“Every decision you make affects someone very special: your future self”

You’ve never met this person, but they are carrying the torch of your dreams. Life is hard for them too except their further along the timeline of life than you. Have you ever wondered what the future you will be like?

It’s something worth contemplating through deep and inward thinking.

When you give up on your dreams and quit, you’re not just hurting you right now, you’re killing the future you as well. That future you is bound by the decisions that you make today. One day you will become that future you and wish you could change that decision to quit. By then, it’s too late to change the past. There ain’t no rewind button on life.

Do you really need to quit?

I know you think it’s impossible and your only option is to quit, but that’s because you’ve reached your breaking point. I’ve been there too. I’ve reached a level of failure that has become insurmountable. I too have felt like I couldn’t go on and life had no meaning.

All of your emotional states, at times, can get like this. We’re human after all and don’t you forget that. We live in a flawed body, but that’s why humans are so beautiful in the first place. You don’t need to quit right now; there’s always another way.

The best thing to do when you want to quit

This is going to sound cliché: take a break and get out of your head for a few weeks. Go somewhere far, far away and contemplate the meaning of your life and why you’re still here. I say this because your life is a choice. You can decide to end your life at any point, but you haven’t.

You’re not a coward and you’d never do that. You have courage and you’re here for a reason.

Quitting may be the best option

Sometimes quitting is a good thing. Sometimes you have too many things on the go and when you quit, you free up time to focus on something that means more to you. My only plea is that you think about your future self when you quit. Think about whether your future self will be affected and whether you’ll be happy with the result.

There are no absolutes in life, only decisions that you make which are guided by your heart. There is no one answer. No one’s right and no one’s wrong. Our circumstances and how we think about them, more importantly, determine the meaning we give to any situation.

Who do you want your future self to be?

As you imagine your future self, what is he or she doing? Can you picture where they are? When I asked this question, I got an instant response which reaffirmed what I do today. I instantly saw myself on stage giving speeches to thousands of people.

I saw myself as the person that helps find people’s why and motivates them towards their dreams. I saw myself with a family and writing a best selling book. Strangely enough, I saw my future self as I always have: doing something inspiring to help others. I saw myself unleashing emotion in others to help them push through their limiting beliefs.

Now that you know your future self, how can you help them today?

So we’ve done a bit of visualizing in this article already. It’s a powerful way to see what you can become when you don’t quit. It’s a great way to fall in love with the person that you can create in the future by using the power of today’s decisions.

“I think we all need to become dreamers every now and then. If we don’t, we get stuck in today, and in our head full of possibilities”

If I had one tip when it comes to dreaming up the future, it would be this: try and see your future better than it is. Be outrageous and think of possibilities that today would scare you. You’ll be surprised how what you dream up today can become a reality.

I remember suffering from anxiety and trying to dream what it would be like to be rid of it. I remember being scared of flying and always wanting to travel. I remember having never found love and wondering what that would be like. I remember not being able to get in front of lots of people and do any form of public speaking. I remember being too scared to be vulnerable and share the real me.

Now, I’ve completely eliminated my anxiety, I can fly whenever I want with no issues, I have experienced real love, I am on my way to successfully being able to speak in front of larger audiences, and I’m happy to be vulnerable and share my story with everybody. That’s what can happen when you treat your future self with respect.

So now what?

Now I want you to do the hard part: take action. Follow the steps above and have some fun. Leave the present for the moment and get to know who you want your future self to be. Your future self is you after all, so you need to treat them like a king or queen.

Write a list of decisions you need to make in order to create the best future you that’s humanly possible. Like I always say, “Don’t be afraid to have big, audacious, crazy dreams.” If you can’t dream it, then you can never achieve it. Remember that next time someone tells you that dreams are BS.

If you want to increase your productivity and learn some more valuable life hacks, then join my private mailing list on timdenning.net

For the record: followers mean jack, attention is king.

With that said, all of us (including me) started with zero followers. You’re not alone. Whatever your big idea is you are probably going to need people to know about it. The sad truth is that it’s now done via social media.

You’ll need a combination of shares, likes, views, recommends or whatever other form of measurement these crazy social media platforms decide to implement. These metrics equal attention and that’s how people are going to know about what it is that you do.

Let’s not pretend that social media is useless. That would be naïve.

In this bustling, new age world, everyone owns content now. Anyone can go viral and anyone can be heard. Some find this reality a sad fact, but then these same people find something to cry about no matter what so ignore them.

The journey from zero followers to thousands and even millions looks like this:

1. We all started somewhere

Quit your complaining we’ve all started at zero followers at some point. Starting with nothing and then building your community up is an amazing feeling. Embrace the journey of creating a following.

The game of comparing follower counts with others will distract you from creating content and force you into consumption mode. Then you’ll over consume and regurgitate all over yourself. Yuck!

2. Stop trying to game the system

You can’t buy followers and not have people notice. We can all scan your follower list and see that you cheated. More importantly, the number of followers doesn’t matter.

3. Engagement is everything

Ever seen a social media account with millions of followers and one or two likes/comments per post? That’s because the followers were paid for or tricked into liking the page. I’m going to say it again; the number of followers doesn’t matter.

