Face it, you're not good enough.

Is that the story you tell yourself?

You know the saying, “you're your own worst critic?”

It's not serving you. I know I've told myself such stories. More than anyone else has told me such stories.

I got stuck on wanting to make it better. “It” by the way, was anything I was working on. There's nothing wrong with better. But there is a lot wrong with wanting perfection. I always strived for perfection. I always cringed at the first ding in a new camera. Or a new car. It was no longer perfect. But that's life.

Look at my photography you know I like to photograph weathered old things. Things that have seen a lot of life. Things that have passed their sell-by date. But everything else should be perfect. Just like calling something the 'best ever' perfect is elusive. Unattainable.

Perfectionism is evil. It'll stop you in your tracks. It's a crutch. An excuse for procrastinating.

Insecurity. Anxiety. We all have it. Everyone has it. Some is healthy. Keeps you from being a total asshole. Gives you humility. Gratitude. A healthy amount keeps you grounded and focused.

If you're reading this right now, you have the capability to reach your goals. I write this even as I know I haven't achieved as much as I've wanted to date. BUT, I heartily recognize that at so many twists and turns I've been the thorn in my side.

Yes, there are things outside my control. There are always things outside of our control. Yet over and over, I've waited. I've played small. I've told myself stories that only served to keep me down. Other people did all of the cool stuff and it would be later that I would too.

Have you ever thought about why you tell yourself the stories you do rather than the story you want? Are you avoiding something? Or thinking you haven't found your thing? Maybe you've had a setback or two. Or three.

Have you ever thought about changing that story? You can you know. That's where you embrace killing ants. No, not those ants. Automatic negative thoughts. Get it?

I need to tell you I didn't make this up. Dr. Daniel Amen did.

It was sparked when he had a real ant infestation in his home and realized we have infestations of negativity in our heads. Not a bad metaphor, no? Thought so.

What you tell yourself matters. There's plenty of research to back that up. Yet we still get hung up. Our brains gravitate to the negative.

It's back to mindset.

Want me to give you a list of the sayings we have around this? Of course you do.

• If you think you can or think you can't, you're right.
• Get out of your own way
• You are your own worst enemy
• Thoughts become things
• You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
• I'm too old to start this
• I don't have time to start over
• I'm not smart enough or good enough or . . .
• I'm I don’t have what it takes.
• I'm already better off than most of the world
• I’m not an entrepreneur.
• I don't have the right skills
• I need to learn more before I could do that
• If I had the time I could
• I don't have the money
• It's too risky. It's a stupid idea anyway

How many of these have you said?

Jim Kwik, a brain coach who found his calling after overcoming an early childhood brain injury that stunted his learning ability has a formula for action.

First, limits are learned. Some we pick up in school. Others from those we hang with who are also fearful of growth and change.

Growth comes from combining motivation with mindset.

Put in his formula: P x E x S(3) = key to motivation and drive.

• P = Purpose. This is a feeling.
• E = Energy. Not just any energy but that which combines the head with heart with hands
• S(3) = Simple small steps. I often talk about how the key to building successful brand is attention to the small stuff. That matters. That's noticed. Here it's small, achievable steps. Those are the ones you'll act on because they're doable.

Hopefully you can see how changing the story can change your outcomes.

Your mileage with this or any framework will vary. You need to design your work to fit you and your family. Don't make that limiting. Think of it as a beautiful constraint that forces creative solutions.

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Work life. Or just life?

This newsletter is all about designing your work to achieve financial independence to protect you from market forces outside your control. That takes intention. And is something most people don't really think enough about. We talk about work. And then we talk about life outside of work. What if they were one and the same. Not that work WAS your life, but that we looked at work as a calling and integrated with our lives in a way that created fulfillment.

As I explore where to take this newsletter, I've kicked off a Twitter account where I'll share a daily nudge to provoke your thinking. Why Twitter you ask? I started there back in 2008 with @pprothe. And it’s a platform to share something simple plus I’m curious.

I also want your feedback. This week was about brain strategy over last week’s focus on business strategy. Which is more useful for you?

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A measured cryptocurrency primer

I’ll leave you with a couple of writers on crypto currency which is all the rage right now. Not sure if we’re in a bubble or not, but it is gaining traction with more institutional investors putting serious money there.

Vitalik Buterin is the creator of Ethereum, second to Bitcoin. And is far, far wiser than I at 27. And now!

Balaji Srinivasan goes deep on blockchain and technology. But without the hype of the hucksters.