On 3rd

If you’re standing on American soil, count yourself blessed. The land of opportunity has the largest GDP in the world which means people like it here. 

It likely wasn't your choice to be in the U.S. Someone before you made that happen. Which means you don't get the credit. It no doubt takes some work. Work that slips our mind. 

Do you know your great great grand dad’s full name? When was he born? 

So here we stand on 3rd base feeling a bit like we just hit a triple. The work that paved the way… The lives lost defending the way… aren’t that visible at first glance. 

Recognize the work, respect the work, and do your own work so you aren’t thrown out trying to steal home. 

Accreditation

Licensing is a necessary evil in some industries. Before you get a license, make sure you like the work first. 

Getting an accreditation of some sort as an exploratory journey is a fool's errand...

Any license you get in real estate centers around memorizing the penalties for doing stupid things… Then you get tested and voila, you’re licensed… It doesn't actually teach you anything about how to be successful but instead highlights what happens to you if you don't comply. 

This makes the accreditation useless if you aren’t willing to do what it takes to be awesome. Find someone that IS awesome and work for them for a season. Then, if it’s a “hell yes I love this”, go get your license. Chances are you’ll be WAY ahead of your classmates. 

Competition

We struggle to be truly happy with ourselves if we aren’t a little “better” than the next guy.  This thinking forces us to compare. Comparing is mostly a distraction.  A distraction from doing our unique work.  

The work we do lives in two categories:

1. The work anyone can do (Tasks)

2. The work that only you can do

If you are building a business it requires both.  If you want to “win” you’d better work ON  your business(#2) and not IN  it (#1). 

Instead of trying to beat the competition, employ your unique talents to frustrate them.

Go make your mark!

Pro Tip: The real win is to have your competitors move from initial frustration to eventual inspiration…

Fine Wine

The results are conclusive. A $500 bottle of wine doesn’t taste better than a good $20 bottle.  If the cat is out of the bag why aren’t people picketing the vineyards?  How are sommeliers still employed?  Why is some wine still $500/bottle? 

If the blind folded wine expert likes the taste of the $20 bottle how does the free market support high dollar wine?  The answer?

Narrative.

Story is powerful...very  powerful.  Powerful enough to increase the value of a bottle of wine by 2500%.  

If those around you believe the narrative and you order the expensive wine (without sniffing the cork) Your status was just elevated.  

It feels good to elevate our status.  Sometimes the truth isn’t as fun because it kills the story and the status benefits.  The only thing more valuable than the $500 bottle?  The Narrative.

1984

It was one of the only books I read in highschool and Orwellian thinking has been woven into my worldview ever since.  The notion of Big Brother and government motives of total control complete with thought police is outdated.

Perhaps Big Brother has a new plan.  A plan that is far more simple, cheap, and subtle. 

A plan to distract.  

Distraction from what is important and true.  Distraction from better choices.  A distraction from making a difference.  A distraction from creating. 

The New Big Brother Says:

Hey man, look over here.  It’s so shiny and new, it will make you feel good.  Don’t get left out because you don’t know what happened in the game or who got voted off the island.  Stay connected to the feed.  Because the feed is easier.  It’s easier because all you have to do is consume.  

Don’t bother thinking (we’ll do it for you), 

Don’t bother creating (we’ll do it for you)

Don’t bother with anything.  

Stay where you are.

Hardest Questions

When you feel heavy emotion after an interaction with someone (enter knot in stomach, tight chest, blood rush to neck and face) There are really two things going on.

Your body has detected danger (It turns out it’s hard to tell the difference between physical and emotional threat)

You go into protection mode...

If it were a lion you would run. If it was a direct attack on your character you might also run.

The point worth understanding is that your ability to think rationally has left the jungle. Your entire being wants to survive. There is nothing you can do to eliminate this.

But...you can reduce it with truth. The truth is complicated by the tapes in your head. If you were bitten by a dog, you might play the tape “Dogs can’t be trusted”

The hardest question has two parts:

Is it true [Dogs can’t be trusted?]

What would life be like if I dropped the belief that [“Dogs can’t be trusted?”]

Don’t let the tail wag the dog without asking the hardest questions.

