I know how important a well-crafted lead magnet is for generating more traffic to your website, which is why I invited Marie, a graphic designer, writer and founder of SmartLeadMagnets, to share with you the ultimate guide to creating a conversion-optimized lead magnet for your business. Take it away Marie!

I would like to share with you the ultimate guide to creating a conversion-optimized lead magnet. How you do this is vital because simply offering a lead magnet won’t motivate people enough to subscribe.

As a business owner, the most important thing that you can do is create highly relevant content that your readers value. So much so, that it motivates them to provide you with their email address, which will add to your sales funnel.

Valuable content is the kind that grabs your audience’s attention because it offers them information on how to solve a problem that they are having. The first step is to do your research and find out what your audience’s biggest issue is, and what they can do to overcome it. Here’s how you can go about doing that.

Solid Research Leads to Success

Clearly, you cannot assume that you understand what your audience’s issues are without doing any research. If you try to do this, you will waste a lot of time and money. I once did this and I paid the price.

I tried to build a business, without first making sure that I had a solid enough foundation. Do not make the same mistake that I did.

If you’ve got an email list that you’ve already compiled, send out an email asking the recipients what they are struggling the most with. If you don’t have an email list, you can still move forward by engaging in the following strategies.

1. Use Buzzsumo For Research

Buzzsumo is an amazing tool that allows you to view which content is being shared the most. First, collect the keywords that pertain to your industry and niche. Then enter them in the search box and the posts that are being shared the most will appear. The titles, headings, and keywords will reveal which problems your audience needs solutions for and the issues that most concern them.

2. Search Relevant Forums

You can also search online for the most active forums pertaining to your niche. Look through all the topics that are being discussed and narrow down your search to bring up the posts that are getting the most replies. Search for the most popular ones as well. These posts are a virtual goldmine of the types of questions that your audience wants answers to.

3. Use Quora

Quora is a free platform for pinpointing the major obstacles that are facing your market. It allows you to question others on which challenges they are having the most difficulty with. You can also ask what features they are seeking in a product and/or service. Because there are such a huge number of questions being asked on all different topics, Quora can help you a great deal in coming up with lead generation strategies.

4. Use Analytics to Monitor Traffic

Having a tool like Google Analytics is a great way to to track traffic to your webpages, videos, posts and/or downloads. In assessing the data, make note of the type of content that is getting the most activity and ask yourself what problems or challenges you are helping your readers overcome. What solutions do you offer?

Method of Delivery Makes a Difference

When doing your homework, make note of the most popular manner in which your audience consumes their content. There are many different options: podcasts, courses, webinars, eBooks, blog posts, videos, newsletters, etc.

You need to determine which method will most appeal to your audience in delivering your lead generator or magnet. Do whatever you can to offer valuable, relevant content that resonates with your audience, and deliver it via the medium that they find most useful to garner the results that you want.

Critical Elements of An Effective Lead Magnet

Here is what you can do to make your lead generator so tempting, that it’s nearly impossible for people to resist it!

1. It must provide the solution to a problem.

If you want to convert your audience, you’ve got to deliver on the promise spelled out in your title or headline.

2. The more detailed you are, the better.

In order to get conversions, you must be as specific as possible in explaining or describing your solution.

3. Give them a quick taste of success.

Once your audience has consumed your content in whatever medium you’re presenting it in, he or she should be able to immediately go out and apply what they’ve learned to achieve a tangible result.

4. Offer something of “high-perceived value”.

Your prospect must believe that what you’re offering is extremely valuable to them. The easiest way to do this is by offering something of value for FREE. To establish perceived value, assign a dollar amount to what it is that you’re offering for free, and announce the value of your lead generator or magnet right on your opt-in or landing page.

5. Make it easy to read and comprehend

It doesn’t matter what topic you’re discussing or what medium you’re using to deliver your message, your lead generator must be easy to access, comprehend and digest. People have a short attention span, and they’ll just click out and look someplace else. Keep your audience engaged.

