Why do people criticize you for going after your goals instead of changing their own mindset and habits to go after what they want?
It's usually a self-reflection thing. When you start succeeding in any area of life, people come out of the woodwork to tell you what you're doing is stupid or wrong — because showing that something is possible removes their excuse for not having done it themselves. If a friend has been struggling in business for 10 years and you suddenly start succeeding, they lose their go-to excuse that 'it's just not possible' — and people react pretty violently to losing that excuse. Don't worry too much about it.
I've started many YouTube channels, e-commerce stores, service agencies, and PPC businesses - most of them failed and made me no money, leaving me feeling underperforming. The real differentiator isn't hyper-optimized skills; it's the ability to stay consistent over long periods. After about age 23, that's the skill worth optimizing. It's not a deep philosophical trait; it's a skill like learning ads or managing clients. To build it, spend disproportionate time on it, use books and practices, and create accountability - tell friends, family, partners, or staff about your daily goals so there are consequences for skipping. I've done this exclusively for the last few years: just commitment and daily showing up. As long as you don't give up, you'll eventually win.
I used to see myself very negatively – low self‑esteem, many insecurities. I tried meditation retreats, cold plunges, and other quick fixes, but none of that replaced actually doing the work. The breakthrough came when I achieved the thing I felt I lacked, realized it wasn’t as important as I thought, and stopped over‑analyzing my insecurities. It took a few years, but consistent hard work and a strong work ethic solved the problem. The straight‑line path is simply doing the tough things consistently. I wish I could give my younger self the ability to stay on task for long periods, but the key takeaway is to keep showing up and improve your sales skills step by step.
He shares that his own self‑sabotage came from an academic background where he was rewarded for theorizing and speaking in obscure language, not for taking action. Overcoming it required surrounding himself with people who are action‑oriented—like his business partner Grinder, who pushed him to pick up the phone and make calls instead of just planning. He learned that you become the average of the people you spend time with, so to stop getting in your own way, find and spend time with those who don’t get in their way, and let their habits shift your own.
My biggest mindset shift came from a talk with my partner Ginder. I was stressed about whether I’d ever be successful, and he said, ‘Of course you’ll be successful—you think about it all the time, and anything you devote that much thought to you’ll eventually master.’ His confidence removed a huge mental load and made me see that success isn’t mystical; it’s just the result of putting in the time. Once I accepted that, I stopped getting in my own way and could focus on execution.