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Journaling Ideas To Help You Seize The Day

Journaling ideas aren’t the magical cure to what ails you. They won’t cure your anxiety, banish your depression, or make you more money. 

They can help you discover great ideas. Or get to the bottom of a problem that’s been troubling you. The right journaling prompts can help you make sense of the busy day ahead of you and make you more productive. I like to balance my journal prompts by threading in bits of gratitude, reflection, and living purposefully.

Journaling ideas onto paper (or in Google docs) keeps my mind decluttered. It filters out my noisy inner critic and helps me stay focused on what’s truly important. It’s such a simple ritual that takes so little time but provides immense clarity and purpose to the day ahead.

Ryan Holiday wrote an excellent article on how the emperor of Rome, Marcus Aurelius, conquered stress, and anxiety. One passage, in particular, stuck out to me:

“Marcus Aurelius worked hard to be a good friend to himself. Although he was firm and strong and self-disciplined, he did not whip himself. He knew that it was inevitable that he would mess up. We all do.”

The idea of being a good friend to yourself feels strange. How often do you reflect on how you treat yourself? Deep down, we know what it feels like to be a good friend to others. But what about being a good friend to yourself? What does that look like?

A good friend would point out what you have to be grateful for and why today is an opportunity. A good friend would remind you of all that hard work you’re doing and celebrate the fantastic things that you’ve accomplished. They’d also point out where you could do a bit better. Not in a mean or demoralizing way, but in an uplifting and enthusiastic way.

Journaling Ideas

Journaling can help you be that good friend to yourself. Not just once or twice, but every day. These journaling ideas are on heavy rotation for me lately:

  • What are you grateful for?
  • What amazing things happened yesterday?
  • How can I make today better than yesterday?
  • Are all of your obligations today real or are some imagined?
  • How are my thoughts lately? Are they serving me or holding me back?
  • What are the words you need to hear? What would a good friend say to you today?
  • Why is today an opportunity instead of another day to get through? What will make today great? 
  • If you were forced to work for just one hour per day, what would you work on during that hour to be most effective?

My list evolves as I find new and exciting questions, ideas, and journaling prompts. Some months I’ll remove questions temporarily, and some months I’ll add a couple more.

I’ll leave you with a quote I’m taking to heart: 

“Keep a notebook. Travel with it, eat with it, sleep with it. Slap into it every stray thought that flutters up into your brain. Cheap paper is less perishable than gray matter. And lead pencil markings endure longer than memory.” —Jack London

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5 Life-Changing Realizations About Building Wealth

woman in blue wetsuit steering the boat

The older I get, the more I realize how important your attitude is on life. It’s more important than education, money, skill, or appearance. A poor attitude can destroy a business or a relationship, and the right one can lift it to new heights. The remarkable thing about life is that we get to choose what attitude we embrace. Every day you get to decide how you’ll react to life’s gifts and its curveballs.

Jack London said, “life is not always a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, playing a poor hand well.” 

That’s the right attitude. When it comes to building wealth, my attitude has dramatically shifted. I know money can’t buy happiness. I used to think real wealth was having lots of money in the bank, a nice house, lots of cool toys, and some money in the stock market. I’m not rich by any stretch of the imagination, but I’m doing better than I ever thought I would. As I inch closer to my past definition of wealth, I’ve noticed just how wrong I was. Here are my realizations:

1. Realize You Already Have Enough. 

Here’s a true story by the prolific American author, Kurt Vonnegut:

Joseph Heller, a talented and funny writer now dead, and I were at a party given by a billionaire on Shelter Island. I said, “Joe, how does it make you feel to know that our host only yesterday may have made more money than your novel ‘Catch-22’ has earned in its entire history?” And Joe said, “I’ve got something he can never have.” And I said, “What on earth could that be, Joe?” And Joe said, “The knowledge that I’ve got enough.” 

In Afghanistan I slept on a cot most of the time, I went weeks without a shower at times, I relieved myself outside or in porta-potties, and the food ranged from good to expired and frozen. I worked out in the elements. It didn’t matter if it was scorching outside or ten below. We were working. I did that for over a year, and I survived. In some ways, I got used to it. 

That experience gave me a unique perspective. The things I thought were uncomfortable before are now a walk in the park. My current life is grandiose compared to that. Chances are yours is also. Our biggest problems are overeating, spending more than we earn, staring at a screen too long, or not standing up enough. In short, we have more than enough. 

