Is your gaming really getting you to your goal?

Are you finding yourself spending more time shooting the enemy and less time doing the work that moves you towards your goals? Today’s article may get you out of a rut…

For me, it started about 6 months ago. My problems arrived by courier. Beautifully packaged, with that silver Apple on the box. I just love that fresh plastic smell that comes with a new computer. It brings back childhood memories of unboxing my Commodore 64, weeks before I was supposed to know it was my Christmas present.

This time, it was a new laptop that had me inhaling plastic like an 80′s glue sniffer. Maybe the fumes were too much, because for the first time since my Commodore 64 days I decided to install a game on my new machine.

As a kid from the Top Gun era, I always loved the idea of a good flight simulator. So when I saw an ad for a fighter pilot game, Sky Gamblers, I thought I’d see how far things had come in 25+ years.

Sky Gamblers connects you with other live players in two teams of 10 people. There are different games with slightly different goals. But the basic principle is the same. Shoot things, don’t get shot. Capture flags, don’t let your flag get captured.

Gaming has come a long way since space invaders.

As a game, for pure escapism and adrenalin rush it’s fantastic. And the technology, to have 20 people remotely interacting at super high speed is just mind boggling. But as I started to play more and more I couldn’t help notice patterns of behaviour, from other players and from myself, that go against everything we teach at Subvert.

What worried me had nothing to do with the simulated violence. But everything to do with the attitude my gaming was reinforcing.

So, here are 7 life lessons that were reinforced from my short spell as a gamer…

1. Know the rules of the game

For the first week I didn’t bother reading the instructions, so, I didn’t really understand the rules of the game at all. I literally didn’t know what it took to win. After reading the instructions I realized that most of the other players didn’t either. 90% of them were playing a supporting role to the 10% who actually knew what to do to score points and win battles. It’s not that this knowledge was hidden, it was freely accessible to us all. But convinced of our own genius, I guess none of us could be bothered reading the rules. I was reminded of our interview with Mark Cuban, who told us that much of his early success in the computer business was down to simply reading the manuals that other people skipped.

Action: Are you working on a project, convinced you know how to win, but you haven’t read the rules of the game? There’s always a manual. Find it and read it, more thoroughly than anyone else.

Don’t play catch-up, look into the future.

2. Be a visionary

After reading the rules, I noticed that I had been playing catch-up. Shooting at targets that are constantly on the move. By the time my bullets arrived at their destination, my enemy was already gone. To get ahead of the pack, I learned to shoot for where my target was going to be, in the future, not where it was right now. That way my enemy found himself running into my stream of fire, unable to avoid it, however fast he reacted.

Action: There is a direct parallel to the endless temptations that our competitors in the business world present us with. Are you jumping from one trend to another, always trying to keep up with what everyone else is doing? Maybe it’s time to stop, focus on one proven path and set your sights on the future.

3. Don’t buy your way forward

As excellent marketers, the makers of this game made the initial program super affordable. But to advance through the game, they give players the option to earn or buy themselves upgraded planes. For many people buying is easier than DOING. It’s easier to buy a pair of expensive running shoes than it is to run. It’s easier to buy a flashy car and look like an overnight success, than it is to build a solid foundation for your business. It’s easier to buy the latest upgrade, than it is to learn the fundamentals of your craft to an artistic level. But trust me, no amount of “gear” will compensate for a lack of practice and an understanding of fundamentals.

Action: Do you feel like a genuine expert in your field? Or do you sometimes feel like a fraud, who might be found out, because you skipped some of the fundamentals? Become a beginner again, focus on the fundamentals. You can’t fake the internal confidence that comes from understanding the deep foundations of your craft.

Embrace constraints, learn to use what you have right now.

4. Embrace constraints

Refusing to buy your way forward isn’t making life unnecessarily hard for yourself, it’s conditioning a mindset. Whenever you’re offered an easier path, stop for a second and ask yourself; Is my desire for an easy life being used against me? What could I learn on another path? How could I use the constraints as an opportunity to grow? In the game, most people had upgraded from their free planes to fancier models, but still didn’t seem to understand how to score points. I resisted the easy path and found a free plane that was slow and cumbersome, but had amazing fire power. I didn’t look cool. But combined with a tactic of “shooting into the future” I found myself scoring huge number of points against better armed competitors and was awarded better planes on merit.

Action: There will always be reasons to delay action until some point in the future when you have access to better resources. But it’s precisely the ability to act under huge constraints that separates the leaders in most fields, from the “fair weather” players. What constraints can you embrace to take action today, not some unspecified time in the future?

5. Play to learn, not to win at any costs

Most people who played the game came to boost their ego. Including me. I noticed myself using gaming as a psychological crutch when my day wasn’t going so well. People came to shoot each other online, when what they really wanted to do was punch their boss, or their noisy neighbour or whoever just cut them up on the way home. They didn’t come to learn how to get better at the game. And because of that, they couldn’t stand to lose. This was obvious when people would swap from a losing team to the winning side, or abandon any game in which they couldn’t feel good by instantly dominating their opponents. Once you reach a reasonable level, it’s actually hard to find many worthy opponents who really want to challenge themselves. If your ego can’t stand loss, or temporary set-back you’ll never gain the self awareness to see where your strengths and weaknesses really lie and adapt accordingly.

Action: Is there an area of your life or business where you are playing it safe so that you can feel good about yourself? What might happen if you pushed yourself further in that area? You’d likely suffer more losses, as all leaders do, but you’d also continue to grow and get stronger from the experience.

Never, never, never, never, never give up. (For the wrong reasons)

6. Persistence is magical

Once you’ve achieved a certain level of skill, and you know the rules of the game – never give up. I won countless games I thought I was losing until it was all over. When the competition was tough, they made me work for every point. But when you feel like it isn’t worth the effort, it’s time to double down and work twice as hard. When you are out of time, fuel, ammo and energy, keep going. In those moments, when your competitors are feeling just as tired, your stamina makes you appear unstoppable and intimidating. Keep going and they will quit before you, out of pure frustration.

Action: Is there a project or goal where you’re running out of steam, but you are convinced you are on the right tracks? Can you make Persistence your highest value on that project? Can you double your efforts and commit to sticking with it until you make it happen?

7. Buy your drugs from a reputable dealer

How you get high determines the overall quality of your life. We all need to “unwind” sometimes. We all crave a little escapism. We all want to play and have fun. But we can achieve those endorphin and adrenalin hits in a variety of ways. We can play games on the internet or join a sports club. We can fill your brain with reality TV or we can read a book. We can eat Cheetos alone or cook up a healthy feast for friends.

