Overwhelmed. Lethargic. Swamped. Lost. This is what we can feel like in the valleys of our work and our lives. You…
– think you’re the only one who cares.
– feel that you’re the only who gets stuff done on your team (if you’re lucky enough to have one).
– get lost in the fog of un-motivation. (Or is it “de-motivation”?)
– start wondering “what if I’m doing it all wrong?”.
No matter the success level, at one point or another all creative entrepreneurs go through this funk.
It comes with the territory – just like crazy success.
Today’s guest, Danielle Watson, knows all about the highs and the lows – the peaks and the valleys.
From being on all types of media platforms talking about her Purse Process, to having to do a TEDx presentation during one of the most dramatic periods of her life. She’s gone through it.
In this interview, Laila and I get the chance to ask her why she chose the major she did as a self professed girly-girl, how she stumbled upon the Purse Process, and more about what all happened during the time she was preparing for her TEDx talk.
Enjoy!
SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:
Why did she pick a degree in anthropology? 11:27
Would she go through her schooling all over again? 14:54
What advice Danielle would give someone who’s just going into college 16:39
How did she feel that she didn’t fit the mold of her peers in college. 20:34
Did she ever use her degree as most people would out of school? 22:14
How did she find out that she could add value to others using her anthropological skills? 24:39
What your purse can tell you about your personality. 32:06
How Danielle got into doing a TEDx presentation. 35:57
Why she had a very bumpy road in preparing for it. 39:42
What direction she’s going after her TEDx experience. 46:59
What are 3 of her favorite podcasts? 55:58
What’s the secret to achieving personal freedom? 57:28
Something she believed as a 35 year old but doesn’t believe now? 57:55
One thing under $100 that has changed Danielle’s life? 58:21
If someone was trying to put their knowledge to use in a new business, how could they do that? 1:00:08
Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!
If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.
Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremelyhelpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.
If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.
https://www.newinceptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/AoL-Podcast-Logo-Master-Image-session58.jpg700700JChttp://www.newinceptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/NI-Web-Logo8.20165.pngJC2016-10-20 16:21:122018-12-27 15:35:01Danielle Watson: Navigating the Peaks and Valleys of Success in Business and Life (AoL 058)
Have you made the decision to be better person? Or maybe you’ve decided that you want to start a new business? You might have already taken some action in doing one of these (or both!) and you’ve been putting off telling those around you.
You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, but even I had to wait before I told Maria that I was a diehard self improvement and business fanatic. I don’t think she ever really realized that while we were dating, but I definitely made her aware after our Honeymoon, and it was a wide awakening for her!
In retrospect, I probably should have done that introduction differently. But I also think that it would have been more of a magnet had I done it better too. Up until then, she knew I was in Amway and that I was a teacher at heart. But that’s about as far as it went. Oops!
Keeping It Real
But, yes, there’s different reasons YOU might be keeping this information from people. For one, it might be you think those people won’t want to change with you. Or perhaps they don’t believe that you are capable of starting your own business. That you should have a job.
These are normal reactions.
Just because you want to change something in your life, doesn’t mean that another person does. Heck, you might be the only one out of a group of people who want to change. What’s a person to do?
Personally, I’ve had to deal with both of these in my life. I grew up believing that I should care what others thought of me. That alone drove me to trying to be someone I wasn’t. It also made me suppress a ton of emotions. Emotions that everyone else had. Emotions that I’m now in touch with.
Today, as I’ve made being captain of New Inceptions my full time gig, people have wondered when I’m going to get a full time job because they don’t see the results from my work. The answer is “Never.” but they don’t get that because they’ve never had compatibility issues with their job.
Truth is, you might have similar issues with what you’re currently working on. In fact, it might feel as if your entire social circle is turning on you as you start seeing results.
If you’re wondering how to deal with it, here’s how I’ve done it:
Test the Waters: Give As Much or As Little Detail as They Want
So, here’s the first truth. Your friends and family are going to realize that you’ve “changed”. That you’re either happier in general, maybe you’re “weirder”, or you just talk about “your business” more than you discuss anything else. They will notice.
One of you will cave first and want to discuss it.
