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A question I frequently get asked by students from around the world that is so simple, yet very powerful is:

How do I go from being unmotivated to motivated?

The answer always boils down to only three letters and one word: Why?

Many people are unmotivated because they don’t have a why that resonates with them. They don’t have a REASON for being motivated. In other words, un-motivation is kind of an inertia.

The law of momentum states that a body in motion will tend to remain in motion and a body at rest will tend to remain at rest unless acted upon by an outside force.

This means you’ve got to get yourself moving in the direction you want! And that’s why you’ve got to have your why. You’ need to have your reason for why you want to do what you’re thinking of doing.

This can relate to wealth, health, relationships, moving cities, and changing jobs; it could be about anything, but the bottom line is you’ve got to have a why.

Jim Rohn once said, “The bigger the why, the easier the how”, meaning that if we have a good enough reason or a good enough purpose for doing something, the how will come. You’ll get it done and it doesn’t have to make sense.

There’s a story I once heard about a slender woman who was driving with her son. Something happened with the tire and when the son was trying to fix it, the jack fell and it pinned him under the car. He was losing his life and somehow this woman lifted up that corner of the car for him to get out. How crazy is that?

Scientists have done research on this because of the extreme creative ability that we have to recreate ourselves in times of need. In that case, it was the why or the reason.

Miracles can happen when you have a big enough why. Why is whatever you want important for you? Why is money important for you? Why is wealth important to you? Why is freedom important to you?

People ask me this question all the time. They say, “Harv, you went through so much struggle early on in your career. Why didn’t you give up?”

The answer is because I had a bigger why than any struggle that I could entertain or have come over me. My why, although not overly enlightened, was very simple: I needed to prove something to my parents.

I needed to prove that they were wrong when they told me I’d never amount to anything and that I’d be broke and begging them for money.

Again, it’s not enlightenment because it’s coming from fear. Once I started getting a little bit of a base of security in the financial element, though, my why turned into something different.

I wanted to be able to do what I wanted with my time, my energy and my life. I didn’t want to have to be beholden to anyone or anything and I just wanted to be free.

All I wanted was freedom, so that became my why. Then I became fully financially free.

Let me give you one more clue here about your why, because it’s one of the most important things you can ever do. First, your why should have two sides to it. First is you. What is this doing for you? Why for you? Second, your why has to be bigger than you.

It’s why for yourself and then why for something bigger than you, whether it’s your community, your country, your team, your office or the people in your business, a charity or a wellness situation.

If you have those two why’s, one for yourself and one to help others or the world, you’ll be motivated.

Without a why, you will be unmotivated. It’s as simple as that.

The question is what is your why? Why do you do what you do? Why do you want to be successful? Why do you want a great relationship with your family, friends, or significant other? Why do you want freedom? Leave me a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

For Your Freedom,

The textbook definition of “straight” is something that has no bends, angles or curves. Can we apply that same definition to life? Absolutely NOT!

There really isn’t such thing as “straight” in the universe. At the core of everything – including us – is energy, and energy doesn’t travel straight. It travels in waves. Imagine throwing a pebble into a lake, watching the ripples gliding across the surface.

Right after you throw your pebble, someone else also tosses a pebble in the same lake, and now the ripples from that pebble collide with the ripples from yours. That’s how everything in this universe works.

People, events, actions and reactions are constantly colliding, creating new pathways, new situations, new circumstances and new actions. The chaos of life makes it almost impossible for anyone to always go “straight” to where they planned.

Some people thrive on chaos and change, but most people don’t. They get frustrated, down, and ready to throw in the towel because they usually have expectations, and these expectations are usually almost impossible to meet.

We might as well just accept it: the road to success comes with twists, turns, ups, downs, stops and reverses. Once we really understand and accept this, we’re less likely to be deluded into having unrealistic expectations that there’s a straight line to the top.

So when we come across bumps, flat tires, and raised bridges along the way, we won’t be so quick to get upset or give up. Getting off track is normal and therefore “perfect”.

