Michael's Motivation

I gave a talk at Toastmasters today about having done 1000 episodes across my various podcasts, and it got me thinking I should get back to this.

This has been one heck of a week. Our nation suffered an unprecedented attack. Normally, I see things happening in the news, sigh, and say "okay, so that happened." This hit me a bit harder. It was quite distracting. Add to that all the other stress of business, family life, and all the rest, and I found myself pretty well off balance yesterday. When we go to Mystic Dojo - Yamashita International Karate, we bow upon passing through the door. This is to show respect for the dojo and the instructors, but it is also a signal to ourselves to leave everything outside. The news, the bills, the family, what's for dinner, when will I find time to do the thing, all of that stays outside. No matter what is happening outside, when I go inside my mind should be 100% karate and nothing else. It's not always easy to do so, but by the end of the class, my mind is clear, and I am refreshed to be able to return to the bustling outside world.

I didn't buy it. I got it with a combination of good luck and hard work. I got it the same way that most success comes. https://www.guywhoknowsaguy.com

I had two conversations yesterday that really sum up the debate I had internally a few weeks ago. The end of that debate was to be fully authentic. I'm not going to present a cleaned up, idealized version of myself. That doesn't help you, and it's not honest with you. Thanks Butch for confirming what my instincts told me. Check out my daily motivational messages at http://motivation.guywhoknowsaguy.com

Running water. Indoor plumbing. Plentiful cheap food. Refridgeration. Safe streets. Free education. Electricity. Internet. These are just a few reasons that now, even in 2020, is one of the best times in history to be alive. Keep that in perspective. Looking for more positive messages? Check at http://motivation.guywhoknowsaguy.com

I have lived in and owned this house for a month and a half now, but I haven't truly felt like I owned it. It just felt like the place I was living now. My wife has done a lot of work on the house, but I have mostly just worked in the house. My focus is my business and all the things I need to do to be able to pay for my share of the mortgage. Last night, it started snowing, and I went out to do a bit of shoveling. In shoveling the snow at MY house, I started to feel like it was MY house. As humans, we are hard wired that work should involve muscles. Things that we do only with our brains don't always feel like our work in the same way. I think this is some of where the sense of satisfaction in good, hard, physical labor comes from. Your body feels like it did something triggering the brain to say "good work!" Check out Conference21. 30 speakers, 2 days, 1 great event.

Christmas is supposed to be a joyous holiday, but for too many it is stressful and overwhelming. The joy of giving has been replaced with the obligation of giving. Let 2020 be the year that you shed these obligations. Give because you want to. Give because you will bring joy. If there is someone you are giving to or doing something for because you are afraid they'll be upset, then stop! If someone expects gifts or create obligations upon you, that's not love. That's extortion. Simplify your holidays, and bring the joy back to Christmas.

I woke up tired and worn out this morning. Just feeling kind of blah. Our instinct when this happens is to justify it. It's silly to feel down for no reason, so we make up reasons. That's even sillier. Sometimes you're just worn out. It's okay. It happens. Sometimes you're just down. That's fine too. No reason to ascribe reasons to it. Just wait it out and get back to it when you're ready. Looking for some upbeat motivation? Check out http://motivation.guywhoknowsaguy.com

I don't think I'm going to set goals for 2021. That's not entirely accurate. I'm setting goals, but I'm not setting specific ambitious goals. I'm not writing a big number on a piece of paper and tacking it on the wall. I'm not charting a specific course. It doesn't make sense right now. I'm setting two intentions: 1) Make enough money to be comfortable 2) Find my path and follow it forward For some time, I have tried to pay the bills with grand plans and audacious goals, but grand plans take time. I didn't have that time so I had to rush and constantly readjust to get faster cash. It doesn't work. Thus, the two parts. First, GET THE MONEY. Money doesn't have to come from my core business. It doesn't have to come from high prestige, exciting work. It could come from delivering boxes, copywriting, making web sites, delivering food, shoveling snow. Anything that pays a reasonable premium on my time is good. This provides the stable platform and space to work on the second part. Understand what path God has intended for me and follow it. Conference21 is shaping up to be one of my main projects. At the start of October, I hadn't even thought about running events, and it will take three months to come to fruition. It will be fantastic in many many ways, but I can only work on these long term projects if I'm taking care of the fundamentals. Who knows what opporutunities 2021 will bring? I certainly don't. So my specific plan is to place myself in a position to take advantage of whatever amazing ways appear before me. One of the projects I'm really enjoying is creating motivational content. You can get it free in your email every morning at http://motivation.guywhoknowsaguy.com

