2 Lessons for Fulfillment

 

I’ve added another step to my morning routine and that’s to come outside and just keep quiet.

While I was outside I came across a bird sanctuary and got quite inspired while bird watching.

These birds just never seem depressed, stressed or overwhelmed. They’re focused on one thing – being a bird – they don’t worry about what other birds think.

I think those are two lessons we should adopt.

Will Smith said, “Don’t chase people or admiration. Do what you love to the best of your ability and the right people will come and stay.”

In my mind that means when you do what you love with full passion, the experiences and material wealth will come into your life naturally.

That’s what I love about the birds. They don’t seem to want things. They get what they need.

Focus on your passion and live it.

Secondly, they don’t care what other birds think. I can’t say I don’t care what other people think. I still care very much and I focus consciously every day not to. It’s natural to care when someone says something you don’t like. However, unlike birds, we have to consciously fight that.

When we’re worried about other people buying into us, we’re losing track of that one thing we need to focus on.

Les Brown says so many people are unsuccessful because they get side-tracked by secondary activities.

What are those secondary activities that are holding you back from that one thing that’s going to make you happy?

Once you can figure out that a secondary activity is not worth your time, your energy, your love or your patience, you can let it go.

We need to be more like birds – spread our wings without inhibition.

I know it’s easier said than done but so long as you’re consciously fighting that battle every day I think that’s a battle worth fighting.

With financial freedom you never have to work a day in your life. Physical freedom allows you to travel. But true freedom is emotional freedom – being able to live without caring what other people think.

Much love,

Laurens

For more information please go to http://www.laurensboel.com

How to Master Every MORNING!!

 

One of the things I’ve applied and believe is going to give me more success than anything else is a routine – a morning ritual.

When you become more successful, you obviously earn more but you have to deal with more responsibility. You have to deal with more stress, obstacles and people.

Think about corporate – when you start you’re at the bottom and not required to bring in new business. You’re just required to do what you’re told by your manager. As you get into a managerial role you have to manage the performance of other people. In a director role, you have to find or buy new business.

Your ability to deal with more responsibility, stress, obstacles and more pressure will influence your income ability. That’s because your income zone is directly related to your stress zone.

That’s why I believe in the morning ritual. It’s that 30, 60 or 90 minutes a morning when you just focus on your own self. You focus on your emotional and mental fortitude so that you can take on the day.

Guys like Richard Branson, Tony Robbins and other highly successful people have a morning routine.

I’m reading a book right now called Titans Toolset by Timothy Ferris where he interviewed 300 highly successful people to find out what they do every day. What are their daily disciplines?

That book inspired me to ask myself, what are my daily disciplines?

Here are 3 routines for you to try today that can change your life:

1. Calm your mind every morning with techniques like meditation or visualization.
2. Enrich your mind with positivity because you’re going to face a lot of negativity during the day, especially as you become more successful. I like to wake up with positive YouTube videos and reading 15-20minutes before sleeping and when I wake up.
3. Enrich your body. Our mind, body and soul are connected. If your mind is in a bad space you need to go do some physical exercise. It’ll get your blood pumping and build your confidence.

Keep on changing the game.

Much love,

Laurens

For more information please go to http://www.laurensboel.com

You are Blessed and Highly Favoured

 

I’m on the last day of my Belgium adventure and what’s made this trip so amazing is that I got to see a special cousin of mine, David. About six years ago David got paralyzed from the neck down because a tree fell on him during an intense storm. This is the guy who played six sports, piano, loved cycling and was an Iron Man of Belgium. He was just that kind of active being and it happened to the worst person.

Spending time with him changed my perspective in such a big way.

He’s excited about a new technology that’ll let him stand up, even though it’s just for one hour a week. He says it’s one of the best feelings he’s had in the 6 years he’s been in a wheelchair. That made me wonder – what if we had gratitude for the little things?

So many times when I do talks, people ask me “how can I be happier?” They’re in pursuit of happiness and we all want that.

The problem for most of us, myself included, is that we keep chasing without appreciating. We say:

“If I make R100 000 then I’ll be happy.”

“If I date that person then I’ll be happy.”

“If I get that house then I’ll be happy.”

We might not have everything we want right now but we are blessed and highly favoured.

When I asked David what he would tell himself if he had known he would be in this situation and he said, “Laurens, I’d appreciate the simple things in life. I’d appreciate the fact that I could walk, stand, I could ride a bike.”