Tips To Convert Visitors Into Buyers

Once you have created high quality content that attracts visitors to your website, now you have to find a way to convert your visitors into buyers. Here are some guidelines for how you can boost your conversion rates to the maximum.

1. Write a compelling eye-catching title or headline.

Point out the specific problem that you are promising to solve and describe the benefit. Just naming the problem or pain point is not enough. They must be clear about how this is going to benefit them or they will not sign up.

2. Write your copy in an active, not passive voice.

This keeps your reader’s attention so that they will actually listen to your message. You want them to feel like you’re speaking right to them, so that you will get their full attention and engagement.

3. Be up front and direct.

When describing the problem that you will solve and how your prospective customer will benefit, do not meander. Ensure that your message is perfectly clear, without being confusing. You want your audience to feel confident enough to quickly sign up, in a matter of seconds.

4. Create a sense of urgency.

Unless your audience feels that there is a level of urgency to act, they will have no reason to decide. Tell your audience that you are only going to offer your eBook, for FREE, for a very limited time.

5. Visually represent your brand with your lead generator or magnet.

You want something this important to be well-designed. If you have the talent and time to do this without compromising quality, then go ahead. However, it might be wise to hire a professional to create this for you.

So, there you have it! That is the ultimate guide to creating a conversion-optimized lead magnet. Have you ever created a lead magnet to build your list? What tips do you have for someone starting out?

Marie is a graphic designer, writer and founder of SmartLeadMagnets, a done-for-you lead magnet service that delivers engaging, high-quality content, without the heavy lifting. Have a burning question about lead generation? Click here to get in touch.

This page contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through one of them, I will receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). I only ever endorse products that I have personally used and benefitted from personally. Thank you for your support!

Anyone who follows me knows what a huge mentor Tony Robbin's has been in my life. His teachings have inspired me to transform every area of my life. 

I have had many life-changing experiences at Tony's seminars and events, which have helped shape my destiny. 

This is why I wanted to invite AJ Delorena, the founder of Talented Technologies to share his story of how Tony Robbins' Platinum Partnership transformed his life forever.

What Is the Tony Robbins Platinum Partnership?

With the Tony Robbins Platinum Partnership, you get access to a complete, transformational process that you can immediately apply for results. It includes:

• How to tap into your inner strength
• How to overcome obstacles
• How to break through in areas of your life where you are “stuck”
• Exercises for one year that assist with your personal development
• Personal trips with Tony Robbins and a group of people for life support

This particular process is a transformational approach to any of your life goals. Individuals have had breakthroughs with relationships, business, finances, and their lifestyle.

Take it away AJ!

I want to share with you how Tony Robbins' “Platinum Partnership” transformed my life. A little over five years ago I set off on what would be a life-changing and possibly life-saving journey.  The journey started when my wife signed us up to go to a Tony Robbins, “Unleash the Power Within” seminar as a belated birthday present.

After the seminar, we eventually enrolled in Tony Robbins’ Mastery University and Platinum Partnership group. I had just turned 50 years old. I was about 25 pounds overweight, which I equated to being a natural part of getting older. My blood pressure reading was 183/98 and I was suffering from what I didn’t realize was extreme adrenal fatigue.

I constantly felt exhausted and I was only getting 4-5 hours of sleep a night. My business was slowly crumbling, even though I was consistently working 12-14 hour days, seven days per week. My competitors were rising while I was struggling to effectively operate my business.

On top of everything, my marriage was falling apart due to my complete lack of focus. Things were going downhill fast. Little did I know, it was all about to turn around thanks to my personal development master and his program, Tony Robbins Platinum Partnership.

Initially, walking through the doors of my first UPW experience felt a bit over the top. The loud blaring music and people jumping up and down made it feel more like a rock concert than a personal development seminar. Yet, as the hours went on, I felt more motivated and invigorated than I had in many years The message began to resonate from Tony Robbins Platinum Partnership.