Kyoshi was speaking to the kid's class at karate yesterday, and he said that if you're taking short cuts now, what will you do later. The answer is that I know exactly where that road leads because I followed it. High school was easy. College was easy. The world was hard. When I got out of college into the real world, my shortcuts and coasting devistated my opportunities, and it would be a decade later that I finally developed the kind of worth ethic needed to achieve success. If I had gone to a school like Mystic Dojo - Yamashita International Karate when I was a kid, I would have enjoyed much better outcomes. Looking for more motivation, check out my daily motivational messages.

I'm going around delivering presents with a white beard and a jolly demeanor. I'm basically Santa Claus! I've been listening to @Dan Carlin - Hardcore History as I drive and the current episodes are about Japan in WWII. The Japanise were the epitome of positive, can-do attitude. They were so committed that they would rather die that lose, and would literally commit suicide rather than surrender even when they were clearly defeated. This attitude did not win the war because they did not have the strategy or even honest self awareness of the situation that they needed to effectively deploy that incredible spirit. I have learned a similar lesson in my own life about the need to have strategy and to be humble enough to realize that my own spirit alone is not sufficient to achieve success. Strategy is vital. Looking for a daily boost and high impact motivational messages? Check out http://motivation.guywhoknowsaguy.com

This kid is smarter than me (in some ways). As we grow up, we learn things, and some of those things are wrong. Rowan does not know what she can't do, so she does all kinds of things. I, on the other hand, place all kinds of limits on myself. Not just those "self limiting" beliefs we hear about in goal setting. More mundane things. I had written off a variety of enjoyable and profitable ventures. I am a motivational speaker, coach, author. I can't take a gig hauling packages, can I? I can be an Uber driver can I? Yeah, I can. That's what an entrepreneur is. It's someone who chases opportunities, whether they come dressed in suits or overalls. Rowan would have known that already. It took me a while to catch on. Looking for some motivation to help you pursue your opportunities? Check out http://motivation.guywhoknowsaguy.com

I have not been completely honest. Not to say I've been lying or even intentionally misleading. I just haven't been completely honest. I got started coaching because I connected with coaches who talked about the importance of big ticket programs, high dollar courses, audacious financial goals. So I tried to create those kinds of programs, but that's not me. I'm not all about money. I'm about helping people. I'm about coaching people and the feeling I get when someone says "that really helped me." The people I can help the most can't afford high ticket courses. And that's okay. I don't need to make $20,000 a month. If I can pay my bills and spend my time making people's lives better, then I am living my calling and I am happy. It took me a long time to come to this realization, but with it is the understanding that I need to be more authentic in the content I share. You don't need platitudes and theory. You want to see me live my truth so that you can learn from that how to live your own truth. Authenticity is harder than it sounds like it should be. Learn more about Michael Whitehouse.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to share this one or not, but I decided that it is more valuable to you that I share my true and authentic story than for me to share some polished, improved, embelished version of my life. I'm not rich. I'm not independently wealthy. Sometimes my financial fortunes are up and sometimes they are down. I got this idea in my head that I need to make money in "professional" and "respectable" ways. But that's not right. If you make an ethical living and you put food on the table and a roof over your head, then it's a good living. If you can do some good for people at the same time, even better. And I think that my messages and my writing do that for people. Sometimes I make money coaching. Sometimes I make money delivering packages. Sometimes I make money writing. Sometimes I make money running events. That's what entrepreneurship is about. Seeing and seizing opportunities. That and never giving up, never stopping, never staying down. And it really was fun running around in the snow yesterday. Seriously. Two new episodes of Hardcore History in my queue! (Watch the video to understand)

