Random Lessons [Part 1 of 3]

Here are a collection of random lessons that have helped me and I suspect might be of value to you as well…

• Act on what you learn. Knowing what to do and not doing it is the same as not knowing what to do.
• It doesn't matter what you know. It matters what you apply. If you don't apply something it's wasted knowledge.
• Clarity is the precursor to success. Get clear about what you want...be specific.

If you know what you want everything else becomes easier.

Decisions are clear.

Motivation is constant.

The path gets more defined.

I promise it's not 250K in gross revenue or 150 clients.

It's what you think attaining those things would yield.

Do you want a personal income of 100K, to take 2 weeks of vacation a year, not to work Saturdays or be in the gym from 5 a.m. until 9 p.m?

You decide what you want – then go get it.

• Know what you need & get it. Every successful training business needs to have certain processes in place. First you need to know what those processes are – then you need to get them in place in your business. Burying your head or procrastinating on this will prevent you from ever having your Ideal Business.
• Know who you are and who you’re really trying to serve.
• You decide. You decide how people view you and your business, along with what hours you’ll work and how you live your life. If you don’t decide, they’ll decide for you.
• Fixing your business starts with fixing you. You need to work on you as much as you work on your business. You're the engine so if you're not functioning at a high level then you can't expect your business to.
• Decide what you want to be known for and share it. If you want to build a great business you need to have an identity…your athletes need to be able to talk about you and clearly share why you're awesome.  Can they?
• Are you the first person in your market that people think of? If not, get better, re-define what you do, or tighten down your niche.
• Best beats first. Be so good at what you do that no one else in the world can do what you do. You may not have been the first in your market but it doesn’t matter as long as you commit to being the best.
• There is always room for someone to come in and be great. The market never needs more average providers.
• Your opportunity. I only had a couple great college professors, and one of them really stood out. He told me that you can become a millionaire by doing anything, as long as you’re willing to be better than everyone else at it. I agree 100%, but most people won’t do what it takes to be better than everyone else.
• If you want a business and a life that only a select few have...you've got to be willing to do what few are willing to do.
• Passion + production = performance.
• “I’ll try” really means “I’m not really committed and this probably won't happen.”
• If you want to build a great business solve other people's problems. People will pay more money to for you to make their life easier.
• Make sure the reality of what you're selling is as good or better than the marketed perception of it.
• Be the best you...not the best imitation of someone else.
• Avoid Average – The average business owner starts a business because they hate their current job and want to do something they think they like to pay the bills.

This is average.

Don’t be average.

Hating your job is no better of a reason to start a business than disliking your current significant other is for marrying someone you don’t know.

If you want to build a great business you’re passionate about, then build something great because you have a passion for what you do.

Those types of thoughts should drive you… not avoiding a job you hate.

• Be remarkable. No one raves about ordinary. Deliver an extraordinary experience and a caliber of service that people can’t help but talk about, and everything else about business becomes much, much easier.
• Associate with like-minded, successful people. It's often said that you're the average of the five people you associate with the most. I don't know if 5 is the magic number but the concept is spot on, so don’t hang out with slackers.
• Model other people’s success. Learn from people that have enjoyed successes similar to the ones you want. Model what they've done to get where they are.
• Practical vs. Formal Education. There is a much stronger correlation between your practical education - stuff like Perform Better events, business coaching, etc. - and your professional success than there is a relationship between your formal education and your professional success.
• Never stop learning. At every seminar I’ve ever been to, the most successful people always seemed to be asking questions and taking notes. This is not an accident.
• Invest in yourself if you want to grow. Investing in you is better than any stock you can buy. I've invested in my education in the past year more than ever before - and my new business doubled my expectations.
• Education Is An Investment, Not An Expense – *Every* single one of the top pros in the industry either benefit from Coaching or Masterminds.  But they view education as an investment. If they invest $5000, they do it fully expecting to make 10X, 20X… maybe even 30 or 40X that back in return.
• 9 times out of 10 your biggest limiting factor is in your own mind.
• If you don’t believe it can and will happen…it won’t happen.
• Determine what you enjoy doing and do best - then outsource as much of the rest as possible. For me that's writing, working with coaching athletes and developing game plans for businesses and finding opportunities for growth are tops among my areas of focus.
• If you want your problems solved - start looking for solutions. Don’t dwell on the problems.
• Successful people implement stuff in a hurry. Procrastination is not acceptable. The faster your speed of implementation - the bigger your bank account.
• Successful people are always growing. Success is never stagnant.
• Think BIG – The most successful trainers and coaches I know all think differently than the rest.  They all think much bigger. They think about doing big things, not ordinary things. They set big goals.  They take big actions. Big achievements don’t begin with little dreams.
• Stay One Step Ahead – The entrepreneurs who are growing a training business to the highest level are relentless in their quest to improve.  There is zero complacency. They’re always improving. Always looking for another edge. Staying the same isn’t ever a consideration.
• High achievers aren't smarter or more talented...they just do the things everyone else just dreams about doing.
• Focus on behaviors rather than outcomes. You can control behaviors and by disciplining yourself to enforce the new habits you'll almost always assure yourself of getting the outcome you want.
• Learn by 'doing' - not by talking about it. If you want to get good at public speaking...speak. Want to get good at writing...write. Want to become a better salesperson...get in front of more people and sell.
• The first couple weeks of doing something outside of your comfort zone are always the hardest. Discipline yourself to get through that and you'll typically be able to stay the course. For me, writing was like pulling teeth in the beginning. Now it's one of my favorite things.
• Business is like fitness. There is no magic pill and results don't come overnight. Focus on the process and you'll get there and enjoy the journey.
• Do the same thing you've always done and you'll get the same thing you've always gotten. The people I've enjoyed watching achieve tremendous growth all stepped out of their comfort zone to get there.
• It never has changed and never will: You can't help people until they want to help themselves.

Alright…I’ll be back with more random thoughts and lessons.