My Dying Words of Advice

I’m dying.

You’re dying. We’re all dying.

We have one chance at life and it’s gone before we know it.

The Backstory:

Earlier this week I was interviewed on Laura Petersen’s podcast. Asking me some Psychology questions, she got me to think about and reveal some things from childhood I hadn’t shared yet publicly.

It got me thinking.

Thinking about what I’ve learned. Where I started. What I’ve accomplished all by age 26.

Then today, I was on a call with one of my accelerator program students, Bernard. Out of nowhere, I gave him some great advice… and it hit me!

I want to share this advice with everybody. I NEED to share this.

What if today were my last day?

What if I could share just one last set of instructions for you to carry on my legacy… to create your own legacy?

My Dying Words of Advice

What has me so motivated to share this with you, is that… if you follow it… if you do what I say… you will get whatever you want in life.

No joke.

What I’m going to tell you is something that you NEED to follow.

You need to do.

If you want change in your life.

Don’t really want to make a change?

Cool. Go watch some cat videos.

But if you REALLY want something in your life, this advice will help you get it. Read on!

I’ll break it down into 4 actionable steps.

1. You have to learn to believe in yourself.

Don’t roll your eyes at this one and brush it off as cliche. It’s at the top of the list for a reason.

Whatever the mind conceives and believes, it will achieve it.

• Believe that you are dumb and no one will listen to you?
• That’s what you’ll get.
• Believe that you’re an awesome speaker and have a story to share?
• That’s who you’ll become.

This isn’t foo-foo nonsense.

Here’s why it works:

Once you believe it yourself — even before it’s a reality — it shows. People see it. They follow you. They help you get there. And that’s how I’ve been able to build teams to do great things.

If you want to build a team, get people to believe in you, but before that, you have to believe in yourself. Because when you believe in yourself, it shows.

For me, I had to train my mind. I’m no different than you! This step actually takes work, even for me.

Proclaim your goals loud and clear, now.

One way I have trained my mind is that I always say where I’m going in life. Way before it’s obvious that I will succeed.

“I’m going to take Arctic Stick to market and sell it.”

• And I did.

“I’m going to create a great event.”

• Young Entrepreneur Convention kicked off in 2016 [held in Des Moines, Iowa no less] and we are planning 2017’s now.

“I’m going to be in the back of Think and Grow Rich one day.”

• Now I’m in the film THINK: The Legacy of Think and Grow Rich and working with them!

When you tell the world you’re going to do something, you’re actually convincing your mind you’re going to do it as well.

That’s why you should never say “I can’t” and “I won’t.”

That holds you back from your strength! That makes other people think you can’t and they stop helping, they stop believing too.

Now I’m saying, “I want to impact 1 billion lives before 12/31/2029, which is my 40th birthday.”

I tell the world that. People see it and the vision. They are attracted to me and ask how they can help. Then that leads to podcast interviews, T.V. appearances, speaking at conferences, and other opportunities I never could have planned or predicted.

And it happens. It’s happening.

The Warrior Chant

Every morning, every single day, I have a chant in my bathroom in front of the mirror:

“My name is Brandon T. Adams. I am the most successful entrepreneur of my time. I will achieve success. I will impact 1 billion lives by 2029. Nothing will stop me. Failure is not an option. I am a success. Success is who I am. I am Brandon T. Adams. I will become successful. Nothing will stop me. I am the most successful person this world has to offer. I’m a great speaker, I’m a great motivator, I am great at what I do. I’m the best and nobody can beat me. I am Brandon T. Adams; I am the most successful entrepreneur of all time…”

I repeat this warrior chant over and over, non-stop. And it pumps me up to be ready to GRIND and take whatever comes at me!

You know what? Create your chant. Do something that convinces your mind that you can do anything. And once you do that, you will achieve it.

Believe in yourself and go after it.

ACTION STEPS TO DO NOW:

1. Read the book: Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. You can also listen on audio via YouTube and play it over and over.
2. Write down your warrior chant. Repeat it fired up every morning!
3. Say where you are going in life. Say it out loud. Snap me @btadams18 and tell me right now!

