What’s your BECAUSE?

See this post on YouTube!

What’s your “because?”

“Because” can be the reason why you quit…

“”Because” can be the reason you move forward IN SPITE of the adversity you’re facing right now.

Cadets who were training to become a Navy SEAL rang the bell BECAUSE they thought the pain would never end…& they regretted it for the rest of their lives.

When you reach a point where you’re pissed off…something doesn’t go your way…or it’s just plain hard remember you started your climb long BEFORE this situation…so don’t quit BECAUSE of this situation…

You’ve been working for “this” for years…so don’t just give up in these tense minute BECAUSE of _______

I almost did that in college…

My ticket out of my hometown was to get a full paid scholarship because my parents couldn’t afford to send me away to college. I got a full ride to play football, but was overwhelmed when I checked in as a boy among towering men.

Alone, skinny, scared, & deep on the depth chart I almost quit BECAUSE….

My decision could’ve aborted everything I’ve ever worked hard for simply because Coach slapped me hard across my helmet in front of the others. Coach wasn’t my because…he was my excuse. Truthfully I wanted to quit because it was hard…because I went from a starter in high school to riding the bench in college … because I thought I’d never get playing time.

Had I made that fateful decision I would’ve never risen to become a starter, All-American, All-Louisiana, permanent Team Captain, & be voted 1 of 12 of the best linemen in the school’s 75 year history.

You’ve come too far…fought to hard to just get to this. There’s more…”I will not quit BECAUSE _________ (you fill in the blank w/ your because)

Stay in The Sales Life 💪

What’s the LEAST I can do

Watch this post on YouTube!

When you’re trying to change you tend to look at what’s the MOST you can give instead of the least…

Start by giving the least amount of time toward your new change. If it’s most, something unexpected will pop up, you’ll get off-track & quit.

For years I wanted to start The Sales Life Podcast, but I never did because I didn’t have (what I thought was required) hours to devote each day…

So I never started….thinking one day…

That’s when I discovered the Anchor App. When the App first came out, Anchor only allowed 5 minutes of recording time which was perfect because that’s all I could give!

The “least” time barrier gave me no more excuses to not get started.

Because the time limit was “least” I was able to record a 5 minute podcast every day for a year. I built the consistency and momentum so when the time barrier was lifted I was already rolling.

“Least” takes you out of the If/Then negotiations you have with yourself. “If this happens, then I’ll create/do more…”

Start with devoting the least amount of time toward change…when you’re consistent, you can always add more.

Stay in The Sales Life 💪

You haven’t lost your touch…you’ve lost your flexibility

Watch this post on YouTube!

Yes you wore deodorant today…

No it’s not because your lucky pen ran out of ink…

You haven’t lost your touch, you’ve lost your flexibility.

In his book, “Think Agile,” Taffy Williams has a great list that you can check against to see where you’ve lost your flexibility.

🔥You hold onto failure too long. Failing can make you paranoid & “me” focused. You begin to think that everyone is out to get you & it’s you against the world. Your correction is in your connection so keep going.

🔥There is no secret sauce. Success is a formula not a recipe. If you carefully follow grandma’s recipe you’re buttery biscuits will taste like hers- but it’s NOT THE CASE when it comes to your success. The formula is ALWAYS changing- what worked before will be defunct 30 days from now- adjust the formula along the way.

🔥You’ve gotten complacent after sustained success. Back to back to back to back to back success can be a blessing and a curse. Stay on edge- your luck comes and goes.

🔥 You don’t think you’ll survive your personal problems. I’m living proof you will get through- just don’t park. Even though you’re going through hell right now, keep pushing forward- you may be sucking personally, but don’t let your professional life suffer. Don’t let up.

🔥You’ve become lethargic to your competition. As billionaire Tilman Fertitta says, “There’s a paddle coming for your ass.” Don’t think you can’t be dethroned.

🔥You’re indecisive. Make a damn decision- even if it’s wrong, at least you can adjust while moving.

