Article #5: Overcoming Obstacles

If you are new here, you might check out the first three articles HERE.

Know that the road will not be a straight, smooth ride toward the ultimate destination. There will be some turns, there will be some potholes, there may be some accidents, but know, believe, and even imagine that no matter the obstacle, you can climb over it, work around it, overcome it.

Stick to it, persevere; be resilient, relentless, and committed to these goals and they will be yours.

Life is complicated. In fact, James Clear wrote about this: “Problems seem to arise naturally on their own, while solutions always require our attention, energy, and effort. Life never seems to just work itself out.”

Why is that? There are multiple forces at work; one is entropy, and another is Murphy’s Law. Entropy is one of the great natural forces of our universe.

Entropy here is defined as a lack of order or predictability; a gradual decline into disorder.

This force is so fundamental to the way our world works that it permeates nearly every endeavor we pursue. It is the one force that governs everybody’s life.

Without effort, life tends to lose order. Before you get depressed, there is good news.

You can fight back.
You can clean a messy room.
You can organize individuals into a cohesive team.
You can build a financial fortress.

The odds are strong that you will encounter Murphy. Murphy’s Law, basically, is a pessimistic viewpoint that asserts that whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. I don’t ascribe to believing that, but there are times when stuff happens.

You’ve all heard it before, S!*T happens.
Well, when Murphy strikes, strike back!
Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get back to it—you can do it!

Successful finances, just like successful relationships, require care and attention. Successful houses require cleaning and maintenance. Successful teams require communication and collaboration. The only way to make things orderly again is to add energy.

Order requires effort.

Equipped with that knowledge, it is up to you to take the action necessary to become empowered.

Overcoming obstacles has a lot to do with GRIT.  Grit is a topic I have begun to learn more about through Steven Kotler’s work in Mindvalley called “The Habit of Ferocity,” and Angela Duckworth’s book titled GRIT.  Believe it or not there are prescribed methods to get more gritty.  In fact it is a habit that we can learn.

Overcoming obstacles is Step #4 in this process.

To help you put all this information together, I created the following chart to provide a visual representation of the process. You can find more details about the chart in the previous articles which are available at https://www.webuildabetteru.com/articles/

Or on Medium at https://dave-razo.medium.com/

If you would like to download a full-page color depiction of this chart send me a note at Dave.Razo@WeBuildABetterU.com and I will send it to you.  I promise.

This seven-step goal achievement process is completed by working each step left to right. Below the major headings is a summary of useful tips to accomplish each step. Getting into a peak state and practicing a daily mindfulness routine are very helpful for shifting your identity to the new blueprint you want to create. Periodically review your goals, daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc. through the “rinse and repeat process” to ensure you stay on track.

In the coming articles, I will dive deeper into each of these seven master steps to provide you a path to achieving any goal you set your mind to. The next four steps are:

Turbo Boost – Flow & Environment – Bonus Material

• Accountability –Forcing Functions
• Massive Action—Revisions and Celebrations

So stay tuned, and we will get there together.
If you have questions, you can contact me at Dave.Razo@WeBuildABetterU.com

Dave is dedicated to the values of
Integrity First  — Service Before Self – Excellence in All We Do.
Author: Rich Life, Wealthy Life
From Successful Investing to Happy Empowered Living
RichLifeWealthyLifeBook.com

Step #3: Develop Empowering Strategies

You’re doing great, so let’s celebrate.

Remember, as you do each step, you should take time to enjoy the process. Even if for just a minute or two, celebrate. Tell yourself you are fantastic, that you’re making progress toward your goals, and that you see yourself hitting the ultimate outcome.

Many of us start the New Year with a new resolution, a new goal, but don’t stick to it. Studies have shown that approximately 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail. Failure has become so common that many people have quit trying.

I believe you can succeed. This is the third step and the fourth article written on this subject with the explicit goal of helping anyone with a dream, a resolution, to stick to it and achieve it. I am providing you with methods that have worked for me over the past 45 years.

