Category: Strategy

Allies

Authenticity, being your true self, will go a long way towards gaining supporters. We gravitate towards those who have their story straight. Who know what they’re fighting for and why.

It’s a breath of fresh air, to meet someone who has taken a stand in their mind and narrowed down their focus to the one or two things that matter most to them. We see it in the way they walk, the way they move, the things they talk about. All their actions are synchronized and gracefully headed towards an inevitable goal. And we admire that.

We admire it because we haven’t made that choice yet. Our minds are crowded with too many unimportant wants, as opposed to one passionate quest that deserves all our energy.

If you’re unconvinced then give it a short trial run. For one month put one mission at the forefront of all your conversations and your productive time. Leave the superfluous stuff aside. You’ll start to notice how free and powerful you feel. And just as important, that those around you now feel more compelled to support your efforts. You’re gaining allies in your journey.

With enough support nothing is difficult. Your book, or your non-profit, or your school pretty much builds itself. It all starts with an authentic clarity of purpose.

The fun

Find the seed of fun in any activity, my friends. Fun is the big flashing arrow pointing you towards something you’re likely to excel at. When you’re good at something, no matter what it is, you’ll usually enjoy it.

The fun indicates where your strengths are.

Any activity can be turned into something fun, but any fun activity can also be made to be a chore if you don’t protect its experimental integrity.

Keep it fun and allow room for mistakes.

Cultivate that little grain of fun and who knows what harvests of greatness await you.

The narrow band

“The battle is won or lost before it is even fought.”

Sometimes I laugh at myself for fearing a disastrous outcome that will most likely not happen. It’s equally ludicrous when I expect a perfect outcome knowing damn well the necessary preparations haven’t been laid.

We lose track of what I call the “Narrow Quality Band,” the range of results you can get from a specific effort. At any given point you can only be so sucky, or you can only be so great. And truth be told, they’re never too far from each other.

You can move this quality band up or down, but it takes time and gradual work, or lack thereof.

Have you tested your band lately? Do you know where you stand? Having a clear estimate helps you get work done and shipped without worry since you kinda already know the outcome. The daunting fear of the unknown reception is what usually holds us back. If you know what to expect the worries almost disappear. Poof.

More time, less fluff

“If I had more time I would have written a shorter letter.”

Why is getting to the point such a hard thing to do? I suspect great writing is just learning to get more bang for each word. To crystalize each thought so only the essential remains. Taking time to chip away at any imperfect crevices of your gem. Easy to deduce, hard to actually do.

Next time you’re writing an email, note, story etc, challenge yourself to rewrite it in half as many words. Do this each time and soon you’ll notice a drastic improvement in your communication.

What am I trying to say with this post? If I had more time I would’ve made it clearer.

Growing or dying

Any business person will tell you, either you’re growing or you’re dying. There’s no such thing as just staying where you’re at.

Life is in constant change by default, therefore everything in this world is in constant movement. If you’re staying where you’re at others are moving ahead, so relatively you’re declining.

Now ask yourself, am I moving in the right direction? It’s easy to move in the right direction, just put work in.

Not even that much is needed, just a little of the right type of work, DAILY.

No days off. Daily.

No looking down, just up. Daily.

Planning and Intentions

That’s when everything changed…

A couple years back I started writing down my goals on paper. My plans were different back then, but literally hours after writing something down opportunities opened up for me that were previously just a far away wish.

That’s the power of planning and visualization. Turns wishes into reality.

See most of us are so caught up in going with the flow of things, trying to avoid bumps, that we don’t see opportunity right there next to us. We’re so busy just wishing, that we don’t give ourselves time to plan and expect those same things.

That grant for new business startups is rightfully ours, if we write it down as a goal and confidently claim it we’ll have it no time. That VP position at your company is rightfully yours, have you put it on paper and asked for it?

How about your sexy/smart neighbor? The one you talk to in the elevator every saturday but never invited over for wine and conversation. That’s yours too if you admit it to yourself and make plans to show them what you’re all about.

Don’t confuse activity with progress. Wishing and doing the usual is not gonna get you where you deserve to be. Writing your goal down on paper takes some work and concentration, and it’s the launching pad for getting there.

Let me break it to you and tell you that your plan won’t work out how you draw it out to be. But when you have a focus and clear idea of what you desire you have given yourself the confidence to steer.

You’re on a train going somewhere but now you know what stop you need to get off at. That piece of paper reminds you where you’re going even when the path is dark. Here’s your flashlight.

(Thanks to Zig Ziglar, truly a great man.)

Skill and Will

Success is not a matter of skill but a matter of will. Skill is everywhere, and knowledge abounds in every person that has ever attempted anything a handful of times.

But a powerful concentration of will exists in very few individuals. Willpower tells knowledge what to do. Willpower eats skill’s lunch.

Will is still standing tall long after skill has hit a wall.

Be a disciple of will, you’ll notice that skill and knowledge come free inside the package.

Name of the game

Fear, that is. That’s the name, that’s the status quo. Everyone lives with it. Everyone struggles with it.

So if everyone has fear, and everyone struggles with trying to overcome it then that gives you two powerful options to succeed: Either help people feel more protected and nurtured (Insurance companies and Financial companies thrive on this) OR appear to be less fearful than all others (think of celebrities and public leaders.)

As the saying goes, “In the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king.” You don’t have to appear fully fearless, just a little less fearful than the rest. Then you’re set for life!