When I present at conferences on the importance of creating change in your own life I talk about the importance of daily habits and routines that help me optimize my outfit and efficiency. Managing six separate brands, while still having a life I desire to live, is not an easy task after all.

However when I tell people that legendary change is made through doing small things that will culminate overtime I get some push back.

“It can’t be that simple.”
“That can’t actually help.”

It can. It does.

But as simple as what I am about to share with you is, it is far from easy to do consistently, non-negotiably over time.

Let me share a quote from Aristotle, “character is built through habit.” Thus in order to build character, one must do it habitually. Everything you do has to become a habit – that is how character is built.

When I get up in the morning I go on a 10-20 minute jog around my neighborhood (or whatever area I am in). To be clear, this is not my main workout for the day. This is something I do first thing (before social media, coffee or life). I will be honest, it is the last thing I want to do at that time. But I force myself to do it, I force myself to do something difficult (mentally) that I don’t want to do. When I finish I ALWAYS feel better. Why? Because I just won a battle against my own resistance. The next battle will always be easier.

Then, before I still satisfy my urge to be online, I set meditate and journal. With the weather being so amazing in the morning I have been doing this out on my back patio and it has easily become my favorite part of the day.

After that I will pick up a book to read a bit to expand my mind while I drink my coffee (yes I can have coffee now). Anything I feel I have learned I will record as a note in my journal or phone.

Then I eat a healthy breakfast from my meal plan and jump on the shower. My first setting on the shower is cold – literally as cold as I can make it. Then I allow myself to fight the cold water and adapt. I have a minimum threshold I force myself to hit, and then after that I will see how long I can go before I reward myself with hot water.

Then I allow myself to start my work day.

When I talk to my coaching clients they will even ask “how can you get all this done before you even start your day? I can’t do that myself. I am too busy. And also screw you and your cold showers!” Okay I am exaggerating a bit there.

However, I don’t want to insult them by reminding them that I still manage to run six companies on top of all this. But let me give you an example of a critically busy day I had.

Both my wife and I were recently presenting at the IGNITE520 conference in Tucson. I got up with the sun and went for my jog. As soon as I got home I was on the back patio meditating for 20 minutes. Then I journaled a few pages of thoughts and recapping my dreams from the night before. I then sipped my hot coffee and read two chapters from this book I had been enjoying. I got up to make us both breakfast and then took my cold shower before I got dressed.

After getting dressed I started writing down concepts for an article I wanted to release while my wife finished getting ready.

Once she was done we got in the car and on the road. It was only 7:45 in the morning.

Let me go back to that quote from Aristotle. “Character is built through habit.”

I have built daily habits for my body (working out and properly fueling), for my mind (meditating and journaling), for my relationships (expressing gratitude for them every day) and for my business (learning and teaching). All of these are done, non-negotiably, every single day of my life.

That is my intention. So now your turn. What habits can you build now that will help you develop your character?

James Patrick
jamespatrick.com
IG @jpatrickphoto

How often do we look at those who succeed and say:
“they are talented”
“they are gifted”
“they are lucky”
“they have confidence”

This is one of the most dangerous viewpoints you can have as an entrepreneur.

Why?

Because to classify someone who is successful as talented means that unless you too are talented you cannot be successful. To classify someone who is successful as gifted means that unless you too are gifted you cannot be successful. To classify someone as lucky means that unless you too are lucky you cannot be successful. To classify someone as having confidence means that unless you too feel confidence you cannot be successful.

These are lies we tell ourselves about others. The reason we do this is quite simple to understand. It is much easier to say that someone is successful because of talent or gift or luck or confidence rather than face the truth.

The truth is that they out worked everyone else.

They might be talented, gifted, lucky or develop confidence. But that was not the reason for their success. They worked harder.

When we tell ourselves those lies it removes our accountability to be a person who could work hard too or walk into our fears or step into an area of the unknown.

However… success is intentional, not accidental.

So the next time you see someone succeed, say, they worked harder.

James Patrick
IG @jpatrickphoto
jamespatrick.com

During the most recent FITposium conference we had all attendees fill out a survey ranking everything about the event. One person gave everything (including my personal presentation) a 1 on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being the worst. FITposium was not for them.

Not long ago one of my podcasts got its first 1 star review. The individual was offended by some of the language myself and the guests used on the show. The podcast was not for them.

At some point my book, which became a best seller on Amazon earlier this year, will get a bad review. The book was not made for that person.

After photographing for a client for many years, a new art director came in and no longer wanted to hire me. My photography work was not for them.

It is so easy to attach our personal worth and emotions to the feedback and reviews of every single person under the sun (and I recently wrote about the importance of feedback).

But realize that feedback should be coming from those who you create for, not from those who do not matter.

My conference, book, photography, presentations, blog, podcast, whatever – is NOT for everyone and neither is what you do!

Know who matters. Listen to them.

IGNORE everyone else.

James Patrick
IG @jpatrickphoto
jamespatrick.com

I am going to make some presumptions about who you are. If you are reading this, then you are someone who works hard but know there is a better path for you and that you deserve more for your effort. You are willing to do the work required, but perhaps you don’t know the specific steps to take to grow your business and your brand. You are someone who has passion, you have dedication, but you want guidance and mentorship.

You are an entrepreneur!

When we launched the Get Amped Mastermind is sold out in only 3 weeks (when we thought it would take 3 months). We learned how hungry you are to learn, to grow, to be held accountability and to get guidance on your journey to grow your career.

Because of this… I created an entrepreneur and artist coaching and mentorship program for individuals like you! Individuals who are committed to growing a successful business and are ready for that extra edge! This is the program and guidance that I personally wanted in my own journey!

We will dive deep into your brand and get into the granular details of your business so we can set goals that will challenge and motivate you. Our strategic planning may include marketing, sales and business development strategy, sales techniques, influencer status and promotion, perceived obstacles and barriers as well as developing the story of your brand.

This process and newly formed collaboration will be guided by my own insights derived from two decades of experience in developing the strategies needed to properly envision your future and orient your actions to achieve extraordinary results.

The program is perfect for you if you…

• Are ready to be COMMITTED to your journey as an entrepreneur
• Are ready to possess a NO-QUIT, CAN-DO attitude in your business
• Are ready to BREAK THROUGH previous obstacles and barriers
• Are ready to be held ACCOUNTABLE for your goals
• Are ready to define and OWN your success on your own terms
• Are ready to RAISE the bar and increase your prosperity

We are the artists of our own careers and we can adjust the canvas of our future through focused visioning, careful planning and purposeful action and accountability!

Contact ME today to schedule a free consultation to see if I can be of service to you in your career journey! Just send me an e-mail on my site jamespatrick.com to get the process started!

James Patrick
IG @jpatrickphoto
jamespatrick.com

Within just a few minutes of meeting someone I can easily tell if someone is more likely to succeed or struggle in his or her career.

Those who succeed possess a singular trait that those who struggle seem to lack.

Curiosity.

All the school, all the business books, all the podcasts and YouTube videos cannot give you curiosity.

You have to be curious if you want to have more potential to grow your business.

What does curiosity give you? The likelihood that you will ask questions, and not just any questions, the likelihood that you will ask the right questions.

Curious people seek out answers. They ask “what would happen if…” or “why has no one ever tried…”

Curiosity, asking questions, is the key to the information that can scale a business or to the inspiration that can define a new direction to take.

I cannot teach you how to be curious. I can only implore that you start asking more questions.

James Patrick
IG @jpatrickphoto
jamespatrick.com