John D. Rockefeller: Greed, Philantropy, Family and Purpose.

From beginning to the end, the life of John D. Rockefeller is a powerhouse. 

Described both as a man possessed by the greed of wealth and a man of great work in philanthropy, Ron Chernow’s leaves this legacy’s judgement up to you.

Conclusions and verdicts are often easy to come about with biased information. But similar to how Rockefeller made business decisions, an argument’s side should be made when you can defend both sides of a story. 

This isn’t going to be a complete cliff notes version of this story. We all can read, and I highly recommend you pick this book up. However, I will give you my take away points from this book. 

Rockefeller did grow up poor and was practically raised by a single parent. These hardships weren’t an excuse. They were used as experience that propelled him to view problems and obstacles as opportunities to prove himself.  And as puzzles to solve. You could say a blessing in disguise. 

Despite, being highly controversial in business, throughout the process, he realized that he was doing something that was greater than himself. 

It was his vision based on decisions made in the moment that led to the empire he built not only for wealth, but for his family.

If you’re like me or any other person in this world, you at some point in life were concerned about being accepted in this world. 

Sometimes this acceptance can prevent us from going after our dreams and the life we want.

It’s easy to give in to the fears and social pressures we face daily. Even the countless of excuses on why we can't do something.

But don't fall for that.

You don’t necessarily have to create something new or be an entrepreneur. But be a part of something that makes your life fulfilled and gives you purpose.

Oddly enough, after Rockefeller retired from Standard Oil, not only did his philanthropic gifts grow, but so did his wealth with dividends. It’s obvious you don’t want to give with the intentions of getting something in return. If you have that mindset, you will be disappointed. But when it’s done from the heart, you often see a return twice as large.

Things have a funny way of paying off. 

Dr. Viktor Frankl once wrote, “He who has a why can bear any how.”  

What's your why? Share your story on being part of something bigger than yourself. 

My name is Romario Villanueva.  Entrepreneur & blogger. I'm a graduate from Rutgers University with several certifications from top schools through Coursera. I love all things business, psychology, and basketball. Feel free to reach out to me on Facebook and LinkedIn

6 Riveting Things That Appeal To The Foundations of Compellingness

Everything revolves around being compelling.

If you have a huge, large or even small crowd you want to get your message across, you're facing a challenge.

How in the world are you going to get someone's attention when you are competing with 3,000 ads a day?

You have to start thinking of the common similarities from the things that usually capture our attention.

Why are conspiracy theories so compelling?
Why are scandals so riveting?
Why are we so intrigued about stories of the downfall of a celebrity or athlete?
Why do we root for the underdog in sports?
Why do we sit and watch viral videos of love or redemption on YouTube?
Why does some music go viral?

Most of these, if not all, have common foundation similarities across the board.

Those 6 Riveting foundations are:

1. People. Think of growing up where some of you had posters on your walls. We are naturally social creatures so we enjoy seeing and learning about people. This is true even in art.
2. Messages with hope or fear. Do you believe in miracles? Ever fall for a get-rich scheme? Intrigued by television news?
3. Patterns. Think about your favorite songs which have choruses. Repeated rituals found in religion also have patterns.
4. Apparent contradictions. Here's a bit of irony. You saw that we love patterns, but we also love trying to find the patterns in things that puzzle us, incongruity. There's a fine line though. If it's too simple, we tend to shy away from it because it's not intriguing.
5. The nature of our bodies. Things that draw in because they appeal to our senses.
6. Psychological Traits. Think of our psychological tendencies and biases we have. For example, like and dislike, where we tend to believe, and even do business with, people we like even if they aren't necessarily right or have the best product. 

Take a look around you. Ease drop on a few conversations. You will find out that there are things in our everyday life that resonate with  us so deeply we just can't ignore them.

Be cognizant of them and apply them in your everyday life...or you'll be forgotten.