What matters – if you are creating a community or awareness – is engagement and whether people care about what you’re posting. This can’t be gamed. People will only interact if you are doing and saying stuff that is of value. How do you do that? See the next point.

4. It’s not about you and your ego

That’s right. I don’t care, nor does anyone else, about what you had for lunch or who you met at the basketball. What we all care about is what’s in it for me buster?

If you answer that question and do so regularly, people will follow and engage you. That’s how you go from zero followers to millions.

5. It takes a while

Zero to a million followers takes times. Like interest on your bank account, your results will compound once you cross the tipping point.

What’s the tipping point?

It’s the point at which you have nailed the following:

– Your message to the world is clear
– It’s consistent (ideally daily)
– It’s unique (not better but different)
– It’s not about you and your ugly ego
– You give more than you ask for (Jab Jab Jab Right Hook)

When you do those things, your follower count and engagement will regularly start to increase.

6. You need a breakout moment

The way you do that is my channeling all of your energy and emotion into every piece of content you create. If you do this for long enough, then you’ll eventually have a standout moment. That’s a moment where the world listens and you go viral. It takes time though. You could be waiting five years young Power Ranger.

7. Followers like to follow stories

Don’t throw boring stats and pictures at your followers all day, every day. It should come as no surprise that social media works best with stories. The best stories I’ve found are personal stories. Rather than produce content that feeds your ego, put yourself into every story you tell.

8. Tell stories that inspire

There are hundreds of types of stories. If I were to encourage you to do one type and one type only it would be to tell inspiring stories. Stories that inspire people to take action, think differently or be emotional about something.

9. Say it quickly now!

A story is great but people have a low attention span. This means you’ve got to be able to communicate succinctly. There is a lot of waffle on the Internet. The way to stand out is to plan what you are going to say and cut out the filler. People will love you if they can get value from you and have it delivered in a brief manner. I get this compliment in the form of feedback all the time and I love it.

10. There is no one big break

If I look at my online success, there is no one single moment. Going from zero followers and beyond is made up of a whole lot of factors which you’ll never quite work out. What I can tell you though is that all those factors require you to show up.

“Each day you have to show up with something of value to say”

11. It doesn’t need to be new necessarily

People think you have to say something new every day. You don’t. Sometimes it’s about saying something in a slightly different way. Sometimes it’s taking a popular idea and saying it in a better way. For me, it’s often about taking something that already exists and saying it in my way, with my story attached.

“Saying something new doesn’t create followers; saying something different does”

12. Find your channel

Everyone’s channel for creating followers is different. Try them all and see which one resonates the best for your niche. Facebook doesn’t really work for me, but Medium and LinkedIn are phenomenal. I would have never known this if I didn’t try them. Experiment like you’re playing with play-doh.

13. Quit being romantic

Don’t wait until you have tons of followers to get started. Be the same as you are with zero followers, as you are with a million followers. Being romantic about social media doesn’t work. When I say romantic, it’s kind of the same as saying being precious.

You think you need influence right now. You don’t. You think you need money and lots of it. You don’t. You think you’ll try harder when you’re like Gary Vaynerchuk. You won’t.

So now do you understand that we all start with zero followers and that’s cool bananas?

If you want to increase your productivity and learn some more valuable life hacks, then join my private mailing list on timdenning.net

I am honored to be here to deliver this message to you. Everyone needs it including your successful friends. We all have tough days which make us unhappy. The road is long and torturous for all of us.

You can’t let that deter you from your goal. Unhappiness is all around us and it will take over if you let it. It’s around every corner, there, smiling at you every time you fail.

Your default belief when the odds are against you is what will keep you moving forward. If you always see the best of every situation then unhappiness won’t win….you will. Trust the mission and trust yourself.

Have faith that you are here for a reason even if you don’t know why just yet. Not all the answers are known to us right now, but over the course of your life, they will be revealed. Like a surprise birthday party, you will be wowed. Even when the surprise is not what you wanted, don’t be unhappy. Unhappy is not in your vocabulary.

Let the hairs on the back of your neck stand tall. Let your body stand tall at the same time and feel the power that hides within all of us. Only you can unlock that power and crush unhappiness to pieces.

The word “unhappy” can be removed from your vocabulary.

Every time you are faced with a situation that doesn’t make you feel good, you can choose to see it as a positive. You are in control of what happens day to day.

I don’t just give this advice lightly. I too, have had to deal with this same challenge that you also deal with. Unhappiness is part of the human experience and we get to decide whether we feel it. While we can’t control what happens to us, we can control how it makes us feel.

This super power only comes with practice and discipline. It’s not our default way of living and it’s tough to master. Then again, what is there in life that’s worth achieving that isn’t hard work huh?

Travel the world and see new places.

Bring a fresh perspective to your life when you feel like unhappiness may be winning. Start by getting away from the source or changing your surroundings. If all of these YouTube weight loss transformations are true then determination is what you are lacking.

How bad do you want to be happy and stop being unhappy? You can get the results you want faster when you deal with your own situation and decide to help others with their journey at the same time. This is possible because once you take the focus off yourself things start to change.