Since the incident with Maria, I’ve gotten better at this process…
Let’s say that they ask first.
When you respond, they will give you a general feel in whether they appreciate the conversation. But don’t force them to do anything they don’t want to do. If it’s for them, they’ll ask more questions. If it’s not, they’ll probably try to change the subject to something else.
Let it go until another time.
If they give you crap for it, move on to the next step.
Recognize Friction
If there is friction between you and them, take note of it. You’re going one way and committed to that path while others are going another way… or not going anywhere at all.
Just like tectonic plates shifting, these subtle changes might eventually cause at least a tremor in your friendship or worse yet, an earthquake.
Ask yourself this: Is the drama that you have with friends or family based on you changing or making something? If so, is it a cycle? If it isn’t, then shrug it off. If it is, then let’s move on to the next point.
Understand Where They’re Coming From
Really, this part can be hard at first. Our natural reaction to people causing drama in our life in a repeated fashion is usually anger.
We feel slighted. We’re the one making the adjustment – why can’t they understand that?
Well, the thing is they probably feel threatened.
Just as an example, for my wife and I, we’ve both had to deal with parents who struggle with empty nest syndrome. That’s something that many parents deal with who have been helicopter parents their entire life. They don’t know what to do with themselves once the kids are gone.
Many of our friends already do the same thing with their kids, but we understand where they’re coming from. Many of us Millennials have grown up that way. Our parents made their lives all about ours.
But if you’re successful in your own business down the line, there’s a good chance you won’t have the opportunity to be there all the time for your kids. However, as I’ve said many times before, if you make your kids the reason you work as hard as you do and not the excuse, then you’re probably going the right direction.
In my mind, these two perspectives clash. And while I might not necessarily think that people should essentially devote their entire life to their kids, I do think that our kids grow up with us as examples.
If you do have kids, what kind of example are you showing them? Are you proud of that example? If so, then that’s great!
Consider what the other Person Brings to the Table
So, there’s a conflict of interest here. It’s recurring and you can’t wrap your head around where they’re coming from.
Now’s the time to start questioning their involvement and influence in your life.
If they’re usually supporting of everything else you do, then it might be a difference of opinion and that’s all it is. But, if the value they did bring to your life has disappeared, then unfortunately it might be time to just them go.
Seek a Balance
BUT…!
As you might have already figured out, there’s going to be some people in your life that even if you would like to let them go, you won’t be able to. Family members, especially parents, sisters, and/or brothers might be this way.
Life has a way of treating us all different. They, like you, might have changed. However, unlike you, they might have gone through some negative influences that you shouldn’t have to be expected to deal with in your own life.
So, to put it bluntly: maybe you just won’t spend as time with your siblings as much anymore.
It doesn’t mean you can’t still stay in touch – you should always have complete control over how involved someone is in your life. But don’t think that you’re wrong in holding someone at more of a distance than you used to be.
If they want help to move forward in their life like you, you can help them then. But don’t let them bring you down in the meantime
Take Action and Reassess
Once you realize where a friend or relative lies in their value to you, it’s time for the hard part. You’re going to have to follow through with your decision in how limited they are in your life.
Truth of the matter is that friendships tend to run their course naturally. So, as you start on your new path in improving yourself or building your business, you’re going to meet new people that have more in common with you.
There’s only so many hours in a day. Those folks will be your new friends and you’ll naturally have less time for your old ones. It sucks, but that’s how it works.
As far as family members go, you’re always going to love them and care about them, but being a little further away than you used to be will naturally make them have to think about going out of their way to beat up on you.
More often than not, they’ll realize they’re wasting their time and “you’re a lost cause” and that’s when you might be able to build a better relationship with them at a distance.
If they don’t get the message here, you might have to be very direct with them sometime. There’s good and bad ways to do this. Do it in a good way. You don’t want to be the bad guy here.
Wrap-Up
So, let’s go over real quick what we just discussed.
Test the Waters – You want to see if their receptive to the topic first. See if they’re interested or not.
