Mind Your Helm

Do you dream of living your best life?   What if I told you that it's possible, and sooner than you might think.  In this book, JLD (famous through the uber successful podcast Entrepreneurs on Fire podcast), talks about how he achieved that which we all long for, and how you can do it too.If you want even more resources, you can find extraordinary tips at https://www.eofire.com/resources/ and subscribe to his weekly "fire"In this book, JLD has been brutally honest and transparent about what it takes to be a success.  If you follow the principles here, and yes, it will be a lot of work, years from now you will be incredibly grateful. You've Got This!J.D. Elliott

Do you dream of living your best life?   What if I told you that it's possible, and sooner than you might think.  In this book, JLD (famous through the uber successful podcast Entrepreneurs on Fire podcast), talks about how he achieved that which we all long for, and how you can do it too.Action ItemsCreate a list of people you can reach out to who are serving the same audience you are.  Reach out to them after research and tell them how you can provide value to their audience. Being an inch wide and a mile deep is essential to gaining momentum. Use the affiliate strategy we spoke of in this episode to come up with several different areas you can serve your audience with, and add some revenue to your pocket as well.If you haven’t read Richest Man in Babylon, check out Season 1 of the podcast.  Profit first is another must read.If you want even more resources, you can find extraordinary tips at https://www.eofire.com/resources/ and subscribe to his weekly "fire"You've Got This!J.D. Elliott

Do you dream of living your best life?   What if I told you that it's possible, and sooner than you might think.  In this book, JLD (famous through the uber successful podcast Entrepreneurs on Fire podcast), talks about how he achieved that which we all long for, and how you can do it too.Action Items:Who are the people in your niche serving a similar audience?  Come up with a list of names, brainstorm ways you can add value to them, and reach out. If they say no, that’s ok!  Just work through the no’s until you get to your yes. Just ensure you’re being authentic and genuine here. If you want even more resources, you can find extraordinary tips at https://www.eofire.com/resources/ and subscribe to his weekly "fire"You've Got This!J.D. Elliott

Do you dream of living your best life?   What if I told you that it's possible, and sooner than you might think.  In this book, JLD (famous through the uber successful podcast Entrepreneurs on Fire podcast), talks about how he achieved that which we all long for, and how you can do it too.Action Items:It’s time to talk to your audience!  Either Email or DM them asking the four questions we covered earlier: how they heard about you, what they like, don’t like, and their biggest struggle.Once you get responses, document them, find a similarity, and create a product which will address that issue.  Just choose one and then ask your audience for proof of concept by asking for a preorder.  If they are willing to do it, you may have found a hit.If you want even more resources, you can find extraordinary tips at https://www.eofire.com/resources/ and subscribe to his weekly "fire"You've Got This!J.D. Elliott

Do you dream of living your best life?   What if I told you that it's possible, and sooner than you might think.  In this book, JLD (famous through the uber successful podcast Entrepreneurs on Fire podcast), talks about how he achieved that which we all long for, and how you can do it too.Action Items: for ease of reference these are listed in the show notes as wellDo you feel doubt, fear, stress, and anxiety over your work? If so, rejoice! You’re not alone.  Everyone has these feelings, to include your competitors.  Acknowledge your feelings, understand your competitors feel the same way, think of your why, then rise above and go out and create your work.What is your definition of productivity?  What is the right content for your avatar?If you need to master productivity, discipline, and focus in your life, I highly recommend the Mastery journal he created.  It is something I personally own and can be found at themasteryjournal.comWalt Disney once said “the way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”  It’s time to shut off this episode, and go do something.If you want even more resources, you can find extraordinary tips at https://www.eofire.com/resources/ and subscribe to his weekly "fire"You've Got This!J.D. Elliott

Do you dream of living your best life?   What if I told you that it's possible, and sooner than you might think.  In this book, JLD (famous through the uber successful podcast Entrepreneurs on Fire podcast), talks about how he achieved that which we all long for, and how you can do it too.If you want even more resources, you can find extraordinary tips at https://www.eofire.com/resources/ and subscribe to his weekly "fire"You've Got This!J.D. Elliott

Do you dream of living your best life?   What if I told you that it's possible, and sooner than you might think.  In this book, JLD (famous through the uber successful podcast Entrepreneurs on Fire podcast), talks about how he achieved that which we all long for, and how you can do it too.Action Items: Take a moment to write down the top 5 people you are with.  If you don’t hang out with people that much, this also can be TV shows or entertainment influences.  With that list, draw an up arrow if they bring you up, a straight across line if they help you maintain where you are at, or a down arrow if they bring you down.  If you’re like most people, the average will be straight across or down, with little up arrows.  Brainstorms about what people or ideas you can surround yourself with in order to increase the up arrows in your life. If you are serious about growing and development, it’s time to look into masterminds. I am personally part of one called Total Life Freedom and if you’re interested in living a life dedicated to freedom, you can go to totalifefreedom.com to find out more. If you want even more resources, you can find extraordinary tips at https://www.eofire.com/resources/ and subscribe to his weekly "fire"You've Got This!J.D. Elliott

