mastery course!

What it’s REALY like to be a millionaire. Is this something you have ever thought about? Many people have an idealized notion of what it means to be a millionaire.

Just because someone is a millionaire, that doesn’t necessarily mean that their lifestyle aligns with their bank account.

Most successful millionaires do not live how you think they do. Not only that, but they set themselves apart from others by the skills that they have mastered; like confidence, discipline, emotional intelligence, and money management; to name a few.

Becoming a millionaire doesn’t happen overnight. I know that many of you have goals and aspirations of joining the ‘millionaire club’ one day, so I’m happy to share my story with you.

Are you ready to learn what it’s REALLY like to be a millionaire? You may be surprised by what I have to say.

Watch the video below:

(Click here to watch on YouTube)

[smart_track_player url=”http://www.buzzsprout.com/9299/569929-plm-475-what-it-s-really-like-to-be-a-millionaire.mp3″ background=”default” ]

Do you want to learn the 7 online business models that have made me an Internet millionaire in less than 3 years? CLICK HERE for instant access to my free course!

This page contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through one of them, I will receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). I only ever endorse products that I have personally used and benefitted from personally. Thank you for your support!

Since I was 17 years old, becoming a millionaire was a goal of mine. I became a millionaire when I was 28 years old.  When I achieved the label of ‘millionaire', it didn’t mean that much to me, like I thought it would.

A more pivotal moment in my life was the point at which I was making a 6-figure salary. That is when my life transformed. I was able to travel, quit my 9-5 job, and I didn’t have to worry about money. I had finally achieved financial freedom.

This is what it’s REALLY like to be a millionaire.

A lot of people get consumed with the idea of making ‘big’ money, fast. Adopting this get rich quick mentality can be a form of ego gratification or an insecurity.

When you are obsessed with making a lot of money, it is easy to lose sight of what really matters most in life – happiness. The fact is that money does not buy happiness.

Research shows that wealth may make it harder for you to appreciate simple pleasures in life, and that’s bad news for your mindset, given that most of life is made up of simple moments that have a lasting impact on our lives.

Michael Norton, co-author of the book, Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending, suggests that, while this is all well and good, the simple pleasures in life don’t seem as exciting as the extraordinary ones.

However, he points out that you can shift this perspective by giving up a simple pleasure for a period of time, which will allow you to savor it even more when you bring it back into your life.

Oftentimes our favorite moments in life don’t involve extravagant things. Rather, they are simple things, like a conversation that left you laughing for hours with people that you love.

This is what it’s REALLY like to be a millionaire.

As many of you know, I preach the value of life mastery. I believe that relationships, health, and positive emotions trump money. You can have all the money in the world, but still be depressed, lonely, and unhealthy. In my eyes, that’s not a definition of success. That’s failure.

I know that I said earlier that I don’t think that money can buy happiness, but there are some circumstances where I believe that it can.

Money allows you to travel the world and experience new and exciting things. Memories of places that I’ve gone and the people whom I’ve shared those experiences with have brought an abundance of joy and happiness to my life.

Money also allows you to invest in yourself. If you aren’t growing, you are dying. The more that you are progressing in life, the happier you will be. For example, I am able to purchase things like a PEMF EarthPulse mat for my bed, which improves my sleep, so that I can perform at my best, every day.

Lastly, one of the biggest things that money provides you with is time. When you leverage it correctly, you can use time to do more of what you really love.

To make a million dollars you need to become someone of value and develop incredible habits that translate to all areas of your life. That is what I am most proud of in my life. The money that I’ve made as a result of the work I’ve done is merely a secondary benefit.

This is what it’s REALLY like to be a millionaire.

Jim Rohn once said, “The greatest reward in becoming a millionaire is not the amount of money that you earn. It is the kind of person that you have to become to become a millionaire.”

Are you ready to upgrade your lifestyle? Be proactive and strive to become the best version of yourself. When you commit to life mastery, anything is possible.

Do you want to learn the 7 online business models that have made me an Internet millionaire in less than 3 years? CLICK HERE for instant access to my free course!

I want to talk with you about when to upgrade your lifestyle. To upgrade means to raise who you are and what you do to a higher standard.

Dreaming is great, but at the end of the day, it’s the decisions you make that determine your success, health, well-being, love, and happiness in life. The more decisions that you make, the more in control of your destiny you will be.

Look back on your life to date and think about all of the decisions that you’ve made that have led you to where you are today.

