Compound Interest

Growth, change, and progress always happens internally before it ever manifests in an external way. 

In fact, the distance between when real, true, systemic change takes place inside you, and when it becomes apparent to everyone else is gargantuan.

That’s how you get better though; winning one small internal battle at a time. 

Victories over donuts, laziness, and the snooze button may seem tiny and insignificant. And they are when taken individually. 

Things rarely happen in isolation though. 

Each win you secure over weakness in whatever form is a deposit in an account that’s accruing interest. 

Every time you say, “No,” to something you shouldn’t do, you make a deposit in the account. Those deposits are small at first, but blossom over time. 

Compound interest is a beautiful thing, and it doesn’t apply to bank accounts only. It applies to every area of your life. 

Invest in a handful of daily habits. Habits that seem small when taken in isolation, but yield massive results months, and years down the road. 

You Get To

You get to wake up early and get after it. 

You get to go to work and give it your all. 

You get to workout, lift heavy things and sweat. 

You get to choose good, nutritious foods. 

You get to pick your kids up from school. 

You get to go home and spend time with your family. 

You don't have to, YOU GET TO. 

You're reading this, so that means your alive today. You have breath in your lungs and you get another glorious day to love, work hard and cherish. 

Don't waste it with a cruddy attitude. 

Soon your race will be run. Soon your life will reach its end. 

What will you have done with the time you've been given? 

Will you squander it and all its glory with a bad mindset? 

Or will you focus on all the things you get to do, relishing and marveling at the fact that you and only you get to do them? 

The power of positive thinking

There is power in positive thinking. Although, it’s not the power you’ve been led to believe.

Positivity won’t suddenly bend the laws of nature and society to your will and make all your dreams come true. It’s not a magic weapon or secret to unlocking your best life now. 

It is a remarkably useful and essential tool to have on your toolbelt. 

Having a positive outlook and attitude improves your performance. 

One reason is that your emotions and thoughts aren’t an extra hurdle for you to climb. 

You can focus your energy and think about the actual problems in the real world, instead of the ones in your head. 

Why create more stress and work for yourself by thinking negatively? 

It might be a difficult habit to break, but it’s one worth it. 

Practice finding the good in every situation and focusing on it. Then set to banishing negativity from your mind. 

Thinking and acting like a champion comes first.

You don’t reach the top of your profession or field of endeavor only to then start behaving like a champion. 

You reach the pinnacle of excellence by living and breathing the actions and habits of a champion.

Shifting your mindset and behavior comes first. 

Once you flip that switch and commit all you have to it, everything else tends to fall into place. 

It won’t be immediate, but if you pursue it all day every day you’ll catch excellence in the end.

What You Focus On

Have you noticed that the more you focus on a problem or mistake the more you repeat it?

That’s because your focus determines your output. 

What you focus your energy on is what you’ll produce. 

In other words, your behavior follows your mindset.

If you’re focused on not doing a particular thing, chances are you’re setting the stage for it to happen again. And again. And again. 

While taking things seriously and holding the line is important, so is focusing on the right things. 

Don't waste time and energy dwelling on the negative. Focus intently on the positive instead. 

There is a positive side to every problem you encounter. Focus on it. 

It is always better to be for something positive, than against something negative. 

Discipline your mind to think in this way. Discipline it to focus in the right direction. 

Change your thinking, and you’ll change your life. But as with everything else, that’s going to require discipline.