Recognize Friction – If there’s any friction that you’re sensing from your friends or family, determine if it’s cyclical. If it isn’t, not a big deal. Bring it up again later and see what happens. If it is cyclical…
Understand where they’re coming from – People have different perspectives in life. Let people who they are. If they want to make any changes in their life you think they should, they’ll let you know.
Consider what Value the Person Brings to Your Life – If someone is causing drama about what you’re doing and not bringing any further value in your life, it might be time to let them go.
BUT – if they’re a family member or a long time friend, you might need to be a bit more careful in how you do that. If you can move across town, that might be an option. If you just say you’re busy, keep doing that until you’re not with them as much. You know the person, you have a better idea in what will work.
Take Action and Reassess – DO whatever you planned, and see if it helps you feel better about your changes in life. They’ll hopefully get the message. If they don’t, then you might have to “break up” with them.
Want More Help with Dealing with Frustrating People in Your Life?
Early on, one of the first AoL podcast episodes we did was about this topic. There’s much overlap here, so if you want to hear this topic actually discussed, you can find it here:
https://www.newinceptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/6-Steps-to-Share-Your-Ideas-Around-Friends-and-Family.jpg800800JChttp://www.newinceptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/NI-Web-Logo8.20165.pngJC2016-10-11 13:48:292016-10-11 13:53:156 Steps to Share Your Ideas Around Friends and Family
One huge risk in modern small business is to spend months or years working on a project only to release it… and find nobody wants it.
That’s one of the issues that The Foundation tackles head on.
When I first heard it’s founder (and today’s guest) Dane Maxwell discuss the matter with Pat Flynn on the SPI Podcast, it blew me away.
Not only did he promote not having the initial idea, but he also said you can build this product with no money of your own. (Meaning, if you do it right, you don’t need money to make money!)
Ever since then, I haven’t looked at business the same way.
However, one thing that I realized about the way that Dane approached business was that he was using it as a method to make an income, sure.
But was it his calling?
Today, we find him entering into another point in his life – becoming a musician.
Daniel and I were really interested to find out more about what he was up to when given the opportunity.
In this conversation with Dane, we talk about way more things than the transition. We also discuss what he’s learned about people during his time running The Foundation, why many people struggle to find worth, and more about his style of music and the message he wants to convey with it.
This is a great listen if you’re a fan of Dane’s or genuinely want some good soul food.
Enjoy!
SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:
What has been Dane’s perspective on being one of the most influential online entrepreneurs in recent years? 7:08
Was music something Dane always wanted to pursue? 9:56
What does “born to sing” mean to him? 12:54
Why he loves singing in nursing homes. 16:49
What was Dane’s childhood like? 19:16
Why he believes many people struggle to find out their meaning, purpose, and worth. 21:04
Are there any ways for someone to find their worth? 25:24
What’s the process of articulating stress in your life to get over it? 27:38
What are some musicians that have inspired him? 28:16
When did he know it was time to pursue music? 30:16
What was the 8 months of vocal lessons like? 34:19
How would Dane describe his style of music? 39:12
Why he feels people don’t have the discipline to get things done they want to in their life. 41:30
What is the cause of all the amazing things that happen in his life? 47:08
Does he believe in luck? 47:30
Why Dane repeatedly says there is 100 million people in his heart. 57:18
What are some of the patterns that Dane sees in music that he did in business? 57:00
What’s the message with his music? 1:29
Why he really started The Foundation for. 1:14:58
One gift Dane likes giving others. 1:20:07
One thing he believed when he was 25 but now realizes is wrong. 1:20:16
Three truths he’d like to share with others. 1:21:09
Who does he think of when he thinks of the word success? 1:22:46
Andrew Ferebee interviews Dane About Integrity and Being a Great Man
Thanks for Listening!
Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!
If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.
Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremelyhelpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.
If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.
https://www.newinceptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/AoL-Podcast-Logo-Master-Image-session56.jpg700700JChttp://www.newinceptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/NI-Web-Logo8.20165.pngJC2016-10-06 17:58:112020-03-06 15:59:34Dane Maxwell Unplugged – The Journey From Entrepreneur to Musician (AoL 056)
This week I’m going to be releasing a very special interview of myself and Daniel’s. The guest is Dane Maxwell, formerly known as the guy who has helped numerous people build their own SaaS (Software as a Service) based businesses through a program called “The Foundation”.