My name is Romario Villanueva.  Entrepreneur & blogger. I'm a graduate from Rutgers University with several certifications from top schools through Coursera. I love all things business, psychology, and basketball. Feel free to reach out to me on Facebook and LinkedIn

If You Have To Take A Vacation from Your Job, Don't Go Back!

Here's a rule of life I live by...

If you have to go on a vacation from your job, never go back.

Don't take my word for it...

Pablo Picasso wisely said,

"Never permit a dichotomy to rule your life, a dichotomy in which you hate what you do so you can have pleasure in your spare time. Look for a situation in which your work will give you as much happiness as your spare time."

There is no need to compromise.

You can find whatever it is that you want from life.

But here's another tip...

You have to start NOW.

Steve Jobs was right when he said, "I didn't want to be the richest man in the graveyard."

It doesn't matter if you are 18 years old or 80 years old, the arrow of time moves forward.

It's not enough to just be successful.

You have to be successful while you are young enough to enjoy it.

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Maybe your dream is to work from Paris, because you have the ability to work from wherever you want.

Maybe your dream is to be a millionaire...

Or maybe you just want the financial freedom to be home for your children.

But here's a tip for you...

No matter what your dream is, you won't find it if you are looking in the same places as everyone else.

Don't follow the crowd...

>> Get Massive Insight From The World's Most Successful Leaders <<

Because most of the world is just the blind leading the blind.

As Thoreau wrote in Walden Pond: "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation."

But if you proceed carefully you will not be part of those desperate masses.

Fortunately, there have been many wise people over the last 8,000 years of civilization.

And they point the way.

They have left clues.

One of the greatest philosophers of all time, Plato, taught that most people are deep in a cave, watching shadows on the wall, thinking they are seeing clearly.

Plato invited you and me to step out of the cave and see life under the new light of a more clear reality.

A friend of mine, Tai Lopez, since age 16 has traveled to 51 countries, read thousands of books, been mentored by 5 people (three millionaires and two closer to the billion dollar level), learned from 12 of the world's top business partners, started or invested in over a dozen multi-million dollar companies, and collected the quotes, thoughts, and teachings of the greatest, wisest, and most intelligent people on earth that he could talk into helping him.

His collection of principles, thoughts, and sayings has grown over the years. The collection became pretty massive.

So not too long ago he set out to open this exclusive program for those who want to run their own business. He created this program because it's a scarce skill that is in demand.

>> Get Instant Access To Social Media Marketing Agency Program<<

This 4 month program comes from spending millions on learning the proper concepts of social media and internet marketing. If you take this serious, you can work your own hours where small businesses are willing to pay you $1,000-$5,000 a month. Why? Because the skills you will learn will also create and bring new clients to the small businesses you are working with.

This Social Media Marketing Agency video series will move you to a place you have never been. 

He's confident that he will guarantee a full money refund if you do not see the results after finishing the program.

I guarantee this will be full of principles and lessons you have not heard before.

Every single person who has ever watched the full 67 Steps knows Tai gives value and brings results.

So, what are you waiting for?

Get the Social Media Marketing Agency Program!

The False Assumption On Growth

Growth happens naturally...right?

I mean as babies, barring any abnormalities, we grow naturally.

At least when it comes to it physically.

But what about when it comes to personal development?

That's on you.

Often, we seem to use the same tool (hammer) for every problem we come across. Being that life is dynamic and constantly changing it would be safe to assume that we can't approach every problem with the same mindset.

With that said, there seems to be a misunderstanding that suggests every obstacle in life naturally just gets better and solves itself spontaneously.

You hear it often from your closest friends and family, "Don't worry it will get better" or "Stick it out and keep going."

Not to sound too much of a jerk, but they are wrong.

I'm not saying they don't have your best interest and love you, but the truth is problems and obstacles don't solve themselves magically.

It takes energy.
It takes work.
It takes a change in routine.

In other words, you need to do something about it.