In my experience, the more active, outdoors and with other people my leisure activities tend to be, the more fulfilling I find them. Of course I have to remind myself of this from time to time, because we can all veer off track.

But when it comes to gaming, maybe the most dangerous thing is how convincingly it can fool our brains, tricking us into thinking that we’re learning real skills, gaining real significance and living an actual life. A good game makes us believe that we are IN the game, whilst, back in reality, we’re sitting on the sidelines, eating Cheetos and looking for easy wins.

So, today I’ll be hanging up my gaming hat. It was a fun return to childhood. But now it’s time to get back to the real game. And my real goals. In real life.

Action: What about you? Could you swop a buzz inducing addiction, for a more life affirming habit, starting today?

After you’ve taken some action I’d love to hear you share your results over at the Community of DONE.

Paul.

Game over.

Mark Cuban by Demetrios Manolatos

You’ve seen him on Shark Tank. And in the media, sat on his private jet. Or yelling support at his basketball team the Dallas Mavericks. But I wanted to get to know Mark Cuban better. I was curious to find out what, if anything, scares this 6’3″ entrepreneur. And I wanted to know what kept him motivated when he was broke and sleeping on the floor of his friends apartment. Most of all I wanted to understand the mindset that turns an ordinary, middle class boy into a billionaire….

Angel: So Mark, I want to go back to the beginning. How does a guy who ends up owning the Dallas Mavericks start out. Have you always been a huge sports fan?

Mark: Yeah, I’ve always been into sports, for as long as I can remember. I played baseball and basketball growing up, and in college I took up and played rugby. Then I continued playing rugby pretty much up until I got my hip replaced.

Angel: So you were pretty athletic, does that mean you were one of the cool kids?

Mark: I definitely wasn’t one of the cool kids. I just had my group of friends and we stuck together. We weren’t unique or special in any way. I would say we were confident intellectually, but we definitely weren’t the kids going out on dates or being very social. We kept to ourselves. In class, I did OK with my grades, mostly B’s and A’s. But I wasn’t the class clown or always raising my hand or anything like that. Just pretty normal.

Angel: How did your school life compare to home life. What was the Cuban household like?

Mark: We were middle class, so we never suffered, we never went hungry, but we certainly were never frivolous either. I got yelled out if I left lights on or took too long in the shower. And going out to eat was a special family occasion. We watched what we spent, but we were never uncomfortable.

Angel: How did you feel about that level of family income. Were you content or did you have bigger dreams?

Mark: I really didn’t know one way or the other. I had my own dreams and goals, I wanted to start and run my own businesses. I wanted to be independently wealthy, but it wasn’t in relationship to my parents at all. I knew I would have to take care of myself, I wouldn’t depend on anyone else to support me. I think that motivated me more than anything.

Angel: You mentioned being yelled at when you left the lights on. I’m sure some of these phrases we hear growing up have a profound effect on how we think about money. Can you remember any others?

Mark: Mostly “when you have your own money you can buy whatever you want, but until then you get what you get”.

Angel: Tell me about the young Mark Cuban, how did the empire building begin?

Mark: I started my first business at age 12, selling garbage bags, I made enough money to buy some tennis shoes. I also started a bar, Motley’s Pub, when I wasn’t even of legal drinking age the summer before my senior year at Indiana University. It was great until we got busted for letting a 16-year-old win a wet T-shirt contest. (I swear I checked her ID, and it was good!). Nothing was over the top great or horrible. Everything was just me hustling and working hard.

Angel: What was your motivation back then?

Mark: I liked doing things and taking the lead on ideas and turning them into businesses. Whether it was collecting stamps or baseball cards. If I could find a business angle, I would. If I could make money selling anything, I would try to make money selling.

Angel: What important lessons did those early attempts teach you?

Mark: That if I was fair to people, worked hard, under promised and over delivered, I would be successful.

Angel: I read that you’d drive around looking at big, expensive houses. Telling yourself that one day you’d live in a house like that. Tell me about that. Did it help? Did it give you a clear goal to shoot for?

Mark: Absolutely it helped. I don’t know that it gave me a goal, but I would tell myself that there were a lot of really big houses. If there were a lot of them, that meant there were a lot of people making a lot of money. If there were a lot of people that were successful, then some of them must have worked their way up like I did. That if I worked hard, I could own a house just like this. It was motivation more than anything. If they could do it, I could do it. I just had to stay focused and work hard.

Big Decisions

Angel: At the tender age of 23 with no money and no job experience, you set off for Dallas in your clapped out ’77 Fiat. What sparked your decision to move? And what did your family and friends think about that decision?

Mark: I didn’t ask my family. I told them. I had some buddies from college who said the weather was great, the women were hot and so was the economy. I didn’t have a job, so I figured Dallas was as good a place as any.

Angel: So, you arrived in Dallas and moved into a run-down, already over crowded house. You slept on the floor, with nowhere to store your stuff, and little money to live off. What got you through those tough times? Did you ever think about packing it all in and driving home?

Mark: I never thought of packing it up and moving home. Not one single time. I just knew I had to figure it out. The only person I would depend on was me. I wasn’t always optimistic. There were times when I got scared. I was broke. I had no job. But I kept on pushing. I wasn’t going to quit. After all I had nothing to lose. All I had was what I had and it wasn’t much.

Mark Cuban And Friends

Angel: So you’re toughing it out. You’re living off happy hour bar food and you start putting on weight. This doesn’t sound like a period where you’re going to be looking and feeling at your best. But you still have to get out there and face the world. What was the impact of that?

Mark: It didn’t really impact me in business, beyond the fact I probably looked like a fool because I didn’t fit in any of my clothes. But once I got that first job at Your Business Software and could afford some 2 for 99 dollar suits, it allowed me to join a gym and that really helped on the weight front.

Angel: Can you pinpoint a time where you felt like you turned a corner and struggling Mark Cuban became successful Mark Cuban?

Mark: No, there wasn’t a time or inflection point. I don’t think to this day there is. I have more wealth, obviously, but even now, every business is a competition, a challenge and I’m always fearful of whether or not I can continue to excel and that motivates me.

Angel: So the challenge motivates you, but what else have you discovered about yourself along the way. There have to be other skills that place you above and beyond average performers?

Mark: I think I have a few skills that work for me. I can sell. I can understand market places and I’m very good at looking at technology and applying it to businesses and figuring out what direction the technology will go.

I did it with MicroSolutions when we started selling Local Area Networks long before all but 3 or 4 companies. I did it with AudioNet when we immediately went to streaming unique events, whether sports or business and rather than being ad driven we were business services driven.

