7 Self Motivation Tips To Be Successful [Do This Daily]

1. Early Rise [Get 3x More Done In Less Time]

Personally, I do my best to follow the advice of the great Benjamin Franklin: "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." I first became familiar with this quote when I joined Jeff Lerner’s Extraordinary Training last year, and it was an eye opener.

When you shift to an “early rise” mindset you will most likely get a lot more done, get new positive energy and feel on top of things, instead of constantly feeling bad about all the things you know you should have done, but never can find time to complete. At least that was my experience. 

I would normally get up around 8-10 in the morning. When I started getting up at 5 am instead… WOW! To have an “external reason” to get up early, I’ll normally start the day at EspressoHouse with a double Americano. It could of course be the caffeine, but the extra energy of starting the day early is just life-changing. I now get 3x more of my daily tasks done, in two hours a day - instead of seven.  And I work from a café.

2. Think Your Way To Success [Really!]

Your mind is an incredibly powerful tool.

Whatever we experience in the physical world with our senses, passes through to the invisible inner world of thoughts and believes. 

If you think negative thoughts your life will follow in the footsteps of your thoughts. Luckily, if you think positive thoughts your life will follow in the footsteps of happiness as well. Here are a couple of really banale examples: 

• If you think you are ugly and unimportant, you will be sad - maybe even depressed. Crying a lot will take a toll on the skin around your eyes. Also, when crying you use muscles in your face that will make you get more wrinkles. As if not enough, depression will lead to sleep deprivation, loss of hair, more weight, diabetes and a heck lot of other illnesses. As a result of thinking you are ugly, you will get “uglier” over time.

Instead, say "I am beautiful. I am good enough." Start each day by smiling at yourself in the mirror and telling yourself how awesome you are. I know you are! Everyone can do it, and it will have a positive effect not only on your mind and body, but also on the external world around you.

• If you think you can’t do this or that - you’re right. You can’t. Your mind will prevent you from accomplishing whatever you think you can’t do.

Always think you can do it. Try it.

• Here’s a third example, which I as often as possible try to remind my kids about: Let’s say you want to buy a boat. You look at your salary statement, your bank account and overall financials and see that there’s simply not enough money to buy that boat and you cannot take another loan. You say to yourself “Nah, I can’t afford that.” When you say those terrible words… “I can’t, There’s no way we can….” - Your mind will block itself from searching for opportunities.  

Instead, always say “how can we afford it, how can we achieve this or that goal, how can we….” You catch my drift. Your mind is a very creative creature. When you switch to saying “how” and ask questions instead of blocking it from being creative, you will be surprised how much your mind can help you find the answers.

By controlling your thoughts, you can control your external life. Take conscious control of your thoughts and become the master of your own life. 

It’s such a true, and powerful, image. You must never stop believing, never stop trying. Never stop digging.

You know those stories of “overnight sensations” - Those guys who apparently made a website and made $90k a month within their first three months. Or that guy who started a real estate business and became the biggest apartment rental business in the country or whatever. 

There is a good chance that their one successful business wasn’t their first attempt. I know people who have started 10+ businesses before one of them finally hit a home run. 

The ones who follow good systems, and never give up, are the guys and gals who will make it big sooner or later.

So, when times are getting tough - bite your teeth together and grind harder. Those Diamonds Are Within Reach!

4. Daily Habits [Will Change Your Life]

Our habits and daily routines define us.

Do you think Elon Musk of Tesla and Space X would run such successful businesses if he woke up around 11 pm, ate pizza for breakfast and played Warzone on Playstation all day? Probably not. Instead he gets out of bed around 7 am each morning and breaks his day up into 5 minute slots. He is one hundred percent focused, and is also known to sleep extremely little. A few years back it was said that he worked 120+ hours a week and slept only four hours a day, in between tasks. 

To me that doesn’t sound too sound, but it worked for him.

The point is that determination and habits are important. If we follow a daily regimen, eat a healthy balanced diet, set clear goals and work focused towards achieving them, success will come. In addition, the more you follow the regimen, the healthier you will become, the more focused you will be and more success will follow. It’s like a wheel just spinning faster and faster as time moves on.

5. Persistence [Old Skool Determination]

We live in an era of instant gratification. Everyone, and especially the younger generation, expect immediate results. Waiting for a letter to arrive in the mail is soooo 1999. Email is outdated too, btw. Now, it's all about snaps and instant messaging. If you order something online today, you expect it to arrive at your doorstep when you wake up the next morning. No more waiting for parcels to arrive at the post office. As a result, get rich quick schemes, fad diets, and instant expert articles promise immediate results with no- or minimal effort on your part.

It’s almost like some people think they’re entitled to success. Entitled to wealth and prosperity. Then, when they’re not served success on a golden platter they get angry and lose interest.

They often blame it on society.

The truth is that there's no quick fix. No instant (long-lasting-) success. Sure, you can make money fast on the internet. You absolutely can. But lasting success comes from years of persistence and hard work. It takes time. Some say it can take six to ten years to get really good at something.

Actually, I have a method of becoming an expert at almost anything in 30 days or less. However, to truly master a skill, it's estimated that it takes as much as 10.000 hours. It’s the time it takes for your muscle memory, body and mind to be 100% one with whatever skill you are trying to master.

