Productivity: a seemingly simple word that manages to both excite and terrify the entrepreneur within us.

Over the years, there have been plenty of self-help gurus and business owners that have come forward with their own ideas on how to boost productivity. However, some ideas are more harmful than helpful and a lot of people are unable to differentiate the good from the bad. Instead of wasting your time devouring self-help books and scouring the internet for productivity courses, take a look at 5 of the best tips for boosting your productivity below.

1. Use Technology to Your Advantage

In the productivity world, technology is often advertised as the bane of one’s existence. While technology does have the potential to prevent you from getting work done, it also has the potential to increase your productivity.

One article on Ecopreneur explores several of the apps currently on the market that can help you improve your productivity, including:

• Evernote: “Evernote manages everything from basic plaintext notes to rich text documents to images to entire web pages… Three of the handiest features are the ability to take a picture of a document with your device’s camera and store it as a note, which Evernote can then search within, the ability to record audio notes for either transcribing into text or for use as an audio recording, and the Shared Notebook feature, which allows you to collaborate with other members of your team. As a productivity app, Evernote is hard to beat.
• HootSuite: “This social media management system makes it simple and effective to post to multiple social networks, including Twitter, Facebook (both personal pages and company pages), LinkedIn, and Google+, and it allows for collaboration with other team members.”
• Carrot: “This somewhat aggressive to-do app helps motivate you to get stuff done by giving you feedback with an attitude. Carrot has a gesture-based interface, learns as you use it, and offers ‘rewards’ when you stay on track. This app, of all of those listed here, is probably the one most likely to be considered a productivity app exclusively, as it focuses solely on tasks and the completion of the tasks.”

Not every application will work for you, however. Make sure that you carefully research and test each app before you begin relying on it to boost your productivity.

2. Know Your Energy Schedule

Everyone has certain times throughout the day when they feel the most energized. For me, I feel the most energized in the mornings. At around 2:00 p.m., I begin to experience a lull that affects my productivity and prevents me from plowing through my tasks. Instead of fighting it and trying to accomplish one task for hours, I use this time to complete simple tasks that require minimal effort. The lull eventually wears off and I begin working on my important tasks again.

Figure out when you feel the most energized, focused, and motivated and schedule your important work around those times. For some people, this may not be possible. You may be a night owl who is currently working a 9-5 job. If this is the case for you and your energy isn’t highest during your working hours, find ways that you can boost your energy levels.

Some great ways to boost your energy include listening to motivational music, getting up and doing a brief exercise every 10 minutes or so, and drinking plenty of cold water. Only consider caffeine and supplements if you have tried alternative methods and they haven’t worked for you.

If you are a night owl, don’t let society’s normal schedule prevent you from doing work when you are capable of doing it best. An article in Foundr recently investigated the night owl lifestyle and provided several examples of famous night owls including Elon Musk, who goes to bed at 1:00 a.m. and wakes up at 7:00 a.m., Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian, who goes to bed at 2:00 a.m. and wakes up at around 10:00 a.m., and Moz founder Rand Fishkin, who goes to bed between 1:30 a.m. and 2:00 a.m. and wakes up between 9:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.

Related: Characteristics of a Social Entrepreneur

3. Rely on Others for Time-Consuming Tasks

Outsourcing is a blessing for many business owners. No matter what type of business you run, there are probably hundreds of tasks you do throughout the day that takes away from the time you need to complete major projects. Maybe you spend several hours a day marketing yourself and your product when you should be creating content for your product. Maybe you’re taking time out of your day to schedule appointments with clients instead of working with clients you already have.

Whatever it is that is preventing you from being truly productive, I can guarantee that there is someone or something out there that could be doing these tasks for you. The freelance market has experienced a dramatic change over the past few years and there is currently an abundance of professionals on the internet, waiting to take on work that business owners don’t have time for.

Although outsourcing has a stigma attached to it, there is a way that you can outsource your work while being socially conscious. Companies such as Samasource and Digital Divide Data take the work that you need to be done and outsource it to underdeveloped countries to provide those in need with employment.

The CEO of DDD, Michael Chertok, further explains this in an article in Huffington Post.

“Today, more than two dozen BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) firms in countries as diverse as Bangladesh, Ghana, Haiti, Kenya and Pakistan deliver services to clients performed by individuals from very disadvantaged backgrounds. In countries where the BPO industry is thriving, including India, the Philippines and the U.S.A., social entrepreneurs are bringing this model to small towns and villages in rural and remote areas to create employment and opportunity.”

