• Confidence

    Confidence

    Confidence in yourself and your abilities is probably one of the most important virtues for you to pursue. So many good things come from confidence. Your relationships, happiness, and success will much improved from a high degree of confidence. With a big enough confidence, you will end up believing in yourself and it doesn’t much matter what other people think. The good thing is confidence is something that can be nurtured and developed.

    Where does confidence come from?

    Part of the answer is competence. How do you become competent? Hard work over long periods of time. You don’t get really good at anything overnight. And you don’t get really good at anything without hard work. If you want to be an amazing chess player, it’s really hard work. You have to read books, study your games, work with a coach, and put in the time. Do this with anything, and you will undoubtedly develop a lot of competence over time.

    Another part of the answer of how you become confident is through winning. Even small wins will start to develop your confidence. Enter a chess tournament and beat a higher ranking player and you’ll start to feel more confident. Practice a speech and nail it in front of your class and you’ll feel the momentum building. The critical point is you can intentionally design a roadmap along any skill to build your confidence. Don’t bite off too much too soon. Even if there’s no course or certificate out there for you, you should design a bunch of smaller challenges that you can overcome to start building your confidence.

    Note this post is about confidence, not cockiness. As much as people like and want to be around a confident person, they run away from a cocky person. Be confident but not cocky. Usually this means don’t talk about how good you are. Even if you’re the best in the world at something, don’t brag or boast. Let your actions do the talking. As Teddy Roosevelt said, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.”

  • Destiny

    Destiny

    One of my all-time favorite quotes:

    “Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.”

    -William Jennings Bryan

  • Why?

    Why?

    When you try new or different things, you’ll always have people asking you some version of “Why would you do that?” Why start a company? Why volunteer? Why put your reputation on the line? Why make that investment? Why risk it?

    My answer to this is always the same: “Why not?”

  • Making Hay

    Making Hay

    “Make hay while the sun is shining.” –Grandma Sue

  • Si vis pacem, para bellum

    Si vis pacem, para bellum

    If you want peace, prepare for war.

  • Save, but be Happy

    Save, but be Happy

    In my twenties, I was focused on the expense side of the equation of net worth. So I saved everything I could. I was making really good money after I got out of the Air Force and I lived in a guy’s room for $400/month instead of renting my own apartment. All to save money. I went too far, and it affected how much I enjoyed my life. Saving, and working towards financial independence, is obviously important. But not at the expense of your happiness. I used to fret about money and constantly feel guilty about spending. But then I realized there are two sides to the equation. There is the expense side, of course. But there is also the revenue side. I realized I could increase the amount of money I made through investments and entrepreneurship. The net worth would still be there, but not by scrimping and saving every penny I could get my hands on. My mindset completely shifted. My guilt went away and, not to be too dramatic, I was liberated by the new mindset. I wish I could go back and tell my 24-year-old self this…

  • Should you be an entrepreneur?

    Should you be an entrepreneur?

    Only if you HAVE to be an entrepreneur. Starting a company and growing it takes years of dedicate, patience, commitment, passion, and energy. It will take everything you have and then some. If it isn’t your mission in life to be successful, you won’t be and you shouldn’t even start. There’s nothing wrong with not wanting to be an entrepreneur. As glamourous as it may seem, it’s so difficult with incredible highs… and lows. Most entrepreneurs–even the most successful ones–will tell you that had they known how hard it would be they probably would not do it again.

  • Be kind but not weak

    Be kind but not weak

    Learn to be strong but not rude
    Be kind but not weak
    Be bold but not a bully
    Be thoughtful but not lazy
    Dream but don’t be a dreamer
    Be proud but not arrogant
    Be humble but not timid
    Be humor without folly
    Be witty but not silly
    -Jim Rohn
    I studied Jim Rohn for a couple of years. His seminars changed my thinking.

  • “Don’t worry Mommy, everyone makes mistakes.”

    Layla, cheering up Mommy after she made a mistake…

  • The Importance of Communicating Well

    The Importance of Communicating Well

    Your success will depend entirely on your ability to communicate well. I don’t think that’s an overstatement. If you can write well and speak clearly — able to effectively communicate the thoughts in your head so the other person understands exactly what you are trying to say — you are on your way to effective leadership, compelling thoughts, and convincing people to see your perspective. Conversely, if you can’t communicate well, your success will be limited. As a first step, invest the time in learning to write effectively, even 2-3 sentence-long emails. If you write effectively, your speech will also become more coherent and compelling.

    A bonus of learning to communicate effectively is you also learn to THINK better. If you can’t explain it well enough, you don’t understand it well enough. So learning to communicate it also helps you learn to think through it.