So if you are feeling like your life is not where you want it to be that’s fine, just don’t forget to appreciate the little things.

I want to challenge you to have appreciation and gratitude for everything that you have. That’s what David did for me and I want that for you too, but happiness is a choice. Let’s all make that choice and keep on changing the game.

Much love,

Laurens

For more information please go to http://www.laurensboel.com

How to use your drive for greatness

 

If there’s one thing that can help us overcome and achieve what we thought was impossible, it’s drive. When you have the drive and motivation to do something, very few people can stop you.

There’s two types of drive that affect every person.

1. The drive to avoid pain.
2. The drive to attain pleasure.

We all want to drive towards pleasures that enhance our lives and drive away from things that cause us pain. We can use both drive states to achieve more.

I want to start travelling more and experiencing more exotic locations. In order to do that I need to free up my time, so I’ve come up with a plan to systemize and automate my business online. That way, I can travel and do my work. I’m using pain and pleasure to motivate myself through the challenge.

I’ve booked myself a plane to Belgium in three months’ time, which is when I want to achieve my goal. If I achieve my goal, I’ll extend my trip further into Europe. If I don’t then I’m only going to stay in Belgium for two weeks and come back. So the trip is the pleasure that motivates me to attain my goal.

Going overseas also gives me the chance to trial my systems to see if I can sustain travelling and working for a long period of time. If I don’t attain my goal I’m going to feel the pain of not going to explore those places.

Thirdly, telling you guys holds me accountable to my goal.

So use your emotions to get where you want to be. Fear, anger, frustration can be very powerful if channelled right. Find something that has a lot of emotion for you. If things are just okay or not that bad, you’re not going to be driven to change.

Use those powerful emotions, whether pain or pleasure, and channel them to drive change in your life. Secondly, find the right mix of pain and pleasure to those goals that’ll hold you accountable. Thirdly, commit to other people.

Keep on changing the game.

Much love,

Laurens

For more information please go to http://www.laurensboel.com

Rewarding the right behaviour

 

While I’m on my trip across Europe I’ve come across something that’s really powerful. In order to change your life you’re going to have to give yourself rewards for the right behaviour.

Take dogs for example. If we want dogs to stop doing something, we punish them. If we want the dog to do something more we reward him. So if he sits you give him a treat but if he sits and begs at the dinner table you chase him away.

Humans are exactly the same. When we want to change a behaviour we need to reward the right kind of behaviour and punish the wrong kind.

I was with a family in England and their two dogs were the epitome of a lack of training. They would come and stand at the dinner table while we were eating. The husband kept giving them food so of course the dogs were going to keep coming back.

In Europe, they have this thing called social housing and benefits. The government gives them rent & money for food so nobody goes hungry or homeless. It’s an admirable system, but it rewards the wrong behaviour. The problem is some people are earning more in benefits than in their job, so what they do is tell government some excuse about why they can’t work and they get allocated benefits. People capable of working go get benefits because why work hard when you can earn more doing nothing?

The wife in this family was on the social benefit program. I could see she didn’t feel like she had a purpose. I’m not saying work should be your purpose, but work should make you feel productive. She had nothing to look forward to during the day so she turned to addictions. If people don’t feel productive, they find ways to distract themselves.

Like we do with dogs, we can reward and punish our behaviours to create habits that empower our lives.

This week, think about what behaviours you want to stop, and then think about how you are going to reward yourself when you make progress.

Use reward and punishment so that you too can change the game.

Much love,

Laurens

For more information please go to http://www.laurensboel.com

The Blueprint

 

If you want your outward world to change then the first thing you need to change is your inner world. Nothing will change outside of you until you change. The analogy I like to use is that of a house. Let’s say you have a piece of land that you want to develop on. Before you build the house, you’ve got to get the architectural drawing – it’s the blueprint. The builder follows that blueprint to convert the house from paper to reality. If you’re not happy with the house you can’t blame the builder (although sometimes you can!). If you want to change the house, change the blueprint.

That’s the same with our lives. We want everything around us to change, and yet we hand over control to everyone and everything else. There isn’t going to be change until your desire to change pushes you.