This number of hours was debunked in a study back in 2014. However you still need to put in a reasonable amount of working hours before truly mastering a skill and many still adhere to the 10.000 hours rule.

So, because we are not expecting it to take so long to master internet marketing, off-piste skiing, YouTubing or whatever someone is trying to master, people get discouraged.

Another pitfall is mastering something too quickly. This can make you plateau and stop making progress after a certain level. That’s when you need to find a mentor, coach or something else to drive you forward. 

Always stay persistent. Write down your goals, and follow through. Make it a daily routine of accomplishing short term goals, and keep a strict focus on only working on tasks that will build up towards your long term goals. When you see progress, you will feel encouraged and self motivation will follow.

6. Crush Your Comfort Zone

Most people rarely step outside of their comfort zones. It’s too scary, and it’s hard-wired in our DNA to stay within the boundaries of what feels safe.

Unfortunately, no successful progress will come if you don’t step outside of his comfortable, protected bubble.

Make it a daily habit, or at least a weekly habit, to get out of your comfort zone. To accomplish great things and stay self motivated, you have to step outside of your comfy bubble. You must do it repeatedly. 

Here are some (quite stupid, but helpful) tasks to help you get used to stepping out of your comfort zone. It takes guts and it will make you look stupid, but it’s only when you stop giving a damn about what other people think, you will move forward:

• Eye Contact: Next time at the shopping mall, make eye contact with the opposite sex. Keep eye contact until that person has passed you by. Don’t forget to blink or you’ll look like a crazy person (we don’t want that!). If they ask you why you’re staring at them, just say “I’m sorry, you reminded me of someone I used to know.”
• Ask for Phone Numbers: Walk up to someone you think looks attractive and ask for their phone numbers. Say something like “Hi, I couldn’t help noticing you. You look so gorgeous. Can I get your number? If you don’t want to give me your real number, just give me a fake one.” < The point here is not to get a date, but to ask for the number. If you happen to be married and get a number, just throw it away. You don’t want your wife/husband to find numbers of other ladies/men in your pockets!
• Lay Down Randomly: When out with friends or partner, randomly lay down on the shopping mall floor or street for ten seconds. Just lay down. Don’t say anything. Wait ten seconds then rise and act like it was nothing. It will make you look stupid. It will make some good laughs and it will help you step out of your comfort zone. 

Why it matters - True story of two old friends I just met at a reunion:

I hadn’t spoken to either for many years, but I remember both of them talking about the businesses they were going to create and how much money they would make from it.

I was sitting on the lawn where the party was happening and watched the cars rolling in on the parking lot. First Johan arrived. His Tesla X glimmered in the sun. He jumped out and came towards me.

Few minutes later, Erik arrived in a Toyota Avensis. Not a bad car, but nothing fancy. 

We got talking and it turned out Johan and Erik had actually planned on starting a company together. Johan had this idea for a Bitcoing investment business which he thought would be a surefire way to wealth. He presented the business plans to Erik who was interested but also was too scared to step outside of his comfort zone and make the leap. They both had cash sitting in their bank accounts that they didn’t have immediate need for, and while Johan decided to move forward with the business, Erik dismissed the idea.

This was when the Bitcoin price was around $150 and the idea of the business was to pool their funds together and go big. Johan and his other partners had bought just over $300k worth of Bitcoin when the price was between $143 and $430. They sold at the right time, leaving the three remaining partners with a hefty $19.137.000 in pure profit. They have later invested some of it into other digital currencies and their bank accounts continue to grow.

Erik could have been a part of all this, but instead he was too afraid to step outside of his comfort zone. He still works as an accountant, making a not so hefty $65.000 a year. 

Asking a cute girl for her number, asking your boss for a pay rise or starting an online business all takes a lot of courage. It’s scary as hell, but the more frequently you push yourself outside of your comfort zone, the easier these uncomfortable tasks become. So make it a habit!

7. Fail Fast - Then Move Forward

As humans we don’t just want comfort, we also strive for certainty and a stable, predictable future. Women more so than men unfortunately, as it’s holding women back from starting businesses. Only when changing habits into not being afraid of uncertainty can you truly grow, both business wise and on a personal level. 

Certainty is often not real certainty. Take a job for instance. Many of us consider a job to be a provider of a stable and predictable future. And to some extent it is, as we get paid a salary once a month. However, you can be fired at any time, and you will have nothing. You have spent your best years working for someone else, and building their wealth, while you are left with crumbles.

We’re told from our parents, and from the school system, all since we were kids that we had to work hard at school, get a good degree and a good job. That must stop now! It’s all a fat, friggin’ lie.

Only when you run your own business are you in charge of your own future and can build a legacy.

Success loves speed, so move fast. Don’t wait for the right time. Don’t plan every nitty-gritty detail. It’s much better to just jump into it. Stumble, learn from your mistakes and move forward, Maybe you even fail so hard that you go bankrupt. It’s not a big deal if you do it before you hit forty. The earlier you start, the more chances you have at making that one big home run.

When you fail, you rework your business and move forward with the parts that actually work. This way, you will have a super strong business when you first make that one successful company. 

Remember that today is the best time to start something new. Not tomorrow. Not “when the time is right.” Those are just excuses for postponement. Life will always get in the way.

The right time to start a new habit is now. The right time to start a new business is now. So get started, move ahead and fail fast!