Stop Holding Onto Things For So Long
The other morning, I was driving to the gym, it was 5:30 in the morning. And as I was driving down, I came up into a roundabout, and suddenly another car entered the roundabout going pretty quick. I hit the brakes to slow down and found myself on a patch of black ice. Now, to give you some reference, I’ve lived my whole life by the beach. In fact, the coldest place I’ve ever lived is Santa Barbara California. Now, recently, my wife and I moved up to beautiful Bend, Oregon, and we live by the base of the mountain, ’cause we love the mountains and the outdoors, and all it brings to us. So I hit this patch of ice, and I course-correct instantly and immediately to avoid the car.
The Key To Creativity Is Focus
Contrary to popular belief, the key to creativity is actually focus. I know a lot of creatives are going to be like, “Wait a minute. Wait a minute. I don’t like rigidity. I don’t like this out there. I want to be creative. I want to be in flow.” Well, you can’t be in flow if you’re constantly being interrupted. In today’s age, we have Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, social media galore going right at us. We have chats coming up on our computer, email coming in, people talking to us left and right, so many distractions that it’s almost impossible to be in a flow state unless you actually create it by being focused.
When Your Why Doesn’t Match Your Actions
Now, I coach coaches and high-end entrepreneurs, the best of the best. And often times, what this results in, is them not calling me out because they think I have all my ducks in a row, all the time. Well, I’m going to let you in on a dirty little secret. I simply don’t. I’m always on my journey. That’s why it’s a journey. There’s not really a destination. There are places I’m trying to do, go to, and I’m always trying to improve myself.
Escalation Expectation
Late last year, I was fixated on one of our companies making $600,000 in recurring revenue each month. I was tunnel visioned into this outcome, and we had designed, my business partner and I had designed a product to bring to the marketplace that we thought was exceptional. We were so focused on this product that we actually missed so many other opportunities because we were focused on the expectation or the outcome of what we were doing.
The Fear of What Might Happen
The fear of what might happen. I don’t know about you but I have definitely been in a situation where I feared what could happen rather than focusing on the here and now and the possibilities.
Be Ruthless to the Things that Don’t Matter
When I go through my day, I actually have it planned out the day before, but oftentimes things come at me. I get asked to speak on different podcasts or radio shows. I get asked to guest blog. I get people that want me to coach them, whether they be business owners, coaches, or just everyday people.
What Is Your Statement Of Value?
As many of you listeners know I own two different marketing agencies. Often times when we meet with a client we ask them, “What is your statement of value?” We get blank stares, probably like you’re feeling right now. But a statement of value is simply a formula. It’s not a unique selling proposition, it’s really what value does that product or service bring to the marketplace. The formula is very simple. It’s product enables the customer to do what? We actually answer that question, then the client can almost have a one-liner. We use that across all marketing platforms.
Avoid Burn Out And Stop Being A Monkey Handler
Now, I don’t know about you, but what’s true for me is when I was younger, when I was a young business owner, I took a lot of pride in being able to solve my employees and staff’s problems. Now, whatever problems they had, I took a lot of pride in being able to actually take those problems, work with them, or just take them on as my own and then get them done. Right?
Don’t Be One Dimensional
As many of you know, I coach business owners. I help coach business owners to bridge the gap before where they were to where they want to be. I help them get unstuck. It probably should be no surprise to you that many of my clients are actually coaches themselves. You see, to be a great coach, you should have a coach or mentor that’s on your side.
What’s Your Theme?
So what’s your theme? What’s your theme for this month, this quarter, this year? See my theme is posted right on my wall in front of me, so I can see it each and every day. Now the theme for 2018 for me, is epic growth and adventure. I drive through that theme, everything that I’m doing.
The Shoemaker Whose Kids Have No Shoes
I’m recently redoing my website, dougholtonline.com. Now, this was my personal website, something that I threw up years ago as more of a way of exchanging my muses, my ideas, but I also have a backend to the website where I have mastermind groups and clients that I run. Frankly, I’ve never really paid much attention to the website itself. Over the years, it’s gotten outdated and doesn’t really reflect what I do or who I am.