Doors that were always closed start to become open. People you only dreamed of spending time with come into your life and give you the added support that all champions have.

You’re only unhappy because you tell yourself you are.

This victim mentality that you’ve adopted is what is at the source of your unhappiness. Take the word away and replace it with a word that inspires you. Tell yourself stories of your potential and what you can achieve and you’ll begin to rewrite the story of your life.

Every time I feel like I could use the victim word called “unhappy,” I think of all the work I do to serve others with my blogging. I think of the inspiration that is inside of me which I deliver week in week out without fail. It’s not some passing habit because I’ve done it now for three years.

I’m never giving up this mission even if it kills me. Reread those words again because I believe you can think the same way. I’m not special and have the same capacity you do.

Keep asking the question.

The answer will come to you if you ask enough times. Unhappiness can come out of not knowing what the meaning of your life is. There is a meaning, though, it’s just that you haven’t put the work in to find it. It’s easier to distract yourself with food, friends, social media or some other vice than it is to keep asking the tough questions.

The tough questions bring out emotion and it’s this emotion that will change your life. Emotion is what drives you to make the hard decisions that most avoid.

“Don’t be afraid to harness your emotions to drive you towards the answer to your one and only question: why am I here?”

When you know why you’re here the unhappiness feeling starts to fade. It’s difficult to explain but very common in the biographies of champions.

Are you a champion?

I think we all are deep down inside. Surfacing that inner champion is where the games at.

“Champions can’t be unhappy because they’ve removed the word from their vocabulary”

Their focus is on their mission and this takes them away from any sense of loss. Everything is abundant and all resources are available to the champion that seeks them. Practice being the champion and forget about being the unhappy victim. Label challenging situations with a word that is *not* unhappy.

Pick empowering words. Change your vocabulary. The words you use to describe your life will make more of a difference than you realize. Adopting that label of a champion first begins with adopting the vocabulary of one.

You’re strong.
You won’t be defeated.
You are happy.
You are determined.
You are unique.

You are not unhappy.

———————————————————————————————————————————

If you want to increase your productivity and learn some more valuable life hacks, then join my private mailing list on timdenning.net

It’s time to put more hooty in your booty. Cancel drinks on Friday night. Forget about your hair coloring appointment with Vince on Saturday.

Your ridiculous excuses for everything in your life are literally killing your success. You have a goal, but you may not be achieving it. Here are some of the excuses I gave myself last week which stopped me from blogging:

• I need to socialize because I’ve worked hard this week
• I need to go on a holiday because it’s been a while
• I need to go on a date because I’m single and yet to find love

Thoughts like these stop us from getting on with the job. We have this mindset that we’ll get to our goal when we have time. The truth is there is always another distraction to replace the previous one. Your excuses are what you use to justify your lack of success.

So let me spell it out for you:

You are the reason you’ve not achieved your goals or the level of success you want. It’s your fault: no one else’s. It’s all bloody you!

Stop blaming and start hustling!

Stop delaying and start on your dream right now!

Stop the need for instant gratification and short-term pleasure and start playing the long game!

I think this post is going to have a lot of exclamation marks, so I apologize in advance. The advice I serve up rarely comes with a bowl of chocolate moose on the side. It’s not what you want to hear, but it’s what you must hear. Actually, it’s too late to apologize (I think there’s a pop song that has those lyrics…Google that).

Here are the dumb excuses you must give up:

1. “I need experience first”

Did Steve Jobs have experience at making computers? Did Mark Zuckerberg study social media for years before starting Facebook? Did JK Rowling have experience publishing books before she wrote Harry Potter? The answer to all of these is no.

Go for hustle and hard work before thinking that you have to experience. Have a go with no experience and you’ll quickly figure out the skills required to be successful. The recruitment world has made us believe the lie that we have to have experience. Half the time the people with experience are the ones who refuse to innovate and think differently.

They’re the ones who want to do things the way they have always been done because their experience tells them to. It feels so safe to maintain the status quo. Guess what? The status quo is what’s holding back the human race from going all out and solving some of the issues like climate change, poverty, disease and safe access to water.

“Grab your “safe” experience nappy and throw it in the bin!”

2. “Someday I will be successful”

And someday never comes. You sit there dreaming of what could happen and what you could do rather than getting started. Your life will pass you by unless you decide that you will live in the present. You need to be successful in the present and be okay with the failure that comes with success.

Someday I’m going to be the next Mark Zuckerberg, but for now, I’m going to concentrate on being Tim Denning! That means I need to wake up from last night’s dream and start: writing, making calls and finding resources to share that will inspire.

3. “Someday I will find love”

Despite what the romance novels tell you, you have to take deliberate action to find “the one.” Chance encounters may happen, but you could be waiting a very long time. Don’t use karma or star signs to help you find love; use action.

Ask someone out even though they may say no. Join a dating app. Be more social. Put yourself in difficult situations like public speaking. That’s how you increase the chance of finding love.

“Sitting at home dreaming about “THE ONE” is going to give you a wet dream that leads to nothing”

4. “Someday I’ll tell that person what I think”

And you could get hit by a car tomorrow. How would you feel if you never got to say that one thing to that special person? What if you died and never got to share all your experience and feelings for those you love?