4. Keep Your To-Do List Realistic

I can’t even begin to explain to you how many times I have packed my to-do list with nearly impossible tasks. If you know what I am talking about, then you understand the feeling that comes after you are unable to achieve everything that you set out to do. This daily feeling of “failure” leads you to believe that you are not capable of being a productive human being.

The problem, however, does not lie in your inability to tackle so many tasks at once. It lies in your inability to create a realistic to-do list. If you only have 8 hours to work and you’ve put over 10 large projects on your to-do list, you are setting yourself up for failure. Rather than going through this cycle, determine what you are able to do with the time that you have available.

Start by looking at your work and figuring out what needs to be done first. Organize your work in order of importance and start there. Once you’ve organized your work, schedule the most important tasks as soon as possible and place the items that you have time to do towards the end of your list or personal organizer. Take into consideration how much time you have to dedicate towards these projects and whether or not you will be able to finish each task on that given day.

Solène Pignet, CEO of Creators for Good, wrote a post on her blog a few years ago that explored the topic of social entrepreneurs and burnout. In it, she offered this helpful advice:

• Plan – how much you want to work on a weekly basis, and stick to that

• Schedule – your holidays and long weekends in advance. At least 6 times per year (yes! that often! You are not an employee; you need more rest than them to have enough energy!)
• Be strategic – about the impact you want to have, the milestones you need to reach, and the selective actions you are going to take. And then, stick to it! Stop working quantitatively, and have a qualitative approach instead.

If you remain honest and organized, your productivity levels will begin to soar.

Related: 7 Productivity Myths Busted: Are You Falling for Any of These?

5. Practice Self-Care When Needed

Sometimes, the best thing that you can do for yourself is to take a break and recharge. I know, it seems counterintuitive. However, think back to the last time that you attempted to do work when you were mentally exhausted or upset. Did you get any work done? If so, did you manage to produce the same quality of work that you would have if you were happy and well-rested? The answer to this is most likely no.

Jamie Green, a social entrepreneur who sells sleepwear and uses the proceeds to feed the homeless, creating homeless shelters, and generate employment, was recently featured in an article on Virgin where he commented on taking time to break away from his work:

“I spend 95 percent of my time behind a screen. If it’s not on my laptop creating pitch decks, answering emails and editing photos, it is spending time on my phone scrolling Instagram and reading the news – and to be honest it can take its toll on my mental health. I have different methods of dealing with this – I call them refocus days – and they might include going for a surf, cleaning the house or listening to a podcast while on a drive to get re-inspired.”

You can’t be productive if you have allowed your emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical health to suffer. If you need an entire day to recuperate, take a day off. If you only need a couple of hours, take a break from your work for a couple of hours. No matter how long it takes for you to recharge, you must take the time out of your day to do it or else your quality of work and your work output will continually suffer.

Do you need some ideas on how to practice self-care? Here are some suggestions that Forbes recommends for social entrepreneurs:

• Set aside time during your day to meditate
• Create a solid support system of people that you can go to when you feel overwhelmed with life and work
• Start a journal that helps you to recognize symptoms and triggers of burnout

Productivity seems to be elusive to so many people because they believe it is an art or a science rather than what it is: a deep understanding of the self. Knowing what drives you, when you feel driven, and what helps you to tackle the world is productivity in a nutshell. With these 5 tips, you will be better able to understand yourself and become more productive.

Team Change Creator represented at the Survive and Thrive conference and came back with real treasure. Here’s a small taste of some key lessons.

As a social entrepreneur, you are the one out there tackling social issues with your sustainable business. But, you know what? You are not a superhero. If you want to increase your impact, there are some basic things that you need to do. Here are five ways to improve your impact as a social entrepreneur:

1. Don’t try to do everything yourself.

There are so many social issues to be covered around the world; Poverty, Global Warming, Energy consumption, the environmental conservation, refugee crisis, population growth, Economic Development, Health, etc. What you can do is limited, and you can’t solve every single issue alone. That’s the dilemma. But don’t worry. It’s ok.

Collaboration is an essential key to be a successful social entrepreneur. You know why? Because what you want to achieve is to solve problems that you found one by one, not to show off who you are. It is always a good idea to partner with those who are already doing the work in the field because they must have more experience and knowledge about the affairs. It doesn’t mean they have everything they need. You might be able to fill in the gaps or pieces that are missing.