He was helping people tap into their inner strength to overcome obstacles and achieve greatness. His message helped me realize that my priorities and values had become completely distorted. Even worse, I realized my adopted beliefs were ruining my health, business, and relationships.   

By the third day, my wife and I were given the opportunity to meet Tony Robbins on stage to enroll in Mastery University. Neither of us hesitated. Our first Mastery University event, Date With Destiny, totally blew our minds. We witnessed countless interventions where Tony was able to almost instantaneously help participants reach breakthroughs.

Every intervention seemed as if it was directed towards me, and I experienced breakthrough after breakthrough. We completed the Mastery University with Business Mastery, Life and Wealth Mastery, and finally, Leadership Academy within only six months. Our new knowledge had progressed our lives at a surprisingly rapid pace.

My blood pressure dropped to 156/94, I made more business connections, created new sources of income, and re-connected with my wife. All of our success occurred in a short period of time and we were not ready for it to end.

The next logical step was to enroll in Tony Robbins Platinum Partnership. We had heard of the opportunity before but, frankly, it seemed way too expensive, time-consuming, and out of our league. We began talking to as many Tony Robbins Platinum Partnership members as we could in order to better understand their experiences. Their feedback and insights were astounding.

People told us stories of healed illnesses, saved marriages, and business growth of up to 1,000 percent. Others described their personal experiences with Tony Robbins Platinum Partnership, from one-on-one interactions to travels around the world. Their heartfelt stories were enough to convince us that signing up would be one of the most rewarding investments we would ever make for ourselves and our future. 

This was a big decision.

It meant that I would be spending a lot of time away from my business and a lot of money on the group membership. In the end, we decided that the benefits far outweighed the costs, and we signed up for what became the most rewarding experience of our lives.

We kicked off our Tony Robbins Platinum Partnership year with a trip to Whistler, Canada. We spent the mornings skiing or snowboarding on breathtaking hills with Tony and our fellow Platinum partners. The mountains we climbed were like a metaphor for what we could conquer in our new lives. We spent our afternoons listening to Tony and other world-renowned experts from the business and financial world. 

Our second trip was to Tony’s very own resort, Namale, on the island of Fiji. We used our time there to create new and improved business plans with the assistance of fellow Platinum members. Of course, Tony was there to provide individualized insights into each of our business plans. 

Our year ended with our favorite trip, which was located on the beautiful island of Kauai. This event was all about creating and sustaining relationships with our significant others.

We began our days with separate classes for men and women, in order to increase the polarity and attraction in our relationships. We spent the rest of our time listening to experts in the fields of intimacy, sexuality, and relationships.

Every day we did exercises to build more presence and a greater understanding of one another. We felt the love we had for each other intensify, and still feel its continuous growth to this day. This is how Tony Robbins Platinum Partnership transformed my life.

It has now been nearly five years since my wife and I traveled the world and began to utilize Anthony Robbins as our life teacher with the Tony Robbins Platinum Partnership. We are happy to say that we still feel the positive momentum and effects created by these events. I was able to turn my business around and reach higher profit margins with less time in the office.

I average 6-8 hours of sleep per night. It’s not unusual for me to leave my office early or in the middle of the day to take a yoga class or enjoy another activity. My blood pressure is now consistently healthy, around 119/78, and I have more energy in my fifties than I did in my twenties.

My wife and I are closer than ever, and we have even taken up new activities together, such as learning how to play the piano.

While the price tag was high, but I’m not sure I could put a price tag on my health, happiness, marriage, or business successes. I am so grateful for the time I spent with Tony Robbins Platinum Partnership and would recommend it to anyone looking to live up to their fullest potential while setting off on the adventure of a lifetime.

I hope AJ's story inspires you to invest in one of Tony Robbins' events. His teachings have changed mine, AJ's and his wife's life for the better, and I am confident they will do the same for you.

Do you want to learn more about the amazing work that Tony Robbins does? CLICK HERE to visit his website!

