Don’t you love entering a new year?
I know I do, even if 2017 could be off to a bad start.
At least, that’s what my mind keeps forcing me to admit (but not accept) as I prepare to depart for Beijing.
Last time, I visited …
The pollution was so bad …
My lungs ached for nearly a month!
And so now, nearing my 40th birthday, I’m doing something bizarre …
Again …
Almost like a broken record …
And yet, not broken.
Far from it.
In fact, I’ve got warps in my vinyl that keeps making the music sound better and better.
And I’ll bet anything your music could be getting better and better too.
Confessions Of A Man Who Owns Next To Nothing
Here’s what I owned back in February of 2013:
Like some kind of blogging troubadour, I took off for Berlin funded only by two Kindle books and raw ambition.
Why Berlin?
After doing a Treasure Map exercise, I found myself invited to go on tour with The Outside.
Playing music I love on stage fulfilled one of my biggest dreams.
And I wound up doing double-duty performing magic tricks during the afterparties too.
More than just hit the stage, I got to strut my stuff in a music video:
There was only one problem …
Turns out I got arthritis so bad I had to temporarily retire from music.
But damn if the payoff doesn’t feel fine when you chase after your dreams.
Only question is …
Does It Ever Make Sense To Break Your Promises?
When I moved back to Berlin, I swore I would settle down.
I bought a few things.
Got into the KSK. (That’s a German union that gives writers and artists better health care and a pension.)
I also invested in preparing for German citizenship.
I worked hard to set the stage for finally settling down.
And yet …
Despite epic mounds of dedicated effort …
I’m giving it all up.
That’s right.
Instead of playing it safe and sticking with the plan, in just a few short hours from now, I’ll be at Tegel airport …
Bounding Off Into Nuclear Winter!
Now how the hell is doing that supposed to make 2017 my Best Year Ever?
Actually, the answer is simple.
All my doubts …
All my worries …
All my reservations …
Nothing more more than tricks.
Illusions.
Attempts at holding me in a game called “playing not to lose.”
That’s all ego doing its ego thing. So damn sinister sometimes, you’d almost think it had some kind of divine origin …
How To Punch Discouragement In The Face
Adding weight to the monkey mind’s endless chatter, get this:
As I was preparing the launch of this blog, I learned that my favorite distance-digital mentor was launching Unstoppable.me.
At. The. Same. Time.
Worse …
His first post, 7 Life Lessons from a Guy Who Can’t Move Anything but His Face, absolutely kills it!
And I’m not prepared.
Not even close to worthy compared to the web’s top writer of all time.
Worse …
I’ve delayed the podcast because I’ve probably got a sponsor … (Hi sponsor! Don’t run away when you see this!)
So I’m repeating something else I’ve wanted to stop: rushing new projects out the door.
But when you really cut through all the nonsense your mind feeds you, there’s really just one angle to take …
Play To Win Or Don’t Play At All
That said, consider the following:
You read that right.
My strength has always been inside-the-box thinking.
And let me tell you, it’s sometimes lonely in here.
But when everyone tells you to go someplace, like mythical “outside-the-box” land …
Maybe it’s time to pivot and do something truly different.
For example:
Don’t leap on the shiniest new shiny object …
Use what you’ve already got to its fullest extent …
And then use what you’re using to its fullest extent just a little bit more.
Because as a guy who has been on the move since age 9 with hardly more than three years in a single place strung together …
I’ve come to understand that we always have all the resources we need to at least keep the boat moving. No matter how choppy the waters might get, we can row. Even if we have to paddle with our bare hands.
In figuring this out, I’ve recently been inspired by Michael Hyatt and his even more positive take on having more resources already in reach (more on him in a minute). It truly is a mindset thing.
How To Win The War Against Your Inner Imposter
For all my talk of being resourceful …
I still feel at odds with the world.
Maybe it’s the long hair …
Maybe it’s how I feel every time I need to defeat depression with Supercharged might.
Or maybe it’s the awkward mumbling I can’t seem to train out of myself on the MMM podcast …
It could also be the high-pressure stakes of living a life dedicated to the art of memory.
One the hand, it’s not that big of a deal. There are plenty of phony mnemonists out there and they often reveal themselves by their absence.
On the other hand …
Just you try being the constant target of memory skills tests everywhere you go. It’s damn good fun, but also ain’t easy when the proof has just got to be in the puddin’.
This is memory we’re talking about. The ultimate pain point. Evergreen as hell.
But I like these stakes, especially as I go into the future of my biz with an aging brain.
And it’s important to resist the urge to run and hide.
So every time that voice tells you you’re not good enough or don’t belong somewhere or shouldn’t be at the table with the big wheelers …
Give That Negative Voice The Bird!
For thousands of people who step up to the place in 2017, Imposter Syndrome goes bye-bye for good.
No more time lost to work …
No more pride lost to some dude or dudette’s undeserved authority …
No more personalities chewed up and spit out by machines of beyond our comprehension …
Their secret?
Self-employment.
The secret sauce for you?
Work for yourself.
Just figure it out.
It’s better.
The Ultimate Truth About Control
The ultimate reason 2017 will be the best year ever is because you can simply make it so.
How?
The power of decision.
The power of thought.
The power of equation.
Listen, math ain’t exactly my strong suit.
