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Fear and confidence is a topic that seems to continue coming up as I speak with clients. It came up a number of times last week at our mastermind event in Arizona, so I talked about it more on my weekly mastermind video call. Since then, I’ve continued to have a number of people bring it up so I want to continue the conversation here.
“One of the best ways to overcome fear of any kind is to habituate yourself to it.”
Darren Hardy
What Darren Hardy’s suggesting is that you face your fear head-on and bombard yourself with it until you don’t fear it any longer.
When the average person fears speaking in public more than death, how does the military take young teenage kids and create brave soldiers out of them? How do they take soldiers into SEAL training and make ultimate warriors out of them?
When bullets start flying, what is it that makes these men and women run towards the battle rather than run away?
During bootcamp or SEAL BUD/S training they are put through endless fear, pressure and stress at extreme levels until their fear turns into confidence.
Have you ever heard of Hell Week?
In Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink, he gives a glimpse of Hell Week:
It was night three into the infamous Hell Week of SEAL training. The students, in camouflage fatigues, were soaked to the bone and covered in gritty sand that chafed them until they were raw and bleeding They shivered from the cold ocean water and cool wind of the Southern California night. The students moved with the aches and pains as only those who have suffered through seventy-two hours straight of nearly nonstop physical exertion can. Exhausted, over the previous three days they had slept for less than one hour total. Since Hell Week had begun, dozens of them had quit. Others had become sick or injured and were pulled from training. When this class had started Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Training (known as BUD/S) – the SEAL basic training course – several weeks before, nearly two hundred determined young men had eagerly begun. All dreamed of becoming a U.S. Navy SEAL, prepared for years, and came to BUD/S with every intention of graduating. And yet within the first forty-eight hours of Hell Week, most of those young men had surrendered to the brutal challenge, rung the bell three times – the signal for DOR, or drop on request – and walked away from their dream of becoming a SEAL. They quit.
I’m told that about 80% of those who start BUD/S do not finish. But those who do know that they are the elite. They’ve been through hell and back and survived. There’s nothing they can’t handle.
If you can train your brain to run towards bullets and bombs in battle, think how easy it can be to train yourself to run towards the stage to speak, or to make a prospect call, or to approach a group of strangers that you want to introduce yourself to.
As I reflected on my own life and thought about fears that I’ve had that I was able to turn into confidence, I thought back to my senior year in high school. I seemed to have followed in my older brothers footsteps in a lot of things as I was growing up. When he was in Rexburg ID going to college he started to rodeo. He started as a bareback rider and then took up roping and later steer wrestling. Soon, I was into the rodeo scene as well and was traveling the high school rodeo circuit as a calf roper and team roper. But as I watched him in the steer wrestling (bulldogging), I knew that was something I wanted to do someday.
If you’re not familiar with steer wrestling, I’ll explain what it is. I’ve heard a number of rodeo announcers compare it to getting into the back up a truck, having someone drive it down the road at 30mph and then you jump out of the back onto a passing mailbox. Maybe it’s not quite the same, but it gives you an idea.
In steer wrestling you have a steer in a chute that you let out and give a head start. You also have another cowboy (called the hazer) on a horse that is on the right side of the steer and his job is just to make the steer run straight. The steer wrestler is on his horse on the left side of the steer. After giving the steer a head start the steer wrestler chases the steer down going as fast as the horse can run. As the horse runs past the steer, the steer wrestler jumps off of the horse, grabbing the horns of the steer. He then digs his feet into the ground to slow the steer down and without getting into the techniques, he wrestles the steer to the ground.
At least that is how it’s supposed to happen. I’ve seen steers outrun the cowboys. I’ve seen the cowboys miss and land on their butts at 30mph and all sorts of other wrecks. I’ve seen the cowboy hit the ground as his horse stumbled and then as the horse fell it landed on his head. Well, I didn’t actually see that but that’s what they told me happened once I regained consciousness. But really, the scary part is the fact that you are riding a horse which is running as fast as it can and you jump off of it onto the horns of a steer.
I remember calling my brother and telling him that I’d like him to teach me how to steer wrestle. He said he would love to and the next time they were doing it he would let me know and I could come and watch.
“Well, it’s a little more complicated than that,” I told him. “I actually entered the steer wrestling in a rodeo next weekend. So I need you to teach me before Friday!”