TrailBlazer

As a leader sometimes the path is crystal clear. So clear it feels like it should be obvious to everyone who is following. It’s helpful to understand why this assumption causes setbacks.

The trailblazing leader jumps out of the fox hole and charges forward. He risks it all and doesn’t ask for cover or let everyone else know what the plan is. He gets hit several times and finds a better position.

A position that will help win the battle.

A position that everyone will love.

A position that frustrates the leader who just lost the battle.

The leader who accidently fought hard only to lose alone.

Painting Profit

Money as a measuring stick of your worth confuses the merit of profit. Profit isn’t personal. If you don’t know how to make a profit something is wrong with you...or if you make a lot of money you must be taking advantage of others to get rich. 

This thinking paints profit into a corner (you’re either out of business or you're greedy.)

What is profit for? Profit creates space for what’s next. Profit tells the story of what the market thinks of what you’ve created. 

Profit paves the way. Go make a profit.

Taker Maker

There are two types of people in this world. The ones who make and the ones who take.

Not a selfish take but more of a consumer take. They’re both morally neutral and symbiotic. Are you a creator or a consumer? Do you buy or sell or do you buy so you can sell?

Don’t just consume...the world needs you to make what only you can.

Common Denominator

Circumstances sometimes overwhelm our ability to see our part. Look for patterns in your life. Are you always out of money? Are you always “mad” at someone else? Does your health slow you down?

Some things we control and some things we don’t. Separate the two and remember the common denominator… YOU.

Brain Picker

If you know an expert or someone who is well accomplished, never ask...

“Can I pick your brain?”

This person likely doesn’t want to have his mind pecked by a vulture. Buzzards are takers and you’re not the first person with this type of request.

A more useful way is to say something like:

“I’ve been inspired by the trajectory of your path over the years building __________….I have a few questions I’d love to ask. I’d love to get a better understanding of the hard work it took.”

Get prepared for the meeting and write your questions out. Let them see you’ve put thought into it. Take notes.

Successful people are wary of throwing pearls before swine. Swine that are looking for a shortcut.

If you aren’t a vulture and you execute...they’ll be shocked and send a constant stream of pearls your way.

Your Personal Brand

How do you develop your personal brand?

It’s a question no one was asking 20 years ago. The ability to amplify your message and the ease at which people can find out about you validates the question.

The bad news is you already have a personal brand whether you like it or not. It’s bad news because we don’t want to be misunderstood. We don’t want others to think one thing when we intend another.

The age of integrity has arrived. As Bob Marly says “you can fool some people some time but you can’t fool all the people all the time.” Your brand already exists. The cat is out of the bag.

So then...we curate. How do we want to be perceived? What do we want people to think of us?

Posturing is a slippery slope but authenticity has gription. It has gription because it’s you. Yet it’s easy to see when you’re “trying” to be authentic. Curated authenticity is a messy first step because it’s forced.

Being YOU is a full-time job...why work overtime?

Mastermind?

The think tank concept is so attractive.

Having a bunch of super talented people put their brains together to solve problems seems like a good idea.

They usually, however, meet a few times then fizzle. They fizzle because it’s virtually impossible to give equal value to everyone.

If you’re the smartest guy in at the table it’s a time suck albeit ego-stroking. If you are the “pledge” you’ll likely feel a bit lost or behind. So what do you do? Perhaps a long-term mastermind is a fantasy.

An alternative worth considering:

1. Curate 1-1 relationships with people that want your success and are happy to teach you.

2. Create a digital tribe of smart people that will awaken your inner awesome.

My guess is the alternative is more effective than trying to herd a bunch of wise cats.

Alexa... Sell My House!

Amazon announced they bought a Real Estate Brokerage (Reology) The amount of money sellers are willing to pay to sell their house is falling and the complex process is being automated.

There is always room for humans to make money in an automated world for one primary reason...Emotion.

My heart has never raced while ordering a phone charger or booking a flight. Most people, however, are a little on edge about buying or selling a house. It will be a minute before AI can detect fear and the nuances of our complex emotions.

There inlies your value.

