Stories from the Battlefield (Viewer Discretion Advised)
July 10th, 2014 // 12:26 pm @ Scott Manning
My wrestling coach in High School used to say “if you’re not cheating your not trying…” Of course he didn’t mean actual cheating he meant always looking for a way to win, being resourceful and using ingenuity, never accepting the “norm” or other people’s expectations. Not being settled.
I love that saying and have never ever forgotten it.
The sad part to life is growing up you are taught not to “cheat” and to do everything yourself and never get help. When you become an adult you are a complete idiot who handicaps yourself. You make only slow and methodical (if any) progress when you do not cheat and use other people, other resources and leverage to make something happen (more, better, faster).
Life, certainly business, is about combining other people’s expertise with your passions, interests, talents, and working together to achieve your objectives and ambitions faster.
It is about condensing time and life experience & prosperity into accelerated periods of accomplishment. That is the truest test of success and “being smart”.
I always say you can never ever achieve anything ultimately on your own in this life, it is impossible, no one person lives so long as to figure some-thing out on their own, all by themselves and it is plain stupid to try.
Okay, so all that to say that I was going to title this week’s Newsletter…
“If you’re not bleeding, you’re not trying…”
But Kristen thought better the caption should say –
“You Should Have Seen The Other Guy”
The truth of this picture is…
Yes – I was riding a bike
Yes – I was going way too fast
Yes – it’s been a while and that’s no excuse
Yes – I was in a rush to my ocean side, on the beach, toes in the sand desk for my next phone appointment and wanted to be settled and comfortable.
No I was not “drinking and driving”
I was…
WORKING and PLAYING
Here’s also what you should know…
I made the PHONE appointment and successfully consummated the relationship with another brilliant client who understands that he knows a whole lot more than me about his chosen profession and specialty AND I know a whole lot more than him about aligning his business for profit and getting him to his desired lifestyle much much faster.
I listened. He listened. Deal closed, consulting day book.
Back to ocean I went… a little less fast, more of a hobble, in paradise all the same.
I say all of this to bring up another MAJOR myth and problem in our society that has been ingrained in business people and entrepreneurs, that every day is about sacrifice and that you have to work your life before you get to enjoy your life.
What a stupid idea. Another one…just like cheating being confused with leverage and being resourceful.
You do not have to wait and put off until some distant time never to arrive to the enjoyment of your life and business – YOU can build a business, create wealth and get rich WHILE you live the life of your dreams.
Of course there is some sacrifice that occurs. Opportunity cost is the principle of life, and it will always be. However, once you understand that – you can do what it takes to achieve your goals while you also create the lifestyle design that you desire and want along the way.
It’s crazy to me that an Entrepreneur lives in the mentality of an employee, settling for some predetermined fixed amount of desired income and locks themselves into a set schedule and clock and delays everything there are actually working for and passionate about for a few weeks a year at most and usually some oasis called “retirement”.
You have it all backwards.
First of all, you should embrace one of the late great Zig Ziglar’s famous lines…”You ENJOY the PRICE for Success.”
That is why you ought to pick something you like doing and more importantly are actually good at.
My days are aligned to meet the schedule I want set in any place on earth I choose to be, I am really good at designing a lifestyle based business and accelerating the accomplishment of someones desired goals and ambitions of not only their business but their life. I 100% practice what I preach. Like an artist who listens to a vision and paints it into reality.
That is what I do.
If there were two things that would tactically make a difference in your life and immediately show results it would be
1: Be more resourceful, always make sure you are doing the highest value task that only you can do and get others to do everything else
and
2: Set your life up the way you want it to be so that you are excited about it and look forward to it because a happy effective person will always out perform the best even actually better and more effective miserable person
Oh, and stop being in denial. I always say if you can’t be honest about your goals and satisfaction with your own daily life and business just ask your spouse I’m sure they can help guide you as to what they’d like to see better.
This past week I received for the first time ever the greatest compliment I have ever received before about my 1-Day Strategic Consulting Fees… I was told “my people weren’t impressed with your fees”… meaning that they were actually impressed, it meant they couldn’t swallow the number.
And the funniest part is that they were asking someone who “thought” they did some similar work as to what I do, which in fact was furthest from the case.
My response is quite simple – the fee is not there to impress anyone, rather I could careless about their opinion about the fee – there are only two people who’s opinion counts, 1-the person writing the check and 2-me.
This is a very important point, what they were unimpressed with was their own inability to command fees that would provide the lifestyle that they truly want, so instead of asking me for advice on how I keep a waiting list of consulting clients who repeatedly come back to cheerfully pay and how I live completely off of referrals from other happy members, they wanted to criticize (and they always will, you must look the other way).
No person who “has people” first of all amounts to anything, only a Man or Woman who makes their own decisions and can stand autonomously and confidently with the direction of their own life’s purpose and mission is worthy company to keep.
Your goal is to know and have that purpose and mission and never waver on it, ever, for anyone and then follow my points listed above religiously, devotedly, always –
Be resourceful, do not settle or accept less that you know you deserve
And
Create the business and lifestyle design that will provide exactly that for you.
I leave you with my most recent comparison and analogy, You are a Star Athlete, the center of your own universe, you are the player that makes the team – however you do need the team – and you would never go to that Star, the most talented athlete and ask them to change, no rather, the goal of the team is to create the most conducive environment for the Star Performer to do what they do best – everything is designed around “getting them the ball” and setting them up for success.
You have no choice but to embrace this if you want to perform at your highest, most optimal level in life and business.
The famous saying was “Frank Sinatra doesn’t move Piano’s”
And I would add that “Peyton Manning doesn’t pick the ball up off the ground, someone hands it to him”
Be the Star, Have a Team, Live the Life you want NOW, avoid and ignore the critic’s, be true to yourself and most of all…WORK and PLAY at all costs and Enjoy your “every-day” along the way to your goals and dreams and grandest aspirations.
Category : Blog