How do you see yourself? Your self image affects your confidence and your outcomes. A lot of people get down on the idea of positive thinking, but positive thinking is like nutritional supplements for exercise. Without doing the exercise, they do nothing, but they can be vital to make the exercise effective. You need to do the work to be successful, but you are more likely to do the work if you have confidence and the work is more likely to acheive results. So, how do you see yourself? Do you see yourself as someone with value? Do you see yourself as someone who can succeed? Check out this article I wrote this week on the topic: https://www.guywhoknowsaguy.com/2020/12/04/how-do-you-see-yourself/

Work the problem. What does that mean? It means that you take the problem step by step, starting by clearly identifying the desired outcome. The outcome points to the solution. Then ask yourself what you need for that solution. Work backwards from the end to where you are now. What is the next thing you need to do? Do that. What's next? Do that. Repeat until success. Work the problem. Don't panic. Looking for help and support in clarifying and working your problems? Check out the SASS program: http://sas.guywhoknowsaguy.com Want to get your mind right to tackle the next problem? Sign up for a free high impact motivational message in your mailbox every morning at http://motivation.guywhoknowsaguy.com

If you're like me, you go on YouTube searching for inspiration. You listen to motivational messages to get fired up and get your head right. Often those messages aren't even meant for you. They're about sports or war or who knows what, but the energy is right, so you go with it. Would you like an empowering message to get you fired up in the morning, and a calming message to wind you down at night? Good, because that is what I am creating! Every morning in your email, a motivational message, and every evening, and inspiring message. To sign up free, visit http://motivation.guywhoknowsaguy.com

This episode is dedicated to my daughter Rowan who is a great kid. Parents have unique challenges working from home, but my daughter understands that if I'm recording, then it's important she not interupt. She needed to tell me something, but she waited so quietly for me to finish my video that I didn't even know she was there. This kid is great.

It's not just you. The economy is way more difficult than it used to be. The era of getting a degree, getting a job, and keeping it for your whole career passed almost half a century again. Even worse, it only lasted for less than three decades. Our ideal of what work should be like it based on a period in time that passed in an historical blink of the eye. The good news is that opportunity still exists, but it only exists if you are looking at the situation that we face in reality and not some fantasy of past economic greatness. If you'd like to talk more about your own sitauation, visit https://www.guywhoknowsaguy.com, and click the button the schedule a call. I'd love to learn more about you and see how we can get you moving on the right track.

Why do I use a smartphone but no longer use a Fitbit? Why do I love my smart home device but hate my car's touchscreen display? We live in a world of magic. A device that I carry in my pocket connects me to the entire world, all it's knowledge, and all it's people. I use this device to record videos that I can share with you, on demand, at no cost. Magic! But all magic has a price. Sometimes the magic is not worth the price, and sometimes the price itself makes the magic no longer worth it. Some technology by its nature makes itself ineffective for its intended purpose. If you haven't yet, you should join my Facebook Group at www.facebook.com/groups/confidentconnected

What is the difference between performing surgery and stabbing? Both involve using a blade to cut a person. The difference is consent and intent. In sugery, the patient consents to the proceedure, and the intent is to do good. This is not the case with an assault. The same is true with coaching and motivation. To effectively coach or motivate someone, you must have their consent. If you coach tells you take responsibility for everything you do and find changes in yourself to improve the situation, there is consent and the advice is valuable. If a parent or boss or religious leader does the same thing to deflect blame and responsibility from themselves onto you, the same message, without consent and with selfish intent, becomes abusive. This video goes a bit deeper into heavier topics than I usually do. You may find it interesting, but I warn you that it could be upsetting to some people. I'd love to hear your feedback in the comments or privately at michael@guywhoknowsaguy.com Check out my other podcast at https://www.guywhoknowsaguy.com/podcast

