3 life changing things I learned, reading ONE book per day for FIVE months.

Why did I do it?

Last year I had an incredible business opportunity slip through my grasp. I had to turn down an incredible offer. I had to miss out on a HUGE opportunity.

Now, in hindsight, I am so glad I did it!

This was a chance to add to my growing business and a chance to accomplish a goal I had pursued since childhood. If you told me 10 years ago, I would turn down something like this, I would've said you were crazy.

This chance opened my eyes to an array of areas in my business life and personal life, I had been neglecting, procrastinating, and unknowingly failing at.

I was inspired watching a TED Talk with Tai Lopez, in which he explained his daily habit of reading one book per day. He had a quote that resonated with me from his grandfather. This quote was from his grandfather, who was helping Tai through a struggling time. He said, "Don't look inward, look outward." To me, that quote represents the concept of pursuing knowledge and the idea you must get up, get out and put in the work.

"You can pray for rain, but don't forget to water the seeds."
- Unknown

Jiu-Jitsu gives me the tools and teaches to always pursue knowledge and look for answers.

The answers to my business woes and complacency were not trapped inside my brain. They were out there somewhere. Who would've known they were in Barnes and Noble.

1. GRANDIOSE goals, create GRANDIOSE change.

Dale Carnegie is one of my personal favorites. In his book, "Make Yourself Unforgettable", he talks about the dangers of setting GRANDIOSE goals. The main problem with setting a grandiose goal is the fact that they are big goals that usually don't get accomplished because of the individuals arrogance towards the amount of effort, work, or strategy needed towards accomplishing it.

I prefer to set grandiose goals in order to facilitate even MORE motivation. I take on the workload head on and fully accept the possibilities of failure. I know that If my goal is to read a book per month, this will most likely turn into a book per year.

To combat this, I always make my goals ridiculously difficult and almost impossible to accomplish. WHY?

Because, I know that if I set the goal high, it will create an environment in which I have a much greater work load, need to be more disciplined, and could potentially achieve more overall progress.What if I don't reach the goal? So be it! I probably made three times the amount of progress in TRYING to achieve it.

So, to jump start my life change and fix my ways, it HAD to be a book per day. Sometimes two, maybe three. I woke up earlier, sometimes went to bed later, watched little to no TV, and dove right in. This adventure taught me and reminded me to ALWAYS set the bar high. Improvement will be guaranteed.

2. Total immersion is best for learning.

I used to think learning was best accomplished through a step by step, structured and ordered process. I always tried to take my time, and go slow and try to not miss anything. Well, I missed A LOT!

There is nothing wrong with the above method and honestly, it can work perfectly fine. It has its time and place. However, is that best for our brain? Does our brain care about sequential order?

After one month, my brain was all over the place. I was confusing quotes, forgetting chapters, and forgetting where I had left off. Suddenly, an amazing process began. Everything started to work its way out. Like a switch was turned on and everything was stored exactly where it should be. It was incredible to feel my brain sorting things out and putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

In the beginning, I told myself, I was just going to read, maybe take notes, and let things happen. I read everything I could that related to my interests. I read fast, read slow, jotted some things down, and even skipped some parts that didn't apply to me. I immersed myself. I jumped into it.

It actually calmed me. My whole life was patterned around doing everything in order. Especially when it came to learning. But, learning is deeper than that. It is truly about acquiring the information, working with that information in some type of practice, and letting your brain store it and takeover the rest.

When you want to learn something, dive in. Study and watch EVERYTHING. Things will stick at different points for different reasons. Something that doesn't make a difference to you now, will make a difference later when it matters more.

3. One year ago, I couldn't open a Microsoft Word Document.

That is an absolute fact. It is a sad fact. It is one of my regrets in life. I have a lot of regrets. I love regrets. They are reminders of past failures and misfortunes. They are motivation. My life was built upon a foundation of regrets. Don't run from them. Don't lie to yourself about not regretting. Push through it and make sure it never happens again.

Growing up, I was OBSESSIVELY focused on Jiu-Jitsu. I had a one track mind and it greatly effected my grades and performance in school. I was educated on the mats. Luckily, it worked out. Mostly do to my will, persistence, hustle, and grit , but it was unfortunate to lose out on certain skills. I missed out on a lot of technological and educational lessons that could've made life much easier. I neglected habits that would help me day to day, off the mat. It's ok. I use this experience as a lesson to inspire kids to focus on education and to make sure they understand WHY they need to finish those tricky math problems that don't seem functional at all.

After 5 months of a ONE book per day.

• I taught myself web design. The site you are on now.
• I learned Marketing and Sales Techniques that get utilized daily.
• My Jiu-Jitsu academy in Malta, had a 160% increase in growth in 8 months. This, along with a 94% retention rate.
• I marketed and promoted the biggest BJJ seminar, taught in American history, taught by Rickson Gracie. Someone who I have developed a great friendship with. How? Like I said, books offer lots of lessons.
• My business went through and organizational surge and became much more fluid.
• I taught myself graphic design.
• I ran a 50 mile Ultra Marathon.

The list could go on forever.

In closing...

​Sweethearts and Heroes co-founder, Jason Spector, offers a valuable reminder for all of life's tragedies and failures...
"Make it the best thing that ever happened to you."

I am glad I turned down the INCREDIBLE business oppprtunity. If I hadn't, I would not have gained the amount of knowledge and new found success I own now forever. I would be trapped in a failing situation, gasping for air.

I am glad I had the sense to "look outward". All of the masters in life have their wisdom and knowledge laid out on those things called pages, divided into things called chapters and binded into things called books. Oh yeah, and they definitely save a lot of details for their books. Google does not have all the answers.

ALL THE SOLUTIONS are there. It will take some discipline to find them and some sleepless nights searching for them.

It will be all worth it. Set your goals high. Jump right into it, don't wait. Challenge yourself to learn something you never learned before. You will be better. You will be satisfied. It can change your life.

Eddie Fyvie