I felt compelled to write about this because many of my fellow Americans are being used as a bait by both political parties at this point. We are too close to November 3rd, and I’m not here to bash any particular party as both parties seem to have forgotten about the People.
We tend to focus on headlines, with many of us becoming victims of pure clickbaits both from new channels, blogs and YouTube videos.

The rise of so-called “stimulus experts” on YouTube has been astronomical. Most of these people would say anything to get that “click”, and would say anything for you to keep watching their videos…because it makes them money. They would rather flat-out lie to you as opposed to telling the truth…because without (even a fake!) news on stimulus that creates some “hope” in people, they themselves would lose adverttising revenues from YouTube. This practice is not only appalling but takes away millions of potentially productive hours from the American public…which they can use to learn a new skill, or do something to create new income source.

I am not here to give you false hope, because that would mean an insult to millions of struggling Americans…

So, instead of going back to the CARES Act which you know has already expired, I’d rather focus on what’s going on right now.

There’s no talks scheduled on the next relief bill at this point. None. The GOP has a $1.2T proposal for the Democrats which the latter refused because it did not include some of the provisions that the Democrats wanted. Specially, provisions to fund State and local governments, and a few things unrelated to the pandemic. However, they both agreed on sending direct payments to the American people, in addition to extended unemployment beneifts…even though the Republicans proposed $300 extra weekly benefits and the Dems wanted to see a higher number.

However, the Democrats refused to pass parts of the bill which both sides agreed on. Because they know passing parts of the bill will lead them to losing leverage on future negotiations if any. Besides, if 30 million Americans keep struggling, that would help both sides polarize the population needed to sway votes…

Therefore, it is not just convenient but important for them to keep the stimulus debate incomplete until the election is over. The reality is…the Senate just can’t pass a bill without the House voting on it, and vice versa. The President does have executive powers, but at this point…he did most of what he could have done…by creating the Lost Wage Assistance (LWA) program to provide an additional $300 to unemployed Americans. But, the funds for that are limited and will likely get wiped out before the election even begins, which will then become a talking point for the opposition. States such as Texas, Missouri, Tennessee and Montana have already run out of funds to continue providing LWA, with most of them having only paid 3 and 5 weeks on average.

Creating chaos and discontent is exactly what works for elections. If you have chaotic situation in place, all you have to do is control the narrative and blame the “other side” for the problem. These politicians are not looking for a solution, nor do they want to do anything constructive for the American people. Doing something good for the People would be “untimely”! These little “bills” peddled by politicians from both sides are simply meant to calm down their constituents. They do not want to be seen or perceived as “doing nothing”…like that, they will get re-elected.

I am just being the messenger here. I love this country and its people. I do not care which political party you support. I find it awful that some “journalists” and YouTubers would rather clickbait you into reading and listening to their nonsense as opposed to telling it like it is…

I will repeat, there will not be a stimulus package. Both sides recently agreed to prevent government shutdown before the election. But, they kept stimulus negotiations stalled. They did it for a reason. Shutting down government affects THEM…it would be their own admins and clerks in DC without a paycheck. It would be THEM without a paycheck….How is that helpful for either party before the election?

Hurting the American people does not hurt them. If anything, it helps them. But, there is something you can do, flood your Congressmen and Senators will calls and emails. Tell them their party will lose your vote if nothing is passed asap. Do this regardless of your party affiliation. THAT is the only hope you have!!

The only other possibility is if President Trump himself finds a way to send direct payments to Americans…

Focus your time on reading a book, or do something that you like…Those “stimulus” videos and those hopeful thumbnails on YouTube are meant to trick you. You are listening to utter bs, and making a stranger advertising $$$!

Self Belief

You’ve probably heard the trite remark, “Believe in yourself”. Deep down, do you? As you already know, the road to success is paved with failures, disappointments, doubt, and fears. There are times your friends, families and those whose opinion you respect will tell you that you’re chasing shadows.

It takes self-belief to believe in your dreams and abilities to make it happen. Successful people believe in their vision and they will keep at it until it becomes a reality.

Because success looks natural to successful people, we fail to see the years of hard work

Goal-Setting

There are two kinds of people in life: go-getters and procrastinators. Go-getters know what they want out of life and create SMART goals (SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Based).

By having SMART goals, successful people know what needs to be done and they set a strict deadline to accomplish it. Most importantly, they do what they need to do, whether they feel like it or not.

On the other hand, unsuccessful people keep pushing the needful into the future. Cultivate the habit of writing your goals and sticking to them!

Relationship Oriented

No one builds an empire alone! Successful people realize that they have weaknesses. They know they’re not an island. That’s why they form meaningful relationships with others that will complement their efforts. You can easily see how giant corporations thrive because everyone is pulling their weights. Although the founders or executive managers get the recognition, they know that without their workers, they’ll be nowhere. Even at the peak of his career, Usain Bolt still had a team of trainers.