Download Action Steps Worksheet Now [free]

2. Set where you want to go

Imagine you were going on a road trip, leaving from New York City.

You and your friends hop in the car with tons of snacks and a tank full of gas. “Let’s go!”

The driver revs up the engine, puts the car in gear, and the car starts moving forward. But suddenly, he slams on the breaks!

“Wait, do I turn left or right up ahead?”

No one knows.

“Are we even driving in the right direction??”

Silence.

This scenario sounds ridiculous, yet it’s how most people treat their lives and businesses. They actually have no idea where they want to go or how to get there!

If we were to road trip it out from New York to San Francisco (let’s say), then we’d know our goal is San Francisco. Then we could work backwards and plan:

– By night 5, let’s get a hotel in Salt Lake City

– By night 3, we need to have reached Des Moines (and say “hi” to me!)

– So by tonight, let’s make it to Cleveland

– To do that, we need to take a right up ahead and get on the freeway heading North, and then…

Just like you would want to plan out the baby steps to get to your end goal, so too do you need to do that for your life. Your life is way more important than a road trip! Yet, we spend more time planning the road trip.

I’ve mapped out all next year, 5 years from now, and my 10-year goal.

Have you?

Once you know where you’re going. It makes it so much easier to get there.

So map it out. Write down your plans.

Then share your goals and map with your family, friends, and your team. When others know your goals and how you want to get there, opportunities will come at you! And the ones that you take are the ones that will get you to the goal.

But you first need to know where you want to go.

Here’s an example:

Option 1: Party all night this Friday.

Option 2: Ghost-write a blog for an influencer you just met and would love to work with.

Which is more fun? Likely, 1. Let’s be real.

Which one gets me closer to my goal? Definitely, 2.

What do you choose?

Well, I want to reach 1 billion people by 2029. I know how to get there. So, #2 is the obvious choice for me. But if I didn’t have a clear goal, I would be tempted to “have fun now” instead of work hard for the delayed (but incredible) gratification later.

When your goals are crystal clear and you know what it takes to get there, then your decisions become easier. Opportunities arise as if by magic.

Remember:

The clock is ticking! Every second I’m not spending time and energy on the right things, is a second lost toward achieving my goal.

I don’t just preach this, I live it! Yesterday, I had 12 hours of non-stop talking back to back to back. When I had 5 free minutes, what did I do? I sent emails to set up other opportunities.

My time is valuable. Your time is valuable. How is something you are doing (even taking a coffee meeting) going to get you closer to your goal?

Always keep that in mind.

ACTION STEPS TO DO NOW:

1. Silence your phone, shut off your computer, and set a timer for 30 minutes. We all have 30 minutes!
2. Imagine your life and career like a road trip. What does the final destination look like? Describe it in detail. Write it down.
3. Now, work backward. — What do you need to achieve in 10 years to be on track? — In 5 years? — In 3 years? — In 1 years. Write it down.
4. Take a hard look at what you have planned today, tomorrow, and next week. — What things can you eliminate that do not align with your goals? — What things can you add to help you get there?

This will be the best 30 minutes you could ever do for yourself. And if you need longer, take longer. It’s worth the effort.

Download Action Steps Worksheet Now [free]

3. Find someone who has already achieved what you want to achieve.

This step is a biggie.

I highly recommend to find someone ahead of you on the path to your goal and to follow in their footsteps. Learn from them. Add value to them!

Heck, add value to them for free for 6 months and, in return, you will learn from them, get mentorship from them, and you will earn business opportunities from them.

That 6 months of “free labor” will get you to the point where you are in their “connections” and these influencers will bring you into their empire just because you added value.

Now you are in their circle. Now you can charge whatever the hell you want because now you’re associated with big names and that person.

• Want to become a BILLIONAIRE? Learn from billionaires.
• Want to become a great barber? Learn from the best barbers.
• Want to become a marketing expert? Learn from great marketing experts.