“Do the thing you fear over and over again, until you train your brain that it’s no longer something to be feared.“
Darren Hardy
To make a long story short, the next day we were at the practice pen and I was ready to learn. As my brother was talking me through the process he told me something that I was well aware of. He told me that when you first start out, the actual process of jumping off of the horse onto the steer was the scariest part. But he also told me that from all the people he had watch learn to steer wrestle, those that took multiple attempts but never actually jumped struggled the most. Every time they tried but did not jump, it was twice as scary the next time. Some of them ended up riding past the steer multiple times and finally decided they were done and never tried it again.
But he had a solution for this, he told me. He said that if my nerves got to me and I rode by the first steer, it was ok. Nothing to worry about. But that meant that no matter what I had to jump off on my second attempt to prevent the fear from building up. He also told me that it wouldn’t be a problem because they had a way to make sure I jumped.
If I rode past the first steer without jumping, on my second attempt the hazer, riding on the opposite side, would have a rope which would be tied around my waste. If I made the jump, great! But if I didn’t make the jump and was going to ride by, he would pull me off the horse.
With my heart pounding out of my chest and enough adrenaline to stop a freight train, I started chasing down my first steer. As scary as it was, there was no way my brother was going to put a rope around my waste and pull me off of my horse. I jumped my very first steer, plus a number of others that night.
It wasn’t after that one night that I began to feel confident in the process. But the more I did it, the more confident I became. But the fear part never disappeared 100%, but it changed to excitement and energy. Even once I was steer wrestling at the professional level, there were many times I had my heart pounding out of my chest. But every time I jumped, the fear became less and less and my confidence grew.
Oh, and by the way, I won second place at that first rodeo!
“My confidence comes from my vision… I am a big believer that if you have a clear vision of where you want to go, then the rest of it is much easier.“
So, if you have a fear of speaking, what should you do? Speak! Wherever you can. Find opportunities to speak and in spite of your fears, do it. If you have fears of calling prospects. Call them. Whatever your fears are, face them and do them so much that you become confident doing them.
“Even when everything is going terrible, andI have no reason to be confident, I just decide to be“
I know that you can have fears that are much different than the fear of speaking or the fear of jumping off of a horse at full speed. The fear of hurting your family financially if you fail would be an example. But that is when finding a coach, a mentor or a mastermind comes in useful. Through these resources you can strategize, plan, role-play, etc. until you know how to proceed with a much lower level of risk and a higher level of confidence.
Overcome the fears that are holding you back from achieving your dreams!
Leave a comment below about something that you once feared but overcame it with action and it’s no longer a fear.
The #1 thing that transformed my life was being a part of masterminds… I’ve literally invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in masterminds and it’s what’s allowed me to achieve a level of success I never though possible… Generating millions of dollars.”
Dean Graziosi
If you’re ready to take your life and business to the next level, you must join use for an upcoming Inner Circle Mastermind call!
The Inner Circle Mastermind is a weekly call that has a number of components to it. We have specific topics we train on. As a group we study and discuss books and how the things taught in each book can impact our businesses and lives. As a group we break down challenges or opportunities others are facing and determine the best plan of action to move forward.
You’re The Average Of The Five People You Spend The Most Time With
Jim Rohn
If you’re looking for success you need to surround yourself with like-minded, success-focused people. The Inner Circle Mastermind is a group of individuals READY FOR MASSIVE SHIFTS IN THEIR LIVES! They are READY TO STEP IT UP AND BE CHALLENGED, and they are READY TO HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE to do the same!
Just finished our mastermind. I now have actionable plans that will move my business forward. Thank you for creating a group of synergistic, like-minded leaders. The ideas and group brain storming put me light years ahead.
Dr. Mark Leonard – High Performance Coach
Great investment of my personal time. Jeff was able to deliver a thought provoking, systematic approach to recognizing and understanding my WHY and how to improve. Application of this in a mastermind group setting offered greater insights and perspectives to my personal and business challenges. Worthwhile at every level!
Sheldon McLachlan – Entrepreneur
Time well spent! If you’re stuck in your life or business, Jeff will teach and guide you through the skills necessary to break through those barriers and carry you to the next level.
Alan Wood – Sales Executive
I knew this mastermind class would be beneficial but the unexpected a-ha moments were life changing. Thank you for your ability to guide us through this process so seamlessly and for helping us see so much potential in our businesses once again!
One of the hard parts about being an entrepreneur is the psychological weight of being the key decision-maker. Every decision and metric depends on you.
Figuring out how to organize your time, stay accountable, and make everything happen without losing your mind is a real challenge. I don’t say this lightly: Not having people to talk to and bounce ideas around with can be one of the hardest parts of starting your own business.
For that reason, many entrepreneurs I know turn to mastermind accountability groups to help them stay focused and successful.
