I was going to do a review of Aaron’s new book then I thought, wait a sec – let’s get him on the show and do the review with him. We had a great time recording the show and he dropped even more knowledge bombs as we discussed his latest book, The Voice of Your Dreams.

Ch. 0 – Intro

Old vs new dreamer.

Ch. 1 – Where To Start

Hemingway one idea left to write about.
Swiss cheese
Exercises, warmup
Start with small goals first
Improve a little each day
Avoid anxiety of attempting too much too early
Define success criteria
Small consistent action
Well begun is half done
Begin with a small action

Ch. 2 – But… What If I Fail?

In the beginning you will suck and fail
But you must get through this to advance
You may not suck as bad as you think
You must endure the lousy part to get to the good part

Ch. 3 – What Do You Want?

plan for your goals
make the vision crystal clear
write down your vision and commit

Ch. 4 – I Don’t Have What It Takes

are you willing to commit to what it takes to get what you want
what is the smallest possible step I can take to get onto the path

Ch. 5 – What About the Fear Factor?

To get rid of the fear means to do what causes you fear
once you get into taking action, the fear disappears and it becomes fun
* silence the voice of fear by doing

Ch. 6 – To Be Or Not To Be?

we act in different roles when in different circumstances
way of being – try it on like a coat
distinction between being and doing
redesign the being so that your actions change – the doing
pay attention to your being
don’t let fears and insecurities to shape your being
trying harder (GPS, framework) is useless unless you shift your being

Ch. 7 – The Truth About You

List encouraging quotes about you from other people
Big wins list
Bad things that happened in the past do not affect your future
Don’t let bad experiences and what people say drag you down

Ch. 8 – Half Full

optimists perform better than a pessimist all things being equal
optimist can bounce back from failure better
failure is only temporary
Do not internalize negative outcomes
avoid pessimism, there are too many downsides
Optimism can be learned
Don’t let trouble surprise you, it’s a part of life
Rather than getting stuck in analysis paralysis, they figure a way to get unstuck
choose which thoughts you dwell on and give significance

Ch. 9 – What A Racket

rackets are stories we make up about ourselves
4 steps of a racket:
1. complaint. eg. it’s impossible to do … (a declaration of powerlessness)
2. how we react
3. payoff for believing the limiting voice (avoid risk) (don’t try so you never fail)
4. cost of believing the limiting voice is true
do an inventory of beliefs you hold

Ch. 10 – I’ve Been Here Before

don’t make the symptom the focal point. get to the root cause.
system of thinking vs system of doing
implement new systems to be successful. Define goals.
What system can I create that will guarantee the result I want?

Ch. 11 – It’s All Made Up Anyway

The story we tell about ourselves are made up of beliefs
All our stories are made up. If so then we may as well make up stories that serve us well.
How do we make up good stories about ourselves?
Use coaches as a mirror.

Ch. 12 – The Commitment Compartment

Doubt causes us to jump out of our commitment compartment
Jump in the water to commit to your plan. Just do it. Doubts fade because you are too busy trying to solve the problem.
Favorable conditions never come. Do it now.

Ch. 13 – Stop Stopping

* Success is never owned, it is rented. And the rent is due every day.
Tenacity leads to success.
Push through.

Ch. 14 – Pro, Not Perfect

Procrastinate working on project to avoid failure and living small.
Work on project on the down low and wait to show the world when it’s perfect.
Like a minimum viable product.
Get it out there asap.

Ch. 15 – It’s Just a Game

We can choose the game we want to play.
Making a real world problem a game, activates creativity and alleviates fear.
Makes it a different way to think about the problem.
A game you can’t lose at is no fun.
Making it a game makes the task measurable and fun.
Helps to not take things too seriously.

Ch. 16 – Get a Coach

Everyone needs a coach.
A coach accelerates your progress.

Ch. 17 – Feedback

All feedback is good feedback
Feedback is critical to improvement
Similar feedback from different resources tends to be true (convergence)
Use feedback instead of assumptions, assumptions are often inaccurate
Asking for directions is like getting feedback
Accept the new reality. Surrender to the truth.
Seek out people to give you feedback.

Ch. 18 – The Machine

Determination to achieve your goal.
Shut down limiting voices.
Make a map of what needs to be done. Then follow it no matter what.
Moderate emotions
This too shall pass.
Use the robot to keep you on the path

Ch. 19 – Faster, Slower

80/20 rule.
Slow down to speed up.
Work smarter, not harder.
Meditate.
The meaning you add to an event gives it the feeling.
All thoughts and feelings are made up.

Ch. 20 – Renewal

Get adequate sleep.
Sacrificing sleep to do work is not worth it.

Ch. 21 – I’m Overwhelmed

Action alleviates fear.
Procrastination feeds the viscous cycle.
You don’t have to do anything, you choose to.
Cut out everything but the primary thing you are committed to.
Overwhelm is committed to things not in alignment with our goals.

Ch. 22 – I’m Worried

Worry equals reduced resources and creativity.
Rackets, worries, and complaints work together.
Worry is often connected to forecasting. Forecasting is assigning meaning to something that hasn’t happened yet.
We can choose which meaning to assign to it.
Choose the meaning that most aligns with our dreams.

Ch. 23 – Exercise

Exercise to enhance productivity.

Ch. 24 – How Can I Contribute?

Giving back is rewarding.

Ch. 25 – Finding Your Voice

Your unique contribution is your value.

Ch. 26 – Completion

Completing a task fuels enthusiasm while procrastinating drains.