When it comes to growth, your ability to apply yourself is vital.

So why is growth important? If you value success and want to achieve your goals, you need growth.

Now at times, you may get by in life, but that is due to chance. Chance is out of your control. Nobody should live their live in accordance to chance. Either way, you will plateau.

Even biologically, we as human evolved to grow mentally as time passes, altricious. That's to say we are born with a bit of knowledge but have a huge capacity to learn. On the contrary, animals such as birds are precocious which is to say they are born with natural knowledge to survive but don't have a huge capacity to learn as much.

Make it a conscious goal to surround yourself with mentors, read books, buy programs and attend seminars and conferences. 

You have a huge capacity to learn. You have a huge capacity to grow. You have a huge capacity to be successful.

My name is Romario Villanueva.  Entrepreneur & blogger. I'm a graduate from Rutgers University with several certifications from top schools through Coursera. I love all things business, psychology, and basketball. Feel free to reach out to me on Facebook and LinkedIn

Life: Your Big Picture

Siddhartha is life.

Most truths in life is relative. They are also not in-tuned with all aspects of life.

Throughout this beautiful journey we might encounter certain stages that reveal a higher level of thinking.

Not one with complex words or sophisticated language, but one that lets us understand "Self" or the art of living or the meaning of life.

You can say having deep self-awareness allows for peace which can equal happiness.

It doesn't take deep expertise to understand that life can be rough, confusing and a hard enough struggle can cause deep psychological issues.

Often, we follow Guru's blindly thinking that if I hear and do what they do I will achieve the same success. This isn't necessarily a bad strategy, I mean there is something to learn from them right?
Most of the time there is. But, we won't see the same results because one's life vision isn't something you can really teach.

It's just a piece of the puzzle.

There are many paths one can take.

You can follow societal norm's and fit in.
You can deny materialistic possessions and become an outcast.
You can chase every desire you ache for.
You can also question any of these paths as well.

One isn't better than the other.

The key is to know and recognize where you stand and not get sucked in too deep.

Life isn't just acting.
Life isn't just listening.
Life isn't just thinking.
Life isn't just binding to one source.
Life is unity.

Perhaps, there is no "Self."
Perhaps, following a thread of thinking, deep and long enough will allow you to find what you seek.

I think the key is understanding and binding all the emotions to align with your vision to live out your own personal philosophy of life.

Everything has some truth to the big picture.

My name is Romario Villanueva.  Entrepreneur & blogger. I'm a graduate from Rutgers University with several certifications from top schools through Coursera. I love all things business, psychology, and basketball. Feel free to reach out to me on Facebook and LinkedIn

Choice: The Simple Secret To A Successful Life

"To get what you want, you have to deserve what you want. The world is not yet a crazy enough place to reward a whole bunch of undeserving people."  ― Charles T. Munger

If you're not investing and improving on yourself everyday, you will not be successful. This doesn't mean putting in 15hrs a day of continuous studying, but it does mean learning at least one thing before you go to bed for the rest of your life. At the end, it adds up.

Most of these determinants are based on heuristic patterns, our choices. 

Do I eat breakfast this morning? Yes or No. Yes, I'll eat breakfast.

Do I eat something healthy for breakfast? Yes or No.  Yes, I'll have some lean proteins and healthy fats. 

Do I workout after breakfast? Yes or No. Yes.

Do I do cardio? Do I lift weights? 

As you can see, our life is full of choices. We can easily see our choices with this type of branching in all aspects of our life.

When it comes to money, Warren Buffett has made better choices than you or me. When it comes to bodybuilding, Arnold Schwarzenegger has made better choices than you or me. Even that person you know who has married the love of their life and living happily ever married for 50+ yrs, has made better choices when it comes to love than you or me.

Why? 

What is the difference?

What is the secret?

The secret is simple, it's our choices. 

If we compare our choices side by side, most of us weren't doing the things that every successful person took the time to do.

