All progress takes place outside the comfort zone.

If you want to become a top skier it is stupid to stay on the beginners' slopes. There you will not progress, you will remain mediocre. If you want to become a top skier, you have to move on the most difficult and demanding slopes. And of course they will fill you with tons of discomfort. But this is a part of the growth process. If you do not feel uncomfortable, then you do not grow. On the most difficult tracks you learn the most.

This also applies in the business world. Resistance to change, absorbing and giving up to fear, staying in your comfort zone…this will only lead to a failure in your career.

5 ways to make enough money on the side to quit your day job

Nearly everyone dreams of quitting his or her day job, whether it's tomorrow, next year or in the next decade. However, there is a wide chasm between "dreams" and "action" that many people never seem to cross — and it's usually due to finances. Obviously, if you want to quit, you need to find another way to make enough income to pay your bills, save for the future and enjoy life.

But what's the best way to do this? How can you make enough "side income" now so you can quit your job in the near future? Here are five great ways to make side income while still working your day job:

1. Invest in real estate.

My eyes were first open to the idea of "passive income" after reading "Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki. Although not a real-estate book, it taught me the value of owning assets that produce income, which led me to real estate.

Real-estate investing is not always passive, and not always easy, but it can be highly profitable. In addition, there are hundreds of ways to invest in real estate. For example, you could:

• Flip houses

• Own rental houses

• Become a "house hacker"

• Own vacation rentals (Airbnb)

• Rent out duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes

• Buy and rent out apartment complexes

Real-estate investing is my favorite way to create side income because it runs like a locomotive. It might take a little time to build up, but once it's running, it goes a long way with less effort and is hard to stop.

2. Write a book.

Many people have dreams of writing a book, but very few ever do. They think it's too hard, that they don't know enough, don't have enough time, aren't smart enough or whatever other excuse they can come up with. But the truth is: you can write a book, and that book can help you make additional monthly income.

There are several avenues you can take when writing a book, and there is no "best route." For example:

• You could write a series of shorter topic-specific books and publish them on Kindle.

• You could self-publish through your own website and sell to your existing customers.

• You could partner with a larger platform and sell to its audience (as I did).

• You could work to get published through a major publishing company (probably the most difficult path).

• You could record an audiobook and publish it on Audible.

Writing a book today is not as tough as it once was, as there are so many avenues with which you could publish. The keys are no longer held by elite publishing companies in New York City. The keys are now in your hands.

 

3. Sell a product on Amazon.

I'm slightly addicted to Amazon Prime, as my local UPS driver can attest to. It seems every day I have a package or two waiting at my doorstep — and it's usually from people just like you. Most of them probably never touch the product that I'm buying.

That's right: you no longer need to have a warehouse, inventory or employees to buy wholesale products and sell them at retail. Amazon has leveled the playing field and now anyone can sell products.

A friend of mine, Chris from UpFuel.com, decided to sell products on Amazon. He researched best-selling ideas, contacted a manufacturer in China and had the perfect model designed, had the product shipped to Amazon's fulfillment center in the United States and sells his product on the site, making thousands of dollars a month in profit.

The best part? Chris doesn't ever touch the product, and it largely runs on autopilot at this point.

 

4. Sell your skills.

Chances are you are good at something in the business world. Perhaps it's accounting, data entry, video production or writing.

Whatever you are good at, there are likely people out there willing to pay you good money to run that part of their business for them. Smart business owners know that they should focus on what they are good at, and hire out the rest. This is where you can come in and make side income doing what you love.

In addition to freelancing, you could also become a consultant. For example, my friend Joshua Long turned his knowledge of Infusionsoft, ClickFunnels and other marketing systems into a full-fledged consulting business, where he helps CEOs identify existing opportunities in their businesses.

So what are you good at? What will other people pay you for?

 

5. Start a blog.

Finally, a good way to make side income can be with a blog. Although it takes time to build up a following, once you have that following there are numerous ways to monetize the blog.

