What do you need to quit in order to succeed?

When I think back on the obstacles I’ve faced in my life, there are times when I’ve been surprised at the answers. It hasn’t always been something bad standing between myself and the next level. There are times when we, as people looking to lead in business or entrepreneurship—whether we’re embarking on new jobs and careers or some other journey in life—just have to give up things in order to make space to excel.

In the Internet Age, there’s no shortage of bad, wrong, and just plain dangerous information out there for all to see. Unfortunately for us, that information just takes one click from grandma to share with the masses! When it comes to nutrition advice, it’s no less true. You would be astounded to know just how much bad advice is out there. You might be even more surprised to know how much bad advice we've fallen for over the years.

If you’ve been reading this blog for any measurable length of time, you know by now that I love running. Endurance running has been one of the most rewarding endeavors I’ve taken on in my life. Part of why I write about it so much is in the hopes that I encourage some of you out there to take the plunge and give it a try someday!

Passive income is the buzzword in real estate investment. If you’re new to this whole world, there are some details about passive investing that still might be a little fuzzy to you. Why is it so important? Why do real estate investors get so excited about passive income? Why do people always harp on about it all the time?

Every parent wants to see their child succeed. There are many nights spent worrying whether or not we’re doing a good job, teaching all of the right lessons the right way, handling situations correctly, and being the right kind of parent for our kids. We want to do right by them and set them up for their best chance to succeed in the world.

Age-old advice tells us that through dedication and hard work, we can accomplish anything. All it takes is rolling up our sleeves and getting down to business. We have all sorts of says about putting our backs into it, burning the midnight oil, and elbow grease.

It’s not difficult to make a financial mistake. We’ve all made them at some point in our lives—whether our young, naive selves took out one too many credit cards or we got over our heads in a bad loan or investment, mistakes just happen. For the most part, these errors aren’t too devastating. We may be left paying for them for a few years as we pay our debts or wrestle with bad credit, but by and large, most financial pitfalls are temporary.

Endurance running has taught me a thing or two. I’d like to believe it’s not only made me a better athlete but a better person. I’ve seen not only my health transformed but my actions, too. I find that many of the very same principles that guide my endurance running are so perfectly relevant to my business life! 

Airbnb is currently worth $31 billion. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, Airbnb is a fairly new service that allows just about anyone to rent out their properties to overnight guests for days at a time as an alternative to hotels, B&Bs, and other traditional accommodations. The appeal for consumers comes from a few different factors: there is often more privacy, a more authentic experience (these are usually people’s homes), and a better cost per day than a hotel, particularly in larger metropolitan areas.

Have you ever had a diet or fitness plan that just did not click for you? Something that you went into with high hopes but it just crashed and burned?

A good night’s rest isn’t just crucial for athletes and the health-conscious. Sleep is one of the most valuable actions we take each and every night: giving our bodies time to rest, recharge, and repair. When we sleep well, we actively improve memory, mental health, our ability to heal, and even hormone regulation. It can help our hearts, minds, and moods.

Where does the line lie between confidence and ego? At first glance, they can share many of the same characteristics. When we dig a little deeper, however, we start to see that they are very different beasts. In our own professional and personal lives, we’ve no doubt seen how ego can be the destruction of careers and relationships. Where confidence builds us up and brings people together, ego pushes away and puts on a facade.

Running indoors is never really the ideal. When possible, athletes and endurance runners want to be on the roads and trails, getting the true experience of putting foot to pavement. But there are times when indoor training may be your only option. Usually, it's because the weather may be too cold or hazardous to allow for outdoor exercise.

Passive income is the magic word for most people, especially when it comes to their investments. They want to find that special opportunity that requires little expertise and time and not a lot of stress and strain, but something that will bring in a steady and reliable check. They want that something that they can count on to help build up their retirement or finance another dream!

For some reason, it seems like this year has been off to a particularly rocky start in terms of health. We’ve had a rough flu reason. Every time you stop to shoot the breeze with someone, you hear about another friend or family member that’s caught what’s been “going around.”

Where business leadership is concerned, we tend to think of traditionally “left-brained” people: the types of individuals who excel at numbers, logic, planning, and processes. These qualities create great leaders!  Right? 

It’s one thing to work out when the weather’s got you down. We can brave the elements. Mother nature won’t beat us! We can bundle up or slather on sunblock. Drink more water and wear rain jackets. But what about when our own bodies turn against us?

As a parent, I’m used to espousing the value of boundaries. If you’ve ever explained to a child why they can’t play in the street, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Boundaries keep us safe. They draw that line in the sand between safe and unsafe, good and bad, and acceptable and unacceptable. While it may not be that black and white all the time, there is value to be found in our adult lives—especially our professional lives—in understanding the role of good boundaries.

There are a lot of people out there who believe that they’re stuck where they are. They’ve settled into their career and think it can’t change. Their life is what it is now and the chances that they didn’t take that maybe they should have, they didn’t, and it’s too late.

New year, new you. That’s what they say, right? New year’s resolutions can be great tools for reaching new, better versions of ourselves. They can help us accomplish our health and fitness goals, be better business people, better friends and employees, and just all-around better people.