I was recently working through some marketing strategies with one of my coaching clients and we got onto the topic of pricing. She really wanted to make a push to increase her sales in the short term and wanted to decrease her prices and have a sale as a promotion.
I told her that I didn’t think that it was a good idea. There are better ways in which you can offer your customers more value with different strategies such as bundling. But first I wanted to walk her through the numbers to show her why I didn’t think a sale was her best option.
Unfortunately I haven’t always seen it this way and have made similar mistakes with my own companies in the past. But now that I’ve worked through the numbers and see the math, I definitely focus on other marketing strategies.
I’ll spend some time in other articles to talk about different strategies, but for now I’m going to walk through the steps I showed her that explain why I don’t like the idea of using a sale to add value to your customers.
The real key to success in marketing is to offer more value than your competition. Prospects will pay twice the price if they believe they’re receiving four times more value. Unfortunately, most businesses in a vain attempt to increase their value begin to offer discounts, and that often destroys their margins.
Would you believe me that in some businesses if they discount their price by a mere 10%, they now have to sell 50% more just to break even?
Let’s look at an example:
If you sell a widget for $100, and you have a 30% profit margin, you make $30 for every widget you sell. That means your cost basis for that widget is $70. If you discount that widget by 10% and sell it for $90 instead of $100, your cost basis is still $70. Now you are only making $20 in profit instead of $30.
For this business to make $1,000 in profit selling their widgets at $100 each, they would need to sell 33.3 widgets ($30 X 33.3 widgets = $1,000). But by discounting their price 10%, now they need to sell 50 widgets ($20 X 50 widgets = $1,000). They now have to sell 50% more widgets just to get back to their original profit margin. (33.3 X 1.5 = 50).
But consider this… when was the last time you saw a business offer a measly 10% discount? Most of the time they offer 20% to 40% discounts… and wonder why they are going broke. And to add even more bad news on top of this already bleak scenario, did you know that the latest research shows that discounting doesn’t actually impact a prospect’s buying decision unless that discount is for 40% or more?
So what about increasing prices?
Most small businesses have NEVER raised their prices. That’s because they don’t know the facts when it comes to increasing their pricing. They’re scared to death that ANY price increase, no matter how small, will lead to a mass exodus of all their customers. But is that really true?
Let’s use the same scenario as before. You are selling your widget for $100 and decide to increase that price by 10% to $110. Will that small increase REALLY lead to a loss of customers? Honestly, I believe a few will leave, but they are most likely your biggest price shoppers that show NO loyalty or patronage to your business anyway. They are the ones that beat you down on price every chance they get, and the moment you begin to make a decent profit, they will leave you in a heartbeat for the next business willing to accept a financial beat down. But even though there will be some customer attrition… to what extent? Let’s look at the numbers.
Their business is now making an additional $10 per widget… All of which is pure profit. Right there, that’s a 33% profit increase. For their business to make $1,000 in profit selling the widgets at $100 each, they needed to sell 33.3 widgets. But now, by increasing the price 10%, they only need to sell 25 widgets.
That means just to BREAK EVEN, they would need to LOSE 25% of your customers over a measly 10% price increase… and that simply ISN’T going to happen!
Want to know the closely guarded secret that successful businesses don’t want you to know?
STOP Discounting!!! Instead, innovate your business so you offer more value than your competition and increase your prices.
Of course, if we were working together we would need to perform a thorough price analysis on your business and determine the most lucrative price increase for you, but this is definitely a strategy I strongly recommend to all of my small business clients to help them increase their revenue. There simply is no FASTER or EASIER way to generate additional revenue.
After working through these numbers my client made the decision to increase her prices rather than have a sale and decrease them. So far, along with some other marketing strategies we applied, it is proving to be the exact thing she needed to do for her business.
Once you know and understand these and the other marketing strategies I teach, it’s just a matter of getting it all implemented in a timely and efficient manner to watch your business explode!
(…you know, the crazy, intense challenge where you have 30 days to build and launch your online funnel, while having Russell Brunson, Julie Stoian, and Stephen Larsen as your coaches?)
Word is spreading about how awesome this Challenge is, and thousands of entrepreneurs have been a waiting list for it to open back up, so they can join the next one. Well, after months of waiting, it’s finally back!
The Challenge officially kicks off September 2, but you can join right now! The registration deadline is September 1 9pm ET!
Crazy part is, for a huge 30 day Challenge with 3 top-notch marketing trainers, it’s just $100 for the WHOLE Challenge! Sooooo, it’s pretty much a no-brainer deal…
If you’re the type of person who wants an online business, but you struggle to get it off the ground…
Or you hate the business you’ve built…
Or you struggle with the actual implementation part…
Then this Challenge FORCES you to bite the bullet and get your first (or next) funnel built.
