What’s the one book you shouldn’t read if you want to build a successful and long-lasting business? 

Now, before you start throwing your inspirational quote mugs at me, hear me out. 

First of all, The Power of Positive Thinking is full of fluff and who has the time for that? 

You need strategy and actionable steps to grow your business, and you won’t find that in this book.

Even worse, the author’s main point is that success is merely a matter of flipping the positivity switch in your brain. Have the right attitude and you’re golden. Have the wrong one and you’re doomed to fail. 

It places the entire burden of success or failure squarely on your shoulders, completely ignoring the nuanced and often unfair realities of the world. 

Uber Meltdown

Did you see the viral video of an Uber driver voicing legitimate concerns to Uber’s CEO, Travis Kalanick? 

This video captured Fousey Camel confronting Kalanick about the drastic fare cuts that severely impacted the driver’s earnings. He expressed his frustration detailing how changes in Uber’s business model had made it increasingly difficult for drivers like him to make a living. 

Now instead of acknowledging the legitimate concerns he raised, Kalanick responded with a dismissive attitude, essentially telling Camel to stop blaming others and take responsibility for his own problems. 

This response not only lacked empathy but also highlighted a real disconnect between Uber’s corporate decisions and the real-world impact they had on the lives of their drivers.

It was victim-blaming, pure and simple. And that’s a direct product of the toxic positivity culture that’s pervasive in our world, especially in the world of Uber. 

Positivity on Steroids

Now toxic positivity is like positivity on steroids. 

It’s that push to always appear happy no matter what’s crashing down around you. It tells you to keep your chin up so high that you’re basically ignoring the real stuff that’s happening.

You might be thinking, Marisa, positive thinking isn’t really dangerous, right? No, not on its own. But it becomes dangerous when you think that positive thinking is the secret to success. This is like saying if you believe hard enough, you can fly.

Spoiler alert: No amount of positive thinking will give you wings. Because here’s the thing: life isn’t this neatly packaged self-help book. Success isn’t about just wanting it badly enough or thinking happy thoughts. It’s about action — real, gritty, consistent action on the right things. 

It’s about acknowledging the hand that you’ve been dealt and finding ways to play it to your best ability. Recognizing that sometimes the game feels rigged. 

Success is about learning, growing and adapting. It’s about making strategic moves, learning from failures, and yes, leveraging your mindset in a healthy way without falling into the trap of thinking it’s the only tool in the toolbox. 

You can’t just think like an entrepreneur. You have to act like one. I just delivered an ‘act like an entrepreneur’ training to my Momentum students.

That’s my year-long business growth program and they loved it. I shared that an entrepreneur is someone who invests in the future each day and is willing to delay gratification. They prioritize taking the actions that will get them the results they want over the result itself. That means working the process, doing the math, being in the rinse and repeat. Things that don’t often show up in answers to the question, what does being an entrepreneur mean to you? Yet, these are things that define the entrepreneurial experience more than almost anything else. Because an entrepreneur is someone who quite literally creates the future. 

So how can you start creating the future you want? How can you create the dream business you desire? 

Embrace Realism

Start by embracing realism.

This is about striking a balance between optimism and the hard truths of your environment in the broader world. It’s understanding that while you can control your actions and your attitudes, you can’t always control the outcomes. This approach doesn’t mean giving up hope or surrendering to negativity. It’s about acknowledging the full spectrum of factors that impact your journey and working intelligently within those constraints. 

Take Sarah Blakely, the founder of Spanx. Blakely didn’t start with a background in fashion or deep pockets, but she had a problem she wanted to solve, creating comfortable, effective shapewear for women. Now, understanding her limitations, lack of industry knowledge, connections, and capital, Blakely embraced realism. She researched and developed her prototype, she cold-called manufacturers, and she patented her idea using a textbook from Barnes and Noble, all while keeping her day job.

Her realism about her circumstances didn’t dampen her resolve, it shaped her path to eventual success. 

Or consider the story of Airbnb’s founders, Brian Chesky and Joe Smith. In the mid-2000s, they were just two guys struggling to pay rent in San Francisco, a city notorious for its high living costs. They identified a systemic barrier, the lack of affordable lodging options for travelers. Now, instead of accepting defeat or waiting for circumstances to change, they turned their apartment into a makeshift bed and breakfast during a large industrial design conference when all hotels in the city were booked. This realistic acknowledgment of their financial struggles and the market gap led to the birth of Airbnb. 

So, embracing realism means acknowledging your circumstances and the systemic barriers you may face and working with them, not against them.

It’s about finding that sweet spot between optimism and reality. It also means taking strategic action. Success comes from doing the right things, not just doing things right. 

So, identify the actions that will move the needle for you and commit to them fully. 

Cultivate Resilience & Take Strategic Action

Cultivating resilience is not about never feeling negative. It’s about how you respond to challenges. Resilience will carry you much further than blind positivity ever could. 

Strategic action isn’t about ticking boxes or filling up your planner with tasks. It’s about doing those key things that actually move the needle in your business. It’s the difference between being busy and being effective. 

Take Dropbox. 

Drew Houston and Arash Fadowski didn’t just work on creating another storage solution. They zeroed in on a specific pain point.

How hard it was to share files, and focused all their efforts on making file sharing ridiculously easy and intuitive. The result? A platform that literally changed the way we store and share files.

Or consider Canva, led by Melanie Perkins. She saw that graphic design was being restricted by complex software and professional barriers. So, Canva focused on democratizing design, making it accessible and user-friendly. They didn’t just create another design tool, they focused on what would make the biggest difference for the most people. Simplicity and accessibility. Today, Canva is a design lifeline for millions. 

So, what’s the key here? Start with identifying a real problem that needs solving. What’s the thorn in your side? Or better yet, on the side of your perfect people? Aka your ideal audience. That’s where you want to aim.

Once you’ve identified that pain point, channel all your energies there. Don’t scatter your efforts. Be the laser, not the sun. 

You’ll also need to iterate and iterate like crazy. Strategic action means being willing to pivot. Have you found a better way? Encountered an unexpected hurdle? Don’t play the ‘woe is me’ or’ I should have done this’ game. Adjust and move forward. 

Then, once you know what actions will drive your mission, commit to them fully. This is not the time for ‘I’ll try’. This is the time for ‘I will’. Strategic Action is about choosing your battles wisely and going all in. So, ask yourself what moves will really move the needle for you. Identify them, commit to them, and then watch the magic happen. 

Embrace Resilience OVER Positivity

To build your dream business, you also need to embrace resilience over positivity. Resilience is the gritty, less glamorous cousin of positivity that doesn’t get nearly enough credit. Positivity is great and all, but when the going gets tough, it’s resilience that’s going to be your best friend. 

Take Howard Schultz and Starbucks. Schultz was turned down by banks 242 times before he finally secured the funding to buy Starbucks, which was then just a small chain of coffee shops. Fast-forward through a global expansion, and you’ve got a brand that’s become synonymous with coffee itself. 

But here’s the kicker. It wasn’t all smooth sailing. The 2008 financial crisis hit Starbucks hard and Schultz returned as CEO to make some tough decisions, including closing hundreds of stores and retraining thousands of baristas.

So rather than blindly hoping for the best, Schultz faced the harsh realities. He made strategic changes and steered the company back to growth. That’s resilience. 

I had planned my big annual Live Your Message Live event for March 2020. And you probably know what happened in March 2020. 

So, the news reports started to come in that week as I was gearing up for the event. Then, all of a sudden, the day before the event started, the governor of California declared a state of emergency. Overnight, my audience dispersed. I had no idea how many people were going to be in that room. I planned for this event all year. I worked so hard to drive the ticket sales.

And I remember that morning the event started being back there getting my hair and makeup done, getting dressed, and not having any idea what I was going to walk on the stage to. 

When I walked on stage and I looked out at the audience, about half the seats were empty, but when I walked on that stage, the audience gave me a standing ovation for at least a full minute before I said a word because they were so grateful that I was there; they were so grateful that I was showing up; they were so grateful for what they were about to learn and I poured my heart and soul into those three days. 

I spoke as if I had a full room of 700 people because that’s how many tickets I sold, so even though I only had 300 people there in the room, I pretended like I had a room of 700 people, and they so appreciated me for it.

And guess what? It still turned out to be a multi-million dollar event.

I have to say it took everything that I had to go up there and not know what to expect; not know how many people were in the room; not know what was happening in the world around me; not know how COVID was going to impact my business, how COVID was going to impact every single person in the room. 

That was just the beginning of the resilience I faced because I had to pivot all of the live events I had planned for that year to virtual events almost overnight, but we did it.

Our business doubled during the Pandemic, and we’ve sustained that growth to this day. So, to me, resilience means not knowing what to expect, being uncertain about the future, being knocked down by unexpected blows, but getting back up and doing my best in the situation. 

So how do you build this resilience? 

Building resilience isn’t about avoiding negativity or failure. It’s about how you bounce back. And first you need to face reality because resilience means looking challenges dead in the eye, not glossing over them. Acknowledge the situation without sugarcoating. And then you need to learn and adapt. Every setback is the setup for a comeback. What went wrong? And how can you improve? Resilient people take these lessons to heart and adapt their strategies.

Next, you need a support system. Resilience doesn’t mean going it alone. It’s about knowing when to lean on others. 

