How to Beat Self-Doubt | Breakthrough Plan in 3 Hours

You keep waiting to feel ready, to feel confident, to feel sure, but that moment never comes and you're still stuck. 87% of entrepreneurs admit they felt like frauds at some point. The ones who win aren't smarter, they just don't stay stuck in doubt. I know that voice in your head, the one that says you're behind, not good enough, not ready yet. But 5 years from now, will you be proud you waited or angry you wasted time? In the next 3 hours, you'll get a clear, simple blueprint to shut down doubt, stop overthinking, and and finally move with real direction and confidence. If you've been here before, drop a hashtag #believe in the comments below so I can feature you here in a future video. And if you're new, welcome to Believe Nation, the only channel that helps you believe in yourself daily, one video at a time. Believe. You scroll through your feed and it feels like everyone else is winning. New funding rounds, skyrocketing sales, big life updates. And here you are wondering, why am I not there yet? You start asking yourself if you're falling behind. You feel that way? You're not alone if you do. In fact, most entrepreneurs feel this at some point. The good news is that feeling behind is often an illusion, and we're going to break that illusion today. By the end of this video, you'll understand why you're not actually behind and how to focus on your own journey to success. The social media highlight reel illusion. Social media is the land of highlight reels. People share their wins, their new clients, their product launches, flashy lifestyle shots, but rarely their struggles. What you see is a curated montage of success. Psychologists even have a term for this: highlight reel syndrome. We compare our behind the scenes to everyone else's highlights. No wonder you feel inadequate. Inadequate. A recent survey by the American Psychological Association found 61% of social media users feel inadequate about their lives after seeing others' posts. So think about that— over half of people feel less than just from looking at others online. It's because we naturally compare, and when we do, we always see the gap between where we are and where they are. But here's the reality: you're seeing their best moments, not the full story. You see the trophy, not the training. Their wins don't show the late nights, the doubts, the failures along the way. It's like watching a movie trailer and thinking you know the whole film. You don't. Remember this line: comparison is the thief of joy. Teddy Roosevelt said that decades ago, and it still rings true today. Every minute you spend measuring your life against someone else's Instagram feed, you're robbing yourself of joy and motivation. Don't fall for the highlight reel trick. Social comparison theory: why you feel behind. So why do we compare ourselves to others in the first place? Psychology has an answer. Social comparison theory says that people have an innate drive to evaluate themselves by comparing to others. It's natural. We all do it. We look around and see how do we stack up. In some cases, this can motivate you. For example, comparing yourself to someone a bit ahead of you can inspire you to improve. But more often, especially in entrepreneurship, we do upward comparisons. We compare ourselves to those much further ahead or more successful, and that can often backfire. Studies show these comparisons can make you feel inadequate and discouraged, even lowering your motivation to pursue your goals. So think about it. If you're measuring your startup against the likes of Apple or Tesla, companies decades in the making, of course you feel behind. It's like comparing your chapter 2 to someone else's chapter 20. It's unfair to you. Instead, realize everyone's journey is going to be different. Some people sprint out of the gate, others build momentum over time. Life is not a 100-meter race with a single finish line. It's more like a marathon where everyone has their own route. When you catch yourself in the comparison trap, pause and remind yourself their success is not my failure. Use their success as inspiration instead of a yardstick. And most importantly, compare yourself to your past self. Are you better today than yesterday? That's the only comparison that actually matters. Each day that you learn a new skill, make another sales call, or improve your product, you're making progress. Count those wins. They may seem small compared to someone else's huge score, but they are yours and they are real. And step by step, they will take you to your own big wins. Imposter syndrome. It lies to you. That feeling in your head that says, I'm not good enough, or I don't belong at the table. Let's talk about that now. Imposter syndrome. It's the voice that tells you that you are a fraud, even when you've earned your place. As an entrepreneur, you might feel like all of these other founders, they've got it all figured out while you're secretly still just scrambling. Here's the truth. Most of them are scrambling too. Imposter syndrome is incredibly common. Up to 70% of people experience imposter syndrome feelings at some point. And get this, 87% of entrepreneurs admit they've experienced imposter syndrome during their careers. Yes, almost 9 out of 10 entrepreneurs you admire have felt like fakes at one time or another. So when that voice in your head tells you that you're behind because you're not as confident or you're not as capable as others seem, know that those others likely have the same doubts privately. Even top CEOs have doubts. A survey found 71% of US CEOs have at least some imposter syndrome symptoms. The difference is they don't let it stop them, and neither should you. Realize that feelings like imposter syndrome doesn't mean you you actually are one, it often means you're pushing your limits, and that's a good thing. It means you care about doing things well. Imposter syndrome lies to you. It convinces you that others have it together and that you don't. But the reality is they're figuring it out as they go, just like you. So the next time you feel like you're not as good as everyone else, remember these stats. You're in good company with those doubts. Recognize it, but don't buy into it. Instead of thinking, I'm behind because I don't feel as successful as them, Tell yourself, feeling this way is normal and I won't let it stop my progress. Every entrepreneur is a work in progress. The ones who succeeded aren't necessarily the ones with zero self-doubt. They're the ones who kept going despite it. The myth of overnight success. When you see someone seemingly skyrocket to success, it's easy to think, wow, they came out of nowhere. I must be really behind. But overnight success is a myth. Almost every sudden success story has years of unseen work behind it. We don't see the first 10 or 20 years of effort, only the last flashy 5 minutes when the world notices. As an entrepreneur, try to internalize this. What looks fast in others was usually slow and steady in the making. Look at a couple examples from the business world. James Dyson spent 15 years creating 5,127 prototypes of his vacuum before finally making a successful one. 15 years of experiments and failures for a sudden multi-billion dollar product. Would you have thought he was behind in year 10 with nothing to show yet? Probably. But he wasn't. He was learning. The popular spray WD-40 literally got its name because the first 39 attempts failed. WD stands for water displacement, the 40th formula, meaning the inventors perfected it on the 40th try. 39 failures, then a hit. That's what real success often looks like. Colonel Harland Sanders founded KFC in his senior years. He didn't start franchising KFC until he was 62 years old. All those years before were trials and modest running of a restaurant. Imagine if at age 50 he thought it's too late, others are ahead. We'd have no KFC. His story proved it's never too late to win. And closer to home, my own story. You might see me now with millions of YouTube subscribers and think success came quickly. It didn't. We can pull back the curtain on the early progress. Here's a table that shows my YouTube growth from 2009 when I started. And look at the early years. May 1st, 2009, I had 25 subscribers. 5 years later, 9,414 subscribers. 5 years to not even get 10,000 subscribers. Not exactly an overnight explosion, but I didn't quit. I kept making videos, kept improving, kept building the audience one at a time. By 2018, I crossed 1.3 million subscribers. By 2022, I'm over 3 million subscribers. The early slow growth, just 344 subscribers after 2 years, 2,000 after 4 years, that's, that's normal. It set the foundation for later exponential growth. If I compared myself to other creators, I would've given up. In 2014, like 5 years in, I would never have impacted millions of entrepreneurs. In fact, in my first year, I only got 3 comments from my mom, my sister, and one random person. It would have been easy for me to feel behind and let others stop me, but I kept going. I also asked for help. After years of slow growth, I found a mentor who helped guide me, and with that help and with marrying my wife, my channel took off. So the lesson here was those early quiet years, they weren't failures. They were my practice. It was my learning. And every overnight success story has a hidden chapter of grit that nobody sees. So the next time you catch yourself envying somebody's huge success, remind yourself that there's a story behind it. They had challenges. They put in the time, and so will you. Your story is still being written. It might just be chapter 2 for you while they're in chapter 10. And chapters can get really exciting as the plot develops. So stay in the game so that you can experience that part. Delay gratification. Play the long game. Here's a trait that separates successful entrepreneurs: the ability to delay gratification. This means being willing to put in the work now for reward later instead of chasing an instant payoff. If you feel behind because you're not seeing results yet, take heart. You might just be in the investment phase of your journey. You're planting the seeds that will bloom later. There's a famous psychology study that illustrates the power of patience. In the Stanford Marshmallow Experiment, researchers put a child in a room with one marshmallow and told them that they could eat it now or wait 15 minutes and get 2 marshmallows when the researcher returned. Now, some kids ate the 1 marshmallow right away. Others waited for the bigger reward. Years later, follow-up studies found that the children who waited for the 2nd marshmallow tended to have better life outcomes— higher test scores, more education, even healthier BMI. In other words, those who could delay gratification succeeded more in the long run. Building a business is the ultimate test of delayed gratification. You might work for months or years without significant recognition or revenue, but then reap huge rewards if you stick with it. It's like planting bamboo, the famous story. For years, nothing seems to happen, then suddenly it shoots up overnight. When you see others winning fast, remember that fast is not always sustainable. Some entrepreneurs do strike quick success, but many of those cases, if not managed, fizzle out just as quickly. Meanwhile, if you are practicing patience and persistence, you're developing your strong roots. Delayed gratification is a superpower in entrepreneurship. It's what keeps you coding your app at night even when nobody is using it yet, because you believe in the future payoff. It's what you reinvest your early profits into the business instead of taking a bigger salary now because you're playing the long game. If you can do this, you're actually ahead, not behind, in the game of eventual success. You're trading the short-term pleasures that many chase for the long-term victory that truly matters. So ask yourself, are you willing to endure now to enjoy later? If yes, then you have an edge. Every day you make the hard choice to work towards a future goal, you're beating the crowd that demands instant gratification. So keep at it. And when your success comes, it will be solid and earned and it will last. Practical tips to focus on your journey. Okay, it's time to get practical. How can you stop feeling behind and start feeling motivated by your own path? Here are a few actionable tips for refocusing on your journey as an entrepreneur. Number 1, limit social comparisons. Actively reduce the triggers that make you play the comparison game. This might mean curating your social media, unfollow or mute accounts that constantly make you feel less than. Remember that heavy social media use can fuel envy and depression. So set boundaries. For example, check LinkedIn or Instagram once a day instead of every hour. Use that time to work on your business or skill instead. Out of sight, out of mind. If you're not flooding your brain with others' highlight reels, you're focused more on your own progress. Next, use others as inspiration, not measurement. Change the way you react to others' success. When you see a peer celebrate a win, Congratulate them mentally or in a comment, and then learn from them. Ask yourself, what can I learn from their journey? Maybe they have great marketing. Can you pick up a tip? Maybe their product is solving a real problem. Is your product aligned with solving a real need too? Shift from envy to curiosity. This way, someone else's success fuels you instead of discourages you. Their success does not take away from yours. It's just proof that success is possible. If they can do it, so can you. Next, compare with your past self. The only valid comparison is you versus you. So start a habit of measuring backwards. You can keep a journal or log of metrics that matter to you. It could be revenue, customers, skills learned, etc. Each month, review it. You'll see growth that you might otherwise overlook. Maybe last month you had 2 clients and now you have 5. That's progress. Or a year ago you didn't know anything about marketing and now you can run a decent ad campaign. That's a win. By focusing on your personal growth, you get a sense of achievement. You realize you're actually further along than before, which means you're moving forward, not stuck. So celebrate those improvements. Small wins pave the way to big wins. Next, define your own success criteria. Take a moment to define what success actually even means to you. Is it a certain income or flexible lifestyle? Making an impact in your community? If you get clear on your personal goals, you won't be as shaken by others. For example, if your goal this year is to develop a reliable product and break even financially, then someone else's Series A funding round, while nice for them, isn't your measure of success. Create a vision or mission for your business that's rooted in your values. I like to say that your purpose is greater than your fear. When you focus on your purpose, your why, you stop fearing that you're not keeping up with others. So chart your own course and stick to it. Next, practice delayed gratification. Remind yourself daily that you're playing the long game. When you hit a setback or a slow month, don't see it as failure. See it as part of the process. Develop routines that reinforce patience. For example, uh, set aside time each week to plan long-term moves like product improvements, or you're learning a new skill that won't pay off immediately, but will in the future. Celebrate yourself for putting in that work. You can even gamify it. Give yourself a small reward for sticking to a tough task instead of taking an easy shortcut like you normally do. That builds the muscle of patience. Remember the marshmallow experiment. Every time you choose the second marshmallow later in your business, like investing in R&D or building customer relationships slowly, you are setting yourself up for bigger rewards down the line. Next, seek mentors and peers or community. Instead of silently comparing yourself to high achievers, talk to them or to others on your journey. You'll often find that behind the scenes they're willing to share their struggles and lessons. Getting a mentor is one of the best ways to stay focused on growth rather than envy. My own growth accelerated once I found a mentor and I married my wife. A good mentor will remind you that everyone starts small and they'll give you personalized advice to get better. Also, surround yourself with fellow entrepreneurs who are positive and supportive. Join a mastermind group or just connect with a couple of business owners that you trust. When you have a community, you realize that nobody's journey is a straight line. You'll see people hit roadblocks. You'll see them pivot, slow down, speed up. It gives you perspective that you're all in this evolving process together. Plus, when you do feel down, they will pick you up. Next, focus on what you can control. You can't control how fast someone else grows or what opportunities fall in their lap, but you can control your actions and attitude. So in the morning, ask yourself, what's one thing I can do today to move my business forward? It could be making one more sales call, writing a piece of code, improving your website. By pouring energy into what you can do, you shift attention away from other people. It empowers you. Progress comes from consistent action, not constant comparison. If you focus on daily actionable goals, before you know it, you'll have a lot to show for your efforts. Now, your pace might be different, but progress is still progress. So pick a couple of these tips and start practicing them. Over time, you'll notice the "I'm behind" voice getting quieter as you build confidence in your own journey. You're on your own timeline. Keep going. Here's the final truth. You are on your own timeline, and that's exactly where you need to be. Life isn't a race against anyone else. It's a journey where sometimes you sprint and sometimes you take the scenic route. Both are fine. Everyone seems to be winning faster than you only because you're looking at them. If you put that same focus back on you, you'll see how far you've come and how much more potential is ahead of you. And when doubt creeps in, remember the facts that we've covered. Most people feel like you do at times. You're not weird or doomed. Social media only shows the good parts, not the grind. And science and stories show that patience and persistence beat rushing every time. So remind yourself of the entrepreneurs who succeeded later or after many tries. Success does not have an expiry date. As long as you're still in the game, you're not behind. You're building. So keep showing up, keep learning, keep improving, keep pushing forward. Your breakthrough moment is coming. And when it does, you realize it was all the previous ordinary days of work that made it possible. Every great story has ups and downs before the climax. This is your story. Embrace your journey, all of it, and trust that your time to win big is on its way. Now go out there and do your thing. The only person you need to beat is the one you were yesterday. Focus on that and you will win. You've got this. Do you want to know the secret to figuring out exactly what you want to do with your life? It's not a magic test. It's not a lightning bolt moment. It's something you discover. And if you don't figure this out, you might wake up one day filled with regret, living a life that wasn't really yours. Jim Carrey's father could have been a great comedian, but he took the safe route and became an accountant. When Jim was 12, his dad lost that safe job. Jim learned the hard truth watching his father: you can fail at what you don't want, so you might as well take a chance doing what you love. Jim chased comedy with everything he had, and it paid off in ways the safer path never could. How many times have you done the same, settled for safe because you didn't believe doing what you love was possible? You might be thinking, well, that's great, but I have no idea what I love. What if I just don't have a passion? The truth is you do. It's just buried under fear, doubt, and everyone else's expectations. Not knowing right now isn't a life sentence. It's a starting point of an amazing journey if you're willing to start. So let's break it down. And this question actually comes from one of our subscribers. User DC369 that asked, how can we know what we really want to do in the future? And if you ever wondered the same thing, keep watching. The first thing you need to do is silence the noise of other people's expectations. Maybe your parents think you should be a lawyer. Your friends all went into tech. Society tells you what success looks like. It's loud, isn't it? It's like static on a radio. You can't hear your song because of everyone else's music. One hospice nurse who cared for the dying noticed something profound. The number one regret people had was not living a life true to themselves, but living according to others' expectations. Rewind and hear that again. The most common regret at the end of their life was ignoring their own dreams. Do you want that to be your regret? So ask yourself, whose life are you living? If all those outside voices went silent for a minute, what would you choose? What secret dream or interest do you push aside because you're worried what others would think? This is your future. You're the one who has to live it. The people giving you advice or pressure, they won't deal with the consequences. You will. So don't let their voices become a virus in your mind, quietly killing your passion. You got to cut the cord, tune them out, because you can never find your path if you're busy walking someone else's. Think of it like wearing someone else's shoes. They might be the right size for you, but they still give you blisters. You need to walk in shoes that fit you. So here's a quick exercise. Take out a journal and write down what you would do if nobody would judge you or be disappointed. If you had all the support in the world, what path would you take? Be honest. This is for your eyes only. Get real about what you want, no matter how crazy or impractical it might sound. Got it? Good. Hold on to that because it's the first clue to what you really want. Now, maybe you say, okay, I have ideas, but I'm still not 100% sure which one is the one. And what if I choose wrong? Which brings us to the next part. You have to get out there and try things. You cannot think your way into knowing your passion. You act your way into it. Nobody ever discovered their dream life by sitting on the couch pondering. Clarity comes from engagement, not just thought. Maybe you're afraid of choosing the wrong thing, but here's a reality check: choosing nothing is the only guaranteed wrong choice. When you choose nothing, nothing changes. When you try something, you either win or you learn, but both are progress. We live in a world with endless options, and that can be paralyzing. There's a famous jam study. In a grocery store, researchers set up a display of 24 different jams. Tons of people stopped by to look, but only 3% actually bought a jar of jam. They cut it down to 6 flavors, fewer choices, and 30% of shoppers bought jam. Crazy, right? Too many options made people freeze. Life can feel the same way. With so many paths, you end up choosing none. Don't let that be you. Sometimes you just have to pick a flavor and taste it. So pick one of those interests or ideas that you wrote down and do something with it today, this week, soon. Always curious about coding? Sign up for a beginner's class now. Have a business idea scribbled in a notebook? Start researching or build a tiny prototype now. Interested in design or cooking, podcasting, setting up a YouTube channel? Find a way to dip your toes in the water now. Volunteer, shadow someone, do a side project. Here's why this is so powerful. Science says passion isn't something you find in a fortune cookie, it's something you grow. Research has found that passions often begin with a little spark of curiosity. So maybe you watch a cool documentary or you try a new hobby and you think, huh, that's kind of interesting. If you feed that spark, you read about it, you practice it, you immerse yourself, it starts to glow. Through repeated engagement and positive experiences, that interest builds. And if you keep going, that spark can grow into a flame. A passion is born not in a day, not by thinking about it, but by doing. Author Mark Manson has a great way to put it: passion is the result of action, not the cause of it. You don't wake up one day and magically know what you're passionate about. You figure it out by trying things. None of us know how we feel about an activity until we start doing the activity. It's a trial by fire. In other words, you won't know if you you love filming until you pick up a camera and you make a short film. You won't know if entrepreneurship is for you until you start a little business or side hustle. Thinking about it is not the same as doing it. Remember when you were a kid? You didn't sit around analyzing what game to play or how to have fun. You just ran out and played. You tried the slide, the swings, the monkey bars, just because it looked fun. That is the mindset you need now. Experiment, play, give yourself permission to explore without a perfect guarantee of success. And don't worry if your first try isn't the thing. Most people don't marry the first person they ever date, right? You meet different people to learn who's a good match. Likewise, you might have to try a few jobs, majors, or projects to learn what actually makes you come alive. Each attempt gives you feedback. I like this part, but not this part. It's like getting hotter or colder in a game of treasure hunt. Each step, even the wrong ones, guide you closer to the treasure. Now, as you start taking action, you might still have this nagging worry. Okay. I'm trying things, but what if my path isn't secure? What if I end up changing my mind or the world changes on me? Here's a hopefully freeing truth: your future is not a straight line, and that's okay. In fact, these days it's almost never a straight line, and it doesn't have to be. Gone are the days where you just pick one career at 18 and then retire from it at 65 with a gold watch, right? We're in a different world now. The average American has about 12 different jobs by the time they're 55. Think about that, 12 jobs, and that number is only rising. Some experts say many of us will have multiple careers, not just jobs, careers in our life. Not only that, but