It's Black Friday, that most American of holidays when we buy lots of stuff! As you spend all this money on gifts, I'd like you to spare a moment to ask yourself how much you have invested in yourself this year. The greatest investment you can make is in yourself. I have created a special Black Friday program to allow you to get clarity and get ready for 2021 for less than the cost of a TV. Check it out at http://2021package.guywhoknowsaguy.com

Happy Thanksgiving! I am doing a daily motivation series (http://crush2021.guywhoknowsaguy.com) I recorded a special Thankgiving message, and I wanted to share it with everyone today. I made a nice video to go with this at https://youtu.be/9pJA9CA6rxg

Nothing says good morning like stepping out into 34 degree with nothing but shorts on. This morning, I went out on the deck, did some exercise in the cold, and after 60 seconds, I was fully awake and feeling great. We are so conditioned to avoid discomfort that we diminish the potential of our lives. Anything worth doing is at least a little uncomfortable, but a childhood full of "wear a coat", "be careful", "you'll get hurt" have condemned too many of us to a life of mediocrity. Mediocrity is the ultimate discomfort, so don't be afraid of being uncomfortable to become the great person you are meant to be. Looking for more motiviation. You will love the Crush 2021 Motivational Series. http://crush2021.guywhoknowsaguy.com

I woke up a 3:50 AM to the sound of rain on the window. I was thinking about some frustrations I've had. Projects that haven't gotten the response I'd hoped for. Initiatives that haven't worked out as planned. So I gave up... ...on sleeping. People ask me how to keep going when it gets hard. The answer is action. Depression is a low energy state. If you are getting frustrated, depressed, hopeless, the answer is to take action. If you're massively frustrated, take massive action! The answer is not on Netflix. It's not in bed. The answer is in action. Get up. Get to work. Get to action. Get to success. Around the same time I woke up, many people received my motivational message in their inbox. If you'd like a blast of motivation every day from now until 2021, visit http://crush2021.guywhoknowsaguy.com to sign up.

The how changes, but if the goal is clear, you'll figure it out. Today things did not go as planned. There were a number of surprises, but because we were clear on our goal, the results came out well... eventually. This year has been the same way for many of us. This is why knowing where you want to end up, clarifying your goals is so important. And this is why I am running a series of free goal setting workshops over the next few weeks. If you know the goal, you can figure out the how. Visit http://countdown.guywhoknowsaguy.com to sign up for this FREE goal setting workshop.

Losing weaknesses is an interesting experience, especially if you are more advanced in age. Things that you could never do before, that you got used to not being able to do, are suddenly possible and sometimes easy. A year ago, I couldn't climb a flight of stairs without getting winded. I certainly couldn't do leg lifts or carry heavy objects over a distance. I couldn't even step over a guardrail without great effort. Now, at 40, I'm watching my physical weaknesses fall away one by one. As children, we are used to getting stronger and more capable, then we assume that our capabilities will reduce progressively as we get older after a certain point. But it doesn't have to be that way. We can continue to increase capabilities and shed weaknesses for many more years after... IF we put in the effort. Marital arts has been very good to me, and I'd like to give back by giving anyone who studies martial arts a gift of access to one of my motivational programs at no charge. If you are a martial artist, email me at michael@guywhoknowsaguy.com with the discipline you study, and I'll reach out to give you access.

What's Next? The best place to focus our attention is on the present and the immediate future. If you look back, then you are stuck in the past. If you look too far foward, then you are stuck in a dream. By focusing on the very next thing, you stay moving forward. Had a great victory? Don't get stuck there. Where is your next great victory? Terrible defeat? Don't get stuck there. On to the next. What's next? Would you like a powerful motivational message in your email every morning for the rest of the year? Visit http://crush2021.guywhoknowsaguy.com and sign up for the Motivational Countdown to Crush 2021!