Finally, take care of yourself. You can’t be resilient if you’re burnt out. Exercise, meditate, take a break and make sure you’re recharging your batteries. 

Resilience will carry you through the darkest times and make you stronger on the other side. It’s not about never falling. It’s about how many times you’re willing to get back up. So next time you’re facing a challenge, keep pushing, keep adapting and let resilience lead the way. 

Remember, positive thinking can be a part of your success story, but it’s not the protagonist. Action, resilience and a healthy dose of realism are your real allies. It’s time to retire the belief that the power of positive thinking will lead to success.

Who’s with me? If you are, drop me a comment below with your biggest takeaway!

Turn Your Business Dreams Into a Reality

If you want support in turning your business dreams into reality, check out my year-long business growth program, Momentum. 

Usually, when it comes to the support that you need to take your business to the next level, you’re forced to choose between private coaching, a small group mastermind or live events and workshops.

And while each one of these things is truly awesome, they’re not enough to guarantee the business results you’re after. 

Because with private coaching, you’re missing the perspective that comes from community. 

With small group masterminds, you’re lacking the depth and accountability of really having that private coach. 

With live events and workshops, you get pumped up, but then the excitement fades, and you fall back into procrastination and overwhelm.

And that’s why I’ve created one cohesive program for you. 

I like to call it a best of ALL worlds program. 

So you get private coaching, you get a small group mastermind and you get live trainings and quarterly events. 

Yep. 

All three in one value-packed program! 

So if you’re excited to learn more about how me and my team can support you in realizing your biggest business goals this year, schedule your no-pressure call with a Program Specialist.

Before you go…

Get Instant Access to my FREE Dopamine Button Guide!

Inside, you’ll discover 3 little-known brain hacks that skyrocket your course engagement & sales…

Here’s the thing: the “old way” of designing and launching courses just isn’t cutting it anymore.

If you want to attract students who buy and keep buying (not to mention send referrals your way!)…

You need to do things differently.

Enter the Dopamine Button — the super-secret button in your students’ brains that you can leverage to create incredible results for them AND repeat sales for you.

Download your copy today! 

The post The Most Toxic Business Book of All Time? appeared first on Live Your Message.

With my experience coaching thousands of entrepreneurs, from ambitious side-hustlers to seven-figure empire builders, I’ve seen firsthand how one habit can be a game-changer for growing your online business.

Habits are more than routine actions; they are the pillars that support your journey to success. These daily, weekly and monthly rituals lay down the tracks for achieving both success and fulfillment in your personal and professional life. The Compound Effect of these habits, good or bad, accumulates over time, leading to significant outcomes.

Prioritizing Productivity

A common refrain echoes among entrepreneurs: “I don’t have enough time.” But consider this: the adage ‘give a task to a busy person, and it will be done’ rings true for a reason.

This phenomenon is grounded in Parkinson’s Law, which asserts that work expands to fill the time allotted for its completion. If you allocate two weeks to clean your garage, it’s likely to take that long. Yet, if you limit yourself to a day, the task is completed with surprising efficiency.

Rethinking Work Time

Remarkably, up to 50% of an average employee’s time at work is spent unproductively. In an 8-hour workday without urgency, tasks tend to stretch unnecessarily. Contrast this with a work-from-home scenario, where efficiency is paramount. Here, the completion of work liberates time for life’s pleasures, like family, friends and hobbies.

To amplify productivity and success, we need to compress the time we allow for work tasks. This is where the magic of time blocking comes into play.

Time Blocking: Your Secret Weapon

Time blocking or timeboxing is about dedicating specific time slots to tasks. It’s a strategic approach to structure your day, ensuring that each significant activity receives the focus it deserves. As Stephen Covey wisely said, “The key is not to prioritize your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”

Introducing the Aligned Action Schedule

The Aligned Action Schedule is a holistic approach to balance self-care with critical business activities. It’s about allocating time for everything that matters, personal and professional, and optimizing productivity by aligning tasks with your peak performance times.

A Glimpse into My Day

Continuing from there, let’s delve into how a typical day unfolds for me, giving you a real-life example of how effective time blocking and an Aligned Action Schedule can be.

My Daily Schedule: An Example

Morning Ritual (6:30 AM – 9:30 AM)

My day begins between 6:30 and 7:30 AM. This time is a reservoir of creative energy for me, akin to being in sync with the universe. Rather than jumping straight into self-care routines, I harness this energy for my most creative and demanding tasks, like marketing or customer service strategies.

First Creative Block (7:30 AM – 9:30 AM)

This block is dedicated to high-priority projects requiring creativity and discipline. It could be brainstorming for a new marketing campaign or designing a customer experience improvement.

Self-Care & Breakfast (9:30 AM – 10:15 AM)

After a solid creative session, I take about 45 minutes for exercise and breakfast. This break is vital for maintaining my physical and mental well-being, fueling me for the rest of the day.

Second Creative Block (10:15 AM – 12:15 PM)

Here, I might dive back into marketing or customer fulfillment tasks. Sometimes, it’s a mix of both, which I like to call “enlightened multitasking.” This is when I catch up on any urgent matters that need my attention.

Lunch & Personal Time (12:15 PM – 1:00 PM)

Lunch is an opportunity to recharge. It’s also a time to connect with my husband, Murray, and my assistant, ensuring that my personal life is in harmony with my professional demands.

Afternoon Schedule (1:00 PM – 5:00 PM)

My afternoons are generally reserved for group coaching, live trainings, webinars or team calls. These sessions are interspersed with short breaks to stretch, grab a snack or indulge in a bit of multitasking.

End of Workday (5:00 PM – 6:00 PM)

I aim to wrap up my work between 5 and 6 PM. Establishing a clear end to the workday is crucial to prevent work from encroaching on personal time, allowing for relaxation and recharging.

Why This Works

This schedule is a testament to the power of time blocking and the Aligned Action Schedule. By segmenting my day into focused blocks, I ensure that I dedicate the right amount of energy and attention to each aspect of my life and business. This method allows for a balanced approach to work and personal life, preventing burnout and maintaining productivity.

Customizing Your Schedule

It’s important to remember that what works for me might not be the perfect fit for you. Everyone’s ‘Perfect Day’ looks different, influenced by personal rhythms, priorities and life circumstances. Your schedule should reflect your unique goals, energy levels and commitments.

Implementing the Aligned Action Schedule

1. Identify Key Areas: Start by identifying the essential areas in your life and business — like health, relationships, professional development and specific business tasks.
2. Allocate Time Wisely: Assign specific time blocks for each of these areas. Be realistic about how much time each task requires and when you’re most productive.
3. Prioritize Tasks: Understand which tasks need your utmost attention and schedule them during your peak productivity hours.
4. Incorporate Flexibility: Life is unpredictable. Your schedule should have enough flexibility to accommodate unforeseen changes or emergencies.
5. Review and Adjust: Regularly review your schedule. What’s working? What isn’t? Make adjustments as needed to align it more closely with your goals and lifestyle.

The Outcome: A Balanced, Productive Life

By embracing this approach, you’ll find that you have more time for what truly matters. You’ll experience less stress and greater satisfaction, knowing that you’re making the most out of every day!

The most successful entrepreneurs aren’t just hard workers; they’re smart workers. They understand the value of time and how to harness it effectively. By adopting the habit of time blocking and creating an Aligned Action Schedule, you too can join the ranks of successful entrepreneurs who make every day count towards their goals!

Before you go…

Get Instant Access to my FREE Dopamine Button Guide!

Inside, you’ll discover 3 little-known brain hacks that skyrocket your course engagement & sales…

Here’s the thing: the “old way” of designing and launching courses just isn’t cutting it anymore.

If you want to attract students who buy and keep buying (not to mention send referrals your way!)…

You need to do things differently.

Enter the Dopamine Button — the super-secret button in your students’ brains that you can leverage to create incredible results for them AND repeat sales for you.

Download your copy today! 

The post The Number One Habit All Successful Entrepreneurs Need appeared first on Live Your Message.

Books that’ll make you a better writer?

Give you a sense of belonging?

Help shape your entrepreneurial journey?

Even change how you run your business?

Then, you’re in the right place!

From fiction to nonfiction, self-help to a fantastical adventure, Greek myths retold to an incredible family saga spanning generations (and everything in between), this list will have you heading to Amazon or your local bookstore as soon as possible.  

Ready to dive into my 13 book recommendations to read in 2024? Then, let’s go!

How to F*ck Up Your Startup by Kim Hvidkjaer

“Every business owner dreams of success, but the majority of businesses are doomed to fail.” 

At the age of 29, Kim Hvidkjær joined the ranks of millionaires. However, a series of calamitous events over the following two years stripped him of his wealth. Undeterred, Hvidkjær clawed his way back to financial success by founding a number of prosperous companies. Through his experiences and the analysis of countless startup failures, he has become a connoisseur of commercial collapse, understanding its nature, its appearance, and the measures entrepreneurs can take to sidestep it.

In his book, How to F*ck Up Your Startup, Hvidkjær escorts readers through a riveting and instructive exploration of the myriad ways failure weaves itself into the entrepreneurial narrative, discussing aspects such as:

• Misjudgments in attitude
• Flaws in business model conception
• Market analysis errors
• Mismanagement of funding and finances
• Mistakes in product development
• Organizational misunderstandings
• Missteps in sales strategies
• Complications associated with expansion

Beyond just identifying problems, he provides guidance for navigating through the storm when a business veers off course. His book stands as a critical piece of literature for anyone looking to thrive in the business world in 2024.

