Leave Your Mark

I am the greatest. I said that even before I knew I was. ~ Muhammad Ali

Want to leave your mark? To be great? Act as if.

Here are 5 ways, and things you can do to leave your mark on every area of your life.

1. Dont do anything half-assed.

I recently read an article in the latest issue of Forbes Magazine about Sean Parker: the guy who was portrayed – albeit it not quite accurately – by Justin Timberlake in The Social Network film.

One thing that is constantly said about Parker – and that he says about himself –  is that he does one thing perfectly, and then moves on to the next. His passion, focus and energy all come together on one project at a time. He become’s so consumed that he is regularly late for meetings and events – much to the dismay of the people that rely on him to show up on time. He’s engaged in his project more than most are engaged in anything.

As a result he’s successful. Insanely successful.

What can we learn from this?

• Don’t get overwhelmed by having too many projects on the go at once.
• Learn to say no. Don’t try and please everyone by always saying yes.
• Set massive goals and attack them with the tenacity that the project requires.

2. Leave your mark on every training session.

I’ve recently been getting ‘back to my roots’ in my training. That is, I’ve been getting back into the workouts I was doing at the height of my stint in boxing, and I’m absolutely loving them.

Think Rocky Balboa training montages. Think of this video right here:

The sessions are a lot more intense than your average bodybuilding workout. There’s more pain in my muscles, lungs, and the war between my body wanting to quit, and my mind not letting it is brief but epic.

I leave my mark on every workout because I make a conscious effort to put my body through more pain every time I’m in the gym. I’m always trying to squeeze out one more rep, trying to see how much further I can push my body.

Aim to put your body through more pain every time you’re in the gym (when I talk about pain I’m talking about the burning feeling in your muscles and lungs, not joint pain or causing injury).

If your workouts are stale, stagnant, and lack excitement, check out this article: How to Make Every Workout Legendary.

3. Set massive, audacious goals.

Don’t set goals based on what others have done before you. Never set goals based on others’ expectations of what you can accomplish. Set goals, expectations, and dreams that scare you. Set goals that you’d sacrifice for. Set goals that mean something big and important.

Set goals that are completely unrealistic, for realism is the most commonly travelled path to mediocrity.

Set goals that will leave an impact on the world, not just your life. If you want to make an impact and leave your mark, you have to benefit, inspire, and help others than you. Dream big, aim big, and work your ass off.

4. Risk everything to leave your biggest impact.

I just started reading The Education of Millionaire’s. I’m not that far into it, but one point the author, Michael Ellsberg, makes early on in the book is, the greater the impact you want to leave on the world, on your profession, or in any aspect of life, the greater the risk you’re going to have to take.

The greater the risk, the more likely your are to fall flat on your ass.

Greatness requires risk. Mediocrity requires the desire for safety. The more you let your fears creep into the way you think, the more ‘safe’ decisions you begin to make, the less of an impact you’re going to make.

To leave an indelible mark on the world, risk is a must. It’s not for everyone, and I’m not saying one is better than the other. But if a mark is what you want to leave. You have to be prepared to lose a lot and to fail miserably and in glorious fashion.

5. Energy: the most underrated commodity.

Time is money. Actually, time is much more important than money. What you do with your time will help you become a happier, healthier, wealthier, more successful, and more productive person. Money is nothing. It’s a thing that can help out with some stuff, and can help you do a lot of good, but time is worth a hell of a lot more.

How do you make the most out of your time? With energy.

It might sound simple, and it is. The more energy we have, the more we’re able to focus, the harder we can work, the more we can laugh, the clearer we can think, the more we get done in less time, and the more time we’ll have.

How do you become a more energetic person?

It has nothing to do with caffeine or any kind of drug, and everything to do with the kind of shape you’re in. When I’m in my best shape I wake up earlier with more pep, I can focus for much longer periods of time, and my quality of work goes way, way up. I also have more fun, I laugh more, I have more patience and I’m happier.

When we think about getting in great shape we think about the extra years we’re adding to our lives, and that’s great, but the quality to those years, days, and hours that we’re adding is invaluable. It’s priceless.

How do you get in great shape?

• Have a balanced routine that’s focused on improving strength, athleticism, and lung capacity: aesthetics will come.
• Read this article: How to Make Every Workout Legendary.
• Do this FREE workout: Thor Workout.
• Dedicate 30-45 minutes 3-5 times a week to being active and to training. It doesn’t take a lot. You’ll get that time back in focused work, laughter, and in the heightened quality of your life.