Diving a bit deeper into the subject, there is something that is standing out. There is this myth that Freedom always equals Happiness. On the contrary, maybe this freedom of choice is overwhelming us into doing the wrong things in life.

Our brains aren't evolved to handle such an insane amount of choice that our current world presents.

Our ancestral mind were built to handle 150 friends/family/acquaintance relationships. Take a look around your city and see how many people there are.

If you aren't careful, and you can make a choice of letting the wrong person into your life in which you're happiness is at risk due an over cognitive loading.

We are bombarded with the freedom of choice.

Look at online dating, you can communicate with thousands of people. Even in career, it wasn't too long ago where we didn't necessarily have to make a choice. We usually followed in the footsteps of our parents.

In my experience, there are only a few things in life that truly make us happy. You can picture it as a small sphere that fits in the palm of your hand. Now what most of us do is try to load a full size room of stuff into that small sphere.

The end result, we chase too many options than your mind can possibly differentiate between whether it's a good or bad decision according the life we set out to live. 

My name is Romario Villanueva.  Entrepreneur & blogger. I'm a graduate from Rutgers University with several certifications from top schools through Coursera. I love all things business, psychology, and basketball. Feel free to reach out to me on Facebook and LinkedIn

Diagnosing the problem: The Truth When It Comes To Your Reasoning With Money

Financial slavery is alive. Most people are in debt. Most people are working at a job that if they had a choice, they would not be doing at all. Most people have no interest, no passion, and constantly looking forward to the weekend in their line of work.

Now I understand not all of us will strive to become millionaires or in some cases a billionaire, but you want to be financially free right?

Before we can change this. We have to understand why?

For many it sounds obvious, but it really isn’t that obvious.

Most people’s approach to life or reasoning follows something similar to this:

You walk into the doctor’s office. You tell him you aren’t feeling good. Next thing, the doctor says okay gastric bypass surgery.

Sounds completely insane right?

How in the world could the doctor know why you aren’t feeling well without asking why or analyzing the data?

Well the thing is, many people apply that same reasoning to their finances:

“I’m broke because of the system.”

“I’m poor because of the government.”

“You have to be born into money.”

“You have to have money to make money.”

“Illuminati is running the world.”

“The rich are getting richer and they are holding me back.”

They never analyze the situation of their finances and jump to numerous conclusions. 

Think I’m lying? Take a moment one day to ask your family, friends and coworkers about money. 

You will see how many theories people throw at you on why they are broke. Occasionally, you will receive a logical answer but still not a totally correct one.

Would you say these diagnosis are true? I don’t think it’s true because there are so many irrefutable cases that disprove these conclusions.

The days of monarchs and heirs to kings are over with.

One of the real reasons why people are in debt and scarcity is because of a lack of understanding.

Things you do not understand in life, you will probably not have in life.

It’s as simple as that. 

You can’t get to the high levels of life without the proper knowledge and understanding. 

And that includes money.

Obviously there are exceptions, but if you are banking your life on being that 1% exception, to be naturally gifted with no extensive understanding, you won’t see that outcome you want. 

You have to know what money is.

Just like in any other field in life, money also has its own language. 

People at the top, know their shit. 

Why should we be excluded from it?

Money = scarce in demand resources.

My name is Romario Villanueva.  Entrepreneur & blogger. I'm a graduate from Rutgers University with several certifications from top schools through Coursera. I love all things business, psychology, and basketball. Feel free to reach out to me on Facebook and LinkedIn

The Dangerous Mindset: Why You Should Avoid The Medieval Binary Mentality

The ability to handle multiple shifting variables can determine how successful you are.

That’s according to The Self-Made Billionaire Effect by John Sviokla. 

Think about it. 

How many times do we experience change in our lives?

A lot.

How many of us adjust to this change?

Very few.

Most can’t or won’t ever shift with the changes. And for the small sum that do adjust, they usually shift too fast. 