Deep Work by Cal Newport

“If you don’t produce, you won’t thrive — no matter how skilled or talented you are.”

If you’re one of my students, coaches, a team member, a subscriber or follow us on Instagram, you know how I feel about this one!

Last April, I had lost my way.

My attention was being splintered in a thousand different directions (Slack, social media, my phone) and I wasn’t able to get in and stay in my zone of genius. 

But then something amazing happened.

I finally picked up this book. 

(Quick lesson: Don’t ignore a book that’s been recommended to you over and over again. :))

And since reading it, I’ve reclaimed my ability to experience levels of concentration SO DEEP that I’m able to effortlessly create the work I’m meant to share with the world.

I want that for you too!

Give Deep Work a read to discover:

• How to become a winner in the new economy & produce at an elite level
• How to make deep work a part of your daily ritual (including a breakdown of the 4 scheduling types so you can find what works best for you)
• And why deep rejuvenation is just as important as deep work. 

Plus, so much more. 

Seriously, get you a copy of Deep Work right now!

The Man Who Wanted To Be Happy by Laurent Gounelle

“A successful life is a life that you have led in accordance with your wishes, giving the best of yourself in what you do, staying in harmony with who you are, and, if possible, a life that has given us the chance to go beyond yourself, to devote yourself to something other than yourself and to bring something to mankind, even very humbly, even if it’s tiny.”

While on vacation in Bali, an unhappy school teacher, Julian, decides to consult a renowned local healer, Samtyang. 

Samtyang tells Julian: you are healthy, but you are not… happy.

And during a series of daily encounters, the healer shares cryptic messages, greatly frustrating Julian. 

But in his unusual manner, Samtyang shows Julian – and us – how our thoughts shape our lives and becomes our reality.

A word-of-mouth sensation, The Man Who Wanted to Be Happy explores the world of new possibili­ties that are opened to us when we’re able to break free from what’s preventing us from truly being happy.

This is not a self-help book but one that can help you if you take up its challenge (and it’s an easy read, too, especially if you prefer wisdom in fiction form). 

Plus, it serves as a reminder to always go beneath the surface… whether that’s in what you’re reading or in the daily encounters you have. 

Choose: The Single Most Important Decision Before Starting Your Business by Ryan Levesque

“If you choose the wrong market, your business is destined to fail before you even begin.”

A single decision can have a lasting effect that stretches out over years – sometimes even decades – for your business. 

And one of the biggest reasons why so many new businesses fail is because, in the pursuit of what business to start, most of the conventional wisdom is flat out WRONG.

It focuses on WHAT… as in what should you sell or what should you create.

When you really should be obsessing over WHO. As in who should you serve?

And that’s what my good friend Ryan’s book is all about — How to choose your WHO. 

Read this one to learn the easiest business model in today’s world and why pioneers get shot and settlers get rich (check out my takeaways to see what I’m talking about.

Pachinko by Lee Min-jin

“Living everyday in the presence of those who refuse to acknowledge your humanity takes great courage.”

Pachinko was recommended by my friend Laura Belgray. I ask Laura for book recommendations because she’s a world-class copywriter and I’ve found that reading really good fiction is one of the best ways to quickly improve your writing… plus it’s fun!

Pachinko is a type of Japanese gambling game… basically Japanese-style slot machines.

And when I started reading the book I was like, “What is this, a Shakespearean tragedy?” Because (spoiler alert) 8 people die in the very first chapter!

But I decided to keep with it and I’m so glad I did because Pachinko took me to a world completely unlike my own. 

Read this one to uncover: 

• Why fear is an essential part of growth and how to awaken or reawaken fear in yourself 
• That YOU are ready
• And that you can’t create your business masterpiece all by yourself – you have to actually talk to people

Dive deeper into my 3 biggest takeaways from this “un-put-downable” read! 

Will It Fly?: How to Test Your Next Business Idea So You Don’t Waste Your Time and Money by Pat Flynn

“The riches are in the niches, but the fortune is in the follow-up.”

I love Pat’s approach to ideation and niching.

He says that it’s NOT necessarily about going for the biggest blockbuster hit idea which is the opposite of what most people tell you to do.

It’s about coming up with an idea that’s BIG to someone specific because your earnings are a measure of how well you serve someone.

And that “someone” represents a small group of people and it’s often a tiny percentage of the population.

But far too many entrepreneurs try to appeal to everyone and end up appealing to no one (and that kills more businesses than anything else).  

There’s much more to unpack with Will It Fly? (check out more takeaways here)… but I’ll leave you with this quote from Joel Barker…

​​Speed is only useful if you’re running in the right direction.

And Will It Fly? will help ensure you’re clear for takeoff!

The Dream Society by Rolf Jensen

“For a product to be successful, its primary purpose will be the ability to fulfill an emotional need.”

Rolf Jensen was a futurist. And he predicted around 40 to 50 years ago that marketing in business was changing… away from data and logic and information to imagination. 

Changing to a new society driven by dreams, adventure, spirituality and feeling. 

Where emotional marketing reigns supreme. 

And Rolf identified 6 emotional markets. 

And each one filled a different need in people’s hearts and minds that caused them to WANT to buy this particular product or service. 

So, those who understand the inner workings of the Dream Society will be the ones who’ll create the new products, new markets and new businesses that dominate the world of tomorrow. 

Watch to learn more about using emotional marketing to stand for something more and make lasting connections with your customers. 

Mythos by Stephen Fry

“Painters, poets and philosophers have seen many things in the myth of Sisyphus. They have seen an image of the absurdity of human life, the futility of effort, the remorseless cruelty of fate, the unconquerable power of gravity. But they have seen too something of mankind’s courage, resilience, fortitude, endurance and self-belief. They see something heroic in our refusal to submit.”

Mythos is a modern-day collection of Greek myths superbly retold by legendary writer, actor and comedian Stephen Fry.

Fry transforms the adventures of Zeus and the Olympians into deeply affecting and hilarious stories without losing any of the original wonder. 

While Fry’s book isn’t a “traditional” recommendation for entrepreneurs, it’s a great  read if you want to take your storytelling and messaging to the next level. 

Through his beautiful words, many of the most well-known stories of all time are sparked to life. 

This is an underused resource for anyone wishing to “speak” to their audience in a way that really resonates. 

Plus, you’ll be so thoroughly entertained that it won’t feel like “learning”! (I recommend listening so you get the full impact of Fry’s incredible storytelling). 

Level Up Your Life by Steve Kamb

“Hope needs to be combined with action for the story to progress. A call needs to be answered. Adventure can start anytime, anywhere, but it has to start.”

Have you ever prepared and prepared and prepared to do something but never actually took action? 

As a business mentor, I see so many people spending hour after hour, week after week, year after year, collecting knowledge that they never do anything with!

Steve calls this problem “collecting underpants”, and when you read the book, it’ll make so much sense. (It really is a great analogy!)

You’ll also discover how to make the most mundane tasks exciting and how to constantly level up as a human. 

Use Steve Kamb’s book to uplevel your business or your entire life… either way, I highly recommend checking it out.

Still undecided? Check out my top 3 takeaways here.

Belong: Find Your People, Create Community, and Live a More Connected Life by Radha Agrawal

“Belonging is the opposite of loneliness. It’s a feeling of home, of “I can exhale here and be fully myself with no judgment or insecurity.”

When was the last time you felt like you truly belonged? 

So I’m going to be 100% honest and vulnerable with you…

Some of my family lives in Wisconsin and there are few places in the world where I feel I belong less.

 I know exactly what it feels like to NOT belong and I’m always looking for ways to connect and communicate better and to create an engaged community where people feel at home…

And so I was thrilled when I found this amazing book. 

One thing I learned is that for so many people, community is something they think about if they have the time. 

But the truth is that’s not the way to find a real community. You need to prioritize and get super intentional about it and know that you can choose your community and even your family.

And you should because community is the key to happiness. 

So give this one a read if you’re ready to cultivate a community that will build you up (I share 2 more takeaways here). 

The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance by Steven Kotler

“It’s not how good you are; it’s how good you want to be.”

Steve Kotler studied extreme sports athletes for a decade to understand how to reach flow, an optimal state of consciousness that allows humans to perform at their best and often break through limitations.

While I’ve always believed that human potential is infinite, I’ve never been able to explain exactly how… until I picked up this book. 

In The Rise of Superman, he mentions something called the Challenge-Skill Ratio. I believe THIS is the real secret to unlocking your potential.

So give this one a read if you’re ready to start to do things other people see as impossible. 

I share more about the Challenge-Skill Ratio here. 

The Soul-Sourced Entrepreneur: An Unconventional Success Plan for the Highly Creative, Secretly Sensitive, and Wildly Ambitious by Christine Kane

Moved by meaning more than manipulation?

Is your strength more about sensitivity than swagger?

Can you succeed while still being true to yourself?

Christine Kane is living proof that you can!

And I like to think that I’m proof too

But for far too long, the world’s been screaming at us that there’s only ONE way to succeed in business…

You have to be ruthless. Strategy-obsessed. Data-driven. Take no prisoners. 

