Transcript for:
The Compound Effect Principles

What if the secret to success isn't really a secret? What if it's not about big breakthroughs, overnight miracles, or some secret formula shared only with the lucky few? Let's be honest, we've all seen the ads. Make $200,000 a year working just 2 hours a day. Lose 30 lbs in a week, no exercise needed. Look 20 years younger using this one cream. Sounds exciting, right? But here's the truth. None of that works. We live in a world obsessed with instant results. Everywhere you look, someone is selling a shortcut to wealth, health, love, or happiness. But real success, that doesn't come in three easy payments of $39.95. This book, The Compound Effect, cuts through the noise. It brings us back to the basics, the timeless principles that actually work. No hype, no gimmicks, just real lasting results. So what is the compound effect? It's the idea that small consistent actions repeated over time create massive success. Not in a week, not in a month, but over time with discipline, focus, and commitment. Author Darren Hardy isn't just giving you theory. He's lived this. He's tested these principles in his own life and business. For over 20 years, he's studied success, what makes people thrive, and what holds them back. He's worked with top achievers, interviewed the world's best minds, and read thousands of articles and books on personal development. He's not impressed by flashy breakthroughs anymore. Because when you've seen enough of the real stuff, you can spot fake success a mile away. As Darren's mentor, Jim Ran once said, "There are no new fundamentals. Truth is not new, it's old." This book is about those old truths, the unshakable fundamentals that lead to long-term success. And the best part, anyone can apply them. No special talent, no fancy degree, no perfect background. Just small, smart choices made consistently over time. But here's a warning. Success isn't easy. It's slow, repetitive, and yes, sometimes boring. It takes patience. It takes discipline. It takes work. So, if you're looking for a quick fix or an easy button, you won't find it here. But if you're ready to take full control of your habits, if you're tired of false promises, if you're serious about changing your life, then this book and the compound effect will change everything. You don't need more information. You need a new plan of action. This is the operator's manual for your success. The system behind everything that works. And once you learn to use it, there's nothing you can't achieve. Let's get started. Chapter one, the compound effect in action. You've heard the saying, slow and steady wins the race, right? Think about the tortoise and the hair. In that story, I'm the tortoise. Not because I'm the fastest, the smartest, or the most talented. I win because I've built positive habits and more importantly, I stick with them every single day. That's the power of consistency. And I'm its biggest fan. Most people fail not because they don't start, but because they don't continue. They lack consistency. But I learned it early from my dad. When I was just a baby, my parents split. My dad raised me on his own and trust me, he wasn't the soft and cuddly type. He was a tough, no excuses football coach. And that discipline shaped my life. Every morning, like clockwork, he'd be out in the garage lifting heavy weights right next to my bedroom. That pounding sound of metal hitting concrete. It was my alarm clock. On the wall, he had a huge sign painted. No pain, no gain. Rain, cold, heat, it didn't matter. He showed up every single day. That consistency taught me something. It's not about motivation. It's about showing up whether you feel like it or not. After school, I had a long list of chores. Raking leaves, sweeping, vacuuming, dishes, you name it. and falling behind in school not an option. Sick days only allowed if you were throwing up, bleeding, or as dad put it, showing bone. Yep, that actually came from one of his football games. A player asked to come out and dad said, "Not unless you're showing bone." The guy pulled back his jersey. His collarbone was sticking out. Only then was he allowed off the field. That was my dad. His philosophy was simple. If you're not naturally gifted, then you outwork everyone else. Not good at free throws? Shoot a thousand a day until you get it. Bad at dribbling with your left hand? Tie your right hand behind you and practice for hours. Behind in school? Get a tutor and grind until you catch up. No excuses, just work. And the thing is, he walked the talk. From coach to top salesperson to business owner, he climbed every step with pure grit. But he didn't micromanage. He gave us space to figure things out. He believed in personal responsibility. You had to bring the results. Good grades that meant a reward. like a giant banana split at Pring, our favorite ice cream spot. Bad grades, no ice cream, no reward. Simple, clear, fair. And let me tell you, that banana split was worth working hard for. I looked up to my dad. I wanted to make him proud and feared letting him down. He didn't lecture me about drugs or peer pressure. He just said, "Be the guy who says no. Don't just follow the crowd. Be the one who stands out." That stuck with me. By the time I was 12, I had a schedule like a corporate executive. Sure, I complain sometimes. What kid doesn't? But secretly, I liked it. It gave me an edge. By 18, I was running a business and making six figures. By 20, I owned a house in a fancy neighborhood. By 24, I was earning over a million dollars a year. And by 27, I had built a business worth more than $50 million. All before I turned 40. And my dad, he laughs about it now. He says, "There are a lot of ways to mess up a kid. At least my way worked out pretty well." Yes, I've had to learn how to slow down sometimes, to sit still, to take breaks without a business book in hand. But looking back, I'm grateful because what my dad taught me and what I lived through is the compound effect in action. Those little daily disciplines, they added up. They built everything I have today. But maybe you haven't had that kind of coaching. Maybe no one ever showed you how powerful small, consistent actions can be. That's okay. That's what this book is for. Let's be real. We live in a world full of instant gratification. We're sold on the idea of quick fixes and instant results. Lose weight fast, get rich fast, be happy fast. But it's all a lie. There are no shortcuts to success. We've been tricked by marketing. We've been told success is easy. But the truth, success takes effort, time, and consistency. In the next chapters, we'll break down the biggest myths and I'll show you exactly how the compound effect works and how to make it work for you. Let's dive in. You haven't experienced the payoff yet. Let me tell you something important. The compound effect is all about making small, smart choices consistently over time. That's it. No big moves, no dramatic moments, just small decisions done daily. Sounds too simple? That's where most people go wrong. Here's what makes the compound effect so powerful. It works quietly, silently, invisibly at first. You don't lose 30 lbs in a week. You don't become a millionaire in a month. You don't master a new skill in 5 days. In the beginning, it feels like nothing is happening. You start going for a jog every morning. And after 8 days, you still look the same. You've been practicing piano for 6 months, and all you can play is chopsticks. You've been saving money for 3 years, but your investment account still looks tiny. So, what do most people do? They give up. They say, "This isn't working. It's too slow. It's not worth it." And that's the tragedy. Because if they had just kept going, the results would have started to show. Think about it like this. Small smart choices done consistently over time equals radical transformation. It's a simple formula, but don't mistake simple for easy. This is why the compound effect is often ignored. We live in a world of instant everything. Instant food, instant entertainment, instant answers. But success, real success, is never instant. It takes patience, faith, and persistence. Here's the truth. The steps you take might feel small. They might seem boring. They might even look pointless at first. But stacked up, over time, those steps will change your life. The compound effect is like planting seeds. At first, the soil looks the same. Days go by, weeks even, with no visible change. But under the surface, something is happening. Keep watering, keep showing up, and one day you'll see growth. And soon after that, the harvest will blow your mind. So don't be fooled by what you can't see yet. Keep taking those steps. Keep showing up because the payoff is coming and it's going to be massive. Let's look at some examples of how this plays out in real life. The magic penny. Imagine this. Someone offers you two choices. Option one, take $3 million in cash right now. Option two, take just one penny, but it will double in value every day for the next 31 days. Which would you pick? Most people would grab the $3 million in a heartbeat. I mean, it's sitting right there. Instant money. No wait, no risk. But here's the twist. That tiny penny, if it doubles every day for 31 days, it'll be worth over $10 million by the end. Sounds impossible, right? Let's break it down. Day 1 to day 10, you chose the penny. Your friend takes the $3 million. After day five, you've got 16. Meanwhile, your friend is probably shopping for a new car. By day 10, you've made it to just $512. Your friend still sitting on that huge $3 million. You're starting to wonder, did I make a mistake? Day 20. Now you're 20 days in, only 11 days left. Your penny is finally over $5,000. Not bad, but still a long way from $3 million. Your friend still living large. You still waiting, watching, wondering if this is ever going to work. But then something starts to happen. The magic of compound growth begins to reveal itself. Day 29, your penny has now turned into $2.7 million. Your friend still has the original $3 million. You're almost there, but it's day 30 when everything changes. Now, your doubled penny is worth $5.3 million. And by day 31, that tiny penny explodes into a fortune of 10,737,41824. You didn't just catch up, you completely blew past the $3 million. And that, my friend, is the power of the compound effect. The growth doesn't look exciting at first. In fact, it looks boring. Tiny progress, tiny results. But over time, it multiplies. It builds. And one day, it takes off like a rocket. This is exactly how success works in real life. You eat healthy for a week, nothing changes. You read every night for a month, no transformation. You save a few dollars a day, no wealth. So you stop, you give up, and you miss out on the magic. But if you stay consistent, if you keep stacking the right habits, one day the results will seem unbelievable to everyone watching. So remember this formula. Small, smart choices plus consistency plus time equals radical transformation. The penny isn't magic. The compound effect is the story of three friends. Let me tell you a story about three ordinary guys. They all grew up together, live in the same neighborhood, make about $50,000 a year. Each one is married. Each one has average health and a little bit of that postmarriage belly. Meet Larry, Scott, and Brad. Larry. Larry keeps living life as he always has. No major changes, no new habits. He's fine. But deep down, he wonders why nothing ever seems to improve. Scott Scott decides to make some small positive changes. He starts reading 10 pages a day of a good book. He listens to 30 minutes of self-improvement audio during his commute. And after reading an article by Dr. Oz, he decides to cut just 125 calories from his diet every day. That's as simple as skipping one soda or switching from mayo to mustard. He also walks a bit more, just a few extra steps a day. Nothing drastic, no big effort, but he's consistent. Brad, on the other hand, makes a few not so great choices. He buys a new big screen TV to binge his favorite shows. He's been cooking more, especially those cheesy, creamy recipes from the Food Channel. He even installs a bar at home and adds one extra drink a week to his routine. It's nothing extreme, just a little more indulgence, a little more comfort. Fast forward 5 months. Guess what? There's no noticeable difference between them. They all look the same, feel the same. Life seems unchanged. 10 months later, still no major difference. Scott's still reading. Brad's still relaxing. Larry's still doing what he's always done. 18 months in now we're starting to notice small changes, just barely. By month 25, the changes are clear. Scott looks fitter, more energetic. Brad is gaining weight, looking sluggish, and Larry is well, still stuck. Month 27. Now the difference is obvious. And by month 31, the results are stunning. Brad has gained 33.5 lb. Scott has lost 33.5 lb. That's a 67 lb swing between the two. Let's do the math. 125 extra or fewer calories a day times 940 days is equal to 117,500 total calorie difference. 117,500 calories divided by 3500 calories per pound is 33.5 lb. same time, same kind of people, but completely different outcomes. But it's not just about weight. Scott has read nearly a thousand hours of books and listened to inspiring audio every day. He's applying what he learned. He's earned a promotion, got a raise, and his marriage is thriving. Brad, he's unhappy at work. His marriage is struggling and he can't figure out what went wrong. And Larry, well, he's still the same, just a little more frustrated that life hasn't changed. The point is this. The compound effect is real. It works for you or against you. Small smart choices made consistently over time create a massive difference. At first it looks like nothing is happening. But one day, boom, it seems like someone became an overnight success. But that success, it's not overnight. It's the result of hundreds of quiet, invisible wins. So ask yourself, which friend do you want to be? Brad, who lets life slip away with small poor choices? Larry, who stays stuck in place? Or Scott, who commits to tiny improvements and ends up transforming his life? The compound effect is always working. The only question is, are you using it to build your life or letting it break you down? How one muffin changed everything? The story you just heard about the three friends might have seemed a little dramatic, but the truth is it goes even deeper than that. Because the compound effect doesn't just change what's visible. It starts to shape everything beneath the surface, too. Like a small drop in water that sends ripples across an entire lake. Let's look closer at one small decision. Meet Brad again. One day, Brad decides to try out a muffin recipe he saw on the Food Channel. He bakes it. It turns out great. His family loves it. He feels proud. It seems innocent, even heartwarming. So, he bakes again and again. Sweets become a more regular part of his routine. He's loving his own cooking and eating more than his share. Not enough to raise eyebrows, but enough to tip the scales. What happens next? At night, Brad feels sluggish. He doesn't sleep well. He wakes up feeling groggy. that makes him cranky and his mood starts affecting his work performance. He's now a little less productive which leads to a few disappointing comments from his boss. That discouragement carries over and now Brad starts disliking his job. The drive home feels longer. The stress feels heavier. And so he reaches for comfort food again to unwind. The cycle begins. Once upon a time, Brad would take evening walks with his wife. But now he just doesn't feel like it. Low energy, no motivation. So the walks stop. Their conversations become shorter, their connection weaker. His wife misses their time together. She wonders what's changed. And since Brad's no longer getting fresh air, he's not getting those endorphin boosts that kept his mood in balance. He feels low, unhappy, and it spreads. Brad starts noticing flaws in himself and in others. He doesn't compliment his wife anymore. He feels a little out of shape, a little less confident, a little less romantic. Late at night, he turns on the TV, not for entertainment, but for escape. His wife begins to feel lonely. She tries to talk to him. She complains, but Brad feels like she's just nagging. She becomes needy, then distant. She pours her energy into her work, spends more time with friends. Men begin to notice her, flirt with her. She doesn't cheat, but she feels seen again. Brad can feel something's off, but instead of looking inward, he blames her. He's confused, frustrated. He doesn't realize that it all started with that small muffin habit and how it snowballed into something so much bigger. Meanwhile, his friend Scott, the one reading 10 pages a day, he's thriving. He feels energized, focused, connected. He's getting promoted. He's more present at home. His relationship is flourishing. Not because he made one giant leap, but because he repeated simple daily disciplines consistently. That's what Jeff Olsen, author of The Slight Edge, calls simple disciplines versus simple errors in judgment. Every day, we're making a choice, and the compound effect never stops working. The results are predictable. They're measurable. They're guaranteed if you stay the course. And that's the good news. You don't need to wait for some giant breakthrough or summon a dramatic burst of motivation. You don't need to perform a grand heroic act. All you need is to take tiny steps, repeat them consistently, and give them time. That's all target. The truth is we've been conditioned to believe in flashy all or nothing transformations. Society praises big wins, not slow progress. But that mindset leaves people burned out, disappointed, and stuck. Instead, choose the quieter, smarter path. Choose the one that compounds. In the book, there's a chart, figure one, that shows two lines. At first, both are almost flat. No change, no result. But slowly, one line starts to curve upward, the other downward. The gap between them grows and grows and explodes over time. That's the compound effect. It starts with tiny invisible choices, but eventually it creates massive visible results. So, let me ask you this. Are you planting seeds for success or sewing the slow downfall of your own potential? Remember, one muffin didn't ruin Brad's life, but his daily choices did, just like one salad didn't transform Scott. But his daily habits built a new life. The compound effect is always running in the background. It's not a matter of if it works. It's a matter of how you use it. Make it your ally and let it carry you toward the life you want. One small choice at a time. Why success often fails and how to avoid it. Let's face it, the hardest part of the compound effect isn't understanding it. It's sticking with it day in day out before we can finally see the payoff. Because the truth, the rewards don't show up overnight. They show up slowly, quietly, then all at once. Our grandparents understood this. They didn't need TV infomercials promising six-pack abs in 30 days or some guru selling real estate riches in just 6 months. No, they got up early, worked hard, 6 days a week from sun up to sun down. They didn't chase shortcuts. They lived by something we've almost forgotten today. Hard work, discipline, consistent habits. That was their secret formula. Not flashy, not trendy, just solid, honest effort over time. But here's the thing. Success doesn't always last forever. Wealth, prosperity, even strong values, they tend to skip generations. Why? Because abundance can breed complacency. The next generation grows up surrounded by success, but they didn't earn it. They didn't fight for it. They didn't sacrifice or struggle to build it. And so they don't always know how to value it. Think about it. Children of royalty, movie stars, corporate heirs. They often grow up entitled, not disciplined, surrounded by luxury, but lacking grit because they didn't develop the habits that built the empire. They just inherited the spoils. And it's not just the rich. This mindset shows up everywhere. We see it in regular families, in adults who once worked hard but now take shortcuts. In a society that's grown addicted to comfort. We've become soft mentally, emotionally, and physically. As a culture, we've lost our connection to what it really takes to succeed. Words like grit, fortitude, and resilience aren't glamorous anymore. They're old-fashioned, boring, uncool. And yet, those are the exact traits that built every lasting legacy in history. It was the grind that shaped our ancestors, the struggle that chiseled their character, the discipline that made them unshakable. But here's the pattern we often ignore. Nothing fails quite like success. Yes, you heard that right. Success left unchecked often leads to failure. Why? Because once people get comfortable, they stop doing the things that got them there. Just like the great empires of history, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Spain, France, England. They didn't fall because of enemies. They fell because of complacency. They stopped striving. They stopped growing. They got lazy and crumbled from within. It's like the story of the boiling frog. If you drop a frog into boiling water, it'll jump out immediately. But if you place it in cool water and gradually heat it, it'll stay there comfortable until it's too late. That's what happens with success. We get used to the warmth and we don't realize the heat is rising until we're cooked. So, what's the solution? It's simple, but not easy. We need to reclaim the work ethic our grandparents had. We need to restore our discipline, our character, and our will to do what's hard, not just for the country, but for your own life. Don't fall for the magic pill mindset. You can wait on the couch for your dreams to manifest or chant all the affirmations in the world, but success isn't a genie you summon. It's a craft you build. one brick at a time. Let me tell you a quick story. A beautiful restaurant opened up by the beach in San Diego. It had everything going for it. The space was spotless. The hostess had a warm, genuine smile. The service was topnotch and the food absolutely phenomenal. People lined up waiting more than an hour to get a table. Business was booming. But then something changed. Slowly, the team began taking success for granted. The hostess became cold and arrogant. The weight staff looked messy and uninterested. The food, sometimes good, sometimes disappointing. The magic that once set them apart, was gone. Not all at once, but piece by piece. 18 months later, they were out of business. Not because the food wasn't good enough, but because they stopped doing the things that made them successful in the first place. Their success blinded them and it led to their downfall. So, here's the truth loud and clear. You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. Success is not about the big wins. It's about the small disciplines repeated over time without fail. The compound effect doesn't reward talent or luck. It rewards persistence. It rewards those who keep going long after the excitement fades. So, are you willing to show up even when no one is watching? Even when it's boring, even when the results are invisible? Because that's the real test. And if you can pass it, success won't just come your way, it'll stay. Let go of instant gratification and embrace the real path to success. Let's talk about something that's holding so many of us back. A mindset that's quietly ruining our potential. The microwave mentality. We live in a world where everything is instant. fast food, one-hour glasses, 30 minute photo processing, overnight shipping, instant texts, microwave meals, even microwave eggs. We're surrounded by speed. And slowly, we've started to expect our success to come that way, too. But here's the truth. Success does not work on a microwave setting. It's not fast. It's not easy. And it's definitely not instant. Real success is slow. It's boring. It's built one small step at a time. When you truly understand the compound effect, you start to lose those insta result expectations. You stop waiting for miracles. You stop hoping for shortcuts. You stop falling for overnight success stories because you finally get it. Success is not about one big win. It's about a thousand small wins quietly compounding over time. Excellent. Let's talk about the lottery. You see someone on TV screaming with joy, holding a giant check. Everyone celebrates that moment. But what you don't see, the millions of people who lost. Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert once said something eyeopening. If every person who lost the lottery got 30 seconds of airtime to say I lost, it would take 9 years to get through the losers of a single drawing. 