They go through everything in detail, so even if you’re a newbie and have never built a funnel before, this would be an appropriate Challenge for you to do…
Take a moment and look at your life. The year 2020 is 125 days away. Let that sink in. Is this where you thought you would be in 2020?
When you were a little kid, what did 2020 look like in your mind?
When you were a young adult, what were you going to do with your life by 2020?
What about January 1, 2019? What were you going to accomplish this year?
Many people take a good, hard look at their lives at the end of each year and set their big hairy audacious goals for the coming year, and then they forget about them for eleven and a half months.
Let’s stop right now and take a look at this. If you have been focused and taking massive actions on your 2019 goals, congratulations. Keep it up. I hope you achieve everything you desire.
For everyone else, I want you to look back on the past eight months. What were those goals and desires? What’s held you back from achieving them? Are you even trying to achieve them still?
Now reset. Get your butt back in gear.
Do you realize what is possible in 125 days? Yea, it would be nice if you could just continue off the momentum of the past 240 days, but if they haven’t been as productive as they should have been, don’t give up on the year.
Why do people give up on their goals?
Why is it that someone can get so excited about the goals they want to achieve and then just give up on them?
If you’ve ever been one who set some goals but eventually gave up on them, maybe by recognizing some of these reasons that people quit on their goals will help you the next time to follow all the way thought.
This is by no means the full list of why people give up on their goals, but these are the most common reasons that I’ve seen.
They Care Too Much About What Other People Think
Have you ever been so excited about something that you just can’t wait to tell someone about it? You think it’s an awesome idea and you just can’t wait to share it because you know everyone else will feel the same way as you do. Then with all of your excitement you tell someone and they respond with something like:
“That’s a stupid idea… You could never do that… Yea right, quit dreaming…”
That’s tough. It hurts, it’s deflating. But you can’t let the thoughts or comments from others defeat you. If you believe in something and you really desire it, you have to be ready to deal with negative feedback in a way that won’t throw you off course of discourage you.
If you set your goals and you’re working hard to achieve them, does that make you immune to failure? Of course not. When you are working hard towards your goals but you fail, it’s tough. Maybe you’re discouraged. Maybe even embarrassed.
At this point many people tell themselves they gave it their best and it just wasn’t good enough. It’s over.
But it’s not over. All that you did was figured out a way that it wasn’t going to work. Keep your head high and get back to work.
It’s Too Hard
Some people get discouraged when they start to work on their goal and realize that it’s going to be a lot harder than they thought it would be. It’s going to take some work. When it gets hard some people give up just because they lack the discipline to see it through. Some just don’t want it bad enough.
Focus on your goal and create that burning desire that will help you get through every obstacle and keep you excited when things get tough.
Self Doubt
Mindset is everything.
If you want to achieve your goals, you have to have a belief in yourself that you can do it.
You have to be able to kick the self-doubt thoughts out of your mind.
You will be amazed at what you can accomplish if you just believe in yourself.
“In order for the transformation of ideas into things to work, a certain amount of belief is required; a certain mindset that lets you know in your heart that you can, and will, achieve what you set out to do.”
– Napoleon Hill
For the next 125 days, get control over these four things that can stop you or make you give up on your goals.
Maybe you’re starting from scratch. Who cares. Just start.
In 125 days the year 2020 is going to be here whether you get back on track with your goals or not. On that day are you going to wish you had continued working on your goals or are you going to be proud because you worked so hard on your goals whether you achieved them or not?
Join one of our calls with a FREE trial membership to our Inner Circle MastermindHEREto learn how to set and stick to your goals while being accountable to other like-minded high achievers.
I just checked my DM’s (direct messages) on Instagram and had one that had a message similar to others that I usually get four or five times per week. This is what it said:
“Can you give me a shoutout to help me build my followers?”
Simple question. I took a look at their profile and yes, if I were to give them a shoutout they probably would gain some new followers from it.
But these DM’s actually frustrate me so much!
Who are you?
You’re not even following me! (This one really boils my blood)
Why would I want to promote you to my followers when I know nothing about you?
When I read a message like this I just quickly delete it. I move and forget about them.
There’s a lesson away from social media to learn from this. What can we learn from this to make good first impressions in person?
Have you ever met someone for the first time and then the remainder of the conversation was only about them?
Have you ever met someone for the first time and then the remainder of the conversation was their sales pitch focused 100% on their product with zero part of the conversation about your needs?