But through her book, Kane is determined to show a new class of entrepreneurs another way… that it’s time to connect, NOT crush.

Inside, you’ll get a practical plan to:

• Throw out old hat goal-setting models
• Reframe your intuition and sensitivity as valuable assets
• Take a closer look at old patterns to see what’s been holding you back
• Break free from the fear-based decision-making that curses most business

And more! 

The Works of Haruki Murakami

“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.”

I couldn’t resist plugging my all-time favorite author!

His story is one that will inspire any entrepreneur.

One day at a baseball game, he heard the satisfying crack of the bat on the ball and the scattered applause in the stadium… and it suddenly dawned on him that he could write a novel.

It was an epiphany of sorts that he could not shake. 

So on the way home, he took a train and bought a sheaf of writing paper and a fountain pen.  

Now of course, making the choice to write a novel and buying the pen and paper was just the beginning, but the truth was that Murakami “hadn’t a clue about how to write a novel.” 

Just a feeling that he could. And he followed that feeling. 

But it didn’t start off well.

As a fan of Russian psychological realism and American hard-boiled detective novels, he hadn’t really read any Japanese novels and hadn’t really written before. 

And soon into his new endeavor, he found that he didn’t like what he wrote. It left him cold.

So he thought to himself, “If that’s the way the author feels… a reader’s reaction will probably be even more negative. Looks like I just don’t have what it takes.”

Now Murakami could have stopped there, but he could still remember the undeniable feeling he had that day at the game and just knew he had to keep going.

So he pushed through the resistance and on the other side, a deeper truth appeared: “Give up trying to write something sophisticated… Forget all those prescriptive ideas about ‘the novel’ and ‘literature’ and set down your feelings and thoughts as they come to you, freely, in a way that you like.”

And that same lesson applies to HOW you write for your business! 

There’s so much more to his story that I share here.

Pick up any of his novels (except the first two) to discover why I consider Marukami the greatest writer alive today.

To start you off, check out Kafka on the Shore and Norwegian Wood. 

What Book Will You Add to Your List?

There you have it — 13 books for entrepreneurs I highly, highly recommend!

Which ones stood out to you? I’d love to know in a comment.

Oh, and be sure to drop your own recommendations below… I’m always looking to add some good ones to my own personal library

Before you go…

Get Instant Access to my FREE Dopamine Button Guide!

Inside, you’ll discover 3 little-known brain hacks that skyrocket your course engagement & sales…

Here’s the thing: the “old way” of designing and launching courses just isn’t cutting it anymore.

If you want to attract students who buy and keep buying (not to mention send referrals your way!)…

You need to do things differently.

Enter the Dopamine Button — the super-secret button in your students’ brains that you can leverage to create incredible results for them AND repeat sales for you.

Download your copy today! 

The post 11+ (Underrated) Books for Entrepreneurs You Should Have on Your Shelf appeared first on Live Your Message.

A myth that’s been shared in almost every motivational book or seminar around the world.

And it’s dangerous. 

Let’s flashback to 1911 when two evenly-matched teams competed to be the first European explorers to make it to the South Pole.

One team, led by Robert Falcon Scott, decided to ADAPT their strategy to the weather. On good weather days, they would march up to 60 miles. On bad weather days, they would rest and recharge.

While the other team, led by Roald Amundsen, marched 20 miles a day rain or shine. In ANY weather and under ANY circumstances — every day they kept going for exactly 20 miles. 

So, which team won?

Conventional wisdom would say the adaptable team.

But they didn’t…

The team who marched 20 miles a day — no matter what — reached the South Pole first.

While the adaptable team NEVER MADE IT… they died along the way.

So, while it may seem like adaptability is the key to success, it’s really the power to keep going, rain or shine, day in and day out — no matter what — that makes the difference between success and failure.

And what I’ve discovered over the last decade plus working with students from 91 countries on earth… on just about every type of business you can imagine (from coaching and consulting to books and software)…  and every topic from personal development and spirituality to corporate and non-profit… 

The one thing that separates my most successful students from those who come and go is CONSISTENT ACTION.

Just like the one thing that separates the amateurs from the pros in just about any pursuit known to man — whether that’s art or music or sports — is consistent, even daily practice. 

Yet, time after time, I see people start building their business with a ton of energy and effort… only to stop. This quickly lands them in what I like to call the Start-Stop Cycle… where you make fast progress ONLY to come screeching to a halt… and this cycle repeats over and over again… until you give up on your dream. 

So, what’s this myth that’s been shared in almost every motivational book or seminar around the world? 

The myth that’s led to the demise of so many promising businesses? 

It’s The Motivation Myth.

The same myth that led to the adaptable team’s death in 1911 IS the same myth that kills so many businesses before they even get off the ground. 

So if you’re not feeling motivated — or you struggle with consistent motivation day after day, or even throughout the day — then this post is for you… 

Or if you’ve EVER felt like there was something wrong with you or that you’ll never succeed as an entrepreneur — because success is for those hyper motivated people… 

You know the ones you see on social media who seem to be posting ALL THE FREAKIN TIME and you wonder if they even sleep?

Then this is for you!

What Exactly IS Motivation?

So first, what exactly IS motivation? 

It’s the inner drive to do something, right? 

And ALL the motivational speakers make it sound like we all have this innerspring of motivation inside of us — like it bubbles up from within us… then turns into a stream — then ultimately a raging river that sweeps up everything in its path…

So we sit back and we wait for this stream of motivation to power us forward…. 

And sometimes it does — and we get SWEPT UP in the excitement of ideas and possibilities… and it feels INCREDIBLE! We feel like we can do anything… and be anything… and we get into action… and start seeing results…

BUT. The feeling. Doesn’t. Last. And neither does the Action.

So the results don’t last either — if we see them at all. And that business we imagine? It always seems JUST outside our reach.

Les Brown famously said, “The richest place in the world is not the oil fields, the skyscrapers, the mansions or the city centers… the richest place in the world is the GRAVEYARD. Because that’s where most people take their dreams to die.”

But you’re not like most people….

You’re here. You’re ready to learn. You’re looking for a change. You’re ready to get your dream business off the ground.

And when you understand that consistency BEATS motivation every day of the week… you’ll be on your way!

Because while motivation is great for getting started, it doesn’t last forever…

All the research shows that motivation is like will power in that it’s short-lived. You quickly use it up… 

And THEN you have to replenish it… 

So if you’re relying on motivation to get through the day, it’s going to feel like one LONG roller coaster ride — full of ups and downs, and highs and lows… one moment feeling like you can do it, you want to do it, then all of a sudden you can’t?

We’ve all been there before! 

So, what’s the opposite of motivation?

What’s the one thing EVERY entrepreneur needs to succeed?

The Opposite of Motivation

The one thing every entrepreneur needs to succeed is taking consistent actions on the right things in the right way.  

Because unlike motivation, consistency always shows up… 

And consistency will help you stay on track EVEN when you don’t feel like it. 

When you rely on motivation, you see HUGE surges of activity followed by equally big crashes that can often leave you right back where you started… so — even though you’re taking action — it feels like you’re not making forward progress… you’re in that Start-Stop Cycle.

But WHEN you take small, consistent action — even tiny steps forward — you’ll find yourself moving onwards and upwards… both faster AND slower than you ever imagined.

While this approach initially FEELS slower — since you don’t have those big, exciting surges of activity — it’s actually faster and more sustainable.

Because when you’re taking small, consistent action, you don’t get overwhelmed. You don’t burn out. And you’re NOT relying on motivation, which — as you’ve seen — doesn’t last.

I know it’s not sexy, but ALL THE STUDIES show that consistency — is THE ONE THING — that separates the amateurs from the pros. Not motivation. And not even talent. 

Now don’t let that word PRO scare you off. Yes, it CAN sound intimidating and I get that you might think you’ll never get there.

But I’m pretty confident you DO want to make money and succeed as an entrepreneur, right?

That means it’s time to start acting like a professional.

And — mark my words — you don’t succeed because you were born to succeed, you succeed because you take consistent action with both the gifts and talents you were born with and the gifts and talents you’ve cultivated over the course of your life.

Michael Jordan is widely considered the greatest basketball player OF ALL TIME…

But did you know that he was cut from his high school varsity team as a sophomore?

Now, do you think he gave up when he got cut?

Absolutely not! 

Even though he felt devastated — even a little humiliated — this experience motivated him to commit to improving his skills. 

He spent HOURS practicing EVERY DAY — he worked on his shooting, his ball handling, his footwork AND his overall conditioning.

Jordan also played in pick-up games with his friends and teammates, which helped him develop his game and build confidence on the court.

He even watched footage from other great players and analyzed their techniques to find ways to improve his own game.

One year later, he got his spot back on the high school team… 

And he STILL kept up this daily training schedule — which went beyond anything the other players were doing — because he believed it would pay off in the end… 

And it did! 

Jordan went on to become a dominant force in college basketball and later the NBA. 

His career saw six championships, five MVPs and numerous records.

Not bad for someone who got cut from his high school basketball team?

How to Become a Professional Entrepreneur

Because while amateurs let life get in the way and are constantly being pulled off track, professionals stick to a schedule — NO MATTER WHAT. They know what’s important to them and they work towards it with purpose.

Being a pro is about having the discipline to actually commit to what’s important to you, rather than just saying something’s important to you.