Do you dream of living your best life?   What if I told you that it's possible, and sooner than you might think.  In this book, JLD (famous through the uber successful podcast Entrepreneurs on Fire podcast), talks about how he achieved that which we all long for, and how you can do it too.Action Items:It’s time to go through the entire avatar questionnaire.  This is going to take time.  When I did this step, it took a few hours of deep thought. However, it’s time well invested. When you take the time to do these questions and write them out, everything truly does become much more clear.From here, it’s time to write a 500 word bibliography about your avatar from the questions you answered. Now that you’ve written a bibliography and know your avatar, which platform do they prefer?  Video, audio, or written?If you want even more resources, you can find extraordinary tips at https://www.eofire.com/resources/ and subscribe to his weekly "fire"You've Got This!J.D. Elliott

Do you dream of living your best life?   What if I told you that it's possible, and sooner than you might think.  In this book, JLD (famous through the uber successful podcast Entrepreneurs on Fire podcast), talks about how he achieved that which we all long for, and how you can do it too.Action Items: It’s time to brainstorm about your big idea if you haven’t already.  Follow the steps described in the podcast by writing down your expertise and passions.  After you’ve finished, think about your big idea and then niche down until you think it’s too small.The most successful men and women in the world focus on being people of value rather than successful. What can you implement today to start being a more valuable person?If you want even more resources, you can find extraordinary tips at https://www.eofire.com/resources/ and subscribe to his weekly "fire"You've Got This!J.D. Elliott