When collaboration brings energy to millions.

d.light is a global solar energy company that delivers affordable solar-powered solutions designed for the 2 billion people living without access to reliable energy in Africa, China, South Asia and the United States.

d.light started a channel partnership with Unilever. How it worked was that d.light sells solar home systems to Unilever, which places them in the small-scale retail shops that stock its products, so all parties: Unilever, d.light, and the retailers financially benefit, which all profit from increased sales.

While having access to solar lighting led to significant increases in store revenue, d.light also benefits from increased awareness of its products among consumers who shop at retailers’ stores because of the way that the light impacts the aesthetic of the shops.

Remember, “why” you do your business is more important than “how” you do it. You’d better ask yourself the purpose of the path.

2. Don’t try to be a hero in one night.

Social entrepreneurs are not superheroes (But they are force to be reckon with). You should keep it in your mind that you cannot be a hero in one night as Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Let’s focus on one small issue that you can solve as a start, then gradually pace up. Simplicity is a key to unwind complexity in the end. Microfinance is a well-known concept today, but did Muhammad Yunus see he could change the world in a blink? No.

He wanted to save a poor person right in front of him on the street one day, started a new way of lending money to the poor in a city where he lived, opened Grameen Bank there, the system expanded in Bangladesh and now around the world. One by one from a small but impactful thing.

3. Never stop listening.

Listening is so important as a social entrepreneur.

Some people think that they already have a solution to an issue, without really listening to the people they are serving. For example, when Gavin Armstrong — featured in our special Top 10 Edition — founded the company Lucky Iron Fish, a company that created an iron fish to help people around the world deal with anemia and iron deficiencies. When he began to launch his product, an iron fish, he talked to the women in Cambodia who would be using this product, cooking for their families. He listened to the local Cambodians on how he should brand and name his company. He didn’t do it alone or think he had all the answers.

Listen to your customers. This is the only way to find out what they want.

I’ll give you an example through my experience with a crowdfunding campaign called Musana Carts: The Solar Street Vending Revolution. My friends and I came up with an idea to provide food carts with market vendors in Uganda 2 years ago. We thought the carts would make it easier for vendors to move around with wheels of the carts.

However, the reality was that it wasn’t useful because vendors needed to stay in their spot that the government authorized for well management reason. So we suggested pushing carts between their houses and the market. It didn’t work either because it might create traffic accident such as vendors hit by a car. Every single idea is worth coming up with, but you should never skip the phrase “listen to your (potential) customers,” so you can sell them what they want and give them what they need.

4. Break free from the norm.

Listening to your customers is necessary, but as Henry Ford, the founder of Ford, said, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses,” following their requests and doing what they ask you to do are a different story.

It is your customers’ “potential” need that you need to figure out when you listen to them. Henry Ford was smart enough to know that, and that’s why he invented Ford cars, not giving faster horses to people. But here is another question; then what?

You should know that a few ideas that you’d come up with when you start thinking of the best ways to tackle social issues are ones that tens of thousands of people even have already tried.

For example, poverty is not an issue that recently rises, but it exists for a long time. Everyone knows that poverty still exists on the earth and still needs to be addressed. You need to come up with an innovative solution to address social issues that nobody could have ever solved. Our Change Creator magazine can show you so many innovative and creative ideas with great social entrepreneurs. You should check it out!

5. Don’t be overwhelmed.

You might find out that you have SO MANY things to do and might not see yourself reach the goal yet, but that’s ok. Remember the four other things I mentioned above, keep your own pace, address the issue by one step at the time and even ask other social entrepreneurs for help if needed. You are not alone, and we need you. You are one of the most amazing people on this planet, and again, we need you. Please always remember that.

As I told you at the beginning, social entrepreneurs sound very special, but they are also people.

This blog is a reminder that you can also be one of them, or you are already one of them. If you don’t do those top 5 “Don’ts,” you’ll become a great social entrepreneur who can create a positive impact on the world.

There are many articles about what success is or how to be successful.

Personally, I believe it’s an important topic to study on a regular basis so you can learn the different perspectives and avoid a critical trap which I’ll talk more about later. Some people study success their whole life!

Those are two different questions and it’s important to understand the “what” to get to the right “how”.

The “What” (Level setting on what success is)

We’ve all probably said to ourselves at one time or another, “if I could just make $XXX about of money, I would be happy.”