It’s about continuing, even when you feel like stopping — not because you’re a workaholic or you want to keep working — but because your goal is SO important to you that you show up for it EVEN when it’s not convenient.

You make your priorities a reality, rather than letting life happen to you.

And THAT starts by making time for what really matters… not just here and there, but consistently. Every week, if not every day.

Now you might be asking, “But Marisa, how do you develop consistency EVEN when you’re not feeling motivated?”

How do you become a pro when you’re just getting started?

That’s the million dollar question.

So, let’s wind the clock back to 2001 in the UK.

Researchers are working with a group of 248 people to discover the best approach to building exercise habits over the course of two weeks — because, would you agree that consistent exercise is one of the things that most people are ALWAYS trying and failing to do, myself included?  

100%.

So these researchers in the UK divided the research subjects into 3 groups and gave each group a different approach… 

The first group was the control group. They were simply asked to exercise and track HOW OFTEN they did it.

The second group was the “motivation” group, and — in addition to tracking their workouts — they were asked to read about the benefits of exercise. AND to listen to the researchers explain HOW exercise improved heart health and reduced the risk of heart disease.

Finally, there was the third group. These subjects received the same motivational materials as the second group, but they were ALSO asked to formulate a plan for EXACTLY when and where they’d exercise — over the following week. 

Specifically, each member of the third group were asked to complete ONE SIMPLE SENTENCE:

“During the next week, I will partake in at least 20 minutes of vigorous exercise on [DAY] at [TIME] in [PLACE].”  

This is what’s known as an “Implementation Intention” — a simple plan for when and where you’re going to take a specific action — or exactly how you intend to implement a habit or activity. 

So which group had the best results?

Group 3. 

In fact, the Implementation Intention Group was 2.6 TIMES more likely to exercise AT LEAST once a week than the Motivation Group. 

2.6 TIMES!

That means that 91% of the Implementation Intention Group followed through and exercised at least once a week, while ONLY 35% of The Motivation Group followed through.

And, interestingly, The Motivation Group didn’t do ANY BETTER than The Control Group. In fact, they did slightly worse.

So the big conclusion the researchers drew? 

Motivation had NO significant effects on exercise behavior.

So why is it that — when people talk about achieving goals or making a change in their lives — they often use words like motivation, willpower and desire? 

The truth is that motivation, willpower and desire ARE important catalysts — they’re the sparks that start the engine — but they CAN’T sustain the engine… 

The REAL FUEL that keeps the engine going is consistent action.

And consistent action starts with a plan for implementation… EXACTLY what you’re going to do — such as exercise — and when and where you’re going to do it.

Remember the sentence the Group 3 research subjects were asked to fill out?

“During the next week, I will partake in at least 20 minutes of vigorous exercise on [DAY] at [TIME] in [PLACE].”

So your plan for implementation is what pulls the motivation and desire out of you and turns it into real world action… 

You don’t have to ask yourself: Should I exercise today? Or should I exercise this morning or after lunch? Or maybe it can wait until tomorrow?

When the time comes, there’s no need to make a decision. 

Simply follow your predetermined plan… 

No motivation or willpower needed. Just a commitment to consistency.

How to Take Consistent Action in Your Business

Now, in case you’re wondering, “Marisa, maybe that works for something like exercise, but does it work for something like building your business?”

Absolutely! 

So, let’s look at a few things you could do in just 20 minutes that have the potential to grow your business! 

In 20 minutes or less, could you practice a critical piece of messaging on one or two people and see how they respond — whether you’re in line at the coffee shop or picking up your kids from school? 

Absolutely!

And, who knows? You may even get a client in the process!  

Now in 20 minutes, could you call or message someone you met in the last 3 months and see if there’s any synergy — perhaps they could be a potential client? Perhaps they know someone who could be a potential client? Perhaps they could give you some valuable intel? Perhaps they could connect you to a podcast or other opportunity? You name it? 

Yes, again, right? 

Now, could you record and post some kind of quick, informal video in 20 minutes or less? 

I’m not talking about anything fancy or perfect, just something quick and easy.

Yes, yes and yes!

Now let me ask you, if you did things like this for just 20 minutes at a time on a consistent basis, would you build your business? 

You would 100% build your business if you did something like this AT LEAST once a week… 

And if you did this 3 times a week? Even better!

What about 5 times a week? 

Can you see that you CAN build your business one tiny step at a time — WHEN you rely on consistency over motivation?  

Because consistency beats motivation EVERY DAY of the week!

After all, how do you finish a puzzle?

One piece at a time…

How do you climb a mountain?

One step at a time…

How do you build a business?

One action at a time…

So make taking consistent action a habit so you can break free from The Motivation Trap and build the life and business YOU DESIRE.

Before you go…

Get Instant Access to my FREE Dopamine Button Guide!

Inside, you’ll discover 3 little-known brain hacks that skyrocket your course engagement & sales…

Here’s the thing: the “old way” of designing and launching courses just isn’t cutting it anymore.

If you want to attract students who buy and keep buying (not to mention send referrals your way!)…

You need to do things differently.

Enter the Dopamine Button — the super-secret button in your students’ brains that you can leverage to create incredible results for them AND repeat sales for you.

Download your copy today! 

The post The One Myth You Must Bust to Become a Pro Entrepreneur in 2024 appeared first on Live Your Message.

Before you go…

Get Instant Access to my FREE Dopamine Button Guide!

Inside, you’ll discover 3 little-known brain hacks that skyrocket your course engagement & sales…

Here’s the thing: the “old way” of designing and launching courses just isn’t cutting it anymore.

If you want to attract students who buy and keep buying (not to mention send referrals your way!)…

You need to do things differently.

Enter the Dopamine Button — the super-secret button in your students’ brains that you can leverage to create incredible results for them AND repeat sales for you.

Download your copy today! 

The post How to Attract High Profile Speakers to Your Events appeared first on Live Your Message.

Think of a project you’re working on…

Maybe you just started on a 30-Day workout routine.

Maybe you’re writing a book.

You could be in the middle of a “quit sugar forever” plan.

Let me ask you…

Do you think you’ll get to the finish line? Will you actually quit sugar? Will you see your book on a shelf? Will you look in the mirror and see those flat abs and toned arms?

New projects are exciting.

We’re inspired. Enthusiastic.

But too often, we stop long before we get to the end zone. We think, “I just don’t have what it takes.”

I disagree.

We don’t finish NOT because we lack focus or drive but because we’re juggling TOO many projects at the same time!

Doing too much is the same as doing nothing.

Here’s the solution: prioritize 1 to 3 projects at a time.

You’ll have the energy, focus and motivation to follow through.

And you’ll get to do what we ALL want to do…

Get through that finish line!

Pick your top 1 to 3 projects right now and share in the comments!

Before you go…

Get Instant Access to my FREE Dopamine Button Guide!

Inside, you’ll discover 3 little-known brain hacks that skyrocket your course engagement & sales…

Here’s the thing: the “old way” of designing and launching courses just isn’t cutting it anymore.

If you want to attract students who buy and keep buying (not to mention send referrals your way!)…

You need to do things differently.

Enter the Dopamine Button — the super-secret button in your students’ brains that you can leverage to create incredible results for them AND repeat sales for you.

Download your copy today! 

The post Why You Don’t Finish What You Start (And What You Can Do About It) appeared first on Live Your Message.

 You’re excited to get in there and get to know people. 

You scroll through the feed and you immediately notice something weird… 

Nothing’s going on in there. 

Nobody’s sharing, asking questions, commenting or engaging… it feels like a ghost town.

So this happens way more than it should because a lot of entrepreneurs have no idea how to build a supportive, vibrant community for their students and customers. 

It’s a huge problem because the truth is, a disengaged or “dead” community is worse than no community at all! 

It’s well known that people are drawn to your programs for the content but they stay for the community.

So, if you want your ideal customers to buy from you — not just once but over and over again — you need to master the art of building a dynamic, lively community around each of your offers…

And I’m the first to admit that this is tricky business!

I’ve spent years figuring out the “how-to” behind powerful online communities and there was a whole lot of trial and error involved.

But I’m happy to say I’ve finally cracked the code

Here are some of my favorite methods to create a fun, engaging online community around your next product, program or service.

Method #1: Encourage (Healthy) Competition & Celebration

First thing to do? Ask community members to share their “midstream transformations.”

This is about getting them to open up about what’s going on for them during your course or program…

Basically, the ups, downs and everything in between that they’re experiencing while implementing the strategies and techniques in your training.

 And you can incentivize this activity with fun contests and competitions

For instance, you could do a weekly roundup post in the group on a Monday, tell people you’ll choose the best share by end-of-day, Sunday and the winner gets a prize.

So the prize could be anything you like… a 20-minute 1:1 call with you, a mini course or training from your library or anything else you can think of to motivate people to participate.

And if you want to generate even more engagement and connection, encourage everyone else to celebrate, ask people to drop an emoji or a few words of love and support when you announce the winner.

The point is to create a culture of healthy competition and celebration that inspires community members to get to know each other and build real relationships with one another.

One big mistake I see all the time around this type of contest or competition is that in order to win, people have to hit some kind of crazy goal.

So, don’t ask your community to sign on 100 new clients, or create a 10-week course or add 1000 people to their email list in a week just to get their hands on the prize.