Welcome to our 14th Season: Stop Self Sabotage: Six Steps to Unlock Your True Motivation, Harness Your Will Power, and Get out of Your Own Way by Dr. Judy Ho!This episode’s effectiveness is contingent on having completed the action items throughout this entire book summary.   A secret to this podcast is if you only did the action items, then that alone would allow you to start seeing significant progress towards your dreams. Having done all the action items for this book, you now have the power to identify your thoughts, beliefs, and actions which have prevented you from your goals.  You also know what your self sabotage triggers are, and how to step in the way and prevent them from transforming into action moving you away from your goals.   You also have created if than statements, which give you a roadmap to do certain opposing actions whenever you feel a certain way. Finally, you know what success looks like to you, and your goals are firmly planted in your values.  These action items definitely took time, and one in particular took me over 2 hours to do, but they are well worth it in the self understanding you will gain.Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Welcome to our 14th Season: Stop Self Sabotage: Six Steps to Unlock Your True Motivation, Harness Your Will Power, and Get out of Your Own Way by Dr. Judy Ho!Action Items: for ease of reference, these are listed in the show notes as well1. What are your values in life?  If you’ve never really thought about this before, they are beliefs that serve as a guiding principle for how they think they should behave. There is no right or wrong answer here and are unique to each person.  If this is a struggle to you, try the following: Get a warm cup of tea, put on some music that is instrumental meaning no words, get comfortable, and close your eyes.  Imagine a time when you thought that life was amazing and it would be so hard to be any better.   This may be a time that you talk about over and over again with family and friends.  Visualize that moment and everything you can remember.  After you have spent time in recollection, go ahead and open your eyes and journal everything you can about that moment. Then, brainstorm values that mean the most to you. This could be things such as honesty, hard working, responsible, etc.  This book has a list of common values or they’re just a search away online. After you’ve finished, see which of those values were being lived out in your really good memory. 2. Now that you know what your values are, write them down somewhere that you’ll see them everyday. You’ll notice that once you start living in accordance with these values, life will become much more enjoyable.  As you do this actively, something you may notice is that you realize there is a value that you hold more dear than one on your list.  If that’s the case, that’s ok!  Just swap it out or add it.  The average person usually starts with about 7 and slowly narrows it down to their top 3. 3.  Do something today to take action on the values.  If we do one thing, even if it is small, in accordance with our values then our happiness levels will steadily increase. Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Welcome to our 14th Season: Stop Self Sabotage: Six Steps to Unlock Your True Motivation, Harness Your Will Power, and Get out of Your Own Way by Dr. Judy Ho!Action Items: for ease of reference these are listed in the show notes as wellIt’s time to break out the notepad or journal.  What is the goal you want to achieve?  For greatest chance of success, have it be a SMART goal which we covered during the New Years episode in season 11. Now, what will be some of the obstacles you can forsee coming up or moments that you’ll just want to quit.  Write down what they are, and then your plan to overcome them if they do come up.It’s time to create some if/then statements. You know yourself better than anyone else, so whatever usually precedes self sabotaging behaviors, create a plan in what you will do in order to ensure you stay on track. It is imperative to extremely specific while doing this, and written down plans work much better as they seem more real and concrete. Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Welcome to our 14th Season: Stop Self Sabotage: Six Steps to Unlock Your True Motivation, Harness Your Will Power, and Get out of Your Own Way by Dr. Judy Ho!Action items: for ease of reference these are listed in the show notes as well: 1. what in your life do you want to change?  Sit down and journal as long as you need to and ask yourself what the actions are, what events occur to trigger the action, and what the commonalities are. Keep a box of Kleenex near by, as it may bring up some tears if you dig deep enough.2.  What are the positive and negative reinforcements you have in your life. Now, are there any activities you avoid due to negative reinforcement.  If so, journal about why your thought process may be incorrect about your fears or insecurities.  Remember, just because we think or feel something does not mean it is true. Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Welcome to our 14th Season: Stop Self Sabotage: Six Steps to Unlock Your True Motivation, Harness Your Will Power, and Get out of Your Own Way by Dr. Judy Ho!Action items: for ease of reference these are listed in the show notes as well.The next time you are feeling down or negative about yourself, quite literally call a trusted friend and tell them how you are feeling.  There is power behind speaking how you are feeling out loud to someone else, and in realizing what others think of you.I encourage you to relisten to this episode and take notes on the exercise that will work for you if you are feeling down. Do you need to do the opposite of what you are feeling, maybe do a positive exercise?  The choice is yours. For next level results, have a journal or in the notes section on your phone write down everything you are tempted to do after you have a negative thought or emotion.Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Welcome to our 14th Season: Stop Self Sabotage: Six Steps to Unlock Your True Motivation, Harness Your Will Power, and Get out of Your Own Way by Dr. Judy Ho!Action Items: Due to the content we covered today, there are not action items for today.  I highly recommend going through this episode again, taking notes, and applying these.  I guarantee your life will never be the same. Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Welcome to our 14th Season: Stop Self Sabotage: Six Steps to Unlock Your True Motivation, Harness Your Will Power, and Get out of Your Own Way by Dr. Judy Ho!Action Items: for ease of reference these are listed in the show notes as well Think about a trigger you may have.  What is the earliest memory you have of it?  How did that experience impact you, and how has it impacted you from that moment onwards?The following is a week long activity, which if done will yield a significant profit in insight.  Take a card or in your journal, write down several time frames thought out the day such as 9 am, 12 pm, 3 pm, and  6 pm.  Then, set an alarm for the times.  Each moment the alarm goes off, write down what you’re thinking and feeling, and what you think the reason behind it may be.  After doing this for a week, you’ll be able to see which thoughts and triggers you struggle with the most.  The power behind this is that by knowing where you are struggling, you’ll be able to address the triggers when they show up and not lead to self sabotage. Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Welcome to our 14th Season: Stop Self Sabotage: Six Steps to Unlock Your True Motivation, Harness Your Will Power, and Get out of Your Own Way by Dr. Judy Ho!Action Items: for ease of reference these are listed in the show notes as wellHow do you do with automatic negative thoughts?  Do you do a good job at squashing them, or do you entertain them to the point ants are destroying your house?  Are there any saboteurs that you hear about and think, ouch, I do that? If so, it’s ok.  We all have them, and there is power in awareness.  Instead of beating yourself up, take heart in knowing that this is common to everyone and you can take steps towards improvement, resulting in improved relationships. If you struggle with comparison or would even compare yourself to a compare-aholic, I highly recommend getting the book Measuring up by Renee Vidor.Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Welcome to our 14th Season: Stop Self Sabotage: Six Steps to Unlock Your True Motivation, Harness Your Will Power, and Get out of Your Own Way by Dr. Judy Ho!Action Items: for ease of reference these are listed in the show notes as wellThink of a goal you have a really hard time achieving. Now, take that goal and apply the SMART concept to it. If you want to hear this more in depth, go to the New Years episode where we talk over each element, but a SMART goal is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic or results oriented, and time bound.Consider each element of LIFE. Low or shaky self concept, internal beliefs, fear of change or the unknown, and excessive need for control. Journal about which of these has impacted you and your goal in the past.One thing Dr. Ho’s clients do which has been really successful is to choose a go to song that strengthens their weak element whenever they are struggling. An example of this is one woman struggled heavily with internal beliefs due to her weight. She chose the song Fight Song by Rachel Platten to encourage her whenever she felt like giving in.Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Welcome to our 14th Season: Stop Self Sabotage: Six Steps to Unlock Your True Motivation, Harness Your Will Power, and Get out of Your Own Way by Dr. Judy Ho!Action Items: for ease of reference these are listed in the show notes as well When we were covering self sabotage, is there anything that made you feel triggered? If so, I encourage you to get into a quiet place and journal about that and try to figure out why it bothers you so much.If you do self sabotage, I want you to have grace and mercy on yourself. Power can come through knowledge, and now that we covered the reward and threat systems, do the following: write down how you self sabotage (reminder: don’t beat yourself up). Then, brainstorm how you feel rewarded and threatened by that behavior. Finally, brainstorm how you can bring the lists in equilibrium. Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Welcome to our 13th Season: The bottom of the pool: thinking beyond your boundaries to achieve extraordinary results by legendary author Andy Andrews!Action ItemsDoes what you say you want out of life line up well with your daily actions? Do you at bare minimum do what you know to do? If the answer is a no, sometimes, mostly, or always, the importance is understanding where you are and being transparent with yourself. Just like a hammer cannot build a house by itself, a book will not produce life change unless someone hears the idea and takes action on them. If you have skipped the action items in the past episodes, I highly encourage you to take the time and go through each one, and then take action on what you discover about yourself. Celebrate. We just finished Andy Andrew’s legendary book, the bottom of the pool.Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Welcome to our 13th Season: The bottom of the pool: thinking beyond your boundaries to achieve extraordinary results by legendary author Andy Andrews!Action ItemsKnowing that there can be a difference between what is true and what is the truth, examine an area in your life you’re struggling with right now. Ask yourself, and write it down, what is true, and what is the truth.Now that we better understand that the obvious greater value is the calculation that goes into how much financial compensation we receive, what area do you want to be known in being obviously, much better at creating value than others.If you don’t have an answer to the above, I challenge you to do a time audit. Look at how you spend your time, write it down hour by hour, and total up how much time is being wasted. Then, take that time you’re spending either watching TV or reading the news and use it to develop a skillset that will get you towards your goals.Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Welcome to our 13th Season: The bottom of the pool: thinking beyond your boundaries to achieve extraordinary results by legendary author Andy Andrews!Action ItemsWhat is your number one priority in life? Is it like Andy and is your family, or is it ambition, corporate success, or making more money. There is no right or wrong answer here, the point is for you to clearly outline what it is. Then, look at your daily schedule and ask yourself if your actions line up with your words.What is your personal mission statement. A way to think about this is to think about your priority, how you want to live your life and be remembered and form that into a sentence.Andy’s secret benchmark has 8 different questions before he’ll work with someone. I encourage you to create your own secret benchmark and use that as a qualifier as to whether you are willing to invest your time and energy into someone. When I actively did financial coaching I learned the following lesson the hard way: if you want something for someone more than the other person wants it, it’s not going to go well.It’s time to set up a location of contemplation. If you struggle with this at first, it’s absolutely ok. The key is consistency. Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Welcome to our 13th Season: The bottom of the pool: thinking beyond your boundaries to achieve extraordinary results by legendary author Andy Andrews!Action Items:I’m going to read a section from chapter 8 again: everything that had been so obvious, was no longer even true. Think about it, airbnb, the largest hotel company doesn’t own a single hotel. Uber, the largest taxi service, doesn’t own its own cars. Both of these companies completely disrupted the way things are done. So the question is this: what is it that you need a breakthrough in? Think out of the box, use your imagination, and ask yourself why the rules are the way they are. After enough contemplation and thinking, you’ll be able to start journaling what you believe, why you believe it, why it’s not necessarily true, and ways to disrupt what it is that everyone else believes is undeniably true.Write this statement down, and put it somewhere you’ll see before you go to bed. If you’re constantly traveling, putting a reminder on your phone an hour before you go to bed is also a great option. The note is this: I could have made today even better if…. Sometimes the answers will come to you immediately. Other days it’ll require a lot more thinking. However, if you keep this practice then you’ll start to think more creatively about living better days.Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Welcome to our 13th Season: The bottom of the pool: thinking beyond your boundaries to achieve extraordinary results by legendary author Andy Andrews!Action Items Write down a list of things you were raised to believe were 100%, completely and totally true. An example for someone in the 1400s would be that they were completely convinced the earth is flat. After you’ve written your list down, think through each item and ask yourself why you believe that, if it’s possible there is a deeper level of understanding to it, or quite possibly, maybe it’s not true at all.What is one area that you’ve succeeded at? Write down what it is that you learned through that, and how it better prepared you for the future. Now, write down an area you’ve failed before. In the same way, write down the learning moments from that failure. Are you completely miserable in life? How would you rate ability to just laugh and roll with the punches? If you feel pretty low, then thankfully you can make a conscious decision to move forward. Knowing that the quickest way to do this is through gratitude, set a timer for every hour of the day at first and when it goes off, think about 5 things you are grateful for in life. As you become more grateful, you won’t need a timer and will stay in gratitude throughout the day, allowing for an overall happier and more enjoyable state.Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Welcome to our 13th Season: The bottom of the pool: thinking beyond your boundaries to achieve extraordinary results by legendary author Andy Andrews!Action ItemsWhat do you want to see a radical shift in? For this item, take out a pen and paper and write it at the top. Then, underneath this write down everything you think you know about the rules governing it.Ask yourself why you believe these rules. Who was it that encouraged those thoughts or what moments of childhood implanted that belief? Now, come up with reasons why those beliefs may be incorrect.Try to brainstorm ways that you can achieve that radical shift without adhering to the common rules everyone at the surface is following. Remember: the voices are loudest at the surface, and those men and women are quick to tell you why things can and cannot be done. They are well intentioned, but to think like this will only ever get you good or great.Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Hey Shoremates,If you liked this episode and the story resonates, one thing Vince does is run a community for people who want to live a life of total freedom. If this is something you’re interested in, head to totallifefreedom.com, and tell him that J.D. Elliott sent you.Action Items:Enearth your acre of diamonds…what is the skill sets others see in you, but you take for granted?Use your developed talents to help someone who needs it. This is where most people fail because they’re only thinking short term. What is it that others want that will help solve their needs, wants, and struggles.Turn that need into a career choice that you want. Use that income to wipe out your debt and be financially freeUse that financial freedom to gain time freedomUse time freedom to help build a stronger family and deeper relationshipsPut it all together and live the life of your dreams with a legacy you can be proud ofAlways, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Hey Shoremates,If you liked this episode and the story resonates, one thing Vince does is run a community for people who want to live a life of total freedom. If this is something you’re interested in, head to totallifefreedom.com, and tell him that J.D. Elliott sent you.Action Items:If you’ve been through a mess, that makes you a messenger. What is it that you’ve struggled through and overcame that you can help other people out in?It’s time to not be shy and actually think about how much your services are worth. If it’s higher than you currently charge, then come up with a golden day where if you get work that day, it’s only for that amount. As your confidence builds, increase the amount of days you charge that.It is important to know common pitfalls so that you can identify them and avoid them when they present themselves. Knowing that two very large ones are needing to buy a brand new car on financing and buying a bigger and bigger house, what will you do to protect yourself if those urges come up?Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Hey ShorematesIf you liked this episode and the story resonates, one thing Vince does is run a community for people who want to live a life of total freedom. If this is something you’re interested in, head to totallifefreedom.com, and tell him that J.D. Elliott sent you.Action Items:The hour of giving is something that has radically transformed Vincent’s life. It doesn’t have to be an hour, but how many minutes a day can you devote to lifting other people up, writing reviews for their products, shooting encouraging texts, or better yet, handwritten letters? This is something we all know would be beneficial, but very few people do.If you’re comfortable with the idea of meditation, find a quiet place that you can spend a few minutes each morning in and focus on your breath. If this is not something you’re comfortable with, try box breathing like the Navy SEALs. You do this by inhaling for 3 seconds, holding your breath for 3 seconds, exhaling for 3 seconds, and then holding your breath again for another 3 seconds. You repeat this a few times until you feel the fight or flight response go away.Do you have a “what’s for dinner” mindset or a “what can I do to help” mindset? If it’s a what’s for dinner mindset, the important thing is that you’re aware of it, and can now implement the time of giving from action item 1 and start helping other people out. As the old saying goes, if you help enough people achieve their goals, your goals will also be achieved. Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Hey ShorematesIf you liked this episode and the story resonates, one thing Vince does is run a community for people who want to live a life of total freedom. If this is something you’re interested in, head to totallifefreedom.com, and tell him that J.D. Elliott sent you.Action ItemsPatience and persistence together are the combination for success. With what you’re going through in life, what is it you need to be either more patient, persistent, or both in order to achieve what you’re going after?Do an audit of your day. If you think you don’t have any time, how many hours are spent with either the TV on or scrolling through your phone. I challenge you to have a drawer where you put your phone so that you’re not constantly looking at it throughout the day. Put an envelope or piece of paper above it, and write down every time you go to look at it. You may find the results at the end of the day to be staggering. Do you actually believe that you have the power to change things in your life? If not, think about the things you do have control over. If so, are you taking actions in life that will give you experiences you’re going to be proud about one day? Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Hey ShorematesIf you liked this episode and the story resonates, one thing Vince does is run a community for people who want to live a life of total freedom. If this is something you’re interested in, head to totallifefreedom.com, and tell him that J.D. Elliott sent you.Action Items:What does success mean to you? If you were on your death bed and thought to yourself that you truly had a successful life, what exactly would that look like? Why do you count those things to be successful?What do you love doing? What makes you feel alive inside? Write those down. Then, decide on what it is you don’t want to do. From these two lists, you’ll be able to narrow down ideas for a business for you to start up and try to make profitable while you’re still working your day job.Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Hey ShorematesIf you liked this episode and the story resonates, one thing Vince does is run a community for people who want to live a life of total freedom. If this is something you’re interested in, head to totallifefreedom.com, and tell him that J.D. Elliott sent you.Action Items: for ease of reference these are listed in the show notes as well.What is your one idea that simply just won’t go away? This is the thing that you’re passionate about or that when you work on it, time just flies by.Do you have acres of diamonds in your own life? Is there something that looks like a regular rock but that you can turn into a real diamond? What is unique to you that you overlook, downplay, or just don’t make valuable?If you’ve never taken a news fast before, I challenge you to not watch any news for the next 30 days. Instead of spending that time with the news, spend it on something uplifting, encouraging, or that moves you closer to a goal. Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Hey ShorematesIf you liked this episode and the story resonates, one thing Vince does is run a community for people who want to live a life of total freedom. If this is something you’re interested in, head to totallifefreedom.com, and tell him that J.D. Elliott sent you.Action ItemsWhat is it that you 100%, positivity believe? Is it that your job is always there for you, or that a degree is your way to success? Do you believe you’ll always be in debt? Just ask yourself what it is you 100% believe, then follow up with, what about this do I not know?How much do you think you need to make each month? Now, if you dont have a budget write down how much you think you need for each of the main expenses. An easy way to do this is to go to Every dollar.com and use their free software and input your guesses. From here, see if it really is the number you originally came up with.Let’s find out your necessities. Tally up your FRUIT need by listing how much money you actually need in order to pay for the life you want. As a reminder F is for food. R is for residence. U is for utilities. I is for insurance. T is for transportation. Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Hey ShorematesIf you liked this episode and the story resonates, one thing Vince does is run a community for people who want to live a life of total freedom. If this is something you’re interested in, head to totallifefreedom.com, and tell him that J.D. Elliott sent you.Action ItemsFor you, what would it feel like to be similar to Vincent and Elizabeth and be financially free? How much less stress would you feel and would you be more optimistic? What kind of life would you live if you could choose where you wanted to work….or not work? What is your dream life? What would inspire you to wake up each morning excited to live another day? If you don’t know, please don’t pass over this question. Get into a quiet space with no phones around if you can and journal about what it is you want.Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Hey ShorematesIf you liked this episode and the story resonates, one thing Vince does is run a community for people who want to live a life of total freedom. If this is something you’re interested in, head to totallifefreedom.com, and tell him that J.D. Elliott sent you.Action Items1. How valuable is your time? Have you ever stopped to think about how much you make and if you’re salary, dividing it by the hours you work? If you’re hourly, if you worked 160 hours a month is it really worth all the time you’re spending? If not, what kind of side hustle can you start to build up to help pay off debts and live life on your terms?2. On this journey, Vincent and Elizabeth were made fun of constantly. Instead of cheering them on, some of those closest to them joined in the ridicule. If this happens to you, what will you do in order to bounce back and keep on the journey?Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Hey ShorematesIf you liked this episode and the story resonates, one thing Vince does is run a community for people who want to live a life of total freedom. If this is something you’re interested in, head to totallifefreedom.com, and tell him that J.D. Elliott sent you.Action Items Are you like Vincent used to be in a financial disaster? If so, it’s ok. He got out of it, and so can you. The first step is getting $1000 in an emergency fund. The simplest way to do this is to look at your bank statements, see where you are spending money, and determine where to cut back so that you can save.What does freedom look like to you? Feel free to day dream a little bit? If money literally was not a problem, what would you do with all of your time? Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Action Items: for ease of reference these are listed in the show notes as well. If you’re working collaboratively in a group, create an area where you can upload work to get other people’s constructive feedback to make it better or to poke holes in areas that need to be strengthened Try to let go of the need to be right, and understand that a bunch of average people together can create better ideas than a genius by themself. Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Action Items: for ease of reference these are listed in the show notes as well. Knowing that trust helps release oxytocin which is good for our brains, who can you give a note of appreciation to today, or surprise with a gift?How did you feel when we talked about the wedding story, where the author and his brother wrestled to the point one hurt the other to win? In the same way, are you currently in a position where you are hurting other people to get what you want? If so, it’s time to take a moment to think about how to get yourself in a healthier place and to treat others with love and grace. Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Action Items: for ease of reference these are listed in the show notes as well. What are your favorite games? Whenever you’re stressed out or need to find the solution to something, think through it as much as you can for due diligence, then take a mental breather and either play some games or take a few minutes to meditate and just focus on breathing in and breathing out.What is something that you can do regularly for exercise? If you’re not doing anything right now, even standing up to take walks around the block outside are better than nothing.Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Hey Shoremates!Welcome to Activate Your Brain: How Understanding Your Brain Can Improve Your Work — and your life by Scott G. HalfordAction Items: Shoremates, we covered a lot, in-depth today. The only action item would be to relisten to this episode and take notes for things you can do. Sleep is vital to living full, complete lives. Remember, we were not born to work, pay bills, and die. What is the point of giving your all at work, and coming home and just hating life and not being present for the ones you love.Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Hey Shoremates!Welcome to Activate Your Brain: How Understanding Your Brain Can Improve Your Work — and your life by Scott G. HalfordAction Items: for ease of reference these are listed in the show notes as well. Take some time and write down everything that is stressing you out, no matter how small. A few examples may include an upcoming performance review, unanswered emails, or even that you need to do an oil change on your car. Then, circle the ones that actually do need your immediate attention. Focus on those, and you’ll be able to do the rest during moments you feel inspired to get it done.If you ever find yourself in a stressful situation, remind yourself that a little bit of stress is good. If you find you’re getting close to a breaking point, walk away, breathe deeply a few times and do what you need to do to reset.Music is impactful in everything we do. Scott subscribes to a website called focusatwill.com. It’s music vetted by neuroscientists to help you with whatever you need to do. Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Hey Shoremates!Welcome to Activate Your Brain: How Understanding Your Brain Can Improve Your Work — and your life by Scott G. HalfordAction Items Take some time and write down everything you need to get done that has been nagging at you. Literally everything. This is also referred to as a brain dump. Now, decide on just one task you’ll do each day and cross it off. If you want to do more, go for it, but have the goal to be just one at the minimum.With what you are currently doing, what is the big why that you’re working towards. Now, what is the how. What are the systems you have in place to ensure you’re accomplishing the why. This could be as simple as going to work and putting money away in a 401k.I’m going to repeat the last portion of Phyllis’ words on growth before she died from cancer. "But in the end, I see that growth is not so much about adding on as it Is about letting go. That’s when you really soar, when you let go of obstacles in your life so that you can meet your true self again.” What in life do you need to let go of. Think and write down all you do, and be true with yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 how important they are. Then, see if you’re acting in accordance with your priority list. If not, it may be time to trim some things down. Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. Elliott