After all, how great would it be to have all of your basic needs met, and then plenty left over for fancy cars , first-class vacations, maybe a boat or fine dining whenever you wanted?

Making money is a good thing, there’s nothing wrong with it. It might not buy happiness but it can make life easier and even allow you to impact other people’s lives positively.

The fact of the matter is that we live in an economic system that requires us to have money to live and put food on the table.

But there is a trap to be aware of.

The trap is when you’re led to believe that abundant wealth alone will get you to the destination of success and happiness. For example, studies have actually shown that once you cover your basic needs, increased wealth doesn’t create increased happiness.

While it doesn’t hurt to have those things it’s important to remember there is so much more to life.

Real riches that no money could ever buy- like meaning, fulfillment, family, generosity and appreciation – are found through other means, not simply through amassing money. We have to consider the full spectrum of human needs.

Many wealthy people have battled depression, anxiety, substance abuse, or have suffered from poor relationships. The point is this: those who are filthy rich have problems just like everyone else.

We recently had the honor of interviewing Tony Robbins for the March 2017 edition of our magazine Change Creator. This is a guy who has studied success all his life and is a world of wisdom. My first question to him was, “how do you define success today and has it changed over time”?

He shared a ton of insight and while I’m not going to get into all of it here, these were some of what I felt were his most important points:

1. The more money you make, the more you spend and spending money is not fulfilling.
2. A state of gratitude and appreciation are essential, as Tony believes that without those things, you have nothing.
3. Pursuing your mission or your passion is a critical part of fulfillment and usually is not driven by money.

Would sitting at a desk doing accounting all day for 40 years be fulfilling? Sorry to any accountants reading this but not for me! Can you live your life purpose and make great money, hell yes! But that money becomes a byproduct of your passion.

Let’s talk about the how.

The “How” (3 Lessons for Success)

Every year the Skoll Foundation gives awards to entrepreneurs that are changing cultures and impacting lives through the living they make or the mission they are on. I have now interviewed 3 of those award winning social entrepreneurs and their stories are nothing short of inspirational.

If you’re not familiar with the Skoll Foundation, it was founded by Jeff Skoll in 1999 and is a foundation that drives change by investing in social entrepreneurs and innovators who help to solve the world’s most pressing problems.

“Bet on good people doing good things” ~John W. Gardner

A social entrepreneur is a person who uses entrepreneurial skills to solve a social and/or environmental problem by shifting the current “norm” of a system or culture. Systems come in all shapes and sizes.

These social entrepreneurs are motivated by a passion to help others. They are impacting lives and making the world a better place. That is something that is very fulfilling and will motivate you to wake up each day without the alarm clock. I like to call that the “Christmas Eve Effect”.

3 Priceless Lessons Learned

A quick tip before I dive into it. The mental game is a HUGE. Why? Because what you think drives your actions.

“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” ~Henry Ford

Lesson 1: Remain curious but stick to core beliefs

Mallika Dutt is the founder of the organization, Breakthrough and is a 2016 Skoll Foundation social entrepreneur awardee. She’s an energetic and passionate woman who is no stranger to taking risk. I was lucky to chat with her for our August 2016 edition of the magazine. Her organization, Breakthrough, is a global human rights organization striving to build a world in which violence against women and girls is unacceptable. This is a big challenge in India where she grew up. Her approach doesn’t just target women, her message is for all human beings to thrive.

How do you  tackle such an overwhelming issue? For Mallika, creating deep radical change started with pop culture. She decided to experiment with a music album and music video.  Taking on pop culture to talk about an issue was a revolutionary idea. Everyone told her that nobody wanted to hear music that was preachy.

Mallika even got Virgin records to back her with marketing support but they also did not agree with the music video storyline, saying it won’t work, and pulled their financial backing for development of the video. This meant Mallika had to figure out how to fund the development herself.

“Everyone in the entertainment industry thought i was crazy.” ~Mallika Dutt

Mallika many many small changes but the message was her core belief so she didn’t change direction but found a poetic writer to create powerful lyrics and studied all the great music videos she could find to understand what works.

Breakthrough’s video – Mann Ke Manjeere’ became the winner of the Screen Awards 2001 in India and nominated for MTV’s “Best Indipop Music Video”, reaching 26 million households.

