Our innate fear of trying something new has been part of human nature since the dawn of civilization. We tend to avoid any kind of risk if it has anything to do with taking us out of our comfort zone. Fear stops many people from taking risks. If we aren’t willing to walk out on a limb, we’ll never get to the best fruit that the tree of life has to offer. Overcoming our fear is how we learn to do just about everything in our lives, such as eating different foods for the first time, driving a car, talking to strangers, speaking up at meetings, or playing catch with our kids. They all come with certain levels of risk. Trying a new variety of apple and investing $1,000,000 into a new business are both risky in their own unique ways. As humans, we like to take “measured” risks, meaning we can mitigate what may happen to us. Pessimists and negative thinkers say things like You might get struck by lightning if you go outside, or Did you know over one hundred people a day are killed in car wrecks in the US, which means I shouldn’t drive? Boy, what a waste of a person’s great potential and mind space to think so negatively. Nobody likes to lose, but there’s no loss in going for it at all. The only loss in not trying is not having gone for it. How do you overcome negative talk with yourself and people you meet? If you are unable to convince these people to be more open to having a positive outlook, then it’s time to move on. Life is too short to allow yourself to be surrounded with people who attempt to bring you down, whether it’s unintentional or not. It’s completely cool to surround yourself with people who espouse ideas opposite to yours. This can open your thinking to new ideas and creative problem solving, but negative thinking has no place in your 86,400-second day. In my business life, I am ruthless. I’m an extremely aggressive marketer, an above average salesperson who knows how to close, and I find niches in the marketplace that are not being occupied by others. I know how to focus on my superpowers and squeeze out every drop of potential to win. I delegate 80% of my daily tasks that bring only 20% of my results, leaving me with the 20% of my time to focus on the right tasks that bring 80% of my positive results. If you give me a brand-new business, I am confident that I will have that brand sailing towards the top of the food chain within six months. I would do this in part by offloading what I would call the second-tier activities, which allows me to focus on getting the biggest return on my time investment. I temper this confident attitude with a much more subdued approach in my personal life. Because I am dedicated to having my perfect lifestyle at the top of the pyramid, it makes me more dedicated to getting my work done as quickly and efficiently as possible. In looking back on my business journey, the takeaway for you should be to use common sense. If you have a laser-beam focus on your goals, priorities, and time, you can revolutionize your business blueprint. My businesses are constrained by design. I may have the mindset of a millionaire, but that doesn’t mean that I must relinquish control over my life to attain that status. Let’s proceed with a simple exercise that will start defining some of your personal and professional goals, which will ultimately lead to the master plan for your perfect lifestyle. Don’t worry about the money aspect for now. Just answer these questions honestly and be sure to write down your answers. Simply writing down your thoughts and goals is more effective in communicating with your subconscious to better achieve your aspirations. Have fun playing and imagining your dream lifestyle.