Hey Shoremates!Welcome to Activate Your Brain: How Understanding Your Brain Can Improve Your Work — and your life by Scott G. HalfordAction ItemsLook at your environment, get a piece of paper, and write down everything that distracts you throughout the day. Then, find a way to mitigate as much as possible.Decide to try and do one thing at a time. If you have a lot on your plate. Write down the priority order of everything you need to do, and get one thing done at a time slowly going down the list. If this method works well for you, then write down the priority order the night before. If you realize you’re getting tired, hold off on any activities that require critical thinking and deliberation. Take a break, get some healthy food and drink water without checking your phone and getting sucked into it, then get back to it and notice the positive difference. Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. ElliottPS Love tea? Be sure to check out nauticalteas.com for gourmet, loose leaf tea!PPS: Want help getting your finances in order? Check out more at thelifenavigator.com

Hey Shoremates!Welcome to Activate Your Brain: How Understanding Your Brain Can Improve Your Work — and your life by Scott G. HalfordAction ItemsIf you struggle with confidence, think about the one thing you want to accomplish but are scared to do so. Now, think about the worst case scenario that could happen. Then, on a scale of 1 - 100 ask yourself what the likelihood of each thing happening is. Now that you’ve written down the worst case scenario, let’s apply what we learned from the Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. Create a game plan for exactly what you’ll do if those worst case scenarios will happen, and write them down. While I was an officer in the Navy, we would brainstorm these, and then write down an action plan called pre planned responses from these and then run drills until we could do them from memory. If you want to practice willpower, try to do a task without having your phone nearby and it on airplane mode. The results may surprise you.Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. ElliottPS Love tea? Be sure to check out nauticalteas.com for gourmet, loose leaf tea!PPS: Want help getting your finances in order? Check out more at thelifenavigator.com