Lesson Learned: Remain curious but stick to core beliefs

“Remain curious, engage, listen to the wisdom of others and then check back in with yourself, your heart and your gut and what you really believe in and at every point go through that dance because there will some things that are very easy to shift and change and there will be other things that are so core to what you believe in that giving up on that means giving up on yourself.” ~Mallika Dutt (Change Creator Interview)

When you’re pursuing something that aligns to your values and is deeply important to you it is a mission. It’s top priority.

You can either be swayed by others to give up on your belief or you can be so passionate that you become stubborn and forget to be curious and listen to the wisdom of others.

As Mallika showed, it’s important to stick to your core belief and at the same time continue to listen to others and change the easy things that can be shifted. Staying the course requires courage and persistence.

Lesson 2: Ideate and Explore the Unknown

Dr. Harris Harris (or Al as he prefers) is the founder of the company Blue Ventures. He is a Skoll Foundation social entrepreneur awardee, received the WWF Duke of Edinburgh conservation award and is an Ashoka fellow. Al was a reluctant social entrepreneur I spoke with for our December 2016 edition of Change Creator magazine. His story is truly inspiring.

As a biologist with a passion for coral reefs and marine life he learned that the native peoples of Madagascar, the Vezo, and trawlers were taxing the ecosystems at an alarming rate. For the Vezo, it was about putting food on the table for their family.

Al quickly realized that something had to change which meant discovering new tools and approaches to engage the people. However, he didn’t have money or a plan to do such work. “I decided to hang up my diving fins and try to develop business-based solutions to the problems I was seeing”, said Al. This is when Blue Ventures was born.

Venturing into the unknown, Al, began experimenting with new conservation techniques working closely with the Vezo. Those ideas were met with much skepticism at first. How do you ask someone not to fish when their families need food on the table?

But the experiment turned out to be a success and the Vezo became believers. Neighboring communities grew interested in replicating the process which then scaled up the coastline. At the heart of the Blue Ventures business model is eco tourism funded their conservation efforts. Actually, during the early phases of Blue Ventures, people just started sending Al checks because they were eager to take eco-tourism trips. Living in a world where money needs to be made, Al made financial sustainability a must from the start and built his model around paying his team and other expenses. Without it, the lights go off.

As you might have heard, innovation is a must in the world of entrepreneurship. New challenges tend to require a willingness and the courage to explore the unknown for new solutions. Al never ran a business or executed the solutions he hypothesized. He fully assessed the situation and determined what he would need to run an experiment. He was willing to take a risk to test a new idea he believed in.

Lesson 3: Mission & Money Work Together

When people think of social impact and the idea of social entrepreneurship they might relate it specifically to nonprofit structures only or believe that good money cannot be earned. That’s simply not true and has been proven otherwise many times. Running an impact business has proven to do quite well. Look at TOMs or Sevenly.

Al’s top priority was conservation. But after assessing the problem he quickly realized he would need to figure out a way to fund his mission. That is where eco-tourism came into play. This created jobs for the locals and funds his business extremely well. At the same time this model exposes more people to the beautiful natural habitat and people that live there giving them an amazing experience to remember.

While money was not the primary reason for Blue Ventures creation, it was important that his business model baked in financial sustainability.

Blue Ventures would not have been able to scale and expand its conservation efforts without a smart business model. Al believes that the business model was key because using donations as an ongoing source of funding is unstable and vulnerable.

The mission and passion are the motivator or purpose and the money is a tool for growth and continued success.

Final Thoughts

With today’s world of endless marketing and an economic system driven by money it’s easy to lose sight of what’s important. We need to keep in mind abundant wealth alone will not take you to your destination of success and happiness.

Don’t be fooled. As we can learn from those who study the dynamics of success and what it truly means in life, we find that it goes far beyond the collection of material possessions or money. It captures the heart of a person and what they were born to do in life, their mission and purpose. These are elements of the human condition that truly motivate us and provide a sense of fulfillment.

Mallika Dutt and Dr. Alasdair Harris were both motivated and driven by problems near to their heart. This gave them the energy and will to persist through even the greatest challenges. They were unstoppable and believed deeply in what they were doing.

Their success can teach us powerful lessons that should be considered seriously. Always remain curious and listen to the wisdom of others so you can pivot where possible but don’t change your core belief or primary mission. Both stories demonstrate this.

When approaching new challenges you have to be willing to explore new solutions that might not work out. We have all heard that you need to take risk and while this sounds basic, it holds a lot of truth. Again, both stories illuminate this very well. I hope you see the trend now with these award winning social entrepreneurs.