I’ll answer it for you. You’d be devastated. So why wait? You’ll be surprised that if you’re holding back from telling someone what you think it’s because of fear. Feel the fear and tell them what you think anyway. The worst that can happen is they stop talking to you and then you’re left with billions of other human beings to spend time with.

5. “Someday I’ll be happy”

It’s so much more awesome when you can make the decision to be happy right now. All you need is your brain to believe this. There’s so much to be happy with in your life. Stop focusing on what you don’t have and think about what you already have.

Use things like holidays to make you happy in advance of a dream moment. Set goals in the future and then imagine what it’s going to be like when you achieve them. That’s how you get more happiness right now and give up on this excuse which is holding you back.

6. “Someday I’ll get started”

Could you take the first small step now? Is there a phone call you could make right now? What I’ve learned is that when you make the first small step towards your goals, it becomes addictive. Often, you don’t even need to motivate yourself once you get started.

It’s the not getting started part that is what you need to give up.

7. “Once I finish X task, I’ll then start on my goals”

Another task always magically pops up. You have to prioritize what it is that you want. If you want to be a world famous long distance runner, then it’s time to get down to the track. It may be the case that the reason why you keep having distractions get in your way is because you don’t really want the goal you think you’ve always wanted.

A goal can sound nice when we see other people achieve them and get the results, but when we try the same goal, often the process can be boring, unfulfilling, or not what we want. That’s okay. Rather than torture ourselves for the lack of progress we have made towards our goal, we’re best off giving up on that particular goal and finding one that we can achieve.

Not every goal you set out to achieve needs to happen. As long as you find at least one goal that inspires you and makes you happy, then you’ve done well.

8. “Just one more drink and then I’ll get going”

One more drink always becomes another one and another one and so on. Learn to be disciplined and control your drinking.

9. “I don’t have enough money”

So what is enough money? Is there some mysterious amount you have in your bank account that all of a sudden means you can now go out and start work on your goal? Of course not. This idea is total BS. Lack of money can often be one of the biggest motivators. Not having money makes you hungry and makes you want to work hard towards your goals.

As soon as you reach the amount of money you think you need, your target seems to change and all of a sudden you need a new amount of money. This creates an endless line up of excuses that leave you trapped in a vortex.

I knew a guy that had a startup and raised a large sum of money. He took out $1m from the business to buy a house and then all of a sudden he was comfortable. He was no longer uncomfortable and so the success of his business took a backseat.

That business is now hemorrhaging because the hunger and drive have disappeared. You’ll never have enough money so forget about this lame excuse.

10. “The economy is not in good shape”

If you listen to the news, then we are always one step away from disastrous financial times. Thankfully I have also given up on the news. It’s never a good time to do anything. The economy being in bad shape can be a great thing!

Some of the best businesses were started in the worst economic times. When the economy goes bad people sell things for bargain discount prices. The leaders of industry lose their way and can make dumb decisions. While all this disaster is going on, you get the chance at a lucky break.

While everyone’s fighting over the economy and lack of money, you can start your business or take your business to the next level.

“Think of the economy being down as the world’s best distraction. It’s all a matter of perspective”

11. “My partner doesn’t agree with my dream”

Dump he or she and find a new one. That may be what’s been holding you back all of this time. If your partner loves you, then they’ll support you with your goals. Splitting with someone is hard, but so is life. You’ve got to do what feels right and allows you to reach your full potential.

12. “I need a degree first”

Hate to break it to you, but companies are starting to take less notice of degrees more and more, except certain industries like law and medicine. The truth is any of us can go to university, delay the payment and get the piece of paper.

That piece of paper entitles you to absolutely nothing. Go there to learn, but don’t use it as an excuse to why you can’t go after your goals. Most things can be learned online, so university is a luxury for many people.

13. “I’m overweight”

Thanks to modern medicine it’s very easy to lose weight now. Do a fast, go to the gym, eat clean food and most of all: get into action mode. There are still loads of successful people that are overweight so it’s not the end of the world. Again, it’s up to you to take action.

Looks is not everything in life. We’ve been conditioned to think that if we don’t look like all the Instagram models, then we won’t be happy. The thing is that the Instagram models are the ones that are the most unhappy.

They’re chasing a body type that for many is impossible to achieve. Still, losing weight will give you more energy so try it.

14. “I feel tired”

What did you eat the night before? How much did you drink? You’re tired because of your own actions. Get some sleep, take care of your body and you’ll have loads of energy. Being tired is not an excuse. Being tired is for losers!

15. “I just don’t have the time right now”

If Richard Branson knocked on your door and said, “Hey come to my house I want to hang out with you,” would you say no? No freaking way man. So you always have time it just comes down to how important your goals really are.

You can make time for anything that has meaning in your life. Guess what? We all have limited amounts of time. It’s the one currency that we all have equal amounts of every day. The only thing we don’t know is when we’ll die, so that’s why you’ve got to give up these dumb excuses amigo!s

If you want to increase your productivity and learn some more valuable life hacks, then join my private mailing list on timdenning.net

“Every decision you make affects someone very special: your future self”

You’ve never met this person, but they are carrying the torch of your dreams. Life is hard for them too except their further along the timeline of life than you. Have you ever wondered what the future you will be like?