If you’re not familiar with Dane, check him out on one of Pat’s “early” podcasts via this link. This interview was a game changer (and still is!) for many online entrepreneurs.
The election process is something that a lot of people take for granted. But in the US, we shouldn’t ever forget how many people have fought for what we have today.
Unfortunately, the powers that are in control in society – especially the media and the federal government – have led many of us to believe we’re only capable of what others say we are.
If you look at both sides of presidential ticket, one side says we need more protection from all the bad things in the world, while the other one says that we need protection from all the challenges that we might face in the world.
Either way you look at it, the Federal Government is trying to tell us we need more of it in our lives.
In return they’ll give us liberty to live a peaceful life and just keep doing what we’re doing.
But is it really so simple?
We’re All Stones Treated as Bricks
I recently heard an analogy about how the world is trying to make us copies of each other. Like we’re being made into bricks to be the infrastructure of this society. We all conform into a certain code of conduct.
And we do. Especially those of us who are products of higher forms of formal education.
It’s what our school system trains us to be. Teach to the test, not the individual.
Sure this is fair treatment, but is it the best treatment?
I don’t think so. Not everyone is the same naturally.
Instead of bricks, we’re more like stones. Some of us are big, some are small. Some have weird angles and yet others are made of different materials.
You can still build with stones… but not as easily as you can with bricks.
It’s easy to understand why working with brick might be more preferable by a craftsman (or in the real world, the top 1% of the top 1%). They want the easiest way to build something that has a strong structure.
But value of the end result isn’t going to be as high as if stones were used.
With bricks, you just place each one on top of each other until you have the form you want and put a roof on it. With stones, you have to strategically think about how each stone fits into the building.
Like Glenn, when I see a stone house, I admire the work that went into it.
Can You Be a Stone once You’ve been Trained as a Brick?
When it comes to people, I believe so. We’re never truly bricks. We’re just treated that way.
That’s really what New Inceptions is all about. Helping people who think they’re bricks “refind” their uniqueness. Their own perfect spot in the world.
When it comes to finding your spot, Dane wants us all to know about our individual worth and value. We are valued for who we are and our contributions to helping others.
You might have heard that he’s becoming a musician to get that message out. Further than he could with The Foundation.
His songs are meant to help people feel loved and appreciated for who they are. Here’s a glimpse:
But yes, it takes a lot of work to find what makes you unique and realize you’re a stone.
Exercising Your Personal Freedom
Here’s the deal. You, like me, or even Dane, are not defined by your past.
We don’t have to always be the person that everyone sees us as.
Perhaps society and your education would make you believe otherwise, but really your future does not rely on who you’ve been or what you currently think of myself.
Heck, just yesterday Maria let me know of a guy who killed himself over the pressures of what was going on in his life. From what I understand, he turned to alcohol and other means of blocking out the pain. And eventually it got to him. You really have to feel for his family and the grief that he caused them.
But yet, I’m sure he felt stuck.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
As Sandra Bellamy said in session 50 of the podcast, you need to embrace your quirkiness. Or as I would simply put it, you need to exercise your personal freedom.
How do you do that?
Well, besides what Sandra suggests, I’d become familiar familiar with the 5 Obstacles of Personal Freedom. Start with health because you can’t really help people if you don’t have the energy to.
With it being October of 2016, I want to make sure you’re aware of the fifth one.
You need to know what liberties are currently granted to you in your country. Essentially these are the rules that you have to play by.
If you’re like me, you’ll want to fight to keep things as free as they are. The more liberties governments gives their people, it’s usually done through taking away something else that we weren’t aware of.
Remember that the Constitution is all about what powers the government has – not what liberties it gives us. The government should work for us, not the other way around.
And currently it’s looking more and more like we’re bricks working for it.
Personal Liberty is the “playing field” that the outside world gives us. Personal Freedom is the freedom you give yourself to be the natural you in that space.