You have to expect to spend a great deal of time making mistakes – or if it sounds better – “making corrections”. There’s a reason why perfectionists have a hard time being highly successful. Perfectionism is a form of fear, based on fear of failure or the fear of disapproval.

If perfectionists don’t get it exactly right, then they don’t have to finish, follow through, and move on. They get to stay stuck “until it’s right,” but of course it’ll never be right, so they never have to face the possibility of rejection or disappointment.

We need to consider mistakes – rather than something to be avoided at all costs – instead as “feedback.” Mistakes are our perfectly natural learning curve. They are the feedback we need to get ourselves back on track.

Then we can do the same thing we already know we need to do in order to keep moving forward: take action! Those actions will produce results, and sometimes more mistakes. Then we just get that feedback, use it to correct our course again, and then take more action.

This is the non-linear cycle toward success. As long as you use this cycle – and persevere – it’s virtually impossible to fail.

Remember, we’re all ripples in the lake of the universe. You never know how a comment, observation, or shared experience can change the course of your life or another’s!

Now it’s your turn! What are your stories about the ‘bumpy’ road to success? What unexpected events – totally beyond your control – have happened to you? How did you react? Did it set you back or help you move forward with new and better actions? How did you deal with the setbacks or successes?

For Your Freedom,

How often have you experienced overwhelm?

It’s a common occurrence in most people trying to achieve their goals. They start out big, full of energy, multitasking everything at the same… and then are surprised when they become completely exhausted, with a bunch of unfinished items on their to-do list.

Today I’m going to share four simple steps to help you move beyond the paralysis of overwhelm, so you can easily and quickly choose what to focus on in your own life and career (while staying highly motivated)!

1. Understand the root of overwhelm

Overwhelm is a form of fear. It’s simply a worry that you won’t be able to get it all done.

If you can identify it and start to understand what it is as a form of fear, you can then begin applying some methods that work wonders for me.

The first method to use, the basic primer, is when those thoughts and feelings arise, simply say to yourself, “Thank you for sharing.”
Your mind is based in fear, and it does what it’s naturally going to do, which is spring that fear on you and cause unnecessary overwhelm.

Your mind goes, “Oh my God, what if I don’t get it done? This bad thing will happen, and that bad thing will happen.”

It’s all fear — and once you understand this, it makes “overwhelm” a whole lot less scary.

2. Reassure your mind

Next, you’ll need to speak to your mind and set the story straight.

Remember, your mind is your bodyguard. You don’t say, “Shut up,” to your bodyguard, do you?

Nope! Instead you say, “Thank you for sharing,” and then you’re going to give your mind what it needs: assurance.

Just as you would a child, you’re going to assure your mind that everything will be okay.

Just tell your mind, “Everything will be okay,” and take a nice, deep breath. Simply by doing this, you will come back to the present moment.

So, notice the feeling, understand it’s fear, and then reassure your mind that everything is actually okay.

Simple, right?

You give your mind what it needs and wants, like a bodyguard: assurance. Then you say, “Everything is going to be okay.” Lastly, take a breath and come back to the present moment.

That’s the method. That method will drastically improve your life.

Now, I don’t want you to “kind of” do it. I want you to do exactly that. You assure your mind. You breathe, and you come back to the present.

Here’s what’s going to happen. The first time you do this, what do you think is going to happen? Your mind’s going to say, “Yeah, great. Yeah, but. Yeah, but…”

And when it keeps doing this, just keep telling it everything is okay, and watch as magic begins to happen.

3. Practice, practice, practice

If you want this to work, you’re going to have to commit to doing one thing: practice, practice, practice.

Do you know what the good news is? The way your mind is, you are going to get to practice so much. You’re not going to have to worry about a practice partner. Your mind is the best practice partner in the world, isn’t it? It will keep on bugging you over and over and over again.

Eventually, you’re going to get to control it just a little bit better with each passing day, and each week… IF you don’t give in, IF you keep working on it.

If you’re going to converse with it and get into it with your mind, you’re going to have a problem. Keep it short. Keep it simple. Take command just like a child.