Are You Living Your Full Potential
I actually had an Author of Your Own Story listener reach out to me, a business owner. And what she was talking about was her potential. And I asked her a simple question. I said, “Are you living up to your potential?” And then we had silence. And I engaged that silence because I respect it. And she was thinking. She said, “Wow, you know what? No. I’m not even close to my potential.” And what I asked her is a question I’m going to ask you. One is are you living to your potential? The second question is are you doing something about you? You know, if the answer is no, then that’s a shame, right? Now all of us want to live to a certain level, a certain potential that we all have. But if you’re feeling like you’re in a rut, you’re spinning your tires over and over again and you’re not getting anywhere, then go out and do something different.
What’s Your Crazy?
Just yesterday I was talking to another business owner. And they were telling me how overwhelmed they were. And they were looking for techniques or some kind of trick that I might have to help them get over overwhelm.
In fact, they were so overwhelmed, they were telling me they were gonna sell their business. They were just gonna give up, throw it all away. And they’ve been working at this for over two years. Blood, sweat, tears, the whole nine. And what I told them is what I’m gonna tell you
Wherever You Go, There You Are
I was speaking to a business owner earlier this morning, and the topic kind of went off the rails, as they typically do with clients that I work with.
Now, what we started talking about was plant medicines, right? Maybe you’ve heard of these. Some of the most popular plant medicines that people seem to be talking about now, are Ayahuasca, and other people call it yagé, right? Now, these are plant medicines that have been used for thousands of years by indigenous tribes down in Central and South America. Most notably Columbia, Peru and Brazil. Now, what we started talking about is, this business owner was telling me, “Hey Doug, you know, I’m very successful.” And he wasn’t saying, “I’m very successful,” but he is, and I already knew he was. He’s got a nine-figure business, he’s doing well.
When Good Men Do Nothing
Now, I’m kind of a typical guy. Often times, I fantasize about saving my family. What if somebody were trying to do something bad? How would I stop them? How would I wrestle them to the ground and beat them up or do whatever I have to do to make sure my family’s protected? To be honest with you, this is something that’s kind of weird, but, admittedly, I think about this almost every single day. I play out these fantasy scenarios about me saving the day, helping rescue somebody, not even just my family. How do I make the world a better place by using my athleticism or whatever it is to go save them? I have these weird kind of action hero fantasies. I don’t know if you have these kinds of things in your head, but I certainly do.
Carpe Diem
We all have 24 hours in a day, I don’t care who you are, you have 24 hours in the day. What are you gonna do with it? Have you ever thought of this? Have you ever woke up in the morning and said, “How can I seize and conquer this day?” Maybe you’re like me? Maybe you actually follow these daily growth hacks and realize that people like myself write down our day the night before. We plan it out. How am I gonna seize these 24 hours? This precious time that I have here on earth? This precious time that I have to spend with my family? This precious time I have to build my businesses? This precious time I have to reach out and help clients and break their chains for them? Help them out with that?
The Enemy Of Happiness
I remember back when I first wanted my adventure van. I wanted this custom sports mobile type product where I could load myself in it, put my belongings and just head off into the world. And nothing would stop me right. I had this vision where I’d have solar power and I’d be able to work and I’d be able to do things like these daily growth hacks, anywhere in the world and I would be carefree. I could run my businesses remotely. That’s when I would be happy. That’s when I would be able to relax and stop stressing about work and about friendships and relationships. If I just could get this sports mobile, this sports van, this custom made the thing that I wanted so badly, I would then be happy.
Uncomfortable Vs. Exhaustion
If you’re like me you’ve been watching the Winter Olympics, an amazing event where people from all over the world come to compete in the sport that they actually love.
Now, how come there are only a few people that make it to the Olympics? Well, that’s the difference between exhaustion and just being uncomfortable, right? How many times do I look back at my life that I’ve given up because I was uncomfortable? I pushed it to where I thought my limits were and then I just pulled back. Now I’ve done this in the areas of business, I’ve certainly done it in relationships, and I’ve done it in the areas of my fitness. As an ex-competitive athlete, I certainly have done it in a s
