by Helena Escalante | Goals, Growth, Habits, Leadership, Mindset, Opportunity, Productivity, Tools
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes, 32 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Selective quitting
— From Born For This: How to Find the Work You Were Meant to Do by Chris Guillebeau (Here’s a book review I wrote and here’s my interview with Chris at the New York Public Library.)
A quote that is frequently attributed to Einstein is, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” In Born for This, Chris Guillebeau makes the case that “most of us are smart enough to realize that if we try something new and it doesn’t work we can’t just keep doing the same thing and expect different results.” When this happens, we quit and move on, but the key word here is new.
What happens when it’s not new? Guillebeau continues, “the greater problem comes when we’ve become conditioned to success according to a certain method or plan of action. When something works for a while and then it stops working, that’s when it’s tough to change. We don’t keep attempting the same thing over and over because we’re stupid, and it’s not because we don’t know any better. It’s just that we love the familiar and change is hard.”
What to do?
We must go after the right opportunities and selectively quit projects or courses of action that are not in our best interest. But “knowing when to give up and when to keep going can feel like an unachievable superpower,” says Guillebeau. Fortunately, he offers four strategies you can put to work whenever you find yourself in this situation.
1. When the stakes are low, make changes or give up quickly. The best time to make a change is earlier in the project, when the stakes are low and, preferably, when the investment of time, effort, money, etc., has not been as significant as closer to the end (but more on this in point 3 below).
2. Fight your FOMO. FOMO, or Fear Of Missing Out “is a very human and natural human emotion, it can be dangerous if it prevents you from quitting when it’s long past time to give up. After all, if you want to be successful, you can’t live your life out of fear.”
3. Ignore sunk costs as much as possible. The term sunk costs is used in accounting and finance to mean “a cost that an entity has incurred, and which it can no longer recover by any means. Sunk costs should not be considered when making the decision to continue investing in an ongoing project, since these costs cannot be recovered.” (Source: AccountingTools.com) But the fact that this term is used in finance doesn’t mean that it doesn’t apply to us if we are not in the field. Why do we keep watching a really bad movie and hoping that it gets better, when the logical thing would be to stop watching or leave the theatre? Because we have invested our time (and perhaps our money) in it, and we’d like to see if we can somehow make the most out of that investment. Why don’t we get rid of things that clutter our homes and offices? Because feel bad about getting rid of them when we think of all the money and other resources that we’ve spent on acquiring them. Why do some people keep working at a job they don’t enjoy? Because they’ve spent years at the company. When you take sunk costs into consideration you become chained to a false commitment, and this prevents you from choosing better options. Do not take into account sunk costs when making a decision.
4. When the stakes are high, ask yourself two questions. The questions are very simple, but don’t let that fool you, the answers will give you much clarity:
- Is it working?
- Do you still enjoy it?
The answers should come to you quickly and intuitively. If both answers are yes, then keep going. If both answers are no, then quit. The tricky part comes when the answers are different: when it’s working but you don’t enjoy it, or it’s not working but you do enjoy it. In either case a change is needed to get you to where you want to be. Here’s a brief diagram of what the questions and answers look like:
- Is it working? → Yes → Do you still enjoy it?→ Yes → Keep going
- Is it working? → Yes → Do you still enjoy it? → No → Change something
- Is it working? → No → Do you still enjoy it? → Yes → Change something
- Is it working? → No → Do you still enjoy it? → No→ Give up
And while giving up or quitting has a bad connotation and we don’t want to think of ourselves as quitters, just remember that by quitting something you’re not giving up on you. On the contrary, you are giving yourself the opportunity to fully chase those goals and dreams that you want to achieve.
ACTION
TODAY: Think about one project or commitment that you have going on and that is spreading yourself too thin. Apply the four strategies above and figure out whether it merits continuing or not.
FUTURE: Adopt these four strategies for figuring out what you want to keep and what you need to give up. Once you take on additional projects, make a point of evaluating your progress every so often by running your projects through these strategies. This way you’ll ensure you’re involved with projects/actions that are moving you forward, instead of weighing you down.
Know someone who needs to selectively quit a thing or two? Please share this post with them via email, Facebook or Twitter, thanks!
by Helena Escalante | Celebration, Goals, Growth, Leadership, Mindset, Opportunity
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 45 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: It’s never the right time
— From What to Do When it’s Your Turn (and it’s Always Your Turn) by Seth Godin
In What To Do When It’s Your Turn, Seth Godin talks about our fear of doing things because it’s “not the right time.” He concludes that, “It’s never the right time. When you are starting a family, it’s not the right time. When your kids are about to go to college, it’s not the right time. When there’s an elderly parent depending on you…” You simply have to take the leap because the right time will never come.