I was actually contacted by the Tony Robbins team to partner with them in their affiliate program, as well as to offer my subscribers a $20 off site-wide coupon. So if you want to purchase any Tony Robbins programs or products, use the coupon code MASTERY on checkout to save $20. Please note that I am now an “affiliate” for Tony Robbins and benefit financially if you decide to purchase through my link.

About the Author:

AJ Delorena is the founder of Talented Technologies and writes on their blog, The Bleeding Edge Of Tech. He founded Talented Technologies in 2008, after he had a successful career in Silicon Valley, in both IT Engineering and Sales roles. He saw a unique opportunity in the IT secondary market, as a quintessential Silicon Valley startup that quickly outgrew his garage in one month's time.

Notes from Stefan About Tony Robbins Platinum Partnership

I strongly believe in self-development and transformation. I know from my own experience that programs such as the Tony Robbins Platinum Partnership alters everything. And when you do that, it helps you to maximize your potential in every area of your life.

With the insights I’ve seen from others about this program, I know that it is a significant way to crush it in every area of your life.

Any program that you see from Tony Robbins does the same thing – it transforms you. It helps you get into the deepest, darkest parts of your subconscious and begins changing it.

How?

You have patterns, beliefs, and thoughts that cause you to change how you live and what you decide to do. This is what stops you from reaching the ultimate success that you want to.

With programs like the Tony Robbins Platinum Program, everything changes. You now have access to get to the places that you struggle with, look them in the eye and alter what happens.

What You Really Need

There is only one thing that everyone needs in their lives. It is to take the journey of living to our full potential.

We may or may not have finances, the relationship we want or the lifestyle that we dream of. It always leads to one thing – what do you need to change in your life?

This is exactly what the Tony Robbins Platinum Partnership makes everyone look at. It is similar to his programs and books like Unleash the Power Within and Date with Destiny.

You find, for the first time in your life, that you have more potential to reach your goals and to get to your core power. When you do this, it is possible for you to build the life you want.

I know that if I didn’t go through the self-development processes like the Tony Robbins Platinum Partnership, then I wouldn’t be where I am today. By working on things like this, I have been able to find greater success and mastery in every area of my life.

If you are struggling with relationships, work on it. Too often, we run away from the things that don’t work and stay in that area. Instead, look at what patterns and beliefs you have and change it.

If you are struggling with business and finances, work on it. Something like the Tony Robbins Platinum Partnership can help you to get through monetary blocks and to open up to your complete potential. Look at that and find a way to succeed.

If you aren’t happy with your life, work on it. Change your approach, your lifestyle and what you do. Take small steps every day and find the life hacks that will work to give you the results that you really want.

The Tony Robbins Platinum Partnership is a way to reach success. Why? Because you have a chance to work on everything you want or need in life. You have the chance to break through and to get the results that you want. And, you have the chance to be a part of an exclusive group that is doing the same thing.

That’s a powerful formula, brought by one of the most influential people of our time, to help you live the life you really want.

Is This the Formula You Need?

There are many that are uncertain of which program to join with Tony Robbins. Some are geared toward your specific needs at the time, while others may not help you to reach your full potential until it’s the right time.

The Tony Robbins Platinum Partnership is for those that are dedicated to their transformation at a specific level and are interested in a longer program to get the breakthroughs they need.

I’ve personally gone through other approaches with Tony Robbins that have had similar results and have assisted with the immediate transformation that I need.

Here are some of the programs you can see that I’ve reviewed:

• Unleash the Power Within
• Break to Your New Life 
• Date With Destiny 
• Business Mastery 
• National Achievers Congress 

Of course, Tony Robbins is known for his hundreds of programs and assistance with others who want to reach their full potential. These are only a few of the powerful programs that you can look at for the formula you really need.

Here’s a way to find if the Tony Robbins Platinum Program, or another program, will work best for you.

• How familiar are you with Tony Robbins’ work?
• Have you done any transformational work in the past?
• Do you want a program that is longer and follows this format?
• What are your goals?
• What areas are you “stuck” at and want to break through with?
• What is your intention for joining the Tony Robbins Platinum Program?

