Shadowing Practice: Disappear And Come Back Unrecognizable (12 Rules To Change Your Life) - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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A pattern I've noticed in successful people is
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A pattern I've noticed in successful people is
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that they disappear from the world for months at a time to force pure focus on themselves and their vision.
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They laser in on one meaningful goal and make it a reality.
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I don't say this to sound arrogant,
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but I've never really had a problem with knowing what I want in the future.
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When I hear people say,
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I don't know what I want,
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what I think they're saying is that,
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I don't want to do the work it takes to get what I want.
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It's not that you don't know what you want.
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It's that you know what you don't want already Meaning you know what you want
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and are hiding from what it takes to get away from it I've always known what I've wanted
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because it's extremely simple to observe society and Discern good from bad.
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I know that I don't want a job I hate work.
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I hate a body.
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I hate a partner I hate a mind that hates me
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and from
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that alone It's easy to figure out what I had to
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do become an entrepreneur no matter how many times I fail
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It took seven failures gain the power to get rid of work I don't want to do with writing
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and social media for leverage go to the gym
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and work on my nutrition for my body
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and Allow those three things to open up more opportunities in every domain of life
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Then let that path create a peaceful mind from the progressive overload of responsibility
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Weights feel lighter as you get stronger
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Everybody knows that some form of this path is what they are meant to do to improve themselves
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so they aren't stuck in a life that they don't want.
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Your psyche craves actualization and transcendence.
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The depth of your being wants these things,
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but your ego is distracted by things it thinks it wants.
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And that's the problem.
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You don't have a way to focus your mind.
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You don't have a plan for the future that holds more gravity than the distractions in your life.
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So you struggle to maintain a long-term time horizon and get trapped in never-ending short-term stress-inducing tasks.
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How would it feel to have one single framework that would determine the entirety of your success,
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one that you can refer to whenever you feel lost?
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That's what we're going to talk about.
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You need a plan because if you don't have one,
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society does, and they've been planning your life for decades.
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That is a quote from my book, The Art of Focus.
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Now, before we dive into what I call the 12 rules of creation,
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let's just get very practical for a second.
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Grab a notebook, write out exactly what you want in your future,
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don't miss a detail.
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Then break it down into goals,
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decades, years, months, weeks, and days.
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Every day, write down the three levers you can move to create your vision.
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A dream without clarity is a nightmare.
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You've been assigned goals since the day you were born.
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These goals went on to frame how you view the world because your goals compose your identity.
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You learned skills to achieve those goals,
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you registered opportunities in alignment with those goals,
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Everything you experience in life is through the lens of the conscious
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or unconscious goals guiding the systems being formed in your head.
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If we want to build a life of meaning,
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money, and impact, we must pursue our ideal future,
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create a story worth telling,
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and pass that path to those who are ready to receive it.
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After a decade of dancing between creative success and failure,
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I've created a framework that will bring you success in anything that you do.
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I created this framework through multidisciplinary study and pulling together principles and patterns from marketing,
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sales, human behavior, peak performance,
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psychology, stories, games, and the structure of billion-dollar companies,
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successful product development, and anything involved in the process of creating and distributing value.
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You will be using this as the guiding light of your life.
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You will be using this when you want to change your life.
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You will be using this when you want to start a business.
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You will be using this
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when you want to build a product you will be using this
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when you want to write a tweet when you want to create a newsletter
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when you want to write a landing page
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when you want to have a beneficial conversation with someone else
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you're going to use this anytime you do absolutely anything so
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that you make sure you are creating something
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and not doing something that's already been done the first rule
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or step is an anti-vision this is the bane of your existence the life that you do not want to live.
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A positive fear mechanism that kicks you into action.
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Start a running note of experiences you do not want to repeat.
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The material you don't care to learn,
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the work you don't care to complete,
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the arguments you don't wish to have,
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you won't get rid of them in an instant.
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You are meant to identify them as problems to be solved.
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This is what you do in business when you create a product is you identify a problem and you create a solution.
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You can't change unless you are aware of a problem.
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You aren't going to change unless you are brutally aware of how that problem impacts your life.
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The second rule is having a vision because if you don't have a vision you are lost.
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You can't create outcomes so you are doomed to the mechanical living of determined outcomes.
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Every decision you make in any domain of your life needs to be filtered through a vision.
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That is how you bring meaning to your actions and how you minimize distractions.
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Write down exactly what you want out of life don't miss a detail
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but realize this is an iterative process you won't get it right the first time around
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and you probably never will and that's not the point of it either
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so just spend 30 minutes creating a minimum viable vision for whatever it is
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that you're trying to create start with your life your life's vision
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and then come back to it often to add subtract remove anything
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that you want in there
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or don't want in there rule three is your mission your Your mission is the most important thing in your life.