So what’s the similarity?
A lot of times it’s hitting delete and forgetting about them, the same as a DM.
Of course you can’t always develop a long term relationship with someone before you try to sell or create business. But how you make your first impression will definitely have an impact on the final outcome.
So let’s explore how you can make a good first impression.
Be Genuine
First off, be genuine. Everyone knows when you are a fake.
If you come across as fake on insincere you’re not going to have any better results than my friend above on Instagram.
It’s Not All About You
Put the focus on them, not on you. Build the relationship around what you understand about them and their needs and wants, not around you.
As Dale Carnegie says in How to Win Friends & Influence People:“…the people you are talking to are a hundred times more interested in themselves and their wants and problems than they are in you and your problems.”
LISTEN
Oh no, what was their name? Have you ever been two sentences into a conversation and realize you’ve already forgot their name, which was given to you less than 30 seconds ago?
From the introduction, listen to what they are saying. Too often people are so focused on figuring out what they are going to say next they don’t really hear what the other person is saying. Listen with an intent to really learn from what they are saying. What are their wants? What are their needs? What are they excited about?
If you truly put the effort into listening, you will learn a lot about a person.
What Can You Do?
“The past is gone. The present is NOW, NOW, NOW! The only place we can help to create value is in the future.”
Dan Sullivan
Make a difference by helping. Listen for ways you can add value and help them achieve the things they are excited about in the future.
You will make a much better first impression if you remember these things the next time you meet someone. Remember, make the conversation about them, not you.
Lets take another look at my friend on Instagram. Rather than randomly asking me to give him a shoutout, if he had followed me and spent some time engaging with me and finding ways he could have added value to me, I likely would have been happy to help him out at some point in the future. But instead… Delete & Forget…
“…the false thinking that any amount of reading, watching videos, browsing social media, or going through courses will get me out of my situation… the ONLY way out is for me to take action like crazy!”
A Mastermind is a group of like-minded individuals all working together to elevate their game – to make more money, to gain more freedom and achieve the life they’ve always dreamed of.
A Mastermind is the fastest way to get yourself and your business to the next level!
I’m excited about ourElite Performance Mastermind coming up on September 6 in Gilbert AZ! There are still some seats available for this event, so if you are interested you need to hurry and register. This is an event you do not want to miss out on!
But I have had some people reach out to me about other upcoming mastermind events because they can’t make it to our September 6 event. So I’ve decided that today would be a great time to introduce our Inner Circle Mastermind!
The Exclusive Inner Circle Mastermind is for entrepreneurs, businesswomen and businessmen who are looking to: (1) Create Change, (2) Experience Breakthrough Results, (3) Become Powerful Leaders, and (4) Network With Elite Individuals!
Weekly LIVE video calls with high impact, valuable content.
Exclusive training and the success habits, capabilities and tools that have allowed the successful to achieve all their goals and desires
Spotlight events where we help individuals work through their struggles and barriers as a group and help to point them in the direction of success
Guest speaking events from successful entrepreneurs and influencers
Instant access to The Inner Circle private Facebook Mastermind where you’ll be able to network and learn from like-minded entrepreneurs who are all elevating each other to the next level
Plus So Much More…
Hurry and join ourInner Circle Mastermind during our introductory special! Click below for more details!
Back in my days as a banker I spent one year working at a branch that was a pretty good daily commute. Those daily commutes were when I discovered my love for self-education. I remember listening to a Tony Robbins CD and he said when he was first getting started he read 700 books. I wasn’t a reader but I remember thinking, “If 700 books can get Tony Robbins to where he is, I’m going to read 700 books.” I’ve been an avid reader ever since.
I often think about how I will maximize my benefits of reading. What are the best habits and practices I need to have to get the most out of what I read?
What Am I Reading and Why Am I Reading It?
When I first began reading it was just a race to 700. I was focused on reading books on leadership, management and a variety of different business topic. But I’d finish one, put it on the shelf and start the next one. My thought was that if I can even retain a little from each book, if I read a lot of books, that’s a lot of new knowledge. Looking back I jumped around from topic to topic. Some of the first books I read were: Secrets of Power Negotiating, Good to Great, Raving Fans, and Man’s search For Meaning. I usually chose the books I read because they were mentioned in another book I was reading or someone suggested it. A lot of the time that is how I still choose books today, but I have more intent and focus on what I’m choosing to read now.
When I added Audible to my tools, that really gave me the ability to get through some books. I spend a lot of time on the road and whenever I’m in my truck I have an audio book playing.