Jeff Rose, from GoodFinancialCents.com, uses his blog to build up his authority as a certified financial planner, driving traffic and income to his business. At the same time, his blog allows him to monetize in other, more passive methods, such as affiliate marketing, online products and consulting.

To succeed at blogging, it's important that you:

• Focus on writing quality content.

• Work hard at getting that content out there to the world.

• Build your email list from day one, so you can market to those people later.

Blogging is definitely not a "sit at home in your underwear and make easy money" kind of activity. It requires diligence, quality and time. However, blogging can be incredibly rewarding.

There is one common theme with all of the above methods for making side income. Do you know what it is? They all take work. That's right, you'll never achieve the kind of lifestyle you want if you don't work for it. So get out there today and start hustling. You'll be able to quit that job faster than you ever imagined.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/5-ways-to-make-enough-money-on-the-side-to-quit-your-day-job-2015-11?tm_content=buffer695a7&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Who you will become in 5 years is based on...?

How successful you will be in life will not be determined by how hard you will work, but how well you'll be thinking. Therefore read books and hang out with people which are better than you.

Why is this important? When you play (eg. Tennis) with someone better than yourself, also your game in that match improves. And reading books creates a very similar phenomenon. When you expose your mind in front of the greatest people in the history of mankind, your game improves, your thinking deepens and you lift yourself to a whole new level of wisdom. Reading books allows you to connect at any time with the most creative, intelligent and inspiring people in the world.

13 bad habits you should break in 2016 to be more productive

Being more productive is about working smarter, not harder, and making the most of each day. While this is no easy feat, getting more done in less time is a much more attainable goal if you're not sabotaging yourself with bad habits.

Following are 13 things you should stop doing right now to become more productive.

1. Impulsive web browsing

Since most of us have access to the internet at work, it's easy to get sidetracked looking up the answer to a random question that just popped into your head.

That's why Quora user Suresh Rathinam recommends writing down these thoughts or questions on a notepad. This way, you can look up the information you want later, when you're not trying to get work done.

2. Multitasking

While many people believe they're great at doing two things at once, scientific research has found that just 2% of the population is capable of effectively multitasking.

For the rest of us, multitasking is a bad habit that decreases our attention spans and makes us less productive in the long run.

3. Checking email throughout the day

Constant internet access can also lead people to check email throughout the day. Sadly, each time you do this, you lose up to 25 minutes of work time. What's more, the constant checking of email makes you dumber.

Instead, strategy consultant Ron Friedman suggests quitting Outlook, closing email tabs, and turning off your phone for 30-minute chunks of deep-diving work.

4. Moral licensing

Whether it's a new diet, workout routine, or work schedule, one of the most difficult things about forming a new habit is the urge to cheat as a reward for sticking to a routine for a while.

This idea that we "deserve" to splurge on fancy meal after being thrifty for a week is called "moral licensing," and it undermines a lot of people's plans for self-improvement.

Instead, try making your goal part of your identity, such that you think of yourself as the kind of person who saves money or works out regularly, rather than as someone who is working against their own will to do something new.

5. Putting off your most important work until later in the day

People often start off their day by completing easy tasks to get themselves rolling and leave their more difficult work for later. This is a bad idea, and one that frequently leads to the important work not getting done at all.

As researchers have found, people have a limited amount of willpower that decreases throughout the day. That being the case, it's best to get your hardest, most important tasks done at the beginning of the day.

6. Taking too many meetings

Nothing disrupts the flow of productivity like an unnecessary meeting. And with tools like email, instant messenger, and video chat at your fingertips, it's best to use meetings for introductions and serious discussions that should only be held in person.

BlueGrace Logistics founder Bobby Harris recommends that people don't accept a meetingunless the person who requested it has put forth a clear agenda and stated exactly how much time they will need. And even then, Harris recommends giving the person half of the time they initially requested.

7. Sitting all day

Nilofer Merchant, a business consultant and the author of "The New How: Creating Business Solutions Through Collaborative Strategy Paperback," shares with TED audiences how she's helped several major companies develop successful new ideas: walking meetings.