Godin mentions that when Gutenberg launched the printing press it was “a foolish time to bring a book manufacturing system to Europe [because] 96 percent of the population was illiterate.” It was indeed too early to launch considering the following: only one in 25 knew how to use the product and learning to use it (reading) would take years. Can you imagine if Gutenberg had decided not to move forward because it was not the right time?
And “when Karl Benz introduced the car to Germany, it was against he law to drive a car. He had to get a letter from the King granting him permission to use his new device. And, worth mentioning, no one knew how to drive a car. And there were no roads. And no gas stations.” Too early again…
We have a million reasons to give up because it’s too early, too late, or simply not the right time. On the other hand, when we take the leap, we are giving ourselves, our loved ones, and those who surround us, the gift of a project that can benefit us all. Godin says, “This is the chance of a lifetime, our lifetime. Not someone else, us. Not later. Now.”
I’ll leave you with this quote as food for thought:
“Do it or not do it—you will regret both. … To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose one’s self.” – Soren Kierkegaard
ACTION
TODAY: What have you been postponing lately because it’s not the right time? Ask yourself: if not know, when? Set a time to get started. Even if you begin with a tiny step, it will be a step in the right direction.
FUTURE: Think of all the things you have postponed because it’s never been the right time. Which of those are still part of your life/business goals? Pay attention to them and set up a time to start. We need you to share your gifts with the world!
P.S. – I have a favor to ask today, please: for a long time I postponed launching my blog because it was not the right time. I’m so glad I finally took the leap to share these ideas with you daily! Since EntreGurus will be celebrating 100 posts soon (woo-hoo!), I want to learn how the ideas have been helpful to you, what your favorite post has been, what other books/topics you’d like me to feature, and what I can do to improve or enhance EntreGurus. Could you please help me by sharing your comments with me in here? Thank you so, so much!
P.S. 2 — Know someone who is waiting for the right time? Please share this post with them via email, Facebook or Twitter, thanks!
by Helena Escalante | Creativity, Goals, Growth, Leadership, Mindset
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 58 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Peter’s Laws
— From Bold: How to Go Big, Create Wealth and Impact the World by Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler
Peter H. Diamandis was named one of “The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders” in 2014 by Fortune magazine. He is the founder of more than 15 high-tech companies. He recalls how, in the early days of one of his business ventures, his office mate put a copy of Murphy’s Law on the wall as a joke. It read: “If anything can go wrong, it will.” After a few days it started to get under Diamandis’ skin, so he went to his whiteboard and wrote, “If anything can go wrong, fix it! (To hell with Murphy!)” And above that, he wrote, “Peter’s Law.”
As time went by, he started collecting more laws, which now serve as his rules to live by. I want to share all those rules here with you, but before that, here’s some advice from Diamandis: “The maxims presented below are the ones that have worked for me, but that’s no guarantee they’ll work for you. So come up with your own. Borrow from anyone you like. The point isn’t to produce pretty pictures covered with inspirational quotes. The point is to trust your history. Plumb you past to plot your future. Start collecting mind hacks by examining your own life and seeing what strategies consistently worked along the way. Turn those strategies into your laws.”
Peter’s Laws ™*
The Creed of the Persistent and Passionate Mind
- If anything can go wrong, fix it! (To hell with Murphy!)
- When given a choice—take both!
- Multiple projects lead to multiple successes.
- Start at the top then work your way up.
- Do it by the book… but be the author!
- When forced to compromise, ask for more.
- If you can’t win, change the rules.
- If you can’t change the rules, then ignore them.
- Perfection is not optional.
- When faced without a challenge—make one.
- No simply means begin one level higher.
- Don’t walk when you can run.
- When in doubt: THINK!
- Patience is a virtue, but persistence to the point of success is a blessing.
- The squeaky wheel gets replaced.
- The faster you move, the slower time passes, the longer you live.
- The best way to predict the future is to create it yourself!
- The ratio of something to nothing is infinite.
- You get what you incentivize.
- If you think it is impossible, then it is for you.
- An expert is someone who can tell you exactly how something can’t be done.
- The day before something is a breakthrough, it’s a crazy idea.
- If it was easy, it would have been done already.
- Without a target you’ll miss it every time.
- Fail early, fail often, fail forward!
- If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.
- The world’s most precious resource is the persistent and passionate human mind.
- Bureaucracy is an obstacle to be conquered with persistence, confidence, and a bulldozer when necessary.