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It is the bridge between what you do and what you don't want,
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your vision and your anti-vision.
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Anything that does not align with your mission is to be treated as a distraction.
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Your mission evolves with awareness of new beliefs, opportunities, and knowledge.
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Your mission requires faith.
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You can't see the next step unless you take the first,
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and once you do, the second may be completely different from anything you could have imagined.
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Rule 4 is standards.
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You aren't where you want to be because you are okay with where you are.
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You don't submit to your situation.
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You accept it so you can move forward.
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Standards are absorbed from your environment.
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The friends you hang out with,
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the books you read, the media you consume,
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the parents who raise you,
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the teachers who knew it all.
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All of these things create standards in your head that help filter information so that you can make decisions.
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If your standards for how much money you have in your bank account is $10,
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dollars, you aren't going to register anything over $10 as a problem.
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And that overlaps with your nutrition.
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If you are only okay with having $10 in your bank account,
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then you're probably okay with eating junk food every single day.
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It doesn't matter whether you can or can't do these things like afford nutritious food.
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It matters if you're okay with it and are doing something to change it
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because you can be okay with being broke and having a terrible car,
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but that just sets you up for failure.
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You're not going to actually change because you're not aware of it as a problem
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because you need awareness of the problem in order to create a solution.
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You're not aware of the car that you have as a problem.
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So you just wait for a catastrophic event to happen.
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And then you have to spend more money to fix the problem because it blows up out of nowhere.
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And now you're screwed royally in for a long amount of time until that normalizes.
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And unless you use that as a moment to change your life,
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you're just going to sit out the pain until it comes back to equilibrium,
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and then you're going to go back to being okay with having $10 in your bank account
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and never changing because you didn't see the catastrophe as an actual problem,
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and you didn't believe in yourself enough to change it.
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Rule five is goals.
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Big goals are for direction.
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Small goals are for clarity.
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You don't need motivation when the task in front of you is so stupidly simple that you can't help but complete it.
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Break down your vision into goals by decade,
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year, month, week, and day.
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They are your guide, not your master.
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Be stubborn with vision and loose with details.
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Your goals will change as you do.
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Be okay with that.
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And remember that we're writing all of this down.
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If you aren't writing anything down right now, what are you doing?
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Rule six is projects.
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Learning comes from struggle, not memorization.
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You need a series of tangible products to build that will actualize your vision.
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So, turn your goals into projects,
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architect an outline, determine milestones,
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set deadlines, and map out areas of research.
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Build, then learn.
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Start the project, expose your lack of knowledge and skill,
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and use that as a reference point for your education.
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Rule 7 is just that, education.
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You aren't where you want to be because you aren't as smart as you think you are.
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With every project, there is a skill set and mindset required to complete the project,
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meaning you need education in order to achieve your goals and to actually complete the project towards your vision.
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Daily self-education must become a cornerstone habit in your life.
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If you stop learning, you stop evolving.
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Opportunities stop presenting themselves and you get trapped in your current stage of development.
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Education is the fuel for experimentation,
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and without experimentation, you are doing what other people tell you to do.
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Rule eight is limitations.
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A fool becomes rich at the expense of everything good in life.
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A creative becomes rich at the expense of his choice.
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Limitations on your goals force creativity.
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The question is, what are you not willing to sacrifice to achieve your goals?
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So the creative challenge appears when you attempt to achieve your goals without betraying your vision.
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You can become rich without sacrificing your family.
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You can become healthy without sacrificing your work.
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You can become valuable without sacrificing what makes life worth living.
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Rule nine is levers.
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Every day, you need priority tasks that move the needle toward your projects,
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goals, and vision from the ground up.
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These are often seen as boring fundamentals unless you cultivate a sense of mastery behind what you do.
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You see every day as a practice and a process rather than an outcome or else it becomes boring.
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Do what needs to be done but grip your vision as the anchor into the unknown.
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If you aren't making progress,
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it's because you aren't moving levers,
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even if you think you are.
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Writing, as an example, is one of my main levers in my business.
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I need to write a book to produce.
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I need to write newsletters.
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I need to write content.
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I need to write emails.
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I need to write responses to clients and students and just people in business.
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Writing is literally the only thing I do for the first two to three hours of the day.
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So that's one thing.
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If you're trying to build a business,
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especially an online business, and you aren't writing and you aren't getting it in front of people,
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then you're not making progress.
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This is why I got rid of my other courses before this.
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And now I sell to our writer.
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And what we help people personally with in Cortex University is because that's the one thing.
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That's the main catalyst.
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And I feel weird for selling anything else before I sell that,
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because that's the one thing that's going to make the impact.