the world is changing so fast that your dream job might not even exist yet. Literally, one report by Dell Technologies and the Institute for the Future estimated that 85% of the jobs that will exist in 2030 haven't been invented yet. Let that sink in. You could end up doing something in 10 years that today you can't even Google because there's no word for it yet. So if you're worried, what if I picked the wrong thing? Relax a bit. You're not signing a blood oath here, right? You're choosing a direction. You're allowed to change course. In fact, you will change course, expect it or not. And that's not failure. That's life. Every experience, even if you leave it behind, builds skills and self-knowledge that help you in the next chapter. So think of your life like a road trip at night. Your headlight might only let you see 100 feet ahead of you, right? You can drive across an entire country that way, only seeing a little bit in front of you at a time. You don't stop driving because you can't see your destination from your driveway. You trust that as you move forward, more of the road will reveal itself. It's the same thing with your path. You just need to see the next 100 feet and drive into that, then the next 100. Adjust as you go. Maybe you start down one path and realize, huh, I actually hate this. Okay, that's valuable information. Now you pivot. You haven't failed, you've learned. Thomas Edison famously said, after many failed attempts at the light bulb, I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. Each failure was just showing him the path that would work. Maybe you go through a few majors in college or a few jobs in your 20s or 30s or 50s before it clicks. That's normal. That's you chiseling your statue, figuring out what to keep and what to chip away. What's important is that through all these twists and turns, you stay true to your North Star, the things you value, the problems you care about, the lifestyle that you want. Think of those as your compass. Maybe your compass says you care about helping people heal. That's amazing. Today, that might lead you towards nursing. In 10 years, maybe you're drawn to a mental health startup, or you write a book on wellness. The form can change. The mission remains. If you know the general direction— I want to create, I want to help, I want to lead, I want freedom— you can navigate with that even as the terrain changes. So don't stress about drawing a 40-year plan in stone. Instead, get clear on your values and interests. What, what excites you? What problems grabs your heart? What talents do others notice in you? And use that as your compass. Then take the best step that you can today. Trust that you can course correct as new opportunities or detours appear. All right, so you've cut out the noise, you're exploring, you're staying flexible. There's one more piece to this puzzle, and it's a big one. When you do find something you want, something that sparks that excitement, you've got to commit and develop it. So many people miss this. They expect that once they find their passion, everything will be rainbows and easy, and they'll be motivated 24/7. Let me bust that myth right now. Even your dream job, dream career, dream anything will have bad days, will have boring parts, will require a ton of work. That doesn't mean it's wrong. It means you're human. It means you're living in the real world. Stanford researchers discovered something really interesting here. They found that when people believe passion is something you just find fully formed, they tended to give up faster if the journey got hard to think, oh, maybe this isn't my passion at all after they'd quit. It's like they expected a smooth ride, and when they hit a bump, they bailed. In contrast, people who see passion as something that you develop, who know that any worthwhile pursuit will challenge you, those people persist. They push through those challenges and come out the other side stronger. The Stanford experts suggested we should replace find your passion with develop your passion. And I love that. It means you're not searching for a needle in a haystack. You're planting and growing a seed. Think of that passion or goal like a plant in a garden. Finding it is just picking out a seed. That seed has the potential to blossom, but not if you plant it in poor soil and walk away as soon as the first frost hits. You have to tend to it. You have to water it. You have to protect it when the storms come. In real terms, you have to show up even on the days when it's tough. You have to put in the hours to build and hone your skills, because passion without skill can only take you so far. You have to be willing to be bad at something in order to get good at it. So give yourself that grace to be a beginner. Maybe you want to be a writer. Are you willing to write articles that aren't great at first, to throw away pages, to edit and edit until your eyes hurt? That process will develop your passion for writing into a career. Maybe you're passionate about helping people. Awesome. Are you willing to study long hours in nursing school or stay up late working on your new nonprofit idea? That's the price of entry. Passion is energy, yes, but discipline and perseverance keep that passion alive when times get hard. And here's the beautiful thing. When you push through those obstacles, your passion, it deepens. You hit a new level of fulfillment that the dabbler will never reach. It's like climbing a mountain. The hike can get difficult. You're going to sweat, you'll get tired. But the higher you go, the more breathtaking the view is. And the people who quit at the first steep hill, they never see what you get to see. So when you face a challenge on the path, you choose a setback, a dull period, a moment of doubt. Don't just throw up your hands and say, I don't know, maybe it's just not for me. Remember why you started. Remember that every great endeavor has rough patches. This is where you prove how much you want it. This is where you grow. As you keep at it, something amazing happens. You build confidence. You start becoming excellent at your craft, your business, your mission, and passion thrives on that. It's a positive feedback loop. The better you get, the more passionate you feel, which makes you want to get even better, and on it goes. That's when you're truly living in your purpose. By now you've had some powerful pieces to work with. You know, you need to listen to yourself over others. You know, you must take action and follow your curiosity rather than waiting for clarity to knock at your door. You know, the future isn't set in stone and it's flexible and you can adapt along the way. And you know that once you find a direction that excites you, you have to pour yourself into developing it even when it's hard, because that's how passion grows. Now it's time for the final ingredient: belief. You have to believe that it's possible for you. Not easy, not overnight, but possible because it is. And I know it's possible because you're still here, still watching this, investing in yourself. Do you realize how many people never get this far? How many people shove that question of what do I really want to the side and go back to living on autopilot? But now you, you're here. You showed up for yourself today, and that's a huge deal. I want to acknowledge you for that. Most people won't even ask this question, let alone seek out answers and stick through a video to the end. And you did. That tells me you're hungry for growth and for change. You care about your future, and I admire that. So pat yourself on the back for a second, seriously, because you've taken a step that many are too scared to take. You're learning, reflecting, getting ready to take action, and this is how transformation starts. But we don't stop there. Knowledge is potential power. Action is what gives it real power. I want you to leave this video and actually do something with what you've learned, even if it's small, tonight. Before you go to bed, choose one idea that resonated with you and plan a concrete next step. Maybe you schedule that class or email that mentor. Maybe you sit and brainstorm business ideas for 30 minutes. Maybe you simply commit to journaling about what you really want every morning this week to keep that inner voice loud and clear. Whatever it is, do it. Make your future tangible starting now. Your future is not some distant daydream. It's built of today's choices. The fact that you're watching this means today You chose to care about it. Keep choosing that day after day. And I promise you, 5 years from now, you'll look back and thank yourself. You'll be somewhere that you chose, doing what matters to you because you had the courage to pursue it. And remember, it's never too early and it's never too late. Whether you're 16 or 60, you can start listening to that whisper inside and taking steps. There are people who found their calling at 50, 60, even 70. There are teenagers starting businesses from their bedroom. There is no rule. All that's cool, except don't give up on yourself. You've got this one life. Do not waste it living someone else's dream. Figure out what lights your fire and then fan those flames. No one can do it for you, and one day you're going to be so grateful that you did. Your journey to discover what you really want to do is exactly that— a journey. Embrace it. Don't rush to the destination. Learn from every step. Every job you take, every skill you learn, every project you try— they're all adding up to your story. A story that's uniquely yours. So trust the process and trust yourself. You showing up here doing the work tells me you're going to make something amazing out of your life. I believe it wholeheartedly. So keep going, keep believing in your vision even when others don't see it yet. Keep adjusting, learning, and most of all, keep moving forward. Your future self is cheering you on every step of the way. Your purpose is the single most powerful force in your life. It gives you direction, drive, and a reason to get up what gets you inspired every morning. If you never find it, you risk wandering aimlessly through life feeling empty no matter what you achieve. In fact, research shows that lacking a clear purpose is linked to worse health and even higher risk of death. I got a question of this from one of you, a subscriber named Giza, who asked, "Hi, how do you find your purpose?" Great question, and it's so important. Not knowing your purpose can cost you years of progress and happiness. Imagine reaching the end of your life only to regret that you didn't live true to yourself. Now, I don't want that for you. The stakes are high. Your fulfillment, your impact, and even your longevity depend on finding meaning. Let me share a quick story. Years ago, I was shy, introverted, terrified of public speaking. I didn't want to make videos. I hated networking. But I was also on a mission. My purpose is to help entrepreneurs believe in themselves more. It pushed me out of my comfort zone. I filmed 350 YouTube videos before I even felt slightly comfortable on camera. I I forced myself on a 90-day, 23-city speaking tour to conquer my fear of disappointing people. And halfway through that tour, I broke my neck in two spots, compressed my spine, and I got a concussion. But I kept going. Now, I'm not superhuman. I was exhausted, I was scared, but my purpose gave me the strength to push through my biggest fears. That's the power of knowing your why. As Viktor Frankl famously said, those who have your why to live can bear with almost any how. Your purpose becomes your fuel to do extraordinary things. Now I know what you might be thinking. Yeah, Evan, that's great, but I have no clue what my purpose is. I've got bills to pay and no time to go on some soul-searching journey. Hey, fair point. Finding your purpose can sound like a luxury or a fuzzy ideal when you're busy and just trying to survive. Maybe you feel you're too old to start over or too young to know what you want. Maybe you worry you don't have any special passion or that pursuing it won't pay the So let's talk about it. I don't think I have a purpose. Everybody has a purpose. Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart. You have unique talents and values that, when tapped into, will light you up. As I often say, everybody has Michael Jordan-level talent at something. If you haven't found it yet, it just means you haven't looked in the right place. It's not too late to start, and you're not too ordinary. You're a genius at something. Next, purpose won't pay my bills. Purpose and profits are not opposites, they're allies. When you build a business or career around your purpose, you unlock extra motivation and creativity that lead to greater success. Purpose-driven companies, for example, achieve higher market share gains and grow on average 3 times faster than competitors. They also have more engaged teams and loyal customers. In other words, knowing your why can actually help you thrive financially because you work with more passion and persistence than the person who's just clocking in for a paycheck. So don't buy the lie that you have to choose between purpose and practical success. The best entrepreneurs integrate them together. Next, I'm too busy or overwhelmed. You don't need to drop everything and trek to an ashram in India to find your purpose. You can start right now where you are with small steps. In fact, you can't afford not to. Having a life purpose is a buffer against stress, anxiety, and depression. It actually helps you cope with challenges better than grinding away without any meaning. Think of purpose like a guiding star. It doesn't add more weight to your load. It lights your path and makes the journey easier. I'll dive into simple habits you can fit into your day to start uncovering what drives you. But now that we've busted some of those objections, let's get into the how. How do you actually find your purpose? I'm going to cover mindset shifts you need, habits and daily routines to discover and live your purpose, and how to craft a long-term vision that helps keep you aligned. And these tips are a mix of things I learned from my own journey, exercises I've shared in my book Built to Serve and science-backed insights from experts. So you ready? Let's do this. Shift your mindset. Believe you have a purpose. The journey starts in your head. Mindset is the foundation. You have to believe deep down that you are here for a reason. If you don't believe it, you'll never put in the work to find it. So step 1 is adopting a mindset that your life does matter and that you can discover what for. We start with adopting a growth mindset about purpose. Maybe you haven't found your purpose yet. That's okay. Instead of saying, I don't have a purpose, start saying, I haven't found my purpose yet. This one word, yet, it keeps the door open. It reminds you that purpose is something you uncover through exploration. Research in psychology shows that when we treat abilities or traits as learnable and discoverable, we're more likely to actually develop them. The same goes for purpose. See it as a journey of growth. Next, know that purpose is about service, not just self. A big mindset shift is understanding what purpose really means. Purpose isn't just a fancy word for your personal passion. It's bigger, much bigger. One team of psychologists defines purpose as a stable and generalized intention to accomplish something that is meaningful to the self and of consequence to the world beyond the self. In other words, your purpose isn't only about what you love, but also about how you use it to help others or contribute. This is huge. If you think purpose is selfish, like what I want to do with my life, flip that. The most powerful purpose usually involves serving. Like Albert Einstein said, only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile. When you start thinking about how you can make a difference for someone else, whether it's your community, your customers, or the world, you tap into a deeper motivation. Humans are built to serve. If you're not happy now, it's because you aren't serving others in a way that matters to you. Change that mindset and purpose becomes easier to find. Next, believe in your talents even before you see all the results. You have strengths and passions that point towards your purpose. It's easy to dismiss them. Sure, I love music, but I'm not a rock star, so that can't be my purpose. Don't kill your purpose before it's born. Start believing that your passion means something. If you love music, maybe your purpose is to bring joy to others through sound. If you enjoy coding, maybe your purpose is to solve problems with technology to improve lives. Like, trust that your interests and skills are clues to your purpose, not just silly side hobbies. Everybody has Michael Jordan-level genius at something, something you can be among the best in the world at if you fully devoted yourself. Now, it might not be something flashy or something that people traditionally celebrate, and it might not be something that your parents or your friends expect, but it's yours. And so start telling yourself, I am here for a reason and I have a gift to give. This positive belief is the fuel that will drive you in the exploration and the work that you have to do next. Embrace curiosity over fear. A purpose-finding mindset is a curious mindset. Instead of fearing that you'll never get it, get curious about yourself. Think like an investigator. Hmm, investigator, what clues does my life show about what my purpose might be? Every interest, every strength, every story from your life is a potential clue. When you approach it with curiosity and optimism, the process becomes exciting, not overwhelming. Remember, The meaning of life is to find your gift, and the purpose of life is to give it away. So what is your gift? Get excited about discovering that. If you catch yourself in a negative headspace, like comparing yourself to others who seem to be just so far ahead of you and have this giant purpose, pause and reframe. Your journey is unique. Some people find their calling at 5 years old, others at 50. There is no deadline. What matters is the belief that I have a purpose and I will find it. With that mindset locked in, you become unstoppable. You go from saying, can I ever find my purpose, to how will I find my purpose? And that how is what we're going to tackle next. Develop habits to discover your purpose. Purpose isn't just something that hits you one day while you're watching Netflix. You find your purpose by engaging in life and self-discovery. It's a process of exploration. The good news is there are concrete habits and exercises that you can do to start uncovering what lights you up and what matters most to you. So think of yourself as an archaeologist. We're digging for the treasure that is your purpose. So here are some habits and strategies you can use to get digging. One, start with what drives you. Set aside some quiet time to look inward. Ask yourself, when have I felt most alive? What activities or topics really energize me? Write down the answers. Journaling is a fantastic habit here. Even 10 minutes every morning, write about times you felt proud, fulfilled, excited, What were you doing? Who were you helping? These reflections reveal patterns. As one set of tips suggests, think about what you love to do, what truly energizes you, and what you care about so deeply it moves you to action. Within those passions can lie the seeds of your purpose. Maybe you love teaching others or creating art or solving tough problems. Now ask, how can you turn those passions into something meaningful to others? It's usually by using them to serve others or a cause. And we'll touch on more of that in a moment. Next, draw on your hardships. It might sound counterintuitive, but your toughest experiences in life can reveal your purpose. Think about challenges or pain that you've overcome— an illness, a loss, bullying, a failure— anything that deeply affected you. How did it change you? Many people find purpose in helping others through the very hardship that they endured. I call it your purpose comes from your pain. Psychologists call this post-traumatic growth. Turning pain into purpose. What could be more meaningful than easing the path for someone going through what you went through? Your purpose may come from a determination to right past wrongs in your life or injustices in the world. For example, if you struggled with poverty growing up, maybe your purpose is to create opportunities for others in poverty. If you lost someone to a disease, maybe your purpose is to support patients or families facing that disease. One of my favorite ideas is your purpose comes from your pain. So don't run from the difficult chapters of your life. Mine them for insight. They've given you empathy and motivation that are pure gold. Next, expand your interests. Read, watch, learn. If you feel stuck, make a habit of exposing yourself to new ideas and experiences. Purpose is often discovered by trying lots of things until something clicks. Read widely—books, articles, biographies, anything that sparks your curiosity. Watch more videos like this. In fact, research suggests reading is linked to a greater sense of meaning and purpose. It makes sense. Reading opens your mind. It gives you new perspectives, and it can ignite interests that you didn't know you had. So read something inspiring or challenging. Also, watch documentaries, take online classes, listen to podcasts, watch more YouTube videos that inspire you. The point is to feed your mind and soul with inspiration. You might stumble on a story of someone doing something that makes you just think, wow, I wanted to go do that, or learn about a problem in the world that you suddenly massively feel passionate about for some reason. Pay attention to what pulls at you. Next, explore through action and play. It's not just about reading or watching videos. You need to get out there and actually try stuff. Make it a habit to step outside your comfort zone regularly, even just a little bit. Sign up for a workshop, volunteer for a local organization, try a new hobby, travel to a new place, make your first video. Purpose often hides in experiences you haven't had yet. You might discover your love for gardening by helping a friend plant a backyard, which leads you to a purpose in sustainable farming or simply sharing beauty through plants. Or you might volunteer at a youth center and you suddenly realize, wow, mentoring kids gives you this profound feeling of fulfillment. Even if an activity doesn't turn out to be the thing, you'll learn something about yourself with each attempt. That you go through. Treat it like experiments. Each month, commit to trying one new thing that just interests you for some reason. Keep a journal of what you felt during the experience. Did time fly by because you were so engaged and you loved it? Did you feel proud of what you did? Those are good signs that you're close. Next, seek insights from others. Sometimes we're blind to our own strengths, but the people around us can see them more clearly. So ask your close friends, your family, coworkers, what they think that you're, you're really good at, or what reminds them of you. You might be displaying your purpose without even realizing it. So, for example, others might say, "Wow, you've always been great with kids," or, "When I think of you, I think of how passionate you are about animals," or, "You have so much enthusiasm for technology, it's contagious." Those comments can be eye-opening. We tend to undervalue the things that come easiest to us, but those are often exactly where our purpose lies because your gifts feel natural to you. So gather that outside perspective. It might point you to something that you have overlooked. Additionally, look at what people thank you for the most. So do friends thank you for listening to them and giving great advice? You could have a purpose in counseling or coaching. Do colleagues always seek you out for help when they're trying to organize projects? Maybe your purpose involves leadership or project management to bring bigger visions to life. Feedback from others provide dots that you can connect to see the outline your purpose. Next, be altruistic and serve. One of the fastest ways to inject more meaning into your life is to help others. Start small and consistently look for ways to be of service to other people. Tutor a student, help a neighbor, join a cause in your community. Not only does it make a difference, it also reveals what issues or activities you find the most meaningful. Studies confirm that donating your time and energy is good for you and can give you purpose. As you volunteer or you support other people, pay attention to which efforts resonate deeply. Maybe you feel especially fulfilled helping seniors or working with animals. I love helping entrepreneurs. Maybe you love advocating for the environment. Those feelings are strong indicators of a purpose area. And even if you're still unsure if it's your big purpose, serving others right now gives you purpose in the moment. You see that you matter to someone and that you can improve somebody's life. and that sense of contribution is often the spark that leads to bigger clarity. Plus, helping others expands your network and it exposes you to new experiences. Tying back to the exploration we talked about, being the archaeologist, it's a win-win for finding your purpose. Next, express yourself creatively. Purpose is often linked to creation, whether it's creating art, writing, building a business, some form of self-expression. If you have any inclination towards creative outlets, so think writing, painting, music, like crafting, coding, cooking, anything. Make time for them. Sometimes when you create, you tap into your subconscious values and desires. You might write a short story and you realize that the theme that keeps coming up is social justice. Aha! You know, that could be your point of purpose, of fighting for fairness. Or you might find that when you play guitar, the hours seem to disappear, and afterwards you feel on top of the world. Okay, that could be a good sign that music is essential to your Even practices like meditation, prayer, journaling— they're forms of expression that can yield purpose insights. What they do is quiet the noise and they let your true voice emerge. Creative outlets and mindfulness can help you gain a sense of purpose by connecting you with your inner self. So don't say, 'I'm not creative.' Creativity here isn't about being