No business can be sustained or scale without a smart business model for income. It’s how the world works so bake it in from the start but don’t let be your mission, it’s a tool to support the mission.

“Great companies start because the founders want to change the world… not make a fast buck.” ~Guy Kawasaki

How do you find motivation when you in the trenches working towards your goals? Here are five proven ways to harness that motivation so you can get more things done and achieve those really big dreams!

What are the foundational elements to becoming a successful social entrepreneurs. At Change Creator we have interviewed a lot of them and want to share some inspiring pearls of wisdom with a little perspective. 

Most people don’t realize how many opportunities we have each day to practice mindful meditation. You literally get a new chance with each breath. So why take the time? A recent study discovered that even a few weeks of meditation training improved participants’ focus and memory for the verbal reasoning section of the GRE (with a 16 percentile point score increase).

When you’re starting a social business, there are a gazillion things you can do to get it off the ground, spread the message and bring about the change you want to see in the world. You try your best to do it all – get the newest gadgets, spend more hours at your desk every day and even multitask like your life depended on it.

There was a time when my big question was, “what do I need to do to make steady and meaningful progress toward my life vision while not getting sidetracked by unproductive tasks?” It’s a topic I continuously assess and try to improve.

Have you thought to yourself, “What am I really doing with my life and what will I be doing in 10 years?” You might be fed up with your 9am-5pm “job”, looking for work out of college or maybe you run a startup that’s isn’t giving you the sense of fulfillment you hoped for.

Blake Mycoskie started his first business when he dropped out of college after his sophomore year. The company, EZ Laundry, soon employed more than 40 people, and was generating close to $1 million in sales. Blake sold that company in 1999.

He went on to create an outdoor billboard company, co-found a cable network, an online driver’s education service, and a marketing firm specializing in brand development and viral marketing.

While in Argentina in 2006, Blake met his future wife. The charity she was involved in inspired him to create Shoes for Better Tomorrows (TOMS).

TOMS has expanded from its beginnings as a one for one for-profit company, donating one pair of shoes to an impoverished child for every pair of shoes sold. Now TOMS donates sight-saving surgeries from their line of sunglasses, and a TOMS Bag purchase supports Giving Partners, delivering vital materials and training needed to help provide a safe birth regardless of the facility.

In 2011 Blake wrote the New York Times bestselling book, Start Something That Matters. The book tells the story of TOMS. The book also gives six simple keys for creating or transforming your own life and business.

Here are 3 success tips from Blake Mycoskie that are unique and thought to provoke.

ONE: On where to get business advice, Blake says:

You don’t always need to talk with experts; sometimes the consumer, who just might be a friend or acquaintance, is your best consultant.

TWO: Blake’s tip for efficiency:

The best tool I have for efficiency is always carrying a journal and as simple as that sounds, one of the things that is most exhausting for a human being is remembering things. So what I found is anytime I have an idea or thought or something I want to do, if I write it down as part of a continuous list, then my mind doesn’t have to store it, so my mind can be more efficient and more creative by not having to remember all these things.

THREE: Blake’s thought on one the one for one business model:

Giving builds loyal customers and turns those customers into supporters…You can find passion and profit and meaning all at once, right now.

Blake’s experiences are inspiring to people all over the world. If you’d like to create a business with purpose check out our Essential Startup Guide for the direction you need to get going!

Further read:

Habits are more than just the things that you do; they’re who you are and how you feel. Your habits define the amount of success you can achieve and how you’re destined to react to any given situation. And there are four destructive mental habits that successful people don’t have. Each one will erode your mental and emotional resources, drive you to make bad decisions, deplete your energy, and waste time that you’ll never get back.

1. Waste
Successful people know how much energy they have before decision fatigue sets in, and they only use their energy to move them toward their goals. On the other hand, most unsuccessful people waste more energy than they purposefully expend. Start treating your mental energy like a scarce resource, and say no to distractions and extraneous tasks. You’ll be amazed at how much more focused you’ll be on your goals when you stop giving away your mental energy.

2. Worry
Successful people are faced with problems and decisions that would make others curl into a ball in the corner and cry for their mommies. But they face these issues with clarity and calm, and avert crises on a daily basis. They’re able to accomplish this by recognizing the futility of worrying. Worry isn’t a solution, it’s just a bad habit that many people can just as easily decide not to make. Most people worry because they are choosing to focus on variables outside of their control. Successful people face the facts of the situation and don’t waste time thinking about unknown factors, what-ifs, or conjecture. By staying focused on finding a solution, on the facts at hand, and what they have control over, they avoid draining their valuable resources on something as pointless as worrying.