My quest to find the holy grail, the magic potion, the anointed elixir, the secret formula has resulted in a seven-step process. Unfortunately, it is just a bit more involved than one mysterious secret can provide; it takes a few steps to get there. But it isn’t difficult or complicated if you move forward bit by bit. Remember the old saying? Inch by inch, it’s a cinch.

If you are willing to take it inch by inch, you can get there. Just take it one step at a time. I know you can do it. You can have new hope in obtaining your deepest desires.

You see, I have studied the best. Anthony Robbins, John Maxwell, Jim Rohn, John Assaraf, Mark Waldman, and Ben Hardy; all have parts of the puzzle, but I am here to give you the best of all of them, and along the way, we will become better at fulfilling our resolutions. I will provide you with a method to fulfill all your dreams if you are willing to take this journey with me.

So far, we have set the stage with three previous articles. To review them, or read them for the first time, Click HERE.

These articles cover an Overview of How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions; The Goal Setting Process; and Developing Your Desire, Your Why.

Now we move forward to the fun part, the action part.
Developing Empowering Strategies.

To reach your ultimate goal, you must take steps and achieve milestones that move you toward your final result.

What you will discover is that it is not having the big goal that makes it come true;

it is all the small steps you do consistently that move you, step by step, toward your ultimate destination.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
—Lao Tzu

So how do you develop these strategies?
Well, the short answer is you do your research.

Start by reading about those who have done it.
Biographies are a great resource.
Read what others are saying about your goal; use your internet search engine.
Listen to podcasts, youtube videos.
Go to meetings where people are talking about your desired outcome.
Meet people who are engaged in this subject.
Ultimately you will want to meet a person or people (either live or online) who successfully made the journey you are on. 
Befriend them, serve them and ask them questions.

Success leaves clues, and one of the fastest ways to accelerate your journey is to follow in the footsteps of those that have gone before you.

Write their steps down and adjust them for your situation.
Then, each day, envision yourself completing them.
This is pathway thinking, and having a clear pathway, one you are committed to, is crucial to your ultimate destination. 

Just as a pilot, you must know, see, and plot the course of your destination.

Develop your strategies and take steps to move forward. Along the way, you may find you need more resources to make the trip. Please don’t allow your lack of resources to serve as an excuse—this is just one of many obstacles you will need to overcome. More on overcoming obstacles in a following article.

 For now, focus on being resourceful.
Find the resources you need, develop the contacts, look for opportunities, encourage the mentality that nothing can stop you along your path.

In the coming articles, I will dive deeper into each of these seven master steps to provide you a path to achieving any goal you set your mind to. The next four steps are:

• Overcoming Obstacles – Grit
• Turbo Boost – Flow & Environment
• Accountability –Forcing Functions
• Massive Action—Revisions and Celebrations

So stay tuned, and we will get there together.

If you have questions, you can contact me at Dave.Razo@WeBuildABetterU.com

Dave is dedicated to the values of
Integrity First  -- Service Before Self – Excellence in All We Do.
Author: Rich Life, Wealthy Life
From Successful Investing to Happy Empowered Living
RichLifeWealthyLifeBook.com

Why Do You Want it? Identify Your Why & You Will Fuel Your Tank

This is the third article in a series on Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions. Read through to the end for links to the complete series.

Why do you want these goals?
What are your reasons for moving forward toward their attainment?
What is your driving force?

What are your reasons for moving forward toward their attainment?

What is your driving force?

Think about this and write down your answer, and then ask the question again.
Why do you want it?
What will it get you?
How will it make you feel when you get it? If you don’t get it?
When do you want it?
Who will be there with you?

Write it all down. Write now.

Include the “why” behind your dream—the bigger the reason, the more fuel to propel you forward. So, think about the why and reframe it if it doesn’t seem like a big enough reason. Connect to that reason—make it a burning desire, and your fuel will begin to ignite.