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Rule 10 is challenge.
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When a novice plays against the master,
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neither of them have fun.
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It's not enjoyable.
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The novice becomes anxious while the master becomes bored.
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When your skill is the perfect match for the challenge of a situation,
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the world goes quiet and you move forward with grace.
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Challenge is the source of enjoyment.
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Enjoyment is found on the tightrope between boredom and anxiety,
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at the edge of your abilities.
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The path to meaningful living is often found in a simple shift in perspective.
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Rule 11 is curiosity.
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In other words, be willing to steer off course and discover new potential.
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Because it is too easy to lock ourselves in a mechanical routine like the one we were trying to escape.
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Be curious.
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Dive deep into your interests.
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Let few questions go unanswered.
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Avoid getting locked into paradigms and beliefs that narrow your mind on one idolized path.
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Your vision is like a battery.
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You must fuel it with experience, education, and misdirection.
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Rule 12.
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The final rule is experimentation.
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If you only do the same thing as everyone else,
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you are bound to the results of everyone else.
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So, research processes that others teach,
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the ones they have seen success with.
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Try multiple techniques to see which ones get you the best results.
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Create your own process that you can stay consistent with.
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In fitness, try different training and nutrition programs.
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In relationships, try therapy or self-help books.
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In business, try cold outreach or organic content.
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Avoid becoming dogmatic about the single right way.
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Because there is no right way.
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There is only your way because people can't teach you what to do,
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how to write, how to start a business.
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They can only teach you how they did it.
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When you are lost, run through all 12 of those rules.
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When your relationships are failing, run through that process.
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When your business won't get off the ground, run through that process.
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When you feel lost, run through that process.
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Every successful interaction with reality starts and ends with a clear image of what they want,
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clarity on how to achieve it,
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and creative execution to acquire rare results.
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Now, let's end this off by understanding how to make better decisions
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because now you have a framework But how do you actually act you feel terrible
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because your future self is watching your every move
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and they don't like what they see You aren't where you want to be
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because you didn't make the choices
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that led to a purposeful career You didn't make the choices
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that led to fulfilling relationships You didn't make the choices
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that led to a healthy
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and aesthetic body you right now are the manifestation of your past choices
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So
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if you want to take control of who you become your choices are the most important thing in this world
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So there are two things here one is who you want to become
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so perspective and zooming out into the future Two is the choices
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that will take you there Which is perception
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and zooming in the good life is created by constant reminder of your vision
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and programming the identity That would actualize it through aligned action better decisions come from perspective and perception Every day,
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zoom out and remind yourself of what you don't want.
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You don't need to focus on what you want because that will make itself apparent through your choices.
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Hold that frame at the top of your mind.
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Do not allow distractions to penetrate it.
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Anytime a choice comes up, zoom out and align.
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Will this benefit the future I am trying to create?
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Then, be decisive.
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Make the decision.
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Allow failure into your life so you can correct your behavior the next time around.
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Awareness is a cure.
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You don't have to quit all of your bad habits.
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You just have to view them and their consequences through the lens of your vision for long enough.
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will practice English listening and speaking skills through a powerful video that emphasizes the importance of focus and goal setting for personal transformation. By engaging with this content, you will enhance your vocabulary, improve your pronunciation, and develop a better understanding of how to articulate your own aspirations in English. This video provides a unique opportunity for you to learn English with YouTube while reflecting on profound life strategies that can lead to success.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Disappear – to go out of sight or become invisible.
- Recognizable – able to be recognized; distinctive.
- Pure focus – undivided attention or concentration.
- Actualization – the realization of potential or fulfillment of goals.
- Psyche – the human soul, mind, or spirit.
- Framework – an essential structure that guides understanding or development.
- Progressive overload – a strength training principle that involves gradually increasing the amount of stress placed on the body.
- Levers – metaphorical strategies or actions that can be used to achieve goals.
Practice Tips
To make the most of this lesson, employ the shadowing technique as you watch the video. This method entails listening to the speaker and immediately repeating their words, which helps improve fluency and pronunciation. Given the video’s insightful content and motivational tone, focus on maintaining the rhythm and emotion of the speaker while shadowing.
If you feel challenged by the video's speed, consider using a shadowing app that allows you to slow down the playback for easier comprehension. Pay close attention to how the speaker emphasizes certain words and phrases. This practice will empower you to express your own thoughts similarly, enhancing both your speaking skills and confidence.
As you practice, remember to write down the goals you identify for yourself, as suggested in the video, and practice saying them out loud. Use the concept of shadowspeak to create your own sentences that reflect your aspirations, integrating the new vocabulary you've learned. This will not only solidify your understanding but also allow you to communicate your desires more clearly in English.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
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