“Shooters Shoot” is obviously a common expression, most of the time in the context of when someone tries something and it doesn’t work out. What I will be digging into is not just the “shot,” but also what we learn after the attempt fails.

Lets first start by exploring the dichotomy between “Shot Volume” and “Waiting until your Open.” Did I hear a Sports Analogy? Yes your right, as a 20 something male this post is going to most appeal to the Basketball fans out there.

Lets compare two different Basketball Players, Steve Kerr and Michael Jordan. And to be clear, I am talking about the Steve Kerr the player, not him now as a coach. For those of you that don’t know, they were two very different types of athletes with different “games.” Together they won multiple NBA Finals with the Chicago Bulls. Michael Jordan is considered one of the Greatest Players of all time and dominated his opponents both mentally and physically. What really made him stand out was when he got the ball, whether he was open or not, you knew he was going to take his shot. Now Steve Kerr, on the other hand, is one of the greatest 3 point shooters of all time but wouldn’t put him in the same legendary category as The GOAT.

What stops someone like Steve Kerr from being the caliber of Michael Jordan? Well first and foremost, when Steve Kerr had the ball you didn’t know whether he was going to shoot or pass, but you knew when he did shoot it was likely going in. On paper, Steve Kerr was a much more efficient player because he made less mistakes, but we will always remember Michael Jordan because he took more shots.

You may read this and think the message is to take more shots right? Unfortunately, it is not that black and white, hence the Dichotomy. Steve Kerr didn’t have the same ability; Jordan being a faster and stronger athlete had the ability to get shots off from anywhere on the court. What both athletes had was a self-awareness of their strengths and weaknesses to be the best players they were capable of. With this combination they were able to form one of the greatest NBA dynasties of all time.

The best way to cultivate this self-awareness is taking shots. Steve Kerr learned his role by taking shots, after getting stuffed in the paint a few too many times he started to cultivate an awareness that the 3 point line would be where he would succeed. The misses are where we experience the most growth.

Not sure what you want to do with your life or what your passion is? Try multiple professions and passions. Start selling, developing, writing, painting, fishing, biking, skiing, etc. If it interests you, try it. Once you figure out what you are good at, go out and take your SHOT!

Good morning and Happy Monday! With that I want to make this post short and sweet so you can fire off your week with intention.

First off, I am not your Guru, nor do I intend on pretending I am the worlds happiest person. I want to address on key ingredient to happiness most people ignore that has made a huge impact on my life.

Ever wondered why you don’t feel happy? You feel like you are doing everything right while pursuing your passions and working hard towards accomplishing your goals; however, something missing. There is one thing you may be forgetting…GRATITUDE.

Gratitude is as simple as being thankful for what you have as opposed to what you want or need.

With all your great ambitions, it is easy to get stuck in never being satisfied and always wanting more. With all that hunger inside you, take a moment to appreciate what you have accomplished which will in turn make you more focused and excited to bring more value to the world.

Two tactics that have helped me experience Gratitude intentionally is Meditation and Journaling. Now I could write a whole other blog on meditation and its benefits (which I may eventually do). To keep it short and concise as promised, one of its biggest impacts it has made it has being able to sit in silence to appreciate the simple pleasures in life (e.g. the sound of wind, feeling of sun against the skin, air in the lungs). For Journaling, begin by writing 3 things to start your morning or end your day that you are grateful for and why. The simple act of writing things down will provide a feedback loop that will follow you through the day and/or while you sleep.

With that, wish you all a great week and remember how lucky you are to be alive!

What do you do when your ship is headed towards an iceberg? Do you hope someone turns left or do you grab the wheel and save the day. On this ship no one else is on the boat, so hope will get you as far as a sinking Titanic.

This post was originally about money but I changed the title because it is much more than that, it is about a mindset.

What do Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, and Jeff Bezos have in common? Okay if you guessed they are successful billionaires you were right, but what I’m referring to is they are all masters of their craft. They took things into their own hands and developed habits that made them successful. Warren Buffet spends 80% of his day reading, Bill Gates reads 50 books per year. They aren’t reading Game of Thrones, but rather books that make them better at what they do. They are constantly trying to get better and put knowledge into action. With so many things out of our control like the economy crashing, regulations, and consumer preferences changing; they learn the principles that carry over to any market condition.

I hear too many people complain that there employer isn’t paying them enough. Sorry if this is hard to hear but no one cares, especially not your employer. If your employer thought you were worth more, they would pay you more.

I am not saying you have to go out and start the next Amazon or quit your day job to just read books. What I am saying is stop complaining and start taking action. If you want to make some more money, maybe start reading a personal finance book, go to a networking event, or attend a conference…the resources are endless. My advice is to just start making incremental changes towards what you want.

I look at time and money as two commodities and there are too many of you complaining while wasting both. Start thinking about “Why” you need more. Is it so you can spend an extra $100 at the bar on or buy a bigger tv? If you are wasting your money on wasting your time, logic dictates that your finances and your life won’t change.

This may have all come across a little harsh but I want to be clear it is not my attention. I want everyone to live there best lives and be as happy as possible. For some that means spending money out at fancy restaurants or playing in the softball league every Thursday. There is nothing wrong with having fun and doing what you enjoy, just realize that no one owes you anything. Let that sense of entitlement go, you will feel more free.

