If you’re anything like me, you have searched far and wide for some go-to resources for finding motivation, setting goals, and how to achieve success. Maybe you’ve found some, maybe you haven’t, and maybe you’re reading my book to try and set yourself up for success (I hope that’s the case, or else you’re using this book as a coaster). Internal motivation can be difficult to find, unless you know how, in which case, it can be quite easy. The issue with motivation is sustaining it—it can be far too easy to lose when you feel yourself getting comfortable. Motivation is that feeling of burning desire and passion you get after watching a motivational video on how to become successful or watching a documentary of a billionaire living a lifestyle in which you dream of. That feeling of desire, passion, and aspiration for a better life; that energy and sense of higher purpose is your motivation, and that’s the foundation of what we’ll be talking about in this book. By the end of this book, you’re going to learn how to fuel your internal flame of motivation by tossing a metaphorical tank of propane on it, and you’re going to learn how to use your motivation to reach heights you once thought were unattainable. Everybody has their own unique story, strengths, weaknesses, and dreams. My many stories, advice, and suggestions are going to help guide you in your search for a better life and will teach you how to use your own unique set of skills and ideas to achieve the Ultimate Goal that we will set together later in the book.

You have so much to live for, so much to accomplish, and so many lives to change. Maybe you have untapped potential that you have seen glimpses of but have never truly set free, perhaps you have always wanted to run your own company but have never felt like you knew where to start, or maybe you have ideas flowing out of your pores each day but just don’t know how to set goals in an attainable and achievable manner. Our respective lives are far too short and fragile for us not to achieve our goals, and we need to live each and every day as if it’s our last—because it very well could be.

We all have dreams—some big and some small. Some people achieve their dreams, think bigger, and keep chasing their dreams their whole life while others struggle to ever achieve one. Failing to achieve your goals isn’t a matter of not being skilled—you do not need to be skilled or be a genius to be successful. Success comes with hard work, which is only achieved by setting goals and being fueled by your motivation and a higher purpose. Motivation is such a powerful tool and can push you to overcome obstacles that would crush another human, but if you get distracted, too comfortable, or start doubting yourself, your motivation can slip away and be tough to find once again. Far too many times, I’ve been high as a kite on motivation, singing my favourite Elvis Presley songs into my shampoo bottle while a plethora of potential business ideas flow through my mind. I’ll have twenty different ideas zipping around in my head, building off one another, I’ll be staying up late writing action plans for these ideas, all while my heart’s running the Boston marathon in my chest. I’ll spend every second of the day obsessing over these goals. In my mind, I’ll feel like if I don’t achieve these dreams, I will quite literally die. A few strenuous weeks pass, I become exhausted and start to hit a wall, and suddenly, Netflix becomes a little more appealing. I’ll start thinking to myself something along the lines of:

“What was that TV show that my colleague’s wife watched? Oh right, that one, wait, isn’t that… wow, I didn’t know she starred in this movie, wasn’t she also in that movie with that robot army? Let me check Google.”

*Four hours pass*

           “Holy smokes, I had no idea Kangaroos can jump THAT high!”

As ridiculous as that may sound to you all reading this, far too often, we find ourselves down these silly rabbit holes while browsing the internet. What happened during that four-hour window? Did you learn anything that will help you in your current job or in the company you want to start? There is a 99.9% chance the answer is no, but hey, there’s still a 0.1% chance that your company could actually benefit by knowing a kangaroo can jump 6 feet in the air. The point that I’m trying to make here is that each and every one of you reading this has most likely had a similar experience when trying to stay focused on their goals and work through the exhaustion and distractions.

As tough as it is to find and keep your motivation, sometimes you can really harm your motivation by forcing it too hard as well. Have you ever sat there trying to come up with a new product idea and you find yourself becoming frustrated? You find that you’re forcing your brain’s gearbox to turn, and you’re overheating it. You become frustrated with the fact that you’re not thinking clearly, and then you start becoming frustrated with the fact that you’re even frustrated with yourself. You’re now stuck in this loop of frustration and disappointment. You’re now second-guessing yourself, the goals you’ve set, and the path you’ve chosen, and you’re wondering if you’re ever going to even achieve your goals. The second you start doubting yourself, you become exhausted, or start getting frustrated, you’re better off taking a step back, catching your breath, unwinding, and starting fresh in the morning. The more you force it, the more you’re going to shine a negative light onto yourself and your chosen path.

Of course, there is no one correct way in which everyone can seek, maintain, and improve their motivation. In fact, you may read this book and realize that you think I’m completely out of my tree. If that’s the case, please take this as my formal apology (that’s probably the best you’re going to get out of me, ask my mom, I don’t think I’ve ever apologized for something this quickly before). This book is supposed to relate to everybody on some level. Whether you’re a high school student trying to find the motivation to study hard and get into College/University, you’re a recent College/University graduate trying to find a prestigious corporate job, you’re an artist trying to find the motivation to paint your masterpiece, or you’re like me and you’re sick of the corporate game and want to run your own companies. This book will help you with formulating ideas efficiently, finding what fuels your inner motivation, and setting yourself up to think in a much more positive light.

 Just by being alive, you’ve overcome odds of 1 in 400 trillion. Do you realize how insane that is? Seriously, that’s insane. Say that over and over again until it becomes real.  

You overcame the odds of 1 in 400 trillion

You overcame the odds of 1 in 400 trillion

You overcame the odds of 1 in 400 trillion

           ​Has it sunk in yet? Do you feel lucky to be alive? Are you going to spit in the face of fate and waste your years living a mediocre, unsatisfactory, and non-motivated life? Or, are you going to set goals bigger than ever before, chase your dreams relentlessly, and realize that if you overcame the odds before, you can do it over and over again for the rest of your life. If you’re already alive, wouldn’t you want to live an exciting and fulfilling life? You’re already here, you’ve made it, why not take advantage of the gift you’ve been given? Now that you’ve had this life-changing, Palmer-induced, self-realization, are you ready to put your 1 in 400 trillion self to work on becoming the best, most motivated, and successful you possible? I’m not going to tell you what to do, what to say, or how to act. I want you to be honest and transparent with yourself through this journey we’re about to take. I want you to keep an open mind and try and think about all those amazing things you want to accomplish in your life. In this book, I will tell you a little bit about myself, I will tell you how I’ve failed, and what I did to bounce back, and, together, we are going to set, obsess, and achieve our Ultimate Goal. Go refill your water bottle, stretch your legs, grab a fresh cup of coffee/tea, and let’s dig in, shall we?