But when you add right decisions with right thinking to ANY action …
You’re bound to come out on top.
That’s because there are no RIGHT actions.
Only the actions you take.
The actions you observe.
And the actions you choose to repeat.
Or not to.
For me, I chose to repeat taking training with Michael Hyatt.
In fact, even with a zillion things going on, I found time for this year’s Best Year Ever course.
Wise decision, Metivier, very wise.
It’s a wise decision because I start 2017 doing something I’ve been repeating for decades:
Reducing all belongings to what I can carry and ship in two boxes max …
… and venturing into the wild unknown.
But heck, isn’t that what we’re all doing? All the time?
The Difference Is Your Level Of Awareness
Just how high my consciousness reverberates remains to be measured.
But I go into 2017 certain of a few things.
There’s a difference between playing to win and playing not to lose.
And there’s beauty in the Supercharger equation.
Follow it to the letter and there’s no way you can fail.
Just try and prove me wrong.
I dare you.
Hey Anthony! I’m glad to see you’ve got this off the ground. And curious to find out where it goes in the future. Thanks for writing 🙂
Glad you could stop by.
If one thing is for sure, I’ve got at least one great audio in the bin to put out there. Stay tuned!
Meanwhile in Beijing … what a riot. I’ve never purchased so much candy in my life, not to mention that I won’t be eating a shred of it.
Wedding parties … Amazing!
Hi Anthony,
I’ve watched several of the videos and read a lot of the material. I’ve not yet succeeded in making a plan that works for me. When I finish watching memorizing the days of the week it might help me to form a generalized plan. I hope.
Stephen
Great to hear from you here, Stephen.
Memorizing the days of the week is a great mini-goal that is well-achievable within an hour or two. The trick is to just follow the steps, dive in and then do the Recall Rehearsal. You’ve given me an idea for a new Magnetic Memory Method post that I think will help you.
Because here’s the thing:
Generalized plans are good, but just one kind of plan. There are multiple milestones along the way and we’ve got to know what they are so we can proceed toward them step-by-step.
That’s why learning just the days of the week in a new language first is a great idea. I’ve also always liked what my friend Daniel did (who posted above) with memorizing the Spanish provinces.
That’s a lot bigger of a goal than just the 7 days of the week, but in his case, he already knew Spanish. But his goal was still manageable and appropriate to his level of skill.
And after that he moved on to something bigger and more challenging with Basque.
I think if you set simple, achievable goals, they’ll create great energy and a sharper general picture of where you’d like to go with your memory.
I hope this helps and look forward to your next posts! 🙂
Don’t be too modest Anthony – two great blogs launched on the same day – and I’m sharing both equally:)
Thanks for this, Mark. Glad that you’re sharing both of them, but I’m not sure if I can be modest enough. You know the old wax about preparation meeting opportunity.
The only goal is to keep being prepared and get better at writing for other sites, one nut I’ve yet to crack, especially in the self-improvement area.
I’ll be following your Positively Happy for sign posts to model! 🙂
Hi Anthony,
Is this program different than the Magnetic Memory Method?
Thanks for this question, Keith.
Yes, this is a completely different program. All the information about it is available by subscribing to the Mental Toughness plan above.
Thanks for stopping by today and asking about this program. 🙂
Hi Anthony,
Awesome post 😉 And really neat point about awareness.
As my awareness expands – lots of meditation, and slowing stuff down so I do MORE from love and LESS from fear – I get to see that keeping things simple gives me the ultimate power. Making an impact in 1 spot versus trying to be in 100 spots. Following my fun instead of worrying about finances. Following my passion versus chasing profits or other outcomes.
Loving the journey so far. And loving your journey too!
Thanks much and enjoy Beijing.
Ryan
Great thoughts, Ryan. Thanks for taking a moment to leave them.
Yes, less from fear is key. Do you know this line from Dune? “Fear is the mindkiller.”
One of my all-time favorites from literature and cinema history.
Checking out your blog now – awesome to see that you were featured by Gerber’s co. I’ll bet there’s an interesting story behind that one! Did you ever hear him narrate Gary Halbert’s “Fighter Pilot Attitude”? Classic. 🙂
The Magnetic Memory Method: it works!
Here is an extract from my MMM journal, the purpose of which is to fix in my mind the Thai phrase, ‘man now’ (which means ‘it’s cold’).
‘TIME magazine person of the year 2015, Angela Merkel, shivering violently in front of the fireplace, which is filled with ice bricks’.
At the time of conception, Angela Merkel held the above honour: ‘man now’ (man of the moment or, in this case, woman of the moment’. I don’t know what I’ll do now that Donald Trump is the 2016 TIME magazine person of the year!
Good luck with this new project, Anthony. I hope it is every bit as successful as MMM, the podcasts related to which I listen to every week.
Awesome that you’re keeping an MMM Journal, Glenn. And thanks for sharing this extract. It’s brilliant!
And thanks for the kind wishes for the success of this blog. I’m confident it’s going to be a hit. So far so good and many thanks for stopping by to comment and support it. 🙂
It’s good to see this blog get off the ground, Anthony!
I’ll be sticking around to see what other pearls of wisdom you share in the future 🙂
Russell
Thanks, Russell. It’s been great getting it out there. Look forward to your next post! 🙂