Some peoples challenges are real, some peoples are fabricated by others, but ALL challenges are the breeding ground of powerful opportunity to find greatness within yourself.

When you can shift your perspectives from your challenges being obstacles to your challenges being opportunities to augment and enhance your life, you’ve discovered one of the most powerful secrets of success and gained the ability to live an expansive life that can impact the entire world.

Listen to this message from Aimee Mullins, record-breaking Paralympic athlete and take special note of the lessons she’s teaching.

It’s not only inspiring, it’s just plain smart!

Holy cow this is crazy cool stuff! It just goes to show you that, much of what we THINK we know about our own abilities and limitations could very well be 100% WRONG!

This amazing man has even the brightest scientists around the world baffled!

What if you have untapped ability that was so far beyond the realm of what’s “normal”, no one every thought to explore it?

Imagine what you could achieve if you simply opened yourself up to the possibility that you are FAR more than you ever thought you were…

I see people rise up and transcend above impossible odds to create success and I see people more than capable never make it because of the limitations they place on themselves.

The thoughts, beliefs, and ideas that they have limitations to their ability is so detrimental to their success, it’s like dragging a 300 pound weight around and trying to jump over a very short fence.

They try and try but never make it because the weight of those beliefs and thoughts are cutting their potential almost down to nothing. The belief that they have limitations is the most damaging and controlling aspect to ALL success.

But imagine what they could do when they break the chains of those beliefs?

They would easily be able to hop over a short fence and they’d realize their TRUE power and strength.

That’s pretty awesome and amazingly powerful in and of itself but now imagine what could happen if you could discover an even deeper potential of the human mind, body, and soul!

I’ve seen some pretty amazing breakthroughs in my own life and the lives of people around me I thought those were the peak and defining moments of a persons true potential.

No one would have EVER been able to tell me a man born with no eyes would be able to do what this man can do so who knows how far we can go…

All I know is that whatever limits we may think are limits, seem to constantly and continuously be pushed further and further revealing how incredibly awesome human beings are, and can become.

No matter what limitations you THINK you might have, you can never look at yourself the same way after watching this video!

We haven’t even tapped into our full potential, even if we think or even if we KNOW we have. The things we think we KNOW to be true, are proving to not be true at all and human beings have the most amazing untapped and undiscovered potential yet to be extracted…

What can you do today that you thought you couldn’t do yesterday? What can you learn about yourself that can redefine what you’re capable of?

You’re amazing beyond description and life is an adventure of discovery. If a person who’s never seen color, never seen depth, never seen ANYTHING can do this, what can you do?

We just had the BEST WEEK we’ve ever had in business! It was fun, exciting, super cool and most importantly, it built MOMENTUM that will carry this success way further than our efforts this week.

So in this Motivational Monday, I wanted to talk about success momentum and include this fun video as a simple illustration.

Success momentum is simple. It’s the transfer of YOUR energy from one thing to another.

The more energy you put in, the more power you create to build success. The more power you create to build success, the more momentum you build around your success and the more influence your success has on things and people around it.

Eventually, it gets so much mass that it takes MORE ENERGY TO STOP it than to keep it going.

That’s when you’ve reached success momentum!

Momentum begins with your first step, your first action, your first effort and the most energy is always used at the beginning…

And YOU are the source of that energy, it comes from YOU!

You may get through motivation, inspiration, education, acquiring knowledge, borrowing wisdom, trial and error, and good old fashioned in the trenches experience! But it filters, flows, and funnels through YOU!

And as you’ll see in this video, sometimes it takes multiple attempts to achieve your goal best results.

The first shot: It usually doesn’t go as planned and is kind of un0impressive

The second shot: You make some adjustments based on what you learned form your first shot, refuel and get ready to fire again, and you get some inspiring results but usually still not quite what you were expecting.