Familiarize yourself with which candidates talk about giving you more freedom. Not necessarily those who talk about “being fair”. Brick makers are usually the ones who talk about strong “education” and treating each other as “equals”.
With the internet, you can educate yourself. Educate yourself to be the best version of you and not what formal education teaches you is “important”.
Also, we shouldn’t judge people by what their demographics are. We should judge them based on their character and their actions – if at all. No one person is inherently better than the next.
Not a person who owns 16 profitable businesses or a person who has a spark of a dream.
Now, get out there and meet some other stones!
https://www.newinceptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Are-you-a-Brick-or-a-Stone-Personal-Freedom-is-Your-Decision.jpg800800JChttp://www.newinceptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/NI-Web-Logo8.20165.pngJC2016-10-04 15:29:392016-10-04 15:48:33Are you a Brick or a Stone? Personal Freedom is A Decision
We’ve all felt that feeling where, at the end of the day, you wish you felt better about the work that you’re doing. Perhaps you feel like you’re stuck in a rut. Maybe you want to pursue something else with your time? Make more impact on people.
How do you do that?
There’s so much to the answer of that simple questions.
Like the team at New Inceptions, Barrett Brooks, today’s guest, is all about helping people make an impact. He did it with his first business called Living for Monday, then went on to join Fizzle, and now he works with ConvertKit as their Brand Strategist and Community Builder.
In this chat with Barrett, we find out more about that transition to ConvertKit and what he looks forward to doing with them. We also got the opportunity to find out more about his time with Seth Godin, why he likes empowering others, and why he believes meaningful conversations are the basis for great relationships.
SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:
How Barrett got involved with ConvertKit 8:00
What’s the people and culture at ConvertKit like? 11:28
Who is ConvertKit for? 13:48
What was Barrett’s time with Seth Godin like? 15:56
Knowing what he knows now about business, how would he have changed his business plan for his old business “Living for Mondays”. 23:13
How did Barrett get started with Fizzle.co? 26:17
What were things that made Barrett want to become an empowerer of others? 29:05
Where does he get his interest in politics and world events? 40:02
Why he believes that great relationships are built on deep conversations and connections. 45:16
Who does Barrett coach and how does he reach out to them? 47:26
His thoughts in how to get more people in deep and meaningful conversations. 52:01
Biggest 3 Influencers in Barrett’s Life 59:24
What he believed when he was 21 and now sees as bogus. 1:00:11
Who’s the most awe-inspiring person he’s met? 1:01:23
One thing under $100 that has changed his life. 1:02:37
Who comes to mind when he thinks of success? 1:03:10
Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!
If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.
Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremelyhelpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.
If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.
In the last post, I talked about Just In Time Learning. This is something that I’ve been learning quite a bit about recently.
Before I was focusing on building New Inceptions, I would always just listen to whatever the influencers had to say. Many times just because it was actionable information.
But, I never took action and therefore it was really just entertainment.
Once I did start focusing, however, I was able to actually apply what I was learning. And then I would naturally have more questions that needed answers. And the process would keep going.
This process has lead to me mastering skills and abilities that I didn’t know I’d even have before starting on the journey of building a business.
Want to know my strategy for mastering parts of my business? Here you go:
Step-by-step process: How to Make a Personal Development Plan for Your Business that You’ll Be Sure to Stick To
I’m going to walk you through all six steps here. Follow along and do what I do.
Step 1: Brainstorm
Using a mind map, I want you to think of 10 to 15 things that you believe that you could that could take your business to the next level.
Before you think of those items, I want you to give yourself 4 different categories that will help you with your thinking.
These 4 different categories are things that would help your business grow. So, for example, here are 4:
For example, if one of your items is learning how to use a certain type of social media (because one of the 4 topics we listed was engaging with potential clients), then you’d learn that social media, when it comes to business, is a form of marketing.
However, another one of our topics was “a website”.
Would it make sense to market your services first or have a place on the web (or in the real world for that matter) where people can find out more about you?
That’s where a website is needed. Marketing and engagement should come after actually having somewhere for people to find out more about what you’re doing.
Again, get the 6 Cornerstones eBook to help with this part.
Step 4: Evidence of Accomplishment
So let’s say that you pick doing a website now because you accept what I said in the last step.
