“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
— Chinese Proverb

It’s easy to judge our past actions or lack thereof with the benefit of hindsight. In reality, we need to stop focusing on what we should have done in the past and stay focused on what we need to do now.

Sure, I wish I had invested in Netflix back in 2012, but I didn’t because I didn’t have a lot of money. I wish I had mined Bitcoin back in 2011, but I ran into some issues and gave up. I wish I had started blogging back in 2000, but I didn’t because I figured nobody cared about my thoughts. I wish I had started regular workouts when I was 22, but I got sore after the first week and quit.

It’s easy to dwell in the past and judge ourselves a failure, but it doesn’t do any good. What are you going to do now? How are you going to become the person you want to be? Figure out where you want to be in 20 years and then take actions that match your goal. Plant your tree now.

We get to the future one small step at a time. Make every step count.

“You don’t play against opponents, you play against the game of basketball.”
— Bobby Knight

In some ways, you are your easiest opponent. I mean, after all, you merely have to be better today than you were yesterday. Nobody said you have to be a lot better. You just need to be better. In this case, winning by one point is as good as winning by 100 points.

In other ways, you are your most challenging opponent. This isn’t a sprint; it’s a marathon. A small victory today is great, but you still need to go out and compete again tomorrow. You don’t get a break from life just because you had a good day.

Yesterday prepared you for today. If you won yesterday, then you’re even stronger today. If you failed yesterday, then get your mind pumped up for today because you already proved that you can do this. Either way, decide that today is a day you’re going to win and go make it happen.

“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”
— Benjamin Franklin

Don’t tell me why you can’t. Tell me how you’re going to make it happen.

The key here is to figure out the actual problem you need to solve. For instance, if you can’t afford a car, maybe the actual problem is that you need a reliable way to get to work. If you can’t seem to lose 10 pounds, maybe the actual problem is that you want to play with your kids without feeling winded.

So how can you solve the real problem? What are your options? Look at those options and make a call. Stay focused on your real goal, and then even if you hit some roadblocks, you have more options.

Options. Not excuses.

“Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well.”
— Mark Twain

What should you do if you don’t know what to do? Well, I think it depends on your specific situation. Are you overwhelmed, or are you bored?

If you’re overwhelmed, then you need to pause. Take a step back and look around. Find the most immediate threat and deal with it. Then move on to the next issue. Handle your challenges one at a time until the situation is under control.

On the other hand, if you’re bored, you need a purpose, a mission for your life. When you’re on a mission, you’re never bored. You need to find that mission. It might take some time to find the purpose of your life. In the meantime, look at what’s right in front of you. What can you do to make your world a little bit better? Find something achievable that you’re willing to do, and then do it.

Whatever your particular situation is, take action. Don’t freeze up and do nothing. Determine to move forward, take that next step, and then do it all over again.

“Man Plans, and God Laughs.”
— Yiddish adage

According to the old saying, you can make God laugh merely by planning. Of course, you have to come up with an actual plan. That’s the hard part, but it’s the necessary part, too.

I think a corollary is that God cries when we go about life with no plan. If we wander about aimlessly, hoping to find success, then we’re counting on getting lucky. Without a plan, we can’t focus our energy on any specific target. When year, after year, we’re still stuck walking in circles, that’s sad.

Now, a plan is hard to make because if we have a plan, then we’re responsible for executing that plan. We need to take the hard steps toward our goal. We need to put in the work. Making a plan also means that we might fail, and we don’t like it when God or anybody else laughs at our failures.

No matter how good your plan is, it will never be perfect. You’ll probably run into unforeseen challenges and obstacles. You’ll probably hit some walls. Maybe you’ll have to throw out the plan, pick up the pieces, and start over. So what? Make God laugh. Set new goals, make new plans, and keep improving. In the end, when your plan finally works, when your hard work finally pays off, pat yourself on the back, take a bow, and laugh.

“The starting point of all achievement is desire.”
— Napoleon Hill

Motivation is necessary for success, but it’s hard to sustain. Motivation comes from focusing on why you’re doing what you’re doing. If you have big goals and a clear purpose, you can get motivated, but you’ll find that energy fading over time. These are my top tips for staying motivated over the long haul.

1. Figure out your routine. Your routine will help you eliminate any distractions from unimportant things. A routine simplifies your life so that you can focus on what matters. Start with something simple and go from there.
2. Focus on one thing each day. Figure out the one thing, that once accomplished, will make your day a success. Then, anything else you finish in the day is a bonus.
3. Eliminate negativity from your life. Negativity might come from people, environments, or your attitude. That negativity will hold you back and suck the energy out of your life.
4. Stay disciplined. Go through the motions if that’s what it takes. Discipline gets you through the times when you’re not motivated until you get back on track.

“We should always be asking ourselves: ‘Is this something that is, or is not, in my control?’”
— Epictetus, “Enchiridion”

To be clear, I’m not talking about moral, ethical, or legal issues. If your boss crosses one of those lines, then you need to take it up with your boss’s boss, HR/Legal, or the police. I’m only talking about “normal” bad boss issues, e.g. he’s a jerk, he’s a bad leader, he’s making my life hell, etc.

Ultimately, there are only two options: stay or quit? Your boss doesn’t really have any power over you, because you decide if you’re staying or leaving. You really work for yourself. Your boss is just a temporary client. Now, let’s figure out the right choice.

First, you need to know where you stand today. What benefits does this job provide? Or alternatively, why are you working at this job at all? Evaluate your current job situation and then do a hard evaluation of yourself.