How can we show more gratitude for what we have currently?

2. Realize That Relationships Are Invaluable

In a moving commencement speech, Arnold Schwarzenegger said, “You can call me whatever you want, but don’t ever call me a self-made man.” He goes on to say he had a ton of help getting where he is today.

“Friends are better than money. Almost anything money can do, friends can do better. In so many ways, a friend with a boat is better than owning a boat.” – Kevin Kelly

Money will come and go. The most important investments are those into family, friendships, and marriage. The right people in your corner will make you laugh, help you succeed, and pick you up when you fall. The alternative is pouring all your time and energy into making as much money as you can. To end up like the dragon Smaug, hoarding gold all alone in a cave.

3. Realize That Time Is Better Than Money

I always knew I wanted to live life on my own terms. As a little boy, I had problems with authority. People telling me what to do never quite sat right. For most of my life, I felt guilty for that. As if I was stubborn, prideful, uncooperative, or plain selfish. While I may still be some of those things, I now realize that independence was my north star. I wanted to be free more than anything in the world. That’s probably why I left home at 16, while many of my peers lived at home well into their 20s. 

My definition of success is the same as Bob Dylan’s: 

“A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night, and in between does what he wants to do.”

I realize now that real wealth isn’t about money. It’s about freedom. Real wealth is:

  • Not going to meetings when you don’t want to
  • Not spending time with rude people when you don’t want to
  • Not feeling locked into status games or keeping up with the Joneses
  • Not letting other people steal your time and energy
  • Not feeling like you have to say yes to everything and everyone

Money can help with those things, but a lot of it comes down to your attitude and how you carry yourself.

4. Realize That Life Isn’t As Expensive As You Think

I have a luxury apartment with extra tall ceilings. I have a brand new off-road truck, and a bigger TV than my parents ever had. I don’t say that to brag, but to make a point. None of those things makes me an ounce happier than I was with an old truck, a basic apartment, and an average TV. 

Like most things in life, I take them for granted now. It’s the new normal. As I accumulate more “stuff” I realize what little impact they have on my well-being. It reminds me of a scene from the 1987 movie Wall Street with Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen:

“When does it end? How many yachts can you waterski behind? How much is enough?”

The basic needs aren’t that expensive. Jeffrey D. Sachs, an economist, and author says,  

“Living doesn’t cost much, but showing off does.”

Trying to impress people you don’t like is the quickest way to misery. Even if you kind of like them, you’re still chasing a feeling that won’t last. When faced with any major purchase decision, ask yourself, “Am I buying this for the right reasons?”

5. Realize That Money Can’t Buy Happiness

Celebrity deaths usually don’t have a big impact on me. The passing of two of my idols Anthony Bourdain and Robin Williams, hit hard, though. 

Shortly after Anthony Bourdain died, I found myself in a bit of a funk. In my mind, he had had everything. I didn’t admire him for his money and fame, but for his lifestyle. It seemed like he had it figured out. His “job” was to travel the world, eat great food, meet new people, and experience life to its fullest. Robin Williams made millions of people laugh and made a greater impact on people than you or I probably ever will. 

They both committed suicide. They had everything, and it wasn’t enough. I thought, “If they aren’t happy with what they have, then how the hell are we supposed to be?”

Then I made a life-changing realization. It’s going to sound strange, but their deaths actually gave me some hope. It proved to me that fame, money, and success won’t make you happy. They don’t solve anything. It’s freeing to know that I don’t have to worry about having any of those things anymore. I can just focus on being okay with myself.

What’s real wealth to you?
PS When it comes to managing my money, I use a software called You Need A Budget. Outside of a gym membership, It’s honestly the best investment I’ve ever made. Seriously, try it out!

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Stop Giving Yourself Options

Like many of you, I collect words to live by. If something catches my eye in a book, I jot it down. The same goes for podcasts, YouTube videos, and movies. If something moves me, then I save it for later. I use them in my writing, and I read them when I need guidance. The stories and quotes I accumulate bring me comfort and inspiration when I need it most. They also bring life and depth to my work.

One mantra I’ve had on repeat lately is:

“Stop giving yourself options”

As I analyze successful entrepreneurs, athletes, and authors’ habits and routines, I keep coming across a recurring theme of persistence. Their goals aren’t that different from ours, and most of them aren’t any smarter than we are. The key difference is that they show up every day. 