If you are reading this then you have an unbroken record of surviving every challenge that life has thrown at you. Nothing has been able to kill you. Nothing has been able to stop you. You are UNDEFEATED! We sometimes focus on our failures and think that we are losers. But we are not losers because you cannot lose until the game is over, and as long as you draw breath, the game goes on and you remain undefeated. You have survived everything that has come before, and every day after this one is a chance to be victorious. Want to be updated when I post every Michael's Motivation? The best way to do it is to follow my Patreon page at patreon.com/guywhoknowsaguy Let me help you to plan to win 2021. Join me for a free webinar on seven different dates over the rest of 2020. http://countdown.guywhoknowsaguy.com

Like all of us, I have made a lot of lifestyle changes. I didn't do a lot of in person socializing. I didn't go to bars before the quarantine, so that didn't change. There's no in person networking events anymore, and that's a pretty big change, but I am realizing that the thing I really miss from pre-pandemic times is driving for Uber. It's not about the money. It's that when I was driving, it was relaxing and fun. It was like going out to bar, but without having to pay to be there. I got to meet all kinds of interesting people in the middle of their fun evening. I got to listen to podcasts and audiobooks. And it was simple. I turned on the app, and I did what it told me. For my ADHD brain, that was a vacation in itself. What unexpected thing do you find yourself missing from pre-pandemic times? Share in the comments. https://www.guywhoknowsaguy.com

"So, this is my life now" Some time ago, I accepted the idea that my life would go to unexpected places and the more quickly I accepted the shift from one phase to the next, the happier I would be. I have lived a great variety of different lifestyles, and at first I would resist the transitions from one phase to another. Many people in 2020 have adopted this attitude of "sure, whatever," as they found that anything could happen in this crazy year. I adopted this attitude years ago, and it has been of great benefit. When 2020 and quarantine and all the rest happened, I did not waste time lamenting all that was lost. I just said, "so, this is my life now," and started working on living my best life in new circumstances. So, this is your life now. What will you do with it?

What do you see when you look at a pile of empty, broken boxes that have been rained on? Do you see trash that needs to be cleaned up? That's not unreasonable. Do you see the makings of a fun, funky, fantastic obstacle course? That's what a child sees. In The Little Prince, the Aviator says, "Growing up is not the problem. Forgetting is." As we grow up, we limit our view of the world to that which is reasonable and rational. But great things are done by those who think beyond reason. Was it reasonable to say that humans could fly? Was it reasonable to suggest that people could be connected by tiny computers in their pocket? Was it reasonable to build a car that everyone could afford? When you see the world through the eyes of a child, you see opportunities where others see obstacles. You see a path where others see a thicket. When you can see like no one else, you can do what no one else does. How can you turn trash into fun today? Contact me through my web site. http://www.guywhoknowsaguy.com

Is your business rotting from the inside? As a new homeowner, I am coming to realize the importance of identifying little problems before they become big problems, like this wet spot in my ceiling. A business is the same way. I recently heard about a customer who is going to be leaving a vendor because they are fed up with the rude accounts receivable person. The owner has no idea this is happening, and there is no telling how many customers this one employee is driving away. How do you know if your business is rotting from the inside? Stay in touch with your customers. Post surveys. Talk to them when they come in. Call them. Communicate in any way you can. Make them comfortable to tell you what is bothering them. I asked this customer why she didn't talk to the owner about it. "I don't know him," was her answer. Ouch. Do you know about my Skills + Accountability = Success System? Take a look. It might interest you. http://sas.guywhoknowsaguy.com