If you are new to Tony Robbins or haven’t worked with self-development, then I would suggest a different route. Work up to the Platinum Partnership at a later date and make sure that it is the right mentorship program for you.

Also, look at your goals and breaking points. See what programs may be of greater assistance to you as well as what the Platinum Partnership may offer that others don’t. You may find that there are other programs that are just as effective.

The most important part of the Tony Robbins Platinum Partnership, or any other program, is the commitment you have to yourself. When you become conscious about your own self-development and your approach to life, then you will find greater results that help you to get the solutions you want from life.

Commit to Mastery and to your growth. The programs you need are waiting for you to build the life you want.

Are you ready to turn what you already know into next level success and impact? CLICK HERE to join Tony Robbins and Dean Graziosi’s Knowledge Broker Blueprint!

This page contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through one of them, I will receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). I only ever endorse products that I have personally used and benefitted from personally. Thank you for your support!

I would like to share 3 benefits of minimalism that extend to all areas of life. Through life's ups and downs, it is important that we remember to take the time to enjoy the simple things in life. We need to be grateful for what we have, and focus on finding meaning in our lives.

Life is meant to be enjoyed, not filled with stress and frustration. Minimalism is a state of being, a simple approach to life, that can help us do more with less.  In the words of Vernon Howard, “You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need.”

That is why I wanted to invite Will Chou, the founder of Will You Laugh, a self-development blog that focuses on the secrets to success, to write a guest post to talk about 3 benefits of minimalism that extend to all areas of life.

Take it away, Will!

When I first discovered minimalism, I was a mess of a person and I thought it was stupid. But everything has changed now.  To explain my change of opinion, we have to go back to the beginning. When I first discovered minimalism, I really wanted to travel the world for a living.

At the time, I was disillusioned with my career paths and confused about my future. I was struggling to find work I could enjoy and the job opportunities that I was offered, sucked. To put it simply, like many Millennials, I had chosen a tough college major that I loved (pre-med Biology) but realized too late that it wasn’t my passion (after graduation).

My days of despair led me to seek escapism on the Internet. I discovered a large group of online bloggers that had a huge following and who called themselves, “travel hackers.”

Essentially, they would travel to exotic places for a living and make their living by “hacking life.” They were able to achieve a level of financial freedom that most people would envy. At first, I wasn't sold on this whole idea of minimalism, but that soon changed. Today, I want to share with you the three benefits of minimalism that extend to all areas of life:

1. You Will Stay Organized and Clean

I had always been a messy person. Despite my best efforts to stay clean, my room would quickly morph into a mess of junk. To put it simply, the more items you have, the more opportunity it is for it to make you feel and appear messy.

When you only have a couple of items on your desk, it’s never going to look that messy no matter how long you delay cleaning it up. It’s shocking how few people understand or use this habit. Nowadays, I have applied this minimalist philosophy to every area of my life.

2. You Will Achieve More By Working Less

A lot of people make the mistake of approaching their daily to-do list with a reactive state of mind. They take on too many tasks on a daily basis, many of which are unimportant. When they look back at what they have accomplished, they are surprised by their lack of progress.

A solution is a form of minimalism called essentialism. The concept is simple. Focus on one to three tasks per day. Make sure they are the most important tasks that will make the biggest impact on the accomplishment of your goals. If you do this right, you will realize that you’re doing less work but getting more results by prioritizing and cutting out the unnecessary.

3. You Feel Happier and Less Stressed

Not so long ago, I was frustrated with my progress, both professionally and personally. I didn’t have quality friends, I wasn't earning much, and I was lost and without direction in my dating life.

It was confusing because I had always worked super hard in school and “done the right things.” After doing a lot of research on success, happy people, and the science of happiness, I came up with a simple mantra that has helped me a lot. It goes something like, “As long as I have air, water, food, a healthy mind, and a healthy body, I am happy.”

This mantra reminds me to lead a simple, happy life. By living this philosophy, I have become a much happier, more relaxed, and lighter person.