The web has stripped the need for 90% of what needs to be done by an “expert.” You don’t hear your uber driver asking for more money because he can get to the destination without a gps. No one cares.

Doing long division in your head or knowing all the state capitals is a parlor trick that has no real practical use.

Your value is in that remaining 10%. The question is...what is that worth? Distill the human value of what you do and double down on that ability. People won’t pay much for searchable knowledge in an automated world.

Sell your emotional intelligence...your ability to “see” the humanness is where the gold is.

Cowlike

I have so many mixed feelings about my school experience. I mostly hated it. I hated the compliance part.

Here...memorize this…

Why?

Because it’s on the test…

If you got straight A’s you were seen as smart (might be true.) Get bad grades you probably got a diagnosis of some sort for not following the school model.

I was one of those kids who hated being a cow in the herd. Waiting in a cattle pen to get my branding, a number in my ear, or a few shots...so "they" could keep tabs.  

I’ve always despised hoops...and despised the game of school where the cards were stacked against my true talents.  

If I complied I would get rewarded with an A. But...for what...for who?

The poor teachers have to play too. Your students do crappy on a standardized test and suddenly you get ushered off to slaughter as a "bad teacher."

Pro Tip: Break the rules "they" set and....

Go make your mark!

Clunky Flow

As a mountain biker, I can tell you that some days I flow on the trail and other days I feel clunky. Recently I found myself in a crazy good flow state...hitting all the turns with ease and speed.

Then...my front tire suddenly washed out and I was laying in the dirt in an instant. I hopped up uninjured (thanks yoga), found my water bottle in the weeds and rolled away in less than 20 sec.

In a moment I went from flow to clunky. My rhythm was gone, my confidence rattled, and I began to doubt.

Doubt is dangerous when you’re moving fast. Doubt gives birth to more doubt. Doubt changes what you expect. Expecting to hit the next turn with the perfect line and speed is now in question.

The next time you crash...notice the doubt that comes up. No need to run it off...dance with it. It doesn’t rule you when you call it what it is.

Go make your mark!

Social Media Is A Waste

That was the tape in my head. I resented it because it would suck me in and the dopamine hits would keep me there. Good job Zuck.

A few years ago I changed my mind.

Imagine having access to what your great great granddad was thinking. What was he feeling? What were his passions...What was important to him? What were his struggles?

100 years from now posterity will be checking. They will have it all…

Are you digitally silent? That might be okay but what will the next few generations wish they had from you? Anything you want to say to them?

Start documenting now...somewhere...they’ll find it.

Behind The Bananas

Imagine a good friend invites you to the lake. You love the lake almost as much as your friendship.

He likes having you along because you know how to back a trailer. Launching the boat is a choreographed dance of precise actions. Everyone will be watching in awe.

As the weekend approaches, the text convo about the perfect weather and the new wakeboard is bolstering anticipation. You’re both pumped. As your pulling out your swim trunks your wife reminds you about brunch with her mother. The blood drops out of our head.

What will you say? You panic and tell him you have the flu.

The disappointment and guilt is palpable. Your wife sends you on a grocery run to grab some veggies for the casserole and there...HE...is.

You dive behind the bananas before he sees you and you stay there for a few minutes regretting your fake flu.

Owning your mistakes is hard but people pleasing is harder.

"You Didn't Build That..."

I’ll never forget the feelings of anger come over me when Obama said that about small business owners. It felt like an attack on hard work.

But was it?

Perhaps he was pointing out all the things that cleared the path so that my hard work would pay off. It would be pretty hard to make our businesses thrive in Ethiopia.

Seeing the opportunity, taking the risk, and executing is hard work. Take time to notice the support you do have.

The platform you build your legacy on didn’t just appear out of thin air.

Your circumstances can rule you or fuel you. Your choice.

Comission Breath

People can feel "agenda" from a mile away.

Agenda isn’t bad...it’s just obvious. Being subjected to someone else’s agenda can feel yucky.

As soon as someone is feeling convinced, they default to “no.” This is the marketer’s conundrum.

The honest agenda is to sell you something. If the agenda is to close the deal for the deal’s sake...it becomes convincing. All the “yucky” dissolves when the agenda is to help instead of take.