It was the same with HDNet seeing HDTV when everyone else saw something that could never be in every home. More recently with Magnolia Pictures when we started releasing movies on digital Video On Demand before they were in theaters. It transformed our business. That was 6 years ago. It’s only now that people are realizing they need to copy us. Those types of things.

Angel: So when you started your first business can you remember any significant hurdles you overcame?

Mark: Yes we had an employee who stole 83,000 of the 85,000 dollars we had in the bank. It was gone in one day and we had to recover from that. And we did.

Angel: Did things like that knock your confidence, did you ever doubt your capabilities?

Mark: Of course. I remember counting the number of months that Microsolutions had been open, hoping it would last. But the good thing about Microsolutions was that, after that, we NEVER had a month, let alone a year where we lost money. We might not had made much, but every month was profitable.

Angel: In business there are always going to be times when you’ve got to do things which are scary and uncomfortable, on these occasions most people find themselves procrastinating, do you have a technique you use to move forward to overcome your fear to be more productive more often?

Mark: I think about what happens if I don’t do it.

Shark Tank

Angel: In the Shark Tank, most people know you as a fearless entrepreneur. What are the scariest situations you’ve encountered in the real world?

Mark: When big competitors come in to a market, it’s always scary. HDNet may have been first, but we are now one of the few independent networks still in business. We are having to relaunch and revamp our entire strategy. We are moving from being a traditional network to one that is going to focus on being an all live network. That has never been done before outside of sports and news. So we have to create a whole new way of consuming entertainment.

Angel: On the show you have to make pretty quick decisions about whether to invest or not. What’s your formula for making those decisions?

Mark: I try to quickly decide if I’m investing in the business or the person. From there I can determine whether I want to own the business, or whether it’s an inexpensive way to hire someone smart to run the business.

Angel: One of the common mistakes we see people make on the show is not being able to clearly communicate their value. Can you tell me about one of your companies and the value it provides and how you communicate it to your customers?

Mark: MotionLoft.com – they count things. They have sensors that they put on buildings that can tell you how many cars/people/bikes are walking by a sensor in real time. We sell it by letting people try it. It’s intoxicating for a leasing company to be able to tell a potential leaser exactly how many people pass their location. Or to a transit authority to know exactly how many cars are on the road so they know where to send the snow plows. We communicate the value by letting them try it till they get hooked on it.

Angel: I read you’re a an admirer of author and philosopher Ayn Rand’s book The Fountainhead, what have you learned from this book and how have you used that knowledge in your business?

Mark: That you have to depend on yourself first and last. That it doesn’t matter what other people think about you, it’s how you feel about yourself that matters.

Angel: Are there any other books or resources that have really influenced you?

Mark: How to Retire at the Age of 35 and The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need by Andrew Tobias.

Money, Money, Money

Angel: Let’s talk about the money. How did you actually feel when you first started making serious money? Were you comfortable with this new level of wealth?

Mark: I was very, very, very comfortable with it. My goal then and now is to never let the size of my bank account define me and have as much fun as possible with it. That said, of course I worry that I will mess up and lose it. So I try to be conservative in how I invest it.

Angel: I’ve seen a lot of people reach a level of success and then get stuck in a rut, scared and nervous about taking risks and losing it all. What drives you to constantly keep moving forward?

Mark: I love to compete. To me business is the ultimate sport. So I stay engaged with companies I invest in and try to keep making them successful.

Angel: Now you’ve reached Billionaire status, how far ahead do you set your goals?

Mark: I don’t set goals in advance any more. I just try to always be learning and getting better at what I do and who I am.

Angel: So I’ve got one more question. After all the dreams, the struggles, the wins and the losses, what does being financially successful mean to you today?

Mark: It means waking up with a smile on my face and looking forward to the day, without having to worry about how I’m going to pay my bills.

Try Before You Buy

So Mark says that he gets his customers to “try it till they get hooked on it”. So here’s my challenge to you today: Don’t just click through to the next distraction and let his advice get washed away in the endless stream of Internet content. Take action on it, right now. Decide what you can give to your customers for free. Something that will help to demonstrate your value. Then go and set up a test right away. After taking action, tell us in the community of DONE.

If (after taking action) you’re interested in finding out more about Mark check out his website where you can also purchase his book.

Credits: Thanks to Demetrios Manolatos and Scott Mecum for the great photos.

Yanik SIlver and Sir Richard Branson

I was really looking forward to catching up with Yanik, he’s really living the dream. His company “Maverick Business Adventures” enables him to do all sorts of exciting Dare Devil activities in exotic locations, whilst teaching high caliber entrepreneurs. But Yanik’s adventures don’t end there, he’s also shared a stage with Marketing Expert Dan Kennedy, collaborated with Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk and hung out with Sir Richard Branson on Necker Island.

But how does the son of a Russian Immigrant and self professed class clown get to meet his heroes and make money from his passions? Well I managed to pin him down and delve deep into his past and discover how he’s made his dreams a reality, plus learn his specific tactics for building your credibility, so you too can become the go to person in your industry.

The Yanik Silver Interview

Connecting

Readers, here’s my challenge to you. Right now, reach out to just one person who you admire and would like to collaborate with. Send them an email and introduce yourself and tell them why you value what they do. This is the first step, so don’t take it personally if they don’t reply. Just keep thinking of how you can add value to what they do, and communicate it to them.

Interested in finding out more about Yanik, check out his website here and for details about his book “Maverick Start Up” Go here

Raw Chef Ani Phyo

In this interview I talk to Celebrity Raw Food Chef and award winning author, Ani Phyo. What I love about Ani’s approach is that it isn’t extreme, it’s not about persuading you to convert to all raw food. In fact she warns against radical practices. What it is about, is incorporating more tasty fresh foods into your diet and how to maintain your new habit.

The Ani Phyo Interview

Enjoy this interview? Let Ani know on twitter by clicking here.

Connect With Ani

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Ani.Phyo.RawFood

Ani’s Websites

www.AniPhyo.com

www.RawFoodRockStar.com

Check out Ani’s YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/aniphyo

Visit Ani’s estore to find her favorite organic ingredients, kitchen tools, goodies for your canine friends, and Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen Show DVD’s.

What About You?

What are some of your favorite raw ingredients and how do you incorporate them into your meals?

Brandon Boyd by Brantley Gutierrez

In this extremely open and honest interview, Incubus front man, Brandon Boyd, shares his entertaining, amusing and bizarre thoughts on procrastination, overcoming obstacles and facing your fears.