 You want to encourage people to share and celebrate every win — no matter how small or insignificant they think it is — because in this case, size really doesn’t count. 

Small wins often pave the way for big ones and a community that celebrates together sticks together

Method #2: Dream Up Your Own Culture & Language

There’s this book by Benedict Anderson called Imagined Communities, and it’s one of the top books in anthropology.

Imagined Communities are not about borders or location…

They’re about people coming together around a shared culture and language, which gives them a chance to connect with each other on a much deeper level.

Shared culture and language also creates an energy of understanding and feeling understood… something ALL great communities have in common.

So, we have this awesome Imagined Community in our Experience Product Masterclass Facebook group.

EPM is our signature program and I’m proud to say we’ve built one of the most engaged communities around.

And I think one of the big reasons is that we have a lot of shared language and culture going on in the group.

For instance, EPM-ers love using specific phrases, words or titles to communicate with each other.

When they hit a goal or target in the program, they’ll say “Mission Accomplished” or they’ll use EPM-centric terminology to share whether they’re brand new in business, more advanced or somewhere in between.

 And if you take a peek in the group you’ll see people saying things like, “I’m in Blue Sky” or “Call Me” and someone else might say, “I’m in the List Build or Authority stage” and everyone else instantly gets what that means.

Something else that comes to mind…

One of our EPM grads, Danilo Tambone, recorded a rap song for us.

It’s called Product Master Rap and you’ll see he talks about members of our team and each of our core principles at EPM.

 Take a look…

<embed Experience Product Master Rap video>

Danilo even performed the Product Master Rap on our final call at the end of the program.

People absolutely loved it (especially me!) and it made every one of us feel like we belong together… and we do. 

It’s a great example of the magic of shared culture AND shared language at work

Method #3: Use Symbols, Rituals and Traditions

Something else that got a lot of buzz and engagement inside our EPM community has to do with hats and T-shirts

It all started with a training call where I talked about looking at your product or program like a scientist and putting on your metaphorical “Experimenter’s Hat.”

The idea totally caught on and hats — literally — became a thing!

People would get on our group calls wearing a fun hat and they’d say it’s their Experimenter’s Hat and when we had our final call, people showed up in all kinds of crazy hats to celebrate!

< insert screengrab >

And as for the shirts…

We had a contest winner record himself talking about his win while wearing our EPM T-shirt. He shared the video in the group and a tradition was born

More and more people started wearing their T-shirts every time they shared that they’d hit a goal or when they won a contest.

It got the point where people couldn’t wait to wear a T-shirt because it had turned into a symbol of success.

Hats and shirts became an ‘insider” thing for EPM-ers and it became a community ritual that brought people together in ways that went beyond anything I could have imagined.

So, creating an engaged community around your program or course isn’t a walk in the park…

But it’s not rocket science either!

Start by giving yourself permission to try new ideas and activities. Aim to surprise and delight your students and enjoy your community.

Encourage people to have fun but don’t forget to define some ground rules on how you want people to behave, and post, and share.

I highly recommend investing in customer support to make sure people follow the rules and the energy inside the group stays positive, upbeat and supportive.

Over to you…

What’s an online community that you’re in love with right now (it doesn’t matter if it’s free or paid)? 

And I’d love to know what makes you want to stay connected and engaged with the people in the group.

Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments… I read and personally reply to each one

Before you go…

Get Instant Access to my FREE Dopamine Button Guide!

Inside, you’ll discover 3 little-known brain hacks that skyrocket your course engagement & sales…

Here’s the thing: the “old way” of designing and launching courses just isn’t cutting it anymore.

If you want to attract students who buy and keep buying (not to mention send referrals your way!)…

You need to do things differently.

Enter the Dopamine Button — the super-secret button in your students’ brains that you can leverage to create incredible results for them AND repeat sales for you.

Download your copy today! 

The post 3 Little Known Ways to Create (or Resuscitate!) a Fun, Engaging Online Community People Can’t Get Enough Of appeared first on Live Your Message.

I remember my first job working at a production company as an associate producer. I had to do some research but within about an hour of sitting at my desk, my brain was going nuts. And I felt like I was going to burst if I didn’t get out of there.

I was just a couple blocks from the beach. And I’d feel the beach start calling to me and pulling me in that direction. I was also a couple blocks from Pete’s coffee shop. And I’d feel the cappuccino calling to me over there. And I was a few blocks from this incredible shopping street in Santa Monica. And I felt the stores calling to me.

I wanted to be anywhere and everywhere but my computer. And trying to get this research done became nearly impossible. But the truth is, I was like one of those wild horses where I just had to learn how to harness all that energy and focus so that I could channel it in one particular direction. 

Essentially, I had to figure out how to train my brain to do more, retain more, stay focused and learn faster. 

And fortunately, I did, and now I’m able to produce more work in a year than most people do in a lifetime. 

Which is why I wanted to share my 10 powerful hacks that you can try today that were a result of about a decade of trial and error. 

Hack #1: Be a Thermostat, Rather Than a Thermometer

At the beginning of group coaching calls with my students, sometimes I like to take a pulse check. I ask my students: On a scale of one to 10, how are you really doing? How are you really feeling? 

And usually, I get a big range of numbers, from one to 10, including a lot of 3s and 4s. 

But when I ask that same question to my coaching team, they’re always somewhere between a seven and a nine. 

Why? 

Well, these are professional coaches; they’ve learned how to help others get what they want in life. And they’ve essentially learned the master skill of self-regulating how they feel in the moment; they’ve learned how to raise their energy at the drop of a hat and really be that thermostat instead of the thermometer. 

So when you’re a thermometer, you’re just taking the pulse of how you feel. Hungry? Tired? Sick? Frustrated or even pissed off? Right? 

But when you’re a thermostat, you’re able to control how you feel from hot to cold and everything in between and show up as your best self, regardless of the crazy going on.

So take a moment to tune in right now. Or tune in throughout the day. And ask yourself, How am I feeling on a scale of one to 10? 

And if you find yourself at a five or you’ve even sunk below a five, check in to see if you can do anything to turn up the dial. And you’ll find that simply bringing your awareness to how you feel will elevate how you feel. 

And once you learn how to do this in the normal situations of life, try doing this in the more extraordinary situations. 

Like when you’re feeling challenged or when you’re learning something new, try it, then. So you can get to a place of excitement, even when confronting and facing some of the hardest things in life and business. 

Now, for many people, overwhelm is a natural part of learning. But when you can shift from being a thermometer to being that thermostat, you can put yourself in a more open and receptive state for learning. 

Hack #2: Mastery Through Modifications

If you’re trying to learn and master a new skill, you often learn a few tricks, and you think you’ve mastered it, get bored, and then you quit… BEFORE you’ve actually mastered it. 

But think about a child. Have you ever played with a kid and all they do is the same thing over and over and over again for hours? Like putting sand into a bucket, then dumping it out and putting it back in again, but dumping it out and putting it back in again. But they never lose that sense of joy. 

Because each time along the way, they experiment, they do it a little differently; they bring a little twist to it. But we as adults have lost much of that joy along the way. 

So just because something feels simple doesn’t mean you’ve mastered it. So instead of stopping as you’re just starting to learn something and grow and take it to the next level, try to modify what you’re doing. So boredom doesn’t set in. 

So one of the things I’ve done in this domain is to become a master coach and a master mentor. And every year for the last 11 years, I look at my students’ results and success. I’ve been working towards a goal for a very long time. 

So I have thousands of students every single year. And you may know that the average online program only gets success for three to seven percent of people. Now, I’ve been aiming to get 51% of my students across the finish line to graduate, complete and take more action than they ever thought possible for a decade. And I finally hit that number! 

So how did I do it? I just shifted something every single time I delivered my programs until I hit that 51% mark because now I get to say more people succeed than fail, more people complete and graduate, then stall out, stop and give up. And that’s a big deal for me. 

So I had to get fascinated by making all those little tweaks to my program until I hit that number. And now that I’ve hit that number, I’m going to go do it in another domain. 

So try to challenge yourself to do something different the next time you do something that feels like it’s become a little bit routine; maybe challenge yourself to go faster, try it from a different angle, use a different tool, or aim for a different outcome. 

Keep it really fresh and alive for you. 

There’s this amazing Native American quote that you can spend your entire life in your backyard and never truly know a single blade of grass. 

So there’s so much depth that’s possible for you when you take this approach. 

Hack #3: The Memory Palace Trick

The thing you need to understand is that memory — it’s not something that you’ve got — it’s something you do. 

So if you’re struggling to remember everyday things, try this memory palace trick because it’s fun and uses your imagination. 

So what is a memory palace? 

It’s basically an imaginary location that only exists in your mind where you’re able to store things so that you can remember them later on. 

And the most common type of memory palace involves taking a journey through a place you know well, whether it’s your house or maybe a particular route between your house and your office. And then, along the way, assuming you’re always traveling that route, house or location in the same order, you stash things you want to remember in particular areas. 

So you go through the front door and see an orange and the orange reminds you of something specific. And you get to choose the symbols of how you want to learn things. And then all you have to do is go back along the route and collect the items you want to remember right when you need to. 

So practice building memory palaces in your memory and your ability to recall things deep in your mind will start growing. 