🔥Refuse to get stuck in the past. Success is more like a track than a merry-go-round. Don’t wait for the “come-around.”

If you’re not where you want to be, it ain’t your touch- it’s your flexibility.

(Special thanks to Taffy Williams for for the inspiration)

Stay in The Sales Life 💪

Admit it…just don’t accept it

Watch this post on YouTube!

Rich or poor, discouragement is a common thread among all of us…

It’s the thread, but it’s not the whole sweater.

We tend to wear setbacks as a tight, ugly sweater instead of realizing it’s a thread woven throughout our lives.

Whatever your current situation is- broke, stumbling in your career, overweight, divorced, bankrupt, or just in the skids admit it…just don’t accept it.

Sometimes it’s like we accept the Lifetime Underachievement Award, saying “I could’ve been something, but I wasn’t…& here’s why.”

Don’t be delusional, admit what it is right now, but don’t accept that’s all there is.

If you admit but don’t accept, that means you’re willing to do something about it.

So do something about it!

Stay in The Sales Life💪

Write drunk, edit sober

Watch this post on YouTube!

The other day I was working on a podcast episode, but didn’t have much time.

Working on the material went smooth but when it came time for me to record…uhhh not so smooth.

I had to re-record over and over & every time I messed up, I got more pissed off because my time was running out & I HAD TO GET IT DONE.

I finally muscled through the episode but I was furious with myself because it did not come out the way I wanted it to.

I almost published it anyway, but something reminded me of the quote, “Write drunk, edit sober.”

Meaning come back to it when you’re not “drunk” i.e. pissed off.

The next morning I worked on the episode from scratch & it came out exactly the way I wanted it to.

Sometimes in life you have to remind yourself to, “Write drunk, edit sober.”

As bad as you want to light a match and get something started…

As much as you want to tell someone the way it is and should be…

As bad as you want to get it on & confront the person who wronged you or said something that lit you up…

Maybe you should sober up first.

Like I did with the episode, come back to the situation when the emotions aren’t quite as raw so you can address it with more clearer thoughts.

Who knows, when you let your emotions cool off, you may find that you were waaaay off base to begin with but were so narrow in perspective you couldn’t see it any other way but your way.

Easy to say, harder to practice but saying these 4 words in the heat, may help recenter you and address it more productively…later.

Stay in The Sales Life 💪

New advice…old filter

Watch this post on YouTube!

You know that person who gets advice from everyone yet does nothing with it other than get even more advice?

I’ve been that person…

The reason why you never move up, stay broke, are overweight, or get right back into the same kind of relationship you fought to leave is because your sifting new advice through an old filter.

You won’t see new results until you sift through a new filter…

It’s written that you can’t pour new wine into old wine skins because those skins don’t have the capacity to hold anything new…

Similarly, you’re trying to pass new advice through an old filter- the same filter that you had when you were a teen..the same filter that you had in your 20’s-your old filter doesn’t have the capacity to handle the new (often contrarian) advice.

Your old filter is why you habitually follow the footsteps of those you grew up & hung with…

You desperately want to change your life but you’re sifting new ideas/thoughts through an old filter…

Want a new body…new filters along the way.

Want to earn 6 figures or be a top producer…new filters…

Want your dream job or relationship? It’ll require new filters…

Change requires a new filter…changing requires evolutionary filters.

Stay in The Sales Life 💪

What IS grind?

Watch this post on YouTube!

“Get on your grind…”

“Rise & Grind!”

“I’m on my grind…”

Grind has become a household word, but what IS grind?

Grind is what’s left over once your fight is gone…

See, when you first started your podcast, weight loss program, sales career, newfound faith, or get out of debt program, you were willing to fight every day…

But with no immediate results now nor anywhere in sight, you grew sore…tired…weary…& doubtful.

It’s when you come to the crossroads of packing up or grind forward…

Grind is the residue that’s left in the tank…

Where is not enough to take a trip but you can sure as hell & take the next step…

Grind is one more round…

Grind is a “maybe.”