Now, when I choose a book to read, I look for something that is applicable to me at the time. A book that I feel will help me in what I’m dealing with in business or life at that moment. I no longer read just to get on to the next book. I read with an intent to learn and apply what I learn in my life.
Learn Less, Study More…
Darren Hardy is an author I enjoy learning from. I remember him saying that we need to “learn less and study more. Learning is not the problem; lack of real study and implementation is.” I spend a lot of time taking about and reviewing things I’ve read with my brother-in-law, Sheldon. He studies Darren Hardy’s work a lot and he brought this topic up with me shortly after I had read it. He made me realize that this is something that would be beneficial to me. After our conversation I made some changes to my reading habits.
I take more time going through a book now to study the content and learn it better. If I find a book I really like, right after I finish reading it I’ll often turn to page one and start over.
I’ll often finish a book and then get it on Audible so I can listen to it as well. Or, if I first listed to it on Audible I’ll listen to it again and/or also get the hard copy to read.
Rather than flying through books now, I spend more time studying what I’m reading. That way, rather than hoping I’ll retain a little from each book, I feel that I can retain a lot more.
Highlight, Mark, Dog Ear
I take pride in my home library. In fact, when I started to use Audible I would often still buy the hard copy of the book so it would be in my library. As my library grew, those books were by pride and joy. I don’t lend my books out because I don’t want them to disappear like the neighbor’s borrowed tools. I keep them in good condition, organized exactly how I want them. I use to want every book in perfect shape. No markings, no dog eared pages. But I have found so much value in learning and accepting the fact that to get the most out of my books I need to mark them up, write in the margins, bend some corners, etc. When I read I have my ruler, my pen and my highlighter with me. They are just as important as having the book.
I find by marking things in the book I remember them better. But I also find that it helps me to find things a lot easier. I’ll often be on a call or in a coaching session when something pops into my mind from something I’ve read. My library is behind my desk and it’s usually quite easy for me to jump up, grab the book and quickly find what I’m looking for.
When it comes to using Audible it’s easy to clip a note in the app and then I’ll add my own notes to the clip.
When I read a quote that I like I’ll often add it to my blog as well. At JeffHeggie.com each Tuesday I post my “Book Quote of the Week.” I also add many of them to my Instagram page, www.instagram.com/entrepreneur.next.door/
Teach What You Learn
One of the best ways to learn something is to teach it.
I find that when I read with the intent of teaching I am able to learn the subject matter a lot better. So as you read, whether you are going to have to teach it or not, read it as if you will have to teach it. Learn it well. Learn it good enough to teach it. You’ll find that you’ll know it better, be able to apply what you’ve learned better and you’ll find yourself referring to it more often in conversations.
We had something we called our Education Plan at Kodiak Mountain Stone. We would ask one of our team members to read a specific book and then we would have a team meeting where they would teach what they had learned from the book and how it would be applicable to us in our business and personal lives. The conversations and things that would come out of those meetings were amazing. But it was always the team member that lead the meeting that got the most out of it.
A while ago I read the book Expert Secrets, by Russell Brunson. It was a great book and I loved what I learned from it. I’m preparing for a Mastermind Event coming up soon and knew there were a few things in the book that I wanted to review for it so I could include them in what I would be teaching. As I was going through the chapters that I wanted to review, I was seeing things in a completely different way. The fact that I was going to be teaching some of the concepts and they were a lot more applicable to my current situation, I was understanding things even better. So rather than just review what I was going to need for the Mastermind, I turned to the front of the book and started to read it all again.
Application
Knowledge is useless if you don’t do anything with it. The sooner you can take the things you learn from your reading and apply them to an area of your life, the better you will understand and remember your new knowledge.
Hopefully these are some practices that can help you to get the most out of your reading. Give them a try. I’d love to hear what you think. Send me your comments in the form below!
Today I was inspired as I was reading a post my daughter had put on Facebook. She shared some powerful words and thoughts and I just wanted to share them here.
h a p p y s a b b a t h !
Sundayspiration (a word I made up.. definition: inspiration on a sunday to give you that extra BOOST we all need for the week!)
We wake up every morning with a BRAND NEW DAY! A day that you get to decide what you’re going to do, who you are going to inspire and what you want to accomplish.
Do you let your days control you, or do you control your day? Do you just go with the flow, or do you demand a great day? What is your mindset when you walk out the door? Honestly take time to think about your thoughts! Are they negative or positive?