9 years. Yet we keep chasing that one ina- million fantasy. It's time to let that go. Promise yourself this. No more lottery thinking. No more get-rich quick schemes. No more thin thighs in 30 days. It's all noise. Because deep down, you know, every successful athlete, every top performer, every master of their craft got there through relentless repetition. They showed up early. They stayed late. They trained while others rested. They failed. They got frustrated. They felt lonely and tired. but they kept going. That's the truth you need to accept. Behind every great story is a grind you don't see. So, here's what I want for you. By the end of this book, or maybe even right now, I want you to feel it in your bones. The only real path to success is through a consistent series of mundane, unsexy, repetitive disciplines. It's not glamorous. It's not Instagramw worthy, but it works. And if you stick with it, the life of your dreams, yes, your fairy tale ending can absolutely be yours. The compound effect is always working. Always. Right now, as you're listening to this, it's either working for you or against you. Your habits, your thoughts, your actions, they're all building momentum in a direction. The question is which direction? Because it doesn't matter where you are on the curve. You can start today. You can make simple positive changes and you can steer the trajectory of your life upward. You're not stuck. You're not too late. All it takes is a decision. Start doing the right small things daily and let time do the rest. So, have I made my point? Let go of the microwave mentality. Forget the shortcuts. Forget the instant fixes because your future success won't be the result of some magical overnight breakthrough. It will come from your daily choices repeated again and again. In the next chapter, we're going deeper. We'll uncover the one thing that controls your entire life. Yes. Everything you have or don't have, every victory or defeat, every win or failure, it all begins with this one force. Learn how to master this and you'll unlock the power to change your life completely. Let's find out what it is together. Chapter 2. Choices. We all come into this world the same way, naked, scared, and clueless. None of us arrive with a manual. We all start with a clean slate. But from that moment on, the life we build, the success we achieve, the struggles we face, all come down to one simple thing. The choices we make. Yes, choices. Every choice you make becomes a brick in the foundation of your life. These choices can be your best friend, paving the way to your goals, or they can be your worst enemy, steering you far away from the life you desire. Think about it. Everything you have in your life right now, your job, your relationships, your health, your habits, it all exists because of a choice you made at some point. Choices are at the root of every single result in your life. And here's the key. Every choice you make starts a behavior. That behavior, when repeated, becomes a habit. Over time, your habits shape your destiny. If you choose poorly, life will nudge you back to the drawing board. You'll be forced to make new, often tougher choices. And if you avoid choosing altogether, you've still made a choice, the choice to be passive, to let life happen to you rather than taking charge. You see, you make your choices, but then your choices make you. Every single decision, no matter how small, alters the course of your life. Whether it's deciding to go to college or not, choosing who you marry, whether you take that last drink before driving, whether you join in gossip or stay silent, even deciding to say I love you or to stay quiet. All these small choices create a ripple effect that compounds over time, shaping your future in ways you can't even imagine in the moment. That's the compound effect in action. This chapter is about becoming aware of your choices. It's about making choices that expand your life, not limit it. It might sound complicated, but trust me, you'll be surprised at how simple it really is. From this point forward, you'll stop making 99% of your choices unconsciously. No longer will your routines and daily behaviors be automatic reactions based on old habits and societal programming. You'll start asking yourself powerful questions. How many of my behaviors have I never consciously voted on? What am I doing every day that I didn't intentionally choose to do? And more importantly, why do I continue to do them? By using the same simple strategies I've applied in my own life, strengthened by the unstoppable compound effect, you'll start to loosen the grip of those invisible habits that are pulling you off course. You'll learn how to hit the pause button, giving yourself a moment to stop before you make a choice that leads you into idiot territory. You'll find that making smart choices becomes easier. You'll develop behaviors and habits that support your goals, not sabotage them. Now, here's something important. Your biggest challenge isn't that you've been making bad choices on purpose. Oh, no. That would be easy to fix. If we knowingly made bad decisions, we could simply stop. The real problem is that you've been sleepwalking through your choices. Half the time, you're not even aware you're making them. It's not that you lack intelligence. It's not that you're lazy. The truth is, many of your choices are invisible to you because they are so deeply woven into your routines, habits, culture, and upbringing. You're following patterns that have been programmed into you over years, often without question. Let me ask you, have you ever been going about your day enjoying life when suddenly you make a stupid choice or maybe a series of small, seemingly harmless choices that ultimately derail your progress? You didn't plan to sabotage yourself, but because you weren't actively thinking about your decisions, because you didn't pause to weigh the risks or the outcomes, you found yourself facing unintended consequences. Nobody wakes up and says, "Today, I'm going to become overweight." No one sets a goal to go bankrupt. No one dreams of getting a divorce. But these outcomes often happen not because of one huge mistake, but because of a series of small, poor choices. Choices made without awareness. one extra slice of pizza here, skipping a workout there. Over time, these tiny choices compound into significant consequences. This chapter is your wakeup call. It's about taking ownership of your choices. You need to understand that every choice matters. You need to become intentional, deliberate, and mindful of the decisions you make, no matter how small they seem. Because over time, the compound effect doesn't miss a single choice. It multiplies everything. The good news, you can change the direction of your life by making simple, better choices consistently. You don't have to overhaul your entire life in one day. You just need to start choosing wisely moment by moment. And here's the secret. When you become aware of your choices, you gain power. The power to direct your life intentionally instead of letting life happen to you. So as you move forward from here, I want you to remember one thing. You are the sum total of your choices. The life you are living today is the result of choices you made in the past. And the life you will be living tomorrow depends on the choices you make today. Choose consciously. Choose wisely because once you make a choice, that choice starts making you. Elephants don't bite, but mosquitoes do. Let me ask you something. Have you ever been bitten by an elephant? No. But I bet you've been bitten by a mosquito, haven't you? It's always the small things that bite us. We often imagine that it's the massive catastrophic mistakes that ruin people's careers, relationships, or lives. And yes, sometimes we do see those dramatic collapses. A comedian's career shattered in seconds because of a careless offensive rant. A celebrity once adored for their humanitarian work caught in a drunken scandal saying things they can never take back. Or even an admired athlete suddenly lashing out at an official in a fit of rage. These moments are loud. They grab headlines. They're unforgettable. But here's the truth. For most of us, it's not the elephants that destroy our progress. It's not these extraordinary, massive mistakes that are the problem. No, for people like you and me, it's the small, frequent, seemingly insignificant choices that slowly, almost invisibly derail our success. I'm talking about the little decisions, the ones you think don't matter at all. It's the small invisible habits that quietly pile up unnoticed and take you far off course. Sometimes these choices are obvious bad moves, careless and boneheaded. Sometimes they appear harmless, like small indulgences, and sometimes they even look like positive choices on the surface. But don't be fooled. These seemingly minor decisions can completely throw you off track. simply because you're not mindful of them. You're on autopilot, not paying attention. And when you're not aware, the compound effect is still working, but it's working against you. You're still compounding, but in the wrong direction. Let me give you a few examples. You decide to grab a soda and a bag of chips. You're not really hungry. You're just bored. Before you know it, you've polished off the entire bag. And just like that, you've thrown away an entire day of healthy eating. But it was just a small choice, right? Another day, you sit down to relax and start watching TV. You tell yourself it's just for a few minutes. Maybe it's even an educational documentary, so it feels productive. But two hours pass and suddenly you realize you've run out of time to prepare for tomorrow's big presentation, the one that could land you a valuable client. Or here's another. In a casual conversation with a loved one, you blurt out a small unnecessary lie, a knee-jerk reaction. The truth would have been easier, but you said the lie anyway. Why? You don't even know what's going on here. It's simple. You've allowed yourself to make choices without thinking. And as long as you're making unconscious choices, you have no control over the outcomes. You can't correct behaviors you're not even aware of. You can't build productive habits if you're sleepwalking through your decisions. This is where the compound effect becomes dangerous because remember the compound effect always works. It never stops. The only question is, is it working for you or against you? It's time to wake up. It's time to become mindful of your small everyday choices because it's not the elephants that will destroy your goals. It's the tiny mosquitoes, those small, seemingly harmless decisions that you allow to slip through unchecked. When you become aware of these choices, you can take back control. You can pause, you can choose consciously, and you can turn ineffective behaviors into powerful, productive habits. It's never about doing one big thing right. Success is built on doing small things right. consistently over time. So from today onwards, watch out for the mosquitoes. Thanksgiving year round, the power of gratitude in relationships. It's easy to point fingers at others, isn't it? My boss is the reason I'm not getting ahead. I missed that promotion because of a backstabbing co-worker. I'm always in a bad mood because my kids drive me crazy. We all do it. Blaming others for our problems is a natural reflex. Especially in relationships, romantic ones in particular. It's always the other person who needs to change. Right? Wrong. A few years ago, a friend of mine was stuck in this exact mindset. He would complain endlessly about his wife. According to him, she was the source of his unhappiness. But from where I stood, his wife was a wonderful woman. Honestly, I thought he was lucky to have her. Yet, no matter what I said, he kept pointing out her flaws, blaming her for everything wrong in his life. That's when I decided to share with him an experience that had transformed my own marriage. One Thanksgiving, I made a decision. I decided to keep a Thanksgiving journal for my wife. Every single day for an entire year, I wrote down at least one thing I appreciated about her. It could be something simple. The way she laughed with her friends, how she cared for our dogs, the way she made our bed, a delicious meal she cooked, or even how beautifully she styled her hair. No matter how small, I wrote it down. I started noticing things I had previously overlooked. The small acts of kindness, the subtle gestures of love, the unique qualities that made her who she was. Day by day, entry by entry, I filled up that journal. For a whole year, I focused on what she was doing right. The following Thanksgiving, I gave her that journal as a gift. She cried. She told me it was the best gift she had ever received. Better than the BMW I'd given her for her birthday. But here's the truth. The person most affected by this journal wasn't her. It was me. You see, by choosing to focus on my wife's positive qualities every single day, my perspective began to shift. I started seeing her through a lens of gratitude and appreciation. I wasn't focusing on what annoyed me. I was consciously looking for reasons to be grateful. And something incredible happened. All the small things that used to bother me began to fade away. They became insignificant compared to the ocean of positive traits I was discovering. I fell in love with her all over again. Not because she changed, because I changed how I looked at her. My attitude towards her became softer, kinder, more appreciative, and naturally she responded to me in a more loving way. This created a positive cycle. The more I appreciated her, the better I treated her. The better I treated her, the more loved she felt, and the more loved she felt, the more she responded with kindness and affection. This cycle compounded over time. And that year turned out to be one of the best years of our marriage. After hearing my story, my friend, who had been stuck in a loop of blame, decided to try it, too. He started his own Thanksgiving journal for his wife. At first, it was hard for him. His habit of focusing on her flaws was strong. But slowly as he forced himself to look for her good qualities, things started to shift. Within a few months, his entire perspective changed. He began interacting with his wife differently. He was more patient, more affectionate, more understanding. And guess what? She started responding to him in a new way. The way he chose to see her changed their entire relationship. The old cycle of blame and criticism was replaced by a new positive feedback loop of appreciation and love. The compound effect was in full force, but this time it was compounding in their favor. All of this started from a simple daily act that took 5 minutes. Five minutes of intentional gratitude, five minutes of consciously choosing to focus on what's right instead of what's wrong. So, here's the takeaway. If you want to transform any relationship in your life, be it with your spouse, your children, your friends, or even your co-workers, stop waiting for them to change. Start by changing how you see them. Choose to look for what they're doing right. Choose to appreciate them daily because what you focus on expands. When you choose gratitude, you invite more reasons to be grateful. It's not a one-time event. It's a daily practice. That's how you create Thanksgiving year round. Owning 100% the power of taking full responsibility. Here's a simple truth. We are all self-made, but only successful people are willing to admit it. When life goes well, they take credit for it. When life goes wrong, they take responsibility for it, too. I was just 18 years old when I first learned about personal responsibility. I attended a seminar that completely changed the way I saw my life. The speaker asked a simple question. What percentage of responsibility do you have in making a relationship work? Being young and full of wisdom, I quickly answered 50/50. Both people must do their part. Others in the room chimed in. 5149. You have to be willing to give a little more than the other person. 8020. Real love means sacrifice. But then the instructor turned to a large paper and wrote 100. He said, "You have to be willing to give 100% with zero expectation of receiving anything in return." That hit me hard because it meant this. Only when you take 100% responsibility for making a relationship work will it work. If you leave it to chance, blaming the other person or waiting for them to change, it will always be unstable. But this idea wasn't just about relationships. It applied to everything in life. If I chose to take 100% responsibility for my choices, my actions, and even how I responded to what happened to me, I would hold the power. Everything would be up to me. No more blaming the economy, my boss, the weather, my upbringing, or any other excuse. Now, I know most people think they already take responsibility for their lives. But look closely. Have you ever blamed traffic for being late? Or said you're in a bad mood because of something your spouse or coworker did? Maybe you said, "I couldn't finish the work because the printer was slow." Or, "I'm stressed because my teenager is being unreasonable." In all these situations, you're handing over your power. You're saying your life is controlled by others, by circumstances. But here's the truth. You were late. Maybe you should have left earlier. The printer was busy. Shouldn't you have printed it sooner? The presentation got messed up. Did you doublech checkck it? Your teen is difficult. There are tons of books and resources to help you improve how you handle it. You are 100% responsible for everything you do, don't do, or how you react to what happens to you. This mindset will change your life. It changed mine. I realized that success isn't about luck or the perfect situation or waiting for someone else to fix things. If it's going to be, it's up to me. No matter who's in charge of the country, no matter what's happening in the economy, no matter what someone else says or does, I am in control of me. When you choose to give up the habit of blaming, when you stop waiting for someone else to fix things, when you take 100% ownership of your life, you become free. You hold the power to change your destiny. And that's the ultimate jackpot. Getting lucky. The truth about luck and success. Maybe you've thought to yourself, "I'm just not lucky." Maybe you believe that some people are destined for success while others are doomed to struggle. But here's the truth. That's just an excuse. The difference between people who are rich, happy, and healthy and those who are broke, depressed, and unhealthy is not luck. It's the choices they make day after day, moment by moment. Sure, luck exists, but it's not what you think. If you woke up today, if you're breathing, if you have your health, if you have some food in the kitchen, you are lucky. Many people in this world don't even have that. The problem is most people don't recognize how lucky they already are. Luck is not some magical force that picks favorites. It's not a lottery ticket that randomly lands in someone's lap. Luck is something that everyone has access to. But what separates the successful from everyone else is how they respond when luck shows up. I once asked Richard Branson, the billionaire entrepreneur, whether he believed luck played a part in his success. He said something powerful. Yes, of course. We are all lucky. If you live in a free society, you are lucky. Luck surrounds us every day. We are constantly having lucky things happen to us, whether you recognize it or not. I have not been any more or unlucky than anyone else. The difference is when luck came my way, I took advantage of it. That last part is key. Luck is useless if you're not prepared to act on it. We've all heard the old saying, luck is when opportunity meets preparation. That's true, but I believe there's more to it. There are two other ingredients that most people forget about when it comes to getting lucky. Those two are awareness, taking action. You see, opportunities are all around you every single day. But most people are too distracted, too busy, or too negative to notice them. That's where awareness comes in. You have to train yourself to see the small chances, the hidden opportunities that others overlook. And once you see them, you need to act immediately. That's the second ingredient, action. Many people see opportunities, but they hesitate. They overthink. They wait for the perfect time and by the time they're ready, the opportunity is long gone. So, if you want to be lucky, here's the formula. Prepare yourself. Develop your skills, mindset, and readiness. Stay aware. Keep your eyes open for opportunities. When luck shows up, take action without delay. Success isn't about luck choosing you. It's about you being ready to choose luck when it arrives. The complete formula for getting lucky. People often think luck is this magical force that randomly blesses some people and ignores others. But here's the truth. Luck isn't random. Luck follows a formula. And once you understand it, you'll see that luck isn't about chance. It's about preparation, mindset, and action. Here's the simple formula for getting lucky. Preparation plus attitude plus opportunity plus action equals luck. Let's break that down. Number one, preparation. Be ready before luck knocks. Luck loves people who are prepared. When you're constantly improving yourself, building your skills, gaining knowledge, expanding your network, and strengthening your resources, you position yourself to take advantage of opportunities when they show up. The legendary golfer Arnold Palmer once said, "It's a funny thing. The more I practice, the luckier I get." That's not a coincidence. When you prepare daily, you create your own luck because you're ready to act when a chance appears. Number two, attitude. You'll only see luck if you believe in it. This is where most people miss out. Attitude is about having the right mindset. The belief that luck is all around you. If you believe opportunities are scarce, you'll never see them. Even when they're right in front of you, but if you train your mind to look for the positive, to search for chances, you'll start noticing opportunities everywhere. As Richard Branson said, "Luck is always around us. The difference is whether we recognize it." You can't see what you're not looking for. And you won't look for what you don't believe exists. Number three, opportunity. Luck shows up unannounced. Opportunities often show up when you least expect them. You can't plan for them. You can't predict them. Sometimes opportunities arrive faster or in a different form than you imagined. But when they do, will you be ready? Remember, opportunity doesn't shout, it whispers. And only those who are prepared and paying attention will hear it. And number four, action. The final and most important step. This is where you come in. It doesn't matter how many lucky breaks life sends your way. If you don't take action, they're worthless. Opportunities are meaningless without action. This is the difference between people like Richard Branson and well, people like Joseph Wallington. Who's Joseph Wallington exactly? You've never heard of him. That's because he failed to act on the lucky opportunities that came his way. So, here's the hard truth. Stop blaming your circumstances. Stop complaining about the cards you were dealt or how unlucky you've been. There are countless people with fewer resources, bigger challenges, and tougher lives than you. Yet, they're wealthier, happier, and more fulfilled. Why? because they prepared, they kept a positive attitude, they noticed opportunities, and most importantly, they took action. Luck is an equal opportunity giver. Lady luck shines on everyone. But while most people walk around with their umbrellas up, shielding themselves from opportunity, successful people keep their faces turned up, ready to receive it. When it comes down to it, it's all on you. Luck isn't magic. It's a choice. And it starts with you deciding to be prepared, to stay positive, to spot opportunities, and to take immediate action. The high price of tuition at UHK, the University of Hard Knocks. Let me tell you a story. Nearly a decade ago, I was invited to join a new startup business as a partner. I invested a huge sum of money, over $330,000, and worked nonstop on it for almost 2 years. But then everything came crashing down. I discovered that my business partner had completely mismanaged the finances and wasted all the money. Just like that, it was gone. Now, you might expect that I'd be furious, maybe even take him to court, but I