I Am Not A Minimalist And I Don’t Want You To Be. 

Wait, what? After all, I have said, I’m now revealing that I’m not a minimalist, I don’t intend to be one. Why? I can't say that I would be happy with living a lifestyle of extreme minimalism, and that’s OK. What I love about some minimalist influencers out there is that they’re not telling you to become a minimalist.

Rather, they are encouraging that you adopt the minimalist practices that work for you. That’s where I stand. I will be rich one day and I will buy expensive experiences, but the items and services I do buy will be fewer than the average person, and they will be focused on memorable experiences, rather than a desire to hold onto possession.

It’s important not to swing from one extreme perspective (“Everything you buy has value so you should hoard it.”) to the other (“Nothing has value so get rid of it all.”). The truth lies closer to the middle.

Will has spent thousands of hours studying the world's most successful people and shares his findings on his self-development blog, Will You Laugh. Get his free gift made especially for Project Life Mastery readers by CLICKING HERE!

Health and fitness have always been a top priority in my life.  I believe that maintaining a healthy balanced life is essential for happiness and well-being. The best way to achieve balance is by mastering every area of your life.

That is why I wanted to invite Anand Jobanputra, a Strength and Fat Loss Coach, author, and Founder of Underdog Strength, a website dedicated to providing practical fitness, nutrition, and motivation tips, to write a guest post to talk about 5 ways that fitness can help you master all areas of life.

Take it away Anand!

I would like to share with you 5 ways that fitness can help you master all areas of life. You probably already know the importance and benefits of physical fitness for health and well-being. Given that we have become more sedentary over the years, taking care of our health has become more important than ever before.

An unhealthy body and a healthy mind simply do not go hand in hand.

Several research studies have shown that a sedentary lifestyle has been associated with mental health disorders. What most people fail to see is that the benefits of pursuing a fitness goal are beyond physical.

If the benefits of fitness are so far-reaching, then why is it that so many people today are unhealthy?

In my experience, one of the biggest reasons for this is that people don’t create short and long-term fitness goals. Simply going to the gym and working out, without any goals, is not a great motivator. On the other hand, if you set specific goals with regard to your fitness regime, you will be much more motivated to achieve them.

Watch the video below:

Take my example – I used to be morbidly obese growing up, weighing over 275 lbs. I used to work out here and there, but I never achieved any long-lasting results. When I decided to set a goal of losing 100 lbs in one year, that’s when I saw the real results. Not only did I achieve my goal, I actually exceeded it by losing over 125 lbs.

You can clearly see a physical transformation here, but what most people fail to see is the mental transformation that took place. I can say, without a doubt, that my mindset has completely changed by pursuing this goal.  It has taught me some valuable life lessons, which I have been able to apply to other areas of my life. You can learn more about my transformation here.

Below are 5 ways that fitness can help you master every area of your life:

1. Fitness teaches You How To Embrace Failure 

When pursuing your fitness goals, you will inevitably deal with failure along the way. Failure can be a great opportunity to learn and adjust.

For example, if your goal is to lose weight and to look a certain way, you will hit plateaus where you are not making progress. Maybe your weight has stalled. During these times, you can make adjustments to your diet and training in order to make further progress.

The same techniques can be used when you face failure and plateaus in life. When you view failure as an opportunity to grow is when you achieve mastery in all areas of your life. Michael Jordan said it best, “I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

2. Fitness inspires You To Set and Achieve Your Goals

Fitness has given me the confidence to set goals and achieve them. There are a lot of people who set goals, but fail to achieve them because they lack the confidence to achieve them. Almost anyone can achieve small fitness goals. These small victories can be a huge confidence booster and will give you the motivation to achieve even bigger goals.

The best goals are S.M.A.R.T. goals, which stand for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound goals.

For example, if your goal is to ‘lose some weight’ then you will most likely not achieve anything significant. My personal S.M.A.R.T. goal was to lose 100 lbs. in a year. This meant that I had to lose roughly 2 lbs. per week to get there.