3. Doubt
A little self-doubt can be a healthy thing. But when doubt is your dominant emotional state, then you cripple yourself before you even start. People who habitually doubt themselves fear failure more than they fear standing still. Successful people have a much greater fear of standing still than they do of failure because they understand that failure doesn’t stop them from achieving their goals — inaction does. They don’t have time to doubt themselves because they’re too busy taking action toward their goals. If their action fails, then they try another but they always push forward.

4. Blame.
Because successful people accept failure as a natural part of their journey to success, they don’t waste time blaming others when inevitable setbacks happen. Instead, they try to figure out what happened, what they can learn from that failure, and then plan their next move.

Trying to cast blame whenever things don’t go according to plan is a corrosive exercise that sows seeds of distrust, disloyalty, and fear among your team. That will only lead to more dysfunction. However, this doesn’t mean that successful people don’t hold those around them accountable. If mistakes were made, those who committed them know that repercussions will be fast, final, and fair.

Successful people are an elite group of action takers who don’t allow knee-jerk emotional reactions to compromise their vision or their goals. This does not mean they’re emotionless, disinterested in their employees, or narcissistic; they’re simply able to avoid common mental pitfalls that keep so many others from attaining their goals. By not allowing these four pitfalls to hinder your progress, you’ll be well on your way to greater success in your industry, and you’ll benefit from a new-found confidence and determination.

I’ve learned that relationships are important in all aspects of life. There are many reasons why relationships matter but I speak to 3 which are applicable to anyone.

Some people may be introverts and if you’re an entrepreneur you might have that tendency to try and manage things behind the computer if possible. Let’s face it, it’s easier when you don’t have to put yourself “out there”. Can you develop a relationship online, yes. However, I will confidently say, there is no better way to build good relationships than in person. It’s a very different experience. So, you have to be willing to put yourself out there.

For example, it’s like the boy who’s afraid to ask the girl to dance because he doesn’t want to face potential rejection. We can guarantee one thing in that situation. By not asking the girl to dance, the boy 100% guarantees he will not dance with that girl and rather than feel pain from rejection he will likely feel pain of regret later. That was never me of course (wink).

Speak up and engage people. Get out to events that help you meet people you want to talk to. Help others in need. Take someone out to lunch or coffee. Life is just better when you have a network of reliable support but it not just about receiving, its also about giving. You have to be willing to do both. Building a team or network of people is defined in the social entrepreneur industry as “building your tribe“. Again, no matter what the circumstance in life it’s always better to have a strong network of people you can rely on.

When you approach a transitional time in your life it’s important to not do it alone. Build a community of friend and people you can rely on for support. Having these relationships is key!

Below are 3 key take aways I’ve learned after looking back on my personal experience. Many people may feel this is common knowledge but it’s amazing how many people don’t take action.

Essential Guide to Starting a Successful Startup You Love

ONE – Show me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are

This is a tricky one and could get me some criticism but it’s worth discussing so hear it out. We don’t want to judge people but who you surround yourself makes a difference, a big one. I have learned this first hand over and over. It is said that if you calculate the average of your closest 5 or 10 friends total income it will reflect your income. Think about that for a minute. How is this possible? Why do people like Tony Robbins study successful people and learn from their success? They are studying how they think. The environment around you triggers thoughts and those thoughts trigger action or lack of. What you think matters tremendously. Energy is very contagious between people. So, if you surround yourself with people that see opportunity in everything and are progressing in life then that will rub off on you and lift you up. They got those good vibrations!

So, you want to spend time with people who are doing what you aspire to do.

If you ever played sports you might have noticed you perform better when you hang out with the best guys on the team. If you hang out with the people that complain and really don’t perform well, you will be dragged down with them. This applies in anything you do. I have experienced it first hand many times. At the end of the day, the people around you are the people who are influencing you. They are putting ideas—good or bad—into your head. They are the people you’re learning from and getting better with. So get amazing people around you each day!