If you’ve read my story you’ll already know that I’m a big Incubus fan. I won’t repeat the story, other than to say, great music and great art really can change people’s lives. Brandon’s music dramatically changed the direction of my life. I wonder what the catalyst will be to change yours?

Angel: So Brandon what was the first thing you remember creating as a child?

I Ate Lunch At The Stoners Table

Angel: And were you one of the cool kids at school or were you an outsider?

Grabbed Me By My Chest

Angel: At college you studied art for 2 years, so what made you decide to commit to music full time ?

Angel: Did you set any specific goals when you were setting out?

I Lost My Hands And Feet At An Unfortunate Spelunking Safety Seminar

Angel: We hear a lot of excuses for why people can’t start their own band or even their own creative career. Excuses like; I don’t have enough money, I don’t have enough time, I don’t have the confidence, I don’t have the credibility, I don’t have the resources. Did you have and of these problems when you started out, and how did you handle them?

"The Plunge" by Brandon Boyd

Angel: Did you have any particular people who helped mentor or guide you when you started out?

If You Are In A Hurry, Write A Pop Song And Make A Sex Tape.

Angel: When people first set out on a creative career they don’t realize how long it takes to become successful, after a couple of years most people usually quit, what did you focus on in the early days in order to motivate yourself to continue?

Bringing A Spork To A Gun Fight

Angel: How do you keep your energy up with all the work required to make it in this business?

Most Likely You Aren’t Going To Die From Paint Inhalation

Angel: What are your thoughts on fear, does it help or hinder you?

Rich and Famous

Angel: So is life in the public eye what you thought it would be when you set out?

Over to you

Brandon said “When we are low on energy, and trying to be expressive, it’s like bringing a spork to a gun fight.” So, what can you do, right now to get away from the machine, increase your energy, and come back firing on all creative cylinders?

The excellent portrait photography in this article was provided by Brantley Gutierrez and a special thanks goes to Jen DiSisto

Check out more of Brandon’s artwork or purchase one of his books or prints.

David Horvath Co-creator of the Uglydoll

Have you ever felt like you’re not getting the support you need to succeed, especially from the people closest to you? Then you need to read every word of this interview with David Horvath. Co-creator of the globally successful Uglydoll brand. This is one of my all time favorite interviews. I have a lot of respect for how amazingly generous and open David is. He shares the struggles he faced and overcame to follow his childhood dream. A dream that, it seemed no one else wanted him to achieve. Read it, learn from it, take action on what you learn. And don’t ever let those who don’t have the courage to follow their own dreams, prevent you from following yours…

Uglydoll Kaiju

Angel: David, with the widespread success of the Uglydoll you are being hailed as one of the top character designers in the world, but did you have this passion for toys as a kid?

The Cool Kids Became Outsider And I Stayed Put

Angel: So it sounds like you chose to follow your own path from an early age. Did you get any support from the people around you?

David: My mother was a designer at Mattel for many years. I wish that had helped me some but the honest truth is, she wasn’t permitted to discuss her job with me and she stayed loyal to that golden requirement. The only way I knew she still worked there was through catalogs and purple He-Man errors brought home. But those catalogs were inspiring. I always knew that I wanted to tell stories through toys.

Bossy Bear

The resistance came from my father, who told me that surrounding myself with toys and quitting Art Center to go work at a toy store would never amount to me making my own toys. He would tell all his professional contacts and co-workers about his waste-of-life son locked up in his toy room, working at a toy shop. He made many a famous or well known professional in the art and design world shake their head at me (being told his version, not mine). So there was resistance. Luckily, I didn’t care. He wanted to be a photographer more than anything in the world, but went into advertising because it seemed more stable to him. Avoiding your life passion out of fear is a no-no in my book.

When he would freak out over why I had so many toys (over 40 of them!) I would ask him why science majors had beakers and slides all around their room. He didn’t get it. Anyway, when I was 19, I did indeed quit advertising at Art Center so that I could go work at a local boutique toy shop, to learn the ins and outs of non-mass market toy distribution and observe moms, dads, and kids buying toys in a retail environment. That job also got me into toy fair, and got me deep into the side of toys I knew would prove to be very important if I wanted to make my dreams come true and go at it on my own.

Making toys means nothing if you don’t have any clue what will happen to them once their done. Now I hear my father clips articles and such, but from my early teens until well after we started Uglydoll, he told me toys and those stuffed doo-dads were a waste. It’s easy to get behind your kid when he’s in the paper, but with our daughter I want to be sure to be there for her during the process, not the irrelevant outcome. I hope I can use my past run in with this resistance as a life lesson so that I can do better than he did when raising my own child.

Uglydoll Cinko

Angel: So your love of toys was a hard path to follow then, but what about your growth as an artist?

Angel: You clearly had passion, did you set any specific goals from the beginning or did you wing it as you went along?

I Use This Now Pretty Much Scientifically Proven Method By The Hour And It Works

Angel: Can you share any techniques you use to help you focus on achieving your goals?

Uglydoll Wage Green Kaiju

Angel: What about the excuses many people have for not following their creative dreams; no money, time, credibility, support etc. Did you ever confront these same doubts?

David: Those aren’t excuses. Those are hurdles. Just need to jump. We had zero help. Zero cash. Ah but we had a needle, a scanner, a pen, an old borrowed digital camera, and a mac lap top which I got by selling my 2 older macs from when I had a job before. That first sewn doll sold for $30.00 And then the next one sold. Soon we had $3000!. So we used that to make more and keep it all growing. I had one design-ish art job after graduating from Parsons with Sun-Min. It didn’t last long. The first few weeks were great and I had a lot of fun animating in Flash until the boss told me to change a color to purple, and that was it for me. And I was super zapped by the end of the day anyway, too tired to work on my own stuff. Lesser paying jobs, be it retail stores or coffee houses, are great because you get so pissed off that your dream work comes out no matter what. But a “real” job with co-workers wanting to hang out and drink, late hours, weekends, and comfortable money coming in, is a dream killer.

When we decided to start for real, I slept on my sisters floor for 9 months eating not much more than cereal, plain white bread, and salads, and then moved to a tiny illegally erected bedroom within an industrial building in the then very scary DUMBO, Brooklyn, surviving on a daily menu of egg on a roll in the morning, a bagel and coffee for lunch, and really good $3.00 chicken legs from a local corner stand at night. Rent was a few hundred bucks, paid for by selling everything I owned in LA, keeping 5 days of clothes and not much else. I bought an air bed but had no table, so the computer was on the bed. $5.00 a day was the food limit. Laundry was once a week, and monthly subway passes were $80. I had nothing else and often went with out the coffee. A Japanese magazine shooting “famous artists” homes came to do a shoot, and elected to take photos of someone else’s much nicer room in the building just to avoid wasting a whole day. They even dressed it with our dolls. ( I tried to tell them.)

