Home of Dustin Taylor

Quote of the Week (February 8, 2010)

// February 8th, 2010 // Comments // Motivation, Quotes

“Procrastination is the fear of success. People procrastinate because they are afraid of the success that they know will result if they move ahead now. Because success is heavy, carries a responsibility with it, it is much easier to procrastinate and live on the ’someday I’ll’ philosophy.” – Dennis Waitley

How can you use this to make life better for you today?

A New Beginning

// January 31st, 2010 // Comments // Motivation

I don’t know how many times I’ve said this on this blog, but I’m getting ready to start this up again and be consistent all the way through now.

I recently read Gary Vaynerchuk’s book Crush It! and (a book review will be coming soon) and absolutely loved it.  If you are wondering how to get started blogging and living your passion in a way so that you can connect to those around you, this is a must read.  He starts out the book with three (3) easy rules to follow.  These are the three rules I would like to follow from here on out.

1. Love your family.
2. Work superhard.
3. Live your passion.

I expect them to come through in that order as well!

Here are a few things that I expect to do on my new blog: interviews with other entrepreneurs, others who are doing what they love, book reviews (personal goal is to read at least one non-fiction book a month), and begin to create a community where those who are looking to find what they love can find inspiration and motivation to continue down the path they’ve started on.  I also hope to share my experiences, successes, failures and struggles going down the same path as you.

I hope you’re following me on this journey.  I hope to talk about businesses that I’m involved in.  The good and the bad.  The struggles and triumphs.  Interview those who I see as already living their passions and how they got there.  I’m VERY excited about the new direction this is going.  I think I’m finally choosing to do what I want to do instead of what I thought I should do with this blog.

What’s holding you back from starting your dreams?

You Are Self-Employed

// September 24th, 2009 // Comments // Motivation

WELCOME TO THE NEW DUSTINGTAYLOR.COM – New re-design, new blog, new future.

I recently heard an interesting quote…so simple, yet struck a chord near to my heart.  It went something like this:

“Whether you realize it or not, you’re self-employed.”

Isn’t it true?  Aren’t we all self-employed?  Aren’t we all interested in ourselves?  We may think that our employer will actually look out for us when the hard times come.  They probably won’t.  In the roller-coaster like economy of today, you don’t know where you will be in a year, in a month, or even in a day.  So why put your entire life in the hands of others, continuously believing that somebody else will do what you can’t seem to do for yourself?

Why not jump ship from those around you telling you that you can’t do any better.  That you must wait until the economy gets better because “it’s just hard right now,” and “when the economy returns back to normal, I’ll be ok?”  Why not choose for yourself TODAY that you will stop waiting to be acted on, and act for yourself?

That’s the question I keep asking myself.  We are all self-employed, whether we realize it or not.  We are self-employed in developing the skills, talents, relationships, connections, and rights that will put us in a position to succeed no matter what happens around us.  Most people would call this freedom.  A freedom for which they deeply yearn.  At the same time, a freedom they think is impossible to achieve.

This is a freedom, like any other thing of worth in this life, that takes work to obtain.  This is a freedom that requires effort, stability of mind, and a determination from the heart, coupled with a motivation with roots that go beyond the surface.  This is a freedom that for some could be a free weekend every seven days.  For others, it could mean being wealthy enough to travel.  Still, for others, it could mean being able to just get rid of the stresses of trying to please someone else every day of their lives for something of little worth in the long-run: money.  The opposite of freedom is fear!

“Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed – else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die.”  – Dwight D. Eisenhower

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” – Zig Ziglar

This is a freedom that must be renewed every single day.  Don’t let another day pass you by without finding what makes you free.  Finding what sets you apart from everybody else.  Finding what makes you happy.  That, in turn, will make those around you increase their freedom.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” – Marianne Williamson

What are you afraid of?  You truly are self-employed in your own future.  Step up to the plate today!