Picasso. It's about letting your inner thoughts and passions surface in whatever form works for you. So that's a lot of different potential habits. You don't have to do them all at once. The key is to commit to a few regular practices of self-discovery. So reflection, exploration, service, creative expression— mix these things into your weekly routine. Purpose finding is an iterative process. Each step you take gives you feedback. Maybe journaling reveals 2 or 3 themes that keep recurring for you, and say teaching, nature, or community. Next, you might volunteer at a community garden that teaches kids about nature, and combining all 3, you feel an electric sense of like, this is it. Or maybe it tells you not this, and that's fine too. You refine the path as you go. Be patient with yourself. Only about 25% of American adults report having a clear sense of purpose. So if you're still searching, you are not alone. It's a journey that many people are on. The difference is you are actively working on it right now. That already puts you ahead of the pack and on course to join the 25%. So keep at it and the puzzle pieces will start coming together. Align your daily routine with purpose. As you start getting hints of what your purpose might be, or even if you're still in a discovery phase, you want to infuse purpose into your daily life. Purpose isn't just a lofty big idea. It shows up in the small actions that you take every day. So by building routines that align with what matters to you, you create momentum and stay connected to your why consistently. Now let's talk about how to actually do that. So start your morning with purpose. How you begin the day sets the tone. Instead of immediately diving into emails or social media, Take 10 to 15 minutes each morning to center on your purpose or the search for it. This could be as simple as a morning journal where you write down your goals and your intentions. It could be going for a walk and thinking about who you want to serve, making sure at least one of them is tied to your emerging purpose. So for example, if you think your purpose involves writing a book to inspire others, your morning intention might be write 500 words of my book today. If you're still trying to figure it out, your intention could be something like do one do one thing that makes me feel alive today, or help just one person in some way today. Some people use affirmations or prayer in the morning related to their purpose, like, "I am on the path to discovering my purpose," or, "Today I will live with meaning and service." It might sound a little cheesy, but speaking it primes your brain to look for that purpose around you. Another powerful morning habit is visualization. So you picture yourself living a purpose-driven life. What does that look like? Athletes visualize winning. You visualize fulfilling your mission. This keeps your purpose front and center so you can see it, rather than letting it get buried somewhere, you know, in busy work. And over time, this habit trains you to prioritize what matters most rather than just what's urgent and right in front of you. Next, break it down into daily goals. So let's say through the habits that we've already discussed, you've identified a passion or a direction that feels like it could be a part of your purpose. It could be anything. You're building your startup, you're becoming a motivational speaker, you You're making YouTube videos, you're creating art that heals people, you're advocating for a cause. Now ask yourself, what's one small thing that I can do today to advance that? Purpose can feel overwhelming if it's too big. It's like it's the end— I'm going to end world hunger, right? It's huge. But remember, every big mission is achieved through tiny steps. So if your purpose is aligned with your work or business, then each day you likely already spend time on it. Just make sure to touch the part that is the most purpose-driven, like the creative design or networking with people you serve not just the spreadsheets. If your purpose lies outside your day job and you can't just jump into it full-time yet, that's okay. Carve out a slice of time daily or weekly. Maybe every evening from 7 to 8 PM you work on your side project, or you study for that career shift that aligns with your purpose. Treat it like it's an important meeting with yourself that can't be missed. By scheduling purpose time, you ensure it doesn't always get postponed. Those daily actions add up and keep you emotionally connected to your why. Next, incorporate purpose into even routine tasks. So not every moment of life is thrilling, right? We still have chores, commutes, errands to run. But you can reframe even the mundane through the lens of purpose. For example, while doing tasks like cleaning or exercising, use the time to reflect or learn with purpose in mind. Listen to audiobooks or watch YouTube video or podcasts related to your area of interest. Use your commute to practice a skill in your head or plan your next purposeful project. At work, if your job isn't your passion, you can still practice purposeful habits like kindness, excellence, curiosity, which tie into who you want to be. Now let's say you figured out that a core part of your purpose is to spread positivity. Then make a habit of smiling at strangers or sending a positive note to a colleague daily. It sounds small, but this keeps you aligned with your values and it builds the purpose muscle. Every time you act in line with your perceived purpose, you reinforce reinforce it again and again, which gives you confidence. You don't want to live for the few moments you get to work on your passion and then sleepwalk through the rest of your day. Bring purpose into everything. You'll find even boring tasks take on new meaning when you can connect them back to your larger why. Next, surround yourself with purpose-minded people. So Jim Rohn famously said, you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. If you want to live a purpose-driven life try to connect with others who have that mindset too. This is a crucial part of your daily environment. Seek out mentors, peers, or communities— and they could be online or offline— that are pursuing meaningful goals. Their energy and example will rub off on you. If your current circle is just full of negative and aimless people, it's going to drag you down. It's really hard to feel passionate and excited and purposeful when you're surrounded by people who aren't interested in making any kind positive contribution. You might need to set some boundaries with naysayers or reduce time with people who belittle your search and make fun of purpose. Instead, find your tribe. Maybe a local entrepreneur meetup, a volunteer group, an online forum talking about your interests. When you regularly talk to people who get it, right, you'll stay motivated and pick up new ideas for your journey. So make purpose a shared adventure. Next, practice daily gratitude and reflection. Reflection. In the evening, take a few minutes to reflect on your day through the lens of purpose. Ask, what did I do today that felt meaningful or aligned with my purpose or my core values? And what am I grateful for today? Gratitude is powerful. Research shows practicing gratitude increases life satisfaction and can even help you understand your purpose. When you note what you're grateful for, you often highlight what matters to you. So for example, if you frequently write, I am grateful I got to help I helped a friend with her problem today. That's a neon sign that helping others is fulfilling for you. Over a week or a month, your gratitude journal may reveal consistent themes. Those are related to your purpose. Additionally, reflecting on what felt meaningful each day helps you do more of it. You might realize that the highlight of your day was the hour that you spent painting, or the moment that you had a deep conversation with your child. That awareness will encourage to prioritize those activities moving forward. This simple nightly habit keeps you course-corrected toward purpose. If you have days when nothing felt meaningful, that's okay. Use it as motivation to plan something purposeful for tomorrow, and over time you'll string together more and more and more days that feel aligned with your mission. Building these purpose-aligned routines isn't about adding strict discipline to an already busy life that you have. It's about infusing meaning into the things that you are doing and being more intentional with your time. Even 20 to 30 minutes a day dedicated to purposeful practice like learning, creating, serving can change your life's trajectory. And by bookending your day, a purpose-driven morning and a grateful evening, you create a mental framework that keeps you engaged and excited about your why every single day. Create a long-term vision for a purposeful life. Daily actions are crucial, but we also need to take the 30,000-foot view. It's time to zoom out and look at the long-term vision. What kind of life do you ultimately want to live? What kind of legacy do you want to leave, if that matters to you? Crafting a vision anchored in purpose will guide your big decisions and keep you motivated for the long haul. So we're going to think of it as designing your personal North Star that all of these efforts that you're doing point towards. Start with envisioning your ideal future. So fast forward 5 years, 10 years, 20 years. If you were living a deeply purposeful life, what would it look like? Allow yourself to dream a little bit without any self-censorship of what can and can't be. Where would you be living? Who would you be working with? What kind of impact would you be making on the day, on the world? Write it down in vivid detail and emotion. This is essentially writing your own life story in advance. For example, you might write, 10 years from now, 'And I wake up every morning, I'm excited. I'm running my own business that provides clean water to communities,' or 'I'm a successful author touching thousands of readers,' or 'I built a company that gives people great jobs,' and so on. 'I spend my days doing X, Y, and Z, and I feel fulfilled because I know I'm making a difference in blank.' Don't worry if your vision feels ambitious and if you're not 100% certain. The goal is to create a compelling picture that resonates emotionally. This vision will evolve as you do, but having it written down gives you a target that you can aim for. It's incredibly motivating to have a clear vision of a life where you're living your purpose. It pulls you forward on the tough days. Next, write a personal mission statement. So businesses have mission statements. Why not have one for your life or your venture? A mission statement is a short paragraph or a few sentences that capture your purpose and how you plan to pursue it. It's like your credo. For example, your mission might be to inspire healthy living by teaching others how to grow and cook their own food, or to bring people hope and happiness through storytelling, or to innovate technology that improves everyday life for the elderly. Like, don't worry about making it perfect, just make it authentic to what you actually care about. The act of writing a mission statement forces you to clarify your purpose in words, which makes it feel more concrete. And if you revisit it periodically to refine as you learn about yourself Cool. Once you have it, use it as a filter for opportunities. Does this job, project, partnership align with my mission? If yes, great. If not, maybe it's not the right fit. This helps you stay true to yourself. Remember Bronnie Ware's lesson from people at the end of their life? The number one regret was, I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me. Having a clear mission statement is an act of courage and self-definition. It's saying, This is my path. Next, set meaningful goals that align with your purpose. So once you have a vision and mission, break it down into more concrete goals. Humans are goal-oriented seeking creatures. Having goals gives us direction and satisfaction when we achieve them. So the trick is to ensure that your goals are aligned with your purpose, not just some arbitrary number. For example, if your purpose is related to improving education, great. A goal might be get a teaching certificate in the next 18 months, or, uh, launch my educational YouTube channel by next March and grow it to 10,000 subscribers in a year. Great. Make some goals that are short-term, 2 to 6 months, and some longer-term, all pointing towards that vision. Studies have found that pursuing meaningful goals boosts well-being. It gives you a sense of progress and hope. Things are happening. Write your goals down and track them, but also stay flexible. If you discover new insights, which you will, you can adjust your goals. That's totally okay. The purpose is the compass. The goals are the landmarks along the journey. Even small wins like finishing a course, reaching your first 100 customers in your purpose-driven business, that will fuel your motivation and your confidence to keep going. Next, plan for obstacles and prepare to persevere. A long-term vision doesn't mean much if you give up at the first setback. One thing purpose gives you is resilience, because when you deeply care about why you're doing something, you'll find find a way through the how. Still, it helps to anticipate challenges. So think about what could trip you up in pursuing your purpose. Is it the fear of failure? Is it financial constraints? Is it the lack of time? Once you identify the potential obstacles, you can make a plan for how you're going to handle them. So for example, if money is an issue, maybe your plan is, I'll save 10% of my income for the next 2 years, and I'm going to create a cushion to transition into my purpose-based business. Or if time is an issue, I'll talk with my family about creating 2 evenings a week where I have no obligations so that I can work on building my dream, right? Also, remind yourself of examples of others who overcame adversity through purpose. History and current events are full of stories. An entrepreneur who failed 5 times before succeeding, an activist who kept fighting despite criticism, etc. Draw strength from them and recall Frankl's wisdom. With a strong enough why, you can endure any how. When challenges come, reconnect with your why. Read your mission statement. Visualize that future. Remember who you're doing this for—your family, your community, your younger self who really needed a role model. This will reignite your determination to keep going. Purpose and perseverance go hand in hand. A long-term vision grounded in purpose is extremely powerful. It gives meaning to your sacrifices and focus to your efforts. It's the answer to, "Why am I doing all of this?" on the days when things are tough, and it will inspire others to support you too. When you have clarity of purpose, you become a magnet for opportunities and people who align with that same purpose. So don't be surprised as you better share your vision that the right doors just start to open. As the saying goes, when the student is ready, the teacher appears. By getting clear on your purpose and boldly setting out towards achieving it, you signal to the world that you are ready, and resources, mentors, and allies often show up in ways that almost feel magical. But it's really because you're now laser-focused on what matters. Living a life of purpose. Finding your purpose as an entrepreneur and as a human being is the greatest journey you can undertake. It's not always easy, but it's absolutely worth it. Remember that purpose is not found in a day or a week. It's a lifelong adventure of becoming more and more the person you're meant to be. Along the way, you'll try things that don't work. You will face people who don't understand, and you'll probably evolve your direction a few times. That's okay. Every step, even the missteps, are part of the process. What matters is that you start, start consciously looking for what makes you feel fulfilled. Start doing more of what you love and what helps other people. Start saying no to things that pull you off track. Start surrounding yourself with people, with ideas, and in environments that light you up. In short, start living on purpose instead of by accident. When you find and live your purpose, life gains a richness that is kind of hard to describe until you experience it. You wake up with more enthusiasm. Challenges become opportunities. You have this inner drive that propels you through obstacles that would stop other people. You contribute to something much bigger than yourself, which gives you a profound sense of satisfaction. As one study showed, having a strong purpose even helps you live longer and healthier. Talk about a win-win. And the beautiful thing is, purpose is not static. As you live it, it grows. You'll touch lives in ways you never anticipated. You'll become a beacon to for others. Your courage to live your purpose will inspire them to find theirs. And that's how we change the world— each person shining their light, giving their gifts. As you pursue your purpose, never forget: the world needs what you have. Your story, your voice, your ideas, your passion— they matter. They could be exactly what someone is out there praying for. So find that purpose and run with it. It might start as a small spark. Protect it. Nurture it and let it grow into a big flame. Trust yourself, trust the process, and as you get clarity, take action. Even if it's one small step, take it, then another. Purpose is revealed through action, not just thinking about it. You've got this. I'm excited for you to discover the incredible impact you're going to make once you're aligned with your purpose. It's never too early or too late to start. Whether you're 15 or 50, your purpose is waiting for you to step into it. As Mark Twain reportedly said, the two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. Don't settle for anything less. Go find your why, live it fully, and give it to the world with everything you've got. Your future self will thank you, and so will all the lives that you touch along the way. I believe in you, and I believe in your purpose. Now it's time for you to believe in it and take action. Stay strong, Stay curious, and as always, believe. If you don't design the life you want, you'll end up living a life you don't. Most people drift through their days letting others call the shots, then wonder why they feel stuck. If you never take control, look back and see you traded your dreams for someone else's plan. There's a famous parable about a fisherman and a businessman. The businessman urges the the fisherman to expand, to work tirelessly for decades so he can eventually relax and enjoy life. But the fisherman laughs. He's already spending his days doing what he loves with the people he loves. The lesson here is to know what you actually want out of life and to live it now instead of blindly following what others think you should do. When I was 19, I lived that lesson. I had a high-paying job offer on the table, my to the safe, successful life that everyone expected, and I turned it down to make $300 a month and own a piece of a startup. Why? Because I imagined myself at 40 looking back, miserable that I never gave my dream a shot. I thought, if I don't do this, I'll regret it for the rest of my life. And the fear of regret was stronger than the fear of failure. So I took control and designed my own path, and it was the best decision I ever made. Now, Maybe you're thinking, that sounds great, but I can't just redesign my life. I have responsibilities. I'm too deep in my career. It's too late for me. Listen, that doubt is exactly why you must start now. If you have a family depending on you, that's all the more reason to build a life that you are proud of, to set an example and give them the best of you. If you think you're too old, then you definitely don't have time to waste living someone else's dream. You can use every obstacle you have as more motivation to get this right, not less. So no more waiting, no more excuses. Today, let's start designing the life that you want. Here are 5 practical steps to do it. Let's dive in. Step number 1: take full ownership of your life. No one is coming to save you or hand you your dream life. It's on you. The first step is to accept that completely. Psychologists call this an internal locus of control, and research shows people who have it are far more successful, healthier, and happier. Here's what it means. When you believe that you shape your destiny, you actually do. So starting right now, own everything in your life, the good and the bad. Don't blame your boss, the economy, or your past. The moment you take responsibility for where you are, you gain the power to change where you're going. This isn't about beating yourself up. It's about recognizing that you are in control of you. My mom drilled this into me from a young age. She used to tell me, if you have the ability, you have the responsibility. If you can, then you must. And she was right. You can improve your life, so you must. It might feel heavy to carry that responsibility, but trust me, it's also liberating. Because if it's your responsibility, it's within your control. The life you want is not some lottery ticket. It's a choice. And you're making that choice every day with your actions as well as your inactions. So Decide right now that you're in charge of your life's design. When you truly internalize that, you'll feel an incredible surge of power and clarity. This is your life, and claiming it is step 1 to changing it. Step number 2: Define a clear vision. Find your why. You can't design a life you love if you don't know what you want. So step 2 is to get crystal clear on your vision and your why. What does your ideal life look like? What do you like? More importantly, why does it matter to you? Take the time to answer these questions in vivid detail. Write it down. Studies show you're 42% more likely to achieve your goals just by writing them down. Don't just say, I want to be happy, or I want success. Paint a specific picture. I want to run my own marketing firm, helping small businesses grow, or I want to live in a cabin by the lake and write my novel. Whatever it is for you. Define it so clearly that you can taste it, because if you don't have a target, you'll hit nothing. Now let's talk about purpose. A vision isn't just about the what, it's about the why. One of the best ways to find your purpose is to look at your pain. I believe your purpose comes from your pain. The biggest struggles you've overcome are the ones that you are uniquely equipped to help other people through. The challenges that knocked you down, the people that hurt you, the problems that you solved for yourself, those experiences, gave you strength. Use them. Maybe you fought through poverty or you beat an illness or you overcame extreme shyness. Whatever it is, that story can become your mission. In my early entrepreneurship days, I struggled hard. I felt alone. I felt like a failure. And that was painful. That pain became my purpose. I'm now driven to help other entrepreneurs so they don't have to struggle as much as I did. Your pain can motivate your purpose in the same way. When you know why you're doing something, you'll find the strength to do anything. So get clear on what you want and why you want it. That vision will be your North Star when things get tough. Step number 3, take immediate imperfect action. Now that you know what you want, it's time to get moving. Step 3 is to take action before you feel 100% ready. Most people wait and wait for the perfect timing, the perfect plan, more certainty, and they never go anywhere. Do not fall into that trap. A good plan executed today beats a perfect plan never executed. Clarity comes from doing, not just thinking about it. When you take even a small step, you get feedback, you learn, and you build momentum. I had to learn this the hard way. Early in my career, I was such a perfectionist that I spent an entire summer writing and polishing the perfect business plan instead of actually talking to customers. And guess what? An opportunity came and went while I was planning and I missed out on a $40 million deal because I wasn't ready to act. Now, that hurt, but it taught me something valuable. I'll tell you exactly what I realized. Most of your plan is going to be wrong anyway, so get out there and test your assumptions. I stopped overthinking and started doing, and it made a huge difference. Now, maybe you're afraid that if you act now, you might fail. So try this as a reframe. Not acting is the only guaranteed failure. According to Psychology Today, 92% of people never achieve their goals, largely because they never follow through. And I don't want you to be in that 92%. So break your biggest vision into the smallest possible step and do it today. Send that email, create that prototype, wake up an hour earlier, whatever moves you an inch closer, do it. You won't have all the answers and that's okay. You'll figure it out as you go. Action creates clarity. Action builds confidence. Every step you take sends your brain evidence that you're the kind of person who takes charge. So stop waiting. Start now. Adjust later. Your future self will thank you. Step number 4: Surround yourself with support and belief. Designing your dream life is not a solo project. You are massively influenced by the people and the inputs around you. So step number 4 is to build a winning environment. Surround yourself with people who lift you higher, who challenge you, who believe in you, especially when you struggle to believe in yourself. Motivation doesn't last on an island. We all have moments of doubt, and that's when your environment will make or break you. Jim Rohn, Tony Robbins' mentor, famously said, "You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with." And there's truth in that. If your 5 closest contacts are ambitious, positive, and supportive, you're going to rise up. If they're negative, complacent, cynical, they're going to pull you down. So do an audit on who and what you're letting into your head. Sometimes you might need to set boundaries with naysayers. You might need to actively seek out mentors or people who inspire you. And here's something incredible. One study found that if you simply tell a friend about a goal you're working on, your chance of achieving it jumps to 65%. And if you set up regular check-ins with that friend, it shoots to 95%. That's how powerful support and accountability are. Use that to your advantage. Find an accountability partner, join a mastermind group, or just ask a friend to keep you honest. And remember, support isn't only from people you know personally. Borrowed belief is real. You can draw strength from other stories and mentorship until you build enough of it on your own. In the early days, I borrowed belief from my mom's encouragement. Later, I borrowed it from people like Oprah Winfrey. I'd read about how she overcame extreme poverty and unimaginable challenges. And yet look what she built. Her story proved to me what's possible. I filled my environment with voices and examples that pushed me forward. Books, videos like this. Friends, virtual mentors. They can all be part of your support system. Borrow belief from your environment until you build it yourself. That's how you get through the early stages. So curate your world. Follow people who inspire you. Cut out the content that depresses you. Share your dreams with those who will cheer you on and hold you accountable. When you surround yourself with positivity and belief, you'll have the motivation and the courage to keep going. When things get tough. Step number 5: Embrace failure and adapt for the long game. The final step is to treat your life design as an ongoing process. No plan will be perfect, and that's okay. You need to embrace failure as feedback and stay consistent for the long haul. When things go wrong, and trust me, they will, don't see it as proof that you can't do it. See it as part of the process of becoming who you're meant to be. Thomas Edison famously said about inventing the light bulb, I haven't failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. That's the mindset you need. In psychology, this is called a growth mindset, the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort and learning. People with this mindset thrive on challenges and persist through their setbacks. They understand that failure is not permanent, it's just a stepping stone. So keep that perspective. Every setback is teaching you something. Now, I'm not just preaching here. I try to live this. When I started my YouTube channel, It took me 5 years to crack 2,000 subscribers. 