Tony Robbins once asked a crowd of thousands to imagine their door bell ringing. When they opened the door, he told them a “depressed person” was at the door.
He then asked them to describe that person.
The answers? Probably similar to yours: drooped shoulders, downcast, messy hair, a frown, a quiet voice, no eye contact.
Then he asked them to imagine that a “happy person” rang the doorbell. What did that person look like?
Big smile. Friendly eyes. Warm handshake. Raised chin, standing tall. Eye contact.
Robbins then asked everyone to physically imitate “a depressed person” and “a happy person” for one minute — act “depressed” and act “happy.” Robbins asked them how they felt afterwards.
The answer: it had a huge effect! Even a minute of acting like a “depressed person” made many people actually feel sad and alone.
How you act determines how you are.
If you want to be something, then act like it.
If you don’t want to be something, then stop acting like that thing.
What You Think Determines What You Become
One of the most powerful quotes I’ve ever read is by James Allen in his book, As a Man Thinketh:
“As a man thinketh, so he is. As he continues to think, so he remains.”
What you think becomes reality.
Your outer world is a reflection of your inner world.
I’ve been writing for over 6+ years now. The first 4.5 years, I had almost zero success — no readers, no followers, certainly no money.
But in the past 2 years, everything has changed:
- I’ve gained 40,000+ email subscribers
- I’ve gained millions of views (150k — 200k/month)
- I got my first signed book deal!
- I’ve made tens of thousands of dollars from my writing
- I was able to quit my day job and do writing full-time
The biggest reason for this change?
At the 4.5 year mark, I started treating myself differently.
I started treating myself like a professional writer.
In his autobiography, Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote:
“The only way you become a leading man is to treat yourself like a leading man, and work your ass off.”
Before, I was treating myself like a completely amateur writer — I didn’t invest in any tools or training, I wrote inconsistently, and didn’t focus on providing any real value. As a result, I never made any progress.
Finally, I started treating myself like a true professional. I did what they were doing — investing in themselves, experimenting, learning new skills, failing forward.
So I started making serious investments in like myself, like buying a $500 writing course and reading dozens of books. I also started writing consistently, and focused on learning and creating, not entertainment. I tried new things. I ignored the mean comments and kept writing.
Treating myself like a professional writer has gotten me enormous results. The other day, I emailed a best-selling author to ask for a book endorsement — because why not? They responded, and they’re endorsing my book!!
Treat yourself like a professional.
What You Tolerate is What You Get
Your life is a direct product of your standards. You’ll get what you put up with.
The truth is, most people tolerate mediocrity. They tolerate low-level relationships, income, and health. A lot of people always feel tired, disrespected, and slow.
Extraordinary people don’t tolerate mediocrity. They refuse to allow low-level people or circumstances dictate their life.
Winners. Optimists. Doers. Believers.
These are the kinds of friends successful people have.
Incredibly successful people have extremely exclusive friend groups. If you have a bad attitude, if you complain, if you’re pessimistic and negative…it’s very likely you don’t know any successful people.
You probably don’t realize it, but successful people stay away from you if you have a bad attitude.
The most successful people in the world are grateful for just about everything. Problems and obstacles are opportunities to improve. Successful people are generous and help others. They see things not as they are, but how they could be.
“The mediocre have a very narrow perception of reality, and in turn, their lives. They see things as they are and not how they can be.” -Aditya Mehta
Surround yourself with people who force you to level up and become more than you are.
You have so much to learn and so far to go: you can’t afford to commiserate with those who would choose security and stagnation rather than the discomfort of growth.
Hal Elrod once wrote, “Where you are is a result of who you were, but where you go depends entirely on who you choose to be.”
I would add that where you go also depends on who you surround yourself with.
You’re on a long journey right now. Thick forests, dry deserts, and frigid mountains lie in your path. You need to pass through all of them to achieve enormous success.
Ask yourself:
Will your current friends help you on this journey?
Or are they the type of people who just want to set up camp and never leave?
Think Bigger, Earn Bigger.
“Small numbers do not make millionaires.” -MJ Demarco
I coach and mentor a lot of beginner writers on how to make money from their craft. One of the biggest problems most of these new writers have is that they’re thinking too small.
In their eyes, all they can imagine is making a bit of money from their book, maybe selling a few small-priced online courses, or a few hours of coaching.
They can’t imagine charging someone $100/hour for their services.
They can’t imagine selling a book for $26/copy.
They can’t imagine earning $10,000/month in passive income.
But success is measured by the size of your thinking. If you want to make millions, you need to increase the size of your thinking, and what you think is possible.
“Success is measured by the size of your belief. Think little goals and expect little achievements. Think big goals and win big success.” -David Schwartz
Think bigger, earn bigger.
If you had to earn $10,000 in the next 30 days or go to jail (one rule: you can’t do anything illegal to earn the money)…what would you do? How could you make the money?
You’d need to sell a lot of small things, or a small amount of big things. What could you sell?
- Your expertise
- Your coaching
- Your wisdom/advice
- Your stuff/junk
You could sell lots of things. You could create a successful side-business. You could earn more in a month than you’ve ever earned your entire life.
But most people think too small. They can’t imagine doing anything that big.
So they stay in their average lives that are, frankly, mediocre and below their potential.
You are stronger and smarter than you think.
“You got this far operating under one set of assumptions. Abandoning those assumptions and embracing a new, bigger set may be exactly what you need to to do get to the next level.” -Seth Godin
How to Unlearn Limiting Mindsets to Unlock Your True Earning Potential
“Remember: we all get what we tolerate. So stop tolerating excuses within yourself, limiting beliefs of the past, half-assed, or fearful states.” -Tony Robbins
Most people are not the best version of themselves right now. Not even close.
They are dragged down by mindsets defined primarily by limits — how smart they are, how far they can go, how hard they can work, how successful they can be. Most of these limits are pretty low.
“It’s lonely at the top,” wrote entrepreneur Tim Ferriss. “99% of people are convinced they are incapable of achieving great things, so they aim for mediocre.The level of competition is thus fiercest for ‘realistic’ goals, paradoxically making them the most competitive.”
Most people are living far below their potential, fighting for scraps with the other 99%. They’re more concerned with politics and “beating the other guy” than actually achieving personal success.
The power of these limiting mindsets comes from how long they’ve been in use. Most people had limits impressed upon them from an early age, which they mistakenly began to believe was the true deciding factor for what they could and could not do.
If you want to reach new heights, break new records, and become the best version of yourself, you must unlearn these negative mindsets.
One of the most powerful ways I started shedding off my old limiting mindsets was to take a hard, long look at my life. Therapy and counseling was crucial: processing my childhood and adolescent behaviors helped me confront my demons and start being the person I wanted to be.
You must take a hard look at your life to improve and upgrade it. And improving one area of your life improves every other area.
“We cannot change what we are not aware of, and once we are aware, we cannot help but change.” Sheryl Sandberg
In Conclusion
Most people are not making as much money as they could be. Not even close.
A small, narrow mindset is the root cause. Most people can’t imagine making a fortune, or developing a business that could make enough passive income to live on.
Want to unlock your true earning potential?
Want to make millions?
Upgrade your mindset. Think bigger. If you want to earn more, then work on yourself first.
The money will follow.
Ready To Level-Up?
If you want to become extraordinary and become 10x more effective than you were before, check out my checklist.