COVER CONTINUED ... India. You didn’t do anything to be born in America, and there is only about a 4 percent chance for that to happen, so you are lucky to live here. Typically speaking, though, luck has little to do with your overall success. It may set up an opportunity, but you have to bring it home. is education . No, not formal education, but how much time each day they spend educating themselves on sales, marketing, leadership, people management, etc. I speak with countless entrepreneurs who rarely spend a nickel on personal education. But you have to be constantly learning to succeed. For example, I have a goal of reading or listening to nine books each quarter. I go through two trainings per quarter, buy consultations from experts in areas I’m trying to grow in, and pick the brains of friends who are experts in their fields. I read tons of articles on business. I also read random articles about people — reading what is trending in pop culture helps me better understand how the masses think. You have to invest in yourself. I learned a long time ago that I’m not the CEO my company needs 12 months from now if we’re going to continue to grow, but you better believe I’m going to work my butt off to make sure I am ready when next year rolls around. Another huge difference I see in those who are uber-successful and those who are not as successful The next trait I see in successful people is personal responsibility . It amazes me how many people lack personal responsibility. There is a lot of power in taking ownership of the outcome of an issue instead of blaming others for a failure. When something goes wrong, first ask where you dropped the ball before pointing fingers at others. I love the Bible verses Mathew 7:4–5: “How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while there is still a beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own “ You have to get up every day and GO GET IT . You need a plan, and YOU NEED TO WORK THAT PLAN.”
eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
that plan. If that means working 80-, 90-, or 100- hour weeks for a while, that’s what it means. I’m able to outwork most people, and because of that, I will win more often. The idea of massive action has been popularized in the last 10 years or so, but that is simply another way of saying “work hard.” Of course, you need to focus on the right work, but even if you do everything in this article except work hard, you’ll find out you didn’t get good results. The final factor is mentorship. I don’t know of anyone who is super successful who doesn’t have at least one mentor they work with on a regular basis. You have to have someone who understands the normative model of where you’re trying to go if you don’t want to run into every pothole, cone, car, and tree along your journey. Few things can provide a shortcut to growth faster than a good mentor. In the end, you’ll have to decide which of these qualities are most needed in your life, but with a little luck, lots of hard work and studying, good time-management skills, personal responsibility, and some mentorship, you will crush your goals and make all your dreams come true.
Regardless of your religious persuasion, this is so true for business. How can you get upset at your employees for being late to meetings when you’re always late? How can you get angry at your marketing company, saying, “This doesn’t work,” when you didn’t have your deliverables in on time so the program could work? Time management is another HUGE issue and a difference I see between people who are crushing it and those who are not. Every now and again, a client stops me at a show or calls in and tells me the newsletter isn’t working for them. Nearly 100 percent of the time, it is the same issue: They aren’t personalizing the newsletter. I tell them that’s the issue and it only takes 15 minutes to do, and literally half of the time, I’m told they don’t have 15 minutes. Here and now, I’m calling BS. If you don’t have 15 minutes to give to a project so you can get what you’re paying for out of it, you either have a close family member who is dying or you have poor time-management skills. I’m a super busy guy, and I can always find 15 minutes once per month. It’s kind of like the excuse of no money … everyone has money for the things they want, even when they’re broke. You don’t see too many broke, out-of-work college grads with student loans up to their eyeballs because of their basket-weaving degree with a minor in ancient Mayan studies canceling their cellphones because they’re broke. Another long-lost skill is that of hard work . I don’t know too many get-rich-in-your-underwear people, and I know a ton of rich people. Even the people who sell that dream are some of the hardest workers I know. You have to get up every day and go get it. You need a plan, and you need to work
–Shaun
P.S. Last call for mentorship and coaching from me. As I write this, my mastermind is nearly full, but we may have a spot or two left. If you want guidance getting to the next level, let’s jump on a phone call and see if it is a good fit. NewsletterPro.com/apply
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