didn't. In fact, I later lent him more money when he had a personal emergency. Sounds crazy, right? But here's the truth. That loss was my fault. You see, I had agreed to go into business with him without doing my homework. I didn't check his background properly. I didn't investigate his character deeply enough. And during the business, I wasn't paying attention to the financial details. I trusted him to handle it. But in reality, I was being lazy. I ignored red flags. I overlooked warning signs. Every decision that led to that loss was a choice I made. So in the end, I was 100% responsible for the results. When I found out what had happened, I had a choice. I could waste more time and energy fighting it or I could accept responsibility, learn my lesson, and move on. I chose to move on. And honestly, if I faced that situation again, I'd make the same choice because the most valuable lessons in life often come from the University of Hard Knocks. The tuition is expensive, but the education is priceless. Now, I'm challenging you. No matter what has happened to you in the past, no matter who wronged you, betrayed you, or let you down, take complete responsibility for it, good or bad, victory or defeat, own it. My mentor Jim Ran once said, "The day you graduate from childhood to adulthood is the day you take full responsibility for your life." So, let me ask you, are you ready to graduate? Today is your graduation day. From this moment on, choose to take 100% responsibility for your life. No more excuses, no more blame. Understand this. Your choices have the power to free you as long as you're willing to own them. It's time to make the choice to take control. Because when you do, you'll no longer be a victim of circumstances. You'll be the author of your destiny. It's all on you. Your secret weapon, your scorecard. Let me share with you one of the most powerful strategies I've ever used to improve my life. It's simple, but it's a gamecher. This strategy will help you control your daily choices. And when you control your choices, everything else starts to fall into place. Your habits, your behaviors, your results, they all start aligning like loyal soldiers marching toward your goals. Here's how it works. Right now, I want you to think about one area of your life that you want to improve. Maybe you want more money in your bank account. Maybe you want to lose weight or build a stronger relationship with your spouse or kids. Or maybe you want the strength to run a marathon or compete in an Iron Man event. Whatever it is, picture it clearly. Now think about where you are in that area today and then picture where you want to be. Richer, fitter, happier, stronger. The first step to any change is awareness. You cannot change what you're not aware of. If you want to get from where you are to where you want to be, you need to start paying attention to the small choices that are silently steering you in the wrong direction. So, here's the secret weapon I'm giving you today. I want you to track your choices. every single action related to that area of life you want to improve, write it down. If you want to get out of debt, track every penny you spend. If you want to lose weight, track everything you eat and drink. If you're training for a big athletic event, track every step, every workout, every rep. It's simple. Just carry a small notebook with you, something that fits in your pocket or purse. Keep a pen or pencil with it and write everything down every day. No exceptions, no excuses. As if big brother is watching you. As if I along with my dad will show up and make you do a 100 push-ups for every missed entry. Now, I know what you're thinking. Writing things down on a piece of paper. That's it. Yes, that's it. It may sound too simple to be effective, but I promise you this is one of the main reasons behind my success. Tracking your actions forces you to stay conscious of your decisions. And here's the thing, as my mentor Jim Ran used to say, what's simple to do is also simple not to do. That's the trap. The magic isn't in the complexity of the task. The magic is in doing simple things consistently long enough to unleash the power of the compound effect. But be careful. Most people neglect the simple things that create the biggest results in life. That's the real difference between successful people and unsuccessful people. Successful people are willing to do the small, tedious, boring things that others are not. They're willing to stay disciplined when others get lazy. They're willing to track their progress when others lose focus. So, every time you face a difficult or tedious choice, remember this. The simple things done consistently are what create extraordinary success. Your scorecard is your secret weapon. Use it. Money trap. The power of tracking. Let me share with you a tough lesson I learned the hard way. Back in my early 20s, I was making a lot of money selling real estate. Life was good. Or so I thought. One day, I sat down with my accountant and he looked me straight in the eyes and said, "You owe over $100,000 in taxes." I was shocked. "What? I don't have that kind of money lying around." I said. He calmly asked, "Why not? You earned several times that amount. Didn't you set aside money for taxes?" That's when I had to admit something painful. I don't know where the money went. The truth was the money had slipped through my fingers like water. I wasn't paying attention. Then my accountant did me a huge favor. He gave me a reality check. He said, "Son, you're spending money like a drunken fool. You don't even know where the money's going. That's stupid. Stop it. You're digging your financial grave with your own wallet." That was a wake-up call. He told me to do one simple thing that completely changed my life. For the next 30 days, carry a small notebook in your pocket. Write down every single cent you spend. Whether it was $1,000 for a new suit or 50 cents for air at the gas station, it all had to go in the notebook. And you know what happened? Instant awareness. Suddenly, I noticed how many unconscious spending decisions I was making. There were times I didn't buy something, not because I couldn't afford it, but because I didn't want to pull out the notebook and admit I'd spent money on something dumb. Tracking my money for 30 days built a new discipline in me. This little exercise changed my financial habits forever. It didn't just help me spend less, it helped me save more, invest smarter, and even enjoy my spending more because now every purchase was intentional. But here's the real secret. Tracking isn't just for money. Over the years, I've used this same strategy to track what I eat and drink, how much I exercise, how many sales calls I make, how much time I spend learning new skills, even how I nurture relationships with family and friends. Every time I track, I improve. Tracking is my go-to system whenever I need to fix something in my life. Now, I'm asking you to do the same. for at least one full week. I want you to track your behaviors in the area of life you want to improve. This book isn't just for reading. It's for getting results. And results require action. I know you've probably heard about tracking before. Maybe you've even tried it once or twice. But let me ask you, are you doing it now? Probably not. If you were, your life would already be working at a higher level. Tracking is how you get back on track. Think about it. How do casinos in Las Vegas make so much money? Because they track every table, every hand, every minute. How do Olympic trainers produce worldclass athletes? Because they track every workout, every calorie, every micronutrient. All winners are trackers. And now I want you to start tracking your life with the same level of intensity. Tracking works because it brings momentto- moment awareness to your actions. And here's a universal truth. You cannot improve what you don't measure. Professional athletes track every stat. Golfers track every swing. Pitchers track every pitch. Why? Because when their stats improve, they win more. When they win more, they earn more. From this moment on, I want you to track yourself as if you are a valuable commodity because you are. This is the idiot proof system I promised you. Regardless of how aware you think you are, believe me, you're not. Tracking will revolutionize your life and your lifestyle. It's simple, but it works. Start tracking. Keep it slow and easy. Start tracking your life. Okay, take a deep breath. Don't panic. We're not going to turn your life upside down overnight. We're starting off slow and easy. I'm asking you to track just one habit for one week. That's it. Pick the habit that seems to control you the most. It could be your eating habits, your spending, your screen time, or anything else that's quietly steering your life off course. That's where you'll start. Let's say you choose eating because you want to lose weight. Your task is simple. Write down everything you put in your mouth. From the steak and salad at dinner to that tiny candy bar in the break room to the extra glass of wine when the host tops you off. Oh, and don't forget the drinks. Sodas, coffee, that sneaky late night hot chocolate. They all count. Now, I know this sounds simple, and it is, but only if you actually do it. That's why I want you to make a promise right now. Commit. Set the date. No turning back. So, what will this tracking look like? It's not complicated. Each day, take a fresh page, write the date at the top, and start logging everything in that category. That's it. Keep it organized. Keep it relentless. What will happen after just one week? You'll be shocked. You'll realize how calories, dollars, minutes have been slipping away without you even noticing. It's like finding leaks in a boat you didn't even know had holes. But here's where the magic kicks in. Keep tracking that one habit for 3 weeks. Yes, 21 days. You're probably groaning right now. You're thinking, "3 weeks? I don't want to carry a notebook around for that long." But trust me, after 1 week, the results will be so obvious, you'll want to continue. Why 3 weeks? You've probably heard that it takes 21 days to build a habit. Is that an exact science? Maybe not, but it's a good rule of thumb, and it's worked for me. So, commit to tracking that one habit for 21 days. Now, here's the fun part. After a few days, you'll catch yourself thinking, "Do I really want that candy bar?" Because I'll have to write it down. That little pause, that's awareness. And that pause will save you 200 calories. Skip that candy bar every day for 2 weeks. And guess what? You've already lost a pound without going on a diet. Or let's talk about that daily $4 coffee. At first, it seems harmless, right? But let's do the math. $4 a day for three weeks is $60. $4 a day for a year is $1,460. Invested over 20 years, that's $51,833.79. That's right. Your $4 coffee habit is costing you a brand new luxury car in 20 years. Every dollar you spend today could be worth $5 in 20 years or $10 in 30 years if you invested it instead. So next time you look at a $50 item in a store, ask yourself, is this worth $250 of my future money? If the answer is yes, go for it. But if not, put it back on the shelf and thank future you for being smarter. Think about how often we go to stores like Costco. You walk in with a plan to spend $25 and somehow you walk out $400 lighter. We all do it. But once you start tracking, you'll see those $50 fun purchases through a different lens. When you track like this, you stop sleepwalking through life. You wake up. You become aware and you start making better choices. All with a simple notebook and a pen. It's so simple yet so powerful. That's the compound effect in action. Small, smart choices made consistently over time will change your life forever. The unsung unseen hero. Small steps, big impact. Once you start tracking your life, something amazing will happen. Your attention will shift. You'll begin noticing the smallest things you're doing right and the tiniest things you're doing wrong. And here's the key. When you choose to make even the smallest course corrections consistently over time, you will see extraordinary results. But here's the catch. Don't expect instant applause. No one will notice. There won't be a trophy. No congratulations card in the mail. That's because these small adjustments are invisible at first. But don't let that fool you. Over time, these tiny disciplines will compound into something massive. Think about it like this. A horse wins a race by just a nose, barely an inch. Yet, the prize money for first place is 10 times more than second place. Is that horse 10 times faster? No. It's just a tiny bit better. But that tiny bit makes all the difference when it's been compounded through extra laps in training, better nutrition, a more disciplined jockey. Let's look at golf. After hundreds of tournaments and thousands of swings, the difference between the number one golfer in the world and the number 10 golfer is just 1.9 strokes. That's it. But the difference in prize money over five times more. We're talking $10 million versus $2 million. The number one golfer isn't five times better. Not even 50% or 10% better. In fact, his average score is only 2.7% better than the number 10 golfer. But that small margin leads to massive rewards. That's the compound effect in action. It's not the big wins that separate the great from the good. It's the hundreds, thousands, and millions of tiny choices no one sees. It's those early mornings, those few extra practice swings, that extra rep at the gym, that skip dessert. Each action seems invisible in the moment, but together they separate the ordinary from the extraordinary. So if you want extraordinary results, stop looking for big leaps. Start focusing on small consistent actions. Track them, adjust them, and watch how over time they transform your life. Take a walk. The power of small leadership actions. Let me share a story with you. I was mentoring a CEO named Phil. Phil's company was doing over $und00 million a year in sales. On paper, things looked great. But when I visited his office, I noticed something. There was a lack of energy. The culture felt disconnected. The employees seemed to be working, but not with passion or pride. It wasn't hard to figure out why. Phil had not walked through parts of his own building in over 5 years. He had never even spoken personally to 80% of his staff. He lived in a bubble surrounded only by his top management. I challenged him with a simple task. Three times a week, step outside your office, walk around the building, and find three employees who were doing something right. Give them a genuine compliment. That's it. This small action took Phil less than an hour a week, but over time it created massive results. The employees who got his recognition started working even harder to earn more of his appreciation. Others saw this and were inspired to step up their game. Slowly, the entire company culture began to shift. Their positive attitude flowed into how they treated customers. Customer service improved. Repeat business increased. Word- of- mouth referrals grew. And here's the kicker. In just 18 months, Phil's company saw net profits grow by over 30%. Same employees, no extra marketing budget, no big corporate overhaul. All from one small habit done consistently. This is the compound effect at work. Tiny steps repeated over time leading to extraordinary outcomes. Never underestimate the power of a simple walk. The money tree. How $33 made her a millionaire. Let me tell you a story about Kathleen, one of my amazing assistants. 12 years ago, Kathleen was earning $40,000 a year. One day after one of my seminars, she walked into my office and said, "Darren, I heard you talk about saving 10% of everything you earn. That sounds nice, but there's no way I can do that. It's impossible." She showed me her list of bills, rent, groceries, car payments. At the end of the month, there was nothing left. She said, "I need a raise." But I told her, "I'll give you something better. I'm going to teach you how to become wealthy." Step one, I asked Kathleen to start tracking her spending. Step two, I told her to open a new savings account with just $33. That's only 1% of her monthly income. To find that $33, I suggested something simple. bring lunch from home just one day a week instead of eating out. The next month, she saved 2% by making another small adjustment. We cut her cable package. Month after month, she made tiny, almost invisible changes. She canled her People magazine subscription. She stopped buying Starbucks coffee twice a week and instead made her own gourmet coffee at the office. By the end of the year, Kathleen was earning 10% of her income. And the best part, she didn't even feel like she was sacrificing her lifestyle. But something else happened, too. Saving money awakened her creativity. She started looking for ways to save and make money for our company. She came to me with a proposal. If I can find ways to save the company money, will you give me 10% of the savings? And for new revenue ideas, will you give me 15% of the profits? I agreed. By the end of her second year, Kathleen was earning over $100,000 a year, all from her base salary of $40,000. Soon after, she launched her own independent consulting business. Fast forward, I ran into Kathleen at an airport recently. She's now earning over $250,000 a year and she's built more than $1 million in assets. It all started with saving just $33 a month. That's the compound effect. small simple actions done consistently over time turning into a financial transformation. Kathleen didn't need a raise. She needed to plant her money tree. Time is of the essence. Start small. Start now. Here's a simple truth. The earlier you start making small changes, the more powerfully the compound effect will work for you. Let me give you an example. Imagine your friend listens to Dave Ramsey's advice and starts investing $250 a month in an IRA right after college at age 23. But you you wait until you're 40 years old to start saving. Maybe you got distracted. Maybe you started saving once but stopped because you didn't see any big gains. Fast forward, your friend stops investing at age 40. She doesn't put in another dime after that. You, on the other hand, keep investing $250 every single month all the way until retirement at 67. But guess what? When you're ready to retire, she will have over $1 million. you'll have less than $300,000. Even though you invested for a lot longer and put in $27,000 more than she did, you end up with onethird of what she has. That's the price of procrastination. Waiting to start those small important habits costs more than you think. Now, you might be telling yourself, "I've started so late I can never catch up." But that's just a story in your head. It's never too late to benefit from the compound effect. Let's say you've always wanted to learn piano, but you're about to turn 40 and you feel it's too late. If you start now, by the time you're 65, you could be a master pianist. That's 25 years of experience. And it all starts with the first tiny step. But what if 25 years feels too long? What if you only have time or patience for 10 years? Here's where it gets exciting. In his book, Focal Point, Brian Tracy explains how to improve any area of your life by 1,000%. Sounds huge, right? But here's how simple it actually is. You improve by just oneth of 1% each workday. That's one out of a thousand. Could you do that? Of course, anyone can. Here's what happens. After a week, you've improved by half a percent. After a month, you're 2% better. Compounded over a year, that's a 26% improvement. That might still seem small, but wait for the magic of compounding. At this pace, your income and performance will double every 2.9 years. By the end of 10 years, you'll be 1,000% better than where you started. You won't need to work 1,000% harder. You won't need to work 10 times more hours. Just improve a tiny bit every single day. That's the compound effect. Small, smart choices done daily turn into extraordinary results. The key, start now. No matter how late you think it is, success is a half marathon. Small steps, big wins. Let me tell you a story about Beverly. She worked as a salesperson in a company I was helping to turn around. One day, Beverly told me, "My friend is running a half marathon this weekend. But me? I can't even climb a flight of stairs without getting winded." She was significantly overweight and truly believed she could never do such a thing. But here's what I told her. If you want to, you can choose to do what your friend is doing. Of course, Beverly laughed it off. There's absolutely no way, she said. But instead of arguing, I asked her one simple question. Why would you want to run a half marathon? Her eyes lit up. My 20-year high school reunion is next summer, she said. And I want to look fabulous. Bingo. We had found her why power, a deep personal reason to change. Now, you probably know how most people approach fitness goals. They buy an expensive gym membership, hire a personal trainer, spend a fortune on fancy workout gear, go allin for a week, and then quit. That's not what I wanted for Beverly. So, we started small. I asked her to drive around the block and map out a onemile loop near her house. Then I gave her a simple challenge. Walk that loop three times over the next two weeks. No running, no pressure, just a simple doable action. After that, I asked her to walk the loop three times in one week. Then slowly she started jogging, but only as far as she felt comfortable. The moment she got breathless, she'd stop and walk. Gradually, she could jog a quarter of a mile, then half a mile, then 3/4. After 7 weeks, Beverly was jogging the whole loop. One mile nonstop. It might seem like a small victory, but it was a gamecher. The compound effect had been set in motion. From there, I asked Beverly to increase her distance by just an eighth of a mile each outing. That's around 300 steps further, barely noticeable. But over 6 months, Beverly was running 9 miles comfortably. In 9 months, she was running 13.5 m regularly, more than a half marathon. But the real magic, it wasn't just about running. Beverly lost her cravings for chocolate and junk food. Her energy at work skyrocketed. Her sales performance doubled. Her marriage became more passionate. She became a more active, joyful mom. She outgrew negative friendships and made new, healthier ones. She joined a running club, sparking even more positive changes. All of this started with one small choice, to walk a mile. 9 months later, Beverly had lost over 40 lbs and was a walking running billboard of empowerment. Today, she runs full marathons. Your life is shaped by momentto- moment choices. Fitness trainer Jillian Michaels shared a powerful story with me. As a kid, her mom would hide Easter eggs around the house. When Jillian got close, her mom would say, "You're getting warmer. On fire." But when she moved away, you're cold, freezing. Every choice you make in life works the same way. Every decision either gets you closer to your goals, warmer, or pulls you away colder. You hold incredible power to change your life by changing your daily choices. Step by step, day by day, your choices shape your actions. Actions become habits. Habits become your destiny. Losing is a habit. So is winning. Now it's time to eliminate the habits that hold you back and build the ones that lift you up. Are you ready to learn how to create winning habits that stick forever? Let's dive in. Chapter 3. Habits. A wise teacher was walking through a forest with his young student. As they strolled, the teacher stopped in front of a small plant. He said to the boy, "Pull this little sapling out of the ground." The boy reached down and easily pulled the tiny plant out with his fingers. "Good," said the teacher. Then, pointing to a slightly bigger sapling, he asked, "Now pull that one up." The boy grabbed the thicker stem. Used a bit more effort, but still managed to pull it out without much trouble. Next, the teacher showed him a small tree about as tall as the boy himself. Try to pull that one up now. This time, it was not so easy. The boy tugged and pulled with all his strength. He had to use sticks and stones to loosen the soil and pry up the roots. Finally, after a lot of effort, the tree came out. The teacher then pointed to a huge oak tree towering high above them. Now, he said, "Pull up that tree." The boy looked at the massive oak. Its trunk was thick and its roots must have been deep in the earth. The boy sighed and said, "Teacher, I can't. It's impossible." The wise teacher smiled and said, "My son, this is exactly how habits work in life. When a habit is new, like the small sapling, it's easy to pull out