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Dec 17

2 Things Everyone Should Experience Before They Turn 22

By Ryan Avery Motivation 4 Comments

I have been getting questions from college students so I thought I would share my opinion on what you should do before you graduate! For those of us over 22, we can share this with our friends, family and neighbors who are asking the question, “What should I do before I graduate?”

My hope for everyone under age 22 is that you get to experience these two things:

1) Travel to another country. Go and see that your way is not the right way; it is just the way that works well for you. The more we travel, the more we get to see how different–but how alike–we all really are. Don’t let the biased media tell you what to believe; feel, taste, smell, see, and hear the attractions rather than merely viewing them through an LCD screen. Travel to another country and see what else is out there. It will open your eyes and keep you curious, connected and grounded with other humans sharing our planet.

2) Do something that makes its own money: Taste what it feels like to make something or provide a service for which people will pay. Do something where you can prove to yourself that no matter what happens in your future you can always do something with your brain that can make you your own money. Who knows? Maybe you will find out you are meant to be an entrepreneur, or that you don’t like it at all! The point is to have a memory when times get tough, that if you made $1 you can make $1,000!

For those of you who are over aged 22: What else would you say is one of the most important things someone should do while they are age 21 or younger? As always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

P.S. If you are about to graduate, and reading this article… Congrats! Keep working hard and go after your dreams!

Sep 12

Love0

4 Things Americans Can Be Reminded of From Malaysians

By Ryan Avery Motivation 3 Comments

Chelsea and I had a blast while we were in Malaysia! The people are fantastic, the food is spicy, and the possibilities for adventure and leisure there are endless!

We spent a week in Malaysia during the Toastmasters International Convention. During our time there we were reminded that we, in America, should be doing the same:

1) Take care of one another: While we were almost three blocks away from our hotel we had a flat tire. We got out of the car, and within minutes we had more than eight guys helping us fix it and get back on the road. Sometimes, I see Americans being fascinated with the thought of going across seas to help others in need, but there are millions of people in our own backyard that need our help. What are you doing to help those in America?

2) Our way is not the right way: I think for the most part, Americans are really proud to be American, but sometimes we have the view that our way is the right way and the way that works. Our way might be the way that works for us, but not the right way that works for everyone else. Like in most math problems, there are multiple solutions to get the same answer. Same goes for being human!

3) Embrace diversity: Malaysia has three cultures mixed within its borders including Chinese, Indian and Malay. They embrace it with photos in advertising, restaurants, friends, and language. I feel as though Americans can sometimes get pretty defensive when we “let others into our borders” or what an “American” looks like! Embracing a little more cultural diversity on a larger level would be good for America.

4) Speak another language: As the saying overseas goes, “If you know three languages you are trilingual. If you know two languages you are bilingual, and if you know one language you are

Take time this year to interact with more people who are outside your borders of comfort. Get to know them. Who knows? They might teach you something you like and remind you how much we have and how much we can improve! As always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

Jul 16

Love0

What’s the best investment to make in today’s economy?
By Ryan Avery Motivation, Productivity 9 Comments

Today’s question comes from Indira Berikova from Alma-Ata, Almaty, Kazakhstan, when she wants to know “What is the best investment in the market right now?”

I have a good grasp on money management and taking care of our future as my wife and I are almost debt free, live below our means and give 10% of our income away to good causes.

That was not always the case.

Have you ever been so broke you had to water down your soap and struggle to find rent money? A couple years ago, Chelsea and I had to water down our watered down soap. We had $84 in our bank account, had no idea where rent money was coming from and almost got on food stamps.

I applied for 75+ jobs with no response (even Quiznos didn’t hire me!). I remember laying on our carpeted floor, not knowing what we were going to do. We walked outside to clear our minds and the phone rang. I got a job! An awesome job! They even paid me an advance so we could stay in our apartment and slowly get back on our feet.

I don’t like being crunched for cash. It’s not fun going to the grocery store and not being able to get the types of food you want. It’s not fun when you have friends who go out and you can’t join them because you can’t even afford one happy hour beer. It’s not fun to not be able to buy your wife a $2 flower to show her you love her because that’s not “in the budget.” I never wanted to be in that situation again!

Once we got that light of hope with a job offer, we did everything we could to advance our personal and professional career. We started reading, digesting, learning and taking in as much information as we could about life, success, money, happiness, family, goal setting and travel.

We agreed to always live below our means, take care of the things we care about most by sticking to our four pillars and to have a successful life. Four years later, we still live by these principles and it has helped us have a life we feel proud to live.

So I am not a financial advisor, I dabble with my E-Trade account by buying stocks and selling options and right now most of the money we make goes right back into our companies, but the best investment you can make in today’s economy, without a doubt, is yourself!

Invest in you! Read more books. Watch more educational videos. Listen to motivational CDs. Go workout and take alone time. Create goals. Stretch yourself. Do what it takes to make things happen in your life! When you invest in yourself, others will invest in you.

What are you doing right now, today, so that tomorrow you are stronger, better, more efficient and more successful than you were two days ago? Invest in yourself and not only will your family be stronger, our world will be better!

Keep investing in yourself and it will pay dividends for years to come. Thanks for the question Indira and as always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

P.S. My goal is to help you reach yours. I will be honest, open and share valuable content that will help improve areas of your life. If you like my content, sign up to receive articles in the right hand corner of this page. Thank you and keep working to make things happen!