Quotes by Steve Pavlina

Curiosity is more flexible and practical than belief.

The universe is waiting on you, not the other way around, and it's going to keep waiting until you finally make up your mind. Waiting for clarity is like being a sculptor staring at a piece of marble, waiting for the statue within to cast off the unneeded pieces. Do not wait for clarity to spontaneously materialize -- grab a chisel and get busy!

"If you really believe something, you will act in accordance with that belief -- always. If you believe in gravity, you will never attempt to defy it. If you claim to hold a belief but act incongruently, then you don't actually believe it. You're only kidding yourself. Casual faith isn't."

"If you experience chronic difficulties in a particular area of your life, there’s a strong chance that the root of the problem is a failure to accept reality as it is."

It’s important to note that you don’t have to earn money from all of your interests. If you just dive in and pursue what you enjoy, you may be surprised to find out which interests help you generate income and which don’t.

Fail your way forward.  Recognize that Ready, fire, aim is superior to ready, aim, aim, aim.  Straightforward trial and error produces better results than endless vacillating.  If you’re afraid to make decisions and act on them in the face of ambiguity and uncertainty, get a job.  Failure’s lessons are essential to success.

Embrace opportunities with limited downside, unlimited upside.  The best deals are those where your risk of loss is predictable and fixed if things go wrong, while your potential gains are enormous if things go right.  Take such deals whenever you can get them if the odds of success are halfway decent.

Do what you love, but be damned sure it’s profitable.  If you do work you love, but it doesn’t generate income, your business will fail.  If you do work you hate, but it generates income, your health will fail… and your business along with it.  If you can’t do what you love and make it profitable, you’ve either got a hobby or a headache, not a sustainable business.  Don’t settle for anything less than passion and profit.

Think for yourself.  Unplug yourself from follow-the-follower groupthink, and virtually ignore what everyone else in your industry is saying (except the ones everyone agrees is crazy).  Do your own research, draw your own conclusions, set your own course, and stick to your guns.  When you’re just starting out, people will tell you you’re wrong.  After you’ve blown past them, they’ll tell you you’re crazy.  A few years after that, they’ll (privately) ask you to mentor them.

Understand that relationships are more important than contracts.  Business deals are relationships between people.  The signed piece of paper is important, but it’s merely the result of the relationship, not the cause.  If the relationship crumbles, the contract won’t save you, although it could be very lucrative for your lawyer.