There’s no certainty…there’s no guarantees…

It’s just a maybe & you’re willing to take a maybe because even if you fail, at least you won’t be sitting in the same spot as a year ago…

Grind is how you develop consistency & with consistency is how you earn your rhythm.

Grind is when you say, “Go ahead & lock me in because I’m not finished…”

Grind is when you say that you’ll catch up with the crew later because you have to go knock out that 2 miles you promised yourself…

Grind is where everyone else is laid up on Sunday mornings, but you’re banging the weights at the gym…

Let me show you grind…go look in the mirror and say, “I am grind!”

Stay in The Sales Life 💪

Hard is manageable

Watch this blog on YouTube!

Sometimes in the course of the conversation I’ll tell people that I ran 5-6 miles before coming to work & they’re like, “NO WAY I could do that!”

At one time I was that way too. Initially hard for me was just getting up early…then hard was running 1 mile…then 2…3…then 5-6.

Hard is exhausting…but the more you lean into hard it becomes manageable.

It’s not that running 5 miles & going to work is not still hard- it is, but it’s manageable.

Being a new parent is hard…amping your sales game up is hard…taking on a new job is hard…working out constantly is hard…but it gets manageable.

Hard & doing nothing looks impossible…but when you take on hard it gets manageable to the point where you have the ability to take on more hard.

Hard gets embraced instead of traditionally resisted.

& when it’s manageable you can handle & have even more.

Don’t wish that hard would go away…work to make it more manageable.

Stay in The Sales Life 💪

2 words limiting your success

Watch this on YouTube!

It’s been said that a person’s success can usually be measured by the number of difficult conversations he’s willing to have…

Think about that one…

The areas where you’ve been successful were probably due to you leaning into difficult conversations…

& the areas where you’ve failed are due to running away from difficult conversations.

Every failure I’ve had in life: relationships, parenting, finances, professionally, & personally (yes a convo with yourself) were due to me running from difficult conversations…

You fail because you equate a difficult conversation with confrontation or an argument…

No it’s just a difficult conversation…that you need to have…

You run from difficult conversations because you catastrophize the outcome…or they always end up worse than when you started…

So you remain silent- thinking doing nothing is something, when all you’re doing is layering needed difficult conversations on top of one another until you bleed & blow.

The tension bleeds into your professional or personal life & you reach a point where you blow the hell up. (Which is why the outcomes always end up wrong)

You won’t get better at having difficult conversations until you have difficult conversations.

If you go into the difficultly reminding yourself that this is a conversation not a dialogue (so leave the “I’m gonna give them a piece of my mind” at home), you’ll approach it from a more relaxed point of view-seeking to both understand and be understood.

If it gets toxic, pause it (indefinitely if you have to) because it takes 2 to dance to that song…

& a difficult conversation is always a win.

It may not be the outcome you expected (because you could’ve been wrong the whole time), but it’s a win because you had the difficult conversation instead of running from it.

And that you can measure…

Stay in The Sales Life 💪

It’s not you were that lucky…How to work in bursts

So you pulled out ANOTHER month, right?

Every month you find yourself in a situation where you have 3 days to pull your month out…

And you did it!

But you start a new month off frustrated, yet relieved that you pulled your month out…

You’ve proven to yourself that you can work in the clutch…

Know your tendencies…instead of letting circumstances build into these pressure cooker, 11th hour moments, create them yourself.

It’s not that you were that lucky, it’s that you were that intensely focused…

Leverage your tendencies by working in bursts of 3-5’s (days)…

Like pulling a month out, put that same intensity & focus into just a few days…

Then play mind games with yourself giving yourself permission to rest a day then ramp up another 3-5.

Because you’ll have the momentum clicking you probably won’t even take yourself up on the “off” day, but even if you do, you’ll be more productive because you’re working in 4-5 round bursts vs taking 3/4 of the month off.

You can do this with any initiative:

Workout: 3 days intensely on & take a day off

Creative: 1 hour hard & heavy then take the rest of the day “off.”

Savings/eating better: 5 days no slack one day treat

Stay in The Sales Life 💪