Put this into perspective when it comes to achieving your goals, people tend to either have a lot of imagination/vision or focused on the “right now” and a bit of a cynic. 

Billionaires have the skill to handle both. 

Now you may say well that doesn’t seem so complex.  It sounds so simple.

You’re right, it does sound simple, but not many people can shift from side to side using sound judgement.

Often, this binary mentality in capsules us to think black or white. 

A perfect example is going on right now in the presidential election. 

Just picture yourself out with a group of people at a restaurant. You stand up and ask, "do you think Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton would be a good president?" Slowly, you start to see your table split 0 or 1—absolutely yes or a complete disgusted hell no!

But, the mark of an intelligent mind is to hold both options at the same time. Very few people can do this.

Another example, is sports or even diets whether paleo or vegan is better. Again, many people say one or the other without any acknowledgement to specific body types. 

The black and white mentality is extremely dangerous.

It can stir up emotions, fights and even death in some extreme cases.

Sadly, most of the subjects that are being argued can care less and aren’t even aware of the people fighting for them.

Perhaps, in the past this mentality may have helped us in order to survive. However, this modern world it really does the opposite. 

Don’t take this to the extreme where you can’t have judgement calls. At time point you will have to decide between one or the other. The problem is a lot of people pick one side too fast. 

Have you ever heard of the power of positive thinking and NO FEAR approach? 

Knowing what we know now, is it really safe to say NO FEAR or always being positive is the right way to go?

I’ll share my experience.

I recently launched an online business. Throughout the process I’ve heard doubt and outlandish remarks. Now if I strictly had a medieval mind I would say I won’t listen to anyone and I will keep going at it my way because they are just haters. 

Again, this is dangerous. 

It may sound right to keep going and ignore some ignorant comments from people who haven’t done anything in their life. However, what if someone with years of experience and success warned me about the potential pitfalls in my online business venture...would I say oh no I’m doing it my way and they are only hating?

You can see how this positive extreme self belief visualization can be so black and white.

In any venture in life, only a few possess the skill to handle both sides of the coin at the same time. 

Just keep that in mind. 

My name is Romario Villanueva.  Entrepreneur & blogger. I'm a graduate from Rutgers University with several certifications from top schools through Coursera. I love all things business, psychology, and basketball. Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter or LinkedIn

The 4 M's of Motivation & How You Can Use Pain For Motivation

If there were only one way to motivate yourself to get you to accomplish your goals and vision, would you give it a try?

Of course you would, if you were truly serious about making that positive change in your life.

All aspects of your life can improve to your standard by using one simple principle. It doesn't matter if its related to money, your health, or even improving your social life.

That principle revolves around pain.

No this isn't a joke.

Pain is a part of your life. No matter how you want to turn the tables it is, was and will be a part of your life. So why not use it to your advantage? Ironically, must people try to avoid or become numb to pain through extreme measures with drugs, other hazardous methods and sometimes by suicide.

I'm not ignorant to the fact that there are severe cases where it's best to seek out professional help, but it's also known that not everyone has a severe case. Sometimes our mindset tricks us into thinking all is hopeless and overtime we become good at making arguments to support what we are feeling.

Getting back to pain, what exactly is it? What do we feel once we experience pain?

According to Tony Robbins, pain is when our life conditions don't match your model of the world.  As a result, we suffer—feel hopeless and powerless because we feel like we can't do anything to change it.

You could see the clear distinction between both pain and suffering. Pain is inevitable while suffering is optional.

So if you're frustrated with life, hurt from losing your job or let down by a loved one, your suffering will stop. Life is constantly changing and your suffering will change so you can take that next step to accomplish what you seek.

What Motivates Me
What motivates him, her, you and me is different.