If you are currently struggling in life, it is because of the choices that you have made. Stop playing the blame game. You need to take responsibility for your life. You have the power to create your own reality.

Watch the video below:

(Click here to watch on YouTube)

[smart_track_player url=”http://www.buzzsprout.com/9299/557912-plm-462-when-to-upgrade-your-lifestyle.mp3″ background=”default” ]

Do you want to know the 7 proven online business models that have made me an Internet millionaire in less than 3 years? CLICK HERE to gain instant access to my free course!

I would like to answer a question that a fan named Regina recently asked me on Snapchat. She asked:

“What should I do if I want to change my life? My mother thinks I’m crazy for wanting expensive things that I cannot afford. I feel like a dabbler, but I don’t want to be one.”

Regina, first and foremost, it takes a lot of courage to reach out for help, so I commend you for being vulnerable and sharing your story.

One of the most important decisions that you will ever make is the decision to live well below your means, which means spending less than what you earn. Don’t upgrade your lifestyle if you can’t afford it.

The reason why a lot of millionaires are so successful is that they have ascribed to this way of life. They have made a series of strategic and smart decisions, with regards to their finances.

How do you expect to pay for a lifestyle that you haven’t yet earned? Financial freedom and success takes a lot of hard work, commitment, consistency, and sacrifice. It requires that you add value and create impact in the world. Strive for that, above anything else.

Upgrade your lifestyle only when you are worthy and deserving of it. At that point, you can celebrate and reward yourself.

Rather than wonder how you can upgrade your lifestyle, ask yourself this question: “What actions do I need to take in order to have what I want most in life?” Whether that’s starting a business, saving money, getting a promotion, or proving your worth.

When I was 18 years old I remember reading the book, The Wealthy Barber: Updated 3rd Edition: Everyone's Commonsense Guide to Becoming Financially Independent, which taught me about compounding, putting money aside, investing in mutual funds, etc.

I just put into action what the book told me to do. If people applied what they learned, they would get the results that they desired.

Don’t be a dabbler. Commit to mastery.

A lot of people make short-term decisions and neglect the long-term consequences. These people are known as dabblers. They start something, but they never finish it.

They think short-term, and expect instant gratification, without having to put in the work. If you operate this way, I guarantee that you will always make poor decisions in life.

I never make impulsive decisions. If anything, I’m more conservative with the decisions that I make. Sure, I take risks here and there, but for the most part, I’m hyper-aware of how I choose to spend the money that I have.

I used to live in a small apartment in downtown Vancouver and at that time, I was doing a lot of online marketing and was doing pretty well financially. In 2012 I was making $100,000/year, but you didn’t see it based on my quality of life because I was saving and investing my money.

I always focus on achieving specific milestones before I upgrade my life. It may be once I’ve saved a certain amount of money or reached a certain level of my investment portfolio.

I am continuously striving to upgrade my lifestyle, but I do so in small increments. When I master one level, I strive for the next. In doing so, I am constantly making improvements in my life and my business, which allows me to achieve and become more.

Always keep your ultimate vision for your life in mind when you make decisions. I have been able to achieve so much success in my life because I am always focusing on my future.

Regina, I challenge you to sit down and write out your vision and goals for your life, because that is what is going to determine the actions that you take, like whether or not you go to school, start a business, or get a coach.

You also need to determine what your core life values are. Dig deep and ask yourself questions. Above all, commit to investing and learning.

That is the best way to discover who you are and what is most important to you. It will give you the clarity that you need in order to make good decisions in life.

Regina, the best way to upgrade your lifestyle, is to downsize it. If you take this route, you will achieve success faster. I know that this sounds counterintuitive, but it’s true. Set goals, believe in yourself, keep growing, and take action.

In the words of Napoleon, “Action is the true measure of intelligence.” You have your whole future in front of you. Make the right decisions now, and you will set yourself up for success for the rest of your life.

Do you want to know the 7 proven online business models that have made me an Internet millionaire in less than 3 years? CLICK HERE to gain instant access to my free course!

I would like to share with you how to calculate and track your net worth. This is one of the most important finance rituals that you can have for your life.

How will you ever know if you are getting ahead financially if you have no way of tracking your wealth?

I first started engaging in this ritual in my early 20’s, when I would track and update my net worth every 3 months. Today, I track it every 6-12 months. I have come to understand that my net worth is the most important number when it comes down to my financial wealth and abundance.

