Wishes are for Aladdin, be your own Genie

Courtesy: Disney

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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Disclaimer: I'm not an expert or a guru at anything, just sharing some advice that's worked for me.

I think many times we all say we wish something could be better about our lives. I've done it a lot. But now instead of wishing for stuff or opportunities, I'm focusing more making those things happen. There's no lamp and there's no Genie. Change has to come from within.

From Gary Vee's Snapchat

There are two people who I credit with molding my new outlook. One is a really good friend of mine, the other I've never met. Gary Vaynerchuk, aka Gary Vee has become an inspiration in recent months. Follow him on social media, listen to his podcasts and watch his YouTube videos. 

His advice is simple and doesn't require paying for a subscription. One of his principles is content is king. He's the reason I've started a "blogging streak." I've already noticed a jump in page views compared to this time last year. I've stopped playing Words with Friends as much and listening to so many wrestling podcasts. Instead I'm doing the "hustle".  I'll admit my game needs more work, but I believe I'm getting there. My Snapchat stories are more meaningful and my posts on my Instagram pages and Twitter are evolving.

My buddy Tom

My other go-to guy in the world of social media, marketing and life in general is Tom Harness. I've blogged about him before, but he's one of the most uplifting and positive people I've ever met. He actually hooked me onto Gary Vee. I firmly believe if you want to succeed at anything, you have to surround yourself if like-minded people. Tom's drive and hunger for success are infectious. The Craftbeericans all started with a conversation amongst friends and within a few days we had a name, logo and social media presence thanks to Tom's determination.

My first marathon 

We're not guaranteed tomorrow, but remember finding success is a like a marathon, which reminds me of my next point. When I ran my first (and so far only) marathon in October, I didn't "wish" I could do it. I trained hard for it. I missed social events to go running. I woke up early for training sessions. I changed my eating habits. Twenty-five years ago when I earned the rank of Eagle Scout, instead of wishing for the success I worked my butt off earning merit badges and completing a service project. I'm going to apply those same principles to making My 1-2-3 Cents a successful endeavor. 

This is the CliffsNotes version of all the thoughts going through my head. If you don't like your situation there is always something you can do to improve it. Even when it seems like there's not, you can. Make sacrifices and changes. But you have to WANT the change and not wish for it.

I will still wish for a pool on hot summer days, but now I'm going to work even harder on making things happen. Maybe in the not-so-distant future I'll be blogging and podcasting poolside.