and change. But as time passes, that habit grows stronger. Its roots go deeper. It becomes harder to change. If you let a bad habit grow for too long, it will become like this huge oak tree, so deeply rooted that you may feel it's impossible to remove. The lesson is simple. Start working on your habits when they are small. Don't wait until they've grown into something massive and difficult to change. Creatures of habit. Aristotle once said, "We are what we repeatedly do." That's a powerful statement, isn't it? What we do over and over again becomes who we are. But what exactly is a habit? The dictionary says, "A habit is a behavior we do so often it becomes almost automatic." Let me tell you a simple story. A man is riding a horse. The horse is galloping fast, running as if it knows where it's going. A person standing by the road yells to the rider, "Hey, where are you going?" The man on the horse shouts back, "I don't know. Ask the horse." This is the story of most people's lives. We are riding on the back of our habits, letting them take us wherever they want. We don't stop to ask, "Am I even going in the right direction?" It's time to grab the reins of your life. You can't let your habits control you anymore. You need to control them. But first, don't be too hard on yourself. There's a reason this happens. Psychologists say that 95% of everything we think, feel, and do is a habit. Yes, 95%. That means most of our actions are automatic. We don't even realize we're doing them. We aren't born with habits. We develop them. Starting from childhood, we pick up habits from our parents, our surroundings, and our life experiences. Over time, these habits get stronger and they begin to run on autopilot. Now, autopilot isn't always a bad thing. Imagine if you had to think carefully every single time you brushed your teeth or when you put on your seat belt or made breakfast. Life would be exhausting. Good habits save us time and mental energy. They make our lives easier. But here's the catch. Bad habits grow just as strong as good ones. If you have the habit of eating healthy, it probably feels natural to choose healthy foods. If you're in shape, it's likely because working out has become a part of your daily routine. If you're successful in sales, it's because you've developed habits like positive self-talk, mental preparation, and resilience against rejection. I've met many CEOs, top athletes, and successful entrepreneurs. Do you know the one thing they all have in common? Good habits. That doesn't mean they're perfect. They still have bad habits, but not many. And that makes all the difference. Success isn't about being super smart or incredibly talented. It's about what you do consistently. It's about habits that push you to become better, to keep learning, improving, and preparing. Let me share a story my dad told me about Larry Bird, the basketball legend. Larry wasn't the fastest, the tallest, or the most athletic player. In fact, some people even said he looked awkward on the court. But Larry Bird became one of the greatest basketball players of all time. How habits. Every morning before school, Larry would shoot 500 free throws every single day. While others relied on talent, Larry relied on practice, discipline, and habits. That's how he became a champion. And here's the good news. You can do the same for yourself. You can train yourself to build habits that will make you a champion in your own life. It's true that many of your current habits were formed unconsciously. Maybe you picked them up from your parents, your environment, or as ways to cope with life. But just like you learned them, you can also unlearn them. You have the power to change. It all starts with a choice and the willingness to practice new habits until they become automatic. Are you ready? Let's go. Start by thinking your way out of the instant gratification trap. We all know the truth. Eating Pop-Tarts won't help us lose weight. Watching hours of TV every night won't make us smarter or more successful. Buying expensive running shoes doesn't mean we're ready to run a marathon. We know these things. We're rational beings, right? Then why do we keep falling into bad habits? The answer is simple. Instant gratification. We crave quick rewards. We want pleasure now. And that need often makes us act without thinking. Imagine this. What if every time you took a bite of a Big Mac, you immediately collapsed from a heart attack? Would you go for a second bite? Probably not. What if your very next cigarette instantly aged your face to look like you're 85 years old? Would you light up again? highly unlikely. Or what if skipping one important work call caused you to lose your job that very same day? You'd probably never miss a call again. And what if that first fork full of cake made you instantly gain 50 lbs? Saying no thanks to dessert would be easy. But here's the problem. In real life, bad habits don't punish you instantly. The damage is slow, silent, invisible in the moment. You don't feel the heart attack today. You don't see your face aging after one puff. You don't get fired for skipping that task today. That's why bad habits feel so harmless. But make no mistake, the compound effect is still working on you. Every small bad choice is like adding one tiny drop into a bucket. You don't notice it today, but one day the bucket overflows. That's why it's time to wake up. Your daily habits are shaping your future, whether you see it or not. Even the smallest changes in your routine, can completely transform where you'll end up. And no, I'm not asking you to overhaul your life overnight. You don't need a dramatic personality makeover. It's the tiny, almost invisible adjustments that matter. Let me give you an example. Imagine a plane taking off from Los Angeles heading to New York City. Now, let's say the pilot adjusts the nose of the plane by just one degree. That's a shift so small you wouldn't even notice it on the runway. But by the time that plane crosses the country, it won't land in New York. It'll be 150 mi off course somewhere in Albany or maybe Dover, Delaware. This is exactly how your habits work. A small bad habit might seem harmless today, but over time it can steer you far away from your goals, dreams, and the life you want. And most people drift through life like that, letting their habits, their autopilot decide where they end up. But that's not going to be you. You're going to take control of the wheel. I want to help you ignite your passion and aim it in the right direction. Now, let's be honest. Pulling out old bad habits, especially the ones that have been with you for years, is not going to be easy. It'll take more than sheer willpower. It requires clarity, vision, and conscious effort. But once you make that choice, even the smallest course correction can change everything. So, are you ready to make those tiny adjustments? Because they will lead you to massive success, finding your mojo, your why power. Most people think they need willpower to change their bad habits. But let me tell you something. Relying only on willpower is like trying to stop a hungry grizzly bear from stealing your picnic basket by covering it with a napkin. It's not going to work. When you're trying to build new habits, you'll face resistance. You'll feel lazy, tired, uncomfortable, and in those moments, willpower alone won't be enough to save you. That's why so many people fail to stick to their goals. You've probably been there, too. You promised yourself you'd lose weight. You set a resolution to make more sales calls. You told yourself that this year would be different. But after a while, you fell back into your old routine. The same cycle repeated. It's not because you're weak. It's because willpower isn't the real solution. What you need is why power. Let me explain. Your choices only have meaning when they're connected to your deepest desires and dreams. When you know why you want something, you'll find the strength to keep going even when it gets hard. But if you don't have a strong why, you'll give up the moment things get uncomfortable. You've tried using willpower before and you know how that story ends. Let's try something new this time. Let's focus on your why. So ask yourself, what do you really want? Why do you want it? what's so important to you that you're willing to fight for it day after day for years if needed. Your why needs to be powerful. It needs to be so exciting, so meaningful to you that it pulls you out of bed every morning with energy and purpose. It's your ignition. Your why is the source of your passion, your enthusiasm, and the fuel for your persistence. When you have a clear why, you don't have to push yourself constantly, your why pulls you forward. Without it, every goal feels like a struggle. With it, even the hardest work feels worth it. That's why finding your why is not optional, it's essential. It's not just about what you want, it's about why you want it. Because once you're connected to a powerful why, you'll be unstoppable. Why everything's possible. Here's a truth you need to understand. Your why is the key to making everything possible. You can learn all the strategies, the tips, the howto's of success, but none of it will matter until your why is strong enough. Because when things get tough, when the work feels boring, hard, or exhausting, it's your why that will keep you going. If your why isn't powerful, you'll quit, just like those New Year's resolutions that fade by February. You'll fall back into bad habits and old routines. But when your why is strong, you become unstoppable. Let me give you a simple analogy. Imagine this. I lay a 10-inch wide, 30 foot long plank on the ground. I tell you, walk across this plank and I'll give you $20. You'd probably do it. Easy money, right? Now, let's change the scenario. What if I placed that same plank between two 100story buildings? Would you still walk across it for $20? I don't think so. You'd probably look at me and say, "No way. The risk is too high. The reward isn't worth it." But now imagine this. Your child is on the rooftop of the opposite building. That building is on fire. Would you cross the plank to save your child? You wouldn't even think twice. You'd run across that plank, no matter how dangerous it is. What changed? The plank is the same. The risk is the same, but this time your why changed. That's the power of a meaningful why. When your reason is big enough, you'll do whatever it takes. You'll find a way to get across no matter how hard it is. That's why money and material goals aren't enough. Sure, they're nice. We all love nice things. But they don't reach deep into your heart. If you want to tap into your true drive, you need a why that comes from a deeper place, a reason that stirs your soul. In an interview, Tony Robbins said it perfectly. I've seen business mogul achieve their ultimate goals, yet still live in frustration, worry, and fear. They focused only on achievement, not fulfillment. Success without fulfillment is failure. That's powerful, isn't it? You see, achievement alone won't give you happiness. You can reach your goals and still feel empty inside. But when your why is connected to something meaningful, when it's about growth, contribution, love, family, purpose, that's when success becomes fulfilling. That's why it's not enough to say, "I want to be successful." You need to ask yourself, why do I want it? What's driving me? What's the deeper reason that will pull me forward when things get hard? When you find that reason, you'll unlock a superpower inside you. Your why power, core motivation. If you want to tap into your true why power, you need to start with your core values. Your core values define who you are and what you stand for. Think of them as your internal compass, your guiding beacon, your personal GPS. Every day, life throws choices, temptations, and demands at you. Your core values are the filter that helps you decide, is this taking me closer to my true goals or pulling me off track? But here's the problem. Most people never stop to define their core values clearly. And when your values are unclear, you end up making choices that don't feel right deep down. Let's take an example. If honesty is a core value for you, but you spend your time with people who lie and cheat, you'll constantly feel uncomfortable and frustrated. That's because your actions are not aligned with your values. And when that happens, it creates stress. A lot of stress. In fact, psychologists say that the biggest cause of stress is when your actions don't match your values. It feels like an internal tugofwar. But once you define your core values, life becomes simpler. Decisions become easier. No more overthinking, no more indecision. When faced with a choice, just ask yourself, does this align with my core values? If the answer is yes, go for it. If the answer is no, walk away and don't look back. No stress, no guilt, no regrets. When your values are clear, your path becomes clear. And that clarity gives you confidence, focus, and peace of mind. So take the time to define your core values. They will be the foundation of your why power and the fuel for everything you want to achieve. Find your fight. People are motivated by two things. Something they want or something they don't want. Love is a powerful motivator, but so is hate. Now, I know hate isn't a word we like to use, but sometimes hating the right things can be good for you. Hate disease, hate injustice, hate ignorance, hate laziness. Sometimes the fastest way to find your inner fire is to find an enemy to fight. History is full of stories where having an enemy sparked greatness. David had Goliath. America had the British. Luke Skywalker had Darth Vader. Rocky had Apollo Creed. Even companies have rivals. Apple has Microsoft. Microsoft has Apple. The point is enemies give you a reason to stand tall. They challenge your strength, your skills, and your determination. Without a fight, we get soft. We get lazy. We lose our purpose. I've had many people tell me they feel guilty because their motivation isn't noble. Some want to prove their haters wrong. Some want to beat the competition. Some just want to silence a sibling who always made them feel small. But here's the truth. It doesn't matter why you're motivated as long as you stay motivated. Your why doesn't have to be for saving the world. Sometimes using a negative experience, a grudge, a frustration, an enemy can drive you to create something incredibly positive. Let me give you an example. One of the greatest football coaches, Pete Carol once said, "When I was young, I was a little runt. I was too small to compete. But inside, I knew I had the potential. That frustration became my fuel. I needed to fight to prove I was special. That fight brought out his greatness." Another example, the legendary actor Anthony Hopkins. As a child, Hopkins struggled with dyslexia and ADHD long before those conditions were understood. Teachers labeled him a problem child. Society told him he wouldn't amount to anything. He was angry. He was resentful. But instead of letting that anger destroy him, he used it. He discovered acting and made it his mission to prove everyone wrong. Today, Anthony Hopkins is considered one of the greatest actors in history. His fight started from a place of pain, but it led him to a life of success, impact, and contribution. Here's the lesson. We all have the power to choose how we respond to life. You can blame chance, fate, or other people. Or you can take back control. Past failures, insults, and painful experiences don't have to be your weakness. They can be your fuel. Use them to create positive, powerful change in your life. Find your fight. It will bring out your best self. Goals. The compound effect is always working. Every choice you make, every habit you follow is pushing you in a direction. The question is where are you going? You can use the power of the compound effect to lift you to incredible success, but only if you know where you want to go. You need clear goals. You need a destination. Let me tell you a story. I once attended the funeral of my mentor Paul J. Meer. His life was filled with achievements, adventures, and contributions. He lived a life that most people couldn't match in 10 lifetimes. As I listen to his obituary, I ask myself, am I dreaming big enough? Am I setting goals that truly challenge me? Paul used to say something powerful. If you're not making the progress you want, it's because your goals are not clearly defined. Think about that. If you're stuck, if you're frustrated, it might be because your goals are vague, blurry, or half-hearted. Paul also said, "Whenever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe, and enthusiastically act upon must inevitably come to pass. It's not magic. It's focus. The single most important skill that transformed my life was learning how to set and achieve goals effectively. There's something incredible that happens when you focus all your creative power on a clear, specific target. It's like turning on a laser beam. You become unstoppable. I've seen this over and over again. The most successful people in the world are not always the smartest. They're not always the most talented, but they are the ones with a clear vision. When your why is burning hot, when your goals are sharp and vivid, you will outperform even the most talented people who are unclear about where they're going. Success isn't about being perfect at how to do things. It's about knowing why you're doing them and where you want to end up. Once you have that clarity, the compound effect will work for you, not against you. How goal setting actually works. The secret revealed. Let's talk about how goal setting really works. Some people think it's a mystery. Some call it the law of attraction. But it's actually very simple. Here's the truth. You only see, experience, and get what you're actively looking for. If you don't know what you want, you won't see it. It could be right in front of you and you'd miss it. You see, your brain is a goal seeking machine. It's always trying to match your outer world with what you focus on inside your mind. When you give your brain clear instructions, when you say, "This is what I want," it starts filtering out everything else. Here's an example. Have you ever decided to buy a new car? Let's say a red Honda Civic and suddenly you start seeing red Civics everywhere. Were they not there before? Of course they were, but you weren't paying attention. Now that your mind is focused on it, it's like they've appeared out of nowhere, but they were there all along. That's how goal setting works. Every day we're bombarded with billions of pieces of information, sounds, sites, conversations, opportunities. But to stay sane, your brain ignores 99.9% of it. It only notices what you've told it to look for. When you define your goals, you're giving your brain a new filter, a new lens to see the world. Suddenly, you'll start noticing ideas, people, resources, conversations, and opportunities that you were blind to before. They didn't appear. You just weren't looking for them. That's why writing your goals down is so important. As Brian Tracy says, "A goal that is not in writing is merely a fantasy." People who succeed have clear written goals. They know who they are. They know what they want. They make plans to achieve it. People who fail carry their goals in their head like marbles rattling around in a tin can. Without written goals, you're just shooting blanks in life. So, here's what you need to do today. Sit down and make a list of your most important goals. But don't just focus on money or career. Think about all areas of your life. your health, your relationships, your personal growth, your spirituality, your lifestyle, your business and finances. Balance is key because success in one area while neglecting everything else will cost you dearly. So, aim for whole life success. Define what you want, write it down, and give your brain a clear target to hit. That's how the secret really works. Who you have to become. When most people set a new goal, they immediately ask, "What do I need to do to get it?" That's a good question, but it's not the first question you should be asking. The real question is, "Who do I need to become to achieve this goal?" You've probably seen people who seem to do all the right things. They follow the steps, put in the effort, but still don't get the results they want. Why does that happen? Because success isn't just about doing, it's about becoming. One of my mentors, Jim Ran, said it best. If you want to have more, you have to become more. Success is not something you pursue. It's something you attract by the person you become. When I truly understood this, it changed my life. Let me tell you a personal story. Years ago, when I was single and ready to find my life partner, I made a list. Not just any list, a long list. I wrote down everything I wanted in the perfect woman. Her personality, her values, her background, even the texture of her hair. I filled over 40 pages describing her in detail. But then I asked myself a deeper question. Instead of thinking, "What do I have to do to find her?" I asked, "Would a woman like this even want a guy like me?" That was a wake-up call. So, I flipped the process. I wrote 40 more pages describing the kind of man I would need to become to attract a woman of that quality. What kind of character would I need? What values should I live by? How should I treat people? What kind of mindset should I have? Then I went to work on myself. I didn't chase after her. I became the kind of man who would naturally attract her. And guess what? It worked. As if she had stepped right out of the pages of my journal, I met my wife, Georgia. She was everything I had envisioned and more. Here's the lesson. If you want to achieve something big in life, don't just ask, "What do I need to do?" First, ask who do I need to become? Because success doesn't come from chasing it. It comes from attracting it by becoming the person who deserves it. Behave yourself. All right, you've set your goals. You're clear on what you want. Now comes the real work, your behavior. Because between you and your goals is how you behave every single day. Let me ask you this. What habits do you need to stop doing? And what new habits do you need to start? This is how the compound effect works. Every little choice, whether good or bad, is moving you somewhere. The question is where? You might think you already know your bad habits, but I'm willing to bet you're missing a few. That's why tracking your behavior is so important. Here's a simple example. Do you know how many hours you actually spend watching TV every day or how often you check social media or how many sodas you drink? Most people have no clue. I once mentored a very successful executive who wanted to be even more productive. So I had him track his daily activities for one week. Guess what we found? He was spending 3.5 hours a day consuming news, reading newspapers, listening to news in the car, watching news at night, even checking Yahoo News multiple times during work hours. He wasn't a journalist. He wasn't a stock broker. He didn't need that much information. It was simply a habit. I suggested a simple fix. Cancel the newspaper. Turn off the TV and radio. Use an RSS feed to get only the news that truly matters to him. That one small change saved him hours every day. He used that extra time to exercise, read, plan, and spend more time with his family. He later told me, "I've never felt less stressed and more productive in my life." You see, one tiny habit shift can lead to a massive life upgrade. Now, it's your turn. Grab a notebook. Write down your top three goals. Then make a list of all the habits that might be sabotaging your progress. Be honest with yourself. If you say you want to be healthy, but you've got Doritos dust on your fingers, I'm believing the Doritos. If you say personal growth matters, but you spend more time gaming than reading, I'm believing the Xbox. If you claim family is your number one priority, but they're not even on your schedule, I'm believing your calendar. Habits and behaviors never lie. That list of bad habits, that's the truth of who you are right now. But here's the good news. You get to decide whether that's okay or if you're ready to change. Next, write down the positive habits you need to adopt. habits that if practiced consistently will compound into your success. Remember, this isn't about feeling guilty. It's not about blaming yourself for the past. It's about being clear, honest, and intentional about the future. We are going to uproot the bad habits and plant new powerful habits in their place. And that's how you take control of your life. Game