Develop the habit of forming positive relationships with people that will bring out the best in you.

Growth Mindset

In her famous book, ‘Mindset: The New Psychology of Success’, Carol Dweck argues that successful people have a growth mindset, i.e. they believe that most of their basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work – brains and talent are just starting point. On the other hand, people with a fixed mindset believe their success is just based on innate abilities.

Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest basketball player of all time. He wasn’t the best player in high school or at UNC. But he had one thing going for him; he had a strong work ethic. As he told Roy Williams, the assistant coach of UNC back then, “I’m going to show you. Nobody will ever work as hard as I can!”.

Because success looks natural to successful people, we fail to see the years of hard work, dedication, and self-improvement they put into their dreams.

Unyielding Determination

Many people don’t realize that most successful people failed at some points in their lives. However, the only difference was that they didn’t give up! J.K. Rowling’s pitch for ‘Harry Potter’ was rejected 12 times. Walt Disney was fired from Kansas City Star because the editor felt he “lacked imagination and good ideas”. The list is endless.

Successful people see failure as a learning experience after which they rise stronger. At the end of the day, that makes all the difference.

Success can only be attained and sustained by developing successful habits. Believe in yourself, set SMART goals, form meaningful relationships, be a lifelong learner, and never give up! Remember, Thomas Edison once said, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up”.

When you care about your physical and emotional well-being, you will be more prepared to carry out your work. Therefore, it is essential to know how to have a steady health and diet to succeed in your business life.

Healthy food, healthy business

Sometimes we are tempted to order fast food or to eat quickly in a restaurant because we don’t have time to prepare something at home. But what happens when we eat what we can without control of our diet? We receive more or fewer calories than we need to function, so your brain and body won’t be in optimal condition to operate. In the long run, you will be prone to eating disorders and nutrient deficiencies.

You are what you eat, and your company is what it offers. If you don’t feed it with efficient human or material resources and don’t care about the quality of your services, you kill it slowly. 

Exercise = discipline and endurance

Being fit doesn’t mean having a lot of muscle mass and little body fat. When you train, you get used to being focused on exercise to avoid injury. Also, you help your body and mind to work on what you want step by step.

An entrepreneur should think alike. You must be consistent, motivated, and centered on your goals. 

Sleep better to make better decisions

It’s normal to have to work extra at night or not take breaks to meet daily goals. However, if you rest poorly or get less sleep than you need, it decreases your performance and work productivity. You can suffer from fatigue, headaches, sudden mood swings, and problems with decision making and information retention. 

When a company depends on you, you have to be active, fresh-minded, ready to deal with everyday difficulties. You should prefer at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep a day and short breaks to long days of coffee and red bull. Your body, your mind, and your business will appreciate it.

Take care of your health and diet for your business well-being

Think of it this way: if you work on the edge with little sleep, poor nutrition, sedentary lifestyles, and a lot of stress, how will you be able to deal with all the pressure and make accurate decisions? How will you be able to relate to your employees and business partners if you are always wasted? 

It’s not enough to look good to feel good; it’s a matter of changing the unhealthy habits that also affect your business. When you are disruptive, unpunctual, or impractical in solving problems, your company will be. 

If you take care of yourself, you take care of the health and nutrition of your business. It’s as simple as that.

D

o this exercise when you wake up tomorrow morning: Grab a blank sheet of paper, and write down the words “I’m testing my energy levels throughout the day”. Rewrite the same phrase on that paper once every hour until you go bed.

Take a look at the paper before you go to bed. You will notice how your handwriting became more sluggish as the day progressed. Your drop in energy levels as the day went by reflects on the way you wrote that phrase every time…

Our body and mind are most active and “absorbing” in the morning. So, when it comes to enriching your knowledge i.e. from reading a book to learning a new language, or if you’re conducting an important meeting, try to use those first hours of the morning after you wake up efficiently.

This is part of the art of time management. I include this in time-management because you’re choosing what to do during what hours of the day depending on how active and energetic you are during those hours. Most Indian classical singers and vocal students wake up really early in the morning to be able to practice warm-ups. The Chinese have mastered the art of giving your mind and body what it needs at dawn.

Your brain is able to better focus on important things in the morning

A few years ago, during an early morning stroll in downtown Shanghai, I could not help but notice people practicing Tai-Chi on Nanjing Pedestrian Road, which is a large car-free walkable area full of restaurants and shops. Your brain is able to better focus on important things in the morning, and while this seems so obvious, you will be surprised how many people, even though are aware, do not put this into practice, and end up not making an efficient use of their time.

Try this. Make it a part of your daily discipline. You will be surprised how much faster you are suddenly getting things done.