You are captain of your own ship. Go out and learn more, be more, and excel!

1% control 99% of everything! For some it’s hard to hear but is the reality of the world we live in.

Some people are born more fortunate than others and that is just the way it is. Do those people have a better chance of being in the 1%? They sure do. Do the people born with nothing have an opportunity to joining the 1%? Absolutely.

We have all heard the “rags to riches” stories. There is no getting around it, their vision, work ethic, and perseverance got them to where they wanted to go.

Are there people out there that get rich “scamming” the uneducated few? The answer is yes but those are people who are on the path of achieving for themselves which is short term thinking. I think we all remember what happened to Bernie Madoff.

Our society tells us to “stick it to the man…” but I believe that is foolish thinking.

Maybe you teach “the man” a lesson, but what have you really done?  Okay yea you may feel good in the short term thinking this small victory was for the masses. In reality, you threw a pebble at a skyscraper and that tower is not coming down.

Think of the alternative for a second. We all split everything down the middle and no one earns more than anyone else. We tried that in Russia and I recall it not working that well…

I want to live in a world where I can get rewarded for my hard work. Where I can aspire to be something bigger than I am. This is a mindset the 1% has to have, I can guarantee you there is always more to achieve more, be more, and seek fulfillment. You find someone who believes they have achieved everything, I will find you an unhappy person.

We as humans need to have purpose and feel we are connected to the universe. To be great you have to provide immense value to others which in turn leads to your purpose.

The 1% does not squander on what they don’t have, they focus on what they want and the value they can bring to get there. Embrace what we do have to bring the most value to others and live a more meaningful life.

You probably read the title and squinted your eyes a bit in confusion. I know, I know it may be a contradiction but I am working to form the nickname “Joey Two Times.”

But in reality the purpose of the title was overcoming fear, but that would be too simple and could lead to a frankly cliché post. This is about the fear underneath fear. That is making choices you fear will lead to that fear of failure or rejection.

One of our biggest fears as human is the world will find out we are frauds. This is something even the most successful people experience.

What helped me start thinking of this was an episode of Comedians and Cars getting Coffee. For those of you that don’t know, this is a fantastic simple show where Jerry Seinfeld takes comedians in vintage cars and interviews them over a cup of local coffee. When I heard Zach Galifanakis interviewed he said something that stuck we me when talking about success. “I felt quite intimidated after The Hangover. Not to be complain-y, but I was like … I panicked. Because I thought, I got to sit and watch people and observe it. That’s where I got everything. I got threatened by [the idea that] I wouldn’t be able to do it anymore.”

This is a perfect example of someone who has success knocking on their doorstep and they still have fear. In this case it is that he just got lucky and couldn’t replicate the success again. Obviously he has proven success beyond the Hangover but that insecurity still stays with him.

In writing this blog, I had fear of starting because I feared my opinions would be rejected by anyone who decides to read my thoughts. I decided I was no longer going to let my actions be run by my insecurities. I flipped it on it’s head, I now let my insecurities drive me. Zach Galifanakis didn’t let his fear paralyze his success, rather he used it as motivation to prove people wrong. 

Fear is one of our biggest drivers, and once we start using it to our advantage we can start embracing it!

No this isn’t a Nike ad, although I will take a second to admire how fantastic a company slogan they have.

Think of two different feelings, that feeling of having to start something and the feeling of actually starting. Which one feels better?

Things are hard to start and way less hard to complete.

It’s Friday, feeling good, ready for the weekend and a drink or two…or three. Right before class is dismissed, the English teacher decides that that chapter you just read (or cliff noted) on The Great Gatsby is worth a mesmerizing essay due on Monday. That “high” going into the weekend just fell flat as I think about all the time I will be spending on this essay. I continue to go out with some friends Friday and Saturday but with the occasional memory of that essay which would bring upon immediate anxiety. With all that of course I get it done Sunday night before class, I then walk in Monday feeling proud to have it done. Only one problem is there is more than one chapter in The Great Gatsby….so next thing you know tomorrow the next chapters essay is due the process of procrastination and anxiety is repeated.

I could spend days, weeks, even years thinking about the perfect post but unfortunately there is just no such thing. Maybe this post is a total bomb…but good, at least I made a decision to allow me to make the next one better.

Indecision is no way to live and it took me too long to finally figure this out. I stopped procrastinating and when I had time to do something, I just did it. I didn’t have to sacrifice anything, the same amount of time was used on whatever I had to do (maybe with better quality). The only key difference is that anxiety was now relieved.

Ever asked someone what they wanted to eat? Now you find yourself going back and forth with indecision. That question now is giving you an opportunity to lead, take it and make a choice. No it may not be the perfect choice, but it is still a choice which is more powerful that the best tasting burrito.

Paralysis by analysis applies to all facets of life. Maybe you are in a bad relationship or bad job that you know you should get out of. My two cents, if you think you should do it…DO IT! You may be wrong but making a wrong decision is still better than no decision at all.

Cheers to the weekend my friends, GET IT DONE!

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton