No one is perfect.

We all have flaws, weird habits, and junk in our brain that is probably holding us back.

Small personal problems can sometimes escalate, ruining relationships, eroding trust and holding you back from your God-given purpose on this planet.

I’ve been a small business owner since I was 29 years old, almost 13 years now, and I wish I knew THEN what I know now!

Since 2014 I’ve adopted a debt-free philosophy. When I look back I realize how different my 30’s would have been if I had adopted that philosophy much earlier in life.

My cars would have been more basic, but my home would have been paid off by now.

Coulda, shoulda, woulda.

At the tender age of 40 I finally became a student of leadership, I started to read about transformational leaders, from Churchill to Gandhi to William Wilberforce to Marcus Aurelius to Jesus of Nazareth, and many others.

Your personal life and your professional life share one thing in common: YOU.

Your personal and professional life are linked forever, until you die.

If you have issues with debt, leadership, relationships, integrity, etc… these factors will damage your business. They will cause stress that erodes your ability to perform.

You can’t sustain success when your personal life is chaotic.

Look at Bill Cosby, he was held in such high respect… and then we learn about all the predatory deviancy in his private life.

Everyone has a different path, but in my life I removed credit cards, alcohol, and social media. I started to hang out with a more positive crowd.

Everyone in your life is either a positive or a negative. Your buddy at the bar does not want you to seek sobriety because that shines a bright light on his own level of dysfunction (and possible addiction).

Hang out with LESS people, but cultivate higher quality relationships with select folks who lift you up and encourage you to become your best.

Stop filling your brain with violent entertainment and pointless media gossip.

The Kardashians do not matter. If they all die today your life will go on.

Read more, think more, turn off the TV.

As you begin to read better books that will lead to further books in that same genre.

Start with The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson.

Move on to Robert Kiyosaki, Orrin Woodward, Michael Lewis, Dale Carnegie, Peter Diamandis, Ray Kurzweil, Ryan Holiday and Kevin Kelly.

If all these names are NEW to you that means you REALLY need to start reading!

Amazon will even suggest books for you to read!

Last month I spent about $60 on various paperbacks about leadership, influence, history and success. You won’t learn anything about those subjects watching reality TV on the Bravo network.

Benjamin T. Alexander

July 2016