All It Takes Is A Goal

Have you ever felt like you’ve hit a wall in your life? Like you don’t know exactly what you want to do, but you know what you’re doing isn’t it? Eric Thomas grew up in a world that was against him from the start in a lot of ways. At a young age, he found himself homeless and living with no real direction until he realized he had to make a change. Today, he’s known as ET “The Hip Hop Preacher,” an...

Why is following a dream so hard sometimes? You know what you want, and you know what you need to do to achieve it, so why hasn’t it happened yet? I’m thrilled to have my long-time mentor, Steven Pressfield, join me for an episode all about doing the thing we all want - to live out our dreams. Steven is the bestselling author of countless screenplays, novels, and nonfiction books, including Gates...

There are endless distractions that are constantly taking us away from the things we try to accomplish. Some are innocent, like when your kids need help with a school project. Others are more frustrating, like a job that constantly cuts into your personal time. Regardless of what the distraction is, it makes moving forward with your goals harder. That’s why in this episode, I’m teaching you how to...

The number one thing a mentor can give you is cheat codes. That phrase may sound too good to be true, but it isn’t. Great mentors have great cheat codes, and cheat codes make accomplishing your goal a lot easier. In Part 2 of this special micro-series, we’re wrapping up our conversation on establishing and maintaining a thriving mentor relationship. I’ll share the questions to ask your mentors, wh...

Mentors are like time machines. They’ve been to the future you want, and if you ask them, they’ll tell you how to get there too. In this special two-part micro-series, we’re talking about how to find a mentor, how to maximize the relationship, and how to marry your goals with their expertise. Tune in to learn about the qualities every mentor needs, your responsibilities in the relationship, how to...

Welcome to our final week of Summer School! This week, we’re talking about what I think is the best job in the world, public speaking. I know some of you shuddered just thinking about getting on a stage to talk to people, but before you freak out, hear me out. You may not have any aspiration to be a professional public speaker (but if you do, you’re going to LOVE this episode), but there will be t...

Welcome to Week 3 of the Summer School series! This week we’re talking about the five steps I use to write New York Times Bestselling Books. We’ll discuss the common pitfalls most aspiring authors make, the paradoxes of self-publishing, the exact process I use to create my drafts, and so much more! If you want to write a book, you’re going to love this episode. Summer School Series: Week 1: 8 wick...

People constantly come up to me and say, “Wow, Jon, you are so tall and fit…how do you do it?” OK, that hasn't happened yet, but I've started doing CrossFit and I'm pretty sure that exercise makes you taller so we'll see. What people do know about me is that I’m a goal nerd and avid runner that’s crushed a lot of my fitness-related goals. That’s why in week 2 of our special Sum...

Class is in session! Welcome to week one of my special Summer School series. I 'm constantly asked about four different types of goals: side hustles, health, writing and speaking. So, for the next 4 weeks I am going to answer 1 question for each of these topics! Up first, side hustles! Why? Because roughly 90% of the entrepreneurs I interact with don’t charge enough money for what they do. Of...

Can people actually change their minds? Why does anyone do anything? And what do genies (yes, like the wish-granting-guys-that-live-in-lamps) have to do with it? David McRaney is an author, journalist, lecturer, and the creator of the blog You Are Not So Smart, which became an internationally bestselling book, later followed by You Are Now Less Dumb. David currently hosts the popular You Are Not S...

So many of the messages we receive in the world try to convince us that success is the key to happiness. But what if that's backward? America's Life Coach, Valorie Burton, argues that happiness is actually the key to the success we crave, and she's got the research to back it up. Valorie is a bestselling author of 13 books, podcast host, and the founder of the Coaching and Positive...

Anyone who has decided to turn their hobby or passion into a career eventually comes to the the realization that what they love doing isn’t just about having fun anymore. That means you have to learn how to excel at it and monetize it, or as Dustin Nickerson would say, “Everyone likes to drive the car, but somebody has to work on it, right?” Dustin is an author, podcaster, and professional comedia...