Rain or shine. Healthy or sick. They show up.

They don’t give themselves options.

Their determination is what sets them apart. The athlete knows the day will never come when they wake up pain-free. Every day they have to play injured, tired, or sore. They beat on their craft relentlessly and seem superhuman as a result. 

“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer” – Albert Einstein

Where most people, myself included, fall short is giving up when times get tough. Or worse, when success doesn’t come as quickly as we hoped. We do things when conditions are perfect. When we feel motivated, well-rested, and free of distraction. Therein lies the problem.  

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” – Zig Ziglar

Anytime I start something, I focus too much on the result. I think, “once I lose the weight, I can go back to eating Domino’s Pizza and drinking Guinness.” I give myself options when it comes to working out, eating right, writing articles, you name it. On the off chance, I make it to the finish line, I slowly lose my momentum and give up my hard-earned results. My epiphany is that you never “make it.” And even if you do, you can’t let up. You set your eye on the next thing, immediately. 

David Goggins says, “Life is one big mind game, there is no finish line. Don’t push yourself now, just to relax in the future, push yourself your entire life! You never arrive, don’t be satisfied, don’t be soft.”

Now that I’ve wrapped my head around this concept, it makes the daily grind easy to tackle. Like you though, I still have my rough days. I still get caught up thinking about the results instead of enjoying the journey. When you have rough days, make an effort to push forward anyway. Getting through a half-ass workout or writing a few crappy pages is better than nothing. Momentum is everything.

P.S. H/T to David Goggins for inspiring this post.

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How To Carve The Path To Success

Above the desk in my office, I have an abstract painting of Epictetus framed with the following quote:

“How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself?”

I purchased it as a New Year’s present to myself for completing what I considered my first successful year as a writer. 

Being my best self and ensuring I’m on a path to success is something I think about a lot. I know life is short, and the thing I fear the most is wasting my potential. If I sit around on my butt all day eating chips and salsa watching Netflix, I’m afraid that life will pass me by. 

Like you, I have big aspirations. And like you, I push a lot of them off. Instead of today, I choose tomorrow. I’ll eat better tomorrow. I’ll workout tomorrow. I’ll write that article tomorrow.

Sometimes I’ll get my shit together and sprint after what I want but rarely in a sustainable way. Like you, my life is a series of false starts. I’ll make progress, then I’ll backslide. Rinse and repeat.

Let’s break that cycle together. Not tomorrow, but here and today. Here’s how I’m going to do that:

Decide What’s Truly Important

James Clear wrote about Warren Buffett’s “2 List” Strategy, which I highly recommend everyone read. To sum it up, Warren suggests everyone create a massive list of things they want to do in their life. Everything big to small that comes to mind. 

Do you want to learn the guitar? Start a business? Write a novel? Learn Spanish? 

Great! Write all that down.

Then prioritize it and pick your top five. Now put all your effort into doing or becoming those five things. The most important part here is avoiding the other stuff at all costs. They’re merely a distraction. Be more selective and say no more often.

We can’t do it all, and if we try, we’ll fail miserably. Derek Sivers puts it best:

“More people die from eating too much than eating too little. Most of us have too much baggage, too many commitments, and too many priorities.”

Create A “Could Do” System

Creating that list is a great start, but we both know you’ll never stop wanting. Neither will I. The “could do’s” will pile up, and that’s okay. Just find a home for them and think of them differently. I keep a massive google doc of cool ideas, places to travel, habits to form, things to buy, you name it. 

I’m not saying never to these things. I’m saying not right now. 

That way, they don’t weigh on me.

In a weird therapeutic way, it’s freeing knowing I don’t “have to” do these things anymore. David Allen gets it:

“When looking at a large to-do list, you feel a mixture of relief and grief. These items represent agreements you haven’t kept with yourself. What happens when you break too many agreements with yourself your self-esteem plummets.”

Turn Your “Shoulds” Into “Musts”

With the “could do’s” tucked away, I’m now faced with my “should do’s” list. Here’s where life gets complicated. We know what healthy food looks like, but we still opt for fried foods. We know how to save money, but we still spend money on stuff we don’t need.

How do we break that cycle? How do we live more purposefully?

We have to turn our “shoulds” into “musts” and find a way to get it done.

Tony Robbins says, “We don’t hit our goals, we hit our musts.” 

Must means “no matter what.” 

