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I believe in personal development. I believe in the process of teaching and growing myself beyond what anyone else could ever do for me. This is not to say that I don’t value formal education in a classroom with a knowledgeable professor, or sitting down to coffee with an old chap who has a grand story to tell. The reality is that my successes in the last four years have come primarily from my investigation, discipline, and sheer curiosity into anything and everything that sparks my soul.

If you’ve read my book, you know that I am highly fanatical about non-fiction books, especially ones on finance, entrepreneurship, and natural health. I give all the credit to this phenomena in my life to a man I hated for 9 weeks, my former employer, Mr. Moon Whang. Moon was a great boss, but I didn’t understand him, his business strategies, or the silly sales games he would make me play. I was required to work long hours, sell products I didn’t like, and read books he told me would “change my life.” All in all, I was disgusted with my experience and wanted nothing to do with him, his cheesy sales company, or any of the ridiculous training that he promised would increase my sales.

During my last week on the job I started reading a book Moon recommended, (more…)

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How much sense does it make to learn a skill you won’t need for 10 years? Not much. That’s why I love my education today more than I did in school. Now, I practice self-education, not formal education. I am in control of my learning. I am not invested in learning skills in a classroom that I may or may not use, ever. I teach myself what I want to learn, when I need to learn it. In other words, I don’t waste time memorizing endless amounts of information just to regurgitate it on a test a few hours later and never use that knowledge ever again. If I need to learn something, I learn how to do it when it matters.

This one simple skill has transformed my productivity and my interest in self-improvement. I buy books about topics that are important now. I focus my energy today on (more…)

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As much as I think and talk about passion, it seems to elude me more than anything else. I am passionate about many things, but I can’t seem to nail down why on earth I exist. I can’t seem to figure out what I was sent here to do. I literally struggle with this ultimate predicament every day of my life. I question my job, the city I live in, the things I claim to be passionate about, and even the book I spent 2 years creating. I don’t understand how I am supposed to choose my future when I have no understanding of my past or present. I feel stuck. I seem to lack the ability to choose because I change my mind about who I want to be every 30 seconds. Choosing one thing to do means I am also choosing not to pursue everything else. The grass is always greener in my head and I love to second guess myself to the point of insanity.

So, where do I go from here? To be honest, I’m not really sure, save one thing. I always know (more…)

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Photo Courtesy of Patrick Hoesly (flickr)

Spirit fingers are to cheerleading what creativity is to your daily life. Okay, maybe that’s a goofy example, but creativity really is the pizazz that could be missing from your five-year plan or day-to-day routine. I’m fairly left brained, so analysis, logic, and structure tend to work well for me. Creativity falls into the less tangible right brain of life. Though I have a background in theater and the arts, I am more skilled in math and science than I care to admit. For me, creativity is hard work. It requires me to think outside of the box and look at my life from a new perspective. Creativity forces me to break out of my shell and become a new person. As an avid goal setter, breaking out of my shell is not new, but the creative process never seems to get any easier. Much like running a marathon, no matter how long you train, 26 miles is still 26 miles.

However, knowing that creativity is hard doesn’t deter me from pursuing it. In fact, it just may be the missing link between living a life of security and living on the edge. Creativity is the beast that cracks open your wild side and lowers your inhibitions. Whether you use creativity to paint a picture or design a business, the endorphins fly either way. My recommendation – be creative at all costs. Dive in and see what you come up with. I’m sure you’ll be pleased with the results.

Take a look below at an excerpt from Chapter 12 – Create Your Future, taken directly from my new eBook, Graduated And Clueless. (more…)

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Photo Courtesy of Sudhamshu (flickr)

I am fully aware of the fact that it’s hard to admit to yourself that you are clueless about anything. It’s difficult to be truthful about our own weaknesses because we want to display our lives to others (and to ourselves) with confidence and near flawlessness. Even the idea of buying a book about personal growth can be next to impossible for people because they feel well-equipped with their current knowledge.

However, if you have reached the point where you are sick and tired of being sick and tired about something, you have reached the point where you are willing to try new things to overcome your cluelessness. Self-awareness is the name of the game. It is the core of knowing what you want because you know who you are, including areas where you would like to improve. Whether it’s finding a career or deciding what to order at a restaurant, you will make better decisions if you know more about you. I have found that the best way to increase your self-awareness is to increase your knowledge about the world around you, so you know how you best fit in. For me, reading non-fiction, self-help books has been the key factor to increasing my knowledge and awareness. It is the best piece of advice I give because reading has such a tremendous impact on my personal growth.

Take a look below at an excerpt from Chapter 1 – The Clueless Graduate, taken directly from my new eBook, Graduated And Clueless. (more…)