Okay—now you have your vision that includes your significant other, family, friends, and anyone you connect with and have a relationship with. And, you have the reasons you want it—your why.

Now that you have the destination and the motor is running, the next step is to start shifting your internal thermostat, building the mental pathway toward your goals. But before we develop the path, let me share a bit of the science behind the theory.

Did you know that a high percentage of lottery winners end up back in their previous financial situation just a few short years after winning? Did you ever wonder why some people get stuck making the same amount of money year after year?

The latest brain science has helped discover the reason.

A part of the brain called the frontostriatal pathway is wired to your blueprint in life: your financial blueprint, relationship blueprint, body image blueprint—basically your entire self-image.

Your self-image, held in your subconscious, can be stronger than your decisions and conscious goal-setting mechanisms, affecting your ability to earn more money, have better relations, or basically attain anything and everything that is outside your comfort zone.

 It is challenging for a person to consistently earn more income than the amount locked into their unconscious brain, where their self-image and financial blueprint reside. Our brains have been trained through repetition, our environment, our own expectations, the expectations of others, and our emotions to earn a certain amount of income, attain a certain level of relationship happiness, and have a certain level of physical fitness. This is your personal comfort zone. There is a zone of comfort for every area of your life.

Mental pathways develop over your lifetime, like muscles. You have probably heard of “muscle memory.”  Like a footpath used over and over, the mental path becomes worn and will automatically fire as part of your subconscious. It automatically filters, deletes, and determines what is in and what is out of your comfort zone. The saying goes that the neurons that fire together eventually wire together. Repetition and emotional attachment are vital to this wiring.

Remember, this is just the second step on the journey. We will provide you with all the steps in the coming articles, and if you want to revisit the 1^st and 2^nd articles, you can go here LINK HERE

The critical steps to keeping your resolutions and obtaining your goals are broken down into seven master steps to unlock your goal-achieving success. In the coming articles, I will dive deeper into each of these seven master steps to provide you a path to achieving any goal you set your mind to. The seven steps are:

1. Goal Setting — Mindset
2. Purpose Driven – Inspiration
3. Strategies — Education
4. Overcoming Obstacles – Grit
5. Turbo Boost – Flow & Environment
6. Accountability –Forcing Functions
7. Massive Action—Revisions and Celebrations

So stay tuned, and we will get there together.

Dave is dedicated to the values of
Integrity First  -- Service Before Self – Excellence in All We Do.
Author: Rich Life, Wealthy Life
From Successful Investing to Happy Empowered Living
RichLifeWealthyLifeBook.com

How To Achieve Your New Year’s Resolution

 “One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself.” —Leonardo Da Vinci

Have a Vision

Many years ago, the commencement speaker at a prestigious university asked the members of the graduating class, “Who has a definite plan for their lives?” He looked around the room; only three hands were raised. Twenty-five years later, when the class held a reunion, the combined net worth of those three individuals exceeded that of the remainder of the class.

People who know where they are going always achieve far greater levels of success than those who merely drift through life, expecting circumstances to create opportunities for them. Successful people create their own opportunities by focusing on goals with an intensity that borders on obsession. In this way, every action moves them forward, closer to their goal.

“Start with the empowering part—change from the inside out.”

—Dave Razo

Empowerment

Empowerment is defined as giving power or authority. My goal in this section is to give you the power and authority to make changes in your life. It really comes down to the words and images we use about ourselves. Using positive imagination and positive self-talk can transform that self-talk into your identity. It sounds easy, and it is easy. However, it does require some daily action, persistence, resilience, and discipline. You can do it!

How Can You Apply this to Your Life?

Imagine the cumulative effect of choosing more empowering words on a consistent basis. “I can’t” and “I don’t” are statements that seem similar. We often interchange them, but psychologically they can provide very different feedback and, ultimately, result in very different actions. They aren’t just words and phrases. They are affirmations of what you believe, reasons for why you do what you do, and reminders of where you want to go.