I am a firm believer that YOU make your happy life. No matter what consists in your day YOU decide how it is going to affect you. What you decide influences how you influence others. Choose your actions wisely. What frame of mind are you leaving your co-workers, friends, spouse, and kids in when you leave the room? Are you helping them make their happy life? Or are you damaging them because you cant get your happy life?
Take time to evaluate your emotions and mental state every day. Are you living your happy life, or are you just living?
I say “C H O O S E H A P P Y! Choose happy everyday.”
One of the most difficult things I deal with in coaching high school basketball is getting the players to buy into the “Next Mentality.” It’s not much different between boys teams, girls teams, the star players or the bench warmers. When they screw up, it’s hard for them to forget about it. It’s not just with screw up’s either, it might just be a missed shot, botched defensive assignment or something else. With some players, if they miss a shot, it’s over. You’re not going to see them take another shot. They’re not going to take the chance of missing again.
Over the years I’ve improved at coaching the “Next Mentality,” but I know that I’m far from perfect because I had a player going into their third year of playing for me that had to have a refresher last week. If I’ve done my job right, each player on my team should know their role. They should know their assignments. They know the shots they should take as well as the shots they shouldn’t take. So if they are playing their role and doing the things they are supposed to, but a shot doesn’t drop… WHO CARES?! That does not mean you stop shooting or fulfilling your role. But most important, it does not mean you dwell on it and keep beating yourself up over it. It’s over, you’re not going to change it, NEXT! Then the next time down the floor, when you get that same shot that you just missed, there’s no hesitation, you confidently shoot it again. You’re not even thinking about that last shot that you missed. Maybe you make it, maybe you miss it. Either way… NEXT!
I was recently having a conversation with someone who wanted to grow their brand online but they were beginning to fear putting their thoughts out there because on a few of their posts they had some haters add some really negative comments. The first time it happened they were devastated. They couldn’t get it off of their mind and began wondering if they should just throw in the towel. They didn’t know the person, but the comment stung.
When they asked me my opinion on whether or not they should keep going I asked them to tell me again why they were doing it. When we talked about their purpose and their why, the actions they had been taking were a good fit for what their goals are. So my suggestion to them was, “Next!”
I explained to them that if they were the best shooter on my basketball team and they shot an airball in a game, I wouldn’t want them to stop shooting for the rest of the game just because the opposing fans were chanting ‘airball’.
Look at the biggest influencers out there today. GaryVee puts out insane amounts of content. Does he only get positive, supportive feedback and comments? Of course not. But if he quit creating content after his first hater made a negative comment would he have 6.4M followers on Instagram (@garyvee), 1.9M followers on Twitter (@garyvee), 3.2M followers on Facebook (Facebook.com/gary/), plus the millions more following his other channels? No he wouldn’t. So why did he keep going?
Well, on Twitter he told us exactly why: “I just done give a @%#$ about what anybody thinks about me, because they don’t know who the @%#$ I am inside.”
So why do you spend your time stressed about a negative comment from someone who doesn’t even know you. There’s too much to get done in this life to spend time valuing someone else’s negative opinion. Fulfill your role. Take your shot. If it was a good shot and you miss, don’t worry about what anyone else says or thinks. You’re not going to change it. Don’t dwell on it or waste your time thinking about it. Just be ready to keep shooting! NEXT!
Whether you are just starting out or you’ve been at it for a while. If you are willing to play full out and push yourself to amplify the performance of your business and your life you need to join us for ourELITE PERFORMANCE MASTERMIND! We guarantee incredible results, but only register for this event if you are willing to take what you learn and implement massive action to achieve your goals!
In the talent hotbeds I visited, the chunking takes place in three dimensions. First, the participants look at the task as a whole – as one big chunk, the mega circuit. Second, they divide it into its smallest possible chunks. Third, they play with time, slowing the action down then speeding it up, to learn the inner architecture.
Most people live life as it happens. Reacting to the things around them day by day. But real fulfillment in life comes when we are living a life on purpose.
Once you discover your WHY, you are better able to align your beliefs with every choice and action you take, in order to find greater fulfillment in all that you do.
You’ll be able to make more intentional choices for your business, your career and your life. You’ll be able to inspire others to buy from you, work with you and join your cause.
Never again should you have to play the lottery and act on gut decisions that are made for reasons you don’t really understand. From now on, you will work with purpose, on purpose. From now on, you’ll start with WHY.
Simon Sinek
Simon Sinek’s TEDx Talk, Start With Why – How Great Leaders Inspire Action, was probably the first time I really started to think about our WHY in business. He said, “People don’t buy WHAT you do; they buy WHY you do it.”