Hey Shoremates!Welcome to Activate Your Brain: How Understanding Your Brain Can Improve Your Work — and your life by Scott G. HalfordAction ItemsWhat is the no kidding, honest to goodness definition of success for you in your life? Try to be as specific as possible. From here, ask yourself how much it would realistically cost to have that, and I encourage you to be creative here. For example, if a goal is to have a beach house, one thing you may do is ask yourself how much time you would spend there, get a condo, and rent it out for the times you’re not there. After you’re done with this, ask yourself what actions you need to take this year, this quarter, this month, and this day in order for it to happen. Shoremates, this will take time if you’re being truthful with yourself, but I guarantee the amount of clarity and freedom you’ll feel from identifying it and moving towards it are worthy every second of your time.If you have a partner, or are in a relationship, ask them to do the exact same thing. One way that bitterness may rise in relationships or marriages is if one of the partners feels like they’re sacrificing their dreams for the other partner. By being clear with each other, you’ll be able to brainstorm how both dreams are compatible, which will help strengthen your relationship. What is one new thing you resolve to try today and this week to help you get closer to your goal that you came up with in action item number 1. Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. ElliottPS Love tea? Be sure to check out nauticalteas.com for gourmet, loose leaf tea!PPS: Want help getting your finances in order? Check out more at thelifenavigator.com