How will you know that your website is done enough that you can start marketing it?
What does “Done” look like here?
That decision is going to be up to you. You might just opt for a long one page solution. Or, you might feel that you want to create different pages that that have different jobs. What’s best for what you’re wanting to do?
You have to start with the end in mind of what you want to achieve before you go looking for how you should do it.
Examples of things that might be considered “done” in my book would include:
My New Product is available.
I have a landing page for that new product.
Or if I wanted to work on traffic and leads:
How many new followers do I need to have in order to get X traffic?
Knowing what you’re looking for will help you do the next step…
Step 5: Find and List 10 Resources or People That You Might Be Able to Learn it From
Ok, so how do you find someone that has the knowledge (free or for a premium) that will help you do what you want to do?
I have 5 suggestions you can to with increasing cost to get what you’re looking for:
Search YouTube – You’ll find the free options here. Many times, though, they’re previews of the main course.
Subscribe to Fizzle – Only $35 a month and it covers all the bases of what you need to know at any given time while building a young business. (Use this link for 2 weeks for free!)
Here’s the main page of Fizzle’s library of courses. Now you see why I recommend them!!
Go to a site like Lynda.com or uDemy to find specific skills for your business.
Buy a big ol’ course from a lead influencer. These usually have the best results because they’re so rich in details, but you will be paying through the nose for it. (These can typically cost anywhere from $500 – $5000 per course!!) You’ll hear about these courses from big mediapreneurs like Pat Flynn, Jordan Harbinger, and Lewis Howes.
Buy a course from a lesser known person through a site like Producthunt.com. Results might definitely vary here, but you might find a bargain!!
Step 6: Implementation through Accountability
Learning about some new topic, strategy, or skill, won’t mean anything unless you put what you’re learning about to use.
Some people like to buy the higher cost courses just because the higher cost will keep them more accountable to implementing what they’ve learned.
However, many of those courses are time sensitive and will expect your full focus right away. Often times you get to meet others through these courses and help each other accomplish more together.
…
Side Note: If you’re wondering how much a product that is currently being hyped will cost – the more hype combined with the more results a free portion of the product will yield, the more you can expect the final program costing.
So a great example of this was the recent Ryan Levesque’s Ask Method. He was on several shows giving great quality in-depth pointers in how to actually do something. He was also mentioned several times in email campaigns by other folks as affiliates. The actual cost of the program is unknown to me, but I would go out on a limb and guess it was easily $2000 to $5000 per participant. And if people wanted to work with him in a small workshop type of function – that could easily start that price at $10k for the entry price.
Personally, I’ve been through two programs like this: The John Maxwell Team Certification Program and The Foundation. My networks have blossomed greatly because of my involvement with both.
…
Other resources that are available all the time won’t require as much focus and chances are their price points won’t be in the thousands.
However, you won’t be getting built in accountability with it.
If you have a network already in place of people who are ready to be accountable with you in whatever you want to work on, then you don’t need that extra price
Pick 5 topics or skills that you’re going to learn about within the next month or so by the end of this week. Then start learning about the first one next week. It might take you longer than a week to learn and do as much as you can for each one. How quickly you learn them is completely up to you.
But you’ll have focus because you’ll know what you’re supposed to be learning about!
And, of course, the bright side of that is that you won’t go crazy trying to convince yourself you need to be doing 20 different things!
Let me know how it works out for you below!
https://www.newinceptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/How-to-Make-a-Personal-Development-Plan-for-Your-Business-Which-Youll-Be-Sure-to-Stick-To.jpg800800JChttp://www.newinceptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/NI-Web-Logo8.20165.pngJC2016-09-20 14:40:432016-09-20 14:43:12How to Make a Personal Development Plan for Your Business Which You’ll Be Sure to Stick To!
Last Week I talked about how you can get more life satisfaction. There’s multiple reasons why someone would want more life satisfaction. With that post, I simply jumped into the how to of getting it started.
In today’s topic, we’re going to dive a little deeper into two of the 4 tactics mentioned in the previous post. Specifically, long term goals and having a growth mindset.