Hack #4: Don’t Sacrifice Sleep

Anyone who knows me well knows that I never sacrifice sleep, no matter how busy I get. 

Let’s say you’ve got an important presentation coming up; what should you do? Should you stay up until 4am cramming? Or should you prepare for a few hours, get a good night’s sleep, and then return to it feeling refreshed the following day?

The second one.

But time and time again, entrepreneurs try to cram all at once. But when we pull an all-nighter, we actually forget about 50% of the stuff we want to remember because it never finds a place in our long-term memory. You need time to store information in your memory. 

So give your brain a chance to really encode all of that information. This is why scientists recommend something called the sleep sandwich…

Study

Sleep

Study some more 

Or 

Work

Sleep

Work some more

Like I said, I never sacrifice sleep. And whenever I have in the past, it just affected the work that I produced in a bad way. 

So STOP sacrificing sleep!

Hack #5: Try Doodling or Some Other Mixed Media Learning Modality

At your next kind of event or some time where you’re trying to learn – a conference, a webinar, a masterclass, or even a YouTube video – try doodling or sketching what you’re actually learning. 

And this is a practice that’s been used by some of the best-known thinkers and inventors of all time, like Albert Einstein, John F. Kennedy, Thomas Edison, Marie Curie and Henry Ford. 

It’s also super fun!

So when you blend styles together, you’ll activate different parts of your brain, allowing you to store more detailed sensory information and begin to understand concepts from different perspectives. 

Now, you can put this one into practice when you attend my FREE Masterclass – Discover the Business You’re Truly Meant to Build & How to Share It With the World. 

Give me just 60 minutes and you’ll discover your True North Business (the one you’re meant to build).

During our time together, I’ll share: 

• The 7 key criteria to identify the perfect niche for you… so you can make great money AND have the impact you desire
• The 3 questions you need to ask to help you zero in on what’s most important to you so you can design a high-impact, high-profit business you’ll love
• And why you may not have the businesses of your dreams right now and how to tune into what you really want…

Plus, much more! 

So, if you’re struggling to find your purpose or don’t feel 100% aligned with your business, go ahead and save your seat. 

Hack #6: Intellectual Hydration

This one is super easy, but it works. When you’re learning something new, staying hydrated can actually help you retain that knowledge. Because water keeps your brain functioning like it’s supposed to, enabling you to digest information, store new memories and solve more complex problems.

If you get tired of water, make it a cup of tea. Just be sure you’ve got something to drink handy at your next training, when you grab that new book or even when you’re listening to a podcast or watching a YouTube video. 

Hack #7: Musical Stress Relief

Studies show that music makes your mind more receptive to new information and improves your memory by engaging different areas of your brain.

The biggest advantage of listening to music, though, isn’t just kind of remembering more; it’s actually stress relief. 

So as busy entrepreneurs, we definitely need to relieve stress. And music has been shown to increase the overall feeling of relaxation. So you can perform at your best no matter what’s happening around you. So the next time you’re learning, take a break, put on some music, and maybe even get up and dance.

Hack #8: Practice in Pieces

So think about the last conference or event or webinar you attended. Did you leave with a bunch of notes, sit down at home and then try to read through all of them in one sitting? 

This is a common problem I see with so many entrepreneurs, and I get it. You want to just cram and get it done and be that overachiever. 

But when you do that, you actually end up overwhelmed and lost and not sure what to do next. And that’s because the human brain is not designed to store massive amounts of information at the same time. And this is why online courses that drop a ton of information on you all at once don’t work because your long-term memory is a lot slower than your short-term memory. 

So instead of spending all day going over your notes, break your notes into smaller chunks, and you’re going to end up retaining a whole lot more. 

Hack #9: Monitor Your Self-Talk

So if you’ve ever said I’m terrible at remembering names or something like that, you know you are having self-talk that’s going to affect you negatively. Because when you keep saying this, you’re actually programming your brain to believe this. 

And your mind is always eavesdropping on your self-talk. So if you really want to learn faster and remember more, you have to learn to monitor and regulate your negative self-talk. 

Because the biggest hack to learning faster and retaining more is shifting your beliefs about yourself and what you’re actually capable of.

Hack #10: Take the Hard Road

In today’s super fast-paced world, it’s like we’re always all looking for the next shortcut, whether that’s a shortcut for losing weight or retaining knowledge. 

But shortcuts don’t always mean you’re going to learn faster and retain more. In fact, they often can become this crutch that hinders your success. And taking the hard road when it comes to learning and retaining information is often a whole lot more efficient in the long run. 

Take traditional note-taking versus typing on your laptop.

Handwriting your notes takes longer and can seem less efficient, but they actually stick in your memory more than typing them. And you’d have to retype your notes again and again to have that same cognitive impact. 

So shortcuts don’t always help you, and often, it’s better to just take the hard road.

There you have it – 10 hacks I’ve learned from training my brain so I could learn faster and retain more! Let me know in a comment the hack you’re most excited to try.

Before you go…

Get Instant Access to my FREE Dopamine Button Guide!

Inside, you’ll discover 3 little-known brain hacks that skyrocket your course engagement & sales…

Here’s the thing: the “old way” of designing and launching courses just isn’t cutting it anymore.

If you want to attract students who buy and keep buying (not to mention send referrals your way!)…

You need to do things differently.

Enter the Dopamine Button — the super-secret button in your students’ brains that you can leverage to create incredible results for them AND repeat sales for you.

Download your copy today! 

The post 10 Powerful Hacks to Learn Faster & Retain More appeared first on Live Your Message.

This was the first time the professor was inviting paper submissions via email. (Yes, if you’re much younger than me, you used to have to turn your papers in by hand

So the due date hits and, out of desperation, I emailed in a blank word document. 

A week later, my professor sends me an email: Marisa, I got your paper, but it’s completely blank. And gave me a 2-week extension to get it done.

But what should have been a process that took me a week or two ended up taking me six weeks to complete. Because I wasn’t able to just focus and get something done. I’d get distracted, I’d get up, I would go walking… anything but write that paper.

And even when I did write the paper, I was so focused on getting all the words perfect, that I couldn’t just get into the zone and start writing. I would read and review and edit every word as I went… trying to make each word just right.

And that desire to be perfect stopped me from just moving forward. So I had to break my desire for perfection. And just keep going, not edit, get things done, get things out and know that having my work out in the world was way more important than getting everything perfect.

So while there are definitely daily habits that you should break, there are also simple daily habits, that if you do them every day, can compound over time and help you maintain success.

As best selling author John C. Maxwell says, You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. 

That’s why I want to share 10 daily simple habits that’ll get you into action in moving towards your biggest goals in life and business.

Keep reading or watch my video!

Habit #1: Establish a Morning Routine or Action You Do Every Day

Establishing a morning routine or even just one simple action you take as soon as you wake up will get you in the right mindset to work.

Ask yourself this: What is the one thing that’s going to help you snap into focus and get you ready for the day?

Some ideas are: meditation, exercise, taking a walk in nature or even just reading for 15-30 minutes.

Habit #2: Establish a Shutdown Routine

Establishing a shutdown routine at the end of your day will give you your mind space back and allow your brain the time to recharge.

It could be writing a list of anything you weren’t able to get done so it’s off your mental plate and onto the page. Maybe it’s opening a document to start writing into the very next day so you know there will be little to no resistance for you when you’re ready to go the next day.

Whatever you need to do to let go of the day and feel free to enjoy the rest of your evening.

Habit #3: Create a Shutdown Phrase

This habit is directly related to your shutdown routine.

At the end of your routine, you want to do something that feels like a ritual that you rinse and repeat every day so you know that this is the end of your workday.

And one of the best things to do is to create a shutdown phrase that you say every single day.

A shutdown phrase tells your brain you’re done with all work considerations for the day.

And you need to say it out loud.

It could be something silly like: Thank God I’m done. 

Or something more poetic, like this phrase in Spanish that I’ve always loved: Y Colorin Colorado Esta Cuento Ha Terminado.

Whatever it is, just say it every single day. That’s going to give your brain the cue that it’s got permission to shut off for the day.

Habit #4: Create Visual Cues or Reminders 

Don’t hide the things you want to focus on!

Create visual cues or reminders for what you want to do more of each day.

This visual cue could be laying out your workout clothes in plain view so you remember that daily workout. Or putting some healthy food or fruit on the counter. Or you’ve got your vitamins on the kitchen table instead of hidden away in the cabinet.

Because putting what you want to do more of right in front of your face reminds you: Hey, it’s time to take care of this right now.

So, bring the things you want to focus on into plain sight.

Habit #5: Take One Small Action to Grow Your Business Every Single Day 

Not taking action is one of the biggest things holding people back from really realizing the business they desire.

So decide to take action every day, no matter how small and even better, write that down, put it in your calendar, and remind yourself what that action is that you want to do.

Whether it’s the action you want to take that day or the action you want to take the next day… just write it down so you remember it.

Consider putting it in your calendar and crossing it off daily as you do it. Then, see how many days in a row you can hit!

Make it a game so you feel like you’re on a winning streak.

Not only will you make some strides in your business if you practice this, but you will have the confidence that comes from knowing that you’ve accomplished something each day.

Now, a few ideas…

• Film your first TikTok video
• Update your LinkedIn profile
• Reach out to a potential client or a friend you haven’t talked to in a while
• Check out some competitors’ blogs or YouTube channels and see what they’re up to

Any little action counts. Just do something every single day, no matter how small it is.