Hey Shoremates!Welcome to Chapters 2-4 in Activate Your Brain: How Understanding Your Brain Can Improve Your Work — and your life by Scott G. HalfordAction ItemsThink about everything you regularly do in life. Are you doing these things to move towards a goal, or to move away from an undesired consequence. If you are doing things to try and avoid a consequence, just like the gym example how can you reframe what you’re doing to move towards a goal?When you’re talking with others, try and avoid telling them what they should and should not do. If you give them a couple of different choices and let them choose, the success rates will increase. Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. ElliottPS Love tea? Be sure to check out nauticalteas.com for gourmet, loose leaf tea!PPS: Want help getting your finances in order? Check out more at thelifenavigator.com

Hey Shoremates!Welcome to Chapter 1 and the beginning of Chapter 2 in Activate Your Brain: How Understanding Your Brain Can Improve Your Work — and your life by Scott G. HalfordAction ItemsNow that we understand the C and X systems, ask yourself how much time is spent in the C system over the X system. As a reminder, the x system is reflexive and the c system is reflective. How can you spend more time in the C system?Next time you’re feeling highly emotional and ready to explode, take a few deep breaths, count to 10, and if you can excuse yourself for a moment, go take a brief walk without any electronics. Notice how differently you’ll react when you come back after having a few moments to calm down.Avoid making any important decisions when you are tired. Being in the analytical C system takes a lot of energy, and making emotional decisions is almost always a recipe for disaster. Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. ElliottPS Love tea? Be sure to check out nauticalteas.com for gourmet, loose leaf tea!PPS: Want help getting your finances in order? Check out more at thelifenavigator.com

Hey Shoremates!Welcome to the introduction of Activate Your Brain: How Understanding Your Brain Can Improve Your Work — and your life by Scott G. HalfordAction Items: What is something incredibly small to experiment with? Does your desk need to be cleaned off? Do you have files that need to be cleared, or does the trash just need to be taken out? Choose something that has been nagging at you to get it done, and write it down.After you accomplish that task, go to the handwritten item and cross it out. How do you feel? Are you energized? This is just the beginning that the power of activation can bring to your life.Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. ElliottPS Love tea? Be sure to check out nauticalteas.com for gourmet, loose leaf tea!PPS: Want help getting your finances in order? Check out more at thelifenavigator.com

Shoremates,Do you want to actually accomplish your goals this year (or start over)? If so, this episode was made just for you.We go over material from John Maxwell, Charles Duhigg, and Allison Sue from Compass My Life helping you with the following three areas:1. Knowing obstacles that will come in the way2. Setting Smart Goals3. How to Choose a word for the year.Shoremates,Always, Always remember...you've got this!J.D. ElliottPS: Love tea? Be sure to check out nauticalteas.com for gourmet, loose leaf tea!PPS: Want help getting your finances in order? Check out more at thelifenavigator.com

Shoremates,If you love this book, you can pick yourself up a copy right here. If you want her free bonuses, check out moneyhoneyrachel.com/freeAction Items:If you need help with accountability, Rachel has a free Facebook group found at facebook.com/groups/moneyhoniesAlways, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. ElliottPS Love tea? Be sure to check out nauticalteas.com for gourmet, loose leaf tea!PPS: Want help getting your finances in order? Check out more at thelifenavigator.com

Shoremates,If you love this book, you can pick yourself up a copy right here. If you want her free bonuses, check out moneyhoneyrachel.com/freeAction Items:Does your company have a 401k? If you’re not sure, head on down to HR, talk with them about it, and ensure you’re taking advantage of any matching contributions they offer. This is quite literally free money and a reward for investing.If something happened to you, would your loved ones be ok? Life and long term disability insurance are so critically important. If you already have them, make sure your family knows how to cash in the policy. Over $1 billion, goes unclaimed each year because the family doesn’t know what to do. Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. ElliottPS Love tea? Be sure to check out nauticalteas.com for gourmet, loose leaf tea!PPS: Want help getting your finances in order? Check out more at thelifenavigator.com

Shoremates,If you love this book, you can pick yourself up a copy right here. If you want her free bonuses, check out moneyhoneyrachel.com/freeAction ItemsSince neither of us are licensed financial advisors, there are not going to be action items based on this material. Any investment you choose has risk, and it is recommended to talk to a professional before making a decision that can impact your future.Always, Always Remember,You've got this!-J.D. ElliottPS Love tea? Be sure to check out nauticalteas.com for gourmet, loose leaf tea!PPS: Want help getting your finances in order? Check out more at thelifenavigator.com