It’s something worth contemplating through deep and inward thinking.

When you give up on your dreams and quit, you’re not just hurting you right now, you’re killing the future you as well. That future you is bound by the decisions that you make today. One day you will become that future you and wish you could change that decision to quit. By then, it’s too late to change the past. There ain’t no rewind button on life.

Do you really need to quit?

I know you think it’s impossible and your only option is to quit, but that’s because you’ve reached your breaking point. I’ve been there too. I’ve reached a level of failure that has become insurmountable. I too have felt like I couldn’t go on and life had no meaning.

All of your emotional states, at times, can get like this. We’re human after all and don’t you forget that. We live in a flawed body, but that’s why humans are so beautiful in the first place. You don’t need to quit right now; there’s always another way.

The best thing to do when you want to quit

This is going to sound cliché: take a break and get out of your head for a few weeks. Go somewhere far, far away and contemplate the meaning of your life and why you’re still here. I say this because your life is a choice. You can decide to end your life at any point, but you haven’t.

You’re not a coward and you’d never do that. You have courage and you’re here for a reason.

Quitting may be the best option

Sometimes quitting is a good thing. Sometimes you have too many things on the go and when you quit, you free up time to focus on something that means more to you. My only plea is that you think about your future self when you quit. Think about whether your future self will be affected and whether you’ll be happy with the result.

There are no absolutes in life, only decisions that you make which are guided by your heart. There is no one answer. No one’s right and no one’s wrong. Our circumstances and how we think about them, more importantly, determine the meaning we give to any situation.

Who do you want your future self to be?

As you imagine your future self, what is he or she doing? Can you picture where they are? When I asked this question, I got an instant response which reaffirmed what I do today. I instantly saw myself on stage giving speeches to thousands of people.

I saw myself as the person that helps find people’s why and motivates them towards their dreams. I saw myself with a family and writing a best selling book. Strangely enough, I saw my future self as I always have: doing something inspiring to help others. I saw myself unleashing emotion in others to help them push through their limiting beliefs.

Now that you know your future self, how can you help them today?

So we’ve done a bit of visualizing in this article already. It’s a powerful way to see what you can become when you don’t quit. It’s a great way to fall in love with the person that you can create in the future by using the power of today’s decisions.

“I think we all need to become dreamers every now and then. If we don’t, we get stuck in today, and in our head full of possibilities”

If I had one tip when it comes to dreaming up the future, it would be this: try and see your future better than it is. Be outrageous and think of possibilities that today would scare you. You’ll be surprised how what you dream up today can become a reality.

I remember suffering from anxiety and trying to dream what it would be like to be rid of it. I remember being scared of flying and always wanting to travel. I remember having never found love and wondering what that would be like. I remember not being able to get in front of lots of people and do any form of public speaking. I remember being too scared to be vulnerable and share the real me.

Now, I’ve completely eliminated my anxiety, I can fly whenever I want with no issues, I have experienced real love, I am on my way to successfully being able to speak in front of larger audiences, and I’m happy to be vulnerable and share my story with everybody. That’s what can happen when you treat your future self with respect.

So now what?

Now I want you to do the hard part: take action. Follow the steps above and have some fun. Leave the present for the moment and get to know who you want your future self to be. Your future self is you after all, so you need to treat them like a king or queen.

Write a list of decisions you need to make in order to create the best future you that’s humanly possible. Like I always say, “Don’t be afraid to have big, audacious, crazy dreams.” If you can’t dream it, then you can never achieve it. Remember that next time someone tells you that dreams are BS.

If you want to increase your productivity and learn some more valuable life hacks, then join my private mailing list on timdenning.net

For the record: followers mean jack, attention is king.

With that said, all of us (including me) started with zero followers. You’re not alone. Whatever your big idea is you are probably going to need people to know about it. The sad truth is that it’s now done via social media.

You’ll need a combination of shares, likes, views, recommends or whatever other form of measurement these crazy social media platforms decide to implement. These metrics equal attention and that’s how people are going to know about what it is that you do.

Let’s not pretend that social media is useless. That would be naïve.

In this bustling, new age world, everyone owns content now. Anyone can go viral and anyone can be heard. Some find this reality a sad fact, but then these same people find something to cry about no matter what so ignore them.

The journey from zero followers to thousands and even millions looks like this:

1. We all started somewhere

Quit your complaining we’ve all started at zero followers at some point. Starting with nothing and then building your community up is an amazing feeling. Embrace the journey of creating a following.

The game of comparing follower counts with others will distract you from creating content and force you into consumption mode. Then you’ll over consume and regurgitate all over yourself. Yuck!

2. Stop trying to game the system

You can’t buy followers and not have people notice. We can all scan your follower list and see that you cheated. More importantly, the number of followers doesn’t matter.

3. Engagement is everything

Ever seen a social media account with millions of followers and one or two likes/comments per post? That’s because the followers were paid for or tricked into liking the page. I’m going to say it again; the number of followers doesn’t matter.