Another example is soil. Soil is fertile ground where things grow, but it depends what you nurture it with. If you nurture it with sunlight, water and fertilizer on a regular basis it becomes a platform for trees to sprout. Equally, if I’m not nurturing it with the right nutrients it becomes ground for weeds to grow.

We are the soil that our reality grows from. If we feed ourselves the right nutrients – consuming valuable content, surrounding ourselves with great people, focusing on our passions and coming from a place of empathy then we provide fertile ground for our lives to grow better. Alternatively, if we surround ourselves with negative people, gossiping, consuming reality television, depressing news and things we have no control over then we’re creating fertile ground for things we don’t want to grow.

The question I have for you is, are you happy with your life today? If the answer is no, it’s not so much the world around you. It’s got to do with what you’re consuming. I’m not saying it’s easy to cultivate your soil, but work at it and you’ll take back control over what’s growing inside you instead of being the victim.

Keep changing the game.

Much love,

Laurens

For more information please go to http://www.laurensboel.com

Help your team to GREATNESS

 

I’ve been spending time with some amazing people in the UK and one successful businessman I met taught me something very powerful. He said if you want to grow and make this world a better place you’ve got to do it with people.

You’ve got to surround yourself with people who challenge you, make you think differently and who are different from you.

There’s a principle in psychology that says if something irritates you about somebody else it’s because you don’t like that about yourself.

Suppose somebody irritates you because of their negativity. In some way, it triggers the negativity that you don’t like about yourself.

There’s one guy who irritates me because he comes off very aggressive and assertive. Everybody must listen to him. It irritates me because I prefer to not make it about me and I wish I could be a little more like that.

The point is, when something irritates you about someone it’s a reflection of what you feel irritates you about yourself.

Surrounding yourself with people who are different to you challenges your growth. When you get frustrated with them, remember it’s a mirror and ask yourself, “What can I learn from this?” You can constantly grow just by surrounding yourself with people who are different from you.

Another successful businessman I met said, “Laurens if you keep trying to make everybody’s weaknesses a priority all you’re doing is making people average.” For example, say you have a friend who’s not so great at communication skills. He’s not so good at sales and while it’s great to help him improve his communication skills, all you do is push his below average sales skills to average. However if he is highly creative and imaginative, focusing his growth on that pushes him to become extraordinary because those are his naturally above average gifts.

This week, remember that all our relationships are social mirrors. Go and surround yourself with people who are different from you because it’s going to teach you self-awareness. Focus on their strengths and together you can change the game.

Much love,

Laurens

For more information please go to http://www.laurensboel.com

No matter how impossible, you CAN live your DREAMS

 

Four years ago when I was still in corporate I had a dream that people told me was impossible. That dream was, never ask somebody for a vacation. It didn’t seem possible but what’s amazing is that four years later I can write to you while traveling. It hasn’t been easy and that’s why I want to remind you that your dream is not impossible regardless of what people are saying.

1. Have an overwhelmingly convincing why.

 

An uninspiring vision is not going to motivate you to get through the hard times. Imagine if Martin Luther King stood in front of his people and said, “I have all the operational processes and financial commitment from our stakeholders we need to end slavery.”

People would be asleep! Instead he said, “I have a dream that all the people of this country will be equal.” That’s what people bought into.

The operations and financials are important but they don’t make you so hungry that you won’t stop breathing until you’ve achieved it.

 

2. Make your dream crystal clear because that’ll drive you when you feel weary.

 

A friend who’s financially free three times over told me, “On your own you can do amazing things but in a team you can achieve the impossible.”

I’m now leveraging his 10-15 years of experience. Instead of making the mistakes, I’m speeding up the process.

 

3. Get a coach and the right team.

 

You never take advice from a bald man on how to grow hair. So get advice from someone living the lifestyle you want to be living.

Without a good coach or team, Lionel Messi would still be skillful but ten times less effective.

 

4. Be kind to yourself.

 

This journey isn’t easy, but it’s worth it.

I had to break up with a girl I really liked because we didn’t share the same dream. That was really hard.

I’m never going to tell you the dream is easy. You have to make sacrifices. You’ll have to let go of the wrong people so that the right people can come into your life.

Keep on changing the game.

Much love,

Laurens

For more information please go to http://www.laurensboel.com

If you know your WHY, you can overcome any HOW

 

What do the successful have over those who aren’t? It is knowing their drive, their motivation and their why.