To put it simply, you can either be the victim of your words or the architect of them, building your future victory. Victim or victory—the choice is yours. Which would you prefer?

“Dream lofty dreams and as you dream, so shall you become.

Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be;

your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil.”

—James Allen

Turn your dreams into reality >> setting goals >> defining your destination

Write Your Goals

Goal setting is both an art and a science. There are specific steps to setting goals, but artistic flair and creativity are indispensable to actually implementing the actions necessary to accomplish them. I will provide you with a proven, seven-step process to achieve your dreams, your desires, your goals. If you follow these seven steps, you will be successful.

Goal setting, a process that can be applied to any area of one’s life, starts with taking a realistic appraisal of where you currently are, then determining what you want and where you want to end up—your goal. Then, develop the steps needed to get to your destination. A helpful acronym from Your Best Year Ever, by Michael Hyatt uses the word SMARTER to identify key aspects of goal setting.

S =  Specific—Clearly Defined

M = Measurable—Able to Measure Your Success

A = Actionable—Use a Verb and Do It

R = Risky—Invoke Emotion

T = Time Keyed and Triggered—Sense of Urgency

E = Exciting—Remember Why You Want It

R = Relevant—Reality Check

Writing your SMARTER goals is the first important step in turning your vision into something real.

Now, get a piece of paper and write down your vision, your goal. Think big. Think of the possibilities. What will it be like living your dream: your new lifestyle, your income, your net worth? Write it all down. now—stop reading and start writing.

You have to have a dream to make a dream come true, and writing it down activates your nervous system, the goal-seeking part of your brain. Pause your reading or listening to write about your dream now.

Are you writing? Write! Right now. Write now.

How about other areas of your life—your mind, body, spirit, emotions, relations, income? I include all these areas in my goals, as well as my “living the outstanding life” goals. Write down all the goals you desire—everything that comes to mind.

Okay—that’s great!

Look at your creation and be happy. Celebrate the journey. Take pride in your accomplishment. This step is just the start, and it’s important that you find enjoyment in the journey. These little breaks to enjoy what we are doing have neurological consequences, so take time to enjoy each little step along the path.

Now that you have established your goals and a clear vision of where you are headed, go back and phrase your goals as if they are already accomplished.

Phrase them as “I am” or “I have” statements. I know this sounds weird, but through daily repetition of these “I am” statements, our minds begin the process of believing “you are”—they will become your identity, and your brain will seek ways to maintain your identity. Your own identity is a powerful force in the human psyche.

Making changes to your brain requires repetition and emotion. That is our next step. Specifically, changes to your subconscious will include I-can-tations (your “I am” and “I have” statements) plus visualizations.

Visualization involves imagining yourself having already attained the goal, whether it be financial, relationship, or career/work related or mental, physical, spiritual, or emotional experiences—clearly envision yourself having accomplished the goal. Include the reason behind attaining the goal—the emotional impact—and the result. Make it as vivid as you can. See it, hear it, feel it, smell it, and taste it.

Adding I-can-tations will empower the neuropathways. Write a positive first-person statement about the goal having been achieved. For instance, if it is a financial goal, you might write, “I have $1 million in liquid assets in my trading account on June 1, 20XX.”

Now write an I-can-tation for every goal you have. Say it out loud frequently, and add emotion every time you say it. I suggest each morning and night at a minimum. As you state each I-can-tation, picture yourself doing it and succeeding at it—even overcoming potential obstacles along the way.

Visualizing a big goal will activate the parts of the brain (nucleus accumbens and insula) that drive your motivational center to take action on your visualization in reality. Imagination, rehearsal, and practicing the role you plan to play reinforce the new pathway. Over time the role will become more and more familiar to you. When you work with your self-image and add knowledge, skills, and abilities, your goal and your vision become one. It becomes your new “comfort zone”. You will have activated what I believe is the most powerful, the most empowering, part of your brain.

