These are my Momentos, short personal diary entries I write daily – since 2013 – and publish monthly. Some links are affiliate links.
1
Got a new morning routine going, based on The Miracle Morning. One part is affirmations. Best to speak them aloud, apparently. Which I did this morning, and noticed I was a little anxious someone might overhear. But why? If these are empowering beliefs I want to instill in myself, if they speak to who I am and who I am becoming, why should it matter if someone overhears?
2
Been emailing a subscriber back and forth a dozen times the last couple of weeks. Sounded like she couldn’t afford my course, spent time advising her anyway, trying to be nice. Today she replied to a blast about the price of my course going up, upset, saying I was only trying to make money off people. Done with this kind of shit. Not spending any more time helping people who don’t know how to help themselves.
3
Making more time to help less people. High-level people. Serious people. Folks who already have their shit together. Had Skype calls with two people like that today and it was bliss. I almost teared up on one call when the guy told me his motivation for building an online business. “YES YES YES!” I wrote in my notes afterwards, “This is EXACTLY the kind of person I want to work with!”
4
Reading about Magellan, how he got that voyage underway. No easy task by the sounds of it. Took him years of planning and persuading. He had to keep going through multiple failures, rejections, even attempted sabotage. Patience and persistence is what saw him through. Patience and persistence.
5
The dude at the desk at the car rental place is always grumpy. I challenged myself to get a smile out of him today. Not sure if he happened to be in a good mood or if my positivity was contagious, but he sent multiple smiles and handshakes my way. Never seen him so happy. His name is Paco. We’re friends now.
6
Trying to get better on the coaching calls, listening and diving deep and asking what really needs to be asked and not worrying about getting paid. Just add value, help as much as possible. One thing I’ve found good for zoning in and getting present is to make a mental note of the color of their eyes. And to admit when I’m feeling uncertain or uncomfortable.
7
We’ve made the most of this weekend. Friday road trip into the mountains, lazy lunch and a wander around a farm. Sleepy harbor town yesterday, sneaking up on rooftops to catch the sunset. Today an epic hike to the most remote beach on this island, up and over a mountain to reach, picnics in the sun, dancing on sand and surf.
8
A week deep into the new morning routine. So far, so good. Here’s what it looks like:
- Toilet, 5-minute journal, habit spreadsheet
- Big glass of water
- 10 minutes of exercise
- 10 minutes of affirmations/values/principles
- 10 minutes free writing (including reviewing/updating affirmations)
- 10 minutes of positive visualization
- 10 minutes meditation
- Make breakfast, discuss plan for the day
- 20 minutes reading or online course while having breakfast
- 10 minutes planning the day (including bed and sleep time), quick email check
9
Decided to get myself a coach this year. Because it’s a bit hypocritical to be touting the power of coaching while not having one of my own. So I reached out to a lady who I think would be a great coach for me. Unfortunately, she replied that was too busy. So I waited a few days and then asked again. This time she agreed to one 90-minute coaching session. The price is $1000. I paid her immediately.
10
Steve Chandler, on motivation:
Do you think truck drivers have this same problem? Is there something called Trucker’s Block, where a driver wakes up and finds his mood isn’t right for driving today? No. A trucker drives his truck no matter what his energy or hope levels are. He has a schedule and a destination map, and he follows it no matter what.
11
And thus ends my run of weekly webinars. Did the last one this evening, live from Madrid. Two sales from it, and a bunch more thank-you’s. Glad I gave the idea a good shot but just wasn’t worth the time and effort in the end. I’ll likely do a webinar live on Facebook once a month going forward. I do enjoy the real-time interaction, just not every single Thursday night.
12
Spent several hours today in and out of shops, and a mall built inside an old train station. At one point I was walking along with a few bags of newly acquired goods and it dawned on me that I was on a shopping spree in Madrid on a random Friday afternoon… and it felt totally normal. Been telling myself for the past few weeks that I’m already a rich man. Today was further proof of that.
13
Reckon I’ll quit the cold showers soon. Haven’t had a warm one for nine months now, through climates hot and cold. There are definitely health benefits to it – physical and mental – but there’s only so much self-discipline I can muster in a day. With the new morning routine and stricter eating habits, an occasional warm shower would be a welcome indulgence.
14
Uber to the airport, a few hours east in the sky, and now we’re in Bulgaria, in the back of a minivan headed up a mountain where bears and wolves are said to roam. I passed through this country years ago, on an overnight bus to Istanbul. Didn’t see a thing, never put a foot on the ground. This time I’ll see plenty. Here for a month, to work and snowboard.
15
How can you ruin the day of a privileged man, who can come to the mountain for a month just because he feels like it, and spend his time frolicking around in the snow between bouts of productivity? Well, all you need do, is give him crappy internet access. Then sit back and watch as he goes mad with frustration.