Theoretically, your net worth is what you would have in cash if you sold every significant possession and paid off all of your debts.

If your net worth is a negative number, don’t worry. You aren’t alone. All that matters is that you take action and start making better financial moves.

In the words of Benjamin Franklin, “Your net worth to the world is usually determined by what remains after your bad habits are subtracted by your good ones.”

Watch the video below:

(Click here to watch on YouTube)

[smart_track_player url=”http://www.buzzsprout.com/9299/553715-plm-461-how-to-calculate-and-track-your-net-worth.mp3″ background=”default” ]

Do you want to learn how to master your finances? CLICK HERE to join my Life Mastery Accelerator program!

It’s not about how much money that you make, but rather how much money that you get to keep AND what you choose to do with that money, in terms of accumulating assets and building up your net worth.

A great example of someone who has effectively mastered the investment game is Warren Buffett. Known to be worth $75 billion dollars, he is one of the most successful self-made investors in the world.

At the age of 11, he used cash from his paper route to buy farmland. At 15 years of age, he already had a net worth of $6000.

I believe that while we should all strive to make more money, that doesn’t necessarily mean that we are worth a lot of money. For example, you could make one million dollars per year, but you could also be spending all that money in one year. If you adopt this behaviour pattern, you will never get ahead in life.

The goal is to accumulate assets that can then provide a passive income source for you, which will continue to grow as you move throughout your life. If you take this path, you will achieve financial freedom.

I see a lot of people who work their entire lives, but have nothing to show for it. Make money, but make sure that you do something with it. If you don’t currently know how to manage your finances, then making money isn’t going to help you.

Your net worth is your assets minus your liabilities. Your assets are what you own and your liabilities are what you owe.

You want to focus on accumulating more assets. Go through all of your assets. Examples may be cash, a business, or investments like stocks, mutual funds, or real estate.

Calculate where you currently are for each of your assets, and then add all of them together. Keep in mind that your final number isn’t your net worth because you also need to take into account any liabilities that you may have.

For example, you may have a student loan, a line of credit, a car loan, or a mortgage. Calculate those liabilities and come up with a final number.

In order to determine your net worth, you would take your assets and subtract it by your liabilities. Ideally, you want to accumulate more assets over time and reduce your liabilities.

Watch my YouTube video above to see how to calculate and track your net worth using an excel spreadsheet!

When you go through the process of calculating and tracking your net worth, you may realize that you need to cut out some of your expenses and change your lifestyle. Being smart and taking these steps is what will determine your financial wealth, more than anything else.

This is how to calculate and track your net worth. The more that you measure something, the easier it becomes to manage it. I challenge you to create a ritual around financial wealth and abundance and make it a priority every day.

As part of my monthly Life Mastery Accelerator program, I have a live training session coming up in the next few weeks where I’m going to dive deeper into how you can manage your money more effectively.

I will also share some of the strategies that I employ in my life when it comes to creating financial wealth and abundance. A lot of people are great at making money, but they don’t know how to invest it, and that is what I teach people how to do.

I believe that financial freedom begins with a change of your mindset. Calculating and tracking your net worth is one of the most important steps that you can take in order to improve your finances.

T. Harv Eker said it best, “Focus on all four of your net worth factors – increasing your income, increasing your savings, increasing your investment returns, and decreasing your cost of living by simplifying your lifestyle.” The result? Financial freedom and abundance.

Do you want to learn how to master your finances? CLICK HERE to join my Life Mastery Accelerator program!

Today I want to talk about the illusion of happiness. I believe that happiness is a universal desire. Deep down, we all want to be happy. Unfortunately, in today’s world, genuine happiness is a rare commodity. People who have bought into the illusion of happiness use things like money, relationships, friends, their body, etc., as vehicles to achieve certain ‘positive’ emotional states.

The more you ‘go after' happiness, the more fleeting it becomes. Materialistic things won’t buy you happiness. If you are constantly chasing the idea of happiness, you will live a life of pain and disappointment. Instead of focusing on the external rewards of life, focus on your internal state.

Happiness is a choice. There are people in this world that have nothing, and still, they choose to be happy. Similarly, there are people who have all the money in the world, but they still aren’t fulfilled. Whatever the circumstances are in our lives, we always have the power to choose how we feel.

In the words of A.R. Lucas, “If there’s even a slight chance at getting something that will make you happy, risk it. Life’s too short, and happiness is too rare.” Are you ready to drop the illusion of happiness, and live from a place of joy, gratitude, and fulfillment?

