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Internationally recognized speaker and business consultant, Alex Charfen has helped tens of thousands of entrepreneurs grow their business through his insights from consulting for billionaires, the Fortune 500 and some of the most successful people in the world.
Alex is the co-founder and CEO of CHARFEN, empowering entrepreneurs to grow and scale businesses and make their greatest contribution. An in-demand thought leader on business strategy and entrepreneurship, he regularly appears in major media outlets such as MSNBC, CNBC, FOX News, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Investor’s Business Daily to provide his unique views and insights.
Favorite Quote
“You’re only as good as your next speech”
Key Points
1. Focus on Momentum not Emotion
A mistakes that many entrepreneurial type personality types make is that they focus on emotion, often failing to realize that many entrepreneurs are not as emotional as the rest of society.
We thrive on momentum and achievement, not momentary pleasures, we thrive on knowing that we are making a difference and pushing the needle forward, not on feeling happy because of a joint we smoked or cute girl we went out with.
If you focus your life on momentum, you will achieve success. There will be hard times, you will probably face more struggles and failures than the average person, you will feel discouraged and beaten down, but at the end of the day, it’s the momentum you are making that matters.
2. No One Average Ever Changed the World
If you are ever feeling abnormal (hint if you are reading this, then you are not normal) or out of the loop socially, if you ever feel like other people don’t get you or that there may be something wrong with you, pause and think for a moment.
Who do you know in history that achieved amazing things that we still remember who was normal?
NO ONE!
Not a single person worth noting in history was normal, they were all weird, they were all told that they were crazy that it couldn’t be done, that it would never work. But they kept moving and changed the world because of it.
Never settle for average, average never changed the world.
3. Focus on Your Marriage and Romantic Relationships First
Something that most entrepreneurs fail miserably at is their romantic relationships and marriages. Most entrepreneurs that you know of have likely been divorced or gone through serious break ups several times due to their personality and drive to achieve success in their business.
However, when you focus on your marriage first, focus on your relationships first, you almost guarantee success in your business.
Why?
Because becoming the type of man who can attract his dream woman into his life, who can go through the rejection, through the emotional struggles, through the personal development that it takes to become a great boyfriend or husband, will develop himself into the type of man who will thrive and achieve in business.
When you have the support and love of your wife, and when you have developed yourself into the man you need to be to attract and continue attracting her, you will achieve success.
4. You Have to Be Yourself and be Vulnerable
Life doesn’t happen on high levels whenever you are living a lie, whenever you are pretending to be someone you are not, whenever you are putting on a facade to please others.
Life only happens at a high level when you can be vulnerable, when you can be yourself, when you stop lying and get real with people. If you want your life to be fulfilling, not just full of material success, you have to drop the mask and be vulnerable.
5. Learn to Lower the Pressure and Noise
If you have an entrepreneurial personality type, then odds are, the quiter things become, the more noise you find in your head, Even when you are relaxing you’re reviewing numbers in your head and stressing over business.
Start taking care of your body, breathing, and relaxing and realize that you can quiet the noise in your head. You can lower the pressure and function at a higher level than you ever thought possible.
Influential Books
1. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
2. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
3. The Highest Goal by Michael Ray