5 years of pouring my heart into videos, experimenting, failing, feeling like nothing was working. Most people would've quit, but I kept adjusting and improving instead. In the next 5 years, that 2,000 grew to 1.3 million. Today, this channel has over 4 million subscribers, and it only happened because I stayed in the game. Years of struggle and self-doubt set the stage for an overnight success that was a decade in the making. There was also a time my team and I got all of our camera gear stolen the night before a major shoot. We woke up with nothing. Thousands of dollars of equipment gone. We could have seen it as a sign to pack it in. Instead, we chose to adapt. We rented new gear. We showed up anyway and filmed. And you know what happened? The interview recorded turned out to be one of our best. And the experience taught me to have faith and that great things come to me. I learned that even when a branch breaks under you, you can rely on your wings. A bird on a branch isn't afraid of it breaking because its trust is in its own wings. Even if the plan fails, you can figure it out. The belief has to be in yourself, not just the plan. Designing the life you want is a journey, not a one-time project. You will stumble, you will make mistakes. Good, that means you're moving. Learn from every misstep and keep going. Iterate, adjust your course, but never abandon your vision. The only way you lose for sure is if you give up. As long as you keep getting back up, you're still moving towards your dream. Pick one step from today and execute on it within the next 24 hours. Even if it's tiny, do it. Your future self is watching, and today you get to make them proud. Remember, you don't have to have it all figured out. You just need to take the next step in faith and then the next. You think the worst advice you ever got was bad? Listening to negativity, whether it comes from other people or from that little voice of self-doubt in your head, is even worse. Bad advice is occasional and obvious, but negativity can be constant and insidious. If you keep letting negative words and thoughts guide you, it will sabotage your dreams faster than any one piece of terrible advice ever could. Today, I'm going to prove it to you and show you how to break free. My story: nearly quitting because of negativity. Let me start with a quick true story, my story. When I was 19, I made the toughest decision of my life. I quit a secure path to join a startup. I was a broke kid trying to build a business earning only $300 a month, and soon nothing was working. Every day that went by without results, my inner voice got louder and meaner. I began telling myself that I was a failure. I felt like a giant loser who made the biggest mistake of my life. The negativity in my own head was crushing me. Me. I was too ashamed to admit to friends how badly things were going, so I suffered alone. And finally, after yet another attempt to get sales, I hit my breaking point. I called my business partner and said, I quit. Our business is not working. Imagine that. I was this close to giving up entirely, not because someone gave me awful advice, but because I'd listened to the negativity in my head telling me I wasn't good enough. That night, I could hardly sleep. The next morning, something clicked. I realized I couldn't quit yet. Not like this. That spark of positivity fought its way through the gloom. I asked myself, who has built a successful software company before? And the first person I thought of was Bill Gates. So I started researching how Bill Gates built Microsoft from nothing. I learned the strategy, which I called modeling success, and applied it to my business. And guess what? Shortly after, I closed my first big deal of $13,500. That was more money than I'd ever seen in my life up to that point. And more importantly, I had a proven plan to keep going. So think about it. If I'd kept listening to that negative voice and quit, I would've lost everything I'd worked for. Instead, by shutting out the negativity and finding a positive model to follow, I turned things around. This taught me a powerful lesson firsthand. Negativity is a dream killer. It almost made me give up on my business and myself. If I hadn't pushed past it, I wouldn't be here today. Talking with you. Addressing your doubts. Now, I know some of you might be thinking, yeah, but sometimes negative people are just being realistic, or yeah, but I can't just ignore my own doubts. What if they're true? These are valid thoughts. Let's address them head on. So the objection: isn't it important to consider the negatives? I can't just live in la-la land thinking everything's rainbows. What if the negative voice is right? And here's the answer: there's a big difference between helpful caution or constructive constructive criticism and destructive negativity. Being aware of risks or hearing out advice, even if it's not what you want to hear, can be useful. But that's not what we're talking about here. We're talking about the constant pessimism, fear, and discouragement that has no constructive angle. Negativity isn't offering solutions. It's just telling you to give up. Negativity loves to disguise itself as realism. But ask yourself, is the negative comment or thought Actually helping you solve a problem, or is it just making you feel hopeless? Constructive feedback will point out an issue and suggest how to improve or avoid it. Destructive negativity just says, "This sucks. You suck. It'll never work," with no light at the end of the tunnel. See the difference? Also, consider the source. If the negative input is coming from someone with expertise who genuinely cares, like a mentor saying, "Your marketing needs work," 'Here's how to fix it.' That's probably not negativity, that's guidance. You don't want to ignore truth or facts, but if it's coming from chronic naysayers or your own inner critic always focusing on the worst-case scenario, that's the kind of negativity to shut out. The next objection is, 'Yeah, but the negative people in my life are my family or my close friends. I can't just cut them off.' And so here's my answer: you're right, it's tricky. You don't necessarily have to banish loved ones from your life, but you can set boundaries and reframe how you engage with them. So for example, if every time you share a new business idea with a certain friend, they shoot it down and make you feel small, stop sharing those vulnerable dreams with that friend. Limit the conversations you have with perpetually negative family members, or steer them towards other topics. You might not remove these people entirely, but you can remove their influence on your big goals. Remember, you control whose voices carry weight it's in your mind. The next objection I get is, uh, I'm just naturally pessimistic. I can't change that. And here's the answer: science would disagree. Pessimism or negative thinking isn't an unchangeable trait. It's often a habit. Our brains actually have something called a negativity bias, meaning we naturally pay more attention to negative things. But we can consciously work to overcome that. Being pessimistic now doesn't doom you to be that way forever. With practice, you can train yourself to adopt a more optimistic outlook, or at least catch and question negative thoughts. It's like strengthening the muscle, the positivity muscle. Countless people have done it, and so can you. So no more "yeah, buts." It is possible to guard against negativity without losing touch with reality. In fact, doing so is critical if you want to succeed. So now that we've tackled the objections, let's get into why listening to negativity is so dangerous in the first place. And what it does to your mind and your business. The real dangers of negativity. Why it's worse than bad advice. Bad advice is like taking a wrong turn. You can often correct course once you realize it. Negativity is like a constant roadblock. It keeps you from even moving forward. Here's why negativity, both internal and external, is so dangerous. Number 1, it kills your motivation. When you're surrounded by negative talk, it's hard to even get started. Think about it. If your inner dialogue each morning is, why even try? I'm going to fail. How motivated are you to work hard or take risks? Not much. As one psychology expert put it, negative self-talk isn't just stressful, it can also make it difficult to get motivated and achieve your goals. If you constantly hear it won't work from others or yourself, you begin to believe it and you won't take action. Next, it skews your decision-making. Negativity literally changes the way you evaluate options. Instead of thinking, how could this go right? You only see what could go wrong. Our brains are wired to give more weight to negative events than positive ones. That was the negativity bias that I mentioned before. That means if you get 10 comments about your idea and just one is negative, guess which one will haunt you the most? The negative one. It takes mental effort to overcome that bias, and if you don't, you'll make choices motivated by fear. You'll play not to lose instead of playing to win. Opportunities will pass you by because negativity convinced you to avoid risks or assume failure. Next, it lowers your self-confidence. Negativity is a bully. It beats down your belief in yourself. Over time, constant negative messages like, uh, you're not good enough, or people like you never succeed, become a self-fulfilling prophecy. You start to internalize that voice. It's been found that negative self-talk limits your ability to believe in your own abilities and reach your potential. It's like carrying around a 50-pound weight on your back everywhere you go. Everything is harder and slower because of that burden of doubt. Next, it harms your mental health. This is no joke. Excess negativity can literally contribute to depression and anxiety. Research shows that excessive negative thinking and rumination increase the risk of mental health problems, including depression and anxiety disorders. If you constantly feed your mind poison, it's going to make you sick. Feeling helpless and hopeless from too much negativity can spiral into clinical issues. At minimum, it's definitely raising your stress levels. You might notice when you're in a negative funk, you feel physically and emotionally exhausted. That's the toll that it's taking. Next, it wrecks your productivity and performance. Negativity doesn't stay contained as just a feeling. It affects what you do. For instance, a Michigan State University study found that employees who focus on negatives became mentally mentally fatigued, defensive, and saw a drop in their work performance. In other words, negativity makes you less effective at whatever you're doing. If you're an entrepreneur, that could mean slower progress, poor quality work, and fewer results. When your mind is busy fighting doubt or stress, it has less energy to concentrate on creativity or problem solving. Next, it can strain or sabotage relationships. If you're always negative, you risk pushing away mentors, partners or customers. Think about it— would you invest in or partner with someone who responds to every idea with, 'It'll never work'? Probably not. Negativity is contagious. It can spread to your team and create a toxic culture, and people generally avoid chronic negativity. So if you are the negative one, you might lose valuable connections. If someone else close to you is negative about your goals, it can strain your relationship as you try to distance yourself. In either case, negativity throws friction into your interactions. The bottom line is this: negativity is worse than bad advice because it doesn't just send you in a slightly wrong direction, it convinces you to stop, turn around, or not even try. It undercuts the very fuel you need for success—your belief, your passion, your persistence. Now let's back this up with a bit of science and data so you know I'm not just making this up. The science. How negativity affects your brain and results. I'm a big believer in data and science, so let's look at what research says about negativity and why it has such a powerful effect on us as entrepreneurs. Let's start with this: negativity hijacks your brain's focus. Psychologists talk about the negativity bias, the tendency for negative events or thoughts to have a greater impact on our mental state than positive ones of equal intensity. It's like Velcro for bad stuff and Teflon for good stuff. From an evolutionary perspective, our brains latch on to negatives that are like threats or failures to avoid danger. But in modern life, that bias can backfire. It means that one harsh criticism can outweigh a dozen compliments in your mind. One setback can make you forget all of your progress. Knowing this, you have to actively work to balance that bias out, or your brain will dwell on negativity by default. Next, stress and negative thinking make you less decisive and effective. When you're stressed out or in a negative emotional state, your brain's decision-making centers don't function optimally. Studies have shown that stress, often induced by negative thoughts, impairs our ability to evaluate choices and take risks in a balanced way. You tend to either make overly cautious decisions or freeze up through analysis paralysis. One review on stress and decision-making noted that under stress, we often become risk-averse and fixate on potential losses, which is not a recipe for entrepreneurial success. Next, negative self-talk is linked to depression and helplessness. As I mentioned, research links habitual negative self-talk and rumination to higher risk of mental health issues. For example, persistent negative inner dialogue has been linked to depression and feelings of helplessness. If you're telling yourself, I'm trapped, there's no way out, I suck, you start to believe it and then you stop seeing solutions. It's a vicious cycle. Negativity causes hopelessness, and hopelessness breeds even more negativity. Breaking that cycle by changing your self-talk is key to protecting your mental health. Next, it increases your stress hormones. Negative thoughts trigger stress responses in the body, like increased cortisol. While a little stress can give you a burst of energy, chronic stress from constant negativity wears you down, leading to burnout, memory issues, and even health problems. In contrast, positive thinking has been associated with better stress management and even health benefits. The Mayo Clinic reports that positive thinking can lead to lower rates of depression, better cardiovascular health, and improved coping skills during hardships. So negativity is literally bad for your health, not just your business. Next, negativity narrows your perception and problem solving. Psychologist Barbara Fredrickson's broaden and build theory suggests that positive emotions Broaden your thinking and creativity, while negative emotions do the opposite. They narrow your focus to the problem at hand, which is also called tunnel vision. That might help in a life-or-death threat, but in business, tunnel vision on problems means you fail to see creative solutions or opportunities. One article noted that negative self-talk can lead to a lowered ability to see opportunities and a decreased tendency to capitalize on them. You literally miss chances because negativity has you fixated fixate it somewhere else. Next, positive mindset equals better performance and vice versa. The flip side of all this negativity research is that positive thinking yields better outcomes. In one study with athletes, researchers found that positive self-talk was the greatest predictor of success among various mental strategies. Athletes who talk themselves up perform better. Those who are negative or doubted themselves underperform. This idea extends beyond sports. Sports. If you believe you can do something and you encourage yourself, you're far more likely to persevere until you achieve it. If you doubt and disparage yourself, you're more likely to falter. In entrepreneurship, having that optimistic mindset can be the edge that keeps you going through the tough times. In fact, research has revealed that optimistic people tend to achieve more and be happier than pessimists. Why? Because when optimists hit an obstacle, they expect a solution and actively look for one, whereas pessimists assume defeat. So optimism fuels problem-solving and persistence. Next, workplace negativity hurts productivity. We touched on this before, but to put a number to it, a study in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that employees who chronically voice negativity— they're always pointing out problems without any balance— became mentally fatigued, and eventually their own work suffered. They even became less cooperative and more likely to engage in bad workplace behaviors. So if you or your team are stuck in a negative mindset, realize it's likely dragging down output in a very real way. Now, on the flip side, a positive, engaged mindset correlates with higher productivity and better work quality. That's a lot of science to basically say negativity messes you up and positivity lifts you up. Sometimes we need to hear the hard data to believe these soft concepts, but the data is clear. You are far better psychologically, physically, and performance-wise when you minimize negative influence and cultivate positive ones. So now that we know the dangers, the next step is doing something about it. Let's move from why you need to avoid negativity to how you can actually do it in your day-to-day life as an entrepreneur. How to spot negative influences, internal and external. Before you can remove negativity, you have to recognize it. It's not always obvious. Because negativity can be sneaky and come from places that you wouldn't expect. Here are some of the telltale signs of negative influences around you and within you. Let's start with chronic critics. These are the people in your life who always find something wrong. They rarely, if ever, give praise or encouragement. When you share good news, they temper it with "but." For example, you say you landed a new client. They respond, "Well, hope you can keep them happy. A lot of businesses lose their first client." Negative influences. These might be colleagues, friends, even family members. If every interaction leaves you feeling deflated, that's a sign of a negative influence. Next are the people I call dream smashers, those who dismiss or ridicule your goals. You mention your ambitious startup idea and they roll their eyes or say, sounds risky, I wouldn't get my hopes up. They might frame it as joking or just being honest, but if the pattern is that they never believe in your ideas, they're injecting negativity negativity. Sometimes these people have good intentions. Maybe they think that they are somehow protecting you from failure, but the effect is the same. Next are the energy vampires. Pay attention to how you feel after spending time with someone or consuming certain content. If you consistently walk away from a conversation with Bob feeling exhausted, discouraged, or doubting yourself, Bob's presence is a negative influence. If reading the news or scrolling through social media every morning pain, leaves you anxious or hopeless, that's a negative influence on your mindset. Anyone or anything that regularly drains your emotional energy and leaves you worse off has negative influence written all over it. Next is your own self-talk. Yes, we can be our own biggest negative influencer. Watch for those internal statements you tell yourself, especially when facing challenges. Do you say things like, I can't do this, I'm not cut out for this, it's doomed to fail, deal almost as a reflex, that's negative self-talk. Other common negative thought patterns include catastrophizing, so immediately assuming the worst outcome, blaming yourself for every problem, or all-or-nothing thinking. If this deal falls through, I'm a complete failure at everything. Learn to spot these thoughts. One trick is to ask, would I talk to my best friend this way if they were in this situation? If not, then why are you saying it to yourself? Next is media and content diet. Think about what you read, what you watch, and listen into. Is your feed full of doom and gloom news 24/7? Do you follow influencers who rant and complain or mock others constantly? That counts as a negative influence. For example, it's known that news outlets often highlight bad news because it grabs attention. Remember that negativity bias we talked about? But overdosing on negative news can skew your perception of reality and mood. Similarly, even entertainment that's overly negative or cynical can subtly affect you. This doesn't mean that you only ever watch feel-good stuff, but be mindful if your daily media consumption is 90% negativity. That will seep into your subconscious. Next is environmental cues. Your environment includes your physical and social cues. Is your workspace inspiring and depressing? A cluttered, dark, chaotic space can actually influence mood negatively. And socially, do the people around you engage in positive activities, or are they often doing destructive things? For example, The culture in some peer groups might be to constantly gossip or complain about work. Being in that environment normalizes negativity. Once you start identifying these negative influences, you might be surprised and a bit alarmed at how many there are. Don't get discouraged. Everyone has some. The point is to become aware. You can't fix what you don't notice. And a quick note: noticing negativity doesn't mean you have to judge or hate those people. People or yourself. Just observe. Be like a detective gathering clues. This conversation made me doubt myself. That's a negative influence. This thought I had is not constructive. That's a negative influence. This subreddit always makes me feel angry. That's a negative influence. Tag them in your mind. With that awareness, you're ready for the next step: removing or reducing these negative influences. How to remove or reduce negative influences. All right, we've spotted the culprits, right? Now, how do we deal with them? Here are practical steps to remove or at least minimize the impact of negativity in your life. Step number 1: set boundaries with negative people. You may not be able to completely cut certain people out, and you might not want to if they're otherwise important to you, but you can set boundaries. Limit the time you spend with chronic negative people, especially when it comes to discussing your goals and your dreams. It's okay to politely redirect conversations or say, "I appreciate your concern, but I've got this," when someone keeps doubting you. In some cases, you might have to have a direct but respectful conversation, like, "I really value your support. It would mean a lot if you could be more encouraging about this because the constant doubts are making it harder for me." If they care about you, they might not even realize they are being so negative, and they'll adjust. If they don't, well, then you know to keep them at arm's length on this Number 2: Social pruning. Take a hard look at your broader social circle and influences. Are there friendships that consistently bring you down? Sometimes as you grow, you outgrow people. It might be time to spend less time with your friends who only want to complain about how life is unfair but never want to improve it. Jim Rohn famously said, "You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with." If you want to be positive, successful, and proactive, positive, but you're surrounded by 5 negative, cynical, do-nothing people. Guess what you're likely to become? It's harsh, but it's true. Research even shows we're more affected by our social environment than we realize. So prune the toxic relationships. This might mean distancing yourself or in extreme cases, ending a friendship. It's not easy, but remember, your future is at stake. Surround yourself with people who believe in you. People who bring you down. Number 3: negativity detoxing the media. Try a 7-day negativity fast from media. Seriously, for 1 week or even 1 day to start, deliberately avoid news and media that drag you into a negative mindset. Instead of watching the news first thing in the morning with its latest crisis or scandal, maybe read an inspiring biography or watch a motivational video like these. Unfollow social media accounts that are toxic or that constantly criticize others. Replace them with accounts that share knowledge, optimism, or at least balance your views. Curate your YouTube or your podcast feed to serve you uplifting, informative content rather than rage bait. If something or someone you follow consistently makes you angry, fearful, or hopeless, ask yourself, why am I consuming this? Life is too short to let content make you miserable. You are the CEO of your own media diet. Choose wisely what you consume. Number 4, challenge your own inner critic. When it comes to internal negativity, you have to actively engage with it. Start by catching those negative thoughts as we discussed, then talk back to them or reframe them. For example, if your mind says, I'm not experienced enough to start this business, respond with, I might not have a ton of experience yet, but I can learn and grow. Everyone starts somewhere. Turn the I can't do it into I'll never know unless I try and I can figure it out. This isn't just fluffy positive thinking. It's about being fair to yourself. If you wouldn't tell a friend, "You'll never succeed, don't bother," then don't tolerate yourself saying it. Some people find it helpful to literally write down negative beliefs and then write a rational rebuttal next to them. Over time, what you do is train a new voice in your head, a coach rather than a critic. It might feel forced at first, but repetition works. Remember, You are in control of your inner narrative. It takes practice, but you can rewrite it. 5. Use pattern interrupts. Negativity can be a habit loop. Something triggers a negative thought, which triggers a negative emotion, which maybe triggers a negative action like procrastinating or stress eating. To break a habit, sometimes you need to jolt yourself out of the routine. A pattern interrupt can be physical, like doing 10 quick jumping jacks or taking a quick walk when you catch yourself stewing in some negative thoughts, or it can be mental, like using a mantra or affirmation. Some people use techniques like the 5-second rule from friend of the channel Mel Robbins, where you count 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and then move or do the positive opposite of what your negative thought is telling you. For example, you catch yourself thinking, I'll never get this project done. As soon as you notice it, count down and then take one small action on the project. Action is an antidote to the paralysis negativity causes. By interrupting the pattern, you're training yourself not to sink in the quicksand of negativity. 