Whether we admit it or not, we all have something to say. We all have dreams. We’re all trying to build something, achieve something, or communicate something, so why do we constantly sell ourselves short? Why is being honest about what we want and going for it so hard? Julie Solomon sees this happen every day. Julie is a business coach, speaker, host of the top-rated The Influencer Podcast, and a...

According to psychologists, we make nearly 35,000 decisions in a day. Some are nearly unconscious and automatic, but others have the power to shape our lives. That can feel like a lot of pressure, especially if you’re in a position of leadership. That’s why Mark Miller is on a mission to take the stress out of making choices - no matter how big or small. Mark Miller is a business leader, best-sell...

We’ve all daydreamed about quitting our 9-5 to pursue our dream job - opening a beachside bookstore, launching a clothing line, buying a bed and breakfast in New England - but what does it actually take to leave your job and make a plan to move forward? Tim Schurrer knows because he did it not that long ago. Tim was the right hand to Donald Miller for almost a decade as COO of StoryBrand and previ...

 How do you transition from hobby to full-time side hustle? Nobody knows that better than my guest Joshua Becker. Joshua is the author of "Things That Matter: Overcoming Distractions to Pursue a More Meaningful Life,” the bestselling author of "The More of Less", "The Minimalist Home", and the founder of Becoming Minimalist. He joins me for a conversation about leaving his...

We all have a version of ourselves we want to be, but can we actually become the ideal version of ourselves? And is that really necessary? Over the course of his nearly 40-year career, world-renowned executive coach and New York Times bestselling author Marshall Goldsmith has sold millions of copies of his books and coached more than 200 CEOs and their teams. He deeply understands how certain beha...

The only thing that never changes is how much things are always changing. So how do you navigate constant transitions and still reach your goals? Adam Contos is the former Co-Chief Executive Officer and Director of RE/MAX Holdings, Inc. He’s also a former SWAT team commander, Marine, two-time college dropout, and author. He’s rebuilt his life and his career from the ground up time multiple times a...

How do you tackle the goals that feel totally insurmountable? Things like ending world hunger, putting a stop to trafficking, or saving an endangered species? This week’s guest understands how intimidating it can be, but that hasn’t stopped him from pursuing his goal of providing clean water to everyone - as in literally every single person on the planet. Scott Harrison spent almost 10 years as a...

Being a leader, entrepreneur, spouse, parent, or high-achieving person isn’t always easy. Difficult tasks, difficult conversations, and difficult decisions are ever-present, so how do we navigate them with both efficiency and positivity? Capping a 25-year career as the Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President of Business Development, Scott Jeffrey Miller currently serves as FranklinCov...

What’s it like being a teenager today? What’s up with Gen Z’s meme obsession? How do you motivate a teenager to have goals? As a parent, I’ve asked myself all these questions, so I decided to ask them to someone who might be able to answer, a real-life teenager, my 18-year-old daughter, L.E. Acuff. L.E. is a senior in high school preparing for her freshman year of college. She’s also a brilliant,...

In 1999, Tiffany Taylor accidentally stood up Leon Chen for a date (she was ice skating at the mall with a friend). As an apology, she baked and delivered a batch of warm cookies, and the concept of warm cookie delivery was born. Shortly afterward, the pair launched Tiff’s Treats with just $20 and a big dream during their sophomore year at the University of Texas. Since then, the founders have mar...

Why is it hard to think of the right thing to say in a meeting? Or to be interesting on a date? Why are you intimated by the blank page as a writer? Because your idea bank is empty. Reading changes that. It fills up your idea bank, and that’s why I want you to be able to read 100+ books in a year. Does that sound impossible? I promise, it’s not. I’ve done it before and there are some very simple s...

So, you started a business or a side hustle with an amazing vision. It fulfills you and it serves others. You dreamt it would give you plenty of time and money so that you could live the way you please. However, the reality is that you’re not making enough, you’re working your tail off, and your soul is being diminished in the process. If that’s you, my guest, Mike Michalowicz, the author of the w...

We all want to do good in the world. We want to be good friends, good parents, good employees, and good leaders, but what would happen if we took it all one step farther? What if you went beyond good in every goal you set for yourself? Stephen J. Anderson is an internationally known business strategist, entrepreneur, author, and speaker. He's founded more than a dozen growing and diversifying...