* Laws 12 and 15 by Todd B. Hawley. Law 17 adopted from Alan Kay, Law 21 adopted from Robert Heinlein, Law 24 by Byron K. Lichtenberg, Law 25 adopted from John Maxwell.
ACTION
TODAY: Take a look at Peter’s Laws and see which ones apply to your life and business. Keep the ones that suit you and add at least one more of your own.
FUTURE: Take a deeper look into Peter’s Laws in these blog posts (here and here). You’ll learn what’s behind some of these rules; and the thoughts, I’m sure, will spark some ideas to come up with a few rules of your own for your list of Laws. You can download a copy of Peter’s Laws here.
Know someone who could use some law’s in business and/or life? Please share this post with them via email, Facebook or Twitter, thanks!
by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Growth, Habits, Leadership, Mindset
Estimated reading time: 1 minute, 55 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Leading by example
— From Common Sense Leadership: A Handbook for Success as a Leader by Roger Fulton
Actions speak louder than words. Nowhere do we see a clearer case of this as in children who do as parents do, not as parents say (!). This gives way to the do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do phrase that usually comes from an exasperated parent…
🙂 All joking aside, what about in the business world? What should we pay more attention to: the actions or the words of our leaders?
Roger Fulton, in his book Common Sense Leadership, shares the following:
“One Fortune 500 executive told his people, ‘You may do anything you see me doing.’
Subordinates will emulate, consciously or subconsciously, their bosses.
If you are forward-thinking, innovative and progressive, then your department will move consistently forward.
True leaders are also willing to roll up their shirt sleeves and do whatever is necessary to make a project succeed. Their commitment and dedication in such a situation sets the example for all of their people.
True leaders are excellent role models.”
Truth is, no matter our age and no matter the setting, actions indeed speak louder than words. We seem to have a radar to detect the word-action disparity when it exists. And because we know others are watching, we must be congruent in word and deed.
“The example of good men is visible philosophy.” – English proverb.
ACTION
TODAY: Think about what you do and what you say in your business. Are your words congruent with your deeds? If not, why not? Ask yourself why five times (or as many as needed) to get to the bottom of it. Once you find the real reason why, address it and change it so that you can speak and act in a way that sets an example for others to follow.
FUTURE: Take inventory of the things you do and say in the different areas of your life. Where are you being incongruent? Don’t judge yourself harshly, we all do it at some point or another. The important thing is to detect it and find the reason why we do it. Ask why five times or keep asking until you find the real reason behind it. Once you know why there is a disparity, you can change it and lead by example.
Know someone whose words are not congruent with his/her actions? Please share this post via email, Facebook or Twitter, thanks!
by Helena Escalante | Creativity, Growth, Mindset, Resources, Tools
TODAY’S IDEA: Waiting for the other shoe NOT to drop
Sometimes it seems unavoidable. An undesirable thing or event is about to happen. It’s inevitable, we’re waiting for the other shoe to drop.* But does it have to drop?
“What if the ‘other shoe’ doesn’t have to drop? Instead, what if the other one rose? What if the first shoe sent down a rope for the other? What if when things went well, you were creating a baseline from which to soar higher? What if things never went backward? What if when you ‘lost’ something, it was always an invitation to expand your love, expression, or sense of identity? Your life moves in one direction always. It’s always giving you the chance to grow. What if things could get better than your best experience ever?”
ACTION
TODAY: Is there a part of your life where you are waiting for the other shoe to drop? What if it didn’t? What options are there to move you upward and onward? Brainwrite some ideas for other preferred outcomes: you’ll see that there are always different options. And with a bit of creativity, they can turn out to better than we could have ever imagined!
FUTURE: Know that you always have the choice to change your mind, see things differently, and look for alternatives. Same as above, when it seems that something is inevitable, take the time to brainwrite some ideas for other preferred outcomes. This creates a shift in mindset and will enable you to seek more favorable options. Then find the resources (ask your network) for the best possible outcome to happen.
Know someone who’s waiting for the other shoe to drop and who could welcome other options? Do them a favor and please share this post with them via
email,
Facebook or
Twitter, thank you!
