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Every morning I wake up and drink at least one liter of water before I do anything else. I then practice yoga, read for 15-30 minutes, make my bed, and eat fresh fruit for breakfast. These are simple activities that I never used to do on cue. Now these success habits are a part of my daily regiment. I used to chug coffee, check my email, and search Facebook for up to an hour before I forced myself to get ready for work at the last minute. My new habits are much more peaceful, energizing, and uplifting.

Success always starts with your thoughts and your thoughts are more habitual than you might realize. If you go to the same job or class 5 days a week, hang out with the same friends every weekend, and participate in the same activities every season, you may be unconsciously putting yourself into a thought rut. The only way to get out of a thought rut is to create new thoughts. In other words, expose yourself to (more…)

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Entering the real world is equivalent to one big choice, taking a big risk or playing it safe. Moving to Boston was my big risk. I was facing a choice that many college seniors and recent grads face, moving to a new city or moving back home. Though I made more mistakes than I can count in my big move, it was the best decision I could have made. Taking risks puts you on the fast track to learning more about yourself, the world around you, and what your real options are for success.

Take a look into Chapter 2 – My Story, taken directly from my new eBook, Graduated And Clueless. Leave a comment below and let me know what happened as you left college and took a big jump into reality. (more…)

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Welcome to the 12-part series that will unveil an excerpt from each of the chapters in my new book, Graduated And Clueless. The first part comes directly from Chapter 7: Lifestyle Design. I decided to devote an entire chapter in the book to this topic because it is so vital to success after college. Structure is the name of the game when it comes to life as a student. Almost everything is decided ahead of time for you and all you have to do is follow the leader. Post-graduation, you can essentially forget structure. It doesn’t exist in the traditional sense. Unless you find yourself in a 9-5 job, which is quickly disappearing from many companies, structure is left up to you. From daily schedules to long-term financial planning, the formula for your life is now completely in your hands. If you don’t like what you’re doing, you have the opportunity to change and do whatever you want. It’s a ton of freedom paired with immense responsibility.

Take a look below at an excerpt from Chapter 7 – Lifestyle Design, taken directly from my new eBook, Graduated And Clueless. Let me know in the comments what kind of life formula described your childhood. Even better, let me know what life formula you have planned for your super-successful life after college. (more…)

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New Year’s Resolutions are lame. Americans, on average, give up on their resolutions by January 4th! Sad. Very sad. This year, scrap the resolutions and do something significant. I have created a list of 5 One-Time Fixes, or temporary motivational boosts that can get you started in the right direction. I have also included 5 Powerful Habits, which are the focal point of real, tangible progress.  Habits create long-term success and can transform you into the rock star you want to be by this time again next year. If you have tried and failed in the past, this year will be exactly the same unless you make emotionally-invested radical changes. The only way to make this year different is to get in touch with what you really want out of life. If you love smoking cigarettes and working a meaningless job, you will never quit either of them. If your job is just okay and smoking isn’t that big of deal, you will (more…)

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How can doing less actually allow us to accomplish more?  After starting a new job and running two marathons this month, I feel as though I have begun to understand how a minimalist can function more efficiently than the rest of us.  During the month of October I made the decision to put my efforts into two distinct goals: mastering my new job and successfully crossing the finish line at my first ultramarathon.  You may have noticed that I did not focus on writing, as this is my first post in over a month.

The new job is still a work in progress, but there’s no doubt I have transformed the way I function in the office.  I am more focused, attentive to detail, and busier than ever from the moment I walk in the door to the moment I leave.  My productivity has skyrocketed to the point that I can squeeze more out of every day than I ever thought possible.  My energy is consistently higher than normal and I think about ways to improve my work day nearly 24/7.  I am more involved in my company and I have devoted more of myself to the work that I do.

I ran the Twin Cities Marathon in Minnesota earlier this month and set a personal record by nearly 30 minutes.  I also recovered faster than ever and (more…)