Uglydoll Babo

One Guy Called Me A Millionaire, On The Day I Had To Skip Lunch To Survive

I lived this way for the first 2 years of Uglydoll when everyone was calling me a millionaire. One guy called me just that on a day I had to skip lunch to survive. Then Sun-Min [my partner and co-designer] and I basically lived on the road when we went into full production and sales grew. Until we were married, we lived in hotels, traveling from trade show to trade show, driving across the US, stopping by small towns to find small shops.

Get As Much Input As You Can And Then Don’t Follow Any it

Angel: Did you ever go out and actively ask people for help and advice?

Angel: Now you’ve been in the industry for many years do you find it easier to call on your creativity at will? Do you have any tips for being more creative more often?

Icebat Kaiju

Angel: How do you keep your energy up with all the work required to make it in this business?

Angel: And your views on fitness?

Angel: What about the rock and roll lifestyle of being a hip artist and designer?

Angel: Ghost hunting aside, how often in your creative work do you find yourself doing things that you are afraid of?

Angel: How often do you find yourself failing at something or abandoning a piece of work?

Angel: Isn’t it a shame they don’t teach that approach in school!

UMA (Unidentified Mysterious Animals)

Don’t Reveal Your Plan To Anyone

Angel: Are there any lessons you’ve learned about money that you’d like to pass on to other people just starting out?

Angel: With success comes more attention, is life in the public eye what you thought it would be when you set out?

Angel: So how do you handle negative attention?

Ice Bat Kaiju – Red

What About You

Is a member of your family or friends holding you back? Or maybe you’ve experienced a colleague, competitor or fellow scenester tying to keep you in check?

The real question is – what are you going to do about it? Put up with someone else’s vision for your life, or get to work creating your own?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on David’s interview and how it effects you in the comments. Angel.

Laura Roeder Social Media Entrepreneur

I’m a big fan of Laura Roeder. She’s doing a lot of things right and she has a great attitude. Her business is making social media easy, so you can create the business fame we all dream about.

In this interview Laura shares some super smart insights into learning anything you want, coping with setbacks, dealing with trolls and lecherous business men. And she shares her amazing philosophy on living the life you want…

Paul: What were your early talents and interests?

Paul: What do you think was behind your profiling game, what did you learn from it?

Laura Making Early Plans For World Domination

Paul: So what have you learned makes a great leader?

Paul: And do you think there is any connection between you being confident enough to put yourself forward as a leader and your profiling game?

Blonde is sooo last season

Paul: Who were your influences growing up?

Paul: It sounds like you have a lot of confidence in yourself. Like you were raised with a high sense of self-esteem, would that be fair to say?

Paul: What was the most exciting thing you remember growing up?

Mom, Dad and Laura

Paul: I want to try and understand how that self esteem works for you. Whether we are confident or feel like we’re lacking in confidence, we all come up against obstacles and set-backs. What is it that you tell yourself when things go wrong?

Paul: I think there’s a whole world of wisdom in that answer, even if it seems normal to you. But haven’t you had to overcome any major challenges?

Paul: When did you start to learn the skills that allow you to do what you do today?

Paul: Wow, I think you’ve just shared my philosophy on education, growth, life itself. Click “view source” and model what you see. That’s how I learned pretty much everything I do. That’s what Subvert Magazine is about. You say it isn’t impressive or complicated. But it certainly isn’t common. Why doesn’t everyone believe they can learn anything they want like that?

Paul: I couldn’t agree more. I see so many people giving up because they choose to believe that they are competing with a world full of “naturally talented” people who were more “blessed” than them. But not only are we born with nothing but potential and a few primal instincts, that potential stays with us, throughout our entire life, we just have to choose to fill it!

Laura, Not Posing, Just Relaxing ;)

Paul: OK, let’s go back to your teenage years, how did your online experience progress?

Paul: What about when you left school, did you jump straight into the online world?

Paul: What got you through the interview with the agency, if your portfolio wasn’t competitive?

Paul: We all have bad first time experiences of putting ourselves out there, but what interests me is what made you go back the second, third, forth time. What did you tell yourself to get over doing something that sucked. Most people just quit and go get a regular job. Why not you?

Laura Being Honored At The Whitehouse As A Top 100 Entrepreneur Under 30

Paul: When I started out, I experienced almost total rejection of my ideas as well. I did a talk once, at an event where I explained how the internet was going to change business. I was laughed at. And when the press were taking a picture of all the people who spoke, I was asked to move to one side.

That happened more than once. 100% rejection. Isn’t that how all entrepreneurial journeys start. We are either crushed or forged. Male or female. Young or old?

What I long for when I seek out new people, are smart, curious minds, who push their own boundaries. They are rare. Regardless of gender or age. What is more common are insecure people, who will use whatever obvious ammunition they can find to boost their ego by knocking you down.

Is there an additional prejudice that women have to deal with on top of the regular prejudice that all entrepreneurs have to face?

Paul: Challenges aside, you were tough enough to stick with it and keep going, so talk to me about the key lessons you learned when you finally started to get a handle on things?

Paul: I think you’ve highlighted another really important way of seeing the world. In my 20′s I got to work with some super smart people and learned a really important lesson: The smartest people in the world are all muddling along, just at different levels.

Paul: So how did things change after you learned those lessons?

Paul: Are you talking about people who are in close proximity to you or people who share similar values to you?

Laura with Richard Branson and Marie Forleo

Paul: You already know that half way through this interview, I paused to go update one of my sales letters. I’ve written lots of sales letters, and I’m highly self-motivated, but still, watching your interviews made me feel less stressed about various jobs on my To Do list and inspired me to take action. That’s a super power you’ve got there – help me understand how you don’t get bogged down with the stress and the haters and the fools online and you keep producing fun, positive work?

Paul: OK, there’s one more thing I wanted to touch upon, I think it’s a value and a character trait that is extremely useful and you seem to have it in spades. I’m talking about a sense of humor.

I’ve gotta say, in business, I’m not a funny guy. My clients respect my honesty, not my jokes. I’m pretty straight forward. I haven’t developed those social skills to make me great at things like networking and social media. I suck at social media, I offend so many people in my attempts to be honest with them.

I suffer because of that. I see how powerful a laugh and a smile can be at diffusing the fear and pressure that comes with explaining new concepts and getting people to take action.