Watch the video below:

(Click here to watch on YouTube)

[smart_track_player url=”http://www.buzzsprout.com/9299/525452-plm-440-the-illusion-of-happiness.mp3″ background=”default” ]

Do you want to learn how to create a morning ritual that will bring more inner happiness into your life? CLICK HERE to join my course, Morning Ritual Mastery!

I'm not saying that there won't be challenges that arise in life that try to shake your happiness. The question remains, “How does someone sustain a positive state during times of unhappiness and duress?” It all comes down to their mindset.

These people make happiness their top value in life. They engage in a process of self-reflection, learn how to master their emotions, and find peace within themselves, which in turn, allows them to experience inner happiness.

They know that the direction that their lives take depends solely on them and them alone. They don’t search for things or people to make them happy. In turn, they achieve and attract more into their lives. There are 24 hours in a day. You can either spend those hours being happy or sad.

For myself, I know that once I started putting happiness first, my life changed, on a physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual level. One strategy that I adopted in order to condition my state of happiness, is a morning ritual. Every day, I take the time to honour myself. I reflect and show gratitude for all of the blessings that exist in my life.

If you prioritize your happiness, I can guarantee you that it will make everything in your life easier. When you start your day feeling full, you overflow with love, happiness, and abundance, which has a contagious effect on others and the world at large.

The illusion of happiness makes people believe that if they can find happiness everything else will be okay. But there isn't a magic pill for happiness. Rather, it is a daily practice. Have you bought into the illusion of happiness? If you are aren’t happy with your life, try shifting your mindset, and adopting an attitude of gratitude.

Abraham Lincoln once said that, “People can be as happy or unhappy as they make up their mind to be.” When you adopt a happy mindset, being happy won’t feel like work. It will just be your natural state, and that is when you will start attracting amazing things into your life.

If you aren’t living the kind of life that brings you inner joy, happiness, and fulfillment, I challenge you to start the journey towards a happy life. The first step is connecting with that place of inner happiness that resides within you. It won’t be easy, but nothing in life that is worthwhile ever comes easy.

Drop the illusion of happiness. Don’t wait for things to happen in order to be happy. Choose happiness in your life, NOW.

Do you want to learn how to create a morning ritual that will bring more inner happiness into your life? CLICK HERE to join my course, Morning Ritual Mastery!

Video transcript

Hey, everyone, this is Stefan from ProjectLifeMastery.com and today I want to talk to you about something that I believe that most people in society today don't value enough. It's something that I believe that we all really want deep down inside. We all crave it, we all desire it, and what that really is is to be happy. I believe that all human beings really want to be happy in their lives. We want to feel a sense of joy, fulfillment, and meaning.

The challenge that I've observed is that most people in society today have bought into the lie and the illusion that happiness, joy, and fulfillment come from outside of ourselves. That you have to put your focus and emphasis on the external results and rewards of life, instead of focusing internally. You need to understand and know that the happiness that you are craving and seeking is already within you.

That's why I think a lot of people only focus on making money. They want to make a certain amount of money, and create a certain lifestyle or freedom, buy a car, or a house, or some sort of materialistic possession. Or they may be more focused on their body and achieving a certain body weight, or maybe it's attracting a man or a woman into their lives and having love and a great relationship.

Don't get me wrong, I think those are all great things. They're all important. I've pursued those in my life as well. However, the challenge is that when you believe that you need to have something outside of yourself in order to be happy, instead of recognizing and understanding that you could be happy right now regardless of your outside circumstances, regardless of having a car, a relationship, an ideal body, or a lot of money.

There are people in this world that have nothing. They're broke, in debt, poor, alone, sick or dying, and yet they still have decided, regardless of their circumstances, to be happy, joyful, and cheerful. Similarly, there are people out there that have a lot of money, and they have everything on the outside world, yet they're not happy or fulfilled.

That's why you see so many celebrities and famous people commit suicide, because they are depressed and unhappy. You see them have it all, but deep down, they haven't learned to master their emotions and really find happiness within themselves. I was reading the other day that there are over 2,000 billionaires in the world. Every five days in China there's a new billionaire, every six days in the United States there's a new billionaire. I believe that what's more rare than a billionaire is someone that's really happy and fulfilled.