It's been a long road to our new home. (Not literally. It's actually around the corner.) I'd like to be able to say that it was all because we set an intention and a goal and all that, but I can't. For much of the last six years, we never thought this would happen. Heck, in January we didn't think this would happen. What made the difference was that we were open to opportunities when they presented themselves. 2020 was full of challenges, but it was also full of opportunity if we were willing to see it and willing to act. We did act, and now we are out of our little apartment into our great house. Wherever you are, there are opportunities. Are you open to them? https://www.guywhoknowsaguy.com

Success is not about going big things. It's about setting up habits and systems to do the right small things over and over again. Just like my routine of drinking the green juice every morning, a business needs a routine of key actions that will move it forward. The challenge is that there are so many new ideas and strategies popping up every day that it can be hard to stay focused. This is why accountability is crucial. Most entrepreneurs cannot afford a personal accountability coach, but group accountability coaching is much more affordable. For example, my Skills + Accountability = Success program is only $250 per month and puts you with a team of other entrepreneurs who will hold you accountable, keep you focused, and be there to help you celebrate your wins and learn from your setbacks. More information is at http://sas.guywhoknowsaguy.com

Every day the sun rises, and every day is an opportunity to begin again. Wherever you are, no matter how successful or unsuccessful you have been, today can be the day that you start fresh. How are you doing on your goals? What are you trying to do in your life or business? Is it going well? If you could start over, what would you do? Share in the comments. Today is my day for massive action. I have been unfocused for a few weeks, but today I am beginning again. Maybe this can be your day to begin again as well. Share your thoughts in the Confident, Connected, and Influential Facebook Group

Skills + Accountability = Success This is a basic formula in business, and it is also the name of my new program. If you are like most entrepreneurs, you don't lack for ideas and strategies. You lack execution. This program focuses on accountability and execution. With weekly group calls, coaching, and ongoing support, we help you to stay focused. You will set weekly goals and game plans to achieve those goals. You'll be held accountable each week to yourself. You'll be amazed at what you can achieve with focused action. For more information and to sign up, visit http://sas.guywhoknowsaguy.com

As I sat on my back deck of my new house last night, I saw the first star appear in the sky. It reminded me of the various ways I used to make wishes in the past. Wishing on the first star. Wishing at 11:11. Getting to that place, on the back deck of a house that I and my wife *own* was not the result of wishing. It was the result of setting intention, making plans, and executing on those place. Looking at that star, I realized that I don't have any wishes to make on the star. If I want something, I won't wish for it... I'll plan for it. What do you wish for? Are you counting on the stars to deliver or are you making plans? Let me know at https://www.guywhoknowsaguy.com/contact

What is a perfect workspace for you? Is it about having space? Is it about organization and lack of clutter? Do you prefer quiet or background noise? Does music help you work? Tell us what you think.

Buying a house can be a stressful process, but like most such things, it is much less stressful if you can do it with people you trust. The thing about being The Guy Who Knows A Guy is that when I do something like buy a house, I've got a "guy" for all my needs. In this process, my Realtor, my mortgage guy, closing attorney, home inspector, home insurance guy, and even the seller were all known to us before we got started. When we hit bumps in the road, we had confidence in our team that they would make it work for us, and there was much less stress than we would otherwise have experienced. I'm not sharing this to show off Rather I want to encourage you to build your own network so that when you next have a big project, you'll know your own "guys." Want to know how? It's all in my book The Guy Who Knows A Guy. Find it at http://book.guywhoknowsaguy.com Want more great networking tips? Subscribe to my email list at https://www.guywhoknowsaguy.com/subscribe

You should never be afraid to ask people for help, but you should ask the right way and always accept that they are in their rights to say no. The key is to ask for help in a way that is high value to you and low cost to them. For example, if you ask me to share your Facebook page or web site, I'll probably do that for you. That is a light lift. On the other hand, because I don't like to alienate people, asking me to publicly endorse a candidate is a very heavy lift for me. When asking people for help, think about what they can give you easily that you can benefit from. That is where you will find the greatest value.

