It was March 27, just 9 short months ago.

I was having dinner at Skylight Gardens in West Hollywood. I, along with 39 of my Fast Foundations Mastermind colleagues, were celebrating 3 days of intense collaboration and game-changing breakthroughs.

The night was almost over as I stood there, face-to-face, in conversation with Chris Harder, the mastermind creator and mentor of mine. I was sharing my biggest takeaways from the trip and my goals for the rest of 2019, and that’s when it happened…

After intently listening to my visions of grandeur, Chris looked me in the eyes and calmly said the 8 words that forever changed my perspective…heck, my life:

“Quit being a [explicit word] and start thinking bigger.”

The dude was right.

Up until that point, I had spent my whole life playing small. I was too afraid to take risks. I avoided conflicts at all costs. I lived well inside-the-box.

Why?

I was deathly afraid of judgement. I let my life be controlled by the opinions of others. I would prevent myself from doing the things I wanted, saying the things I wanted, because I was paralyzed by what others might think. My life was driven by the approval of those around me. All I wanted was the next “follow”.

Well, those days are over. Today, I could care less what you think of me.

Don’t misinterpret what I mean. That phrase does not come from a place of arrogance. It comes from a place of encouragement.

If you want to live the life you know you’re capable of. If you want to do the things you’ve been dreaming of doing, building the business you’ve been dreaming of building, you cannot let your decisions be controlled by the thoughts of others. It’s the thoughts and opinions of others that are holding you back from living.

Listen, don’t get me wrong, it’s easy to hear the venom spitting from others’ mouths these days. Make one post on social media and you’ll find out just how ugly people can be. But, please do me a favor and tune them out. All comments, all opinions, come with ulterior motives, whether it be to hold you back or cover up someone else’s insecurities.

If you are going to achieve your dreams in 2020 you MUST run full-speed ahead and do not slow down. Don’t let one comment, one opinion, or one bad influence derail your vision. Put yourself “out there” and let the world see just how great you are.

There is not a job title or dollar sign big enough to cover up the freedom that comes with waking up and being the real you every single day. Life is too damn short my friend. Let go of those fears, shake off those opinions, and create the life you were meant to have!

 

And, if you don’t like what I have to say, I really don’t care. In fact, do me a favor and hit the “unfollow” button so I can continue pursuing my dream.