My 15-Day Mentorbox Challenge: Investing In Myself

Those who have been following PPC Ian for a while know that I’m a huge proponent of Mentorbox by Tai Lopez and Alex Mehr (also known as Mentor Box). In fact, My Mentorbox Review is one of the more popular posts on this blog. And, my three YouTube videos have done quite well too:

1. My Mentorbox Video Review
2. My Mentorbox by Tai Lopez and Alex Mehr Unboxing
3. My Top Lessons Learned From Mentorbox

I Have Something To Admit: I Underinvested In Myself Last Month

I have something to admit: Some months I don’t get as much out of Mentorbox as I could. Sometimes I’ll get so busy with work and life that I don’t take the time to invest in myself. I don’t take my own advice! Perhaps I’ll skip one of the books. Or, I’ll forget to watch some of the video content. (Of course, I still get incredible value out of Mentorbox and make sure it’s always present and always a critical part of my self-education.) That being said, I sometimes short change myself by not taking advantage of the entire program. Last month was one of those months. This month will not be the same!

My 15-Day Mentorbox Challenge

Over the next 15 days, I will challenge myself. I will go "all out" and make full use of this month’s Mentorbox, and all of its value. I’m giving myself 15 days (instead of 30) for a few reasons:

1. I want to "get it done". By shortening the timeframe, I will over-invest in myself this month, early on. I will make myself the priority.
2. I want to leave a buffer just in case I run over. Rather be safe than sorry.
3. I want to prove to myself and everyone reading that one can obtain the full value of Mentorbox quite easily. It doesn’t take a huge commitment. Rather, investing in small increments each and every day have big results.
4. I want to leave extra time to execute upon the breakthroughs and lessons that I learn from this month’s Mentorbox. I want to take theory into practice.

My Personal Mentorbox Diary

I’m ready! Following, you will find my day-by-day 15-Day Mentorbox Challange diary. Each day, I will report back here highlighting what I accomplished, how long it took, and what I learned. Whether you’re an existing Mentorbox customer or considering the program for the first time, I think you’ll find this view of my day-to-day quite helpful and actionable. I hope you enjoy my diary, and don’t forget to scroll to the end, as you’ll find my big takeaways on the other side!

