Name someone famous.
Anyone.
An actor, athlete, musician, politician, entrepreneur.
Maybe you're on your iPhone and thought of Steve Jobs.
Maybe you're getting in your car and thought of Henry Ford.
Maybe you have ESPN on and you named LeBron "I Stand For The Chinese National Anthem" James (suddenly he doesn't want to discuss politics...people do crazy things for money, don't they?...but I digress.)
What's the purpose of this question?
Become Fanatical To Become Fantastic
These people are famous/successful because of their fanatical, pig-headed determination, stubbornness, and focus on their one thing, whether it was making computers or cars or playing sports.
I don't see that much anymore despite everyone I meet being "crazy busy."
Social media and multi-tasking are making us stupid, jealous, and anxious.
High-speed connections have enabled the snake oil salesman to reach out and touch you (and scare you and attempt to shame you and provide false hope) day and night, shine or rain, while driving, flying, jogging, even sleeping.
But snake oil salesmen only sell what helps them.
In the past, it was potions and lotions to remove stains, headaches, spiders, and armadillos. (At least they had a little "happy sauce" in them…but I digress yet again.)
Today, you're sold podcasting tips and "177 blogging must-do's" and SEO secrets and viral video wizardry and how to get on TV and how to become a "#1 best seller" (you should see how scammy and sleazy that world is), and you think…
"Yeah…I need to be better at PodTubeKindlePinterGramSnapMeerScoping."
So you fork over another $197 or $499 or even $25,000 to be an insider because you need to be on the inside, right?
NO YOU DON'T!
What we and you and the world need is for you to get better at what you do.
Then pick the best way to tell the world.
Then stick with that way until you master it.
Once you have a solid, proven method that is working, THEN you can shift to the next hot, cool, gotta-do fad—BUT ONLY if your prospects and clients are there.
On my drive to and from San Diego for my interview on Real Talk San Diego, I was just listening to Peter Voogd (The Entrepreneur Breakthrough) on my friend Pat Flynn's Smart Passive Income Podcast, and he said several powerful things.
They were so powerful I had to rewind and pause and jot them down on a piece of paper while driving (but I wasn't texting!!)
How To Achieve Your Goals
Here is what this best-selling author and powerful entrepreneur had to say, in a nutshell:
- The #1 issue impacting entrepreneurs is lack of clarity. (He must have been reading this post...before I even wrote it!)
- Lack of consistency, which happens when you don't know what you're shooting for.
- Habits trump inspiration. I love Zig Ziglar, and he always said inspiration is like bathing; neither last long, which is why you need it every day. But when you know what to do, and you know it's the right thing, the most productive thing to do, and you know it will produce results, you'll do it, even when you're not especially inspired that day.
- People only apply 5% of what they learn in places like podcasts, conferences, ebooks, and posts like this. I see professional conference attendees all the time and it makes me crazy. Spend more time applying the stuff you learned in the last 17 conferences, ebooks, and podcasts before you spend time and/or money getting another one.
- Related to the previous point is that we're all in information overload. So, again, stop learning–heck, stop reading this–and start doing. You can't steer a parked car. Start making progress so you can see what works, what doesn't, and how to make course corrections so you can finally reach your goals.
- Related to the previous two points is the lack of mastery today, which ties to my opening, which I wrote before I listened to Peter's podcast interview. (Great minds do think alike!) By the time you master the top 87 tools listed this week in Forbes or Entrepreneur or Inc Magazine, they will be outdated and replaced by a new and improved list of 88 tools. Determine the few things you must do to grow and the tools you need to help you grow and dive in and ignore everything else. EVERYTHING until you master those few tools. It's what I did with Infusionsoft starting 7 years ago, and now I am branching out (a little) but branching out from a rock-solid foundation.
- Improve your friends. Jim Rohn said it best, that you are the average of the 5 people you associate with the most. In the South we say things like:
- If you hang out with chickens, you're gonna cluck.
- If you hang out with eagles, you're gonna soar.
- If you lie down with dogs, you're gonna get fleas.
- Challenges test your faith. Years ago I wrote this post, "You Can't Climb a Smooth Mountain." (I bet Peter was reading my stuff...I'll have to ask him when I meet him! :-) If you're committed to what you're doing you won't let little–or big–setbacks set you back.
Focus On Strategies Before Tactics
So stop fretting over the latest social media app. (If I have one more person ask me if they should be on Periscope or Snapchat or Facebook Live I'm going to send them glitter in the mail!)
At the end of the day, you must ask yourself
Is what I'm doing now the most productive thing I can do to reach my goals, which are written down and visible?"
If I had to make a bet, I'd say you have more applications on your smartphone and more newsletters in your inbox than you can open or read in a week of Sundays, let alone master them to help you grow your sales.
So here's what you do to begin taking control of your life and your income.
- Unsubscribe from 10 lists right now. Go ahead and open up your email and unsubscribe from the email lists you know you won't read or take action on. I'll wait. (Don't worry. They'll ALL let you re-subscribe anytime you want.)
- Create a filter in your email client that routes those you do want to keep into a new folder like "Marketing" or "New Ideas" or "Read Later" and route at least 10 into those folders. (You can then route future emails as they come in, which will help you start to take control of your inbox.)
- Turn off notifications on 10 apps on your smartphone now. How productive can you be with all of that beeping and vibrating and pop-overs on your smartphone and computer? (Don't worry. You can always go check them later, but let's be honest: has an Instagram or Snapchat message ever saved anyone's life?)
- Delete those 10 hype-filled webinars off your calendar that you got suckered into registering for. You'll only log in to four of them, you'll only stay to the end on two of them, but with your multitasking, you won't pay attention to any of them. And since you know there will be a replay, you can ask your friends on Facebook what they thought of them so you can go watch the replay of the one good one.
As the silence sets in, first get comfortable with it, which may take a while. But as it does, take note of what thoughts enter your mind. It's those fears, worries, anxieties, hopes, and dreams that come rushing in that need your undivided attention.
Address those in the order of importance, and I guarantee you'll be more productive and profitable in all of your endeavors.
Now go sell something! 👍