changers. Five strategies for eliminating bad habits. Your habits are learned. That means they can be unlearned. But first, you need a new game plan. Here are five powerful strategies to break free from bad habits and finally steer your life in the direction you want. One, identify your triggers. Every bad habit has a trigger. Ask yourself, who am I with when this habit shows up? Where does it happen? What time of day? How am I feeling? Is it stress, boredom, anxiety? Do certain people or places bring it out of you? For example, do you crave sweets at night? Do you drink more when you're with certain friends? Be honest and write down the big fours. Who, what, where, when? Awareness is the first step to change, but it's just step one. Two, clean house. If you want to quit a bad habit, remove the temptation. Want to stop drinking alcohol? Get rid of every bottle. Throw away the glasses, too. Want to stop overspending? Unsubscribe from all shopping emails. Cancel those cataloges. Want to eat healthier? Clean out the junk food in your kitchen. Don't bring it into the house. Period. You can't rely on willpower. Make it easier to win by cleaning house. Three, swap it. You don't have to suffer. You can swap bad habits with better ones. For example, I love something sweet after dinner. If there's ice cream, I'll eat a massive sundae. But now I satisfy the craving with just two Hershey's kisses. Sweet tooth satisfied. No treadmill punishment needed. My sister-in-law used to munch on tortilla chips while watching TV. She realized it was the crunch she loved. Now she swaps chips for carrot and celery sticks. Crunchy but healthy. Find healthier alternatives that still scratch the itch. Four, ease in. Some habits are deeply rooted. For those, it's okay to ease in slowly. When my wife had to quit caffeine, we didn't go cold turkey. We started with 50% decaf coffee, then full decaf, then decaf tea. Over a month, we weaned off caffeine. No headaches, no crash. Small steps can lead to big change one day at a time. Or jump in. But sometimes you just need to jump in. I remember water skiing like Rollins. The water was freezing. I dread getting in. But once I plunged in, it wasn't so bad. I acclimated quickly and had a blast skiing. Same with habits. Sometimes tiptoeing doesn't work. You need to make the leap. I knew someone who drank all day every day. One day at a wedding, he saw someone full of energy and life, the complete opposite of himself. At that moment, he decided no more alcohol, cold turkey, and he hasn't touched a drop in six years. In business, I found that small steps don't always cut it. Sometimes you have to go allin. Ask yourself which habits can I ease into changing and which ones require a bold leap of commitment. Either way, choose a strategy and start moving. The compound effect is waiting to reward your effort. Run a vice check. Let's get one thing straight. I'm not suggesting you cut out every bad thing from your life. Life's little indulgences are fine in moderation. But here's the real question. Are you in control of your vices or are they controlling you? The vice fast. I have a personal habit. Every few months I go on a vice fast. I pick one of my vices, coffee, ice cream, wine, movies, and I take a break from it for 30 days. It's my way of checking, am I still the boss here? For example, when I enjoy a glass of wine, I want it to be a celebration of the day, not a way to escape a bad mood. Same goes for ice cream. Am I savoring it as a treat, or is it slowly turning into a nightly addiction? The 30-day challenge. Here's a challenge for you. Pick one vice, something you enjoy in moderation, and go 30 days without it. Maybe it's coffee, Netflix, sweets, social media, online shopping. Test yourself. Are you still in control? If you find it seriously difficult to abstain, that's a sign that habit might be starting to own you. Stay the alpha dog. You want to be the alpha dog in your life, not the other way around. This isn't about punishment. It's about proving to yourself that you're still in charge, that you can enjoy life's pleasures, but only on your own terms. A vice isn't forever. It's just 30 days. But the awareness you gain, that can last a lifetime. Six powerful techniques to build good habits. Now that we've talked about eliminating bad habits, it's time to plant new positive habits that will lead you straight to success. Creating a good habit is like planting a tree. You've got to plant it, water it, care for it, and make sure it takes root. Let me walk you through six powerful strategies to make that happen. One, set yourself up to succeed. You want to make your new habits easy to do. If you join a gym that's 30 m away, guess what? You'll never go. But if that gym is 5 minutes from your home, you'll have no excuse. If you want to eat healthy, make sure your fridge is filled with good options. If you don't want to binge on junk at work, keep healthy snacks in your desk. The key is simple. Remove obstacles. Make success convenient. Two, think addition, not subtraction. Don't focus on what you're giving up, focus on what you're adding in. Montel Williams taught me this. Instead of thinking I can't eat chocolate or burgers, he thinks today I get to enjoy a fresh salad, juicy fruits, and grilled veggies. Shift your mindset from sacrifice to abundance. A friend of mine replaced his TV time with playing with his kids and learning photography. Soon, the TV wasn't even a temptation anymore. What can you add to your life that's better than your old habit? Three, go public. Accountability time. Nothing keeps you more disciplined than telling the world about your new goal. Post it on social media. Tell your family, friends, co-workers. Once you put it out there, you'll feel the responsibility to stay on track. I once helped a colleague quit smoking by putting a big calendar on her desk. Every day she didn't smoke. She'd draw a big red X. Soon, everyone cheered her on. She didn't want to quit on herself or on that wall of red X's. Four, find a success buddy. You don't have to do it alone. Find someone who's striving for their own goal and hold each other accountable. This could be a workout partner, a friend you check in with every week, or a colleague who pushes you to stay disciplined. Every Friday, I have a 30inut call with my peak performance partner. We share wins, losses, lessons, and keep each other sharp. Five, competition and camaraderie. We all love a little friendly competition, don't we? I once organized a step count challenge at work. Teams competed to see who could walk the most steps in a month. People who never exercised suddenly started walking five, six miles a day. Not because they loved exercise, but because of the camaraderie, the competition, the fun. What kind of healthy competition can you create with your friends, family, or co-workers? Six, celebrate every win. No matter how small the victory, celebrate it. Give yourself daily, weekly, and monthly rewards. A walk in the park, a fun book, a nice dinner, a weekend getaway, anything that keeps you motivated. Don't wait until you hit the final goal to feel good. Success needs to feel rewarding along the way. This will fuel you to keep going all the way to the finish line. Good habits don't stick by accident. They take deliberate focus, patience, and smart strategies. But once they're rooted, they grow into the foundation of your best life ever. Change is hard, and that's fantastic. Here's a little secret. Both successful people and unsuccessful people hate doing the hard stuff. That's right. They both dislike it. The only difference, successful people do it anyway. They feel the same resistance, the same discomfort, but they push through while everyone else gives up. This is your big advantage. You see, if change were easy, if everyone was transforming their bad habits and achieving their goals, success wouldn't be special. It would be ordinary. But here's the good news. Most people won't do what it takes. And that, my friend, gives you the opportunity to stand out, rise above, and lead the pack. When things get hard, when it gets boring, when it feels tedious, most people will tap out. But not you. If you can push through when others quit, success becomes inevitable. I actually get excited when it's hard. Whenever something feels difficult, I smile and think, "This is where the separation happens. This is the moment where most people fall off track, but it's also the moment where you can pull ahead." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said it best. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge. Your true strength is revealed in those moments of difficulty. Embrace the awkward. Love the tedious. Yes, change is uncomfortable. Yes, it can be boring. And yes, it can feel like a grind. But that's the price of greatness. just do it anyway and then do it again and again because the compound effect is quietly working behind the scenes, stacking up your small efforts into massive life-changing results. That's how success is built. When change feels hard, smile. You're stepping into rare territory where extraordinary people are made. Be patient. You're rewiring your brain. Let's be real. You didn't build your bad habits overnight. They've been with you for years, maybe decades. So, when you decide to break them and install new empowering habits, you must give yourself time. Science tells us that every thought pattern, every repeated action carves a pathway in your brain, like grooves etched into a record. Every time you repeat a behavior, you're deepening those grooves. They become automatic, unconscious, effortless. Attention feeds your habits. Here's how it works. When you give attention to an old habit, you activate that brain groove. The thoughts, the desires, the automatic actions, they all come rushing back. But the great news is your brain is flexible. It's malleable. It can change. When you stop feeding attention to your bad habits, those grooves begin to fade. They weaken. They lose their grip on you. Replacing old grooves with new ones. Each time you repeat a new behavior, you're creating a fresh groove in your brain. The more you repeat it, the deeper that groove becomes. But remember, this takes time. Patience is not just a virtue. It's a necessity. You'll stumble. You'll fall off track. And that's okay. What matters is that you get back up, brush yourself off, and keep going. No guilt, no shame, just progress. Progress, not perfection. Don't beat yourself up for mistakes. We're human. The key is consistency, not perfection. Each time you realign with your new habits, you're strengthening them. Each small victory is compounding into something extraordinary. The big payoff is about to come. All the effort you've been putting in, the discipline, the tracking, the behavior changes, it's about to pay off in a big way. The next chapter is where the multiplying effect comes alive. This is where you break away from the herd. This is where you start building unstoppable momentum. Stay with me. You're on the edge of something remarkable. Chapter 4. Momentum. Let me introduce you to someone very special. Someone who has been a gamecher in the lives of the most successful people in the world. This friend has been by the side of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Michael Jordan, Lance Armstrong, Michael Phelps, and every other high achiever you can think of. I call this friend Mo or to be more precise, Big Mo. Big Mo is one of the most powerful forces of success. You can't see it. You can't touch it. But when Big Mo is with you, you'll feel it. You'll know it. When Big Mo shows up, it feels like everything becomes easier. Opportunities open up. Things start flowing. You make progress faster. It's like being pushed forward by a powerful wind at your back. But here's the tricky part. Big Mo doesn't show up on its own. You have to work hard to get it moving. And once it starts moving, you have to keep feeding it or it will slow down and disappear. The power of momentum. Think of a train sitting on the tracks. If it's standing still, even a small block of wood can stop it from moving. But once that train starts rolling and gains speed, not even a wall of concrete can stop it. That's the power of momentum. Success works the same way. In the beginning, it feels hard. You're pushing, pulling, and struggling to build your habits, to stick to your plan, to see results. But if you stay consistent day after day, you'll start to notice something magical. One day, your actions will feel easier. The effort will feel lighter. You'll start seeing results faster. You'll feel a new kind of energy behind you. That's Big Mo showing up. Consistency is the key to Big Mo. Here's the truth. You can't buy momentum. You can't wish for it. The only way to earn Big Mo is through consistent action. Every small decision you make, every small habit you stick to is like adding fuel to the engine of Big Mo. Go to the gym consistently and after a few weeks it becomes easier. You feel stronger, more energetic. That's Big Mo. Save a small portion of your income every month and over time your wealth will start growing faster. That's big Mo. Practice a skill every day and one day it'll feel like second nature. That's Big Mo. But remember, if you stop, Big Mo stops. Why most people never meet Big Mo. Most people never get to experience Big Mo. Why? Because they give up too early. They start a new habit, a new goal, a new plan, but when they don't see quick results, they stop. They get discouraged and move on to something else. But success doesn't come to those who hop from one thing to another. Success comes to those who stay the course long enough to invite Big Mo into their lives. It's like pumping water from an old hand pump well. In the beginning, you pump and pump, but no water comes out. Most people give up here, but if you keep pumping, eventually the water flows freely and abundantly. And once it's flowing, you don't need to pump as hard. Building momentum in your life. So, how do you get big mo on your side? Start small but stay consistent. Don't worry about big leaps. Focus on small daily actions. Be patient. Momentum takes time to build. Trust the process. Don't break the chain. If you skip a day, you lose steam. Protect your momentum fiercely. Focus on the process, not just the results. Enjoy the daily habits. They are the fuel for Big Mo. Remember, once you get momentum going, success will feel effortless. You'll achieve more with less struggle. And once Big Mo is with you, it becomes incredibly hard for anyone to stop you. Darren's personal story, the power of momentum. Darren shares his personal story of how momentum changed his life. When he started his real estate business, he faced rejection after rejection. He made countless cold calls with hardly any success. But Darren stayed consistent. Every day he kept making calls, learning, improving. At first, progress was painfully slow. But after months of consistent effort, something shifted. Deals started closing, clients started referring him, success started to snowball. That was Big Mo stepping in. Within a few years, Darren became one of the top real estate agents in his area, not because of one big break, but because of consistent small efforts that built unstoppable momentum. Momentum is always moving either for you or against you. One final lesson. Momentum doesn't just work for success. It works in all areas of life, good or bad. If you build bad habits like overeing, skipping workouts, or procrastinating, you're also building momentum, but in the wrong direction. And once negative momentum builds up, it's just as powerful, dragging you down, making it hard to change. That's why it's so important to consciously create positive momentum in your life. Start small, be consistent, protect your habits, keep moving forward. Once Big Mo is with you, the journey becomes smoother, faster, and more enjoyable. Momentum is your secret weapon. It's invisible, but when you have it, you will feel unstoppable. The hardest part is getting started and staying consistent during the early stages. But once you build it, Big Mo will carry you towards success faster than you ever imagined. Harnessing the power of Big Mo. Do you remember Newton's first law from high school physics? You know the law of inertia. It says objects at rest tend to stay at rest and objects in motion tend to stay in motion. In simple words, couch potatoes will stay couch potatoes and achievers who build momentum will keep moving and achieving more. This is the secret behind every success story. It's not easy to build momentum, but once you do, everything changes. The merrygoround example. Think back to when you were a kid playing on a merrygoround. Remember how hard it was to get that thing moving? At first, it felt like no matter how hard you pushed, it barely budged. You had to lean in, push with all your strength, groan, and even pull with your entire body. One step, two steps, three steps, and still it felt like you were going nowhere. But then after all that effort, it slowly started to spin. You kept running, pushing faster and faster until finally you could hop on and enjoy the ride. Once it was spinning, keeping it going was easy. You didn't need to push hard anymore. A small nudge here and there was enough to maintain the speed. That's exactly how momentum works in life. Change happens one small step at a time. Building any new habit is just like starting that merrygoround. At first, progress is slow. It feels like you're putting in a lot of effort with very little to show for it. But if you stay consistent, big mo momentum will eventually join your journey. Suddenly, things will start to click. Results will come faster. Success will compound rapidly. The rocket ship analogy. Think about a rocket launch. Do you know that a space shuttle burns more fuel in the first few minutes of launch than it does for the entire rest of its trip? Why? Because it needs that massive energy to break free from gravity's pull. But once it's in orbit, it can glide effortlessly. Your old habits are like gravity. They will try to hold you back. In the beginning, you'll need to push harder, but once you break through, momentum will make everything easier. Momentum works both ways. Here's a critical lesson. Momentum doesn't care if you're building good habits or bad ones. It works in both directions. If you're building positive habits, momentum will amplify your success. But if you're stuck in negative habits, momentum will pull you down even faster. Remember our friend Brad from chapter 1? His small bad habits compounded into 33 extra pounds, job stress, and marital issues. Negative momentum was dragging him into a downward spiral. That's why it's so important to control your habits before they control you. So, how do you get Big Mo on your side? Here's the simple formula to build momentum in your life. Make smart choices based on your goals and values. Take consistent small actions every day. Repeat those actions long enough to form habits. Build routines and rhythms into your daily life. Stay consistent even when you don't feel like it. Do this and suddenly, bang, Big Mo will kick in your door and take over. Michael Phelps and the power of consistency. Let's talk about Michael Phelps. He didn't win eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympics by accident. For 12 years, he worked with his coach, Bob Bowman, perfecting his routines and building unshakable consistency. Phelps trained so consistently that the only time his coach ever let him leave practice early was once for a middle school dance. 12 years of discipline for one moment of glory. That's the power of momentum. Apple's iPod, a lesson in patience and persistence. Apple's iPod wasn't an instant success either. Apple had been around for years before they launched the iPod. They weren't the first to make an MP3 player. They were actually late to the game. But what Apple had was consistency. They kept focusing on innovation, design, simplicity, and a loyal customer base. In 2001, the year they launched the iPod, their revenue dropped by 33%. The next year wasn't great either, but in 2003, things started shifting. By 2005, they had Big Mo on their side. Their revenue shot up by 68% and they dominated the market. That momentum later helped them win the smartphone battle with the iPhone and revolutionized digital music with iTunes. Google and YouTube momentum at work again. Google started as a small search engine. It struggled to compete at first, but they kept improving. They stayed consistent and eventually Big Mo showed up. Today they own over 60% of the search engine market. YouTube had a similar story. When it launched in 2005, it was just another video sharing platform. But then one viral video, Lazy Sunday from Saturday Night Live, put them on the map. That single moment of momentum changed everything. Google later bought YouTube for $1.65 billion. That's the power of Big Mo. What's the common thread? Michael Phelps, Apple, YouTube, Google. What do they all have in common? They weren't doing anything different after they achieved success. They built small, consistent habits, stayed disciplined, and when momentum showed up, they became unstoppable. Start now. Stay consistent. Momentum is a powerful force, but it doesn't just show up on its own. You have to earn it. You start small. You stay patient. You stay consistent. Then one day, Big Mo shows up. And when it does, success becomes inevitable. Routine power. Have you ever wondered why some of your best intentions fail? You start off excited about a new goal, eating healthy, exercising daily, but after a while, you lose steam. Why does that happen? The reason is simple. You didn't have a system. Without a solid routine to support your new habits, even the best plans will eventually fall apart. Routines. The secret of high achievers. A routine is something you do every day automatically. You don't think about brushing your teeth, right? Or putting on your seat belt. You just do it. That's how successful habits are built through routines. Look at anything you're successful at and you'll see a routine behind it. These routines help reduce stress and make your actions automatic and effective. So if you want to achieve new goals, you need to create new routines that support them. The bigger the goal, the stronger your routines. Ever wonder why military boot camps are so intense? Why making your bed or polishing your boots is treated like a life ordeath task? It's because routines build discipline. In just 8 to 12 weeks, these simple routines transform teenagers into mission ready soldiers. Through constant practice, they learn to perform under chaos and pressure automatically without hesitation. You might not be in a battlefield, but life throws its own battles at you. Without solid routines, your life can become chaotic, stressful, and unpredictable. Predictable routines equals predictable results. Let's take a look at golfer Jack Nicholas, one of the greatest golfers in history. Jack was famous for his pre-shot routine. Before every single shot, he followed the exact same sequence of steps. He would line up his club face, adjust his stance, waggle his club, and visualize his target. Only after this entire dance would he strike the ball. During a major tournament, a psychologist timed Jack's routine from the moment he pulled out his club until he hit the ball. The result, his routine never varied more than 1 second from the first te to the final putt. That's incredible consistency. When routines break, performance suffers. On the flip side, let's talk about Greg Norman at the 1996 Masters. During that tournament, as the pressure increased, Greg Norman's pre-shot routine got faster and faster, he rushed through it. The result, his rhythm broke. His consistency vanished, and so did his chance of winning. Changing his routine under pressure made his performance unpredictable. The same thing happens to football kickers. Without their pre-kick routine, their accuracy significantly drops. It's not because they forgot how to kick. It's because they're out of rhythm. Routines center you. Even pilots with thousands of flight hours go through their pre-flight checklist before every flight without exception. Not just for safety, but to center themselves mentally and prepare for top performance. Routines aren't just about actions. They're about mindset. High achievers live by routines. Every high achiever, every successful entrepreneur, athlete, or leader has routines that regulate their daily disciplines. That's the difference between people who succeed consistently and those who only succeed occasionally. Routines are what separate the extraordinary from the ordinary. Without routines, you're relying on willpower, and