The BIG LAUNCH: You’ve learned some valuable things, gained some experience,  and acquired some wisdom of your own that you use to make some final adjustments and then…

You refuel again and 3…2…1…

Blast off! You create some respectable and impressive results! (which of course builds TONS of momentum and excitement)

The great thing is there is an endless supply of “fuel” out there. You can always find resources to inspire and motivate you, like Motivational Mondays!

So where ever you’re at on your journey to success, remember this:

YOU are the source of your success!
YOU are the power that creates the momentum!
YOU are the one in control!

Keep going, keep striving, and keep growing and you WILL get to the point your success momentum takes over and will take more energy to stop it than to maintain it. Having this stellar week reminded me of how incredible it feels to reach that kind of momentum so I wanted to make sure you know you are on the right path.

If you put in the work, effort and energy to make your dreams come true, you eventually built momentum and that momentum will take over and carry you on a path of freedom, fortune, and FUN!

Make sure you share this with everyone who needs to hear it! It’s a powerful reminder (and refreshing moment of encouragement) that we MUST keep striving for our goals because if we do, we WILL reach them!

Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in our surroundings and find the limitations. And it’s not always easy to look beyond the limitations, open your mind, and find alternative solutions to get what you want out of life.

One thing IS certain though, you will ALWAYS without exception, find exactly what your looking for if it becomes the ONLY thing your looking for. It may take a little more work, it may take a little more time, but you can ALWAYS get what you want out of life no matter your circumstances or surroundings.

Imagine yourself in a hot barren desert of Egypt watching a documentary about the amazing powder covered Rocky Mountains of Utah in a stellar winter wonderland where people are having a blast carving and cutting through the fluffy white powder on their skis and snowboards…

And now imagine yourself thinking how great it would be to go sharp the slopes! If only there were a way to get to Utah…

It’s all about perspective, looking for what you want and NOT looking for the reasons you CAN’T do it but finding every reason, big or small, of how you CAN!

There’s a great book that talks about that called Acres of Diamonds that if you haven’t ready, I highly recommend you do.

The trick here is to really dig just a little deeper into that desire and ask yourself a question that defines and extracts what you truly want.

Do you want to be in Utah?
Do you want to be in the Rocky Mountains?
Do you want to put on 12 layers of clothes to stay warm?
Or…

Do you just REALLY want to shred the slopes?

When you drill down as deep as you can by asking yourself the continuous question of “What do I REALLY want?” and you finally get to that core desire that’s trying to poke it’s way out into the world of experience, it’s MUCH easier to find and GET what you want.

If you find that you really wanted to shred the slopes, but your stuck in a desert, your mind will automatically go to work seeking solutions and answers.

And 10 times out of 10, it will find them! After you discover the answers you realize the possibility has ALWAYS been there and it’s usually very simple but just takes a simple perspective tweak and as if by magic, solutions appear!

You will always find whatever you’re looking for when you know what you’re looking for, even if what you want is to go skiing and you live in the desert!

Do you have so much going on that you don’t even have the time to make a Pop Tart?

In this Motivational Monday I wanted to share with you a couple of very important aspects of success. In this quick and VERY funny “comic relief” video, the comedian makes a hilariously powerful point about how much we can get caught up in the hustle and spread ourselves too thin at times.

Even to the point we don’t feel like we have 3 seconds to make a pop tart! (Watch it, it’s hilarious)

In our pursuit of success we tend to take on more than the average person and we usually end up spending all of our time managing projects, tasks, and executing ideas.

And here’s the key distinction to be made about that idea.

With most people who are driven to create successful and fulfilling lives, there are multiple things going on all at the same time and the thing that tends to get neglected the most is the the focuses on your personal time.

We get so busy with business, work, and obligations that we tend to forget to stop and take a second to acknowledge and appreciate ourselves, our achievements, and our blessings, yet we continue to add more (projects, tasks, obligations) to execute and maintain.

All of these things take up our time and energy and creating success requires A LOT OF ENERGY! Expanding your possibilities is great thing until you get stretched so thin ALL nothing works and you don’t even have enough time to make a Pop Tart because you just can’t keep up with the demand.