She recommends forgoing coffee or fluorescent-lighted conference-room meetings in favor of walking and talking 20 to 30 miles a week.

"You'll be surprised at how fresh air drives fresh thinking, and in the way that you do, you'll bring into your life an entirely new set of ideas," she says.

8. Hitting the snooze button

It might feel like pressing the snooze button in the morning gives you a little bit of extra rest to start your day, but the truth is that it does more harm than good.

That's because when you first wake up, your endocrine system begins to release alertness hormones to get you ready for the day. By going back to sleep, you're slowing down this process. Plus, nine minutes doesn't give your body time to get the restorative, deep sleep it needs.

This isn't to say you should cut back on sleep. As Arianna Huffington discusses in her TED talk, a good night's sleep has the power to increase productivity, happiness, smarter decision-making, and unlock bigger ideas. The trick for getting enough sleep is planning ahead and powering down at a reasonable time.

9. Failing to prioritize

Some people think having lots of goals is the best way to ensure success — if one idea fails, at least there are plenty more in reserve to turn to. Unfortunately, this sort of wavering can be extremely unproductive.

Warren Buffett has the perfect antidote. Seeing that his personal pilot was not accomplishing his life goals, Buffett asked him to make a list of 25 things he wanted to get done before he died. But rather than taking little steps toward completing every one of them, Buffett advised the pilot to pick five things he thought were most important and ignore the rest.

10. Over-planning

Many ambitious and organized people try to maximize their productivity by meticulously planning out every hour of their day. Unfortunately, things don't always go as planned, and a sick child or unexpected assignment can throw a wrench into their entire day.

Instead, you might want to try planning just four or five hours of real work each day, that way you're able to be flexible later on.

11. Under-planning

With that being said, you should take time to strategize before attempting to achieve any long-term goals. Trying to come up with the endgame of a project you're doing midway through the process can be extremely frustrating and waste a huge amount of time.

Harvard lecturer Robert Pozen recommends that you first determine what you want your final outcome to be, then lay out a series of steps for yourself. Once you're halfway through, you can review your work to make sure you're on track and adjust accordingly.

12. Keeping your phone next to your bed

The LED screens of our smartphones, tablets, and laptops give off what is called blue light, which studies have shown can damage vision and suppress production of melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate the sleep cycle.

Research also suggests that people with lower melatonin levels are more prone to depression.

13. Perfectionism

More often than laziness the root of procrastination is the fear of not doing a good job, says British philosopher and author Alain de Botton on his website, The Book of Life.

"We begin to work only when the fear of doing nothing at all exceeds the fear of not doing it very well … And that can take time," he writes.

The only way to overcome procrastination is to abandon perfectionism and not fuss over details as you move forward. Pretending the task doesn't matter and that it's OK to mess up could help you get started faster.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/bad-habits-that-are-killing-your-productivity-2015-12

Your struggles always lead to strength.

Do not give up. Keep walking towards discomfort and accept as many calculated risk as you can. Each of your fears will begin to disappear gradually. Do every day the things that scares you, and you will every day elegantly transform your fear into power. Thus you will build confidence and become invincible. Take a chance. Throw yourself into change. Grab your greatest opportunities. Every time you do this, you give your inner leader more fuel. Soon you will come to a point where anything will be possible.

Wise Words From Jack Ma

In just 1 minute Jack Ma explains perfectly what kind of people you have to avoide in business. Wise words indeed.

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone

Successful people intuitively know that hardship disclose the person. It is clear to them that difficult situations are scary, but at the same time invigorating. In addition, they deeply understand that in the difficult times there are the best opportunities for success. The more extreme the conditions are, the more excites them not only the opportunity to see, what are they made of, but also that they will evolve into their best. So rather to resist discomfort, they step in front of it. Since they work and live this way, the things that were once also filled with an unpleasant feeling, after all feel comfortable to them.

Therefore remember: the longer you spend outside your comfort zone, the more it expands. This means that the more you go to the limit, the more things that once scared you start to seem normal.