No more excuses for excuses…

// June 26th, 2009 // Comments // Motivation, Productivity

I just wanted to share this great article I just read.  I’m sick of people using excuses to avoid anything and everything.  The video at the bottom accentuates the article very nicely!  Enjoy!  Don’t forget to let me know how you feel about the topic in the comments!  I love feedback!

We all make excuses.

But the successful ones are those who can kill the excuses like the miserable maggots they are.

I’m too tired. I don’t have the time. I don’t feel motivated. I’d rather do nothing. I don’t have the money, equipment, space. I can’t because …

We’ve all made the excuses. Here’s how to kill them.

1. See the positive. Excuses are usually made because we don’t feel like doing something — we’re accentuating the negative. Instead, see the fun in something, the joy in it. And maintain a positive attitude, or you’ll never beat the excuses.
2. Take responsibility. Excuses are ways to get out of owning up to something. If we don’t have the time, money, equipment, etc., then it’s not our fault, right? Wrong. Take responsibility, and own the solution.
3. Find a solution. Just about every problem has a solution. Don’t have time? Start with just 5-10 minutes. Make the time. Wake earlier. Do it during lunch. Don’t have a gym membership? Workout at home or in the office. Don’t have the energy? Do it when you have higher levels of energy. You’re smart. Figure out the solution.
4. See your goal. This is your motivation — your reason for doing it. Sure, you could just lay on the couch, but if you think about why you really want to pursue a goal, you’ll be motivated. Visualize that goal and just get started.
5. Be accountable. Have a workout partner, a project partner, a team, someone to report to. If you have to meet a coach or partner, you’re more likely to do something.
6. Go ahead and make your excuses. Then do it anyway.
7. Watch this. Then go and do it.

-Leo Babauta, ZenHabits

Stop Reading/Thinking About It and Just Do It!

// May 31st, 2009 // Comments // Motivation, Productivity

Most of my posts start out with something like, “I just happened upon an article that made me think the other day…”  This one is no different!  Sorry!  I know, I need to come up with some original content, but sharing content that’s already out there that has had an impact on my life isn’t so bad either, as long as I add a few comments of my own, right?

I recently read an article entitled, “Stop reading about it and do it.”  It caught my eye because Charissa had once shared with me a quote that has stuck in my mind since.  First, the quote:

You cannot be successful without passion, but passion alone will not make you successful. ~Chelsey Rippy~

So very true!  Passion, enthusiasm and excitement are very necessary to success, but true learning, experience and the actual end result of success comes through doing.  Here’s the article!  It’s not very long, so don’t whine about reading it. 

We learn more by doing than by reading.

That’s a simplified statement, of course, because reading teaches us a lot, but it’s in the actual doing of things that we do our real learning. It may be a fairly harmless statement for most of us, but think about this: do you actually put it into practice? How about in your efforts to improve your life?

It’s easy to see how this applies in a school situation: In an article in the Chronicle for Higher Education, studies show that the best way to study for an exam is not to read and re-read, but to put the book down, try to recall what you read, then write it down. Much more effective.

But how about in your everyday life? This isn’t as obvious, but it’s just as effective.

When you want to improve your life in some way — by simplifying, by being more frugal, by starting to exercise or eat healthy, by learning more productive habits, by being a more positive or compassionate person — you are learning a new skill.

And when you learn a new skill, all the reading in the world won’t teach you the skill. You have to learn by doing.

So reading countless self-help articles and books are great — I’ve written a few myself — but remember that it’s only the first step.

You have to put the personal development posts away, get away from the computer or book, and start doing it. Today.

Only in doing it will you actually learn.

Reading does help though: first in helping you to understand what to do, and second in keeping you motivated as you actually do the skill. But it’s not a substitute for doing.

So stop reading this post, and go do what you want to learn to do!

- Leo Babauta, Stop Reading About It and Do It

So what’s the end result to us doing instead of just being passionate about something or reading about it and thinking it’s a good thing to do?  We learn, gain new experiences, and actually grow, instead of rely on a roller coaster of emotion that is bound to have peaks and deep valleys.  When we are doing, there is no time to dream, because we enable ourselves to live the very dreams that we are passionate about.