What matters – if you are creating a community or awareness – is engagement and whether people care about what you’re posting. This can’t be gamed. People will only interact if you are doing and saying stuff that is of value. How do you do that? See the next point.

4. It’s not about you and your ego

That’s right. I don’t care, nor does anyone else, about what you had for lunch or who you met at the basketball. What we all care about is what’s in it for me buster?

If you answer that question and do so regularly, people will follow and engage you. That’s how you go from zero followers to millions.

5. It takes a while

Zero to a million followers takes times. Like interest on your bank account, your results will compound once you cross the tipping point.

What’s the tipping point?

It’s the point at which you have nailed the following:

– Your message to the world is clear
– It’s consistent (ideally daily)
– It’s unique (not better but different)
– It’s not about you and your ugly ego
– You give more than you ask for (Jab Jab Jab Right Hook)

When you do those things, your follower count and engagement will regularly start to increase.

6. You need a breakout moment

The way you do that is my channeling all of your energy and emotion into every piece of content you create. If you do this for long enough, then you’ll eventually have a standout moment. That’s a moment where the world listens and you go viral. It takes time though. You could be waiting five years young Power Ranger.

7. Followers like to follow stories

Don’t throw boring stats and pictures at your followers all day, every day. It should come as no surprise that social media works best with stories. The best stories I’ve found are personal stories. Rather than produce content that feeds your ego, put yourself into every story you tell.

8. Tell stories that inspire

There are hundreds of types of stories. If I were to encourage you to do one type and one type only it would be to tell inspiring stories. Stories that inspire people to take action, think differently or be emotional about something.

9. Say it quickly now!

A story is great but people have a low attention span. This means you’ve got to be able to communicate succinctly. There is a lot of waffle on the Internet. The way to stand out is to plan what you are going to say and cut out the filler. People will love you if they can get value from you and have it delivered in a brief manner. I get this compliment in the form of feedback all the time and I love it.

10. There is no one big break

If I look at my online success, there is no one single moment. Going from zero followers and beyond is made up of a whole lot of factors which you’ll never quite work out. What I can tell you though is that all those factors require you to show up.

“Each day you have to show up with something of value to say”

11. It doesn’t need to be new necessarily

People think you have to say something new every day. You don’t. Sometimes it’s about saying something in a slightly different way. Sometimes it’s taking a popular idea and saying it in a better way. For me, it’s often about taking something that already exists and saying it in my way, with my story attached.

“Saying something new doesn’t create followers; saying something different does”

12. Find your channel

Everyone’s channel for creating followers is different. Try them all and see which one resonates the best for your niche. Facebook doesn’t really work for me, but Medium and LinkedIn are phenomenal. I would have never known this if I didn’t try them. Experiment like you’re playing with play-doh.

13. Quit being romantic

Don’t wait until you have tons of followers to get started. Be the same as you are with zero followers, as you are with a million followers. Being romantic about social media doesn’t work. When I say romantic, it’s kind of the same as saying being precious.

You think you need influence right now. You don’t. You think you need money and lots of it. You don’t. You think you’ll try harder when you’re like Gary Vaynerchuk. You won’t.

So now do you understand that we all start with zero followers and that’s cool bananas?

If you want to increase your productivity and learn some more valuable life hacks, then join my private mailing list on timdenning.net

I am honored to be here to deliver this message to you. Everyone needs it including your successful friends. We all have tough days which make us unhappy. The road is long and torturous for all of us.

You can’t let that deter you from your goal. Unhappiness is all around us and it will take over if you let it. It’s around every corner, there, smiling at you every time you fail.

Your default belief when the odds are against you is what will keep you moving forward. If you always see the best of every situation then unhappiness won’t win….you will. Trust the mission and trust yourself.

Have faith that you are here for a reason even if you don’t know why just yet. Not all the answers are known to us right now, but over the course of your life, they will be revealed. Like a surprise birthday party, you will be wowed. Even when the surprise is not what you wanted, don’t be unhappy. Unhappy is not in your vocabulary.

Let the hairs on the back of your neck stand tall. Let your body stand tall at the same time and feel the power that hides within all of us. Only you can unlock that power and crush unhappiness to pieces.

The word “unhappy” can be removed from your vocabulary.

Every time you are faced with a situation that doesn’t make you feel good, you can choose to see it as a positive. You are in control of what happens day to day.

I don’t just give this advice lightly. I too, have had to deal with this same challenge that you also deal with. Unhappiness is part of the human experience and we get to decide whether we feel it. While we can’t control what happens to us, we can control how it makes us feel.

This super power only comes with practice and discipline. It’s not our default way of living and it’s tough to master. Then again, what is there in life that’s worth achieving that isn’t hard work huh?

Travel the world and see new places.

Bring a fresh perspective to your life when you feel like unhappiness may be winning. Start by getting away from the source or changing your surroundings. If all of these YouTube weight loss transformations are true then determination is what you are lacking.

How bad do you want to be happy and stop being unhappy? You can get the results you want faster when you deal with your own situation and decide to help others with their journey at the same time. This is possible because once you take the focus off yourself things start to change.

