ABR. That’s what I told my wife when she asked me how I planned to read so much in 2020; more than I had ever read before in a single 365-day span. And, actually, more than I had probably read in my entire life up till that point.

“ABR,” I said, “Always Be Reading.”

ABR was my tongue-in-cheek solution to the daunting problem of how I, a notoriously slow reader, was going to accomplish such a feat as reading two books a month. Two books was, and still is, my goal. …

The garage wouldn’t lift. The motor was seemingly frozen, shut down from the chilled morning air. But alas, my wife needed to get to work.

We agreed — she’d take my car. I’d take hers. Mine being parked outside of the garage, hers being trapped within. Her work schedule being more rigid, mine being entirely flexible as a solopreneur. But what of our daughter? I needed access to a car to drop her off at daycare.

That way I could, you know, work.

Flexibility

Knowing what I needed to do today though, I was able to adjust my schedule.

I removed…

“Can you drop her off a little later tomorrow?”

“Ok!” I said.

This was the conversation that took place between myself and the person that would be watching my daughter. That’s all it took. One question, one answer. Simple. I created my plan for the next day, taking into account the later drop-off, and continued on with my evening. That wouldn’t have always been the case with me though.

My system for planning has evolved a great deal over the years. From my earliest memories of it, back in high school and college, I hand-wrote everything onto sticky notes. Monday…

You’ve surprised yourself, yet again. This is the second goal that you’ve come to love. The first being read two books a month. And here you are once more, happily accomplishing your goal to run one mile a day. Something that a year ago would have seemed impossible, you now do daily with ease.

Actually, with more than ease; most days you end up running two, three, even sometimes four miles in one session. Thoughts of a 10k have crossed your mind. And from there, marathons.

The last several months of running have been life-changing and you’re grateful for them…

In his book, Shoe Dog, Phil Knight recounts his experience of building Nike. From convincing initial manufacturers in Japan to give him a shot, to taking the company public, Knight speaks to the many ups and downs of the famous brand.

And there were, surprisingly, many, many downs. Most of which revolved around money. That is, not having enough of it. There were struggles to pay legal fees, paychecks bounced, loan rejections, and fears of indictment. Things I never expected a business as successful as Nike to have experienced.

When I picture the major companies of the world, I always…

When you first get on my email list, I ask you to introduce yourself. To describe some of the goals you’re working on and some of the challenges you face.

And one challenge that I often see is… not having enough time. You want to do some of this, and that, and the other. But ultimately, you end up doing none of it. Luckily for you though, there’s a solution.

You’ve likely been told that you need to make time for what you want. …

It takes a strong person to commit to doing something seven days a week. Especially when it’s something challenging. Honestly, I’m rarely strong enough myself. And that’s coming from someone that writes about goals, sets goals, and teaches others about goals.

Seven days a week is a major undertaking. Though most don’t see it that way. At least, not when they get started. Their decision often goes something like this…

It’s a Sunday evening. You’re on the tail-end of a three-day bender, pounding sweets like you’re trying to beat the world record for shoving chocolates in your mouth. …

My voice was hoarse as I pulled up to the house. I had been yelling for quite some time and had worn my vocal cords down to nothing. I was so utterly frustrated that screaming into the void seemed the only reasonable thing to do. It probably wasn’t.

This “venting session” took place in the car by myself many years ago. Nearly a decade, actually. I was building my first business and was failing at it miserably. On that particular afternoon, I received an email from my developer.

I don’t remember what it said, but I remember how I felt…