6. Seek professional help if needed. I want to emphasize, if your negative thoughts feel overwhelming and possibly tied to depression or anxiety, it's absolutely okay and smart to seek help from a coach or therapist. This doesn't apply to everybody, but for some people, negativity has deep roots. A professional can help untangle those and give you tailored strategies. It's not a weakness, it's using all available tools to empower yourself. By applying these steps, you'll start clearing out the negativity weeds from your mental garden. But removal alone isn't enough. You need to replace the negativity with positivity and create an environment that nurtures you. Building a powerful mental environment. Think of your mind as an ecosystem. You've started pulling the weeds, those negative influences. Now you need to plant and water the good seeds. A powerful mental environment is is one where everything around you— the people, places, practices— is aligned to keep you inspired, motivated, and focused. Here's how to build one. Number 1: Surround yourself with positivity and support. We removed or reduced time with the naysayers. Now actively seek out the yes-sayers. Find people who uplift you, who challenge you in constructive ways, and build that belief in your vision. This could mean joining entrepreneur groups or mastermind circles where people are ambitious and encouraging. It could mean finding a mentor who has a positive outlook, or simply friends who have a growth mindset. But make an effort to spend more time with them. As the saying goes, walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. In modern times, walk with positive, successful people and you'll start to absorb their habits and optimism. Choose your tribe carefully. Their attitudes will rub off on you. Research has shown we really do take on the characteristics of those who are closest to. So create a circle around you that reflects what you aspire to be. Number 2: curate your inputs. Go on an information diet. Earlier we removed the negative media. Now fill that space with positive, enriching content. There's so much good stuff out there— podcasts of inspiring interviews, YouTube channels like this one that provide motivation and strategies, books, audiobooks by people who have achieved what you want to achieve. Feed your mind daily with things that make you feel empowered, not discouraged. For example, I make it a part of my morning routine to watch something motivating or educational every single day while I'm walking outside. It's like having a personal training session for my mindset each morning. I've shared that watching even a short motivational video every morning helps me stay focused and inspired. I challenge you to do the same. Start your day with 10 minutes of something positive— a powerful speech, a success story, even an upbeat song that pumps you up. This sets the tone and acts like a protective shield against negativity for the rest of your day. Number 3: Engineer your physical environment. Don't overlook your workspace and your home environment. Make your space reinforce a positive mindset. I call it a play bigger trigger. This could be as simple as putting up a few motivational quotes or posters that resonate with you. Cliché? Maybe. But seeing believe or dream big or an Edison quote like our greatest weakness Lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time on your wall can be a nice little nudge when you're feeling down. Keep your environment tidy and organized. Clutter can subconsciously add to stress and negative feelings of overwhelm. Some entrepreneurs set up what's called a vision board. That's a collage of images and words that represent your goals. This can be a great tool too to keep your mind focused on the possibilities and the positive outcomes that you are working toward rather than the obstacles that are in the way. The key is to design your surroundings so that they constantly remind you of your mission, your progress, and the things that you're grateful for in your life. Number 4: Practice gratitude and positive reflection. Incorporate habits that naturally boost your positivity. Gratitude is a big one. Take a few minutes each day, morning or night, to write down or think about at least 3 things that you're grateful for. They can be really small things. Like, uh, I had a great cup of coffee today, or big, we closed a new client today. Research has found that gratitude practices can increase your overall happiness and reduce depression symptoms because they shift your focus to the good in your life. Another practice is to celebrate wins, even small wins. And this is something that I am still always working on. Got through a tough call? Finish a task that you've been dreading? Acknowledge it, share it with a friend, or just give yourself a mental pat on the back or mental high five. This trains your brain to notice progress, not just the pitfalls. When you regularly reflect on what's going on, you have less mental room for what's going wrong. Number 5: Develop a resilient mindset. This is the antidote to negativity. Building a positive environment also means strengthening your mind to handle negativity when it does appear. One way is to adopt empowering beliefs. For example, adopt "I never fail, I only learn" as a core belief. That way, if something doesn't work out, you don't see it as a giant catastrophe. You see it as data for growth. Another strategy is keep inspiring role models in mind. Whenever you feel doubt, think of someone successful who went through even bigger challenges than you. Remind yourself, if they got through that, I can get through this. For me, I often recall stories like Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison but never gave up hope, or more contemporary entrepreneurs I admire who overcame huge obstacles obstacles. It puts my own problems in perspective and reignites my determination. Also, fill your reading list with biographies or stories of resilient people. It's incredibly motivating and educative. Number 6: Leverage positive affirmations or mantras if that's your thing. Some people benefit from using affirmations. These are statements that you repeat to reinforce a belief that you want to continue to actually believe. So for example, saying, I am capable of finding solutions to any regularly. It might feel silly at first, but spoken words have power, especially over time. My favorite is, great things come to me. The goal isn't magical thinking. It's to prime your brain to look for evidence that supports the positive statement. If affirmations feel too weird, even just a mantra like keep moving forward or believe, which is my personal favorite, that you say when times get tough can refocus your mind on positivity and persistence. Now I want to highlight something. I'm not talking about a one-time fix. Building a powerful mental environment is an ongoing process. It's a lifestyle. It's like physical fitness. You don't go to the gym for one epic 5-hour session and then you're fit for life. You go consistently. Similarly, you feed your mind with positivity. You weed out negativity day after day. And over time, this consistency transforms your default state. You become that naturally optimistic, proactive person that others marvel at, the one who seems immune to negativity. It's not that negative things don't happen to you, it's that you've built an environment and mindset that doesn't let the negativity take root. To give you extra inspiration, let's look at some real-world examples of successful entrepreneurs and leaders who mastered their environment and ignored negativity on their path to success. Successful entrepreneurs who tuned out negativity. History and the business world are full of examples of people who achieved greatness because they refused to listen to negative voices. Whenever you doubt the importance of shutting out negativity, remember these stories. Colonel Harland Sanders, founder of KFC. Sanders is a classic case of persistence in spite of massive rejection. He famously had his fried chicken recipe rejected 1,009 times before he found a taker. Think about that— over 1,000 people told him no, get lost when he tried to franchise his chicken. That's 1,000 instances of potential negativity and discouragement. Most would have quit after a dozen rejections or less. If Sanders had listened to all those nos, if he believed the naysayers who didn't see value in his idea, we wouldn't have KFC today. But he didn't listen. He kept going until he got a yes. He had over 1,000 rejections, yet he didn't quit. And by age 74, after decades of struggle, He had built an empire of restaurants and a globally recognized brand. The next time someone tells you your idea is bad or no one's interested, remember Colonel Sanders. A negative response is just one opinion. It's not the final verdict. Only you decide when your story ends. Oprah Winfrey. Today, Oprah is one of the most influential media personalities of all time, but early in her career, she faced harsh negativity. In fact, the Baltimore TV producer flat-out told her that she was unfit for television news and fired from her job as an evening news reporter. Imagine being told that you're not cut out for your dream job. Talk about negative feedback that could have broken many people's confidence permanently. Oprah herself said that at the time it was devastating, but she didn't let that one opinion define her. She famously credits that firing as the best thing that happened to her career because it led her to refocus on talk shows, which was her true forte. Oprah kept believing in her ability to connect with audiences. She turned the negativity, which was being labeled unfit for TV, into fuel to prove them wrong. Eventually, she launched The Oprah Winfrey Show, which ran for 25 years and made her a billionaire media mogul. The producer who doubted her, he became just a footnote in her biography. Oprah's story teaches us this. No one gets to tell you what you're capable of. Don't internalize others' limitations. If she had listened and said, well, I guess I'm not meant for TV, she'd have vanished from the industry. Instead, she decided what she was meant for, and so can you. Walt Disney. Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor early in his career with the criticism that he lacked creativity. Oh, the irony. He also had multiple failed businesses. At one point, he was so broke he eating dog food to survive. Can you imagine the negative voices he must have heard? You're not creative. Your ideas are too risky. Give up on this cartoon foolishness. Fast forward, Walt Disney went on to create an empire of creativity, animation, theme parks, stories that have delighted the world. If Disney had believed the negative judgments of those early bosses and critics, we'd have none of that magic today. He's a testament to believing in your vision when others others don't. In fact, Disney once said, if you can dream it, you can do it. That mindset of possibility is what kept him going despite all the negativity around him. So next time someone tells you that your creative idea is stupid or you're not cut out for this, remember Walt Disney nibbling on dog food, stubbornly holding on to his dream until it bloomed into something extraordinary. Thomas Edison— we mentioned him earlier. Edison faced thousands of failed experiments when trying to invent a light bulb. People thought he was wasting time. Some even implied he was crazy to keep trying after so many failures. His response to failure was legendary. When a reporter asked him about all the failed attempts, Edison famously said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." That quote embodies an anti-negativity mindset. There's no self-blame, no "maybe the haters are right and I should quit." Instead, he reframed failure as feedback. Importantly, Edison had a supportive environment. He had investors and a team that believed in his mission. They weren't ridiculing him for failures. They were working with him towards success. And he had an unshakable belief in the end goal. This combination of refusing to see failure as defeat and surrounding himself with those who shared his vision allowed Edison to persevere when when others might have given up. His invention changed the world. The lesson: every failed attempt or negative outcome is just data, not a verdict on you. Keep going, adjust, and keep believing. Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx. As a more modern example, Sara Blakely started Spanx with $5,000 and an idea for footless pantyhose. She was selling fax machines door-to-door while developing her product. She faced plenty of skepticism. Manufacturers, all who were men at the thought her idea was weird and turned her down. Friends didn't get it, and so on. She recalls people often pointing out the negatives— how hard the garment industry is to break into, how nobody had done what she was trying to do before— but she didn't let those doubts kill her idea. One interesting thing Sara mentions is that her father encouraged her to celebrate failure in her childhood. At the dinner table, he'd always ask, "What did you fail at today?" and high-five her for trying. That taught her not to fear failure or negative outcomes. So by the time she was building Spanx, she saw rejection as no big deal, maybe even a step towards success. She persisted, found one mill owner who was willing to make her product, and today she's a billionaire. Spanx is a hugely successful brand. By tuning out the negativity and reframing failure, Sara built her powerful mental environment of resilience. We can all do that too. Don't let the fear of criticism stop you. Treat them as part of your journey. These examples go on and on. Jack Ma, who was the founder of Alibaba, was rejected from dozens of jobs. Even KFC wouldn't hire him and faced people laughing at his vision of an online marketplace. Now Alibaba is massive. Elon Musk was told repeatedly that his ideas for electric cars and reusable rockets were impossible or sure to fail. He was even ousted from PayPal in a brutal way. Yet he tuned it out and kept pushing. And now look at Tesla and SpaceX. J.K. Rowling was rejected by 12 publishers and was on government assistance battling depression. If she had listened to the voice saying, "No one wants your book," we wouldn't have Harry Potter today. Instead, she clung to the belief in her story, and eventually a publisher took a chance. The rest is history. Our pattern here is clear: every successful person had plenty of chances to succumb to negativity. Many heard, 'It won't work,' or 'You're not good enough,' or 'No.' What separated those that succeeded is not that they never heard negativity, but that they did not accept it as the final truth. They believed in themselves or their vision when it mattered most. They surrounded themselves, consciously or unconsciously, with supporters and pushed out the doubters. They all had that resilience to keep going, which comes from a mindset that refuses to be poisoned by negativity. So let these stories inspire you. Whenever you face negativity, big or small, remember you're in good company. Use it as motivation. Prove the negative voices wrong. Nothing shuts up a critic more eloquently than your success. Here is my belief framework. I want to share a bit of my own framework that ties everything we've discussed into one idea. My one-word personal model and the foundation of my brand is belief. I even wrote a book about finding your one word, and for me it was belief. I built my whole business and brand around it, and it's not just a marketing slogan, it's truly who I am. Why belief? Because belief is the opposite of negativity. It's the antidote to all the doubt and fear and naysayers that threaten and hold you back. When I say believe, I mean believe in yourself. I mean believe in your vision. I mean believe that it's possible. It starts internally. You cultivate that self-belief by doing the things that we talked about here on this video. Surrounding yourself with positivity, learning from mentors and stories that inspire you to believe more, training your self-talk to be more encouraging rather than critical. Every morning I remind myself to believe. That's why I consume motivational content daily to reinforce that belief. I often have to protect that belief by shutting out negativity. I've had to make tough calls like removing people from my team who were not aligned with our positive culture. I've pushed those out who brought too much negativity negativity because it can spread like a virus in an organization. As a leader, I see it as my job to keep the environment optimistic and mission-focused. Believing doesn't mean ignoring reality. It means refusing to accept that any reality is fixed in stone. It means if reality right now is tough, you believe you can change it with effort and creativity. It means if you lack a skill, you believe that you can learn it. If you face some kind of setback, you believe you can recover from it. Belief fuels action while negativity fuels inaction. One of my favorite things to do is highlight the wisdom of legends and successful people. I've shared tons of top 10 rules from various leaders on this channel. Do you know what almost all their rules have in common? An element of belief and positive mindset. Whether it's Steve Jobs saying, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition— that's the belief in your vision— or Kanye West saying, believe in yourself to a point of delusion, or Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson saying, Always be the hardest worker in the room, which comes from believing your effort matters. It's there over and over. Successful people choose belief over negativity. They choose action over excuses. They choose growth over staying stuck. And guess what? You can choose it too, every single day. So let's quickly recap what we've learned today on this video. Negativity from others and yourself is a poison. It's worse than any bad advice because stops you from acting on even the good advice. It nearly made me quit my own venture. It saps your motivation, your confidence, and your clarity. We busted the objections. You can guard against negativity and still be realistic. You can distance negative influences even if they're close to you by setting boundaries. You can change your thought patterns with practice. Next, science all backs us up. Negativity messes with your brain, increases your stress, and reduces your performance, while positivity and optimism tangibly improve your chances of success. You are influenced by your environment more than you know, so you must curate that environment intentionally. Next, we look to spot the negativity, identifying negative people, toxic content, and self-sabotaging thoughts. Next, we applied steps to remove negativity, say no to the naysayers, pruning our social circle, detoxing our media, challenging negative self-talk, and interrupting negative patterns. Next, we built a positive environment. Surrounding ourselves with supportive people, feeding our minds with inspiring content daily, creating spaces and habits that encourage gratitude, growth, and a solution-focused attitude. We saw examples of some of the greatest success stories that happened because people refused to listen to negativity. From Colonel Sanders to Oprah to Disney to Edison, they believed in their mission when others did not. In the end, it all comes down to this: you have a choice. Every day, every moment, you have a choice. Choice. Listen to the negativity, or listen to your heart and your vision? Feed the fears, or feed the dreams? I chose belief, and it led me here. I'm asking you to choose it too. Remember, no one will care about your dream as much as you do. Not everyone will understand it. Some people will doubt or mock it. Sometimes even you will doubt it. But if you let those negative voices win, you'll be selling yourself short and possibly depriving the world of that something amazing that you could have created or achieved. Negativity is like cancer for entrepreneurs. It grows if you allow it, and it can destroy the whole organism— in this case, your business, your ambition. You must cut it out aggressively and continuously, and in its place, plant positivity like a seed and nurture it daily. That seed will grow into confidence, into resilience, and into success. The worst advice you ever got might set you back a little, sure, but letting negativity live in your mind will set you back forever. Don't let it. Choose to believe instead. Protect that belief like a flame that you shelter from the wind. Feed it with all the fuel you can—great people, great books, great habits—until it becomes a raging fire of purpose and passion that no wind can extinguish. You've got this. I believe in you. Now it's time for you to believe in yourself and take action. Silence the negativity, amplify the positivity, and go build your dreams. And remember, the next time negativity knocks on your door, you don't have to answer. Instead, look it in the face and say, watch me succeed anyway. Stay positive, stay strong, and as always, believe. You know that person who's always dragging you down with their negativity? The coworker who constantly complains, a family member who calls your business idea just a fantasy, or the a random troll online spewing insults at you for no reason. Negative people can pop up in all areas of your life, at work, at home, and on the internet, and they can sabotage your energy and confidence if you let them. So today I'm going to arm you with the strategies to handle toxic coworkers, unsupportive family and friends, and online haters so you can stay focused, positive, and achieve your goals. I'm going to blend some motivation with practical tips and even a bit of science to understand why negativity affects us so much and how you can rise above it. And by the end of this video, you'll know exactly how to deal with the naysayers in your life and turn their negativity into fuel for your success. Are you ready? Let's do this. First, let's talk about why negativity hits us so hard. It's not just in your head. Our brains are literally wired to react more strongly to negative experiences than positive Psychologists call this the negativity bias, and it means that bad news or rude comments stick with us more than praise or happy moments. As one Psychology Today article put it, your brain is simply built with a greater sensitivity to unpleasant news. In other words, nastiness makes a bigger impact on your brain than kindness. Think about it. You might get 5 compliments in a day and just one jerk saying something nasty. And what do you tend to remember at night? Probably the nasty comment. It's not because you're weak. It's because the negative stuff lights up our brains more. So why do we have this bias? Scientists believe it's an evolutionary survival mechanism. Paying more attention to threats kept our ancestors alive. But in modern life, it can backfire by making one negative person or comment outweigh all the positive ones. Have you ever had a great day ruined because someone snapped at you? That's the negativity bias at work. In fact, studies suggest it takes multiple positive interactions to offset a single negative one. Relationship expert John Gottman found that in happy marriages, couples have about 5 positive interactions for every 1 negative. That's the kind of ratio it takes to balance out negativity. So if you feel an outsized impact from a colleague's criticism or a friend's doubt, know that it's partly your brain doing what it's wired to do. The good news is, once you're aware of this, you can take steps to counteract it. You can consciously remind yourself of the positives, and you can develop strategies which we'll cover in this video to keep negative people from hijacking your brain. The key is to not beat yourself up for feeling bad. It's to train yourself to handle negativity constructively. So before we dive into specific scenarios, remember this: negative people only have as much power as you give them. Yes, their words and actions can hurt, but you get to decide what to do with that hurt. You can absorb it and let it stop you, or you can deflect it, reframe it, and use it to grow stronger. This video is about learning to do the latter. Now let's break this down by where negativity might be coming at you: the workplace, your personal life, and online. And in each segment, I'm going to talk about what's at stake and give you practical tips to handle those negative people. Work is a place where you spend a huge chunk of your life, so one toxic person there can really make your day miserable. It might be a coworker who's always gossiping. A boss who belittles employees or a direct report who constantly blames others. These aren't just minor annoyances. Negativity at work can wreck teams and careers. Research shows that when incivility— another word for rude, negative behavior— infects the workplace, performance and morale plummet. Incivility and negativity at work hurt the bottom line. Studies show 80% of workers lost time worrying about incidents of rudeness 66% said their performance declined, and 12% even quit their jobs due to uncivil treatment. When people feel disrespected or constantly criticized at work, their motivation and focus nosedive. Those who stick around are often less engaged. In one poll, 78% of people said their commitment to the organization dropped after experiencing workplace incivility. And negativity doesn't just stay internal. 