Most importantly, in making something hard or technical sound easy. I think that is such a valuable skill.

You’ve already told us that people hassle you at events, but I just can’t imagine you taking it badly. I imagine you laughing it off and charming them. Whereas I would want to punch someone out, and be worse off for it.

So what’s the secret to laughing stuff off. What’s the secret to making everything sound simpler and easier and more doable?

Laura putting her plans into motion at the World Domination Summit

Over to you

If the thought of Twitter and Facebook makes you shudder, then head over to Laura’s website, and join her newsletter “The Dash”. Then, while the iron is still hot, think about the insights that inspired you the most in this interview. What are the elements you want in your life? How can you make a better choice? How can you turn that inspiration into action, right now? Go do it. Have fun.

Tara Stiles by Steve Shaw

In this interview Angel talks with model and Yoga teacher, Tara Stiles. We love Tara’s accessible and down to earth approach to Yoga. She’s one of Jane Fonda’s New Faces Of Fitness, she’s the personal Yoga instructor for Deepak Chopra and the founder of Strala Yoga in New York.

If you do nothing else, watch this, then go subscribe to Tara’s YouTube channel. Her 5 minute Yoga for bedtime routine will improve your sleep no end.

Tara Stiles Interview

Enjoy this interview? Let Tara know on twitter, just click here.

More about Tara Stiles

Tara’s number 1 selling book, Slim Calm Sexy, is published by Rodale, and is available on Amazon.

Tara’s new book “Yoga Cures” will be released on April 3 2012. click here to order yours now

And you can buy the DVD she’s done with Jane Fonda. Jane Fonda’s Workout: Daily Yoga with Tara Stiles

Tara’s also done two dvds with Deepak Chopra Yoga Transformation: Weight Loss & Balance And Yoga Transformation: Strength & Energy

http://www.tarastiles.com/stralayoga/

http://www.facebook.com/TaraStilesLiving

http://www.youtube.com/user/TaraStilesYoga

What About You?

I love one sentence wisdom. “If you got off the bus, just get back on the next bus!” That sums up just about everything we’re trying to pass on here. Over the years of studying our heroes in all sorts of different areas of life I’m always listening out for the aphorisms they repeat. Rather than just being cliche’s, what we say repeatedly provides a glimpse into how we think. Most importantly, how we deal with inevitable set-backs. What are your favorite aphorisms for picking yourself back up and who did you learn them from?

Yoga and Martial Arts Expert Cameron Shayne. Photo by Casey Moore

In this interview Angel talks with Cameron Shayne, Martial Arts & Yoga personal trainer to Hollywood celebrities like Courteney Cox Arquette & Jennifer Aniston.

I think Cameron’s style of following a practice where you become more connected to your body is an intelligent one. All too often we’re encouraged to punish ourselves into shape. But you can still challenge yourself, even through a martial art, without having to beat yourself up. Don’t miss this one.

As well as training Courteney Cox Arquette and Jennifer Aniston, Cameron lived with Charlie Sheen for a summer to help him rehab from drug addiction. He told us it was an influential time, where he was exposed to the power and wealth of Hollywood’s elite.

He’s also trained Jamie Lee Curtis, Sean Penn, Renee Russo and David Arquette. And he was the personal trainer and fight scene choreographer for Chris Tucker in Rush Hour 1 and 2.

Cameron has been training in martial arts since he was 12 years old. He started the practice after being bullied as a child and eventually formed Budokon International, A School of the Yogic, Martial & Living Arts.

Cameron Shayne Interview

If you enjoyed this interview, let Cameron know on Facebook

Connect with Cameron

Check out Cameron’s official website for information on classes and workshops

And you can buy Budokon training and teacher training DVD’s here

Special Thanks: Photograph by Casey Moore – www.caseymoore.com

What About You?

For me, one of the most powerful pieces of advice Cameron shares with us is “Find an exercise that you love, that inspires you and that is difficult.” We’re constantly being bombarded with products and services promising to make things effortless for us, when our minds and our bodies are really evolved to thrive under challenging conditions.

When was the last time you did something challenging but doable, either mentally and physically, and how did you feel afterwards?

Seth Godin The Interview. Photo by Brian J. Bloom.

Paul: After our post on making contact with your heroes the emails came thick and fast.

“But it’s easy for you” they said. “No it isn’t” we replied. We get rejected all the time. Our precious egos worry about why we were rejected. It has taken us years to get some of our interviews. And when we do, we often ask dumb questions that seemed really clever at the time.

But one of the main reasons we share what we’re doing, is to force ourselves to live what we are preaching. So the day we published the mentor article, I got out my list of people I’ve always wanted to interview but had been rejected by. I tried harder.

Here’s the first interview from that list, with one of my heroes, Seth Godin…

Once upon a time

Paul age 11

Paul: I suspect that there is a time in everyone’s life when all the conditions for who they will become are in place. This picture represents that specific time for me.

From the launch of personal computers, to the potential of the space shuttle. From the bullseye on the dart board to the copies of Guerrilla Marketing and The Lord of the Rings which are in the top drawer of that desk.

Right there at about Eleven years old I felt immense optimism and freedom. I had absolutely no fear when facing the world.

I want to understand the conditions that mark the start of your journey. When was that defining time for you?

Seth: I’m pretty sure we construct these defining moments long after they happen. I remember that I’ve felt the feeling you’re describing many times–and then, of course, the notion that we were going to be an astronaut or class president or the most popular kid or a successful athlete or a great debater or whatever it is that seemed aligned at the time… that notion disappears, evanescent.

After we’ve put in the work, gotten through the Dip, survived disaster and gotten a bunch of lucky breaks, we look back to one particular one of those moments and anoint it as the one.

Sure, I can tell you how it felt when my first business worked (at least a little) when I was 14, or the silly pleasure I got when I was chosen to run a broken and failing non-profit while in college. I treasure that chemical rush, the one that makes it feel as if all the doors are open.

But for me anyway, the real memories are of the disasters, the dead ends and the moments of being cornered, doomed and done. In most of those moments (at least the ones that I’ve kept on file in my head), I’ve somehow wriggled free and moved forward. That’s the work of the art.

Cornered, Doomed and Done. Illustration by Toni Roberts.

Cornered, Doomed & Done

Paul: Tell me the story of one of those doomed moments.

Seth: I’m not going there, and I’m happy to tell your readers why.

It’s human nature to want the sentimental stories, to want the juicy stuff, the unique, hands-on grit. The problem with this approach is that instead of bringing us together (in terms of the truth, of the abstract universal notions) it divides us, because it gives us a chance say, “sure, that happened to HIM, but my case is different.”

