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Why Trampelpfad Is the One German Word You Should Remember (For Boosting Your Willpower)

November 23, 2015December 19, 2023 Nik

Trampelpfad.

Want me to say it again?

Tram-pel-pfad.

Want me to actually say it?

The first half of the word “Trampel” comes from the verb “trampeln” which means to stomp.

As in “When we told the kids they weren’t allowed to watch TV, they ended up stomping up the stairs in frustration.”

The second half of the word “pfad” simply means path.

Therefore, a Trampelpfad is a path, which has been created by people stomping along the same trail.

You can most often find a Trampelpfad in the woods, and it looks like this:

Why am I telling you this?

One, because Trampelpfad is an awesome word and there’s no proper English word for it and two, because it will help you remember what I’m about to say next.

Minimal Wardrobe: How to Wear Varying Outfits With Minimal Items in 3 Steps

November 20, 2015December 19, 2023 Nik

Wearing (almost) the same outfit every day is genius for 2 reasons: One, you’ll have more willpower to make better business decisions, and two, if you run a business, it’s great personal branding. Having a recognizable outfit and showing it to the world every day will make you an icon.

Today, I’ll teach you how to pull it off by creating a minimal wardrobe.

You Have to Make Yourself the Only Person Who Can Control Your Dreams (A How-To)

November 18, 2015December 19, 2023 Nik

I can’t remember where I read it.

But the second I did, I knew it was true.

You have to make yourself the only person who can control your dreams.

I instantly set up a daily text reminder, and you should too.

How to Develop a Growth Mindset in 3 Steps

October 30, 2015May 22, 2022 Nik

“Oh my god. I just had a donut. It was an accident coach, but now I’m screwed. If history is any indicator, I’ll have had 7 more by the time I leave the office. I’ve never managed to stick to my diet this long before, so I guess it was only a matter of time until I fail.”

What you just witnessed is called a fixed mindset. I receive messages like these from my clients on a regular basis.

I’ll inevitably cut in with something a little provocative, like this…

“If that’s what history indicates, I strongly suggest you pick a different indicator :)”

…or this:

“So you’ve stuck to your diet longer than ever before, but it’s impossible for you to get better? My contradiction radar just went off!”

You see, as much as I love encouraging my clients, and getting them to pick themselves up and move forward, a fixed mindset is tough to crack, and therefore oftencalls for a steamroller.

It’s one of the root problems when trying to improve your habits and getting rid of it often requires one or even multiple striking, powerful, memorable and somewhat drastic events.

Today I’m going to show you how to create those events for yourself. But first, a story — because everyone loves those.

7 Toxic Habits to Let Go Before 9 AM

October 27, 2015August 9, 2024 Nik

“Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” — Buddha

When you wake up, does your brain go straight into overdrive? Do you feel tempted to snooze? Do you think about all the things you have to do today and start worrying about what could go wrong?

Not long ago, I didn’t want to leave my bed either. I’d browse the web on my phone, read some emails, and procrastinate. Often, this meant I’d already be late by the time I finally did get up. I would rush into the shower, get angry about stubbing my toe somewhere, and end up with no time to eat.

When I arrived at work for my internship, I was already feeling behind, so the best I could do was spend the rest of my day trying to “catch up.” That’s not the frame of mind you want to operate in.

Now, however, I know exactly what the first hour of my day looks like. I don’t even have to think about it because it’s a set routine, and that’s wonderful. My internship is over, and so are my chaotic morning — because I made a deliberate change.

My morning routine makes starting the day easy, and it sets me up for success. There’s no perfect day, but if you’re prepared to have a good day — every day — that’s a great place to start. How you spend the first hour of your day determines how you spend the rest of it.

Before you can add new, good habits, however, you must let go of the bad ones. Here are seven toxic habits you can drop. Don’t bother with these, especially not before 9 AM. Doing so will make you feel calm and happy as you start your day.

9 Free Ways to Increase Your Willpower in 1 Minute or Less

October 12, 2015May 22, 2022 Nik

How often do you wish you were more disciplined?

Chances are, if you spent all this time taking baby steps towards more willpower instead of lamenting your lack of it, you’d be halfway there already.

Today, you’re not getting off the hook for once.

You could have more self-control less than 10 minutes from now.

These nine actions can be taken in 60 seconds or less each – and they won’t cost you a penny.

The Spartan Solution – A 4-step system to increase willpower every day

October 12, 2015June 15, 2021 Nik

Are you as disciplined as you’d like to be?

No?

Do you want to toughen up?

Have that twinkle in your eye that says: “Life, if you punch me in the face, you know I’ll just grit my teeth and fight back even harder.”

Oh you do? Sure, who wouldn’t.

That’s why I spent all of last week pondering how to help you do just that, and create a framework for it.

Here’s what I came up with.

7 Steps To Embrace Your Inner Introvert and Not Feel Bad

October 9, 2015August 4, 2025 Nik

Have you ever done a personality test? When I got the results of my Myers-Briggs last year I had an epiphany. INFJ all the way. Of course, I’m an introvert! Are you an introvert as well?

Unfortunately, the excitement over my new insight wore off quickly and was replaced with worry: Does that mean I suck at networking? How can I ever be successful if I’m not a people person? Will all my friends abandon me if I embrace my introvert personality?

If you’re an introvert like me, you probably feel bad about yourself quite often, because you think your personality is holding you back in life. But over the course of the last 9 months I found plenty of reasons that that’s not true. I discovered 7 ways how you can embrace your introverted personality and feel great about it, here they are.

No Motivation? Here’s How To Get Inspired in 3 Steps

September 28, 2015March 18, 2025 Nik

Look, I get it. It’s hard to get out of bed in the morning. There are plenty of excuses not to, but I’m sorry, “I just lack motivation these days” isn’t one of them.

So here’s what I’ll do:

Small rant about why that’s a dumb thing to say
I’ll help you move past it

Deal? Deal.

16 Reasons Why INFJs Are Very Likely To Be Highly Successful

September 24, 2015August 4, 2025 Nik

Learning I was an INFJ (the personality type—introverted intuitive feeling judging) was one of the biggest lessons I learned about myself last year. As the Greek saying goes: Know thyself. I found being aware of my personality type (and the specific traits that come with it) made a huge difference in terms of how I approached life, work, and relationships.

Did you recently find out you’re an INFJ, too? Or have you known all along? Either way, chances are that your very rare and special personality type will get you far in life.

Here are 16 reasons why INFJs are very likely to go on to be highly successful people.