Sinek’s 2009 TEDx Talk and his book, Start With Why, got many people thinking about their leadership and the ‘why’ of their businesses.
To live a fulfilled life, we also need to know our own personal ‘why.’
Why is it that you do what you do?
Why is it that you want more success? Why do you want to achieve more? Most people really don’t know these answers, even if they think they do. They know on the surface. They’ve thought about it. But when you can anchor it in your heart with feeling and emotions there will be no stopping you!
I was recently training with Dean Graziosi and he introduced me to The Seven Levels Deep tool. The best way to explain how it works is to tell you about my experience going through the process as if Dean was taking me through it.
Dean (Level 1): “What is important to you about becoming successful?“
Jeff: I’ve thought a lot about what success is to me, so this was a quick answer. “Becoming successful is important to me because I want to support my family and give them opportunities and experiences in life.”
Dean (Level 2):” Why is it important to you to support your family and give them these opportunities and experiences?”
Jeff:” I have experiences from growing up that really stand out to me. Great memories that are anchored in my mind. Our family trip to Disneyland in 1984. Trips to the lake in Montana. My parents at all my events whether it was hockey, basketball, football, rodeo or something else, they were there. That is what success has meant to me. I want to have the means to cover our regular living expenses (i.e. support them), plus have enough to create opportunities and experiences that are special for our familyl, which other families may not have the opportunity to experience.”
Dean (Level 3): “Great! To you, success means that you will have the means to provide for your family and create great experiences with them. Plus, you will be there for them. WHY?”
Jeff:a’ I want to be able to create those special experiences and opportunities so that my family has great memories of the time we spent together and the things that we did.”
Dean (Level 4): “Ok, Jeff, that’s great. Now you know that you want to provide for your family and give them special opportunities and experiences, and you want to do this so that they have great memories of the time they’ve spent together. But why?”
Jeff: “I want them to see me as a good provider. I want them to see me as a father that has taken care of them. A father that has created great opportunities and memories for them. I want them to remember the unique and special things they were able to do and feel that they are fortunate and special by being a part of our family. I want them to remember that I was always there for them and wanted to be a part of their lives. That I was there because I wanted to be, not because I felt obligated to be.”
At this point I thought I had figured it out. I’ve always looked at success in my life as being able to provide for and create special experiences for my family. But I’ve figured it out. I want them to feel special and proud for being a part of our family. I want them to remember how important family was to me and how I worked hard but was there when they needed me.
Dean (Level 5): a’That’s great that you’re figuring this out Jeff, but we have only gone through Level 4, we have more to go. Lets go deeper. Why do you want them to remember the unique and special things your family is fortunate enough to do. Why is it that you want them to feel special and proud for being a part of your family?”
Jeff: “I want them to love me, appreciate me, and be proud of me. I want them to look at their father as a success. In reflection I don’t want them to remember the times that I couldn’t provide as much as I wanted to or when I wasn’t there for them. I want them to love me and the things I did. I want them to tell their posterity about the things we did, the time we were able to spend together and the experiences we shared as a family or their experiences with just them and their father.”
Dean (Level 6): “Why?”
Jeff: As I thought more about it I replied, “II wanted my children to find success and I wanted to do everything in my power to help them find it. I want them to feel like I helped them find the opportunities they need to find success. I want them to have choices in their lives, to be able to go after their dreams and goals knowing they have the support of their parents behind them.”
Dean (Level 7): “Great! But that is only six. I have one more time to ask you.” He reviewed everything I had said and then asked, “why do you want your kids to have these choices?”
Jeff: As I started to think of this I thought of the different businesses I’ve run in my life. The things that made me want to be an entrepreneur. I thought about how often I noticed growing up that even though I had two other brothers who were just as busy as me with all their activities and sporting events, I always had one of my parents there to support me and I noticed this wasn’t the case with a lot of the kids. I want to be able to do that for my kids. I want to be in control. I want to live the way I want to live. I want to do the things I chose to do. I want to go to my kids assemblies, coach them and be there for them. I don’t want to have to ask for permission.” I want to be in control of my life, that is my why!”
Knowing my why helps me when I’m making decisions. It helps me when I’m having a difficult day. It helps me to keep my focus. Knowing what I want for my family, that I want my children to have choices and for them to know their parents are always there for them, and I’m in control of my life are the things that will make me jump out of bed ready to break through barriers each day.
So what is it that you want to do?
Make more money? Learn a new skill? Overcome a fear?
WHY?
Go Seven-Levels deep with this and find your true why. Then use the power in than knowledge to make an impact and achieve the highest goals you have in your life!
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