That is what I look for in human beings. People that I want to learn from. People that I respect the most, aren't just the people that have a lot of money. That's great, but I look at whether or not they are really happy and fulfilled. Most people use their business, money, their body, relationships, friends, or whatever it might be, as a vehicle to go after and achieve certain emotional states. That's the belief system that they have programmed in their minds.

In the world of marketing today, that is what they are selling to you. When you look at a magazine or you watch TV, you're being marketed to buy a product. Ultimately, what you're really after is the emotion that you believe that a product can provide for you, or the result that it will provide for you. It's not true, my friends. In fact, what if, instead, I were to propose this to you – instead of believing that in order to be happy, you need to achieve or get something outside of yourself to be happy, what if you decided that you were going to be happy regardless.

I'm going to be happy regardless of what my outside world looks like, just because I choose to. We are all in control of our emotional states. Regardless of what's going on, you can always look for the good. You can always have something to be grateful for. Imagine what it would feel like if you operated from a place of happiness first, and made prioritizing your happiness a higher value on your list. What if doing so helped you to attract and achieve more in your life?

Choose to put happiness first, and create a powerful ritual in your life, where every morning you commit to spending time focusing on happiness and taking in life's gifts. Trust me, there have been times in my life when my life didn't look so good.

There were times in my life when I was really struggling, and I had a lot to be unhappy about. I knew that if I could be happy now, despite the chaos and adversity in my life, then I'd really have mastered life to a much higher level. I would have taken control of my life, and that was the most important thing. What I found is that if you actually prioritize your happiness, and make the decision that you are going to be happy despite your life circumstances, I can almost guarantee you that it's going to make everything else in your life much easier.

For example, maybe you're in a relationship, but you want to take it to another level, or maybe your relationship is not going so well. I can promise you that if you're a lot happier, you're probably going to uplift your current relationship that you might already be in.

Similarly, I can promise you that if you're a lot happier, you're probably going to make better food choices. You're probably going to want to go outside and exercise and take better care of yourself, because you're already happy, and that's going to result in you being able to achieve your health and fitness goals that much faster. I can almost promise you that if you're happier, then that's going to help you improve the amount of money that you make. It's going to help you feel more motivated to start your business, to grow your business, to perform a lot better at your job.

I think a lot of people have it backward. You have to dehypnotize yourself into understanding that happiness has to be important than anything. Otherwise, what's going to happen is that you're going to achieve the things that you set out to achieve – the car, the house, the body, and the relationship – but here's what's going to happen. Once you get those things, you're going to realize that they did not make you happy.

Regardless of all the things that you've worked so hard to acquire, because you believed that they would give you happiness, you're going to feel a sense of emptiness inside. Then you're going to look for another goal to achieve. I'm here to tell you that I believe that the better way of going about it is to make happiness a more important priority.

Not a lot of people put enough value on happiness because it's not as tangible as a car, house, a body, a girlfriend, or a boyfriend. You can measure that, it's more specific. Whereas with happiness, it's something that people can't tangibly measure. Happiness is different for everybody. There's certain universal principles and patterns of happiness that, without a doubt, can help enhance that. I'm not saying that money and a relationship can't amplify it, but it's not the sole source of happiness.

In fact, you don't even want your happiness to be dependent on something outside of yourself, because if it's only dependent on a man or a woman, or a relationship, or a body, or money, then what happens when that goes away , your happiness will go away with it. Here's what I want to propose to you – make happiness a higher priority, shift your mindset, and your belief system. Decide that you are going to be happy now.

Decide that you are going to spend the first part of your day, which is the most important part of your day, and create a ritual. Do what makes you happy. Whatever that might be. I know for myself, I've got crazy rituals that I do. I enjoy learning each day, taking care of my health and my body, meditating, and focusing on and thinking about what I'm grateful for. I train myself to always look for the good, no matter what.

No matter what's going on, there's always good. I will find it and that will help amplify my life and remind myself how blessed I really am. Maybe it's doing some exercise and taking good care of my body. I think that can be an act of love. Start off the day happy. A lot of people start the day empty and try to fill themselves up. What if you started the day feeling full? Fill yourself up in the morning with your ritual so that you're overflowing with love, abundance, and happiness. When you do, it will have a contagious effect on everyone else around you.

In fact, I think that being happy every day is the greatest gift that you can give to other human beings on this planet. Create a ritual, or do whatever works for you. I don't know whatever that might be for you, but take the time to prioritize and value happiness more in your life. Pick up a happiness book and study. Place more emphasis and focus on it, because at the end of the day, that's really what you want deep down inside.

