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Mike Matthews is a three-time Knowledge for Men guest. He is the author of Bigger, Leaner, Stronger which has sold nearly 1,000,000 copies in five years, he is the owner and CEO of a 7 and 8-figure business, and an all around professional badass.
Key Points
1. Just Do the Work
Just do the work.
It’s that simple.
In our age of excess and ease, too many men get caught up in this belief that they need to be motivated to work and achieve their goals.
Really?
100 years ago, our great grandfathers largely had two options.
Do the work or die.
They didn’t sit around complaining about how they were not motivated enough to plow the fields or work at the factory. They didn’t complain about their lack of free time or moan about how unfair life was and how they never “felt” like working.
They showed up and did the work went to bed and did it again.
And if you want to be successful this is one of the biggest lessons that you must learn (consider tattooing it on your forehead).
Just do the damn work.
2. Toughen the Hell Up
We live in an era of unprecedented access, comfort, and prosperity.
If we are cold, we turn up the thermostat, if we are hungry, we order a pizza. If we are bored we watch 4 hours of Netflix (or porn). And if we feel lonely, we log in to Facebook and pretend that we are connecting with other people.
With a few rare exceptions, the biggest challenge that we as an individual (in the West) face is how do we ensure that we do not eat ourselves to death!
We have it freaking easy.
And as the ancient Persian emperor said: “Soft lands make for soft people.”
And men, we have gotten soft.
If you want to truly reclaim your masculinity, if you want to succeed at new levels, if you want to be the man you were born to be…
Toughen the f!ck up.
Quit whining and bitching. Quit complaining about how hard your life is and toughen up.
Go take a cold shower, go lift some heavy weights, go get punched in the face at a boxing gym, go spend a night out in the wilderness.
Just toughen the hell up.
You’ll thank us later.
3. If You Want to be Rich, Stay Within Your Means
It is often said that the secret to getting rich is not to make more money, but to keep it.
And if you want to keep more money, then you must learn to live within your means.
How many people do you know who make well into the six figures, but who also spend well into the six figures and could not survive a month if they lost their job?
How many people do you know who live paycheck to paycheck, never socking aside any money for investments or rainy days?
Don’t be one of those people.
No matter what you make right now, you have the ability to live below your means and start saving 5-10% of your income to ensure that you are financially secure and stable in the event of an emergency.
Forget all of the new cars, fancy clothes, and excessive gadgets.
Learn to live with less and be comfortable spending well below what you earn.
4. Live to your Own Standards Not Others
With the pervasive nature of social media and the “Look at Me” syndrome permeating every aspect of our society, it is easy to set goals and standards for yourself that are based on other’s values and not your own.
You say that you want the fast car, big house, or model girlfriends because that is what other people tell you that you should want, not because it’s really you.
Some of you want a simple life with people that you love and a relaxing schedule.
Some of you are driven, Type-A overachievers who aren’t happy unless they are grinding away and pushing the envelope forward.
And some of you want a balance between the two, living the four hour work week lifestyle of travel, work, and then traveling again.
Whatever your standards are strive to live up to them.
Don’t worry about the standards of others, because they don’t have to live with your decisions.
You do.
5. Be Slow in Deliberation and Swift in Execution
One of the greatest keys to success is swiftness of implementation.
Whether you are trying to achieve the perfect body, earn a million dollars, or have a stellar relationship, you need to learn to develop a plan intentionally and deliberately, being conscious of the risks and rewards associated with your plan.
And then implement your plan immediately.
Don’t wait until Monday.
Don’t wait until it is all figured out.
Just execute and go.
Books Mentioned in this Episode
1. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
2. Do the Work by Stephen Pressfield
3. Bigger Leaner Stronger by Mike Matthews
4. Thinner Leaner Stronger by Mike Matthews
Connect with Mike Matthews
Next Steps
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