While we wait for the results of the election, it can be tempting to fixate on things we can't affect. Unless you are a ballot counter, campaign attorney, or otherwise directly involved, your time and attention is better spent elsewhere. It can be exhausting to keep refreshing your news apps and social media for the latest news from Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. I don't mean tired. Tired is how I feel after a good workout or a hard day of work. There is satisfaction in being tired. Exhaustion, however, is different. It's what happens when you drain yourself without benefit. Your corporate overlords are perfectly happy for you to exhaust yourself instead of working on improving your own opportunities. You are too worn out to cook, so you order out. You need retail therapy, so you buy stuff you don't need. Your exhaustion is their profit. Don't worry, when the results come in, you'll hear about them. Until them, let them do their thing. You have your own thing to do.

Today is election day, and there's a lot of anxiety. Who will win? How will that affect me and those I care about? Will the results be accepted? Will there be violence? There's a lot to worry about. The fact is that for most of us, the sun will rise tomorrow like it did yesterday. You'll get up, take a shower, go to work (hopefully), and go on with your life. It is important to be aware and involved in the national issues, but you can make a greater difference by focusing on ways you can increase your own capacities. Build your own business. Build your own network. Build your own resources. Then, when you engage in social change and politics, you have far more to call upon to make the world a better place. "They" want you to spend the next month thinking about the election and not focusing on increasing your own power. Don't listen to them. Build your own greatness! Join the conversation on The Confident, Connected, and Influential Facebook Group.

Join the conversation on our Facebook group Confident, Connected, and Influential When people fail, it is often not because they give up. It is because they get distracted. They get Shiny Object Syndrome. They lose focus on the fundamentals that drive the project. Money. Revenue. Clients. Recruiting. Once you have a little success, it's easy to start getting excited and jump into all these other areas. Diversification is fine, as long as you keep the core in mind. But it is so easy to get distracted from that core, because other parts of the business may be more exciting and more fun. I love making these videos. They are so much fun, but they bring in a tenth of what my focused prospecting activities bring in. I got distracted with all these whizbang technologies and techniques and got away from the simple, core strategy that got me started. Whizbang is great, but don't give up the tried and true for it. We all need a reminder now and then.

Join the conversation in our Facebook Group. We often do not recognize the times that we'll look back on wistfully when we're going through them. We're fixated on challenges and stress. So much so that we miss those moments that we long to return to. This is especially true if you have kids. If you think back on when your kids were younger, or maybe when you were with that lost love, you will probably hold onto some wonderful moments. You may be vaguely aware that you didn't make more of those moments because you were busy, but many people can't even remember what seemed so important at the time. What moments are happening today? What in 2020 will look look back on longingly? Are you letting them slip by because you are choosing to focus on the worry and the stresses? Or are you enjoying them while you are here? Learn more about Michael Whitehouse at http://www.guywhoknowsaguy.com

Tony Robbins talks about taking "massive action" to turn a decision into reality, but some people are intimidated by this idea of massive action. "I can't take massive action! There's a quarantine! There's distance learning! We've got all this stuff to deal with!" You don't need to take massive action. You just need to take action. Martin Luther King Jr. said, "If You Can't Fly Then Run, If You Can't Run Then Walk, If You Can't Walk Then Crawl, but Whatever You Do You Have to Keep Moving Forward." If you can take massive action, you should do so. If you cannot, do what you can. Set up that Patreon account. Open a Mailchimp account to start collecting emails. Put up a simple blog. Start a Facebook group. Just take that first step. Then take the next step. Then the next. I crawled for many years before I could walk, and walked for years before I could run. As Lois Coffee Koffi says, "Strive for progress, not perfection." Join the conversation on in our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/confidentconnected Find resources at http://www.guywhoknowsaguy.com/resources