willpower fades. With routines, your actions become automatic. So, how do you create effective routines that support your goals? Step one, decide which habits you want to implement. Look at your goals. What behaviors do you need to add? What bad habits do you need to remove? Step two, design your routine intentionally. Be like Jack Nicholas. Create a specific sequence of steps that prepares you for success. Step three, lock it in place. Once you design a morning routine, for example, treat it like it's carved in stone. No negotiations, no excuses. Step four, if interrupted, start over. If life throws a distraction at you, go back to the start of your routine. Anchor yourself. This builds discipline and strengthens the foundation for the day's performance. Routines are your launch pad. Here's the truth. A daily routine built on good habits is the most powerful weapon you have. It's what turns dreams into results. It's what keeps you grounded when life gets chaotic. It's what transforms small efforts into massive achievements. Design your routines carefully. Protect them fiercely. Execute them daily and soon success will become your default setting. Bookend your days. If you want to become world class in anything you do, you need to build worldclass routines. But here's the challenge. You can't always control what happens in the middle of your day. Unexpected calls, sudden emergencies, distractions, life happens. However, there are two times in your day that you can almost always control. The beginning and the end. That's why successful people bookend their days with powerful routines. Why morning and evening routines are critical. Think of your day like a sandwich. The bread, the top and bottom, is what holds everything together. Even if the middle gets messy, a strong foundation on both ends keeps everything intact. That's what morning and evening routines do. They give your day structure and stability, no matter how chaotic the middle gets. Start your day with intention. Let's start with the morning. How you begin your day sets the tone for everything that follows. If you wake up late, check your phone, and rush into the day, you're already playing defense. But if you start your day with a deliberate routine, you take control. For me, it starts with reviewing my goals. I remind myself of what I'm working towards. This aligns my mindset with my mission. Then I dive into a few key behaviors, reading something positive, getting some physical movement, and planning out my top priorities. This simple routine ensures that no matter what surprises come later, I've already set the right momentum. End your day with reflection. Now, let's talk about the evening. At the end of the day, I go through a shutdown routine to reflect and reset. I review what I accomplished. I note what could have gone better. I realign myself with my goals. I also take time to plan for the next day. This helps me clear my mind and sleep with a sense of direction and calm. By bookending my day like this with intentional routines at the start and finish, I create a framework that supports my success regardless of how unpredictable the day becomes. Design your own bookends. The routines that work for me might not be perfect for you, but the principle remains the same. Start your day with intention. End your day with reflection. You don't need a complicated schedule, just a few simple actions that anchor you in your goals and values. When you control the start and end of your day, you give yourself the power to stay grounded and focused no matter what challenges show up in between. Protect your bookends. Think of morning and evening routines as sacred time. They're your chance to reset, refocus, and realign with your bigger vision. You might not win every battle during the day, but if you win your mornings and your evenings, you'll win the war over time. Success is built in these small, consistent bookends, rise and shine. Let me share with you a morning routine that has completely transformed my life. It's my personal version of Jack Nicholas's pre-shot routine. It sets me up for a productive, focused, and intentional day. Every single day, my morning ritual, locked in, my alarm goes off at 5:00 a.m., okay, sometimes it's 5:30 a.m. I'm human, too. I hit the snooze button. Now, here's a fun fact. The snooze on an iPhone gives you exactly eight minutes. Why eight? I have no clue. Ask Steve Jobs. But I use these eight minutes for three powerful mindset exercises. The 8-minute mind reset. First, I think about all the things I'm grateful for. Starting the day with gratitude shifts your entire mindset to abundance. When you begin your morning feeling thankful, the world responds to you differently. Second, I send love to someone. This might sound a little strange, but it's powerful. I pick a person, anyone, and I mentally send them love. It's like a mental love letter. I wish them happiness, success, peace, everything good. When you give love, you attract more love into your life. Third, I focus on my number one goal. I ask myself, what are three things I can do today to move closer to that goal? At the time of writing, my top goal was to deepen the love and connection in my marriage. So, every morning, I'd plan three actions to make my wife feel loved and appreciated. Morning movement and mind fuel. Once I'm up, I head straight to the kitchen and brew a fresh pot of coffee. While the coffee is brewing, I do 10 minutes of stretching. A little trick I learned from Dr. Oz. Years of weightlifting had made me stiff, so stretching needed to become part of my routine. I found the perfect slot. Stretch while the coffee brews. After stretching, I pour my coffee and settle into my comfy leather recliner. I set my iPhone timer for 30 minutes, not a minute more, not a minute less. And I read something positive, instructional, or inspiring. Focused work. No distractions. When the timer goes off, it's time for focused, undistracted work. I spend the next 1 hour on my most important project. Notice something here. I haven't opened my email yet. No notifications, no distractions, just deep, focused work. Calibration appointment, setting the day. At 7 a.m., I have what I call my calibration appointment. It's a 15-minute meeting with myself scheduled in my calendar. During this time, I review my oneyear and 5-year goals, look at my key objectives for the quarter, remind myself of my top goal for the week and month. Then comes the most crucial part. I set my top three MVPs, most valuable priorities for the day. I ask myself, if I only get three things done today, which actions will move me closest to my big goals? Once I've locked in my MVPs, I open my email just briefly. I send out quick tasks and delegations to my team to get them rolling. Then I close email and get back to working on my MVPs. Why this routine matters? Here's the thing. The rest of my day can unfold in a million unpredictable ways. But as long as I execute this morning routine, I've already taken care of my most important disciplines. This routine grounds me. It ensures that I start each day with clarity, focus, and intentionality instead of letting bad habits or chaos take over. Own your morning. Own your day. Starting your day with a routine like this gives you power. It's not about being perfect. It's about building a predictable system that aligns your mindset and actions with your goals. Win your morning and the rest of the day will follow. Sweet dreams. Let's talk about the other book end of your day, your evening routine. You see, the way you end your day is just as important as how you start it. No matter how chaotic or unpredictable your day was, you have the power to finish strong. Cashing out your day. When I was younger, I worked as a waiter. At the end of every shift, before I could go home, I had to cash out. That meant turning in all receipts, credit card slips, and cash. Everything had to balance or else there was trouble. I apply that same principle to my day. Before I wrap up, I cash out by asking myself, how did today go compared to my plan? What tasks do I need to carry over to tomorrow? Did anything new show up that needs to be added to my plan? What's no longer important and should be scratched off? This quick reflection helps me stay organized, intentional, and on track. Capture your ideas. Build a treasure chest. Another thing I never miss is journaling my ideas and insights. Throughout the day, I'm always learning, whether it's from conversations, books, podcasts, or just life experiences. Before bed, I log these aha moments into my journal. Over the years, I've filled more than 40 journals with strategies, insights, and ideas that have helped me grow. These journals are like my personal treasure chest of wisdom. Feed your mind before sleep. One last thing I do before sleeping is I read at least 10 pages of an inspirational book. Why? Because the mind continues to process the last thing you fed it before bed. If you end your day watching negative news or mindless scrolling, your subconscious will stew on that all night. But if you end your day reading something uplifting, instructional, or aligned with your goals, your mind will keep working on your success while you sleep. Control your bookends control your life. Here's the beautiful part. Even if all hell breaks loose during the middle of the day, if you've locked in strong morning and evening routines, you're still in control. These bookends ensure you always start strong and finish strong. That consistency compounds into massive success over time. Protect your nights. Your evening routine is not just about winding down. It's about reflecting, learning, and setting yourself up for a productive tomorrow. Small actions like cashing out, journaling, and reading can transform your nights into a powerful success ritual. So tonight, instead of crashing into bed with unfinished thoughts and scattered plans, take five minutes to cash out, capture your insights, and feed your mind something positive. You'll sleep better and wake up ready to conquer. Shake it up. Routines are powerful, but if you're not careful, they can also become your prison. You see, doing the same things the same way at the same time day after day can lead to boredom. You stop growing. You lose excitement. And worst of all, big mode disappears. Why you need to interrupt your routines? Let me give you a simple example. When I work out with weights, if I follow the same routine for weeks, same exercises, same order, same tempo, guess what happens? Nothing. My body adapts. Progress plateaus. I get bored. I lose passion. Momentum gone. That's why it's so important to shake things up. Changing your routine challenges your body, your mind, and your spirit. It refreshes your experience and reignites your energy. Inject adventure into your life. Right now, I'm on a mission to add more adventure into my life. I set small challenges for myself, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals where I push myself to do something new. It's not always something huge or life-changing. Sometimes it's as simple as trying a new type of food, taking a class I've never considered before, visiting a new destination, joining a club to meet different people. These small shifts keep life exciting. They wake me up from autopilot, and they open doors to fresh perspectives and opportunities. Check your routines. Are they still working? Here's a question for you. Look at your current routines. Are they still energizing you? Are they still producing powerful results? Or have they become same old same old? If something that used to fire you up now feels dull, it's time to shake it up. You don't need to abandon your routines completely. Just add a twist, change the scenery, raise the difficulty, explore something new, keep it fresh, keep growing. Sticking to good habits is essential, but remember, growth happens when you challenge yourself. So, every now and then, step out of your comfort zone, experiment, explore, play. This keeps you passionate, creative, and in the zone for long-term success. Don't let life get stale. Keep shaking things up and watch how Big Mo comes rushing back into your life. Getting into a rhythm. Find your new groove. All right. So, you've built your daily disciplines. You've started developing positive routines. But here's the next step. You need to get into a rhythm. Rhythm brings momentum. Think of your disciplines and actions like the wheels of a steam locomotive. In the start, it's hard to get moving. Even a tiny block of wood can keep that huge train from moving an inch. But once the pistons start pumping, once the wheels get rolling and the pressure stays consistent, that train becomes unstoppable. At 55 miles an hour, it can smash through a five- foot thick steel reinforced concrete wall without stopping. That's what rhythm does for your success. It turns small, consistent actions into massive, unstoppable momentum. Create rhythms for every area of life. For me, rhythm isn't just about daily habits. I plan ahead to create weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly rhythms. Let me give you an example. One of my biggest goals is to deepen the love and intimacy in my marriage. But as you probably know, even the most important priorities can get lost in the chaos of daily life unless you schedule them. Weekly rhythms. Lock it in. Here's how we keep the rhythm alive. Every Friday at 6:00 p.m., it's date night. An alarm goes off on both our phones. No matter what we're doing, we stop and make time for us. Every Saturday, it's family day. No work allowed. From Friday night to Sunday morning, it's all about marriage and family. Every Sunday at 6:00 p.m., we have our relationship review or RR. We talk about the week's wins and losses and how we can improve as a couple. The RR process. Simple but powerful. During our Sunday RR, we follow a simple structure. We start by appreciating each other, sharing things we noticed and loved during the week. Then we ask, "On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate our relationship this week?" That leads into discussing wins, losses, and adjustments. Finally, we ask, "What would it take to make your experience a 10 next week?" This honest but loving conversation helps us stay aligned and connected. It's simple. It's powerful. I highly recommend it if you dare. Monthly and quarterly rhythms. Creating memories. Every month we plan something unique and memorable. Life is just a collection of experiences. So, we intentionally create experiences that are special and out of the ordinary. It could be a drive up to the mountains, an adventurous hike, trying a fancy new restaurant, a sailing trip. The key is to break out of routine, and create lasting memories. Every quarter, we plan a 2 to three-day getaway. This is a perfect time to review all our goals, check in on life patterns, and reflect deeply on how things are going in our relationship. Yearly traditions. Build your life calendar. Beyond that, we have yearly traditions, special travel vacations, holiday rituals, our New Year's hike and goal setting session. When all these rhythms are set in place, you don't have to constantly think about what to do next. Everything flows naturally. We've built a rhythm that keeps the momentum going. Rhythm equals flow equals success. When your actions and disciplines get into a consistent rhythm, you're basically rolling out the red carpet for big mo to walk right into your life. Success becomes less about willpower and more about flow. Once you find your groove, you become unstoppable. Registering your rhythm. All right. So, you've built good habits. You've created powerful routines. You've established a rhythm. But how do you make sure you're staying consistent? How do you know if you're on track and not slipping? That's where something I call the rhythm register comes in. What is a rhythm register? The rhythm register is a simple yet powerful tool I created for myself. It helps me track the rhythm of a new behavior I'm working on. It's not complicated. It's just a visual way to make sure I'm keeping my commitments day after day, week after week. Because here's the thing, if you can't measure it, you can't improve it. Track the behaviors that matter. Let's say you've decided to drink more water every day. Take 10,000 steps. Show more affection to your spouse. Practice gratitude journaling. Whatever new behavior you want to build into your life, you need to track it. The rhythm register is a place where you log these behaviors daily. You'll instantly see if you're creating a consistent rhythm or if you're slacking off. Why this works? When you track something, it brings awareness. And awareness is the first step to real change. The simple act of logging a check mark, a number, or a note keeps you accountable. It forces you to stay honest with yourself. Plus, seeing your progress builds confidence. And when you start stacking small wins, big mo momentum kicks in. What gets measured gets managed. So, if you're serious about developing a new behavior, don't leave it to chance. Track it, measure it, register your rhythm. That's how you go from intention to action to success. The rhythms of life. When people start something new, they almost always overdo it. They go allin too fast, too hard, and they burn out. Excitement is good, but sustainability is better. Look, I want you to feel excited about setting up a rhythm for success, but here's the real key. You need a plan that you can absolutely positively do for the long term. Not just this week, not just this month. I'm talking about a rhythm you can sustain for the rest of your life. The compound effect needs time. The positive results you're after, the true compound effect, only happen when you make smart choices and repeat them consistently over time. You don't win by doing a lot for a short burst. You win by doing a little day in day out over the long haul. The common mistake, doing too much too soon. Let me tell you a story. A friend of mine, we'll call him Richard, saw a photo of himself I posted on Twitter. He decided right then and there, I'm getting in shape. This was a big lifestyle shift for Richard. He sat at a desk for 12 hours a day. He avoided bending down just to grab a dish. He hated exercise. But now he was fired up. He joined a gym. He hired a personal trainer. And he started working out 2 hours a day, 5 days a week. I told him, "Richard, that's a mistake. You won't be able to keep that up. you're setting yourself up for failure. But he pushed back. No, I've changed. I'm committed. I want abs. What's your real goal? So I asked him, "What's your real goal?" He said, "I want to be trim. I want to be healthy. Why? I want vitality. I want to be around to see my kids have kids." Bingo. That's his true motivation. He wasn't in it for six-pack abs. He was in it for the long haul. Don't design for bikini season. Design for life. I told Richard, "Okay, you've convinced me, but your plan is unrealistic. Here's why. In a few months, life will get busy." He'll say, "I don't have 2 hours to work out today, so I guess I won't go." Then 2 days mist becomes a week mist. soon it's over. Build a rhythm you can sustain. So I advised him, do your 2 hours a day, 5 days a week, but only for the first 60 to 90 days. That's just to build momentum. After that, scale down to 1 hour or 1 hour 15 minutes 4 days a week. Sustain that for another 60 to 90 days. Eventually transition to a rhythm of 45 minutes to one hour three to four times a week. That's a program you can maintain for the next 50 years, not just 5 months. The hard truth about success. Consistency is the critical ingredient of success. Anyone can go hard for a short time, but the real winners, the ones who see the compound effect work its magic, are those who set up a rhythm they can stick to for life. Pace yourself to win. So when setting up your success rhythm, ask yourself, can I keep this up for the next 5, 10, 20 years? If not, adjust. Start smaller. Focus on what's sustainable. Because success isn't a sprint. It's a rhythm. The power of consistency. If there's one superpower that gives me an edge over others, it's not talent. It's not intelligence. It's not even hard work. It's consistency. Consistency. The ultimate competitive advantage. Let me tell you, nothing kills big mo momentum faster than a lack of consistency. You can be smart, passionate, ambitious, but if you're not consistent, you're going nowhere. It's consistency that transforms good intentions into real results. A simple analogy, the flight from LA to New York. Imagine this. You and I are both flying planes from Los Angeles to New York City. But here's the catch. You are flying at 500 mph blazing fast, but you stop and land in every single state along the way. I, on the other hand, fly at a modest 200 mph, but I never stop. I fly straight through. Who's going to reach New York first? I will by a landslide. Why? Because stop and go is a killer. Every time you land, you lose time. Every time you stop, you burn fuel starting back up again. It doesn't matter how fast you fly in bursts. The start, stop start stop cycle destroys your momentum. It drains your energy. It saps your motivation and eventually you run out of fuel. Slow and steady wins the race. Meanwhile, I just keep going. No bursts of speed, no flashy takeoffs, but I don't stop. Even at a slower pace, I'm making steady, uninterrupted progress. The real secret is small, consistent actions over time. That's how success works in real life. It's not about giant leaps. It's not about random bursts of effort. It's about doing small, smart actions consistently over a long period of time. It's boring. It's unsexy, but it works. Commit to consistency. So if you're serious about reaching your goals, make consistency your best friend. It will take you further than talent. It will outlast motivation. It will beat anyone who relies on speed without staying power. Consistency is what keeps Big Mo on your side. The pump well. Let's talk about what really happens when you slack off on your routines. It's not just missing a workout or skipping a prospecting call or postponing date night one Friday. No, it's much bigger than that. You're not just losing the small results of that single missed action. You're losing something far more precious. Momentum. The handpumped water well analogy. Picture this. You're standing next to an old school handped water well. The water you want is buried deep underground. To get it, you've got to pump that lever again and again to create the vacuum that pulls the water up. You pump and pump and what do you see? Nothing. Most people give up here. They think this is pointless. It's not working. and they walk away empty-handed. The few who persist, but the wise ones, they keep pumping. And after a while, a few drops of water appear. But even then, most people quit. All that work for a few lousy drops. But those who persevere, they keep pumping. And suddenly, the stream bursts forth. water starts flowing freely. Now you don't have to pump as hard. You just need to keep pumping steadily to maintain the flow. The cost of inconsistency. But here's the catch. If you stop pumping for too long, the water doesn't stay at the top waiting for you. It drops back down. And when you come back, you're back to square one. You'll have to pump furiously just to get those few drops again. That's exactly how life works. Stop and go kills momentum. You get excited about a new project. You go hard for a few weeks, then life gets busy. You slack off. You're making prospecting calls daily until you get a few deals. You're doing date nights until Netflix starts winning again. You're working out until life happens. Every time you stop, you kill Big Mo. Momentum. It's not just a pause, it's a reset. And starting over is exhausting. Be the tortoise, not the hair. Winning is about pace, not sprints. Be the tortoise. The one who with enough time beats everyone else. Not by speed, but by consistency. Positive habits, right choices applied daily without fail. That's how you win. Protect your momentum. Every skipped action isn't just a small loss. It's a crack in your momentum. Protect it. Cherish it because once you lose it, getting it back is a painful uphill climb. In the next chapter, we'll dive into the invisible forces that can either boost you up or drag you down. The influences that shape your success, often without you even realizing it. Chapter 5. Influences. Let's take a moment to reflect. By now you know how powerful your small choices are. Every choice, whether big or small, adds up over time. Like drops of water filling a bucket, they compound, creating an enormous impact on your life. You've also learned something very important. You are 100% responsible for your life. Yes, you. You are