July 5, 2023
As a coach, I find myself relaying many common principles and stories to my clients. But I also reinforce them for me as much as for them.
So here are the “top 10” that’ve been running through my mind recently. Hope they help!
Time (more specifically, attention) is your most precious asset.
It’s easy to say this but hard to do something about it.
As I learned from the world’s top entrepreneur coach (Dan Sullivan), I’m working hard to orient my days and timeblocks around 3 areas:
Do not blame external circumstances for your lack of time. We all have the same 24 hours. You have so much more flexibility than you realize.
How are you being aggressive in owning your time?
“If you have more than three priorities, you don’t have any.” — Jim Collins
My big three are:
Family: I’ve learned the hard way what it’s like to not be there. Never again. They're my world.
Clients: My most profound life purpose is to save lives (in my own way). This always occurs at the individual level. So I’m striving to increase the volume and quality in client service.
Money: I have zero shame in listing this in my top three. Money is merely a tool for unlocking a better life for my family and more impact in this world, so I’m surging to make a lot (while I can) so that it fades as a concern.
Following Essentialism thinking, my “big 3” ground me in a simple way. I'm clear on how my near-term efforts are unlocking my long-term dreams.
Being “successful” (per your terms) requires being at peak performance — mentally and physically.
Every weekday morning, I strive to:
Other aspects of my week:
Professionals are athletes — they focus on mind and body.
Take your training seriously.
It’s never the “right” time to have a kid, buy a house, take that dream vacation, or start a business.
Manage risk, get yourself to a “good enough” state, and take that leap.
Break free of your comfort zone:
Don’t wait for another’s permission. Yours is all that matters.
Ship, learn, iterate.
Keep aiming higher.
Life only grows in complexity and messiness.
Design and invest in systems that streamline your life and free you up for things you know you should be spending your time on instead.
Some of my systems:
Finding yourself doing repetitive tasks? Feeling like certain things are a grind?
Build systems. Invest in systems (yes, with money).
“A good process produces good results.” — Nick Saban
There are no shortcuts to the success you crave in life. Nor are there any “home run” swings where it happens in massive chunks.
You must play the long game, stacking 1% wins over time. It takes commitment, pushing through what your mind perceives as “failure.”
Think of it this way:
Success is about stacking tiny wins.
It’s a simple, life-altering concept (also from Dan Sullivan).
You have two choices for gauging your progress in life:
Choose the GAIN. Here’s why:
I implore you: program GAIN thinking into all you do.
(Check out The Gap and the Gain book summary)
A dangerous trap is to learn only what your employer asks you to learn.
That leads you down a path of building timely skills instead of timeless ones.
Instead, become a lifelong and expansive learner:
Most importantly, find ways to rapidly apply your learning.
Me? I push myself to create a post, record a podcast, or teach my kids what I’m learning.
This helps you encode it in your brain. And it keeps you fresh and constantly reinventing.
Think about this: a person goes through years of work to compress their hard-earned knowledge and creativity into a neat little package.
It costs you, what…$20 at most? (or free!)
If you have an instinct to read it, buy/borrow the book. One insight could be life-changing.
Reading is nourishment for the mind and soul.
Just read a page a day. Start there. You’ll see.
Also, stop watching or reading the news. Just stop (here’s why).
How you view money is how you view life.
It’s red vs. green.
Red (cost):
Green (investment):
Sure, there are costs in life. Who actually enjoys replacing their HVAC?
Happily pay the necessary costs and move on. But minimize the “costs” in your life.
In contrast, consider all the investments you could make: wealth-building assets, personal development, coaching, mindset and skillset enhancement, and relationships.
Turn on your Cost-Investment radar. Train your brain accordingly. Scan the world each day for how to spend wisely. Then, increase your investments…before you’re “ready.”
PS - when ready, here’s how we can help you:
receive weekly “secrets” for generating professional and personal freedom.
Join thousands in the Uncaged movement. Receive weekly “secrets” for generating professional and personal freedom.
Subscribe