Join the conversation on our Facebook page. There is a lot of talk about minimum wages and living wages. That's a political issue, but shouldn't you have your own minimum wage? Why would you sell your labor for less than you need to live on? Especially when there are opportunities to make your own money entrepreneurially. The key to being able to set your own minimum wage is having options. Having your own business and side hustles create options, but having a powerful network creates options as well. This is why I have created the Networking to a Job in 21 Days program. It is designed to teach you skills and strategies to build the network that will give you the confidence that you can find a better job, while also providing accountability and motivation to keep you on track while you build it. Find more information at http://jobseek.guywhoknowsaguy.com

Join the conversation at our Facebook group. You should not be in fear of losing your job or your significant other unless something is wrong. If your partner kept you in constant fear of losing them, you would describe that relationship as unhealthy, yet people allow their bosses to keep them in constant fear all the time. They have the leverage to do this because so many people don't know how they can find another job if they need one. They don't have a personal brand, they don't have a network. My mission is to empower everyone so they have confidence that they could find a job if they ever needed one, or, if they are jobless now, could find one quickly. I have created the Jobseek program and Networking to a Job in 21 Days course. For more information, classes, and FREE strategy guides, visit http://jobseek.guywhoknowsaguy.com

Are stress response system is built to allow us to fight a wild animal or run from a wild fire. Fight or flight. Cortisol and adrenaline are released to focus our attention, overcharge our muscles, enhance our endurance so we can run or fight to our maximum. But our monkey brains cannot tell the difference between a lion or a fire and an angry boss or an unexpected bill, so it responds the same way. Adrenaline is designed to be used. There is not a good mechanism to flush it because it is consumed with physical activity. This is why we get stress and anxiety. Exercise is a powerful solution to stress because it is what the body is built to do. We are built to encounter threat, release stress chemicals, then go all out to deal with the threat, consuming the chemicals. Like most machines, if you don't use them as constructed, you will have difficulty. The job market is similar. The 21st century job market is no longer built for job sites, cover letters, and resumes. If you or someone you know is having trouble finding a job, it's not you're fault. You're just searching like it's 1985. Visit jobseek.guywhoknowsaguy.com for free resources and an exciting new program that teaches you how to find a job in 2020 in 21 days or less. http://jobseek.guywhoknowsaguy.com Join the conversation in our Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/confidentconnected

I meet people all the time who don't charge nearly enough for their work. They tell me they don't know what to charge, or they think that no one will pay them what they want to charge. Then I go to Staples. Cheap notebooks with cute sayings on the cover: $15. Package of colored pens: $12. Fancy looking pens: $20. Office Chairs $300 and up. A box of paper is $50-$90. Have you ever shopped furniture? A new couch is $1,500 to $3,000. Think about what you have to offer. If you're an artist, is your original work worth more than a ream of blank office paper? Is it worth more than a pack of colored pens? Yeah. Probably. Do you offer a service that makes people's lives better? Does it make their life better than a couch? You can get a couch a the Salvation Army for $100. A nice, comfortable couch, but people spend $3,000. Would their life be better if they bought the Salvation Army couch and hired you? If the answer is yes, then you should charge what you're worth! Need some help knowing what you're worth? Let's get on a free coaching call. freecoaching.guywhoknowsaguy.com It'll be worth more than a pack of pens!

Join the conversation in our Facebook group: Confident, Connected, and Influential we rarely get to focus on a single thing and drive it to completion in out busy, bustling, distracted lives. Yesterday, I participated in the 100 Kata Challenge. It's just like it sounds. We get together as a dojo at Mystic Dojo - Yamashita International Karate and all did 100 kata. We do kata all the time, but what made this special was that we had set a specific, measurable goal and that the goal could be achieved by iteration. My friend Daniel GreenWolf shared a concept of #CanYouCount along these same lines. That you can achieve anything if you can break it down into repeatable steps. What made this event so great was that for four hours we were focused on one thing. No Facebook. No email. No phone calls. Just kata and company of others doing the same thing. We are not built to multitask. It causes anxiety. It is why so many of us feel so much stress. Where you can find an opportunity to fully engage into an activity, set a goal and hit it? www.guywhoknowsaguy.com