*For our international Gurupies**: “waiting for the other shoe to drop” is an expression in the U.S. that means, “to await a seemingly inevitable event, especially one that is not desirable.” The phrase originated “in New York City, and other large cities, during the [housing] boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Apartments were built, similar in design, with the bedrooms located directly above and underneath one another. Thus, it was normal to hear a neighbor removing their shoes in the apartment above. As one shoe made a sound hitting the floor, the expectation for the other shoe to make a similar disturbance was created.” (Source: Wiktionary)
** Gurupie = blend of guru and groupie = how I fondly refer to the EntreGurus’ community, because we all follow the ideas of the gurus.
by Helena Escalante | Growth, Leadership, Mindset, Opportunity, Planning, Resources, Sales, Tools
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes, 30 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: The listening matrix
— From Dynamic Communication: 27 Strategies to Grow, Lead, and Manage Your Business by Jill Schiefelbein
We’ve talked about listening before (here and here), but always focusing on you: how you listen and how you can listen better. But have you ever stopped to think how others listen to you? This is especially interesting in a business setting, when you need your listener to take action (sign the dotted line, for example).
In Dynamic Communication, Jill Schiefelbein broke down the listening modes into a very handy matrix to understand how people listen. “In order to move people to action, you need to understand how they are listening to you. […] Are they listening for information, or are they listening for knowledge? The answer is the difference between action and inaction—making a sale or missing an opportunity… People who listen for information do not decide. People who listen for knowledge decide.”
The listening matrix is a four-stage continuum: stages one and two comprise the time when people are listening to gather information; stages three and four comprise the time when people are listening to acquire knowledge and make a decision. The goal is to move the listeners from any of the first three stages towards stage four so that they can take action, whatever form this action may take (buy, go, do, donate, vote, enroll, etc.). The examples below are mainly focused on sales, but you can adapt them to whatever situation you need where the goal is for the audience to take action.
This is what the matrix looks like:
INFORMATION [1: The Writer → 2: The Thinker] → KNOWLEDGE [3: The Interpreter → 4: The Decider]
Stage One: The Writer
The writer is simply taking notes and collecting information, but is not there to make a decision. “Transitioning your audience from a writer to a thinker… can be done with a relatively simple line of questioning.”
- What do you think about [insert topic]?
- What is your opinion on [insert topic]?
- What are your feelings on [insert topic]?
- What is your view on [insert topic]?
- What is your perspective on [insert topic]?
Stage Two: The Thinker
At this point “your audience is still listening for information, but they may ask questions to clarify facts, figures, details, etc.” Once they take a breather from their notes, you can further engage them with these questions:
- What do you know about [insert subject]?
- Would you share with me what you know about [insert subject]?
- What does your company know about [insert subject]?
- How do you see that process working for your business? (This question is not designed for a yes/no answer; it’s used to generate further discussion.)
Stage Three: The Interpreter
Your audience is past the Information half of the matrix and is on to the Knowledge half. At this stage is when your audience “starts to interpret how something will apply—its consequences, its benefits—in their business.” By asking the following questions you will gain intel that will enable you to understand how your audience will adapt your information to their context. Schiefelbein says, “Remember, knowledge is information applied.”
- How would your business change if…?
- What would it look like if your organization used…?
- How would your job be easier if…?
- What would be the best outcome for you if…?
- How would you react if…?
- What would it take for this to work in your…?
Stage Four: The Decider
“Your success at this stage will be determined on how well you’ve connected with your audience and how well you articulate your request… Your job in this stage is to get the action.” Here are the questions that will help you get there:
- Can you see this working for your business?
- Do you see this meeting your needs?
- Are you comfortable recommending this to your board?
- Is this solution within your budget?
- Do you want to get started today?
- Is this something you feel your sales team could benefit from?
- Shall we talk about some solutions that we can work on together?
“No matter what, at this stage you need to get a “yes” or “no” and move to the next step of the relationship.”
ACTION
TODAY: Pay attention to the stages that your listeners are in, especially if you are having any conversations that require action. Adapt the questions above to move your audience to the next stage until they agree to take the desired action.
FUTURE: Adapt the questions above for your desired outcome whenever you are going to have a conversation where you need to move your audience from The Writer to The Decider. Document what works best for you and keep it as handy reference to use in a future. Don’t be afraid to test out new questions according to your project or situation. Once your audience takes the desired action, celebrate your success! And send me an email to let me know, I’ll be cheering for you. 🙂
Know someone who could benefit from this info? Please share this post with them via email, Facebook or Twitter, thanks!
P.S. – If you are in New York City next Monday, April 23 and want to meet Jill Schiefelbein (she is lovely and brilliant), she will be speaking at the same event as I: Unlearnings Live. This is a two-hour event to help you expand your world, your thinking, and the actions that make your work urgently important. Unlearnings Live is going to provide you with ideas to clear out any negativity surrounding you and create amazing environments that inspire your important work to scale. This will be an opportunity for your story to be told and for your ideas to be put into action. Please join us, we’d love to see you there!