Let’s break it down:

Specific: The goal of losing 100 lbs. is a specific number

Measurable: I weighed myself using a weight a scale. I would also keep track of body measurements to make sure I was making progress towards my goal.

Achievable: Losing 100 lbs seems like a scary goal for most people. But if you break it down to 2 lbs. per week, it doesn’t seem that intimidating does it?

Relevant: Your goals have to be relevant to you. If you want to lose weight, you should do it because you want to, not because someone tells you to. If your goals are intrinsic, you are more likely to achieve them.

Time-Bound:  Without a deadline, your goal is just a dream. A deadline not only creates a sense of urgency but it also gives you a date to look forward to.

Once you learn how to set S.M.A.R.T. goals and achieve them, you can easily apply the same goal setting process to other areas of your life.

3. Fitness Improves Your Work Ethic

Any goal that is worthwhile requires an insane amount of work ethic. Most people underestimate how much work it actually takes to achieve a significant goal.

With fitness, you may have the best coach, training program, and supplements to support you, but you have to put in the work. No one else can do it for you.

While it’s important to have long-term goals, you have to focus on the actual process that will get you there. The hard work that you put into your fitness goals will help you develop your work ethic for life.

4. Fitness Helps You Develop Good Habits

Habits are important because they lead to success in the long term. Motivation and willpower are limited resources, which run out pretty fast. Habit is what keeps you going when they run out.

In his book, The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, author Charles Duhigg talks about how we program our minds and bodies with the actions that we take or do not take on a regular basis.

According to the book, exercising and tracking what you eat are two of the eight ‘Keystone Habits’. Keystone Habits are those habits that are more important than other habits. This is because these habits can cause a chain reaction of other good habits, which will ultimately lead to your success.

If you exercise regularly, you will find that you also eat better, drink less, go to bed early, and increase productivity. Improving one keystone habit can help improve multiple things at the same time.

When you are new to fitness, you need a lot of motivation to go to the gym and eat healthily. Over time, if you make it a habit, it gets so ingrained in you that it doesn’t take much motivation to workout at all. In fact, you may find that it takes you willpower, not to workout and eat healthily.

5. Fitness Teaches You To Have Patience

In this era of instant gratification, patience is more valuable than ever. Even when it comes to fitness, people look for shortcuts to reach their goals. If someone wants to lose weight, they try to look for secrets or the magic pill that will help them get their dream body. We all know that these things don’t work.

Once you’re no longer a beginner, progress slows down over time. This is where patience can help you win in the long term. Most people suffer from shiny object syndrome. If they don’t see results right away, they move on to the next thing and the cycle continues.

With any fitness goal, you learn to trust the process and know that the results will come if you put in the work, one rep at a time. In the words of George Savile, “The man who is a master of patience is a master of everything else.”

These are 5 ways that fitness can help you master your life. If you want to take your life to the next level but don’t know how fitness is a great place to start!

When you pursue and achieve your fitness goals, your success will carry over into all areas of your life.

Anand is a Strength & Fat Loss Coach, Powerlifter and Author. After going through a major physical transformation, he has dedicated his life to helping many others achieve the same. He’s the Founder of Underdog Strength, a website dedicated to providing practical fitness, nutrition, and motivation tips.

You can connect with him via:

• Blog
• YouTube
• Instagram
• Facebook

I am a firm believer in the power of habits.  What you do every day defines who you are.

My success as an entrepreneur has been due, in large part, to my ability to adopt consistent habits.

That is why I wanted to invite Andy Margison, the Founder and Director of ZZap Ltd., to write a guest post about the 3 habits of successful entrepreneurs.

Take it away Andy!

If you Google, “The habits of successful entrepreneurs”, people offer many tips and tricks – read more books, wake up early, put your customers first, don’t take no for an answer, etc. The list goes on and on.

Habits require focus and consistent action. If you manage to integrate a habit into your daily life, it can have a profound impact on your success. In order to maximize your rewards, you need to pick the best habit for you.

