... reasons you could possibly be unhappy. Did you know there are only three possible reasons for you to be unhappy? That probably feels odd to read that... am I right? You may be thinking, but Nate, how could there ONLY three reasons. I've experienced lots of unhappy moments in my life. You likely have to. Hell, you can probably recall some of them right now. But here's the thing, if you're experiencing a lack of happiness it's because you're either...

… every business must do to succeed. What if I said business is simple? What if I told you that success came down to doing four simple things, consistently? Do these four things and it’s impossible to fail. If you’re interested in knowing what those four things are, keep reading! Two years ago, I was sitting in Phoenix at an Edge Mastermind event with Dean Graziosi. Dean and I were discussing a new business idea I’d had and my plans for building it out. But Dean surprised me… When I shared my question with Dean, instead of asking me questions about the new business… Dean asked how my current business, Mind Vault®, was doing. I answered that the business was doing well. The business had been growing well, and I felt it was in a good space. He asked if I’d crossed 7 figures yet, and if the business would function on its own if I walked away from it. I shared that the business was still dependent on my involvement. Without pause, Dean told me to put the other business idea on hold. He encouraged me to focus on systematizing Mind Vault® until it could run without me. And then, and only then, to add a new focus to my plate. I begrudgingly accepted his advice for the moment. But after a year of minimal progress towards that goal, I got impatient. And last year, instead of continuing to focus on Mind Vault, as Dean had instructed… You can probably imagine how last year went.

Wouldn’t it be great if you had all the time in the world? In a way you do. As Marcus Aurelius puts it: "Even if you were destined to live three thousand years, or ten times that long, nevertheless remember that no one loses any life other than the one he lives, or lives any life other than the life he loses. It follows that the longest and the shortest lives are brought to the same state.

How often do you consider the etymology of a word?  Etymology is the study of the origins of words, and it can be a very revealing exercise.  Take the following words from the DAI Success Philosophy for instance.  We start with the Prime Directive.  The word Prime comes from the Latin word prim which means first.  The word Directive has its roots in two Latin words. It comes from Medieval Latin directivus, from direct-. As well as the past-participle stem of Latin dirigere “to set straight”. The modern view of Directive is "pointing out the proper direction." It is also known as "a general instruction on how to proceed or act."

How far would you say you are from your desired place in life?  In life, the gap between your current and desired states might be big or small. It might be the difference between $1 or $1 Trillion, 1 lbs or 100 lbs, 0 or infinite presence with your family.  You may feel the gap between where you are now and where you want to be is more of a chasm than a gap and that’s ok.  As I’d shared in a previous Reflection, focusing on the gap is pessimism. It's not about how big the gap is, how long it takes to cross, or the setbacks you face.  It’s about the opportunity we all have to close those gaps.

WARNING: While I do my best to keep this to a limit of 500 words (786), this one is a bit longer. My hope is that each extra word adds value and clarity. If you read yesterday’s Reflection (076) you know the gap analysis is one of the most powerful tools you have.  It’s simple in theory, but simple doesn’t always mean easy. As I’ve reflected on why that is, I believe it’s because most people lack a systematic way of going about it.  In its simplest form, a gap analysis consists of the following (and I’ll use a tangible example we all can relate to):