Any time I set a new goal for myself, the very first question I ask is, “What do I need to give up in order for this goal to manifest on its own?”

And when you’re first starting out, you don’t need the most experienced, most insightful, most successful person on planet earth to be the one answering your questions. You literally only need someone who is a few steps ahead of wherever you are, right now.

I wasn’t seeking these opportunities out, and I wasn’t trying to “climb the social ladder.” I just kept accepting invitations to the next thing from whoever I’d just met for breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee, or drinks.

Questions you should ask yourself when journaling: Why did I make that decision? What was the real underlying reason—the “root of the root?” How did that experience make me feel? What can I learn about myself through those feelings? What did I do today? Did I do the things I said I was going to do? If not, how come? How many days in a row will I

despite the fact that I was succeeding externally, I was suffering internally and severely depressed.

I took that answer, applied the knowledge, and then went back and asked another question. And then another. And another. And as long as they were willing to keep answering my questions, I kept taking the knowledge they gave me, applying it, improving, and returning with my next, more advanced question.

And the more your actions align with what you say, the more connected you will be to the path you truly desire for yourself.

If you want to spend less time drinking cheap beer with your friends from college, measure how many times per week you go out to the bars after work and reduce your average.

gave myself a rule that I couldn’t check my phone and start work until after I’d gotten out of bed and gone for a walk down the street to grab my morning cup of coffee. I tried journaling for at least five minutes each day—in the morning, if I had time, or before bed.