Here’s the thing, while you’re pursuing a long term goal, you’re going to grow as a person. There’s no doubt about it.
However, to do that growing AND achieve those goals, you’re going to have to put in a ton of work.
And to get that work done, you’re going to have to focus.
We All Make Choices
If you’re like me and many people I know, you probably have a busy life. For the most part, going to work takes up a ton of our time. If you have kids, that’s another layer of stuff you gotta do. And if you have extended family – there’s even more stuff you got to manage time for. And let’s not forget all the social things we might be a part of. Gaming, sports groups, you name it.
With all these things that we have to do on a daily basis, it’s hard to imagine how anyone has ever successfully done anything meaningful in their life after entering the workforce.
Seriously, who has the time?
Here’s the answer: You do.
“But how?”, you might be wondering.
We all have time. Everyone has 24 hours a day. Everyone has always had and always will have 24 hours a day.
We all make choices in how we’re going to spend our 24 hours.
Here’s a few that I’ve had to make in the past:
Go to a workplace that requires us to be there 7, 8, or even more hours per day.
Go to school and do the homework for the classes.
Be part of a sports team.
Go to the gym.
Keep working on that character in that video game.
Watch or hear that particular show so we have something to talk with people about.
Have friends or family that wants to hang out when we’re not doing work.
Sleep.
Many of these choices are things that “busy” people are probably already doing most (if not all) of. However, just because we’re busy doesn’t necessarily mean we’re being productive. And it sure as hell doesn’t mean we’re being satisfied by our lives. I could and will argue that many of these above choices can be distractions.
Most of our Satisfaction in Life Comes from Mental Focus in Working Towards Something
Outside of hanging out with friends and family, there are few things that give us all satisfaction.
Sure you might get some temporary satisfaction in playing games, watching shows, or getting that paycheck from your job. But again, I could argue those things are possibly examples of time that could be used more productively. Especially, if a person is interested in building a more satisfied life.
It’s not that we haven’t used mental focus before. You might have previously focused in school, sports, military… and even, believe it or not, playing video games.
Many would say that video game players are lazy – but they are as dedicated to their craft. Just as much as those who are focused on getting their degree, throwing a ball, or knowing what to do during an emergency situation.
Here’s Cam’s take on it:
In all four of these examples, we feel satisfied because we feel that the work that we’re performing is being put towards building something.
If it doesn’t require mental focus or we don’t feel like we’re building something, then there’s a good chance we’re not going to get satisfaction from the time, resources, or work we spend on a given activity.
Increasing Mental Focus:
So, how do we spend more of our time utilizing our mental focus towards building we care about?
1. Prepare for Prolonged Focus
The first part of being able to successfully focus on something we want to do is give ourselves the ability to actually focus.
If you’re the type of person runs on caffeine all day and doesn’t do much physical activity – that needs to change. You don’t want your body having to rely on caffeine to perform day in and day out – which can happen.
Also, stay hydrated. Personally, this is one that I struggle with myself. I know I don’t drink enough water. Having grown up on all kinds of sodas, juices, and other sugary drinks, I’ve never been able to make drinking water a part of my routine. So if you’re like me, make sure that you’re figuring out other ways of getting your water in. For me, I’ve become a tea-aholic!
One other way to prepare for prolonged focus is by making sure you get plenty of sleep. Seriously.
7 or 8 hours is what we should be shooting for. That means if you’re planning on getting up at 5 or 6 in the morning, you’ll be wanting to go to bed at 9 or 10pm at the latest.
2. Choose Your Most Important Tasks
Once you are rested up and have something to drink near you, you’ll be ready to get going. But before we do, we need to make sure we’re aware of the tasks that we want to do that particular day.
I’ve talked about how important it is to properly plan the tasks you want to get done that week and month. When it comes to doing something in a particular day, all we want to do is 1 to 3 things.
For example, I keep it simple by focusing on writing on Monday, podcast editing on Tuesday and podcast publishing on Wednesday. The rest of the time is committed to marketing, meetings, and specifically on Thursday and Friday, I try to learn and utilize new skills and systems to help with the other days.