Looking at the 4 M's of Motivation will give you a better understanding on what motivates you:

• Material Things- Money, Nice Homes, Luxurious cars, Expensive Clothes
• Mating- Relations, Love, Romance, Social Life
• Mastery- Status, Respect
• Momentum- Movement, Action

Which ever your motivation is run with it. Forget societal norms that say it's wrong to align your life with one of these motivations. If it makes you happy and makes a positive contribution to your overall wellness why not? I'm not talking about extremes because you can take things too far. On the other hand, you might not know what motivates you which can also cause problems and frustration.

How Can I Use Pain For Motivation  
Pain opens up this deep well inside us. It's up to us to fill that well with something that aligns with what motivates us.

Lets say you want to physically look great and be healthy to attract someone. Your motivation might be Mating. Naturally we tend to fall in line with the pain-avoidance tendency despite the obvious signs that we can benefit or help ourselves by facing pain.

Don't fall victim to this tendency.

Being aware that is exists is a start and overtime you catch yourself before you fall victim to it.

Now you have to ask yourself is temporary pain of lifting weights for an hour, doing sprints when your tired or going outside for a brisk morning jog worth it? Isn't it less painful than living an unhealthy life when you don't feel physically good and left unfulfilled because you can't attract that special person you had your eyes on.

When the pain of disappoint outweighs the temporary pain of exercising only then will you overcome it to make it part of your daily life and achieve what you set out for.

My name is Romario Villanueva.  Entrepreneur & blogger. I'm a graduate from Rutgers University with several certifications from top schools through Coursera. I love all things business, psychology, and basketball. Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter or LinkedIn

Your competence becomes your confidence.

Whether you get invited to a party, interviewing to get that dream career, or impress your date, there is one factor that often gets in the way: confidence.

In particular, a lack of self-confidence means you lose sight in yourself.

The same can be said with being over-confident. 

You usually don’t want to lose confidence.

On the contrary, today many people are overconfident which can lead you down the wrong path too.

Of course, everyone’s confidence varies in different aspects of life. 

You can get nervous meeting new people. You can feel anxious at social events.

How many of you had your tongue-tied when trying to talk to your boss?

How about being petrified to make a speech?

It’s okay, if you aren’t that confident now. 

That can change.

The point I want to get across to you is that it doesn’t magically just change.

You may have heard this advice now or growing up “don’t worry things will get better” or “you’re already good enough.”

This isn’t necessarily wrong.

The problem with this advice is it’s incomplete. 

Most people’s view and take on the power of positive thinking is things will get better just because. Even worse, they are delusional to the fact that life will bring some struggles, conflicts and adversity. Some people won’t even want to phantom any negative possible outcomes due to some superstition that it will come true.

But at the end, as the billionaire Warren Buffett says “Only when the tide goes do you discover who’s been swimming naked.” Things may look great now, but that can quickly change. 

So let says you’re not confident in public speaking, but you happen to be speaking to a small receptive crowd. Overall you did a pretty decent job. You managed to cram and get by. The next time you have to give a presentation you decide because you didn’t prep last time and did well it would be a piece of cake. This time though, your audience is a bit larger. They even seem to be more inclined to analyze what you are saying.  Despite you believing in yourself and thinking you will do great, you end up flopping.

Now, I want to be clear that this isn’t negative thinking.

I believe its reality thinking. 

In fact, most success in life is accomplished not just solely on positive thinking, but some pessimistic thoughts (fear) that motivates you and propels you to undergo some preparation.

There are some great tips in How to Feel Confident by Leil Lowndes that can definitely come in handy. 

But the one that usually trumps all is: reps.

Repetition sounds like simple advice. 

So why does everyone get angry when it’s not some complex hack or unique?

Because simple doesn’t mean easy.

And it’s not just reps as in putting in the hours. 

You have to put in quality hours consistently day in and out to achieve the success you want. 

This is when your competence becomes your confidence.  

My name is Romario Villanueva.  Entrepreneur & blogger. I'm a graduate from Rutgers University with several certifications from top schools through Coursera. I love all things business, psychology, and basketball. Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter or LinkedIn