responsible for every choice you make, every action you take. No excuses, no blaming anyone else. But here is where it gets tricky. Even though you are in charge of your choices, your choices are constantly being influenced by outside forces. Forces that quietly shape your thoughts, your habits, and your behaviors, often without you even realizing it. Most people live unaware of this subtle control. But if you want to stay on track toward your goals, if you want to keep growing, keep succeeding, you must become aware of these influences. More importantly, you need to take control over them. Otherwise, they will control you and possibly pull you away from your dreams. Darren Hardy explains that we are all affected by three main types of influences. Let's explore them one by one. One, input. What you feed your mind. Think of your mind like a garden. If you plant flowers, water them, and care for them, you'll have a beautiful blooming garden. But if you let weeds grow, they'll take over everything. The same happens with your mind. What are you feeding your mind every day? Are you filling it with positive, uplifting information, or are you letting negative toxic stuff get in? Most people don't even realize how much garbage they're consuming. News filled with negativity, gossip on social media, endless scrolling through meaningless content. Every piece of information you consume is like a seed. It either helps you grow or it holds you back. If you want to grow, you need to be very selective about your input. Start feeding your mind with books, podcasts, videos, and people who uplift you. Fill your mind with ideas that inspire you, challenge you, and push you toward your goals. Remember, garbage in, garbage out. But greatness in, greatness out. Two, associations. The people you spend time with. You've probably heard this before. You become like the five people you spend the most time with. It's true. The people around you shape your thoughts, your attitudes, your habits, even your income. If you hang out with lazy, negative people who complain all the time, their mindset will slowly rub off on you. You might not notice it immediately, but over time it will affect your actions and decisions. On the other hand, if you surround yourself with positive, ambitious people who challenge you, encourage you, and push you to be better, you'll naturally rise to their level. Darren Hardy calls this the association effect. He suggests you categorize your relationships into three groups. Disassociation, people you need to cut off. These are toxic, negative people who drain your energy and pull you down. Limited association, people you need to spend less time with. Maybe they're not bad people, but they don't align with your goals. And expanded association, people you need to spend more time with. These are your role models, mentors, and peers who inspire you to grow. Take a moment to reflect. Who are you spending your time with? Are they helping you grow or holding you back? Choose your circle wisely. It could be the difference between success and failure. Three, environment, your surroundings. Now, let's talk about your environment. This includes your home, your workspace, your city, even the content you see online. Everything around you affects your mindset, even in ways you don't consciously realize. If your workspace is messy and chaotic, it's hard to focus. If you live in an environment filled with negativity, it will influence your mood and energy. But if you intentionally design your environment to support your goals, it becomes a powerful ally. For example, if you want to eat healthy, stock your kitchen with nutritious food. If you want to read more, place books where you can see them. If you want to exercise regularly, set up a workout space at home. Small adjustments to your environment can create huge shifts in your behavior. Be intentional. Create an environment that makes success easy and failure hard. You are the gatekeeper. In the end, here's what you must remember. You are the gatekeeper of your mind, your relationships, and your environment. Nobody else will protect you from negative influences. It's your job. Be mindful of what you allow into your life. Control your input. Choose your associations. Shape your environment. When you align these influences with your goals, success becomes a natural outcome. But if you ignore them, you risk being quietly pulled off track. Stay vigilant. Stay intentional because these influences will either build you up or break you down. The choice is yours. Garbage in, garbage out. Let me ask you something. If you want your body to be healthy and perform at its best, what do you do? You eat healthy food. You avoid junk food. You stay careful about what you put inside your body. Simple, right? But what about your brain? If you want your mind to be sharp, focused, and creative, you need to be even more careful about what you feed it. Here's the truth. Garbage in, garbage out. If you fill your mind with negative news, gossip, and mindless entertainment, that's exactly what will come out in your thoughts, actions, and results. But there's a problem. Unlike food where you can choose what to eat, most of the information we consume enters our brain without us even noticing. We listen to news on the way to work. We scroll through social media. We watch TV shows that add no real value. All this information seeps into our minds quietly and it shapes how we think. Your brain's default mode is fear and survival. Here's something important to understand. Your brain's primary job is not to make you happy. Its main job is to keep you safe. It's always looking out for threats, always scanning for danger, always focusing on what's wrong. That's why when you turn on the news and hear stories about robberies, accidents, or economic problems, your brain lights up. It grabs on to that negativity, and then it keeps chewing on it over and over again. You carry that fear and worry into your entire day. Left on its own, your brain will keep focusing on the negative. It's part of human nature. But here's the good news. You can change your behavior. You can take control of what you allow into your mind. Don't drink dirty water. Imagine your mind is like a glass of water. If you pour dirty, muddy water into the glass, everything inside becomes dirty. That's what happens when you fill your mind with negative input. bad news, gossip, drama, complaints. All your thoughts, your expectations, and your results will be filtered through that muddy water. But here's the solution. Flush it out. Keep pouring in clean, fresh water, positive, inspiring, uplifting content. If you do it long enough, eventually the dirty water gets flushed out and your mind becomes clear and focused. What is this clean water? It's books, podcasts, success stories, motivational videos, positive conversations, content that feeds your mind with ideas of growth, abundance, success, and possibility. Step one, stand guard at the gate of your mind. Let's be real, you can't completely avoid negative input. It's everywhere. On billboards, at the grocery store checkout, on social media, in casual conversations. But you can control most of it. Here are some simple actions. Cancel negative subscriptions. Stop listening to depressing news radio. Replace TV time with reading or meaningful conversations. Record only educational, positive shows. And skip the commercials. Even with friends and family, you can gently steer conversations away from negativity. You are the gatekeeper of your mind. No one else will do it for you. Step two, go on a media diet. Did you know the average person spends almost 5 hours a day watching TV? That's more than 30 hours a week, two entire months every year spent in front of a screen. And people wonder why they feel stuck in life. The media knows how to grab your attention. They show you the most shocking, scary, dramatic stories, because that's what sells. But that constant stream of negativity gives you a twisted, distorted view of the world. It fills your mind with fear, worry, and hopelessness. You need to break free from this cycle. Limit your media consumption. Be intentional. Don't let the media hijack your mind. Step three, enroll in Drive Time University. Here's a powerful idea Darren Hardy shares. Turn your car into a mobile classroom. The average person drives about 12,000 m a year. That's around 300 hours sitting in your car. Now, imagine if you used that time to listen to audiobooks, personal development programs, or educational podcasts. You could earn the equivalent of a college degree just by listening while you drive. Instead of wasting time on mindless radio chatter, you're using that time to grow, learning new skills, developing a success mindset, and staying motivated. That's how you separate yourself from the crowd. One CD, one audio book, one lesson at a time. You control the input. At the end of the day, your life will reflect what you put into your mind. If you allow negativity, fear, and nonsense in, that's what will come out. But if you intentionally fill your mind with positivity, knowledge, and inspiration, you'll create an extraordinary life. Be selective. Be disciplined. Stand guard at the door of your mind because garbage in, garbage out. But also, greatness in, greatness out. Associations. Who's influencing you? There's a simple truth in life. Birds of a feather flock together. The people you spend the most time with shape your life, sometimes more than you realize. Social psychologists have found that up to 95% of your success or failure is influenced by your reference group. That's the circle of people you hang around with the most. Think about it. Who do you spend most of your time with? Are these people positive, successful, and uplifting, or are they negative, complaining, and stuck in their old ways? Jim Ran famously said, "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Your income, your health, your attitude, all of it can be predicted by looking at those five people." Subtle influence over time. Here's the tricky part. This influence doesn't happen overnight. It's slow, quiet. It's like being in an inner tube at the beach. You think you're floating in place, but when you look up, you've drifted far down the shore. Your friend's habits will slowly become your habits. Their conversations become your conversations. Their mindset becomes your mindset. If your friends always order greasy food and extra drinks, soon you'll be doing the same. If your friends talk about success, read great books, and strive for more, you'll find yourself matching their pace. You cannot hang around negative people and expect to live a positive life. Take inventory. Who are your five? Here's a challenge for you. Write down the five people you spend the most time with. List their main traits, both good and bad. What's their average income? How's their health? What's their attitude like? Are they growing or stuck? Look at that list and ask yourself, is this who I want to become? If the answer makes you uncomfortable, it's time to make some changes. Three types of associations. Jim Ran taught Darren Hardy a powerful way to manage relationships. You need to sort people into three categories. One, disassociations, people you must cut off. These are toxic, negative influences that drag you down. It might be a difficult decision, but it's necessary. You wouldn't let your kids hang around bad influences, so why allow it for yourself? It's hard. People will resist. They may accuse you of changing or being selfish, but it's not about them. It's about protecting your future. Their discomfort is a reflection of their own guilt and fear. Stay strong. You have to be willing to let go of relationships that no longer serve you. Two, limited associations. People you see in small doses. These people are okay in small doses. You can spend 3 minutes with them, maybe 3 hours, but not 3 days. Their influence is real, so be intentional about how much time you give them. Even with family, you can limit how much energy you invest. Don't let anyone's negativity cloud your vision. Three, expanded associations, people you want to emulate. These are the people who inspire you, people who are already living the kind of life you dream of. Seek them out. Spend more time with them. Learn from them. Join groups, clubs, events, and organizations where these people gather. Even if you can't meet them in person, you can absorb their wisdom through books, podcasts, and videos. Darren Hardy shares how he spent thousands of hours with his mentor, Jim Ran, mostly through audio programs. You can do the same with any mentor you admire. Find a peak performance partner. Here's another powerful strategy. Find an accountability partner. This is someone who's equally committed to personal growth, someone who will call you out when you slack off, and someone you'll hold accountable in return. Darren had weekly calls with his friend Landon Taylor. Every Friday, they discuss their wins, their failures, their goals, and what needed improvement. Knowing he had to report back to Landon kept him sharp and focused. You can have the same advantage. All it takes is finding someone who is willing to be honest with you. Invest in mentorship. Mentorship is one of the fastest ways to grow. You don't need a formal program or expensive coaching. Sometimes all it takes is a simple lunch or coffee conversation with someone you admire. Successful people are often willing to share their wisdom as long as you respect their time. Mentorship is a two-way street. Be open to learning, to feedback, and to being molded by their insights. As John Wooden said, mentoring is your true legacy. It is why you get up every day. Build your personal board of adviserss. Here's a pro tip. Create your own personal board of adviserss. These are people you respect, admire, and want to learn from. Reach out to them regularly. Ask for their thoughts, feedback, and ideas. Their perspectives can open up opportunities and help you avoid costly mistakes. You'll be surprised how many successful people are willing to help when you show genuine curiosity. Choose your circle wisely. In the end, your environment shapes you. The people around you either lift you up or pull you down. If you want to live an extraordinary life, you must be intentional about your associations. Choose to surround yourself with those who reflect the person you aspire to become because you rise or fall to the level of your circle. Make sure your circle is moving in the direction you want your life to go. environment. Change your surroundings. Change your life. Imagine this. Darren Hardy was working in real estate in the East Bay of San Francisco. Every day he saw the same people doing the same things, living at the same level. But deep down, Darren had bigger dreams. He knew he needed to be in an environment that would inspire him to level up. So he started driving across the bay to a place called Tibberon, one of the most beautiful, affluent spots in California. It wasn't about meeting wealthy people there. It was about feeling the energy of success. He'd sit by the wararf, look at the stunning hillside homes, and ask himself, "Which one of these would be my dream home?" One house always caught his eye. A blue fourstory home with an elevator and a whale lightning rod on top. One day, after brunch, he followed a random openhouse sign. sign after sign zigzagging up the cliffs. And when he walked into the house, he realized it was that blue house. He bought it. Your environment shapes your dreams. Here's the key point. Darren didn't meet anyone at that restaurant who changed his life, but the environment did. Being in that space, seeing those houses, feeling that energy, it expanded his vision of what was possible, he worked harder, stretched further, and made his dream a reality. You are like a sapling in a pot. Think of yourself as a sapling, a young oak tree. If you plant it in a small pot, its growth is limited. it becomes rootbound and stunted. But plant it in an open field and it becomes a mighty oak. Your environment is the same. If you stay in a limiting space physically, mentally, emotionally, you limit your growth. Environment is more than just a place. When we talk about environment, it's not just where you live. It's everything around you. Your workspace, your home, your car, your phone, your schedule, even the clutter in your mind. A messy, chaotic environment creates stress. It drains your energy. It distracts you from your goals. Every incomplete task, every broken promise, every piece of clutter, it's like a small anchor holding you back. So, start clearing it out. Even small actions like cleaning your workspace or fixing that thing you've been ignoring can release mental energy. You get what you tolerate. Here's a hard truth. You get in life what you tolerate. If you tolerate disrespect, people will disrespect you. If you tolerate being underpaid, that will continue. If you tolerate poor health habits, your body will stay tired and unhealthy. The world responds to the standards you set for yourself. Some people think they're victims of how others treat them, but in reality, you teach people how to treat you by what you accept and what you refuse to accept. Protect your space. You must protect your mental, emotional, and physical space. Don't let chaos, negativity, and distractions invade your environment. If you want to build a life of consistency, rhythm, and high performance, your environment needs to support that. Make your space a place where success is the default, not the exception. Life organizes around your standards. Life is like water. It fills the container you give it. If you raise your standards, life will rise to meet you. But if you settle, life will give you exactly what you tolerate. Protect your space. Raise your expectations and watch how your environment begins to shape you into the person you want to become. Next step, accelerating your results. In the next chapter, we'll talk about how to take everything you've learned so far and unlock the secret to getting greater results with just a little more effort. It might feel like cheating, but life rewards those who know how to leverage the compound effect. Chapter 6. Acceleration. Let me take you to La Hoya, California. A beautiful place with stunning ocean views and steep mountains. For exercise and to test my willpower, I used to ride my bike up Mount Solidad. It's a two-mile ride, straight uphill. No stopping, no excuses, just you, the bike, and the climb. Now, let me tell you something. Riding up a steep mountain is one of the most painful things you can choose to do. Not many things compare to the suffering you experience when you're pushing yourself up that slope. You hit a point where your muscles scream, your lungs are on fire, and your mind starts talking to you. It's in those moments where you meet your true self. All the ideas you had about being strong or disciplined, they vanish. You're left with raw honesty. The question stares you in the face. Do you keep going or do you crack and give up? This is what I call a moment of truth. You see, life gives us these moments often. They are tests. Tests to see how much you really want something. Tests to see if you will push through the pain or surrender when things get tough. I remember watching Lance Armstrong during his first Tour to France victory. It was 1999. The race had entered the brutal mountain stages. The weather was cruel. Freezing rain, mist, and even hail. Lance was not known as a great mountain climber. Many writers thought he wouldn't survive these stages, but they were wrong. On a particular climb up to a place called Cester, Lance found himself alone. His team was nowhere near. He had to face the toughest climbers in the world all by himself. Imagine after 5 and 1/2 hours of climbing mountains, exhausted, freezing, and soaked to the bone. With 5 m to go, Lance was 32 seconds behind the leaders. In mountain cycling, 32 seconds can feel like forever. But Lance did something remarkable. He stood up on his bike and surged forward. He caught up with the two leading climbers, but he didn't stop there. With everything he had left, Lance launched a powerful attack and pulled ahead. He described it best in his book, "It's not about the bike." He said, "When you open a gap and your competitors don't respond, it tells you something. They're hurting. And when they're hurting, that is when you take them. Despite the pain, despite the exhaustion, Lance kept pushing. No one could catch him. He won that stage. And eventually, he won the entire tour to France. Why am I telling you this? Because this chapter is about acceleration. It's about those critical moments when you decide who you are. It's about pushing through even when everything inside you wants to quit. Now, here's the truth. The compound effect is always working. Every little action you've taken, every effort, every practice session, every late night you spent studying, they all add up. When you stay consistent, life will eventually hand you a moment of truth. And when that moment comes, you will be ready. You'll be able to push through barriers, rise above your competition, and surprise everyone, even yourself. You'll realize that all those small steps done over and over gave you the strength to seize the opportunity. Growth doesn't happen in easy moments. Improvement doesn't come when things are comfortable. It happens when you are in pain, when you are tired, when you are at the edge. Those are the moments where you either step forward or shrink back. Most people stop when they feel discomfort. But high achievers, they know that discomfort is the signal to keep going. That's when breakthroughs happen. Here's a powerful lesson. You don't build character in the easy moments. You reveal it in the hard ones. But there's more. One of the smartest ways to accelerate your success is always to deliver more than expected. Go beyond what people ask for. Do more than what's required. When you do this consistently, you multiply your rewards. It's the principle of exceeding expectations. Every time you overd deliver, you build trust, reputation, and goodwill. These are things that compound over time. Eventually, you'll find doors opening for you that you didn't even know existed. Here's a simple formula. Preparation plus opportunity plus massive action equals acceleration. You prepare by staying consistent with your habits. You wait patiently for the right opportunity and when it comes, you take massive decisive action. It's like a rocket launch. The rocket burns most of its fuel just to escape the Earth's gravity. That's the hardest part. But once it's in orbit, it glides smoothly. Success works the same way. The early stages require tremendous effort, but once you break through, everything becomes easier. Remember, there are no shortcuts. You have to pay the price. But the compound effect ensures that every ounce of effort is never wasted. It's quietly working behind the scenes, building your momentum. And then when your moment of truth arrives, you will be unstoppable. Moments of truth. There's a powerful line from Lance Armstrong's autobiography. He writes, "There is a point in every race when a rider meets his real opponent and realizes it's himself." That's such a deep truth, isn't it? In life, in business, in every struggle, the opponent isn't out there, it's inside. Lance talks about how in his most painful moments on the bike, he becomes curious. He wonders, "How will I respond? Will I find my weakness and give in? or will I reach deep and discover my true strength? We all face these moments. I face them daily when I was in real estate. Driving to meet a potential client after getting rejected by the last one. My mind would start coming up with excuses. Maybe I should skip this call. Maybe it's not a good time. I'd be canvasing a neighborhood and suddenly the dogs would start barking or the sky would turn dark with rainclouds. Or during cold calling time between 5 and 900 p.m. I'd get scolded for interrupting someone's dinner or TV show. And let me be honest with you, I was always tempted to stop, to take a break, to go back to the office, to grab a glass of water. But every time I hit that mental wall, I reminded myself my competitors are feeling the same thing right now. If I keep going, even when it's hard, I will be ahead of them. These were my moments of truth. Moments where success is forged. Not during easy times when I'm just keeping pace with the crowd, but in the tough moments when most people stop. It's not about whether you reach the wall or not. It's about what you do after you hit the wall. Lou Holtz, the legendary football coach, understood this well. In one game, his team was losing 42 to0 at halftime. But Lou didn't