Doors that were always closed start to become open. People you only dreamed of spending time with come into your life and give you the added support that all champions have.

You’re only unhappy because you tell yourself you are.

This victim mentality that you’ve adopted is what is at the source of your unhappiness. Take the word away and replace it with a word that inspires you. Tell yourself stories of your potential and what you can achieve and you’ll begin to rewrite the story of your life.

Every time I feel like I could use the victim word called “unhappy,” I think of all the work I do to serve others with my blogging. I think of the inspiration that is inside of me which I deliver week in week out without fail. It’s not some passing habit because I’ve done it now for three years.

I’m never giving up this mission even if it kills me. Reread those words again because I believe you can think the same way. I’m not special and have the same capacity you do.

Keep asking the question.

The answer will come to you if you ask enough times. Unhappiness can come out of not knowing what the meaning of your life is. There is a meaning, though, it’s just that you haven’t put the work in to find it. It’s easier to distract yourself with food, friends, social media or some other vice than it is to keep asking the tough questions.

The tough questions bring out emotion and it’s this emotion that will change your life. Emotion is what drives you to make the hard decisions that most avoid.

“Don’t be afraid to harness your emotions to drive you towards the answer to your one and only question: why am I here?”

When you know why you’re here the unhappiness feeling starts to fade. It’s difficult to explain but very common in the biographies of champions.

Are you a champion?

I think we all are deep down inside. Surfacing that inner champion is where the games at.

“Champions can’t be unhappy because they’ve removed the word from their vocabulary”

Their focus is on their mission and this takes them away from any sense of loss. Everything is abundant and all resources are available to the champion that seeks them. Practice being the champion and forget about being the unhappy victim. Label challenging situations with a word that is *not* unhappy.

Pick empowering words. Change your vocabulary. The words you use to describe your life will make more of a difference than you realize. Adopting that label of a champion first begins with adopting the vocabulary of one.

You’re strong.
You won’t be defeated.
You are happy.
You are determined.
You are unique.

You are not unhappy.

———————————————————————————————————————————

If you want to increase your productivity and learn some more valuable life hacks, then join my private mailing list on timdenning.net

It’s time to put more hooty in your booty. Cancel drinks on Friday night. Forget about your hair coloring appointment with Vince on Saturday.

Your ridiculous excuses for everything in your life are literally killing your success. You have a goal, but you may not be achieving it. Here are some of the excuses I gave myself last week which stopped me from blogging:

• I need to socialize because I’ve worked hard this week
• I need to go on a holiday because it’s been a while
• I need to go on a date because I’m single and yet to find love

Thoughts like these stop us from getting on with the job. We have this mindset that we’ll get to our goal when we have time. The truth is there is always another distraction to replace the previous one. Your excuses are what you use to justify your lack of success.

So let me spell it out for you:

You are the reason you’ve not achieved your goals or the level of success you want. It’s your fault: no one else’s. It’s all bloody you!

Stop blaming and start hustling!

Stop delaying and start on your dream right now!

Stop the need for instant gratification and short-term pleasure and start playing the long game!

I think this post is going to have a lot of exclamation marks, so I apologize in advance. The advice I serve up rarely comes with a bowl of chocolate moose on the side. It’s not what you want to hear, but it’s what you must hear. Actually, it’s too late to apologize (I think there’s a pop song that has those lyrics…Google that).

Here are the dumb excuses you must give up:

1. “I need experience first”

Did Steve Jobs have experience at making computers? Did Mark Zuckerberg study social media for years before starting Facebook? Did JK Rowling have experience publishing books before she wrote Harry Potter? The answer to all of these is no.

Go for hustle and hard work before thinking that you have to experience. Have a go with no experience and you’ll quickly figure out the skills required to be successful. The recruitment world has made us believe the lie that we have to have experience. Half the time the people with experience are the ones who refuse to innovate and think differently.

They’re the ones who want to do things the way they have always been done because their experience tells them to. It feels so safe to maintain the status quo. Guess what? The status quo is what’s holding back the human race from going all out and solving some of the issues like climate change, poverty, disease and safe access to water.

“Grab your “safe” experience nappy and throw it in the bin!”

2. “Someday I will be successful”

And someday never comes. You sit there dreaming of what could happen and what you could do rather than getting started. Your life will pass you by unless you decide that you will live in the present. You need to be successful in the present and be okay with the failure that comes with success.

Someday I’m going to be the next Mark Zuckerberg, but for now, I’m going to concentrate on being Tim Denning! That means I need to wake up from last night’s dream and start: writing, making calls and finding resources to share that will inspire.

3. “Someday I will find love”

Despite what the romance novels tell you, you have to take deliberate action to find “the one.” Chance encounters may happen, but you could be waiting a very long time. Don’t use karma or star signs to help you find love; use action.

Ask someone out even though they may say no. Join a dating app. Be more social. Put yourself in difficult situations like public speaking. That’s how you increase the chance of finding love.

“Sitting at home dreaming about “THE ONE” is going to give you a wet dream that leads to nothing”

4. “Someday I’ll tell that person what I think”

And you could get hit by a car tomorrow. How would you feel if you never got to say that one thing to that special person? What if you died and never got to share all your experience and feelings for those you love?