Hopefully, this video could be a good reminder for some of you to really value that more, make an emphasis on it. Don't just be one-dimensional in your life. I believe in life mastery and the foundation of that is your health, your mindset, and your emotions. You need to really master those areas of your life, because those are the ones that are going to affect everything else. Hopefully you enjoyed this video. If you did, give it a thumbs up. Leave a comment below.

I'd love to hear your experience of happiness and things that have worked for you. Subscribe for more videos, of course, and if you haven't already checked out my Morning Ritual Mastery course, I highly recommend that you do, because it's going to teach you how I create my empowering morning rituals, and how you can create one in your life. It is the best part of my day, and it's something that I've been doing it since I was 17 years old. I'd love for you to experience that, and check out that program at MorningRitualMastery.com.

That's it for today's video! Thanks for watching. I look forward to seeing you again in the next one. Take care.

The OURA ring, otherwise known as the world’s first ring-size wellness computer, is a high-performance activity and sleep tracker. This awesome ring helps me perform better.  I’ve been wearing the OURA ring for the past few months and I’ve noticed a massive improvement in my sleep and energy levels. You may be wondering, “How can wearing a ring make you sleep and feel better?”  

When you sleep, the OURA ring analyzes the quality of your rest and recovery by measuring your heart rate, respiration rate, body temperature, and movement. When you are awake, it monitors the duration and intensity of your activities (Griffiths, 2015). Petteri Lahtela, the CEO and co-founder of OURA says, “It’s basically a computer on your finger that interprets sleep and other rhythms of your body through built-in nanosensors.”

As many of you know, I am a huge fan of morning rituals, which allow me to perform at my best and be in a peak state, so that I am unstoppable every day. This awesome ring helps me perform better.  A good night’s sleep is a precursor for a productive day. If you wake up feeling groggy most days, the OURA ring could be the answer to your sleepless nights.

Watch the video below:

(Click here to watch on YouTube)

Do you want to sleep better and wake up every morning feeling energized so that you can perform better?  CLICK HERE to get 10% off The OURA Ring! 

The OURA ring helps you track how your lifestyle choices are affecting your sleep and how the quality of your life affects your ability to perform.  I’m a huge fan of activity trackers. Anything that brings more awareness to my overall activity on a daily basis and that motivates me to move more is a great thing. Human beings weren’t designed to sit all day. We were made to move and be active.

The best part about this product is that it syncs to my phone, via Bluetooth. The OURA App is excellent, in terms of its usability and data display.  It ring tracks your heart rate, as well as the number of steps you take, the exercise you do, the calories that you burn, and your temperature.  Furthermore, it reads your overall sleep activity, which they call your “readiness score,” which takes into account all the exercise you have done and how much sleep you had the night before.  For example, if I got a great night's sleep and recovered well the next day, the ring will send me a notification suggesting that I could take it easy today because I recovered well.

In the past, some nights I would sleep for 8 hours and wake up refreshed, whereas other nights I would sleep for 8 hours and wake up feeling groggy. From using the OURA ring, I have learned that it's not about the quantity of your sleep, but rather it's about the quality.  Because this ring tracks your heart rate and your temperature, it gives you some great insights about the quality of your sleep.  By having this awareness, I've been able to increase the amount of deep sleep that I get every night, by 2 hours.  As a result, my entire life has transformed.  This awesome ring helps me perform better.  I'm a big fan of biohacking my sleep.  I've used a Fitbit in the past in order to track my sleeping patterns, but the OURA ring takes it one step further and tracks the following sleep data:

• Total Sleep Time
• Sleep Efficiency – a measure between time asleep and time awake
• Sleep Disturbances – showing how restless you were during the night
• REM – how much REM stage sleep you got
• Deep – how much deep stage sleep you got
• Sleep Onset Latency – how long it took you to fall asleep
• Circadian Alignment – whether or not you are sleeping in alignment with the light/dark cycle

Another reason why I switched from a Fitbit to the OURA ring is that you can turn it off via Bluetooth. FitBit does not allow this. This is great because it erases the potential for harmful effects on the body, which can effect your overall health.

This awesome ring helps me perform better.  If you want to learn more about the product, visit the OURA ring website.  Because I am an affiliate for this company, I was able to get a 10% discount for my members. If you want to purchase the ring, log onto their website, and click on, ‘get the ring.’ At check out, if you want to save 10%, use the coupon code, ‘mastery.’

