I’m really proud of my achievements lately because I know it wasn’t an easy ride. That’s why I’d like to share some of the things I’ve done that helped along the way.

What I’m about to say might upset some, but I honestly couldn’t care less. To me, the first and most important steps one should take if he/she really wants to change his/her life for the better are:

1. Stay away from people who know it all;

2. Stay as far as you can from people who talk other people behind their backs;

3. Stay away from people who are in the same spot they were a year, or two, or five, or ten years ago in;

I strongly believe these steps are the most important ones.

Who you surround yourself with will unconsciously shape your personality, your desires and your life overall. Or, as I like to say “if you stay too long among cows, you’ll probably start mooing”.

This should clear things up to those of you wondering why did I distance myself from you. You probably are among those I consider to be “toxic”.

Now, let’s go further.

4. You NEED a shift in your mindset. STOP being pessimistic and STOP focusing on things that could go wrong. That doesn’t mean you have to become a hippie who sees everything fluffy and pink in a world collapsing around you. No, not at all! What I mean is that, when you intend to do something, instead of finding 10 reasons why it might go wrong and focusing on those, try to find 10 ways to overcome each one of them and put your energy there. Focus on what you can do, not on what you can’t. I hope that makes sense. Of course, there are times when the best option is to just give up on something, but that should be your last resort and a very well thought decision;

5. Set goals. Realistic goals. Set long term goals and break them into smaller short term ones. Make them as clear as possible. Don’t be afraid to adjust them if necessary;

6. Be the dumbest guy in the room. I don’t know who said it, but if you are the smartest guy in the room, you probably are inside the wrong room. What I mean by that is you should surround yourself with people smarter than you from whom you can learn stuff. I know it doesn’t really feed our egos but trust me it is amazing to learn something new every single day;

7. Stay away from gossips and small talk as much as you can;

8. Don’t get into ideological fights with people dumber than you. That, I must admit, was a tough one for me. I’ve got around 500 friends on my Facebook account out of which more than 300 I have unfollowed. That was the way I found to be working for me. You cannot imagine how many times I wrote long, full of arguments, ready to increase one’s will to die comments just to end up not submitting them and unfollowing the person I intended to address them to. The good part is I don’t have this problem in real life. When I hear someone saying dumb shit with confidence, I just let them be and even support their beliefs sometimes. I became one of the “villains” who really believe not everyone deserves better. In other words, some people just deserve the place they’re in and it isn’t your job nor your mission to get them out of there;

9. Never stop learning;

These are the things that came to my mind now. I might come back to edit it in case I remember anything else.

I strongly believe we are our only real enemies and our success and happiness depend only on our attitude and personal decisions. I don’t want to make everything public but, trust me, I was down there in the darkest of places with all odds against me and I managed to get out all by myself. I know what I’m talking about. I simply don’t buy the “circumstances” crap. Those are just excuses.