3. Clear Space for Focused Work by Getting Rid of Distractions
Distractions come in all sizes. Having a dead end or uninteresting job, playing videogames or watching TV for 4 or more hours a day, or endlessly scrolling through social media or answering emails are examples of distractions.
The difference between distractions and other activities is that distractions are activities that aren’t helping you reach your goals or enriching your life.
If you’re having problems figuring out what the distractions in your life are, then think about the things you do that others would consider a waste of time or you personally feel is “a grind”.
Your job might literally drain you and stress you out. This might grounds to look for another job.
If you feel like you have to play video games “like a job”, then figure out something else to spend your time on. Maybe you feel like you have to be on all the social media platforms that your friends are on. If this is the case, then just pick one and let them know they can actually call you if they need something.
The goal with this step is to make sure we are not being interrupted when we actually sit down and do activities that are meaningful. If you need more help with distractions, here’s a post for more info.
If you want to start small but have some really drastic changes in this department, here are three things you can do today:
Don’t multitask. No one can multitask and if they say they can, they’re still living in the year 2000.
Turn off notifications on your phone and computer
Do not connect to social media or other things until your main tasks are done.
Don’t leave email going all day. Check it twice – preferably mid-morning and before you’re done for the day. DO NOT check it first thing!
4. Get in the Zone – Your Zone
Being busy is something that many of us have grown up believing is the key to success. And the truth is that, being busy is often times a sign that a person isn’t in control of their lives. The busier someone is or seems to be, the more they’re probably at the call of someone else.
So the goal, believe it or not, is to not for you to appear busy all the time. Instead it’s to actually be doing something when you’re wanting to do it and committing to that action. This will get you “in the Zone” or “in flow”. When you’re in flow, you won’t have to worry about others perceiving you as being busy because you will be and the more times you get there, the longer you’ll be able to stay there.
Being in flow for long periods of time is called Deep Work or Slow Working. Interestingly, this type of work yields better results in the long run.
If you’re not used to doing work for a long period of time, shoot for at least a half an hour sprint. And then work your way up to longer periods of time. The goal is to train your mind like a muscle. Ideally you’ll be able to spend enough time in a deep work mode that you’ll be able to finish the task at hand before you need a break.
However, you need to take breaks from time to time. So make sure you do take that lunch hour and walk around for a few minutes every hour or so.
If your current job prevents you from going into the zone on a regular basis, you might want to consider finding another job. I personally believe that being able to be in flow is a vital part of having job satisfaction.
If you’ve never had a job that will allow you to get there, then that might be a sign that it’s time for you to start your own business. This will give you a way to do something you like to do in a way that you will like doing it.
Ending Thoughts
I hope that this post gives you a clearer sense of what focus and subsequently, your work life, should be like. If you believe that you’re not being able to clearly focus on your job or in your business, then it might definitely be time to change some things up.
Lack of focus will cause you unneeded stress. Period. With so many options and opportunities in the world today, it’s just not smart to strap yourself to a particular group of coworkers or a paycheck with a particular name on it.
That might have been expected with the Baby Boomers, but even they know that things are changing quickly. (For a great discussion on this topic, check out my discussion with Dr. Joe Albano)
Your goal is to not look at a job as “working for” a particular company. It’s to look at a job as “working with” them. If you can’t find the partnership you seek in your current industry, you owe it to yourself to find that partnership elsewhere – even if it means starting your own business.
Word of advice: Don’t expect for your current company to change for you. Just because you might be starting to find your own goals in life, doesn’t mean your current place of employment agrees with those goals.
You might have to move. But that’s ok, because you don’t want to work at a place you’re not appreciated.
If you find yourself looking for a new job, do your due diligence when you’re interviewing and find out if the position truly works for you along with the goals and culture of the company that you’ll be working with.
https://www.newinceptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Increasing-Mental-Focus-4-Simple-Steps-that-Can-Change-Your-Life.jpg800800JChttp://www.newinceptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/NI-Web-Logo8.20165.pngJC2016-09-06 14:47:152016-09-06 14:47:15Increasing Mental Focus – 4 Simple Steps that Can Change Your Life