But here’s the catch. You MUST provide value and not demand anything in return. Build a real relationship and give first. That is the recipe. It’s what I follow and preach.

ACTION STEPS TO DO NOW:

1. Now that you have a clear vision of what you want to become, write down 5 people who are further than you are on the path to that same goal. These could be big names everyone recognizes and also up-and-comers who are about to really break through (but not yet hounded by the masses).
2. Under each person’s name, write down 3 ways you could provide value to each of the 5 people. It may not be directly tied to the industry. I know of people who have run errands for someone for free for 6 months to show they were serious and wanted to add value, who, in return got more and more responsibility that turned into PAID work, mentorship, and business opportunities.
3. Find the social media profiles and contact information of the top 3 on your list.
4. Set a reminder on your calendar to engage with each of them on social media 3x a week for the next 2 months. Ideas: Share an article that would be relevant to them. Tell them how you implemented a piece of their advice. Share their posts and tag friends who would benefit.
5. Find out when they are going to be speaking at an event, hosting an event, doing something where you could offer to volunteer to help (for free, with absolutely no expectations of anything in return). Offer to help. Follow up. Be persistent. Show up and help.

Note: There is no guarantee in life or in getting mentorship from the influencers on your list, but I dare you to try it and see what happens. It has worked for me. It has worked for people in my accelerator program, and it can work for you, if you do it right and with integrity. Always remember to add value and the rest will fall into place.

Download Action Steps Worksheet Now [free]

4. Surround yourself with like-minded people

Now let’s take step 3 one step further. Have you heard the saying, “You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with?”

It’s freaking true. Truer than anything.

Hell, maybe I should have listed it as #1 on the list because who you surround yourself with will also impact your ability to believe in yourself.

That’s what makes a mastermind so valuable and important. Get surrounded by people who are working hard, earning money, and growing.

We humans are social creatures. We influence each other all day, every day. Whether you realize it or not. Whether you like it or not.

• Hang with losers, you become a loser.
• Hang with winners, you become a winner.

It’s that damn simple.

• Hang with negative people who are always complaining? Who love to gossip about who’s dating who and who threw up at the party last weekend?
• That’s what your mind focuses on.
• Hang with positive people who are always looking for opportunities? Who love to talk about business ideas and how to leverage each other’s skills and networks to make things happen?
• That’s what your mind focuses on.

If you think you can do both and still achieve huge goals, think again.

It’s time to level up, and that starts with your circle of influence.

ACTION STEPS TO DO NOW:

1. Write down the 5 people who you talk and hang out with the most (this includes family, old friends, new friends, business relationships, etc.)
2. Next to each person’s name, jot down 3 topics you guys always seem to talk about when together.
3. Take a hard look at #2. Be real. Are those topics moving you toward your goal or are they a distraction? Are they focusing your mind or distracting your mind?
4. Have a heart to heart with those 5 people and share your goals and express that you want to spend more time achieving them and less time shooting the shit. If they are down to support that, great. If not, it’s time to slowly spend less time with them and find other people to add to your circle (or you can rip it off like a bandaid too).I’m not saying to be a jerk to people or make them feel inferior. But you only have one shot at this, so take it seriously.

Download Action Steps Worksheet Now [free]

Putting it all together

If I were to die tomorrow, I’d want you to follow these tips:

1. Learn to believe in yourself.
2. Set where you want to go. (in detail, on paper)
3. Find someone who has already achieved what you want to achieve. Add value. Earn their mentorship, respect, and trust.
4. Surround Yourself With Like-Minded People (who are at the same level or better than you)

BONUS!

All the action steps I described in this post are here in an easy-to-use worksheet.

Download My Action Steps Worksheet: To Get Everything I Want! [free] – no email required

Then snap me @btadams18 with what you are doing to take action.

I want to see it from each and every one of you!

Now go out there, do something great. Become unforgettable! Because life is too short not to!