I could tell you about finding my way home from a thousand miles away when I was 14, or about being humiliated at one sales call after another or about making 2000 outbound telemarketing calls for a company with no way out, but none of those stories are proof in the sense that they will work for you. They will merely indulge my ego and our society’s desire for faux intimacy.

Paul: Well, I respect your answer, but I’m not convinced. I think the stories bring people together and give us a chance to say “look what happened to them and they got through it, maybe I can as well”.

Without the stories, we end up with nothing but bullet points, soundbites and info graphics as the tools for passing on wisdom. We lose the context of the real people and their experiences.

So I’m going to keep pushing people for the stories. But I’ll take the abstract universal notions as well.

Seth: I don’t disagree with you in principle, which is why I tell so many stories. But one more juicy story from me isn’t the answer, I think.

I didn’t understand that there was an alternative

Paul: So, you left college, but then went and started an MBA. What was your thinking behind that decision. Was that a positive step towards your goals at the time. Or an attempt to avoid leaving the safe world of academia, or something else?

Seth: In college, my degree was, Bachelor of science in engineering and applied mathematics, with a minor in philosophy and computer graphics.

There was an expectation that I’d get a job. But doing what?

It’s easy to imagine that blogs and books and all the stories that illuminate our options were around then… that there would be plenty of people to tell me how I could have carved my own path. But there were only three business magazines, very very few books or articles or insight or inspiration. So I needed a job. I didn’t understand that there was an alternative.

But I wasn’t qualified to do engineering, and I had learned from a very long summer (that lasted two weeks) interning on an IBM 360 that doing computer stuff would kill me.

So I went to Stanford. Mostly so I could get my first job, which I did, at Spinnaker Software. That’s where I found my footing.

It’s not fair

Paul: Whilst researching for this interview, I discovered that the actress who played the “Good Witch” in The Wizard of Oz used to live in your home town. It got me thinking about mentors and I know we share a mentor, Jay Conrad Levinson. Author of the original Guerrilla Marketing book.

For me, Jay provided a window into a world that was exciting and fun. He painted a picture of the endless ways that companies were competing and serving their customers in America. And it was a far more exciting world than the dreary local business scene that I saw in my home town.

Tell me about your relationship with Jay, what did you learn from him and how did it change your course?

Hope and fear. Who's got your ear? Illustration by Toni Roberts.

Seth: Yes, Glinda lived up the street. They turned her yard into a park.

I wrote a post about heroes and mentors, and the distinction is important. Jay is a hero to you, I’m guessing. He was to me. Heroes scale… one can apply to a lot of different folks. I’ve found over time that many of my heroes (Jay, Zig Ziglar, Tom Peters, Chris Meyer, Dan Pink, Susan Piver, Jacqueline Novogratz) have turned out to be great people in person as well. It’s not fair to ask someone who is raising the bar for so many to sit down and do custom work for you though.

In the case of Jay, I ended up writing three of the books in the series with Jay’s oversight. In fact, that’s what turned it from one or two books to the behemoth it is now. I built the platform for multiplying the books. I also got Jay his first Mac and an email account he still uses a hundred years later.

As a book packager (that’s what I was doing then), the art was in finding great ideas, and the work was in building books that stood the test of time. My team and I ended up doing 120 books, and I’m proud of at least a hundred of them.

Nonsense

Paul: I can understand the scaling issue. I guess Subvert Magazine is our attempt at hacking that idea. We get to reach out to a lot of our heroes and ask things that directly help us, but we also share that knowledge, so lots of other people get to benefit as well.

Seth: The thing is, it’s so easy to hide. And one easy way to hide from the responsibility of making a difference is by using the excuse that you don’t have a good enough mentor. It’s nonsense.

But that’s not the specific answer you were looking for, about mentors. I’ve had at least a dozen people make that sort of difference in my life, but none of them were famous and none of them are the kinds of mentors you see in the movies. More often than not it’s a single quiet conversation, or a standard that sticks.

Paul: I’m a big fan of Napoleon Hill’s virtual mastermind idea. Building an imaginary board of advisers. People who represent different standards you want to live up to. It’s a process that requires no contact with your hero whatsoever but lets you benefit from the guidance of their standards, so long as you’ve read enough of their work to get a good feel for what those standards are.

Seth: Bingo.

So many potential captions, so little space. Seth in canoe. Photo by Jill Greenberg.

900 rejection letters

Paul: I think there is probably a point for all entrepreneurs where they have to go “all in” on an early business venture. Surviving that gamble changes them. They no longer see getting a job as a viable fall back position. They become bolder and more independent.

Tell me about the first time that you really went all in.

Seth: As an adult, the launch of my book packaging gig was the real deal. I was choosing to go into business. I sold my first book the first day to Warner Books for $5,000. I got half. Off to the races!

And then…

And then I got 900 rejection letters in a row, turned down 30 times each by 30 top publishers. Over the course of a year.

Full stop failure.

That’s when I realized I had no real options and this was the real deal, the course of my life. Stay in or get out, and I really had no choice. I was in.

Paul: I totally understand the “no choice” thing. But there’s always a reason why we feel we have no choice. I was a pretty entrepreneurial kid, but at 16 someone suggested I learn a trade as something to “fall back on”.

My teenage interpretation of that, rightly or wrongly, was that they thought I would fail as an entrepreneur. That desire to prove them wrong cut a path in my brain that gives me the certainty of “no choice”. I’m in, if it kills me.

What was it that made “sticking with it” inevitable for you? 12 months of failure seems like plenty of rational incentive to say “I’m out”, for most people.

Seth: I think that’s a totally valid point, and I wonder (deeply) about our internal thermostat. Who sets it? Can it be re-set?

I think we can reset our inclinations. I’m certain that pretending we can is way better than admitting we can’t.

A lockbox, enough money to keep going

Paul: You’ve said in the past that you almost went broke 3 times in early ventures. What did you learn to prevent a 4th occurrence? Or, does the way you push the boundaries not entirely remove the possibility of a forth “close shave” in the future?

Seth: Stopping wasn’t an option for me, so the cushion was essential. A lockbox, enough money to keep going. I’ve never bet everything on a venture, because that’s just foolish–great work can make up for less investment.

If you pick the right project, there’s not much of a correlation between how much money you risk and how well you do. Another key decision was only seeking out projects I could afford to fail at. Many entrepreneurs miss this, always overreaching. If you under-reach a little, nail it, succeed, declare victory and repeat, you’re probably better off.