1. Day 1 (invested about 35 minutes): I started with the intro video by Alex and Jonathan. Helped me frame the two books this month in that they offer tools for me to overcome obstacles that may be holding me back. Jumped into the first video for The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. Some takeaways: If you understand habits, you can change them at any scale. 45% of what we do every day is a habit. In a habit, we stop thinking about what we do. Cue awareness is key. What cue is triggering the habit. For every habit, there is a reward. The reward is even more key. You can’t break a habit, but you can change a habit. Insert a new routine to fit the cue and reward. At a high level, started thinking about my own habits, and which ones I want to change. At the top of my list is my habit for frequently checking social media accounts, rather than focusing on other activities.
2. Day 2 (invested about 40 minutes): Continued to watch The Power of Habit video with author Charles Duhigg. In forming a new habit, need to experience small wins. Need to have reward. Keystone habit: A habit that affects every other habits. Exercise is a keystone habit. Exercise changes how you see yourself. Willpower is like a muscle. It is finite. Willpower depletes throughout the day. Be careful when you use your willpower muscle. Also, find ways to exercise it so it gets stronger. It’s ok to let your willpower rest before a big event/project. Started filling out the workbook. Determined that my queue for social media consumption is taking a break from an intense work. The reward is getting to do something mindless. I’m going to replace my cell phone / social media routine with something else that can produce relaxation: meditation, doing push-ups or sit-ups, walking around the block, or even watching a Mentorbox video.
3. Day 3 (invested 0 minutes): Sick Day
4. Day 4 (invested 0 minutes): Sick Day
5. Day 5 (invested 0 minutes): Sick Day
6. Day 6 (invested 0 minutes): Sick Day – I learned through the last several days that it’s key (for me) to over-invest in Mentorbox certain days. I have found it easier to chunk my time, making room for the inevitable. I will still get through my Mentorbox 15 day challenge, thanks to the fact that I over-allocated in the beginning, and will continue to do so going forward. I also realized via getting sick and not having the strength to work on Mentorbox the last few days, that my 15 day challenge should be my own personal challenge each and every month. I want to finish ahead of schedule. Aiming for 15 days gives me a 15 day buffer should I run over.
7. Day 7 (time invested 15 minutes): I completed watching The Power of Habit video and completed my workbook. I will introduce the following new habits into my life. (New Routine 1) In addition to filling out my Five Minute Journal, my morning routine will now include 10 minutes of Bible reading and at least 10 minutes of Mentorbox (or reading) every single morning. (New Routine 2) I will film a weekly video on investing for my YouTube channel. I have been on a roughly every other week cadence, and will changing this to every week. (Bad Habit Change) Also, as discussed previously, I will be eliminating my cell phone / social media habit. I have a variety of alternate routines that I’ll be testing to substitute that habit. Thanks to this Mentorbox, I have not only identified these new and old habits, but also have the tools and frameworks to experience success.
8. Day 8 (time invested 40 minutes): Started watching the video for the second book this month, Scrappy by Terry Sjodin. Some takeaways: Being scrappy allows you to stand out from the masses. Don’t ever settle. Being scrappy allows you to achieve your goals faster. Scrappy ideas have the potential to blow past traditional approaches. There is usually a back door that will be cheaper, faster, and easier. Scrappy people get irritated enough that they will no longer accept the status quo. What is something you complain about? How can you change it? You are responsible for changing your circumstances. Even small efforts can make a difference. Trick your brain with discomfort to get it into a different thought pattern. Always create an audacious goal. We all create excuses and self-sabotage our big goals. Don’t "not try" because you’ve already decided in your head it won’t work. Don’t have to score on every play, just advance the ball. Nurture networking relationships that allow you to get elegant introductions to others. Felt that I was losing attention at the end of 40 minutes, so probably try to keep to a maximum of 30 minutes per day going forward.
9. Day 9 (time invested 35 minutes): Continued watching the video for Scrappy by Terry Sjodin. Some more takeaways: If your first strategy does not work, you may need to try a second or third time. Don’t give up. Your brainstorming creative time can be in the shower or during a run. Your strategy has to be in alignment with your core values and your brand, but also needs to be in alignment with the recipient’s expectations. If someone says "no", it’s not the end of the game. Sometimes the win is immediate, sometimes the win can come years later. What you do today will have a lasting impact. Showing up is the most important part of execution. (This is huge.) Put yourself in the game. Keep a journal of your progress. Mentorship is protege-driven.
10. Day 10: Found real-world organizational application of The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. Mentorbox is making me better at my job, and making me look really good at work! I finished this Mentorbox book just in time to experience the benefits at work.
11. Day 11: Took day off, got caught up in work and had to skip Mentorbox.
12. Day 12: Took another day off, got caught up in work and had to skip Mentorbox.
13. Day 13 (time invested 25 minutes): Decided to skip ahead to the bonus workshop before filling out the Scrappy memorization booklet. Watched the Reach Out by Molly Beck bonus workshop video! My takeaways: What is the difference between my average friends and my super successful friends? It really comes down to who you know. Your business and your social network. Helps you in both good and bad times. You have to make active and conscious decisions to build your network. Doesn’t matter if you are an introvert, just have to reach out. The one thing that will change your life: Make reaching out a daily habit. Every single day, reach out to a new person. Put it into your calendar. Put it into your schedule. Five days a week (workdays only). Who do you reach out to? You need to start with five names. There are contacts in your phone right now that have gone to the shadows. What articles are you reading? What blogs are you reading? What books? These are influencers you may want to reach out to. Who do you look up to? Who would you like as a mentor? Any connection is give and take. You need to give something, then you should also have a favor to ask. Have a call to action. Filled out workbook and determined five people I’m going to reach out to. Also remembered my People Day and People Database and realized I need to do another one of these, as it’s way overdue.
14. Day 14 (time invested 25 minutes): Completed the Scrappy memorization booklet. While I have a variety of virtual mentors (such as the Mentorbox program), I have been struggling to decide (1) who I should target as a real life mentor and (2) how I will approach them. I experienced a breakthrough in this particular book, and identified a few people I would like to target. Additionally, this memorization booklet helped me form a strategy to take one of my companies, IJL Productions, to the next level.
15. Day 15: I finished early. Gives me more time to execute on my action items from this month’s amazing Mentorbox.

Summary and Conclusion: My 15-Day Mentor Box Challenge

I impressed myself. I experienced Mentorbox like never before and successfully completed my challenge. And, four days were sick days, two days were days off, and one day was extra since I finished early. Moral of the story: I experienced the entire benefit of this program with only 8 days invested! This is critical because it gives me extra time to really take the theory and put it into action, in my life.

Also, time commitment in terms of raw hours was not bad either. I ended up investing 215 minutes, or 3.58 hours. Taking 215 and dividing by 30, I get 7.16 minutes/day if I did theoretically spread over 30 days (one month), although that will not be my strategy going forward since I just don’t work like that. I have proved that Alex and Jonathon are right, you really can change your life with just a few minutes per day invested!

Support Me: I’ll Be Forever Grateful If You Use My Mentor Box Affiliate Link

I care about everyone reading and want you to experience the growth that I have experienced in my career and life. If you found this blog post helpful and you plan on signing up for Mentorbox, I would be forever grateful if you sign up via My Mentorbox Affiliate Link. You will pay the same price that you otherwise would, and I will receive a commission that helps pay the bills here at PPC Ian. Readers like you who choose to support PPC Ian make an incredible difference in my life and the lives of everyone reading. I thank you for your continued support and wish you all of the success in the world. And, I’m happy to answer questions and help in any way I can. If you have a question, please feel free to ask below! Here’s to your future!

My New Mentorbox 15-Day Challenge Video

I just created a YouTube video to complement this blog post. Want to learn even more about my 15-Day Challenge? I hope you enjoy my video review!

My Latest Mentorbox Challenge

I just published a new Mentorbox blog post! This one features my 7-Day Challenge and ponders the question, Is Mentorbox Worth It? (Hint: Of course it is.) I’m really proud of my latest post. If you liked this one, you are sure to find incredible value in my new post as well. In addition to featuring a 25-minute video, my newest Mentorbox post shares my latest and greatest tips and strategies for getting the most out of this amazing self-education program.

Affiliate Disclosure: I am a Mentorbox affiliate. If you find my review helpful and end up purchasing via my affiliate link, I will earn a commission and be grateful for your support.

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