Activate this part of the brain by picturing yourself achieving the goal you desire daily. See it, feel it, speak it, believe it. It all begins in your imagination. Practice this technique morning and night, and continue to practice day after day until your goal becomes a reality.

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”
 —Albert Einstein

There are two ways to reinforce this new image in your brain: spaced repetition and emotionally charged visualizations. Practice twice a day, early in the morning and then again in the evening. Use this time to relax and enjoy your internal journey into your imagined world. Apply an affirmation, an I-can-tation, along with your visualization. To really boost your change, attach a powerful feeling to the goal attainment.

Make your image bigger, brighter, and more alive. Add an image of yourself enjoying the newfound success. Imagine yourself succeeding at the goal, overcoming the obstacles along the way, celebrating your achievement. Bringing emotions into the picture activates the pain and pleasure circuits that will drive you to action.

Writing your goals down and phrasing them in positive “I am” statements is just the first step—attaching emotions to the goal will turbocharge your desire. One way to attach strong emotions is to determine why you want these goals and we will talk more about this in the next article..

Remember this is just the first step on the journey.  We will provide you with all the steps in coming articles, and if you want to revisit the 1^st article you can go here LINK HERE

The critical steps to keeping your resolutions and obtaining your goals are broken them down into seven master steps to unlock your goal-achieving success. In the coming articles, I will dive deeper into each of these seven master steps to provide you a path to achieving any goal you set your mind to. The seven steps are:

1. Goal Setting — Mindset
2. Purpose Driven – Inspiration
3. Strategies — Education
4. Overcoming Obstacles – Grit
5. Turbo Boost – Flow & Environment
6. Accountability –Forcing Functions
7. Massive Action—Revisions and Celebrations

So stay tuned and we will get there together.

If you have questions, you can contact me at Dave.Razo@WeBuildABetterU.com

I am rooting for you.

Dave

As an example, you might start by setting aside a portion of your income to help others.  In this way, you will be leading both a rich life and a wealthy life. Choose a church, a charity, or a cause that you can enthusiastically support. Then give your money and/or your time to support that cause. The primary beneficiary of such noble actions is always the one who gives. 

For more info on leading a rich and wealthy life check out my book or visit our website—details are below.

Dave is dedicated to the values of
Integrity First  — Service Before Self – Excellence in All We Do.
Author: Rich Life, Wealthy Life
From Successful Investing to Happy Empowered Living
RichLifeWealthyLifeBook.com

The Secrets to Goal Achievement

Have you noticed? There are a lot more people working out at the gym this week. Not the usual crowd either. I admit, at first I was a bit annoyed. They were invading “my” space, taking up time on “my” equipment, causing a crowd in “my” locker room. Then a better, more graceful “me” emerged, and I told myself,

“Hey, they are just wanting the same thing I am wanting — to obtain better fitness, better health, more energy, maybe even a better shape.”

Funny though. This is the same pattern I see every year. People start going to the gym in the new year, only to be back on the couch eating cookies and drinking a sugary, big-gulp by the middle of January.

• What causes this?
• Why can’t most people obtain their goals?
• Why don’t people follow through?

Many of us start the New Year with a new resolution, a new goal, but don’t stick to it. Studies have shown that approximately 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail. Failure has become so common that many people have quit trying.

It is easy to just dismiss them and say they just don’t have the willpower, or they just don’t want it bad enough. But willpower and commitment are only a couple of the less functional parts of goal achievement. They are baby steps in the journey toward keeping a resolution or in the art and science of goal achievement.

We will be taking major power moves, giant strides on our goal achievement journey, so if you are game, stick around and let’s get ‘er done together.