TWO – Friends will do favors for friends and go the extra mile to help you

Who are you more inclined to help out, someone you know in passing as an acquaintance or someone that you have connected with as a friend? This does not mean you should strategically become friends with someone to take advantage. However, when you are friendly and listen to people and maybe put a little effort out to develop a relationship a bit more than usual, you have a stronger support system. Have you ever gotten a discount because you know someone, or maybe you got a job or even a promotion at work because your boss was a friend who was more willing to push for you to succeed? As the saying goes, “it’s who you know, not what you know”. Build a strong support system, help others and they will help you.

THREE- Speak up and the Universe Just Might Respond (law of attraction?)

If you have a vision for your life you should write it down, talk about it, make a vision board. Whatever you can do to bring what’s in your mind into the physical realm and begin sculpting it. Without a vision you are playing darts with out a dart board. You are a fart in the wind! Be willing to talk to people about that vision and tell them what your dreams are and what you love. After all, if it’s your passion it should be top of mind and all you want to talk about anyway. I usually talk to everyone about what I’m thinking and I pick their brains. A few years ago, I was looking for insights and advice from another entrepreneur and as always picked that persons brain and told them my thoughts. Years later, I got a call from that person who offered me partnership in a great new opportunity. He said, base on our discussions he knew it aligned with me and that I would be a good fit. What if I never opened my mouth?

Research has shown that being more extroverted in daily behavior can lead to more positive moods. So step out of your comfort zone, talk to people, listen to people, help people, and build your tribe!

I’m passionate about social entrepreneurship and making the world a better place. I have over 15 years of professional business experience and have founded 2 companies as an entrepreneur.

Right now I’m the founder of Change Creator magazine app which is truly designed to push mindful business, making it the standard to use business to solve social and environmental problems. “Business as usual” is no longer an option.

Check out the magazine for free with this 28 page starter kit.

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It’s tough to quit the safety of your day job for the uncertainty of running your own business. You’re not guaranteed a steady income, you have to set your own schedule and you are personally responsible for the success or failure of your company. As you would expect, it takes a different set of tools […]

Risk is a word that a lot of people fear. Uncertainty is not something that people generally enjoy. We want to know what we can look forward to, and we would like to make sure that the future is going to be okay.

Unfortunately, to become successful you must take risks. It’s the only way to success. But the key is to take, calculated risks. Don’t be sloppy, do you research. The difference between being a “risk taker” and a “calculated risk taker” could be the difference between success and failure.

If you do not wish to live a life of mediocrity, you have to put yourself out there and be courageous, unshaken after making mistakes. There is no way around it.

So, why is this important?

ONE

Big unforeseen opportunities can come from taking a risk.

We tend to see risk as a bad thing, it’s scary and dangerous. However, on the flip side, while not every risk you take will pay off, some do, and if you’re not willing to take a risk you can guarantee failure.

“The biggest risk is not taking any risk” Mark Zuckerberg

As long as you calculate the risk that you can take, you may be able to find something more valuable if you simply choose to move forward even with doubts in your mind.

TWO

Risk-taking actually makes you stand out from the crowd.

If you are working in the corporate world or at a startup, you will notice that leaders take risks. This demonstrates confidence in their team. Of course, they will be held responsible for their actions if ever something goes wrong. However, this is what leadership is all about after all. Only those who can make the hard decisions are worthy to be named leaders. Not taking a risk means always being safe, and never standing out from the crowd. You will always be just a follower.

THREE

You won’t become successful simply because you wish or pray for it.

You have to grab it and pursue it. Success is not something that anyone waits for, it does not happen to you, you make it happen.

The number of opportunities that will be given to you in this life will come and go and may be limited. You have to acknowledge them and take your chances, otherwise, those opportunities will just pass you by.

Wise people will always tell you that you often regret the things that you did not do, rather than the things that you did. Don’t end up wondering what if, do what you can right now.

FOUR

Taking a risk every now and then will help you get rid of the fear of failure.

Many of us are afraid to fail. While to some extent this may actually be a good thing, it can be quite paralyzing and may lead you to become an overly critical person when analyzing things.

In your lifetime, you will be expected to make decisions. Taking risks, failing and realizing it’s OK and you can try again, will help you overcome the fear of failure.

FIVE

Mistakes are the greatest teacher.

If you don’t take the risk, you won’t make mistakes. However, that also means that you will learn nothing.

The reason why people who don’t make mistakes aren’t successful is that they haven’t learned enough from their experiences. You can only grow mature intellectually and emotionally once you start creating mistakes, and you learn how to handle and move on from these failures.

Risk may be scary, but it is something that will lead you to master your craft.