You don’t want to say to a child, “Oh no! What did that guy do to you? Where did he hit you?” You’re just going to irritate the child. You’re going to make him even more mad. You’re going to make him more upset.

Say, “Thank you for sharing,” give assurance, breathe, and then come back to the present moment. The result? More likely than not a much calmer, soothed child vs. an angry, frustrated one.

Again, it all comes down to practice, practice, practice!

4. Take it one step at a time

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

This is obviously the worst metaphor in the history of metaphors, but it’s the one everybody uses!

Let’s say instead of buying one book you really want to read, you buy two or three at a time. What do you do?

Do you read them all at once? Not usually. You read one book and then the other.

It’s the same way in life: you need to be careful about not spreading yourself too thin, and be sure to give attention to the most pressing issues, and work through them logically and calmly.

So there you have it! If you follow the above 4 steps with ongoing PRACTICE, you’ll find yourself become infinitely more productive — and MUCH less affected by overwhelm or paralysed by anxiety.

Now, I’d love to hear from all of you! What do you personally use or do to help with overwhelm? We ALL experience this nagging, uneasy feeling in one way or another, so are you actively putting in the effort to try and better handle these situations? If not, I challenge you to try the above 4 steps this week and then share your experiences with me in the comments below!

Enjoy!

For Your Freedom,

Have you ever felt guilty about accepting a reward?

I’m not talking about getting a hand out here, but for actually being comfortable and feeling good about taking a reward as a result of your hard work.

If you’ve ever felt like you “can’t” or “won’t” reward yourself for your hard work, I’m going to give you three simple steps to follow to remove all guilt… so you can fully celebrate your successes and feel great about rewarding yourself.

1. The golden rule of rewarding yourself

When it comes to rewarding yourself, follow this golden rule: do what works for you.

That’s it!

For most people, they don’t have a ‘play jar’ to spoil themselves. They don’t take time for themselves. They don’t focus on loving themselves.

They don’t focus on that feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment for more than three seconds before it becomes doubt, judgment and “What’s the next thing?”

The reason I incorporate rewards so heavily into my “Ultimate Life Makeover System” web class is because number 1, many times it’s tangible. When you buy that dress you’ve wanted or that jacket you’ve wanted and you see it in your closet all of the time, you’ll say, “Wow, it’s worth doing the things I committed to doing!”

And number 2, rewarding yourself for your accomplishments gives you the motivation, drive, and self-confidence to keep moving towards your goals with momentum.

Many people won’t give themselves a little reward here and there, which is why it’s so important to take the time to do this consciously.

Here’s the simplest way I teach to do this: Set an action and a deadline for that action to be completed,, set a reward, and when you complete that action, take your reward! Then… repeat this over and over and over again.

So, what works or WILL work for you when it comes to patting yourself on the back for a job well done?

2. Redefine rewards

If you believe that you should only get a reward for doing something difficult, then you need to rethink this belief immediately.

The bottom line is if you associate rewards with something difficult, you created that belief.

In other words, you were taught that if you do something unpleasant or difficult, you deserve and should get a reward.

But then what if you don’t do something difficult? Well, you don’t get one… right?

This is faulty thinking, and something that holds a lot of people back. You can and should get rewarded for accomplishing things you actually enjoy doing, too.

For example, if you ENJOY your work, and you are successful with it, guess what? You should be REWARDED for that!

You shouldn’t have to do work that you hate, and that is unpleasant and difficult simply to make money because you’ve linked rewards with unpleasantness.

If this is something you believe, then very unconsciously you have linked getting rewards from unpleasantness—and this singular belief is holding you back from enjoying your work, your life, and blocking you from experiencing true happiness.

3. Move beyond “either/or”

If you associate rewards with pain and suffering, then you’re living in an either/or world.

Remember what I said in my book Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: most people live in an either/or world. Either it’s money or happiness, money or spirituality, money or health, money or free time, money or this, money or that.

It’s either/or.

How about we do what we love? How about we enjoy what we do? How about we do very pleasant and wonderful things and we get a reward as well?

Imagine this is your new rule: I can do what I love and get rewarded.

