Rabbits, Holes, and Shiny Objects

This Week's Summary:

Learned: Stop chasing two rabbits

Planning: No plan, no outcome

Business idea: AI, use it or fall behind

Vet Opp: Google Cloud

I met: Luke Predmore

Stoic Quote of the Week

When they're really possessed by what they do, they'd rather stop eating and sleeping than give up practicing their arts.

-Marcus Aurelius

What I learned this week:

I read somewhere that the biggest problem an entrepreneur has to being successful is being an entrepreneur. I can vouch for that. Some will even call it adult ADHD, which, in my book, is putting a label on something to use as an excuse. ADHD can be controlled if we choose to control it. Whether it is through medicine or counseling, it should never be used as an excuse for not achieving success. The problem is that someone who is really an entrepreneur is someone who sees a problem or an idea and wants to dive in and fix it or learn more. On our podcast, 10X Your Team with Cam & Otis, we call it rabbit holes. The metaphor of the rabbit hole comes from the truth that if you chase two rabbits, you catch neither. That is what happens to entrepreneurs if they allow themselves to be distracted; they are chasing two rabbits. Put another way, if you don’t like rabbits, then call it shiny object syndrome. This is literally chasing the latest thing, not the greatest thing. If you are distracted each and every time you read a headline about some new piece of kit or a new tech software, you are being distracted from what is important and necessary to achieve the success you want. So, how do you know the important thing you need to do? You have put in the time to develop a plan. A plan to that is your reference to how you spend your day and how your team spends their day. This is the only way to move forward and hold yourself accountable for doing what you say you will do. How can you do what you say you will do if you have never established what it is you will do, aka a plan! Stop making excuses and chasing rabbits all over the yard. Pick one and go after it; tonight, you will have hasenpfeffer for dinner.

Planning thought of the week:

Without a plan, there are no shiny objects. There is no single rabbit to chase. There is no outcome to reach. Stop wasting your time and, frankly, that of others if you don’t have a plan. It is time to stop/pause/reflect and now develop a plan for what you want and when. Stop wasting everyone else’s time, including your own. You are better than that.

Business idea I heard about or thought of:

AI tools continue to grow and expand, and the more I use them, the more comfortable I am with expressing what I want and getting it on the other end. The tools are saving us time, and the uses are becoming broader and broader. I’ve seen AI tools for job searches and tools for email responses and campaigns. Heck, there is even an AI tool that will create a podcast for you. What are you using AI for? Are you using it to generate capital by selling your ability to do something with it that your clients can’t? Are you using it to save time? What about solving complex problems? How about writing a book? You can tell it exactly how many pages you want it to write, and boom! (You better proof it)

A select group of readers received a survey last week about our new tribe concept and how we can make it the best interaction and fit for the members. I’ve heard back from a few folks; thank you. I’ve also heard the initial reaction is, “CRAP! OTIS! This is ridiculously long!” Well, it isn’t. Everyone who has read and completed the survey has told me it took them less than 10 minutes to complete. Two great lessons: 1) Don’t judge the action by its volume. 2) Be sure to make the survey appear quick and easy to complete.

Veteran opportunity of the week:

The next iteration of Google Cloud training for Veterans kicks off next week, November 7- 8 Nov 2024. Take advantage of this opportunity to broaden your skill base and understanding of cloud-based work. Learn more here .

Someone I met this week:

We had Luke Predmore on our show (episode to be released soon) last week, and I learned a ton, I always do. I feel that what Luke does is important enough for the veteran community to share what they do with you here. His business is called Valor Well. Valor Well is a business that matches VA members and dependents using CHAMPVA services with counselors and makes sure all the payments are taken care of. This is a huge resource and is filling a much-needed gap from those who need and want therapy to the trained professionals who provide it. They are still tied to VA Community Care, which requires a PCM referral. You can learn more about Valor Well and their services here .

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