In the words of Brian Tracy, “Peak performance begins with you taking complete responsibility for your life and everything that happens to you.”  Your ability to perform at an optimal level every day depends on the quality of your sleep.  Take control of your well-being so that you can master all areas of your life.

Do you want to sleep better and wake up every morning feeling energized so that you can perform better?  CLICK HERE to get 10% off The OURA Ring!

How do you stay organized in your life?  

We're all busy and trying to figure out how to manage the different areas of our lives.  Without a system to properly organize our lives, things can get stressful.  I know I've definitely been there before – running multiple businesses, competing in a fitness competition, growing a relationship, going out with friends and socializing, etc…

I was recently asked this question by a follower of PLM and created a video blog from it.  Check it out below:

(Click here to watch on YouTube)

This page contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through one of them, I will receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). I only ever endorse products that I have personally used and benefitted from personally. Thank you for your support!

You Need A System For Your Life

In order to effectively manage and organize your life, you need a system.  I personally follow a system that Tony Robbins designed and teaches in his Time Of Your Life program, but essentially it's about developing the habit of planning and organizing your life.  In my life plan video, I talk about how I categorize life into different areas – health/fitness, emotions, relationships, finance, career/business, etc…  I believe that each area of life requires consistent focus each week and you must grow each area to be completely fulfilled.  Growing and focusing on each area of your life isn't an easy task, unless you have a system for it.

Weekly Planning

I go through a weekly planning process every Sunday or Monday to get organized for the week.  Here's what I do:

1. I take out a journal and I begin to write down everything that I want to get done this week.  I make a long list, and also include actions for the goals I have for each area of my life.

So for example, the list could look like:

• Reply to all emails.
• Buy groceries.
• Record video blog.
• Publish blog post.
• Coach John.
• Complete morning ritual 7x this week.
• Workout 5x this week.
• Go to church on Sunday.
• Plan out each day 5x this week.
• Read 10 pages of self-help book 5x this week.
• Update finances.
• Call mom.
• Go out for dinner with Jessica.

As you can see from this list, I have a variety of tasks I need to get done for the upcoming week.  They're all in different categories of life, but at least now I have a clear idea of what I want to get done.

2. Categorize each action item under the goals that I have for the month.

I always have a list of goals for each month, for each area of my life.  I again take out my journal and begin to categorize each action item for each goal.  So for example, if I have the goal of making $10,000 a month in my business, then I'd put the action items “reply to all emails”, “record video blog”, “coach John”, and anything else related to business under that goal.

If I have the goal of losing 5 pounds this month, then I'll put all health/fitness related actions under that goal, such as “workout 5x this week” and “buy groceries.”  The same goes for every other action item on this list and for every other goal that I have.

3. Schedule My Goals And Tasks

Next I begin to schedule each task during specific time blocks during the week.  When am I going to do my morning ritual everyday?  I write out in my calendar what time that I'll be doing it, let's say 8AM to 8:30AM.  When am I going to workout each day?  I schedule it in for 9AM to 10AM.  When am I going to go out for dinner with Jessica?  I schedule that for Friday at 7:00PM.

I make sure that EVERY GOAL and EVERY ACTION ITEM is scheduled and so each day I have a plan and know EXACTLY what I am doing.  You need to schedule the time you're going to be working on your business, attend school classes, do your homework, hangout with your friends, etc…  I recommend investing in a good quality planner.  I use Tony Robbins RPM Planner and sometimes just use a paperback journal.

By scheduling things in your life, it takes the stress and thinking out of it.  You wake up each day with a plan.  You are being PROACTIVE each week and designing your life, instead of reacting to things as they come up.  Planning is a vital part of success.  Things are going to come up to distract you from your plan, but you must not deviate.  If your friends invite you out tonight but you've scheduled tonight for working on your business, you must learn to say NO.

Learning To Say No!

Learning to say “no” is an important strategy that has helped me stay organized.  Distractions are inevitable.  The more successful you become, the more people want your time and want to hangout with you.  I can't tell you how many people e-mail me each day and message me on Facebook and want my time.  It wasn't like this years ago, but has been now that I am more public and transparent with my blog.  The more popular you become, the more people want to spend time with you!