I can do what I enjoy and get rewarded in all kinds of ways, not just satisfaction and accomplishment (because the mind doesn’t hold onto these for longer than 3 seconds).

Instead, write down what you want in your life including all the “luxuries” you’ve ever dreamed of. They could be material. They could be any kinds of things, but you’ve got to allow yourself to enjoy them.

I’ll tell you why many people don’t do this: it’s because the conditioned, fear-based mind doesn’t want that. Because if you’re really nice to you and really good to you, then what is your mind supposed to do?

Its job is to look for the problems; to mainly look for what’s wrong. You must consciously step in and stop this in its tracks!

By unlinking rewards from unpleasantness, and instead believing that you deserve to be rewarded for ALL the great things you accomplish, you’ll begin operating on a higher energy plane – and living a more abundant, happy, fulfilled life in the process.

Now it’s your turn! How do you fare when it comes to taking rewards for your hard work? Are you able to fully celebrate your successes and reward yourself for the things you enjoy doing? If you’ve got no problem showering yourself with love and spoiling yourself, maybe you can help others in the community by sharing your story.

Leave me a comment below and let me know your thoughts and experiences on the topic!

For Your Freedom,

My family is the most important thing to me in this world. Nothing comes above them.

And an important question I get asked all the time relating to this is: how do you balance your family and loved ones with career success?

Is it even possible to reach the highest levels of success while maintaining happy personal relationships?

I’m here to tell you that yes, it’s possible — but it requires a heck of a lot of balance.

Let’s start at the root of why people work: most people are on the treadmill of work for money. They get on that treadmill, and it just keeps on going faster and faster.

And if they keep going this way, at some point they will end up broke and broken… with nothing to show for all their hard work and time.

Why does this happen to so many people? Simple. Because most people don’t realize that they are responsible for every part of their lives.

The truth is, you create your life not just every day, not just every hour, but every single second.

So if you’re struggling to find balance in your career and relationships, well… that’s on you.

Everything in our lives, within reason, is a choice, and you need to understand that anything you don’t have right now is your choice.

In particular, if you find yourself constantly putting work ahead of your relationships, and you wonder why you’re alone on Saturday night every week or your spouse is constantly upset with you because they feel neglected… well, it’s pretty obvious.

It’s your choice.

One of the most important lessons in life that you can learn is that life doesn’t happen to you; you happen to life.

Now, I’m not blaming you for how your life has panned out. But it’s your creation. That job is your creation. That income is your creation. That relationship, or lack thereof, is your creation.

The great news is that you’ve got control of the steering wheel of your life. That means you can turn a little to the left, or a little to the right, or make a complete u-turn.

So if you feel like you don’t have space for a relationship, but you’re also worried about how you’d pay the bills if you cut down on work… you need to reevaluate here.

Doubt will always start creeping in – but you need to doubt the doubt.

It’s normal for you to have doubts when your higher conscious speaks, until you’re practiced at trusting your higher self. Most people are not practiced at it, so it’s uncomfortable at first.

But when you decide to do it differently, you can still be very successful. You can be even more successful. You can be balanced. You can be happy. You can have it all.

You just need to set your intention, and then design your life around it.

If you believe you have to work, work, work, what do you think you’re going to do? It’s pretty obvious: your life will revolve solely around your work.

If you want to achieve true balance in your life, what do you need to do? You need to hold yourself accountable and create balance in your life.

For example, you may decide with your partner that Wednesday nights each week starting at 6pm are dedicated solely to ‘date night’… and you commit to and stick to that every week.

Or maybe it’s dedicating each Sunday during the day to family outings doing something fun and adventurous with your kids or significant other… no cell phones allowed!

You get the point.

So, if you were starting from scratch and creating a masterpiece of your life, a drawing of what your life looks like and feels like, what would it look like?

Now, what are the first 3 actions you can take THIS week to move you towards that vision? I challenge you to commit to those actions and complete them before the end of this week! Then, leave me a comment below and let me know your 3 actions you’ll complete this week.

Enjoy and good luck!

For Your Freedom,