25% of employees admitted to taking out their frustrations on customers. When they were treated poorly at work. In short, a negative coworker or boss isn't just unpleasant. They can literally hurt the company's results and your ability to do your best. Consider this: a study by Harvard researchers published via Cornerstone found that having just one toxic employee on a team made other team members 54% more likely to quit. 54%! That's how badly one negative person can poison the well. The same study noted that hiring a toxic worker comes with significantly higher costs, up to 3 times more in hiring expenses because good people leave and need to be replaced. The bottom line is toxic people drag everyone down, and it's in your interest to handle the situation before it derails you or your team. So how do you handle a negative person at work? Here are some practical strategies. Let's start with this. Don't sink to their level. As tempting as it is to snap back when a coworker is rude or constantly negative, Keep your professionalism and composure. If they're gossiping or complaining, don't feed the gossip mill by joining in. Maintain the standard of behavior you expect. Often toxic individuals are looking to provoke or get a reaction. Don't give them that satisfaction. Stay calm and respond or choose not to respond in a way you'll be proud of later. Remember, you control your actions, not them. Next, set boundaries. You can't always avoid a coworker if you have to work with them. but you can set limits on how much influence they have on you. If you have a colleague who always wants to have a gripe fest, politely limit the time you spend in those conversations. For example, keep interactions task-focused. You might say, I understand you have concerns. Let's figure out a solution and try to steer the conversation back to work rather than an endless venting session. If it's a boss or superior who's negative or even abusive, boundaries can be trickier, but you still have options. Limit one-on-one interactions to what's necessary. Keep records of any truly inappropriate behavior in case you need to report it to HR. And remind yourself that you are not the insults they fling at you. Mentally draw a line. Their negativity stays with them and does not cross into your sense of self-worth. Next, don't take it personally. This is crucial. Negative people often act out due to their own issues, their stress, insecurity, or things happening in their personal life, and it may have little to do with you. That doesn't excuse bad behavior, but it means you should try not to internalize their comments. If your boss snaps, "This work is garbage," don't let it translate in your head to "I am garbage." Instead, evaluate objectively. Is there any useful feedback in the harsh words? If yes, extract it. For example, maybe the work needs improvement, and ignore the nasty tone. If not, decide that this is more about them, their bad mood, their poor management skills than it is about you. Remind yourself of your strengths and successes. Sometimes I literally tell clients to imagine a mental shield. Let the negative remarks hit the shield and bounce off instead of piercing into your heart. Next, seek positive allies and role models. One of the best antidotes to a negative colleague is to surround yourself with positive or growth-minded people at work. Is there that one coworker who always has a constructive attitude or mentor who uplifts you? Spend more time with them. Their positivity will help offset the negative vibes. It also helps to study leaders or colleagues who handle negativity well. Maybe there's a senior person who always seems to stay cool under criticism. Observe how they do it. You can even ask them for advice. Often they'll share how they keep positive. For example, they might say, I focus on what I can control, or I remember why I love my job and one person can't take that away from me. Learning from these role models can boost your resilience. Next, address it or escalate when necessary. Not every negative person can be coached, but sometimes a candid, respectful A respectful conversation can help if the person is simply unaware of their impact. For instance, if a teammate constantly shoots down ideas in meetings with negativity, you might pull them aside and say, hey, I notice in meetings that when I or others propose something, you often point out problems. I appreciate that you're looking out for the issues, but we could also use your help brainstorming solutions. Is there something about these ideas that concerns you specifically? I'd love to understand this. This kind of dialogue might make them aware of their tone. They might not even realize how negative they've become. However, if someone is truly toxic— for example, harassment, bullying, discrimination— then don't hesitate to involve HR or higher management. Companies have a responsibility to maintain a safe work environment. It might feel scary to speak up, but remember that letting a toxic situation fester helps no one. Often others are feeling the same pain, and by reporting serious issues professionally, you could spur positive change. In one study, 12% of people said they quit their job because of uncivil treatment at work. So if you've tried everything and the environment is still unbearable, it may be time to consider removing yourself from that environment. No job is worth your mental health in the long run. One more quick thing on workplace negativity. Focus on your work and your goals. Negative coworkers can be a huge distraction. They can lure you into negativity too. But if you keep your eyes on why you're there to advance your career, to serve your clients, to learn and earn, their comments start to fade into the background. Ground, which leads me to the next area: dealing with doubters in your personal life, like friends and family, where proving them wrong can be a bit more complicated emotionally. Sometimes the people who hurt us with negativity the most are the ones we thought would always be in our corner. It's a painful truth that friends and family might not support your dreams. So if you're an entrepreneur or doing something unconventional, this is especially common. You quit your stable job to start a business, and suddenly your parents are freaking out, your siblings are making snide remarks, or your friends are doubting your every move. How do you handle negativity when it comes from the people that you love? First, recognize that you are not alone. Many entrepreneurs and changemakers have walked this road. It's so common that entire articles and forums are devoted to how to deal with unsupportive family. Often family and friends doubt your vision, not because they hate you, probably, but because they don't understand it. They may be coming from a place of fear. They worry you'll fail, lose money, or get hurt. They might even think they're helping by urging you to play it safe. As one writer put it in Entrepreneur Magazine, friends and family don't pay your bills, and people who don't share your career ambition or background simply may not understand what you're doing. That's a big insight. They may love you, but if they've never walked the entrepreneurial path, they just don't get it. Maybe they've only ever had the 9-to-5 life. So to them, your startup looks insanely risky. Why can't you be normal and stick with a steady job? You might hear something like that. A lot of us have. As another article noted, people who grew up living off a steady paycheck often find it hard to support someone chasing a business idea, even if they mean well. Understanding why they're negative can help soften the sting. It doesn't mean their negativity is okay, but it means you can choose how to react without anger or despair. So here are some strategies for dealing with negativity from those closest to you. Start with communication and education when possible. Sometimes a bit of communication can turn an unsupportive family member into a quiet supporter, or at least reduce their negativity. Share your vision and plan with them. Your parents or spouse might be negative simply because they're worried and in the dark. Work. If you walk them through why you believe in what you're doing, maybe show them your business plan, your early results, the research you've done, it might ease their concerns. Show them that you're not just jumping blindly. As one entrepreneurship coach advises, they may need more than your elevator pitch to understand that you know your stuff. Offer budgets, strategic goals, potential customers. Show that you've thought it through. By demonstrating that you have a plan and you're serious, you might win a bit of their respect, or at quiet some of the doubt. Now let's be real, some family members might still dismiss it. I still think it's a bad idea, but okay. You likely won't convince everyone, but at least you gave them a chance to understand rather than assume you're just being reckless. Next, seek support elsewhere. If your inner circle doesn't get it, find people who do. This is huge. Every entrepreneur or person striving for big goals needs a support system. If your childhood friends or cousins can't be that support right now, build your own circle of positive influences. Join entrepreneur groups in person or online communities. Find a mentor or connect with like-minded people who encourage you. The truth is, many of the greats were doubted by those close to them until they succeeded, and what kept them going was often finding others who believed. So maybe it's a local startup meetup or an online forum of creators where people share wins and losses and encourage each other. Surround yourself with people who want to win. They don't necessarily replace your family, but they can fulfill that role of cheerleader and advisor that you desperately need. You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with, as motivational speaker Jim Rohn famously said. If the 5 closest people around you are super negative, then guess what? It's going to be extremely hard to maintain your optimism and drive. But if you can bring in even a couple of new voices into that circle, say a fellow entrepreneur who's a positive go-getter, or a coach who pushes you forward. It will raise your average. It will keep you motivated when your cousin or neighbor is telling you that you're crazy. So find your tribe of believers. Next, limit your exposure to negativity. This is a tough one, but necessary. Set boundaries with naysayers, even if they are dear to you. That could mean limiting how often you talk to a particularly negative friend during the vulnerable early stages of your venture. Or it might mean steering conversations away from the hot-button topics. For example, if you know your uncle will ask about your business just to scoff at it, you can politely deflect. It's going along, thanks. Hey, how was your trip recently? You're not obliged to subject yourself to a grilling session every time. In some cases, you might have to have a direct but respectful conversation. I know you have doubts about this. I appreciate your concern, but I'd like to ask that we not discuss my business for a while because I need to focus and stay positive. I hope you can understand. You might be surprised— some family members will actually respect that honestly. Others might roll their eyes, but at least you've drawn a line. You deserve to protect your mental space. Don't let someone's constant doubts rent space in your head. As a quote attributed to Robert Hoo says, don't let negative and toxic people rent space in your head. Raise the rent and kick them out. In practice, that means consciously reducing the weight of their opinion chains on your psyche. You don't necessarily kick your family out of your life, though in extreme cases of toxicity some people do choose to cut ties, but you do evict their negative voice from your inner dialogue. You stop replaying their criticisms in your mind. Next, prove through actions, not arguments. You likely won't win over a harsh skeptic in your family with arguments or pleas. What may win them over eventually is results. Instead of fighting with them each time, saying it will work work, channel that energy into making progress on your goals. Let your success be your response. Every time you achieve a little milestone, you'll gain confidence, and they might take notice or not, but by then you might not even care. There's a famous saying: the best revenge is massive success. Frank Sinatra said that, and it holds true. Now, you're not succeeding to spite them. Don't make it all about them. Keep it about you. But there's nothing quite like the moment when someone who doubted you sees thrive. Instead of "I told you so," you can just smile as they eat their words. Even Michael Jordan had a quote that's relevant here. If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you'll never change the outcome. What he meant is that if you start believing what the haters, even the well-intentioned haters, say, you'll limit yourself. Don't accept their expectations. Believe in your own vision. Then go out and make it happen. Over time, the same family members who said it'll never work work might come around to say, wow, I'm proud of what you did. It happens. But even if they don't, you'll be so busy living your dream that it won't matter. Next, remember that it's their issue, not yours. This is part mindset and part heartset. You have to internalize that when a friend says something negative like, why are you even trying this? It's so hard, it often reflects their limitations, not yours. Maybe they can't imagine stepping out of their comfort zone, so they project that on onto you. Maybe they had a failure and are afraid for you. It's kind of like when someone says, "I wouldn't do it if I were you." What they really mean is they wouldn't do it because they don't have your vision or courage. And that's okay. You're different. Remind yourself, they don't see what I see. You can even politely say to them that, "I know you don't see this working out, but I have to follow what I see and feel. I hope you'll respect that." Over time, if you stay true to yourself, many of those negative voices will quiet down. Some might never offer support, and that's on them. As the saying goes, friends and family might not get your vision, but they'll get used to it when they see you living it. Focus on earning results, not approval. Your job is not to convince them. Your job is to become the best version of you, with or without their cheerleading. One more tip here. Keep your positivity toolbox full. Dealing with negativity from loved ones can be emotionally draining. So counterbalance it with things that keep you inspired. Read biographies or watch interviews of entrepreneurs who were doubted and still succeeded. There are plenty. For example, the early days of where everyone thought it was crazy. You'll find so many stories like that on this channel to fill your mind with positive affirmations or spiritual practice or whatever keeps you centered. Maybe every morning remind yourself of your why, why you're doing what you're doing. When you're strong in your purpose, the noise from others matters less. Now let's talk about the wild world of the internet. Online negativity is a beast of its own. Unlike your coworkers or families, strangers on the internet don't know you personally, which sometimes makes their comments even more vicious. They'll attack anything—your work, your looks, your intelligence—or just spread random hate because they're bored or unhappy in their own lives. If you are putting yourself out there—and as entrepreneurs, this is something that you have to do through social media, YouTube, etc.—you will encounter online haters. It's practically a guarantee. So how do you handle negative people that you can't even see? First, let's have some perspective. Online negativity is incredibly common. You might feel singled out when you get a hateful comment, but trust me, it's a widespread issue. According to Pew Research, around 41% of Americans have personally experienced some form of online harassment. That's 4 in 10 people. And 75% of people who were harassed said their most recent incident happened on social media. Social media, which tells you the comment section and social feeds are where a lot of ugliness happens. It ranges from mild name-calling to severe threats. In fact, Pew study found that while overall harassment levels stayed similar in recent years, the severe forms— the stalking, the threats, the sustained harassments— have risen to 25% of people experiencing it. So if you're dealing with nasty YouTube comments or Twitter trolls, you're not alone. And in a twisted way, that can be comforting. It's not really about you. It's a broader phenomenon of how people behave online. Why is the internet so negative? Psychologists talk about the online disinhibition effect. Basically, anonymity makes some people go nasty because there are no immediate consequences. They're behind a screen feeling powerful, or at least safe to vent their own anger. Often these haters are just unhappy individuals. There's a saying: happy, successful people don't go around tearing others down. Trolls usually troll because they are dealing with issues, whether it's jealousy, a need for attention, or just boredom. It helps to remind yourself of this when you see a cruel comment directed at you. Now, knowing that it's common doesn't make it fun to deal with. Negative comments can still hurt. They can make you feel anxious or knock your self-confidence, especially if you read them on a bad day or they hit a nerve. Actually, research has shown that reading negative comments can directly worsen your mood and even your mental health. For example, one article noted that reading negative comments online has the effect of making you feel more negative. If you wake up and first thing start to read negative comments online, you'll end up starting your day feeling negative. No kidding, right? We've all been there scrolling through a feed in the morning and seeing some dumpster fire of negativity. It just sours your mood. And if you get hooked on engaging with negative comments, it can lead to symptoms of depression or anxiety. I mentioned this so you take it seriously. Online hate can affect your mental well-being if you're not careful. It's not just words on the screen. Your brain can take it very personally because, as we discussed before, negativity bias, and also because our online lives are intertwined with our real lives. All right, so how do we handle these online negative people? Here's your game plan. Number 1: Don't feed the trolls. This is the golden rule of the internet. Trolls are those people who post these inflammatory, hateful things to get a rise out of you. They want your attention. The more you argue or fight back in the comments, the more fuel you are giving them. In most cases, the best response is no response. If someone leaves a comment like, "You're stupid and your business is going to fail," getting into a flame war is unlikely to change their mind or help you. It will just drain your energy and possibly attract even more trolls because they smell the drama and they come running. Silence, delete, block, move on. That's often the smartest move. Now, there's a difference between a troll and a legitimate critic. We'll get to constructive feedback in a moment, but pure haters don't deserve your time. You might worry, won't deleting or ignoring make me look weak? No, it makes you look focused. You have bigger things to do than argue with some anonymous avatar. In many platforms, blocking malicious users is a great It's like instant peace. They lose access to you and you to them. Next, consider the source. One thing I like to remind myself of is a concept by Brené Brown. She's a famous researcher shared that's inspired by Theodore Roosevelt. She said, if you're not in the arena also getting your ass kicked, I'm not interested in your feedback. That means unless the person critiquing you is someone who's also out there striving, creating, putting themselves on the line, their opinion holds no weight. That faceless hater calling you a failure— have they achieved what you're striving for? Are they even trying? Probably not. They're in the cheap seats heckling. Don't take criticism from someone who isn't also doing the work. I apply this ruthlessly for online comments. 10 people might praise your new app and one says, this app is garbage, you should quit. Who is this one person? If it's an actual user with a thoughtful reason, then listen, that's good feedback. If it's just a drive-by hater, then check yourself. They haven't built what you've built. They haven't walked in your shoes. Their comment is just noise. Flush it. You can even make a mini mantra: not in the arena, not listening. And if it's really vile or abusive, report the comment. Most platforms let you report harassment. Use those features to keep your space clean. Next, filter criticism from pure negativity. Not all negative comments are haters. Sometimes you might get valid criticism or feedback that happens to be negative in tone. As an entrepreneur, you don't want to ignore useful feedback just because it stings. In fact, research shows that experienced people actually seek out negative feedback to improve, whereas novices crave only positive feedback. So how do you tell? Look at what the person is saying and how they're saying it. Is there a specific point that could help you do better? Example: I found your product difficult to use because of X. That's negative but useful. Or is it just insults and vagueness? Like, "You suck." Not useful, just pure insult. If it's the former, extract the lesson. Thank them, or at least internally note the improvement and disregard the rudeness. If it's the latter, it's not feedback at all, it's just trash. Take out the trash by tossing that comment aside mentally and literally deleting it if it's in your page. Train yourself to not dwell on unhelpful negativity. Think of it this way: read your comments with one question in mind: is there something here that will make your content better? If yes, take it. If no, move on. Efficient, no emotional baggage. Next, set healthy digital boundaries. Just as with people in real life, you need boundaries with the internet. This could mean limiting how often you check comments or social media, especially if you're feeling vulnerable. For instance, you might decide you'll only look at comments once in the afternoon, not first thing in the morning or right before bed, times when it can mess up your day or sleep. If negative comments really get to you, it's okay to step away for a bit. Some entrepreneurs delegate social media management to someone else so they don't have to see the worst comments. If that's an option for you, there's no shame in it. Your mental health is precious. Also, curate your feed. Mute or unfollow sources of constant negativity. This includes doomscrolling on news or negative people that you follow. The less junk you consume, the less it can consume you. Next, focus on your supporters. It's funny, we often have many more supporters than haters, but we give outsized attention to the haters. Consciously flip that. Engage more with the positive people online. Reply to those encouraging comments. Build relationships with followers or peers who uplift you. By putting your energy there, you not only feel better, you also dilute the impact of any negative voices. If you have 100 comments and 5 are negative, don't make those 5 more important than the 95 that are positive or constructive. One technique: keep a little love folder or file where you save the best feedback or thank you messages that you get. When negativity gets you down, open that folder and remind yourself of the lives that you have touched or the people who believe in you. It sounds a bit cheesy, but it works because it's evidence against what the haters are saying. Next, take the high road and empathize if you can. This one is more about your internal mindset. Know that anyone lashing out in cruelty is likely dealing with their own pain. It doesn't excuse their behavior, but it does allow you to not take it on yourself. Some successful people even respond with empathy, like, "I'm sorry you're going through whatever makes you write something like that. I hope things get better for you," and then they move on. You don't have to respond at all. It's often better not to. But in your mind, you can choose to feel pity rather than hurt. Imagine the kind of day or life someone must be having to spend time hating on strangers. Strangers. It's sad. When I see a really nasty comment, sometimes I actually think, man, I hope this person finds some happiness, because happy people don't do this. This shift in perspective can turn your anger or hurt into something closer to indifference or compassion, and that is incredibly freeing. Finally, remember that your net worth is not defined by an online comment count or likes or any of that. It's easy to get sucked into the validation game on