The challenge is, if you just talk to everyone and give your time away, then you're left with no time for yourself and the things that are important in your life.  It can be a big drain and consume a lot of energy.  That's where the power of NO comes in.  I am very protective of my time and very selective about the people I spend time with.  I make sure I respond to all e-mails on my blog, but when people ask more from me, I usually have to decline.  I have people wanting to pitch me weekly on ideas or a MLM business, but I have to decline.  I have people asking me to go for coffee or want to pick my brain on things, and I just tell them to e-mail me as I don't have time right now to meet up.

I make sure I FOCUS MY TIME on the things that are important to me and things that are aligned with my goals.  I make sure I schedule the time to hangout with certain friends, or family, or my girlfriend, or to focus my time on my businesses.  There's times when I am focused on a big project and I'll turn off my phone and not reply to anyone for a full week so that I can give 100% of my focus towards the project.  I'll have people invite me out to parties or fun activities, but sometimes I have to say NO because I know that what I have planned for my life is more important.

Simplify Your Life

Being able to simplify your life is important.  I used to focus on too much at once and would often easily become overwhelmed.  It became more difficult to stay organized and I'd be very stressed.  I decided I needed to cut off some activities in my life so that I could focus more effectively on a fewer number of things that were more important.

For example, when I first started coaching people on PLM I would take on anyone that was interested in coaching.  The problem was that eventually it ended up consuming a lot of my time and was taking away the focus of my online businesses, which were important to me as they were creating passive income and freedom for my life.  I also had so many clients that I often couldn't remember things with some of them and important things we'd talk about on each of our sessions.  That's when I decided I needed to start saying NO to people and only taking on a limited number of people at a time.  I decided on a limit and focused on more quality coaching, rather than quantity.  It's been an important decision that has really helped me stay more organized.

I've also simplified my life by cutting out certain people that were wasting my time and activities that were too time consuming.  I learned how to AUTOMATE my life and use OUTSOURCING, which I'll discuss below.

Automation And Outsourcing

I first learned about automation and outsourcing through Tim Ferriss' book, The 4 Hour Work Week.  I was then introduced to outsourcing and virtual assistants.  I've learned that if there's something in my life that I could hire another person to do, it's worth doing it.  If there's something in my life that only I can do and I'm good at it, then that's something that I need to focus on doing consistently.  I eliminate all the mundane, simple tasks that can easily be outsourced and focus on the high leverage tasks that are important.

For example, when I first started an online business I did everything myself.  I did the web design, copywriting, graphics, content creation, search engine optimization, customer support, etc…  It was very time consuming and I'd end up spending 12+ hours a day doing this stuff.  It was also a waste of my time, as I wasn't strong in any of these areas and I'd have to learn how to do this stuff, whereas I could have easily hired someone inexpensively to do this stuff who's already an expert at it.

Many people object to outsourcing or hiring others to perform certain tasks that they say they can do themselves.  While you may be able to do the task yourself, you need to ask yourself if it's the right focus of your time and energy.  For example, I could write an article on my website myself which might take me an hour to do, or I could hire someone to write an article of near-equal quality for $5-$10.  If I could hire someone to do something for $5-$10, then why would I do it myself?  In fact, if I do that task myself then I'm basically saying that my time is worth $5-$10/hour!

The reality is that outsourcing is VERY INEXPENSIVE.  In fact, you'd be blown away by what you could get done for peanuts.  When I learned this, I hired a virtual assistant from the Philippines on Odesk.com that has now worked with me for over 2 years.  I pay her $2.47/hour and she handles the customer support for 6 websites that I run on Clickbank.  She also does many marketing tasks and research for me whenever I need it.  She's easy to communicate with, does a quality job, and is very reliable.  She's helped me grow my businesses and earn a lot of money, without me having to do much.

Today, I hire people to run my businesses and do many tasks including:

• Web design
• Graphic work
• Copywriting
• Customer support
• Article writing
• E-book writing
• Search Engine Optimization
• Research
• Formatting, editing and proofreading
• Video submissions
• Press releases
• Book keeping
• Accounting
• House cleaning

If you want to learn more about outsourcing and automating your life, here's some resources that I recommend:

Fiverr – Get tasks done for only $5.

Odesk – This is where I outsource specific tasks or work for my my blog or websites. You can get almost anything done very inexpensively and hire Virtual Assistants for under $3/hour.

The 4 Hour Work Week – Tim Ferriss' book on automation and outsourcing.

I encourage you to take a look at some of these resources and think of ways that you can automate different areas of your own life – it'll make a huge difference in how productive and organized you are.