I believe you can succeed. In this and successive articles, I will provide you with a method that has worked for me. Over the past 45 years, I have been on a quest to find the holy grail. The magic potion, the anointed elixir, the secret formula. Unfortunately, it is just a bit more involved than any one mysterious secret can provide; it takes a few steps to get there. But it isn’t difficult or complicated if you move forward bit by bit. Remember the old saying? Inch by inch, it’s a cinch.

If you are willing to take it inch by inch, I can help you get there. If you are willing to take it one step at a time, I know you can do it. You can have new hope in obtaining your deepest desires.

You see, I have studied the best. Anthony Robbins, John Maxwell, Jim Rohn, John Assaraf, Mark Waldman, and Ben Hardy; all have parts of the puzzle, but I am here to give you the best of all of them, and along the way, we will become better at fulfilling our resolutions. I will provide you with a method to fulfill all your dreams if you are willing to take this journey with me.

It is both an art and a science, and it is one that you can learn. The truth is that most of us have never been taught how to obtain our most important dreams, aspirations, and desires, our goals in this life.

In this short essay, I will provide you with the basics of keeping your New Year’s Resolution, and then in following articles, you will obtain all the details based on ancient wisdom and the most recent neuroscience — both necessary to fulfill your wildest dreams.

First, let’s assume you have a resolution. This might come to you out of the frustration of not obtaining last year’s objective. Or, it might be something new that has inspired you to take action. Or, it could come from an annual, systematic review of your life.

I like dividing my life into significant categories to keep track of the essential areas of my existence. I don’t want too many items, but enough to cover all the major ones I know affect me dearly.

My primary areas can be divided up into internal and external. My interior areas are my mind, body, and spirit. These are all key areas that we are essentially in total control of. While imprisoned for 27 years, even Nelson Mandela controlled his Mind, Body, and Spirit. In fact, he learned to control these three areas so well that he changed South Africa and was an example to the world on how to fight (non-violently) to abolish the injustice of apartheid.

My external areas are my Relationships, my Mission/Finances, and my Richness of life. Relationships are pretty obvious, we are social animals, and one of our significant competitive advantages in nature is that we can act together to accomplish big goals—healthy relationships are vital.

Mission/Finances is an excellent area to spend some time with, as I recently read that 80% of working people don’t like their jobs. Turning your work into something you’re passionate about is crucial toward living a rich life. Implementing a system to make this happen is essential, and there is a way to do it, but again, few people know how and it is even rarer that anyone teaches it. Stick with me, and I can help guide you through it.

Living life with passion, having a passionate mission is vitally important to the final central area–the Richness of Life. I like to think of the Richness of Life as the cherry on top. It can be the celebration at the end of a journey, or it can just be the excursion that makes life worth living. In either case, it is vital to keep everything else in perspective. How do you celebrate your accomplishments—it is vitally important to have this in mind as you start to commit to your resolution or your goals.

With this overview out of the way, let’s take a quick look at the brass tacks—the critical steps to keeping your resolutions and obtaining your goals.

I have broken them down into seven master steps to unlock your goal-achieving success. In the coming articles, I will dive deeper into each of these seven master steps to provide you a path to achieving any goal you set your mind to. The seven steps are:

1. Goal Setting — Mindset
2. Purpose Driven – Inspiration
3. Strategies — Education
4. Overcoming Obstacles – Grit
5. Turbo Boost – Flow & Environment
6. Accountability –Forcing Functions
7. Massive Action—Revisions and Celebrations

So stay tuned and we will get there together.

As an example, you might start by setting aside a portion of your income to help others.  In this way, you will be leading both a rich life and a wealthy life. Choose a church, a charity, or a cause that you can enthusiastically support. Then give your money and/or your time to support that cause. The primary beneficiary of such noble actions is always the one who gives. 

For more info on leading a rich and wealthy life check out my book or visit our website—details are below.

Dave is dedicated to the values of
Integrity First  -- Service Before Self – Excellence in All We Do.
Author: Rich Life, Wealthy Life
From Successful Investing to Happy Empowered Living
RichLifeWealthyLifeBook.com