Some will have a higher return on investment than others.  Prioritizing is very important. Here are 3 habits of successful entrepreneurs.  If you’re going to learn a habit, make it one of these:

1. Know what you want

Without direction, you won’t be successful. A ship without its captain is doomed. If you ‘sort of’ know what you want, you will meander and waste time. Sure, you may achieve things along the way, which will be comforting, but in the end you will fall short of your real goals.

To be put in the same class as the greats, you need to do some soul searching to find out exactly what it is that you want. Moreover, you can't change a goal from one day to the next. It has to be set in stone. If you are focused and work hard, society will tell you that’s the way to go.

However, it’s important to remember that working hard will keep you busy, but it won’t necessarily make you successful. Knowing what you want ensures that your actions are aligned with your goals, so that you are always moving in the right direction.

Successful entrepreneur, Gary Vaynerchuk, knew from the age of 7 that he wanted to buy the New York Jets NFL team. At 41 years old, he is thought to be worth over 100 million dollars, and he’s still pursuing the same goal, with obsessive focus. Arnold Schwarzenegger, one of the most successful celebrities on the planet, saw Reg Park in a magazine when he was a young man.

Arnold read the article on Reg Park succeeding in bodybuilding, and then progressing into movies. Once Arnold had read the article, he knew “It was the whole plan laid out.” Conor McGregor, a star in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) has recently been in the news because he is the first ever to simultaneously win two titles in two weight divisions.

Conor knew exactly what he wanted from a young age. Today, he is living his dream. Only you know what you want in life.  Make sure that you’re true to yourself, and don’t let others detract you from your goals.

If you’re struggling to think of a business idea that you love, check out my article “The real truth behind finding a viable business idea.”

2. Work like hell

Work ethic is such a huge part of entrepreneurial success.  If you think you can achieve a high level of success with mediocre work ethic, you are wrong. As Gary Vaynerchuk says, ‘There is no such thing as an overnight success.”

Gary V works 18 hours a day, Idris Elba says he can do 18 to 22 hours a day easily, and Will smith confesses his work ethic is ‘sickening.' There are countless examples of hugely successful people with exceptional work ethic.

People with a high work ethic, like myself, can be lured into a false sense of security by thinking that because they are doing more work than everybody else, they will automatically be more successful. I work 14 hours a day building my business, but I am fully aware that unless I consistently focus on it, I am wasting my time.

You need to work hard AND smart.  If you want to achieve success, you have to master it.

3. Get to the point

I once asked a man with a net worth of over 150 million pounds if he could give me one piece of advice, what would it be? He thought about it then said, “To cut the bullshit.”  By doing this, you are getting to the point. You are stating the real situation.

It is simply astounding how much unnecessary and useless ‘noise’ there is in today's society. The Internet contributes to this by making so much information available. Many people are dragged down by trivia, and hide behind it, using it as an excuse, instead of facing the real issues.

When you watch interviews with successful people you will notice that they don’t beat around the bush. As an entrepreneur, you are up against the market. The market does not care about your excuses, it simply responds to results. Entrepreneur, Alan Sugar, epitomizes a ‘cut the bullshit’ approach, and it's no surprise he’s now worth over 1 billion pounds.

Getting to the point is a hugely underrated habit. It is similar to ‘know what you want.' It allows you to focus on your goals and eliminate wasted time.  Ultimately, time is the most important asset.

I challenge you to adopt these 3 habits of successful entrepreneurs.  It may be the best thing you ever do.

My name is Andy Margison and I am the founder and director of ZZap Ltd,a specialist cash handling company focused on reducing operating costs for a wide range of businesses and charities.  From an early age, I have had a burning passion to run my own business. At the age of 9, I started my first car washing business, at 11, my own gardening business and at 14, I sold confectionary from my school locker. I have always loved entrepreneurism. I believe that work ethic is the foundation of success. If you truly want something bad enough, you can achieve it.