Have you ever wondered why some entrepreneurs just seem “lucky”? Money just seems to flow to them. They get all the customers, clients or patients that they can ever want.
There’s someone like that in most industries, but they’re where they are NOT because they’re better than you. It’s because they’ve got things set up so business, customers and money flow to them.
I had an interesting conversation last month with a member who’d recently read “The Secret”. I’ll be honest, it’s not my favourite book, mainly because the reality is that most of what we’re taught about the Law of Attraction is bollocks. Just thinking about something and wanting it badly will not make it happen.
I do accept that visualisation is definitely part of the puzzle – but it is only a tiny piece.
For many years I was a big believer that massive action is what it takes to get you from where you are to where you want to be. To this day, I’ve yet to meet anyone who works harder than I do, and if you’ve been around EC for any time at all, then you’ll know that we excel at getting a huge amount of stuff done.
But even massive action is not enough on its own; you’ve got to be taking action on the right things. In the right way.
The truth is, many people in business are following the wrong strategies – they’re doing the wrong things. Bananarama Syndrome* is as prevalent now as it’s ever been.
* Bananarama Syndrome: named after the famous girl band from the 1980s and in particular, their 1983 hit “It Ain’t What You Do, It’s the Way that You Do It – That’s What Gets Results”. Doing the right thing won’t, of itself, get you where you want to be – you have to do the right thing, right.
In short; I’m all for hard work, but you must be working on the right things, otherwise you’ll end up frustrated, exhausted, or broke – or all three.
I’m fortunate enough to have put myself in a place where I get a ringside seat as hugely impressive entrepreneurs repeatedly make and take gigantic steps forward with their businesses in my Mastermind Groups.
Why is David Costa running one of the most successful florist businesses in the country, repeatedly securing six-figure contracts from big blue chips?
What is it that Keith Edmunds has done that’s seen him grow his profits five-fold in the last two years in his IT support business?
What happened to Nick Williams and Ian Simms that catapulted their business from £500K a year to several million pounds a year in less than 12 months?
These are not rhetorical questions; I know the answers – as do the other members of their Mastermind Group. And the truth is, if you want to design your business and have the life that you want for yourself and your family, then you’ll need to follow the same principles that these guys have done.
They’re the same principles that I’ve used to grow my businesses and create the lifestyle that I have and they’re based around four simple beliefs.
1. Whoever learns and acts faster, wins.
Whatever it is that you want to do, somebody, somewhere has done it successfully before. They’ve made the mistakes, ironed out the creases, and the learning will be available to you somewhere.
Your ability to learn faster than your competitors is your only sustainable competitive advantage and without a shadow of a doubt, continual, lifetime, learning is the best and quickest path to success.
It’s fascinating to me that the first people to invest in their 2016 TEAP were the most successful people in EC. You see, they recognise that this first belief is true. It’s served them well and they continue and carry on with it.
I’m so grateful that I had the balls to book on my first conference in America back in 2004 because, genuinely, it changed my life and it was my introduction to the huge power that learning – and then acting on what you learn – is key to changing everything.
2. Ideas are really powerful
The extent to which you THINK about the challenges and opportunities facing your business and the quality of that thinking has a profound impact.
I know that the single biggest impact for many of my Mastermind members is quite simply that they think differently as a result of being part of the group.
The more you’re able to free yourself from the day-to-day fire-fighting, then the more you’re able to think properly and accurately and the ideas flow.
3. Who you hang around with matters – a lot.
I first wrote about this in “Botty’s Rules” and I understand even more now than I did then just how critical this is. The more you surround yourself with people who are smarter than you – the more your business will thrive.
If you’re repeatedly the smartest guy in the room, recognise that you’re paying a big price for feeding that ego.
Just like when I played golf as a teenager and, good though I was, I always played my best rounds when I was playing alongside golfers who were better than me.
It’s true in business. Find ways to spend quality time with better brains than yours.
4. Your daily disciplines – especially your 90 minutes – define your lifestyle.
My single biggest frustration about EC is that, despite my genuine best endeavours, too many members still don’t do their 90 minutes every day.
It’s like a magic potion. And once you do it religiously, then you will be astonished at the difference it makes to almost every aspect of your business.
We’re all assaulted every day by the influx of emails, phone calls, staff, customers and if you allow these barbarians to even begin to get close to your ramparts, then all your goals, plans, dreams and strategies will end in ruins.
My 90 minutes, every single day, is my fortress and it serves me so well – and has for many years now – to the extent where it’s the enabler for belief number 2, and it gives me the clarity of thought to recognise and do things about the implementation of beliefs numbers 1 and 3.
So there you have it. I’m sorry if you’re feeling underwhelmed at the “unsexiness” of these four beliefs, but I’ve reflected long and hard on them and I promise you if you can get your head round them, they will serve you well. Very, very well.