social media, which also makes the negative stuff hit harder. Keep grounding yourself in the real world and metrics that matter to you, like your business growth, your personal growth, the clients that you help. One negative comment can feel like the end of the world at 2 AM on your phone screen, but zoom out. In the grand scheme, it's one person in the vast online sea. Zoom out and it loses its power. Okay, so we've tackled negativity in 3 arenas: your work, your personal life, and online, with specific tips for each. Now let's talk about a few general principles that apply across the board. So think of this as building your negativity shield. These are the mindset shifts and habits that will protect you no matter where the negativity comes from. So number 1, curate your inner circle. I mentioned that quote from Jim Rohn that says you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. Take that to heart. Audit who gets your time and energy. Proactively seek out positive, inspiring people. This might mean finding new mentors, new friends, or new groups who uplift you, and it definitely means distancing emotionally or physically from chronic negative influences when you can. Over time, cultivate a network, and a small network is fine, of people who challenge you in a good way, people who, when you finish talking to them, you feel energized, not drained. Now, this doesn't mean surrounding yourself with yes-men who only ever praise you. It means people who believe believe in your potential and will give you constructive input with care. Life is too short to spend it with people who crush your spirit. As an action item, write down the names of the people who inspire and encourage you and those who consistently infuse negativity. That visual might prompt some decisions, perhaps scheduling more coffee chats with the former and minimizing interactions with the latter. Number 2: Practice selective listening. Not all opinions are equal. Learn to filter feedback. Ask, is this person coming from a place of love and knowledge, or fear and ignorance? Give weight only to the former. It's like having a mental goalkeeper. When someone says something negative, pause and assess the source. If it's a person you respect who has expertise or who truly cares about you, consider their words, even if they're hard to hear. If it's someone who has a track record of negativity or who has no stake in your life, feel free to let it go in one ear and out the other. You do not have to internalize every opinion thrown at you. Imagine opinions as birds. They're flying around. You can choose which one to let nest in your hair. The rest you shoo away. This skill is so important in the age of information overload. Be selective. Number 3: Reframe negative remarks as fuel. This is a classic move of successful people. Turn insults or doubts into motivation. When someone says, "There's no way you can do it," try responding internally with, with— I'll show you— use that as a trigger to double down on your work. It's almost like alchemy. You're taking the negative energy and converting it to positive drive. Many entrepreneurs credit early doubters as the reason they work so hard. Instead of letting it discourage them, they let it light a fire. You can even make it playful. Thank you for the free motivation, haters. Now, caution: do this in a healthy way, not in an obsessive way. The goal is not to live your life for someone else's approval or disapproval. It's to not let their negativity stop you. If thinking, I'll prove you wrong, pumps you up on a tough day, use it. Just don't let haters occupy your mind rent-free for too long. Back to that quote from Robert too about not renting out headspace. Channel the energy and then refocus on your mission. Number 4: Invest in personal growth and resilience. The stronger and more confident you become, the less others' negativity will affect you. Make time for practices that build your resilience. Reading self-development journalling about your feelings to process them, watching YouTube videos like this that inspire you, meditation or prayer if that's your thing, exercise— and exercise is a fantastic stress buffer and confidence booster. Essentially, work on yourself daily. When you have a solid sense of self, negative people can't crack it easily. It's like having a reinforced core. You know who you are, you know your values and goals. So if someone comes along and says you're not good enough, well then your well-trained mind came up with, actually I am, and here's why. 'Or that's just one opinion. I'll keep going.' Building confidence is a process, but every time you survive a negative encounter and keep moving, acknowledge that. 'Hey, I handled that. I'm getting stronger.' Positive self-talk and celebration of small wins will inoculate you against future negativity. Number 5: Keep your eye on the prize, which is your why. Ultimately, the best way to handle negative people is to stay laser-focused on why you're doing what you're doing. If your purpose is strong, it acts like an anchor in a storm. Form. Let's say your goal is to build a company that revolutionizes education, or you're driven to create art that inspires others, or you're simply working to provide a better life for your family. Whatever your why is, keep it front and center. Write it down. Make it your phone wallpaper. Talk about it often. When negativity comes up, reconnect with your purpose. It gives you perspective. That toxic coworker, that internet troll, shrinks in importance when you compare it to your mission. One technique is this: when someone's negative towards you, silently ask yourself, does this help me or hinder me in achieving my goal? The answer is usually that it hinders or distracts. Therefore, it deserves none of your precious emotional investment. You have a mission to fulfill. Get back to it. This mindset turns negativity handling into almost a game. Every time you successfully sidestep drama or doubt and instead take an action towards your goal, you score a point. Over time, those points add up to success while the negative people are left on the sidelines. Let me emphasize this because it's really important. You have the power to choose your response. This is the crux of handling negativity. You often can't control who you encounter. You might end up with a pessimistic team member, or you can't pick your family. And certainly the internet is full of random people, but you can always control your response. Viktor Frankl, a famous psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, said that between stimulus stimulus and response, there is a space, and in that space lies our freedom to choose our response and our growth and our freedom. The negative person's words are the stimulus. Your reaction is your choice. Will you react with anger, despair, defeat, or with resilience, determination, and grace? Take that beat, that space, and choose the response that serves you best. Negative people will always be around, but they do not get to define you or your destiny. In fact, when you learn to handle them, they can almost become irrelevant background noise, even a source of motivation. Imagine yourself a year from now. You've cultivated a more positive environment. You've proven to yourself and maybe to some of the doubters that you can overcome obstacles, and you've achieved things that you once thought were impossible. How satisfying will that feel? Keep that vision in your head. So to recap briefly, at work, stand tall, stay professional, and don't let toxic colleagues dim your shine. With unsupportive family or friends, understand their fears but stay true to your path. Seek out those who uplift you and set boundaries on those who don't. And online, remember, the haters are mostly hiding in basements, figuratively. Don't give away your power to faceless trolls. And everywhere else in life, fortify your mind, surround yourself with positivity, focus on your mission, and treat negativity as the noise that it is not the voice of truth. Every successful person you admire has dealt with negativity and pushed past it. Now it's your turn. You are stronger than the negative people in your life. Prove it through your actions and attitude. The best part is, by handling negativity with grace, you'll inspire others around you to do the same. You become a role model of positivity and strength. Your team will notice. Your family will notice. Your online community will notice, and perhaps even some of those negative people will start to change, influenced by your example, or they will fade away while you keep rising. Stay focused, stay positive, and keep going after your dreams. Don't let anyone's small mind convince you that your dreams are too big. I want you to remember one thing: the only person who gets to decide how far you'll go is you. Not the haters, not the doubters, Use their negativity as stepping stones, not stumbling blocks. So keep believing in yourself, even when it feels like only you do. Especially then, protect that belief like a flame in the wind, because it will light your way forward. You've got this. Turn that negativity into the very thing that propels you to new heights. And when in doubt, replay this video to remind yourself of who you are and what you're capable of overcoming. Now get out there, handle those negative people like the boss you are, and show the world what you're made of. Believe. Your life will not move forward one inch until you face exactly where you are right now. You can't fix a lie and you can't improve something you won't admit is broken. It might feel safer to pretend everything's fine, but that is exactly what's keeping you stuck. If you refuse to acknowledge the truth that you're lost or failing or in over your head, you will stay lost. You'll keep spinning in circles, making a making the same mistakes and wondering why success isn't happening? Do you want to look back in 5 years and realize you wasted all that time because you were too proud, too scared, or too stubborn to be honest about where you stand? Of course not. So listen, the first step to any transformation is brutal honesty. Even NASA knew it. Apollo 13 didn't radio Houston saying, "Hey, we're fine." No, they said, "Houston, we have a problem." By admitting the problem, could they scramble to find a solution and bring the crew home? Hiding the issue would have been fatal. In life, it's the same for you. You can't launch to the next level until you say, this is where I am, this is what's wrong. Let me tell you a quick story. When I was 19, I started my first business and it was failing hard. I was making no money. I was eating beans for lunch, barely surviving, but I was too embarrassed to tell anyone. I lied to my friends. That business was great because I didn't want them to know I was struggling. Looking back, it was stupid. That was my 19-year-old brain. But at the time, my ego couldn't handle admitting that I sucked. The pressure kept building until one day I actually quit on my business partner. I told him I'm done and I walked away. And that night I hit my rock bottom. I sat there thinking about how much I would regret it for the rest of my life if I gave up completely. And in that moment, I finally faced the truth. I don't know what I'm doing. I need help. I need to change. So the next day, I went to my partner's apartment and we got back to work, but differently this time. I swallowed my pride and started studying how Bill Gates built Microsoft, trying to model someone who did know what they were doing. I admitted my way wasn't working and opened myself up to learn. And guess what? That's when we finally started to get results. That painful honesty saved my business. It was one of the worst times of my life because I was working hard with nothing to show and I felt like a loser. But the moment, the very night I admitted where I was and what I lacked, I found the way forward. Now, maybe you're thinking, okay, Evan, but won't focusing on the negative just make me feel worse? What about faking it until you make it and staying positive? And I hear you, and it's a fair concern. You don't want to wallow in what's wrong, but understand admitting where you are isn't negativity. It's actually empowering. You can still believe in yourself and acknowledge that something's not ideal right now. This isn't about beating yourself up and throwing some kind of pity party. It's about freedom, liberation. When you face the facts, you free yourself to change them. Hiding from the truth is not positive thinking. It's being a coward in disguise. You are stronger than that. Think of a doctor with a patient. They have to diagnose the disease before they can treat it, right? Telling the patient, oh good, when cancer is spreading isn't kindness, it's cruelty. You need to be your own doctor now. Diagnose your reality so that you can heal it. Admitting a weakness doesn't make you weaker. It actually shows your strength. It takes guts to say, here's where I'm at, and only the strong and smart are brave enough to do it. So are you brave enough? Good. So let's do this. Let's talk about why you can't go forward until you admit where you are and how you can actually start doing it. Now. All right, take a deep breath because we're about to get practical and real. How do we actually admit where you are and why is this so powerful in moving you forward? First, let's stress why this matters so much. Self-awareness, being brutally honest about your current situation, is the foundation of all growth. In fact, a Cornell University study of 72 executives found that high self-awareness was the strongest predictor of success overall. Not IQ, not fancy degrees, just the courage and honesty to realistically assess themselves. Think about that. The people who rose to the top were the ones willing to say, here's what I'm good at. Here's what I'm bad at. Here's where we really stand right now. Being self-aware, admitting where you are is literally a superpower in business and in life. When you have that clarity, you know what to focus on, what to improve, what to let go of. When you don't, you chase the wrong things or trick yourself into standing still. So reason number 1: clarity is power. If you don't know exactly where you are on the map, you can't chart a course to where you want to go. Imagine trying to get directions on a GPS but refusing to input your current location, right? No thanks, I don't want to admit that I'm in Nowheresville right now. Guess what? The GPS can't give you a route. You're driving blind. But that's what so many people do in life. They set goals, I want to get to that destination, but they never pinpoint their starting point. You need that starting point. Maybe your goal is to be a successful entrepreneur. Okay, where are you right now? Maybe you have zero experience, zero sales skills, $50 in your bank account. Admit it. That's your starting point, because from there you can make a plan to get skills, to raise money, whatever it is. If you lie and say, I'm fine, everything's fine, I've got it all figured out, you're building a castle on quicksand, right? Clarity admitting gives you solid ground to build on. Reason number 2: Admitting where you are saves you time. Years of it. When you face the truth early, you can course correct quickly. When you ignore it, you waste so much time. I almost wasted my entire company at 19 by avoiding the truth. I meet people all the time who spend years in denial. The entrepreneur whose business is bleeding money but won't admit their model isn't working and they keep sinking more cash into a losing game. The person in a toxic relationship who says, "It's fine, it's fine," while they're dying inside, losing precious happiness. The aspiring artist who won't admit that they need more practice, so they never improve and wonder why they're not getting a break. Please don't be that person. You have a dream to chase, and you don't have years to throw away living a lie. The sooner you say, "Here's the real problem," the sooner you can fix it and move forward. Forward. Now I get it, admitting the truth can hurt. It can feel like defeat or embarrassment. Your ego, it hates it. That voice in your head goes, "If I admit I'm not good at this, won't people think less of me? Won't I think less of me?" But listen, every winner you admire has done this. Every successful person at some point looked in the mirror and said, "All right, here's where I really am." This is not weakness. It's what legends do. You can't become great if you're deluding yourself with comforting lies. Michael Jordan, one of the greatest of all time, didn't pretend he was perfect. When he lost, he looked at why. He admitted his defense needed work or his conditioning wasn't enough, and then he trained harder. That's why he kept getting better. The same goes for you. Be grateful to find a weakness or a flaw because now you can improve it. Let me share another personal example from my journey. Years after that first business, I started YouTube. And I struggled again for years. I put out video after video with almost nobody watching. In my first year on YouTube, I had 25 subscribers. Can you imagine a year of busting my butt and making content and I could barely fill a classroom with my audience? 5 years in, I had just a few thousand subscribers and that's painfully slow growth. I felt like, man, is it ever going to work? But here's what I did. I admitted I wasn't good enough yet. I didn't say the algorithm's against me. Or make excuses. I said my videos aren't great yet, I need to get better. I was embarrassed by my own content. I mean it. I couldn't even watch my early videos, my first 350 videos, without cringing. It took me 350 videos before I could watch one back without being embarrassed, and 700 videos before I made something that I actually loved. That's how long it took me to find my groove. And I was honest with myself through it. I knew I wasn't a natural on camera, uh, I knew my content needed to work, I knew I was an introvert, and that honesty kept me humble enough to keep learning and hungry enough to keep going. Most people would have quit. Most people would have said after 50 bad videos, well, I guess I'm just not cut out for this. Or worse, some people would delude themselves and say, my content is amazing, the world just doesn't get it, and then stay stuck at 50 views a video forever. I didn't do that. I acknowledged the suck. I embraced the suck, as they say, and I kept moving forward. And because of that, I went from 25 subscribers in year 1 to now over 4 million subscribers. Why? Not because I'm special or lucky, but because I faced reality and kept working on it. And I want that for you too. Whatever your goal is— music, business, fitness, anything— be honest about your level right now. It's okay if you're bad at the start. Admit it and then get to work. That's how you become one of the best. Reason number 3: admitting where you are opens you up to help and growth. This one is huge. As long as you're in denial, you're effectively closing the door on any help that could come in. When you say, I got it, I got it, nothing to see here, you're shutting out mentors, advice, support, all the stuff that could accelerate you. The moment you say, I need help, or I don't know what I'm doing here, boom, that door opens. And I had to learn this the hard way too. I've always been the kind of guy who hates asking for help. Can you relate? Mr. Lone Wolf over here. But a few years into my journey, two people changed that. First, I married my wife Nina, and now Nina is for me the most supportive person in the world. She wanted to be there. For everything. And at first I was like, nah, you don't need to come to my events, you'll be bored. I literally said that to her, but she came just to support me anyway, and it blew my mind. I realized I needed that support. I just didn't know it until I felt it. Having someone in your corner, even just in the audience smiling, gave me a boost I never knew I was missing. And around that same time, I met my agent Steve. Now Steve was also a tough mentor. He worked with people like Mel Robbins and Grant Cardone and big personalities. He doesn't sugarcoat his advice. He gave me hard feedback, pushed me to make better content, to think bigger, to stop playing small. It was like a boot camp for my ambition. And his advice really stung sometimes, if I'm being honest. It's not fun being told your videos need to be way better. Step it up. But I needed to hear it. And because I was finally willing to accept help and feedback, my growth started to explode. And that year was a turning point. The channel really started to take off. My impact started to grow. Everything. If I had stayed prideful and never admitted I could use some guidance, I would probably still be crawling along slowly, frustrated that I wasn't winning. And instead, by opening myself up, by admitting I don't have all the answers, I could actually use some help here. I gained a loving supporter, my wife, and a kick-butt mentor with Steve, who together helped supercharge my success. So who Or what are you shutting out by not admitting that you need help? Is it a coach you haven't approached, a friend that you haven't confided in, an online course or group that you've been too proud to take? Drop the ego, get the help. There is zero shame in learning or receiving support. That's how every great person you admire got to where they are. Someone showed them the way once they admitted they needed it. Now let's bring this home with a powerful mindset shift. There's a concept I love from Jim Collins, Jones, who wrote Good to Great, called the Stockdale Paradox. It says you must retain unwavering faith that you will prevail in the end, and at the same time confront the most brutal facts of your current reality. Both, not one or the other. What does that mean for you? It means you must absolutely believe that you will achieve your goal. You will get out of the hole, you will win, but you refuse to pretend the hole isn't there. You confront the brutal facts of I'm in a hole and it's 10 feet deep and the walls are really slippery. You don't sugarcoat it. And because you do that, you can devise a plan to climb out. Meanwhile, you keep the faith that ultimately you will succeed. This is exactly what I'm asking you to do. Believe in your ultimate ability, but be dead honest about where you are right now. The heroes of the world, the ones who survive and thrive, they do all of this. The optimists who stick their head in the sand and just hope without facing reality, they fail. They die of a broken heart, as Admiral Stockdale says about the naive POWs who kept saying will be out by Christmas and refuse to accept the harsh truth. Don't let that be you in your journey. Be courageous enough to say, here's the truth of my situation, and optimistic enough to say, I can and will change it. All right. So now it's gut check time for you. I want you to think about your life and identify one area, just one to start, where you know you haven't been fully honest with yourself. You already know what it is. It's that thing that popped in your head as I've been talking. Maybe it's your career, maybe it's your health, maybe it's a relationship, maybe it's a project that you just keep putting off. What are you telling yourself there? And what's the actual truth? Are you telling yourself you're giving it your all when deep down you know you're playing at 50%? Are you telling yourself everything is fine just to avoid conflict when deep down you know it's not fine? Be real, call it out, write it down if you need to. The truth I need to admit is blank. This is your moment, because once you shine a light on that thing, it loses power over you. You can finally deal with it. If you've been drifting in denial, this right here is the moment you grab the wheel of your life again. No more autopilot, no more hiding. It might feel like a punch to the gut, but it's also a surge of relief and empowerment. Remember, truth is the starting line. It's not the finish line. It's the start. When you admit where you are, you give yourself permission to begin the journey to where you want to be. You stop being stuck in the fake world of shoulda, coulda, woulda, and you step into reality. And only reality can be changed. I promise you, when you do this, you will feel a weight lift off your shoulders. You'll finally see a path forward. It might be a long path. Mine sure was, but at least you'll see it and you'll be moving. And movement, progress is happiness. So have the courage to be brutally honest with yourself today. Not tomorrow, not next week. Today. Greatness begins not with a single step, but with a single truth acknowledged. Tell yourself the truth so that you can change your reality. You owe it to yourself and your dreams. Don't let the fear rob you of your destiny. Face where you are so you can get to where you're meant to be. Never take advice from someone who isn't where you want to be. Everyone has an opinion about your business and your life, but if they haven't accomplished reached what you're chasing, then their opinion is nothing more than noise. If you keep listening to unproven naysayers, you'll start living their fears instead of your own ambition, and you'll end up as stuck and as small as they are. Colonel Harland Sanders heard no 1,009 times before he finally got a yes. He was over 50 years old, broke, and sleeping in his car, knocking on door after door trying to sell his fried chicken recipe. 