16
It’s funny: I paid $1000 for this coaching call, and she’s pointing me in a direction I already knew, in the back of my mind, I needed to go. If I’d paid her nothing and she’d given me this advice free of charge, I’d probably have dismissed it, kept on doing what I’m doing. But since I invested so much her advice takes on an extra weight, and I’m no doubt going to take it.
17
Bulgarian dentist. The price is low and there’s no waiting room – he invites you in and sits you in a corner while he finishes with another patient in the chair a few feet away. And he says words like “arsenic” and “nerve extractor.” But hey, he came recommended, he seems like a good guy, and my teeth aren’t going to magically fix themselves.
18
First day snowboarding! Except it’s not, because there are gale force winds and all the lifts are closed. But it’s probably just as well. Turns out I need a down day, after being all go and very little rest since the start of the year. Plenty of duvet time and snuggles and a couple of movies was a perfect Plan B.
19
Snowboarding has me thinking how success in the modern world often requires you to go against your natural instinct. When flying down a snowy hill, for example, your instinct is to lean back, but that doesn’t do you any favors. Leaning forward gives you more control. So those people who say you should always listen to your heart/gut/intuition… don’t listen to those people.
20
It’ll be two years at the end of this month since I launched 3M1K. It’s generated close to $50,000 in revenue since then, and helped a lot of people. But once the end of the month comes, I’ll be closing the doors for at least three months. Time to turn focus back to my own freelance business, take that to the next level.
21
We got three inches of snow in Bansko today. And you can’t go outside without getting all wrapped up. But I’m enjoying it here. It’s long been a goal of mine to spend a few weeks on a white mountain, alternating work and play. Cold weather sucks when you’re stuck in it, with no end in sight. But when you choose to be here and can leave whenever you want, then it’s quite nice.
22
I’ve rarely hired coaches or instructors in the past. But doing so more and more lately. Today was lesson two with my snowboarding instructor. I watched a bunch of how-to videos on YouTube before I began, but there’s really no substitute to having one-on-one help, someone pointing out where you’re going wrong and what you need to fix. Saves a ton of time and frustration.
23
Another call with a coach today. Powerful again. There are two levels to this for me. One is obviously improving my own situation, reaching my own goals. But I also find it fascinating to observe how great coaches operate. I recognized some of the techniques he was using today, except they didn’t feel like techniques. He’d internalized them, and deployed only as appropriate.
24
Someone asked me today how things are going, and because a few little things didn’t flow easy this afternoon I almost replied in the negative. Had to remind myself that I’m a year deep into an amazing relationship, I’ve earned more money this month than any previous, and I’m here in Bulgaria snowboarding twice a week just for kicks. How are things going? Never better.
25
Third day on the board, felt like I was actually doing it today instead of trying not to fall the whole time. I’m through that first pain period, and it feels good. Took those tight boots off at the rental shop, got me a fancy baked potato at a street stall, and walked home along thems icy streets with Frank and Louis in my ears.
26
Without practice, you can’t expect to be good at something, for it to feel natural. That’s why many people get so nervous in job interviews, or why many guys fall to pieces talking to a pretty girl. They don’t practice those things regularly. One thing I’ve been practicing is describing the work I do, and how much I charge for it. So when the dentist asked me today, it came out natural.
27
Spent some time this afternoon thinking and writing about my dream clients. Who would I most like to work with? Who am I best suited to serve? Fairly confident that I have the skills, the experience, and the motivation to do great work with the right people. First I have to know what those people look like, so I’ll recognize them when they cross my path.
28
There’s a nice little family-run restaurant downstairs from us. We’re regulars there now. Nice people. Funny thing is, the parents, probably in their early fifties, don’t know how to work the card machine. If their son isn’t there, we have to pay cash. I wonder if they can’t learn how to use that machine, or just don’t want to.
29
Big boy slopes now. Best day yet on the board, up in the snowcaps. Still hesitant in places but getting more into the flow of it. Amazing how much of this is psychological though. I see guys going steeper and faster than me, and their movements aren’t anything special. Mostly, their minds are different. Their fear has been trained away.
30
Been reading that book by Sinek, which is way too long for the point he’s making but it does help me put a finger on my WHY. And it’s simple: freedom. That’s what I’m always striving for myself. Freedom of mind, freedom of body, freedom of action. And it’s what I aim to help other people achieve with 3M1K. Freedom from traditional employment, so they can live life on their own terms.
31
We rang in the new year on a beach in Gran Canaria, and a month later we’re in the mountains of Bulgaria. We quit coffee and I learned how to snowboard. I coached a bunch of people and got some great coaching myself. I earned close to $10k and spent more than I’m comfortable with. Overall, it’s been a great month, but also a long one. I’ll appreciate it more after a solid night’s sleep.