scold them. Instead, he showed them highlight reels of players making second efforts, diving for tackles, blocking harder, going the extra inch. He told his team, "Everyone gives their best on every play. That's expected. But what wins games is the extra effort after you've done your best. That's why you're on my team. That team came back and won the game in the second half. That's how victories are earned. Think about Muhammad Ali. October 30th, 1974, the legendary Rumble in the Jungle. Almost no one believed Ali could defeat George Foreman. Foreman was a powerhouse. He had knocked out Joe Frasier and Ken Norton in just the second round. But Ali had a strategy. He knew Foreman was strong but lacked endurance. Ali invented the rope a dope. He leaned on the ropes protecting his face while Foreman threw hundreds of punches. Round after round, Ali absorbed the blows, waiting. By the eighth round, Foreman had hit his wall. He was exhausted. That's when Ali struck, delivering a combination punch that floored Foreman and reclaimed the heavyweight title. Do you see the pattern here? Hitting the wall is not an obstacle, it's an opportunity. Let me take you back to Lance Armstrong's second tour to France. Earlier that year, he had crashed on a wet mountain road. The crash left him with a concussion and a broken vertebrae. Now, as fate would have it, the tour returned to the same mountain, and once again, it was raining. But Lance's mindset was different. He said, "This is perfect attacking weather because I know the others don't like it. I believe nobody in the world is better at suffering than me." That's a mindset shift. He turned his pain into his advantage. That day, Lance won his second tour to France. Do you see the pattern here? Hitting the wall is not an obstacle. It's an opportunity. Let me take you back to Lance Armstrong's second tour to France. Earlier that year, he had crashed on a wet mountain road. The crash left him with a concussion and a broken vertebrae. Now, as fate would have it, the tour returned to the same mountain, and once again, it was raining. But Lance's mindset was different. He said, "This is perfect attacking weather because I know the others don't like it. I believe nobody in the world is better at suffering than me." That's a mindset shift. He turned his pain into his advantage. That day, Lance won his second tour to France. Do you see the pattern here? Hitting the wall is not an obstacle. It's an opportunity. Lance Armstrong said about the fear of crashing again. I'm looking forward to thrushing out with him in real time. That's a mindset shift. He turned his pain into his advantage. That day, Lance Armstrong won his second tour to France. You see, when conditions are perfect, sun is shining, no distractions, no problems, everyone performs well. But when things get tough, when problems arise, when distractions pull at you, that's when you get to prove your worth. That's when you separate yourself from the average. Jim Ran, my mentor, used to say, "Don't wish it were easier, wish you were better." And that's the truth. Every time you hit the wall, whether it's in your daily disciplines, your routines, or your consistency, it's a signal. It's life's way of saying, "This is the moment where you leave your old self behind and step into a stronger, more powerful version of you." scaling that wall, pushing through when it's difficult. That's where victories are made. That's where champions are born. Multiplying your results. I want to share something exciting with you today. We've talked about how small, simple disciplines repeated consistently will eventually compound into big life-changing results. But here's a powerful thought. What if you could speed up that process? What if you could multiply your results, not just add to them? Wouldn't you want to know how? Well, I'm going to show you exactly how just a little bit of extra effort can explode your outcomes beyond what you ever imagined. Let's take a simple example, weight training. Imagine your workout plan says you need to do 12 repetitions of a certain exercise. You do the 12 reps and that's great. You've done what's expected. And if you stay consistent, this effort will compound and give you results over time. But what if after those 12 reps, even when you feel like you can't go on, you push out another 3 to five reps? Yes, it will hurt. Yes, it will be uncomfortable, but here's the truth. Those extra reps will multiply the impact of your workout. You see, the first 12 reps got you to your limit, but the real growth happens in the reps after you hit that wall. This principle applies everywhere in life. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the bodybuilding legend, used a method called the cheating principle. Now, don't get it wrong. Arnold was all about perfect form. But once he reached his max in perfect form, he'd allow a slight adjustment, maybe a small wrist turn or leaning back a bit to push out five or six more reps. Those cheat reps were where the real muscle growth happened. Sometimes it wasn't just about cheating. He'd have a workout partner help him with those last few reps, the ones he couldn't do on his own. But it was those extra reps beyond his limit that multiplied his gains. This is how you shatter your limits. If you're a runner, you'll understand this, too. You set a goal, maybe three miles for the day. You're tired. You've hit your limit, but instead of stopping, you push for an extra half mile. That extra stretch expands your endurance, your stamina, and your mindset exponentially. Now, remember the magic penny example from chapter 1? A penny that doubles in value every day becomes over $10 million after 31 days. But here's something even more mindblowing. If you added just one more doubling per week during those 31 days, do you know what happens? The result wouldn't be $10 million. It would skyrocket to $171 million. That's right. Just four extra efforts changed the outcome by $161 million. That's how powerful a little extra can be. It's not about working 10x harder. It's about pushing just a little beyond your limit consistently. And that little extra multiplies your results over time. Here's a mindset shift I want you to adopt. View yourself as your toughest competitor. Stop comparing yourself to others. Compete against the best version of yourself. Push past your own expectations. Go beyond what you think you're capable of. Another key to multiplying your results is this. Do more than people expect of you. Most people do the bare minimum. They do enough. But when you go the extra mile, when you deliver more than expected, you stand out. Opportunities will find you. Rewards will multiply. It's a small shift, but it makes all the difference. The compound effect isn't just about slow, steady gains when you apply extra effort at the right moments. It becomes a force that accelerates your progress beyond what you thought possible. Beat the expectations. Let me share with you a principle that can completely change the results you get in life. It's the idea of beating expectations. Let's take Oprah Winfrey as an example. She's famous not just for her success, but for how she constantly goes beyond what anyone expects. Do you remember her show's season opener in 2004? It's still talked about to this day. That day, Oprah invited an audience filled with people whose friends and family had written letters saying they desperately needed a new car. She called 11 people on stage and gave each of them a brand new 2005 Pontiac G6. The crowd was thrilled. That alone would have been a great surprise. But Oprah wasn't done. She then handed out gift boxes to the rest of the audience. She told them, "One of you has a key to the 12th car." Everyone opened their boxes and inside every single person had a set of keys. That's when Oprah delivered her now legendary line, "Everybody gets a car. Everybody gets a car." It was a moment no one could forget. But Oprah didn't stop there. In other shows, she's given scholarships to foster children, thousands of dollars in clothing, and even paid for homes to keep families from being kicked out. Now, you might be thinking, "Of course, she can do that. She's Oprah." But let's be honest, there are many celebrities with as much fame and money who don't do those things. What makes Oprah special is that she chooses to go beyond expectations. That's what separates the good from the great. Now, let me share a personal story. When it was time to propose to my wife, Georgia, I could have done what was expected, sit down with her father and ask for his blessing. But I wanted to do something more meaningful. Her father spoke English, but he wasn't completely comfortable with it. So, I had George's sister translate my proposal speech into Portuguese. On my way to Los Angeles from San Diego, I rehearsed that speech over and over. I showed up with flowers and gifts, sat with him, and delivered my speech in his native language. Thankfully, he said yes. But I didn't stop there. Over the next few days, I called each of George's five brothers to personally ask for their blessing as well. Some agreed easily, others made me earn it. But in the end, Georgia told me that what made my proposal so special was how I honored her family. That extra effort made all the difference. Let's look at another example. Stuart Johnson, the owner of Success Magazine, took a huge risk when he acquired the magazine during one of the toughest economic times in history. Print media was struggling and businesses everywhere were pulling back. But Stuart didn't just stop at acquiring the magazine. He went beyond expectations. Even while his primary business was facing challenges, he launched a nonprofit foundation to help teach personal development to teenagers. He personally funded the administration of the Success Foundation. He created a book called Success for Teens and distributed over 1 million free copies through schools and nonprofit partners. He didn't have to do that. It wasn't expected of him, but because he did, it multiplied his impact on his team, on the press, on his business partners, and most importantly, on thousands of young lives. That's the power of doing more than expected. So, here's the question for you. Where in your life can you go beyond expectations? Where can you add that extra touch that makes a huge difference? Maybe it's when you're making calls at work or serving your customers or when you're recognizing your team members or appreciating your spouse or planning a date night or playing with your kids or even going for a run. In every area of life, there's always a small extra effort you can make. And that little extra doesn't just add to your results, it multiplies them. When you push beyond what's expected, you create wow moments. Moments people remember, moments that set you apart, moments that accelerate your success. It doesn't take a huge leap, just a little extra. That's how you beat expectations. That's how you create extraordinary results. Do the unexpected. Here's a principle that can give you an instant edge over the crowd. Do the unexpected. Most people zigg. If you want to stand out, you need to zag. Let me explain. I've always been a bit of a contrarian. If something is popular, if it's what everyone is doing, I tend to do the opposite. Why? Because common actions lead to common results. And I'm not interested in common. Think about it. The most popular restaurant is McDonald's. The most popular drink, Coca-Cola. The most popular wine, Franzia. The kind that comes in a box. Nothing wrong with any of that. But if you consume what's popular, you'll blend into the average pack. I prefer to aim for extraordinary. Here's a simple example. Everyone sends Christmas cards, but since everyone does it, how much emotional impact do you think it really has? Not much. So instead, I send Thanksgiving cards. How many Thanksgiving cards do you get? Exactly. It makes people pause. It makes a statement and rather than printing off a generic best wishes message, I handwrite personal notes telling people exactly why I'm grateful for them. Same effort, but it creates a far bigger impact. Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin, is a master of doing the unexpected. When he launches a new company, he doesn't just send out press releases or host fancy parties. No, he does something bold, something daring, like flying a hot air balloon around the world or driving a tank down Fifth Avenue in New York City to launch Virgin Cola. And guess what? He probably spends the same amount or even less than other companies on marketing. But his unexpected stunts multiply his impact. People remember him. His brand stands out. Doing the unexpected doesn't always require money or massive resources. Sometimes it's just about a little extra effort. When I was in real estate, everyone else would cold call expired listings. I did something different. I would drive to the homeowner's doorstep and personally hand them a sold sign. I'd say, "You'll need this if you hire me to take over this listing." It cost me nothing but a tank of gas, but it dramatically increased my chances of winning the listing. Let me tell you a story about my friend Alex. Alex had an opportunity for his dream job. He lived in California, but the job was in Boston. He was one of the final 12 candidates. The company planned to interview locals in person and out oftowners via video conference. He called me and asked me, "Do you know how to set up a webcam interview?" I asked him, "Alex, how badly do you want this job?" He said, "It's my dream job. I've spent 45 years preparing for this." So, I told him, "Then get on a plane and show up in person." Alex hesitated, "No need. They're flying in the final three later for a last round of interviews." I told him, "If you want to be in that final three, do the unexpected. Fly across the country now. Show them how serious you are." I even advised him to go allin. What I call a shock and awe campaign. I said, "Research everyone involved in the decision-making process. Find out their hobbies, their family's interests. Send them books, articles, small gifts. Yes, they'll know what you're doing, but they'll appreciate your effort and creativity. I told him to reach out through his network, find any personal connections to the company, and get referrals. Send emails, texts, faxes, social media messages, hit every angle. Sure, it might seem overly aggressive, but here's the truth. You might lose one out of five people for being too aggressive, but you'll win over the other four. Unfortunately, Alex didn't take my advice. He didn't make the trip. He didn't stand out. And he didn't get the job. He didn't even make it to the final three. Even though he was the best candidate, his failure to make an impression cost him his dream job. Here's another story. I sit on the board of a company that once needed a congressman's approval to move forward with a crucial project. This congressman was refusing not because of the issue itself but due to unrelated political grudges. So I suggested we take a different approach. Instead of lobbying the congressman, we went straight to someone who had real influence over him, his wife. Through our network, we found a connection to her. We met her after a church service, introduced ourselves, and explained how this project would help hundreds of children in an underprivileged neighborhood. Guess what? By Tuesday of the following week, the congressman had signed off. Sometimes doing the expected, sending letters, making phone calls, doesn't cut it. In our noisy, attention deficit society, doing the unexpected is often required just to get noticed. If you have a mission, a dream, a cause that's important, you need to be willing to stand out. You need to add a little audacity to your efforts. It doesn't always take money. Often, it just takes guts, creativity, and the willingness to be bold. So ask yourself, where in your life or business can you do the unexpected? Where can you go beyond the ordinary and make people notice you? Sometimes it all takes a little zag when everyone else is zigging. That's how you win. Do better than expected. There's a secret to achieving extraordinary results in life. It's simple, but very few people actually do it. The secret is to always do better than expected. Let me share a story with you. Invisible Children is a nonprofit I work with. They help rescue children who've been abducted and forced to become child soldiers in Uganda and the Congo. To raise awareness, they organized a powerful event called the rescue. Across 100 cities, more than 800,000 young people camped outside. They wouldn't leave until a community leader came to rescue them, bringing attention to their cause. In 99 cities, it worked. Senators like Ted Kennedy and John Kerry showed up. Celebrities like Val Kilmer and Kristen Bell came out to support. But in Chicago, after six days, no one had come. They needed Oprah. Day after day, in the rain, they marched around her studios. They danced, sang, and held signs. On the sixth day, they did something different. More than 500 participants stood silently around Oprah's studio holding signs. At 3:30 a.m. That morning, Oprah walked out of Harpo Studios. She spoke to the founders of Invisible Children and invited the entire group to appear live on her show. That moment changed everything. Invisible Children went from being a small nonprofit to a global movement. They appeared on Larry King Live and in over 230 news outlets. Their message reached more than 65 million people. A bill supporting their cause is now in Congress. They had already done more than expected with the rescue event, but it was their extra persistence in Chicago that multiplied their impact. That's the power of doing better than expected. Now, here's the key. This isn't just for big moments or huge causes. It's in the small things, too. Whenever I attend an event, I always dress one level above what's expected. Why? Because it's a simple way to make a statement. When I'm hired to give a keynote speech, I don't just show up and wing it. I spend hours preparing, learning about the company, their challenges, their goals. Why? Because I want to exceed expectations. That's how you build a reputation for excellence. I once worked with a CEO who had a simple but powerful habit. He paid his vendors and suppliers a few days before the payment was due. It didn't cost him anything extra, but the goodwill it created was priceless. People loved working with him because he always went the extra mile. Steve Jobs was a master of this principle. Every time Apple launched a new product, people had high expectations. But Steve always had a little extra surprise up his sleeve, a feature, a design, an innovation that wowed people. That small extra effort multiplied Apple's customer loyalty. Nordstrom is another great example. Their customer service is legendary. They've been known to accept returns of items bought a year ago without a receipt. Sometimes even items bought from other stores. Why do they do this? Because they understand that exceeding expectations builds trust and loyalty. Their reputation keeps growing because of it. Now think about your own life. Where can you go the extra mile? Where can you do a little more than what's expected? It could be in how you approach your work, how you serve your customers, how you treat your family and friends, or even in your personal goals and habits. Giving a little more time, energy, or thought to your efforts doesn't just improve your results, it multiplies them. Extraordinary results don't require extraordinary resources. They require extra effort. When you always look for ways to do better than expected, you create wow moments, moments that people remember, moments that build your reputation, moments that accelerate your success. So, I challenge you in every area of your life, look for opportunities to go a little further, push a little harder, last a little longer, prepare a little better, and deliver a little bit more. Find the places where you can do the totally unexpected because it's those small extra efforts that will astonish not only the world but even yourself. Learning without execution is meaningless. Knowledge in itself is powerless unless it's followed by deliberate action. Motivation, no matter how intense, fades into self-d delusion if it's not harnessed into movement. The true change, the transformation you seek only happens when insights are paired with consistent, disciplined effort. There comes a point when wishing and hoping for success must give way to working for it. Success isn't a matter of luck, chance, or fleeting inspiration. It is a result, a result of small, deliberate actions compounded over time. You now possess a method, a philosophy that can guide you toward tangible, measurable success, but it demands your participation. It requires your commitment. Whenever you notice old habits sneaking back into your life, pause, reflect, redirect. The moment you catch yourself slipping into inconsistency, remember your mission. Reignite your purpose. Refocus your energy. Success is not a single event. It's a process, a rhythm. And whenever you feel the need to strengthen your resolve, remember why you started. What truly drives lasting success? It's the understanding that making a positive impact in the lives of others creates a ripple effect that ultimately transforms your own life. Every act of significance begins with a choice. The choice to lead by example to uplift others and in doing so elevate yourself. Take a moment and look back on your life five years ago. Are you where you thought you would be? Have you overcome the habits you vowed to change? Are you living with the health, wealth, and freedom you envisioned? If not, the answer is simple. It's been a matter of choices. The next five years will unfold, but how they unfold depends entirely on the decisions you make today. This is your opportunity to chart a different path. You can choose right now to change the trajectory of your life. It's a matter of deciding that the next 5 years will not mirror the last. It's about committing to the small, consistent actions that align with your values and aspirations. From this moment forward, you are no longer a bystander. You understand the real mechanics of success. You know that overnight transformations are illusions. The reality is much more empowering. It lies in the daily disciplines that may seem insignificant but build unstoppable momentum. The compound effect is always working. Whether for you or against you, the choice is yours. Stay grounded in your purpose. Hold fast to your vision. Avoid the allure of shortcuts and quick fixes. The rewards come to those who remain unwavering even when the results aren't immediately visible. That persistence, that faith in the process will carry you forward with unstoppable force. There's a principle deeply rooted in the human experience that magnifies success. To receive more, give more. If you seek confidence, empower someone else to find theirs. If you desire inspiration, become a source of it for others. When you help someone else succeed, you inevitably pull yourself toward greater success. Start small. Begin with a simple act of giving. Share the knowledge, the strategies, that mindset that has inspired you to take action. It could be with a friend, a family member, a colleague, or even a stranger whose life might change with a single conversation. You never know, the impact you make on their journey could circle back to profoundly affect yours. Your own growth is intertwined with the growth of those around you. Every time you help lift someone higher, you elevate yourself. That's the beauty of significance. It's not just about personal gain. It's about creating a chain reaction of positive change starting with you. So now it's your turn. Take action. Not tomorrow, not next week. Now, this very moment is a fork in the road. You can continue as you have been or you can choose to step into a future that reflects your highest potential. You are equipped with the knowledge. You have the vision. Now you must take the steps. Let the next 5 years be a story of transformation. Not of chance but of choice. Not of waiting but of doing. Your future self is waiting to thank you for the decisions you make today. Today you didn't just consume ideas. You gained tools. Now use them. Don't let this be another fleeting moment of insight. Commit to one small action. Build forward motion. If this message stirred something in you, take it a step further. Like this video if it added value to your journey. Subscribe to this channel for more bite-sized strategies that spark change. Together we grow. And momentum, your momentum does the rest. Every meaningful change begins with one step.