Brian Tracy

With respects to motivation and drive it just seems that some people are hardwired differently. Some seem to work with a laser-like focus towards what they want without wavering; and for many others, they fail to even get started and will live lives of ‘extended mediocrity’ (Brain Tracy, The Psychology of Achievement). So what is it that sets those peak performers and high achievers apart from everyone else? What do they posses that gives them that slight edge to soar above the rest? I would have to say that my biggest take aways are perseverance, desire, and above all; success is only possible through failure—trying, trying, and trying again—over and over and over again at all costs.

For me I like to pull my inspiration from texts I find to be incredibly influential and people who have made it with raw grit and determination. So, what I would like to do to kick start this Motivation Monday into high gear is share with you a few things that have been fueling my soul in recent pursuits with the hopes of them guiding you to find and live your passions too.

Get Your Learn On With These Books:

The Desire Map by Danielle LaPorte

Not your traditional ‘lifetsyle’ book as it includes a workbook for self-reflection guide to live a more fulfilled life based on how you want to feel. LaPorte’s approach is simple: detach from tangible outcomes like things you want to do and have and pursue matters of the heart answering the basic question of “How do I want to feel?”

This book literally changed not just my life but my husband’s life as well. It gave us the opportunity to truly gaze inward and let go of things not aligned to how we wanted to feel; thus thwarting our efforts to truly lead lives where we were happy and thriving. For my husband Greg, it meant that after our honeymoon in Bali he gave his notice at a job that didn’t offer him the soulful kind of work he was looking for. And for me, it meant that I relinquished my attachment to teaching a class that simply didn’t serve me. I had been teaching the class for a year and it wasn’t building. It commandeered my Saturday being that it was at 10:30am, and lastly, it simply didn’t light my heart on fire. Virtually instantaneously, just as I committed to letting the class go—saying it out loud and even emailing my boss about it, new and exciting opportunities literally found me. Sometimes, all it takes is letting something go so that something new can grow.

The 4 Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss

Dreamed of living in Thailand for a few months? Who hasn’t! But you can’t go, right? You have to make money, hence working and you cannot possibly leave your job—you can’t just up and go. Or can you?

Like many Americans you probably dislike your job. You work simply because you need to make money to retire, then live your life—right? WRONG! Ferriss proposes living a life punctuated by ‘mini-retirements’ where you cycle in and out of a variety of jobs that maximize your efficiency and allow you to travel and pursue personal interests. Definitely geared towards millennials or as Ferriss likes to call them the New Rich or NR, this book is an entertaining read and a how-to-guide on working remotely, working more efficiently, and chasing your passions. I particularly love that Ferriss provides websites and programs that he and others have vetted with great success in manifesting the premise of working much less by proxy of working significantly smarter.

Get Your Listening On:

The Psychology of Achievement, Podcast by Brian Tracy

Did you know that people who set goals are more successful in life and business? Yet in spite of this data, did you know that only 3% of people actually set goals?! This 1-hour podcast is filled with incredible anecdotes about the power of goal setting with some powerful facts about the dangers of just ‘wandering aimlessly through life without purpose’. I relished every second of it while listening in my car to and from work for a few days. As a matter of fact, I have listened to it twice since that initial first time and each time I take away something new. Perhaps the most important lesson was Thomas Edison’s work in developing the electric light bulb. He failed over 10,000 times while developing the light bulb, 10,000 times!!!! He was mocked by the scientific community and even called crazy. Edison never gave up and he utilized each and every failure as a tool to aide in his success. If you’ve ever wanted to do something and have allowed fear to hold you back—give this podcast a gander and start living more wholly!

Get Your Video On:

The 6 Rules of Success by Arnold Schwarzenegger

This short video is my go-to almost daily. While Schwarzenegger has led a colorful personal life, his professional pursuits as a body builder, politician, and actor make this man worthy of great respect. I didn’t realize just how impactful Schwarzenegger was in the fitness realm until relatively recently and the more I learn about him, the more I read about him, the deeper I delve into weight lifting—the more I am awed by this man’s genius.

For me this video is a constant reminder that there isn’t ANYTHING outside of my reach. It gives me that little extra push when I am feeling deflated and I remind myself that I can capture my wildest dreams no matter what others say and think.

Get Your Social Media On:

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson

I was never a fan of the WWE nor have ever seen this man wrestle. I’ve seen his movies and while I have always thoroughly enjoyed them for what they were; it wasn’t until I stumbled upon The Rock on social media that I realized his depth and complexity. The Rock is a stand up human being. He visits sick children and from what it seems, spends a great deal of his time giving back to the community, and actually running his own social media which is refreshing. His social media is a snap shot into the great things that he does like getting up early for a workout, or a flashback of how hard he hustled before he made it. Like Schwarzenegger, The Rock didn’t wait for any handouts. He worked his ass off to be where he is today. He embodies what it means to give back to others while continuing to live a life he’s worked hard for and deserves.

Below is a post from his Instagram this weekend. And what I would also like to note is that it was reading his post that in turn inspired this post from me.

So now it’s your turn. What do you aspire to achieve and how can you inspire others?

therock Wow. This 1996 XL cheese pizza of absurdity just surfaced on my Instagram feed. Brings back crazy memories – hustler’s mentality. I was cuttin’ my teeth down in Memphis for $40 bucks per match every night in flea markets, state fairs and pretty much anywhere we could set up a ring. Every night during intermission, myself and the other wrestlers would go out and set up a table in the crowd and sell our pictures and little trinkets to the fans to make a buck. My merchandise would sell between 75 cents and $3 bucks. Hell, if you were one of the few fans who had an extra $5 bucks on ya, then you could even take a Polaroid with me! You’d go home happy (hopefully;) and I’d have $5 more bucks to go towards my gas money and Waffle House. This vintage cheese pizza was one of the pics I would sell to the fans…while standing in the middle of a flea market during intermission before my match. Those days were hard core for me, but as hard as they were, all I knew was the hustle and I’d do whatever it took to climb that ladder and succeed. If it meant standing out in the middle of the crowd selling my trinkets, I’d do it. If it meant wrestling in shitty barns or the parking lots of used car dealerships, I’d do it. If it meant driving up and down the highways over 1900 miles per week to make $40 bucks per match, I’d do it. And if I had to do it all over again, I’d do it twice. I know a lot of you are enjoying the success of your hustle these days and many of you are still hustlin’ hard core to make success happen. Keep hustlin’ and don’t stop. That’s the best part about this whole thing.. is when you finally make it.. and you will.. that’s when the hustle gets even stronger. It never stops. Lastly, the week I signed this pic to an employee at Eckerd’s drug store in Florida, I got the call from the WWE that they were officially signing me to their roster as “Rocky Maivia”. As you can tell by my WTF signature, I had no idea how to even sign my new name. Thankfully, it just became plain ol’ “Rock”. #GrindDNA #WhateverItTakes #TrinketsForSale #GasMoneyAndWaffleHouse