Where did you grow up and what was your childhood like? Did you have any particular experiences/stories that shaped your adult life?

I grew up in the Midwest, I’m very lucky, I had a great childhood – I’m sure it shaped me a ton. I had great parents whom I’m very thankful for.

What is something you wish you would’ve realized earlier in your life?

I discovered something later in life that has been life-changing for me. I don’t know how I came across it. It’s a bummer more people don’t know it. It’s like it’s a secret.

Here it is: The most successful people in the world understand motivation follows action. Not the other way around. There is a common misconception that it’s necessary to feel motivated before taking action. Beware of this mindset. It’s a dream killer. Waiting for motivation before you act is a recipe for never starting.

This can be a cruel life lesson if you never learn it. Think about how many people say they want to pursue one of their dreams (write a book, start a business, or find a new job), but they will begin when they feel motivated. Unfortunately, most people will never pursue their goals because the motivation won’t come until they act.

It’s critical not to wait until you feel motivated to begin. Trust your motivation to follow after you get started.

One more time. Trust your motivation to follow after you start.

What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession or area of expertise?

That being productive is about doing more each day. Productivity isn’t about doing more just for the sake of doing more. Productivity is about clarity and focus. It’s about intentionally spending more time on the projects, activities, and relationships that are most important and meaningful to you.

Tell me about one of the darker periods you’ve experienced in life. How you came out of it and what you learned from it?

That’s a great question. Before I started my own business, I was working in a corporate setting, I loved the people I worked with, but I hated most of the work I was doing. I wanted to be running my own business so badly, but I was scared about losing the consistent income.

To make the move, I made a plan and got after it. I really wish I made that transition sooner. I learned to be more aggressive about making the changes that need to happen in life.

What is one thing that you do that you feel has been the biggest contributor to your success so far?

This is the least sexy answer ever. Taking the time each day to determine my priorities and blocking time to do them on my calendar.

What is your morning routine?

Pre-COVID, I went to the gym every single morning for about the past decade. I’d work out and then I would stretch and do some yoga moves in the sauna and steam room.

My routine:

Wake up early but without an alarm (6’ish)

Start coffee

Wake and feed dogs

Drive to the gym and enjoy my coffee

Workout / sauna / steam room

Shower

Drive home

I can’t wait to start that routine again. Since COVID, I try to do my workout and routine from home, but it’s not as enjoyable without the sauna and steam room. I really miss the gym.

What habit or behavior that you have pursued for a few years has most improved your life?

Setting my priorities every single day (including the weekends). And being very intentional with my morning and evening routines.

What are your strategies for being productive and using your time most efficiently?

I’ll share some productivity tools since I’ve already shared that prioritizing my time is my favorite strategy for being productive.

• Focusmate is an online platform that pairs you with an accountability partner for a 50-minute live, virtual coworking session that helps keep you on task. It’s awesome. And every single person I’ve recommended it to loves it.
• I use ScheduleOnce to coordinate all of my meetings. It helps avoid going back and forth with someone on email, attempting to find a time that works well for both of you.
• I immediately get ideas out of my head and into Evernote or onto paper, so I’m not trying to remember them. I learned this from David Allen, the author of Getting Things Done. It’s a GREAT tip.
• I block my time in Google calendar. It’s free and a great tool to help me plan my day.

What book(s) have influenced your life the most? Why?

Here are a couple of books that have influenced me and that I go back and reference or re-read frequently.

The 10x Rule by Grant Cardone – Grant’s a little crazy but in a good way. I just love his thinking in this book. Essentially, the 10X Rule says:

• You should set targets for yourself that are 10X greater than what you believe you can achieve.
• You should take actions that are 10X greater than what you believe is necessary to achieve your goals.
• To go farther than you ever thought possible, you must both think and act at levels 10X beyond the norm.

You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero – Jen’s encouraging, funny, and heartfelt in this book. It’s 99% motivation with 1% tactic, but it’s just SO well written. I love the audiobook which is read by Jen. Do yourself a favor, go listen to it.

Do you have any quotes you live by or think of often?

I LOVE quotes. Here are some favorites:

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

-Mary Oliver

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Talk doesn’t cook rice.”

-Chinese Proverb

“If you woke up breathing, congratulations! You have another chance.”

-Andrea Boydston

“Dwell in possibility.”

-Emily Dickinson

“The shortest answer is doing.”

-English proverb

“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” Charles R. Swindoll

“Ideas won’t keep. Something must be done about them.”

-Alfred North Whitehead

“What is the point of being alive if you don’t at least try to do something remarkable?”

-John Green

“Action is eloquence.”

-Shakespeare

“Think wrongly if you please, but in all cases think for yourself.”

-Doris Lessing

You can find more of my favorite quotes on my website.