Questions about my current job:

• Is the pay good? Does my salary afford me a decent lifestyle?
• Is the commute reasonable?
• Do I have good benefits, like vacation and medical insurance?
• Do I like my coworkers?
• Do I love the work itself? Am I inspired by the job?
• What am I learning in this job? Is it helping me become more valuable?
• Is this a dead-end job or am I growing professionally?

Questions about myself:

• What am I grateful for today, in my current circumstances?
• What do I really want out of life?
• How can I make myself more valuable to my employer, to the marketplace, and to my family?
• What could I become elite at?
• What excites me?
• Am I willing to take risks?
• What am I afraid of?

It’s not an exhaustive list, but these questions are a pretty good start. With any luck, the answers will help you make that important decision: stay or quit?

Now, what if you decide to quit? What if this is just a dead-end job that won’t help you grow and develop. What if you feel stuck doing things you hate? If you decide to quit, you need to get some stuff done so you can make that happen the right way.

How to quit your job:

• Decide to quit.
• Stop stressing out about your bad boss. You’ve already decided to quit, so none of that matters now.
• Determine what you need to prepare before quitting. Can you quit today, or do you need time to get your finances in order? How’s your resume and LinkedIn profile? Will this be a career change, or are you staying in the same field? Will you go the self-employment route, or do you plan to find a new job?
• Pick a date to quit and then work hard towards that event. This doesn’t have to be set in stone, but at least act like it’s real for now. Start saving money like you already quit and have no income. Talk to some recruiters or start searching for potential clients. Start networking. Use this time to your advantage.
• Don’t burn bridges with your current employer. In fact, crush it for the remaining time you have left. Do it with a smile. Don’t let anyone get you down. After all, you’re leaving, so be happy and enjoy yourself.
• Finally, quit. Don’t do it out of spite. Do it because you’re moving forward. Do it because you’re taking on the next challenge in your life.

So, what if you decide to stay? What if you decide to stay for now and see if things improve? What if it’s not prudent to quit anytime in the next few months? Well, if you decide to stay, then you need to deal with that bad boss situation.

How to deal with a bad boss:

• Start building a good relationship with your boss. This is going to be hard. Do it anyway. Make it a game. Find a winning strategy. Figure out which tactics work and which don’t. Have fun with it. Prove that you’re good enough to work with everybody, not just the people you like.
• Overcome your own ego. Don’t worry about getting the credit for everything. In fact, give your boss the credit.
• Find ways to make your boss look good to the team and to his superiors. Work with him, not against him, even when it doesn’t seem like he’s working with you.
• Ask your boss for advice about some area that you know you need to improve. And don’t just ask — listen, learn, and adjust based on that advice. Say something like, “Hey, boss. I know I’m a bit weak in this area. Do you have any quick tips to help me get on track?” See what happens.
• Lead the team, humbly and quietly, whenever the team needs you. Don’t step on your boss’s toes, but always be ready to step up and lead.

No matter what approach you take, remember that you are in control of your own career. Don’t blame anybody else if things aren’t going well. There will always be people who don’t get along with you, who annoy you, or who are simply mean to you. You can’t control those people, but you can always become a better teammate, a better leader, and a better human being. If you constantly improve yourself and outperform the haters, you will win.

“I never knew a man come to greatness or eminence who lay abed late in the morning.”
— Johnathan Swift

Will you get out of bed or hit the snooze button? If you get out of bed, then you pass the first test of the day. That’s it. That’s the test. It’s simple, but it might not be easy.

Don’t let lame excuses keep you in bed. If you stayed up too late last night, then you’ll get to bed early tonight. If it’s the weekend and you don’t have anything scheduled this morning, that’s great. You can use the extra time to knock out one of the important tasks you’ve been avoiding.

Ultimately, you need to decide to get up and then do it. Fight off that few seconds of pain. Fight off that urge to stay comfortable and warm under the blankets. Fight off that little voice in your head that says it doesn’t matter. If you fail this first test, you’re setting yourself up for more failure throughout the day.

So… No excuses. Get out of bed and take on the day as a winner!

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”
— George Bernard Shaw

There are hundreds or maybe thousands of tips and tricks for sending good and effective emails, but I believe these three may be the most important.

1. Write the body of your email first. It’s tempting to go through the steps from top to bottom, but I highly recommend doing them in reverse order. The body of your email is the inner sanctum of this communication, so get it right first. Make sure your thoughts are written clearly and concisely. Check your spelling and grammar. If it’s a really important message, have someone else read it ahead of time and give you feedback, or at least read it out loud to yourself.

2. Make your subject line match the body of your email. The subject line is this email’s chance at a first impression. Make it a good one. Make it useful for the people who see it.

3. Send your email to recipients who should actually receive the email. You’re asking every person who receives this email to give you some of their precious time. Is this email worth that high price to them?

“Winners are not afraid of losing. But losers are. Failure is part of the process of success. People who avoid failure also avoid success.”
— Robert T. Kiyosaki, “Rich Dad, Poor Dad”

Way too many people settle into mediocrity because they’re afraid of failing. Maybe they can’t handle criticism. Maybe they don’t want to let their family down. Maybe they’re comfortable and don’t want to lose that comfort. Whatever it is, people don’t want to take risks.

I think that most of the time when we avoid risk, it’s because we’re listening to an inner voice that tells us we’re a fraud. The voice tells us that if we fail, the whole world will know just what a complete fake we are.

Don’t listen to that voice. That voice is just giving you an excuse to avoid executing, and executing is what you need to be doing. If you want to succeed, you need to risk some failure along the way. It’s OK to fail as long as you keep learning and adjusting.

So get up and get moving. Figure out the most important thing you need to do today and do it. Keep learning. Don’t worry about failure. When you get knocked down, get back up and move forward again and again.