1,009 restaurants told him his idea was worthless. They laughed at the notion that a retired gas station cook could build a franchise. He was too old, it was too late, it would never work. Most people would have given up after a dozen rejections, but he got a thousand, and he refused to quit. He believed in his recipe even when nobody else did. Finally, at age 65, Sanders found one restaurant owner who took a chance on him. That one yes birthed Kentucky Fried Chicken, and the franchise took off. Within a few years, Colonel Sanders had over 600 KFC franchises and would sell his company for $2 million, becoming a legendary entrepreneur. He endured more rejection and naysaying than almost anyone, and he proved every last doubt or wrong by persevering. He felt that sting of every rejection, but he used it to keep going. And that's the same pressure that you might be feeling right now. People telling you no, you can't do it. Sanders heard the same thing 1,009 times and he won. What about you? When I was 19, I had to make the hardest decision of my life. I was a co-owner in a tiny software startup making only $300 a month while my university friends were accepting six-figure corporate jobs. And I was this close to quitting on my business. In fact, one night I called my partner and I said, I quit. I can't keep doing this. I feel worthless. I was broke, embarrassed, and convinced I wasn't good enough. To be an entrepreneur. I thought I made a huge mistake turning down the safe jobs. I was living at home eating beans out of a can, too ashamed to tell my friends how bad it was. I was afraid I'd never make it. I had hesitation, fear, doubt. I lived it all. But the next morning I woke up and I realized I hadn't truly given it everything. Before I threw my dream away, I had to try one more thing. I asked myself, who has already built a successful software company. I knew I wasn't the first guy to face these problems before, so I studied Bill Gates and how he built Microsoft from nothing. I learned that Microsoft partnered with bigger companies to break into new markets. I figured if it worked for Gates, maybe it could work for me. So I stopped trying to do everything alone and started modeling someone who had made it. And soon after, I closed my first big deal. $13,500 in my bank, more money than I'd ever seen in my my life. And more importantly, I finally had a strategy that I could repeat. I, I wasn't a failure after all. I just needed the right model to follow. So I went from being hopeless to now having energy because I saw proof that my business could work. I learned that whenever I'm lost, I can find someone who has done it before and learn from them. And that realization saved my company and set the course for my entire career. Even later on when I struggled, I kept looking for successful entrepreneurs for guidance. I read stories of successful entrepreneurs and realized that they had doubted themselves too, just like I was doubting myself. It made me think, wow, these famous entrepreneurs were scared just like I am now. And if they could push through the self-doubt and the outside criticism, so could I. And every time I modeled success and surrounded myself with belief, I found the strength to keep going. Now you might be thinking, okay, sounds great, Evan, but how do I actually do this? How do I find those who who've done it before me? And what about the naysayers in my life who are always chirping in my ear telling me that I'm wrong? In fact, one of our subscribers, Jeremiah Williams, asked this exact question: How do you find those who've gotten it done before and push away the naysayers and the ones who don't have a resume and are always recommending the opposite of what you should be doing? Now, maybe you're wondering the same thing right now. Maybe you feel surrounded by people who just don't get it, who second-guess your every move. You might even wonder, what if they're right and I'm the crazy one? So first of all, consider who has given you this so-called advice. Are they living the life that you want? Have they built a business, taken a risk, achieved the dream? If not, why on earth would you let them choose your destiny? The truth is, people who have never stepped into the arena will always shout from the cheap seats about what you should do or shouldn't do. It's easy to be a critic when you've risked nothing. And here's the Our brains are wired to overvalue negative voices. Psychology calls it the negativity bias. We feel the sting of a critic's words more powerfully than the joy of someone's praise. One harsh comment from a naysayer can echo in your head louder than 10 compliments from supporters. Studies even show that negative information grabs our attention and even seems more truthful to us than positive news. So think about that. Just because someone says it'll never work with some level of conviction, Your brain might believe them by default, but you can't let a built-in bias run your life. You need to recognize that just because their negativity feels loud and real, it doesn't mean that it's true. It just means human brains latch onto fear. So logically, if a person has no results to back up their opinions, their opinions are hollow. As the saying goes, never take advice from someone who isn't where you want to be. Why? Because people who haven't achieved your goal lack the experience and understanding to guide you. Their advice is often based on their fears, their limits, not yours. Jeremiah, you mentioned these naysayers don't have the resume. Exactly. They have not walked the path that you're walking, so their map is useless to you. In fact, following advice from unqualified people is a sure way to get unqualified results. If you let people with no vision impose their vision on you, you'll end up with no vision at all. So what do you do? You flip it. You seek out the people who have done it, even if you don't know them personally. You can learn from them. Read the biography of an entrepreneur that you admire. Watch interviews or top 10 rules. I've made lots of them for you guys. Join online communities or local meetups where winners are hanging out. Surround yourself with perspectives that come from experience and success, because here's another truth: one example of success destroys 1,000 options of failure. The moment you find even one person who achieve what you want, the naysayers lose their power over you. They can't say it's impossible with a straight face anymore. That person is living proof. So instead of trying to convince negative people, go find inspiring people. Let their victories drown out the negativity and speak possibility into you. That's how you push away naysayers. You crowd them out with even louder voices of confidence and success. So let's dive into how to do this step by step. How do you push away the naysayers? How do you protect your dream and keep moving forward? Let's break it down. Step number 1: Model the people who have done it. The fastest way to silence the haters is to let the results speak. And if you don't have the results yet, borrow someone else's. Find the heroes of your industry. Find the entrepreneurs or the creators who have accomplished what you aspire to do. Go in detail, study their path, learn from from the best instead of listening to the rest. This has been a core of my philosophy from almost day one. I call it modeling success. Find someone who has made it and learn how they did it. Why reinvent the wheel? Their journey leaves clues for you. So read their books, listen to their talks, dissect their strategies, watch their videos. When I was struggling in my software company, I told the story about Bill Gates and how he built Microsoft. He built it by partnering with IBM. That insight gave me my strategy. You can do the same with whomever inspires you. If you want to build a revolutionary car company, right, study Elon Musk's journey with Tesla. If you want to create a media empire, study Oprah's early years and how she persisted after being fired and told that she was unfit for TV. Whatever your goal is, someone out there has achieved something similar. Use them as your virtual mentor. I call them aspirational mentors. Ask yourself, how do they deal with critics? What tactics help they what beliefs carried them through. And this isn't just anecdotal, it's backed by actual data. According to research, 93% of young entrepreneurs believe in the need to interact with mentors who have been there and done that. They know its value. And even more striking, a study by Cabbage Inc. found 92% of small business owners credit mentors with directly improving their business's growth and survival. Did you catch that? 92%. Almost everyone who succeeds has guidance from someone who's ahead of them. And if you look at failures, the absence of mentorship is often a factor. One report noted that a third of successful entrepreneurs had a mentor or support network compared to only 14% of entrepreneurs with failed businesses. Those numbers tell the story. If you learn from those who know, you dramatically increase your chances of success. So your action step right after this video: identify one person who's achieved your biggest goal. It could be a famous founder. It could be someone in your community who's a few steps ahead of you, commit to studying their journey this week. It might mean reading a book they wrote or watching an interview they did, or even reaching out to them for direct advice. And don't say, "They'd never talk to me." Have you tried? Successful people often love to share advice with bold, coachable up-and-comers. Even if they don't respond, you still have their interviews, their biographies, their videos, their lessons available to you. Plug into that wisdom. Fill your mind with their experiences instead of your neighbor's doubts. When you're busy implementing a proven strategy you learned from a winner, you won't have time to worry about loser talk. Step number 2: Cut out the negative noise. You must protect your mind and your environment. That means distancing yourself from the people who only bring pessimism and doubt into your life. I know this can be tough. Sometimes the biggest naysayers are your friends. They're your parents, they're your siblings, they're your colleagues. You don't necessarily need to cut them out of your life completely, though in some cases that might be a good idea. But you do need to cut off their influence on their opinions. Stop seeking input from people who only criticize or discourage you. If you have an idea and you already know Uncle Bob is going to roll his eyes and list 10 reasons it won't work, don't ask Uncle Bob. He's not on the invite list for your dream. Not everyone deserves a seat at your table. This is a powerful rule that I follow: don't share big dreams with small minds. It's not an insult, it's a a filtering mechanism. Some people in your circle simply don't have the capacity to see what you see, and that's okay, but you have to be wise about it. If every time you announce a new project, you are met with, "Ah, are you sure? Sounds risky. Maybe you shouldn't do that." That chips away at your confidence, and over time it can poison your mindset. In psychology, there's a concept of social support and its effect on self-belief. Lack of support or outright negativity from those around you can literally make you feel devalued and full of self-doubt. Studies show that people who feel unsupported by their peers and family tend to experience lower self-esteem and start doubting their capabilities. So in other words, constant negativity from others can trick you into believing negative things about yourself that are not true. So what do you do if you're surrounded by naysayers? Set boundaries. Limit the exposure you have to their doubt. If it's family who mean well but always worry, you might say, thank you for your concern, but I've got to follow my path. I'll keep you posted on the good news. Then stop discussing your business with them. Change the subject. Seek feedback from someone more qualified instead. Remember, you do not need everyone's approval to pursue your dream. You need your approval, and you likely need a few qualified mentors or allies that we've already talked about, but you definitely don't need the peanut gallery chiming in, right? It's okay to nod, smile, and internally reject their negativity. You don't have to argue or try to convince them. Just ignore them. As one entrepreneur bluntly put it, if someone says you don't know what you're doing, cut them out. There are plenty of supportive people out there, so don't waste time with haters. Now, that may sound harsh, but it's true. Life is too short to have dream killers in your ear 24/7. Surround yourself with those who uplift you, not pull you down. And that brings us to the flip side of this: curate positive input. It's not enough to eliminate the negative. You have to replace it with encouragement and belief. This might mean finding new friends or fellow entrepreneurs who get it. If you don't have anyone like that around you locally, find them online. Join a mastermind group, a startup founders forum, even the comment sections of channels like this. There are thousands of like-minded entrepreneurs out there who are also pushing ahead and fighting their own doubt. Connect with them, share your struggles and wins. The difference it makes is night and day. When you hear, you can do this, from someone who understands the grind, it propels you forward. When you hit a wall and a fellow entrepreneur says, hey, keep going, I've been there, suddenly that wall doesn't seem so high. We human beings are profoundly influenced by those that we regularly interact with. There's a famous quote by Jim Rohn: "You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with." Whether or not that number 5 is exact, the principle holds. Your environment shapes you. So choose your 5, or however many, wisely. Would you rather be the average of 5 doubters who have achieved nothing, or 5 go-getters who are crushing it? The choice is yours. So make a plan. Identify the negative influences that you need to minimize. And identify at least one positive influence that you can add. It could be as straightforward as spending less time in that toxic group chat and more time watching this YouTube channel or being around young entrepreneurs that inspire you, or cutting out the weekly rant session with your cynical friend and instead scheduling a brainstorming call with a business buddy. These might seem like small moves, but over time they radically change your mental atmosphere. When you normalize success and positivity around you, the naysayers' voices fade into irrelevance. They become background noise that's easy to ignore because your foreground is filled with possibility and action. Step number 3: Use naysayers as your fuel, not as feedback. Here's a little secret. The best entrepreneurs and achievers in any field don't just ignore their naysayers. They use them. They transmute that negative energy into motivation. So think about it. When someone says you can't do it, you have a choice. Let it discourage you or let it light a fire underneath you. Choose the fire. Let their doubt become your rocket fuel. Say to yourself, all right, watch me. Not out of ego, but out of determination. One of my favorite examples of this is Michael Jordan. Early in his life, Jordan faced a huge naysayer setback. He was cut from his high school varsity basketball team as a sophomore. They told him he wasn't good enough to play basketball. Effectively a naysayer telling the 15-year-old Michael Jordan, you're not varsity basketball material. That rejection devastated Jordan. He went home and he cried in his room. But then what did he do? He used it. He channeled that embarrassment and frustration into practice. Jordan woke up every morning before school to practice harder and make sure he'd never get cut again. He famously said that seeing the list without his name on it was the best thing that happened to him. Him because it drove him to improve. By the next year, he grew taller. He trained like a beast. He made the varsity team, and the rest is history. He became one of the greatest athletes of all time. Would that have happened if he didn't face that early doubt? Who knows? But Jordan himself credits that experience as fuel for his fire. He needed to prove that coach wrong, and in doing so, he unlocked his own greatness. You can do this on a smaller scale every day. Next time someone says you can't, Take it personally, not in a wounded way, but in a motivating way. Think, I'm going to work twice as hard and make sure their words look ridiculous. Some of the best success stories come from the desire to prove the doubters wrong. As one motivational speaker put it, the greatest revenge is massive success. You don't need to literally get revenge on anyone, but the point is to channel any anger or frustration you feel from criticism into your work. Let it drive you to be better. There's even research in psychology about this. It's related to a concept called psychological reactance. When someone tells you that you can't do something, it often increases your desire to do exactly that thing. It triggers a defiant motivation. Oh yeah, watch me. So use that phenomenon to your advantage. Instead of letting a "you can't" comment make you slump down, let it straighten up your spine. When you're grinding through a tough day, remember the people who said that you'd fail and allow yourself a little inner smirk as you push harder. They expect you to quit. Wouldn't it be fun to prove them wrong? Turn it into a game if you have to. However, there's an important caveat here. Don't make naysayers your sole focus. The goal is not to live your life to impress or prove things to negative people. That can become toxic in its own way. Rather, we're going to use their doubt as a little spark, but keep your focus on your vision and the positive reasons why you're doing this. You're not building your dream just to spite somebody else. You're building it because it matters deeply to you. The naysayer fuel is just a bonus boost on days when you need that extra little kick. Ultimately, the biggest fuel should be you and your belief in yourself and the impact that you want to have on the world. But hey, if on a cold morning remembering a critic's words gets you out of bed and into action, take it. That's turning negativity into productivity. And here's one more example: the Wright brothers. When they set out to invent the airplane, most of the world The world's experts and media openly mocked them. A well-known New York Times piece in 1903 questioned their sanity for thinking they could fly a machine heavier than air. Rather than fold and quit, the Wright brothers doubled down on their experiments on the sands of Kitty Hawk. Within months of that ridicule, they achieved the first powered flight in human history. Imagine the satisfaction and validation they felt when the world realized these These crazy bicycle mechanics had done the impossible. They proved every expert wrong. That's the power of persistence in the face of naysayers. So today's ridicule from them can become tomorrow's applause if you keep going. So the next time someone laughs at your idea, treat it as a milestone. You might be on to something truly innovative or ambitious. Wear it almost as a badge of honor. People are laughing? Good. It means I'm dreaming big. And as long as you believe and put in work, their laughter will eventually sound like ignorance. So action step for you: write down one negative comment or one piece of advice that someone has given you that really got under your skin somehow. Then write a promise to yourself right next to it: I will show them what I'm made of by doing X. And use it as a mini contract. And whenever you're tired or you're discouraged, revisit that and let it remind you that you have something to prove. Not really to them, but to yourself, that you won't be swayed by external doubt, that you can and will rise to the challenge. Step number 4: Surround yourself with belief. Okay, we've cut out the negativity and we're using any lingering negativity as motivation. The final piece is to immerse yourself in a culture of belief. Humans are social creatures, so we can lean on each other for cues about what is possible. Deliberately build an environment physically physically in your environment here and mentally that breeds confidence and growth. That means actively seeking out people and inputs that reinforce the identity that you want to have. So if you're an aspiring entrepreneur, hang around other entrepreneurs, connect with people who have that can-do spirit. When other people who are hustling, creating, solving problems, they're around you, you start absorbing that energy and that mindset. Their belief rubs off onto you. You are borrowing belief. Think about the difference. In one scenario, you spend your evening with a few friends who complain about their jobs and say that your business idea sounds too risky. And in another scenario, you spend the evening at a meetup of startup founders or on a Zoom call with a mastermind group, and everyone is sharing their tips on marketing and cheering each other's progress. That's a night and day difference. In which scenario do you think you'll leave feeling fired up versus feeling deflated? Right. It's obvious. So intentionally curate your peer group. If your current friends aren't on the same wavelength as you, that's okay. You can still love them, but you might need to expand your circle. Find the people who get it. Even just 1 or 2 can make a huge difference in your life. When you hit a setback, a supportive peer will then say, "That's just a hurdle. You've got this. Here's what I tried," instead of, "I told you so. Maybe you should quit." One response moves you forward. The other one paralyzes you. Also, internally, fill your mind daily with positive educational content, podcasts, YouTube channels, podcasts, you know, a good one right, right here, books. Let the voices of winners be the background music of your life. It's hard for self-doubt to dominate your thoughts if every day you're listening to interviews with successful people who also struggled but made it through. You start to normalize the idea that struggle is just part of the process, not a sign that you are terrible and doomed. You hear over and over how others push past doubters. Mental resilience. It's like mental armor against the naysayers. I personally still do this myself. I surround myself with stories and examples of greatness to keep me inspired. It's like you're having a shower every day. You do it regularly to stay clean, or in this case, to keep your mindset clean from skepticism. So here's a practical tip: curate your social media for this purpose. Follow accounts that post motivational content, business tips, success stories. Mute or unfollow the people who complain or tear others Use the power of algorithms for good. Engage with content that uplifts you and educates you, and you'll soon see more of it. Soon even your scrolling can become a mini coaching session rather than a comparison trap or negativity feed. I want you to literally engineer every aspect of your life to reflect belief, not doubt. Your 5 closest contacts, your media diet, your daily routine— make them align with the new confident You. And let's not forget celebrating small wins. Building belief also comes from you proving to yourself that you're making progress. Every time you hit a little milestone, no matter how small, acknowledge it. Did you launch your website? Hey, you got your first sale. Awesome. Finish a prototype. Celebrate. Share with those supportive people in your circle. Let them hype you up. This reinforces that you are on the right track and starts to drown out any remaining echoes of past naysayers. Success is the ultimate rebuttal. Vulnerable to doubt. Even tiny successes start constructing an identity for yourself as someone who follows through. Each win is a brick in the wall shielding you from the negative outside opinions. And over time, that wall becomes a fortress of unshakable self-belief. Remember, belief is contagious. When you carry yourself with conviction, you attract others who have it or want it. You'll notice fewer naysayers approach you because frankly, they know their pessimism won't they won't find that ear with you. And even if they do pipe up, it just bounces off the fortress that you've built for yourself. You'll find yourself almost pitying the naysayer because they're stuck in a negativity loop while you're out here making moves and surrounding yourself with positivity. And who knows, maybe one day one of those former naysayers will come to you for advice once they see that you are succeeding. That's a full circle moment that often happens. By then you won't even feel the need to say, I told you so. You'll just help them if you can because you're operating from a place of confidence and generosity, not insecurity. So what are we going to do? Create an ecosystem of encouragement around you. Life will still have ups and downs, but when you're immersed in an environment of yes you can, you become unstoppable. You've pushed the naysayers to the sidelines and you're playing center field with a team that wants you to win, and that changes everything. Look at what we've done here. You've learned to stop giving weight to unqualified opinions. You've learned to seek guidance from those with real experience. You've set boundaries against negativity and bolstered your surroundings with support and inspiration. You've turned doubts into determination. This is how you push away the naysayers— not with anger or fear, but with clarity, confidence, and action. You don't defeat naysayers by arguing with them. You defeat them by outgrowing them, by doing the very thing they what they said you couldn't do and doing it well. So now it's on you. You have everything you need to move forward despite the doubters. It might feel lonely at times, but remember, you are not actually alone. Every successful person you admire walked through a gauntlet of naysayers and obstacles. They felt what you feel— the pressure, the doubt, the temptation to quit— and they kept going. This is your turn to do the same. Your dream is worth it. Your future self is counting on you not to let it slip away because of a few negative voices. Those voices only have power if you hand it to them. So take it back, protect it, surround it with people who believe in it. And when you do get that yes, whether it's a sale, an investment, an opportunity, you'll realize all the naysaying was nothing but background noise. In fact, you might even thank them for motivating you to push harder. So go forward and build that thing they said said you couldn't. Prove them wrong, sure, but most importantly, prove yourself right. Prove that your intuition about your dream was right all along. And as you take action and gain momentum, you'll notice something: the naysayers' voices fade, and your own inner voice grows stronger. And that voice says, 'I can do this.' That's the one that matters, and it's getting louder every day you choose to believe. You've got this. Now step up and make it happen. And congratulations, you're one video closer to who meant to be. Believe. To learn how to get rich from nothing, check the video right there next to me. I think you'll love it. Continue to believe, and I'll see you there. Look at Colonel Harland Sanders. At 65 years old, he was broke. He was sleeping in his car. He was surviving on a $105 monthly Social Security check. Yet he had a chicken recipe he believed in. He was rejected 1,009 times by restaurants who told him no.