Must means getting okay with being uncomfortable.

Must means sacrificing sleep sometimes or forgoing things that feel good.

Must means putting in the hours.

Unfortunately, the hours won’t suddenly appear. You’ve got to steal them from comfort. Anything you were doing before was comfortable. This won’t be. You’ll be very uncomfortable. You’ll feel awful on the surface, and chances are you’ll be fighting that inner voice telling you to “take the day off” or “you can have just one donut.” 

But if you do the work consistently, you’ll get a deeper satisfaction from finishing what you said you’d do.

Clear The Path To Success

The only way to change your body and mind is to change your standards. Here are a few tips that are working for me:

1. Surround yourself with people playing the game at a higher level than you. Who you spend time with is who you become. Find successful entrepreneurs to mentor you on starting your business. Make friends that have accomplished your fitness goals. In-person is great but even chatting with people 

2. Schedule your success. Literally, make time in your schedule to accomplish your “must do’s.” I have time blocks on my calendar to write from 5-7 every morning. The same goes for my morning cardio session and my evening workouts. I start and end my workday with workouts. That’s a rule. Try to find consistent times for your “must do’s.” Then they’ll become habits.

3. Destroy your “all or nothing” mentality. There will be days you are sick, injured, or slammed at work. Days you won’t be at your best. Make it a rule to never skip your “must do’s” twice. Skipping two days in a row starts a new habit—a habit of skipping. Implement make up sessions. For instance, if I miss a workout, I don’t beat myself up, I just schedule two workouts for tomorrow.

4. Create personal accountability. I love technology and use it to my advantage. All my to-dos go into Things 3, and I keep my “must do’s” in my Done app. Both have reminder functions, which I use often. Done helps me keep “streaks” going, which I find motivating. I don’t want to break the chain.

5. Know exactly what you want to do ahead of time. Writer’s block doesn’t come from not knowing how to type. It comes from not knowing where to start. Think about it. You know how to run. That’s not the hard part. It’s setting the conditions for your run. Making sure you know when, where, and how far you’ll go. Find time in the day to plan tomorrow. Plan your workouts, healthy meals, work tasks, and what you’ll wear. Make doing the right thing feel easy.

6. Create contingency plans. Life will get in the way. It’s inevitable. A lot of things that will torch your progress are avoidable. Find time each week to look ahead for obstacles. Are their meetings, trips, or personal obligations that might trip you up? Front-load and do more work on other days. Look at the menu ahead of time so you can make a healthy choice now. 

7. Make personal contracts. The worst thing you can do is give yourself options. There’s a time and a place to quit, but it’s best to schedule that too. Decide now when you’ll review your goals and systems. If you’re going to give losing weight everything you’ve got, then tell yourself you can revisit your workout plan and diet eight weeks from now. Until then, you’re all in. That will keep you on track and prevent you from switching things up too often. 

How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself?

What’s holding you back?

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Fire, Ready, Aim

The Right Way To Start A New Project

You Overanalyze Everything

Well, maybe not you specifically… actually, who am I kidding?

Yes, you.

You’re probably just like me.

You get bright ideas to do something life-changing and follow the classic “Ready, Aim, Fire” strategy. You come up with an idea, you determine the perfect execution strategy, and you launch.

Except you never launch, do you?

You intend to launch, but you get stuck in the planning phase.

As you grind away in the “ready” or “aim” stage, trying to perfect your idea or craft a foolproof launch strategy, you slowly lose steam. You encounter roadblocks, and that little voice in your head makes you doubt yourself.

Maybe this goes on for days, weeks, or even months, but eventually, you lose interest and abandon the idea altogether. Sound familiar?

Is that why you never lost the weight? Launched your startup? Or wrote that novel?

The Solution: “Fire, Ready, Aim”

Launch before your ready. Launch then iterate and improve over time. Putting in the work and optimizing as you go along provides much-needed momentum, builds confidence, and gives you real results.

Here are a few strategies to help you fire first:

End Your Quest For Perfection

Don’t let perfect become the enemy of good enough.

“If more information was the answer we’d all be billionaires with perfect abs” – Derek Sivers

Let’s say you want to lose weight or put on some muscle. Would obsessing over finding the perfect workout routine and diet plan for days or weeks on end be the best route to go?

Or would downloading MyFitnessPal to help count your calories and going for a run today work better?

Stop Looking For Shortcuts

For one, you’re wasting precious time trying to find your silver bullet. Secondly, you likely won’t find one. Finally, even if you find one, it’s likely too extreme to provide lasting results, or everyone would do it.

Sure, you’ll see results with the Whole 30 Diet or setting strict rules like not eating out at all, but for how long? How likely can you go against the grain and deprive yourself of pizza or sweets?

Chances are you’ll stick with it for a while, spiral out of control, and gain all the weight back.

A better alternative is finding a middle-ground. Something that will outlast your emotional sprints. Put differently:

The good-enough routine you stick with is better than the perfect routine you never start or can’t sustain.

I’m using fitness to stick with a theme here, but you can apply this logic to anything. For example, you could spend all day looking for strategies to make your brand go viral, or you could focus on getting five new people to subscribe to your newsletter today.

Give Yourself A Deadline

Contrary to popular belief, constraints can be a good thing.

Twitter launched with plenty of competition but found success by limiting users to a 140 character limit. It forced creativity and satisfied our short attention spans.

A deadline is one way to provide a positive constraint.

“Always demand a deadline. A deadline weeds out the extraneous and the ordinary. It prevents you from trying to make it perfect, so you have to make it different. Different is better.” – Kevin Kelly

Pick an arbitrary date to lose the weight by and find a way to reward yourself. Pick your birthday. Plan a vacation and make it your motivator.

Take a week off work and launch the MVP of your startup. Sign-up for NaNoWriMo and write that novel in 30 days.

Seek Out & Embrace Criticism

Any new venture or project will create its fair share of haters. Doubters criticize because it’s easier than doing something interesting or daring themselves.

“If you absolutely can’t tolerate critics, then don’t do anything new or interesting.”— Jeff Bezos

Firing first requires thick skin and relentless positivity. Actively seek out people’s opinions, hold onto what’s useful, and discard what’s not. Knowing you launched before you were ready makes things easier since you know it’s not perfect and are happy with that.

Start Now

Seth Godin places “shipping” in high regard because shipping something requires finishing it. Shipping is the most critical part of any new project, and without it, all our work means nothing.

Start that thing you’ve been putting off.

Not tomorrow. Not next month. And definitely not at the new year.

Start today.

Eat a lighter dinner and clear the cabinets of your junk food. Write 500 words of that novel and join a writing group for inspiration. Lace-up and go jog as far as you can go.

Do something and do it again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day.

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Reflecting on Seth Godin’s 10x lesson

“The thing is: a 1x contributor can’t become a 10x merely by working ten times as hard. The physics of time won’t allow it, certainly, but it’s also because 10x doesn’t work on the same axis. It’s not about more effort. It’s about more insight.” – Seth Godin

Performing At The 1x Level

Playing at a 1x level for my writing means taking low paying jobs that are time-sucking. Jobs that just about anybody can get. Jobs that leave me feeling empty and discouraged. Anxious and stressed out. Most importantly, 1x work leaves me feeling unfulfilled. Like I’m not really contributing to the world.

It’s important for me to feel like I’m not just doing something because I have to. I enjoy some semblance of control. For me control is freedom. 

If I feel like I have to write to pay the bills I’m unhappy. If I’m writing because I love the subject, support the project, or I’m being challenged then it’s all worthwhile.

Performing At The 10x Level

10x means I’m turning away jobs that don’t interest me or fulfill me. Where I’m charging top dollar but I’m so comfortable with money that I can confidently say, “no, that’s not for me”. 

It’s about partnering with clients who have vision. Who see behind just making money but also making an impact. Who want to leave their mark on the world. 

10x means quality over quantity. 

It means taking on 12-36 projects a year. Whereas 1x would have me take on as many as 12 in one month. Getting to the 10x level would likely take a lot of sacrifices. It would take years of beating on my craft. Pushing aside pretty much everything else. 

Putting on those blinders is the easy part. 

The hard part is sustaining that tunnel vision for long stretches of time. I find I work best in a 7-10 day sprint. I can’t go to 10x in just ten days. Probably not even 10 weeks. But hobbled together I think they move the needle in a BIG way. Rome wasn’t built in a day. But you better believe they were laying bricks every hour.

I’ll end on two questions, partly to me, but also to you:

  • How can we flat out say no to distractions or projects that put me in 1x mode?
  • How can we reduce self-talk seducing us to falling back into 1x mode because it’s the safer path?