I’ll answer it for you. You’d be devastated. So why wait? You’ll be surprised that if you’re holding back from telling someone what you think it’s because of fear. Feel the fear and tell them what you think anyway. The worst that can happen is they stop talking to you and then you’re left with billions of other human beings to spend time with.

5. “Someday I’ll be happy”

It’s so much more awesome when you can make the decision to be happy right now. All you need is your brain to believe this. There’s so much to be happy with in your life. Stop focusing on what you don’t have and think about what you already have.

Use things like holidays to make you happy in advance of a dream moment. Set goals in the future and then imagine what it’s going to be like when you achieve them. That’s how you get more happiness right now and give up on this excuse which is holding you back.

6. “Someday I’ll get started”

Could you take the first small step now? Is there a phone call you could make right now? What I’ve learned is that when you make the first small step towards your goals, it becomes addictive. Often, you don’t even need to motivate yourself once you get started.

It’s the not getting started part that is what you need to give up.

7. “Once I finish X task, I’ll then start on my goals”

Another task always magically pops up. You have to prioritize what it is that you want. If you want to be a world famous long distance runner, then it’s time to get down to the track. It may be the case that the reason why you keep having distractions get in your way is because you don’t really want the goal you think you’ve always wanted.

A goal can sound nice when we see other people achieve them and get the results, but when we try the same goal, often the process can be boring, unfulfilling, or not what we want. That’s okay. Rather than torture ourselves for the lack of progress we have made towards our goal, we’re best off giving up on that particular goal and finding one that we can achieve.

Not every goal you set out to achieve needs to happen. As long as you find at least one goal that inspires you and makes you happy, then you’ve done well.

8. “Just one more drink and then I’ll get going”

One more drink always becomes another one and another one and so on. Learn to be disciplined and control your drinking.

9. “I don’t have enough money”

So what is enough money? Is there some mysterious amount you have in your bank account that all of a sudden means you can now go out and start work on your goal? Of course not. This idea is total BS. Lack of money can often be one of the biggest motivators. Not having money makes you hungry and makes you want to work hard towards your goals.

As soon as you reach the amount of money you think you need, your target seems to change and all of a sudden you need a new amount of money. This creates an endless line up of excuses that leave you trapped in a vortex.

I knew a guy that had a startup and raised a large sum of money. He took out $1m from the business to buy a house and then all of a sudden he was comfortable. He was no longer uncomfortable and so the success of his business took a backseat.

That business is now hemorrhaging because the hunger and drive have disappeared. You’ll never have enough money so forget about this lame excuse.

10. “The economy is not in good shape”

If you listen to the news, then we are always one step away from disastrous financial times. Thankfully I have also given up on the news. It’s never a good time to do anything. The economy being in bad shape can be a great thing!

Some of the best businesses were started in the worst economic times. When the economy goes bad people sell things for bargain discount prices. The leaders of industry lose their way and can make dumb decisions. While all this disaster is going on, you get the chance at a lucky break.

While everyone’s fighting over the economy and lack of money, you can start your business or take your business to the next level.

“Think of the economy being down as the world’s best distraction. It’s all a matter of perspective”

11. “My partner doesn’t agree with my dream”

Dump he or she and find a new one. That may be what’s been holding you back all of this time. If your partner loves you, then they’ll support you with your goals. Splitting with someone is hard, but so is life. You’ve got to do what feels right and allows you to reach your full potential.

12. “I need a degree first”

Hate to break it to you, but companies are starting to take less notice of degrees more and more, except certain industries like law and medicine. The truth is any of us can go to university, delay the payment and get the piece of paper.

That piece of paper entitles you to absolutely nothing. Go there to learn, but don’t use it as an excuse to why you can’t go after your goals. Most things can be learned online, so university is a luxury for many people.

13. “I’m overweight”

Thanks to modern medicine it’s very easy to lose weight now. Do a fast, go to the gym, eat clean food and most of all: get into action mode. There are still loads of successful people that are overweight so it’s not the end of the world. Again, it’s up to you to take action.

Looks is not everything in life. We’ve been conditioned to think that if we don’t look like all the Instagram models, then we won’t be happy. The thing is that the Instagram models are the ones that are the most unhappy.

They’re chasing a body type that for many is impossible to achieve. Still, losing weight will give you more energy so try it.

14. “I feel tired”

What did you eat the night before? How much did you drink? You’re tired because of your own actions. Get some sleep, take care of your body and you’ll have loads of energy. Being tired is not an excuse. Being tired is for losers!

15. “I just don’t have the time right now”

If Richard Branson knocked on your door and said, “Hey come to my house I want to hang out with you,” would you say no? No freaking way man. So you always have time it just comes down to how important your goals really are.

You can make time for anything that has meaning in your life. Guess what? We all have limited amounts of time. It’s the one currency that we all have equal amounts of every day. The only thing we don’t know is when we’ll die, so that’s why you’ve got to give up these dumb excuses amigo!s

If you want to increase your productivity and learn some more valuable life hacks, then join my private mailing list on timdenning.net