Les Brown says if you have a strong enough why you can overcome any ‘how’. Having a strong enough drive and motivation in life will push you to achieve what you never thought was possible.

My dad drives my why. My ‘why’ is that feeling you want when your dad looks at you playing sport for the first time, teaching you to shave, standing up for yourself or talking to pretty girls. That’s the relationship I wanted but unfortunately he was so busy working hard, earning a living for us I never knew him growing up. The thing with kids is they just want your time, not your money. I never want to be a parent in the position of choosing work over my child. My why is that I’ll never let my son feel rejected and neglected because of work commitments.

At the end of your life, what matters most?

Are you going to ask the nurses to put you in your Mercedes so you can go for one last spin? No.

Are you going to find comfort in rereading your financial statements? No.

What’s going to matter the most is having the right people around you to support you through your last few breaths.

If it matters the most then, shouldn’t people matter the most now?

The last 4-5 years have been hard but I’m at the position where I can travel a bit more. I still want to be in a position where I can travel for the rest of my life. Although I’m not there yet, I’m on the way.

One more thing, note that you become like the people you surround yourself with. If you are around negative Nancy’s or TV binge watchers who only watch others living their lives, you’re going to become like them.

Are you surrounding yourself with the right people? You will become and live the lifestyle that those closest to you live.

Keep on changing the game.

 

Much love,

Laurens

For more information please go to http://www.laurensboel.com

 

What Is Love (Spoken Word)

What is LOVE?

Love is blind, scary and exciting

It’s unique, hard to find and surprising

It’s fun, dangerous, difficult and defining

But most of all, love is not just a feeling, it’s an act

And even though it’s hard, it’s worthwhile to attract

 

We’ve all been in love, at least once in our lives

It’s something so beautiful, words cannot describe

But I’m still going to give it a try

 

Love is seeing her smile for the very first time

Having your heart melt and feeling sublime

It’s about kissing her forehead after a long day

Sitting in silence because you’re comfortable that way

 

It’s like meeting her parents and feeling nervous, that’s a fact

Having a one-on-one with her dad and trying to avoid eye contact

Love is staying calm when she freaks out

And trusting her when she’s out and about

 

It’s having the awkward silences after a big fight

And having the courage to say sorry even when you’re right

It’s about going to friends of friends for afternoon tea

Even when the biggest game is showing on TV

 

It’s about helping her through her doubts and fears

While keeping your shoulder open for her tears

It’s about getting shouted at unfairly and still keeping your cool

It’s about getting on the dancefloor even if you look like a fool

 

It’s about watching grey’s anatomy

And putting a smile on your face through the dramatic agony

It’s about looking past her words and feeling her pain

Being there for her, helping her feel better again

 

It’s about reading her mood and knowing what to say

Not to give solutions, but rather it’ll be okay

To sit with her problems as if they were your own

To walk the path together, feeling that you’ve both grown

 

It’s about paying for dinners most of the time

But also giving her the chance to treat you on her dime

It’s about having on hand a box of tissues

And helping her through some of her daddy issues

 

It’s about getting along with her family, no matter how crazy they are

Because for this girl, there is no distance too far

It’s about loving her at her worst

It’s about putting yourself second, and her first

 

It’s about supporting each other in your goals

It’s about communicating and giving up control

It’s about laughing, loving and taking long strolls

Because, love is the shortest distance between two souls

 

It’s about listening to her problems, and knowing the solution

But keeping your mouth shut and avoiding noise pollution

Because she doesn’t always need your advice

She needs to feel that you understand her, so be nice

This is where your compassion will begin

And most important, remember that love begins from within

 

If you’re unable to love yourself, how can you expect others to do so?

Sometimes you have to stand your ground, and say no

Sometimes, even when there is love, you can’t always agree

Maybe you want to settle down, but she wants to roam free

 

And holding on just makes things worse

Instead of true love, it feels like a curse

In these situations, as hard as it may be

You have to let her go and let her be free

 

If she comes back to you, then you know

Get down on one knee and let her face glow

From there, don’t let her out of your sight

Because without love, life is only half as bright

 

Love isn’t always easy, and it’s hard to find

It is like a career and requires the grind

It is about working at it every single day

Even when things don’t go your way

 

Don’t be scared to chase love and put everything at stake

Without love, life would be a mistake

 

Much love,

Laurens

For more information please go to http://www.laurensboel.com