What I Tell Myself in the Mirror Everyday

It's 5:30 am.
I just woke up.
First stop is the bathroom.
This is my first visit in front of a mirror.
Not even a minute goes by and I think to myself:
- go back into your air conditioned room
- crawl into bed
The problem is I need to workout, eat breakfast, and make it to work early.
And a workout after work is inefficient because I like to use that free time to do whatever I want.
Whether it be watch the Yankee game, a James Bond movie, or work on my computer I like my freedom of choice.
So, I take matters into my own hand (or mind).
And I may sound like a maniac for a minute so bare with me.
Usually people like to talk positivity into their life.
Great, that makes you feel good.
I do it too.
But, I also do the opposite.
I look at myself in the mirror daily and I tell myself:

- "Are you going to be an unproductive bum today?"
OR
- "Look at you. Keep laying in bed you lazy useless waste of space."

OR
- "Poor you. You will never amount to anything in life"

And let me tell you something...
I still preach positivity into my daily routine (Trust me I'm not a psycho)
But this puts a fire under my ass and gets me going.
And this isn't the only time I do this.
I do this throughout the day.
My only exception is when I brush my teeth and wash my face before bed.
This is where I reflect on my day and dig up who, why, and what I am grateful for in life.
It can be the simplest things.
Like the ability to walk, talk, and see.
I do this because this positivity sparks a unique blend of humility and motivation.
The things I am most grateful for keeps me on my toes like a cat.
The people I am grateful for are the real reason I push myself to get out of bed and fight through the day.
But like I said, I don't push myself by looking in the mirror only once a day.
It's not enough.
Right before I am ready for work I make another trip into the bathroom and continue my commentary:
- "Look at you in your fancy clothes. All you do is sit behind a desk and do nothing"
- "You don't know anything and you don't push yourself enough"

Okay the last one might be true. I continuously learn every day.
Because at the beginning of this year, I didn't have a job.
I made a plan to learn more and I did.
I recorded all my hours of study time into an Excel table to hold myself accountable.
This is where I saw my progression and it excites me to share it with you.
I continuously worked on personal projects, challenged myself with certifications, and filled out job applications to a bunch of job postings.
The best tool I would suggest you to make is an excel/google sheet similar to this:

You need something to fuel you as well as caffeine does in your morning coffee.
But you need to fuel yourself without caffeine.
Self-starting yourself for motivation is hard.
So be as hard as a rock and challenge yourself for once!
You will be surprised at what you can accomplish.
Look at what one of my students messaged me after our summer session came to a close.

You have probably had coaches, managers, or someone make you feel like this once in your life.
I have been mentoring for all different types of activities for 8 years now.
Take this as coaching but learn how to light your own fire to grow exponentially.
I even peptalk myself in my cars rearview mirror when I get to work.
To the job I just received 3 months ago.
If you can prove that you have the energy to pursue excellence every single day you will grasp the attention of people like a dog when it sees you holding a treat.
You also have to know your stuff.
But confidence is key.
Have you looked in the mirror lately?

Best,
Jake