In other words, it’s something ALL of us battle with from time to time… Overwhelm!

It’s important to manage your activities and prioritize the thing that get you where you want to go but also add a sense of balance to your life.

So I wanted to share this video with you to illustrate that point and give you some perspective on “slowing down” from time to time to ENJOY what you are creating and I also wanted to deliver it in a way that was funny and got you laughing.

Because one of the major reasons to work hard to create success and freedom is to have fun and laugh! And if you get so busy you have to follow the second set of instructions on this video just make some breakfast, it might be time to re-think what you have going on and re-prioritize your actions a little.

Not to mention it’s always a good thing to be reminded of the power of laughter.

Laughter is good for your health

Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.
Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.
Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.
Laughter protects the heart. Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.
Laughter dissolves distressing emotions. You can’t feel anxious, angry, or sad when you’re laughing.
Laughter helps you relax and recharge. It reduces stress and increases energy, enabling you to stay focused and accomplish more.
Humor shifts perspective, allowing you to see situations in a more realistic, less threatening light. A humorous perspective creates psychological distance, which can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed.

So enjoy this funny video, remember to laugh, and remember to take a second to appreciate yourself for all of the effort you put in to improving the quality of your life and enhancing the lives of your loved ones.

Who’s on your team?

There are so many amazing people of influence in the world. I’ve had many of them in my life to help guide me to the success I’ve been able to create and there will be many more.

And I’ve even gone as far as learning how to become a better person of influence in terms of becoming the best leader I can be to the people I help. coach, and guide to their own success.

But something that might be over looked is that fact that everyone in your life is a center of influence and you are a center of influence to all of the people in their lives.

A major part of creating success is building a great team. And that can mean a lot of things.

And a team can be anyone from people you work with, people you work for, people that work for you. But it doesn’t stop there…

You must look at your life as everyone in your life is part of your team. Some are leaders, and some are followers.

The bottom line is there is a very simple set of fundamentals that you must use to create the right team in your life and if there was ever a person to model and follow it John Wooden.

In this Motivational Monday I want to share with you some words of wisdom from arguably the best coach to ever live. His teachings are not just fundamental for his players and his team but for all of us in life…

When you can watch something that makes you laugh, gets you thinking, helps you understand, and touches you, you know its a winner!

In todays Motivational Monday I stumbled upon a great video with a great message that did just that. It made me laugh, made me think, and made me understand some things and I knew I wanted to share it with you too.

What’s interesting about it is it’s pretty hard core academic style research that leads to a very nonacademic conclusion and sums up something so simple yet profound it can change your life today!

A great concept she talks about in the video is “People being willing to let go of who they think they should be in order to be who they are…”.

We hear it all the time, “an attitude of gratitude creates success”. “Doing something that brings joy to your life practically guarantees success”. “Do something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life…”

But what’s not talked about much is the vulnerability it takes to live your life that way and how what makes you vulnerable makes you beautiful…

You have a major impact on other people through your actions and words and the success you experience in your life is in direct proportion to that impact.

These are very simple concepts yet also very misunderstood. Toward the end of this entertaining video Brene Brown explains this very eloquently through her years of research and experience and shines a bright light of truth on what might change the results you get from your efforts for 2012 and the rest of your life!

The core of the message is this:

Let yourself be seen
Love with your whole heart
Practice gratitude and joy
Believe that “You ARE Enough”

Enjoy and pass it along to someone you know who may need to hear this in their life right now.

Why? Why do we care about health, success, progress, and growth so much?

It’s almost become a force of habit conditioned in our minds that we are “supposed” to be that why and I’m all for it but…

The question still remains and I think when you drill down to the very core, the deepest essence of the answer of this question, it applies to everyone and it also answers the burning OTHER question so many people ask, “Why have I not reached a point of success I’m seeking yet?”

So let’s answer the first question:

Why do we care so much about success?

On the surface it has many different masks but at the very core of it it’s always the same… We want to define our purpose.

See, many people I know who have made a ton of money always go through the same cycle and usually end up with a bit of an empty space in their life even though their bank account is very full.

And as they seek this purpose out, they ultimately end up discovering what the message of this video is, our purpose to create is to give and provide value to others.

That’s what causes the dilemma for most people, they are not authentically focused on providing real value to others and without that driving force, success is a very slow painful process.

You’ve heard it before and I’ll repeat it again. Jim Rohn said it, Tony Robbins said it, Zig Zigglar said it, and just about any other quality success coach has said this (and for good reason).

Find a way to get enough people what they want from life and you’ll get what you want.

So moving into 2012 take this to heart and see where you can add value to someones life, it’s the fastest way to create success that I know…

Normally I’d have the video all set up here and I don’t usually do this but they’ve disabled the ability to embed the video directly so I’m giving you a link because it’s THAT important of a message…

Watch it now and then chime in on what YOU will do in 2012 to add value to the world (while watching your own success skyrocket!) CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO

In this motivational Monday I thought this is a great and simple reminder of what it takes to succeed.

This is usually the time of year we reflect back on our achievements our successes, and sometimes, the things we haven’t quite achieved yet. The more exciting part of this time of year is looking ahead to what our plans our for the upcoming year.

All of my friends do it, I do it, and every other successful person I know does it but there is one defining difference that adds some power and a lot of extra kick to it.

When we look back on the last year and forward to the upcoming year we recognize the areas we fell short and the areas we grew in and we do it with a success attitude!

Often times I hear people tell me they don’t have X or they don’t have Y and that’s why it’s so hard for them to create the kind of success in their lives they want and deserve.

And the truth is, they may NOT have the things think they need. They may not be the most talented person in the world, they may not have a vast Rolodex of successful people to draw from, and they may not even have a perfectly laid out plan of how they will achieve what they want.

The fact of the matter is this…

It’s really very simple as this video simply states, EFFORT is what creates success and that part of it is between you and you, nobody else.

And as I was looking back and reflecting on what the common factor was in all of my major achievements, it really came down to the effort I put in.

I wasn’t the best, I didn’t start at the top, I didn’t have any resources, and honestly, I had a lot of the chips stacked against me but I put in MASSIVE effort and I never quit… EVER!

I took a rest from time to time as we all need to do, but I NEVER quit.

So as we approach the new year, set our new goals, and reach for higher levels of success in our lives, I thought it would be the perfect time for a reminder to focus on the effort you put in.

Because above everything else you do, effort is what creates the results you have in your life.

So every time it gets a little rocky or tough (because it does for all of us at some point) ask yourself, “How much effort am I willing to put into my success? How bad do I really want it?”

In the true spirit of the Holiday season I’m remembering something my wife posted on Facebook… It went something like, “You’ve never really lived until you have done something for someone who can never repay you…”

It’s one of the things that drives me and I think it’s important to reflect on all that we have, even if we don’t feel like we have it all. Because there are many things in our life that we take for granted. Some of them simple, some of them profound but the one principle that I’ve stood on the shoulders of while creating my own success is to always give back, even if there isn’t much to give.

With one of my companies we gave a charitable donation with every trial. It wasn’t a lot per person but when you add up the small amount from many people it did make a difference and giving back is a key principle of all success.

In fact, it really makes this saying that I’ve heard and experienced so much in my own life stick out in a very LOUD way…

“You can’t change a life without changing your own…” And it goes both ways…

You can’t change your own life without changing another.

Even something as simple as an old soccer ball that a lot of people might throw away can have a dramatic and positive impact on a persons life. It even motivated a mother to walk 12 miles to say thank you. Giving back has a huge and positive impact on everyone involved.

So as we move towards the beginning of a new year, take a look at all that you DO have, all the progress you’ve made, all you have achieved, all the knowledge you’ve gained that can never be taken from you, and all that you have added to this world and acknowledge that, recognize it.

And then use it to empower others by giving back creating a better world for all of us to live in.

Because you can’t change a life without changing your own, either be cause OR effect.