And one quick action you can take right now is to subscribe to our newsletter! I share only the best tips and advice to grow your business and help you ride the ups and downs of entrepreneurship and come out on top.

Subscribe here and I’ll send you a bunch of goodies!

Habit #6: Do Something Quick and Fulfilling Each Day to Give Yourself a Break 

Doing something quick and fulfilling will often help you get your creative juices flowing when you’re stuck. And some of my best ideas come out when I’m in nature. So every single day, my husband Murray and I go for a 40-minute walk.

You can put this action in your calendar each day as a reminder and let everyone know that you’re not available during those 30-60 minutes.

Habit #7: Practice Gratitude 

A daily gratitude practice can put you in the positive frame of mind you need, even when things get tough.

Just write down a few things you’re grateful for each day – even if they’re small – and put your list somewhere you can see as a reminder.

These don’t have to be big things. It can be the tiniest thing that you choose to be grateful for.

Because whatever it is that you’re focusing on, that’s what’s going to grow, that’s what’s going to expand, and if you focus on gratitude, you’re going to feel more grateful, happier and more capable of tackling the world.

Habit #8: Clean and Declutter Your Work Area Before You Shutdown

As they say… untidy desk, untidy mind.

So have everything that you need for the next day ready to go and get rid of the rest. Whether it’s coffee cups, scattered pieces of paper and notes, make sure you put all of this in a Google Doc or somewhere they don’t get lost. So when you sit down at your desk the next day, you are ready to go.

Habit #9: Read For At Least 10 Minutes a Day

So reading has long-lasting benefits, and it makes you a better writer. But so often as entrepreneurs, we neglect reading because we get so darn busy.

So just commit to reading for 10-20 minutes a day. Take the time that you spend mindlessly scrolling on the internet or on social media and read instead.

Habit #10: Go Outside of Your Comfort Zone

Try this for one month for 30 days and watch your confidence grow. Pretty soon, you’ll be super comfortable at your next networking event or filming your next video.

Pushing yourself just a little bit exercises your ability to handle rejection and can even open the doors to opportunities you wouldn’t otherwise have. It also helps you gain new skills quickly.

There you have it – 10 simple daily habits to start today! Try doing just 1-2 of these every day for 30 days and track how you feel and the progress you’re making in your business and in your life.

Let me know in the comments a simple daily habit that’s positively impacted your life and business!

Before you go…

Get Instant Access to my FREE Dopamine Button Guide!

Inside, you’ll discover 3 little-known brain hacks that skyrocket your course engagement & sales…

Here’s the thing: the “old way” of designing and launching courses just isn’t cutting it anymore.

If you want to attract students who buy and keep buying (not to mention send referrals your way!)…

You need to do things differently.

Enter the Dopamine Button — the super-secret button in your students’ brains that you can leverage to create incredible results for them AND repeat sales for you.

Download your copy today! 

The post 10 Simple Daily Habits to Improve Your Life (& Business) Effortlessly appeared first on Live Your Message.

Last year, I was at the point where I was ready to give up on my business after 11 years in.

I looked forward in my calendar and could see everything I would be doing each month of each year for three years into the future. I felt like I was trapped on this golden hamster wheel. I had to keep just working and working and working just to keep the thing spinning.

And that’s not really why I wanted to go into business in the first place. I went into business because I like to help people. I like to create things. I like to love what it is that I’m doing.

But something happened that shifted everything.

I got an offer to buy Live Your Message, and I seriously considered this offer because I was so tired. I was ready for an out.

But I talked to Eben Pagan, JJ Virgin, John Assaraf and Roland Frasier – 5 friends who had all sold their companies.

I asked them, What do you think? Should I sell? Or should I double down?

They all said, Marisa, you’ve built something great. And you’re so close to taking it to the next level; now is the time to double down. 

And once I made that choice, I recommitted to what I was building and how great it could be. And it helped me see beyond my fatigue, beyond what felt like a routine and get excited about what I was doing all over again.

Because the truth is that as an entrepreneur, you get to create your own reality, choose how you feel every day, do what you want to do and create the impact you desire.

And that’s why in this post, I wanted to give you some success tips and signs that you are on the right track in 2023… and beyond.

Because, far too often, as entrepreneurs, we fail to notice the signs right in front of our faces. So, I hope these 6 signs hit you at just the perfect moment!

Sign #1: You Treat Your Business Like a Game

The first sign is that you treat your business like a game (now, you may be thinking, WHAT are you even talking about, Marisa? Business is serious business).

Let me explain.

What I mean by this is that you stop taking everything so seriously and you realize that you get to have fun in your business… woohoo!

And when you let fun in, you’ll open up your creativity as you realize that even though business is serious and can be serious, it doesn’t have to feel serious. 

And when you bring your fun, your play and your creativity, then people can tell that you’re enjoying yourself and will want to follow you and buy from you.

You’ll wake up every day with a renewed sense of confidence and excitement about what you get to do.

Sign #2: You Stop Dreaming and Start Doing

There’s a famous quote by Thomas Edison, I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that will not work.

And that willingness to get up every day and try something new, even if you fail, is the mark of a successful entrepreneur.

It’s the failure that leads you to the success and it’s the action that leads you to the breakthrough. 

So you have to commit fully and take action to move forward and not worry about perfection because it’s all about iterating your way to awesome. That’s where you take imperfect action… you learn and grow… and maybe even fail. And from there, the real breakthroughs occur.

So commit to taking action every day to grow your business, even if it’s something small.

And you can start right now by joining over 60,000 entrepreneurs & getting my best tips and trainings delivered to your inbox weekly.

Sign #3: You Spend Most of Your Time Working on Your Business in Deep Work

You can’t make consistent progress if you’re spending too much time in the weeds of all the day-to-day, shallow work. And when you’re constantly checking slack, email and social media, you’re pulling your attention away from what you need to be doing to grow your business.

That’s why you have to set aside blocks of time each week, maybe even a whole week, every month to reduce distractions and produce your very best work.

You also have to learn how to delegate and let go of the day-to-day tasks, the administrative tasks or even the household tasks that have you focusing on things that don’t really matter and don’t bring out your best.

Because when you move from shallow work to deep work, you’ll start producing the best stuff of your life. 

Highly recommend you pick up a copy of Deep Work by Cal Newport (it changed my life!).

Sign #4: You Stop Chasing Every Single Shiny Object & New Strategy

Far too many entrepreneurs are chasing the next big thing, like a new social media channel, technology or tool like ChatGPT.

Now, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t use those things… they can have a really positive impact on your business.

But I am saying that successful entrepreneurs don’t get bogged down by every new thing. Instead, they focus on simple and time-proven business models and strategies that have worked forever.

Sign #5: You Stop Worrying About Being Judged

Here’s the thing: As your business grows, you will be judged online, even by your friends and family. And this can make you want to stop. But don’t. Keep going because you must develop a thick skin to succeed.

You may even need to drop some people who are not supportive of your journey.

Just keep putting yourself out there and sharing value with the audience who needs it. You’re going to get way more positive feedback than negative.

So don’t let a few doubters stop you from really doing your big work in the world. Instead, focus on the positive and the things that are going well and leave the judging to others. 

Sign #6: You Stop Believing That Your Success is Entirely Up to You

And, finally, you’ll succeed as an entrepreneur in 2023 when you stop believing your success is entirely up to you.

Because you need to build a support system to allow you to go farther than you’ve ever been able to go on your own.

And ideally, there are 6 very specific levels of support that you need…

Your inner core of family and friends who are supportive of your journey.

But that can only take you so far… because you also need support from other people on this aligned journey with you… people who are already in action around their mission, vision and goals.

Because as Brendon Burchard says, “There are only 2 ways to change your life: either something new comes out of you or someone new comes into your life.”

And often, it’s someone new coming into your life that inspires something new to come out of you.

Now, in addition to that, you need accountability support. This is someone who helps YOU stay in focused action around your mission, vision and goals. Because a lot of times, when we are accountable to someone other than ourselves, we’re way more likely to make forward progress and keep going.

Next, you want learning support. Where will you learn the best new strategies and techniques to grow your business and do the things you want to do? Think of group coaching programs, business-growth events (like Live Your Message LIVE ONLINE) and yearlong masterminds.

And then, once you reach a certain level, you’ll start to bump up against your own capacity. This is why you need a 5th layer of support: a team that helps you build your business every day. 

Finally, you need personal support. How do you care for yourself, body, mind and soul so you can keep producing and doing what you’re here to do at the highest possible level?

And on that note, I’m here to support you in your entrepreneurial journey… because I know how to navigate the ups and downs and come up on top!

Before you go…

Get Instant Access to my FREE Dopamine Button Guide!

Inside, you’ll discover 3 little-known brain hacks that skyrocket your course engagement & sales…

Here’s the thing: the “old way” of designing and launching courses just isn’t cutting it anymore.

If you want to attract students who buy and keep buying (not to mention send referrals your way!)…

You need to do things differently.

Enter the Dopamine Button — the super-secret button in your students’ brains that you can leverage to create incredible results for them AND repeat sales for you.

Download your copy today! 

The post 6 Signs You’ll Succeed as an Entrepreneur in 2023 appeared first on Live Your Message.