Paul: I know your father has been an inspiration to you. And you’ve talked about various male mentors and heroes. But what about the women in your life? I’ve only ever seen one other man consistently use the female gender as their default, in all their writing. Tell me about your motivation behind that and tell me about the woman who has most inspired you.

Seth and Family

Seth: It’s my mom, for sure. She died in 1999, and I miss her every single day.

She was the first woman on the board of trustees at the famous Albright Knox art museum, she pretty much invented the modern museum gift shop and was always watching my back, raising the bar, insisting on high standards and believing that the world could get better.

I’ve been blown away by thinkers like Jackie Huba and Pam Slim and Blair Miller and Catherine Casey and Pema Chodron, and touched by the work of my colleague Ishita Gupta as well.

The female pronoun is a regular reminder to me that society often defaults to expectations and rules that don’t always make sense or open doors as much as they could.

Pick yourself

Paul: Going back to the Wizard of Oz theme. (And why would we not?) In the story, our ruby shoed protagonist spends much of her journey hoping to be saved by the Wonderful Wizard. But when the gang arrive at their destination, they find out that the Wizard has been pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes. What pervasive myth have you discovered just isn’t true?

Seth: Pick yourself.

It’s that simple, really. Two words.

Society isn’t organized to teach kids to pick themselves, but some do.

Paul: I want to fully understand this. What are we talking about here, confidence, self esteem, the value of selfishness in an objectivist way?

Seth: Objectivism is nonsense, the mantra of teenagers with nothing better to do than read Ayn Rand. No, I’m talking about the guts to take responsibility for your art. Not to blame the system or the teacher or the parent that didn’t open the door, but the guts to open the door yourself.

How dare I waste it. How dare anyone.

Paul: Often, the people I meet with the strongest motivation are fueled by a desire to prove someone right or someone wrong. (A parent, a teacher, a school bully etc.). What is driving you and to what end?

Seth: I often run into people who are trying to prove someone wrong or teach that skeptic a lesson. But you know what? The skeptic has moved on and won’t learn a lesson. So it’s wasted anger.

For me, I feel opportunity and don’t want to waste it. There’s this buffet, this all you can eat candy shop, this endless selection of mp3s… what are you going to choose, what are you going to do, what impact are you going to make?

How dare I waste it. How dare anyone.

Seth, Seth’s jazzy shorts, Dad and Great Grandmother

Shipping art that touches people is my process

Paul: I feel like we are getting closer to something with the phrase “How dare I waste it”. That is a passionate statement. Even angry. It hints at a set of deeper values. Obtained from somewhere or someone, that fuel your drive. That’s what I’m digging for, to understand better, what are the underlying values that make you tick.

Seth: I think there’s a huge difference between passion and anger. Anger generally requires an enemy, and it always requires some sort of destruction. Passion, on the other hand, has a lot more in common with love and art.

What makes me tick? Philosophers love questions like this, but they’re about levels of abstraction (at some point, it’s blood and neurons and useless biology we can’t impart meaning to… and the abstractions necessarily bring in a new level of falseness each time.

I’m way more interested in habits and mantras and processes that make it more likely you get desired results. And for me, that’s about shipping.

Shipping art that touches people is my process.

Paul: So, the process of challenging the status quo, and even worse, writing down your challenge and then shouting about it at the top of your lungs, is one that we seem physically pre-programmed against doing. Where do you sit at this stage with managing the stress of putting out a new idea. Both the mental and physical pressure?

Seth: This is loaded stuff, and it changes over time.

Paul: How so?

Seth: “Loaded” as in there were a dozen deep ideas in just a few questions, and my answer to those questions isn’t the same each day. People aren’t cars. You don’t say, “use this gas, change this oil, and you’re fine.” No, there’s a constant re-negotiation going on internally. Are you in a valley or on a hill or near a cliff? Different math. Are you 20 or 30 or 50? Have you recently won an Oscar?

Post 50, I have a different posture than I did ten years ago. Not sure if it’s good or bad, but it’s true. As my leverage goes up, I can’t help but take smaller bets. It’s easy to get addicted to the feeling that this might just be the one, that it’s ALL on the line and that you and only you can sink this basket or score that goal.

Maturity kicks in, though, and you start to realize that opening doors is just as important as walking through them yourself.

The 10,000 hour rule is legit

Paul: I worked with a super smart tech guy once. People would fire seemingly impossible technical problems at him every day. He would nod at them and say “hmmm, that’s interesting”. He approached every impossible situation as an interesting puzzle and he was a puzzle solving machine. That perspective was a key feature of his operating system. What makes the Seth Godin operating system run?

Seth: Mostly I notice things. If I don’t know why something is the way it is, I try to reason it out. Do that a lot and “hmmmm” becomes a habit.

The 10,000 hour rule is legit. If you spend enough time working through really difficult challenges, you’re just going to get better at it.

In terms of turning things into puzzles, I think most of us can learn a lot from Pema Chodron and the notion of Shenpa and biting the hook.

If you let the lizard brain run amok, if you turn problems into referenda about you, about your goodness as a human being, it’s not going to end well. A key to discernment is to figure out the truth of what you’re looking at and act on it, not let it act on you.

I’d like to be better at this, but I’m better than I was.

Don't let the lizard brain run amok. Illustration by Toni Roberts.

What you need to do right now

Paul: So, we’re all being held back by our fears. Fear of criticism. Fear of learning the truth about ourselves. Fear that we aren’t smart enough to trust our own instincts. Fear that we’re putting our faith and time into a project that isn’t going to pay off. What can readers of this interview do right now to get past that fear and move forward with that project they are stuck on?

Seth: It’s actually not complex:

Fail.

The single best way to overrule your fears is to call their bluff by making the fear come true.

Do something you know will fail.

And then fail again.

Once you fail at what the lizard brain is so petrified of, it will lose its power of you.

Go Fail

Paul: Readers, here’s my challenge to you. Go get out your list of failed attempts. If you don’t have one, make one, right now. You don’t need me to tell you what to put on it. It already popped into your head. That call you were going to make. That email you were going to send. That decision you’ve been putting off.

Look at it again. Try harder. Ask yourself, what would I do if I wasn’t afraid of failing? Then do whatever you need to do. Fail. Gloriously. Then tell us about it in the community of DONE. We’ll wait.

Special thanks

To Seth, especially for digging out the personal family photo’s.
To our amazing illustrator Toni Roberts. Go hire her while you can. http://toekneedesign.com
And to photographer Brian J. Bloom for the opening portrait. http://www.brianbloomphotographs.com