Trouble Strikes When You Get Comfortable.

To be successful in business  — you need to keep this simple phrase front and center: "Never let a person who is more successful than you work harder than you." In other words, trouble tends to strike when people get comfortable. Many people become so comfortable with what they already have that they feel no need to extend effort any further. For example:

• Tom is a big fan of Susan. Susan makes $10,000 a month.

• Tom only makes $1000 per month.

• Tom wishes he could be like Susan and studies her lifestyle but takes things very slowly.

• Susan however, even though she makes $10,000 a month, she still runs her multiple sources of income, grinds her ass off. Works stupidly hard to make sure her money keeps growing.

You should never let a person who is more successful than you work harder than you. If you ever want your position in life to change, you need to work harder than the person who you admire. It's that simple.

BTW - working harder also encompasses working smarter. Dull, high-effort work rarely delivers results — you need to add smarts, insight, and focus to the equation.

Talk to ANY successful businessperson or high-level executive and you usually find someone that consistently knocks it out of the park every day. They come to work early, are prepared for every meeting, they engage high-level contacts, and they tend to hone their focus on high-potential activities. They don't ever goof off.

Once you get comfortable, you take your eye slightly off the prize. You come to work a bit later, you wing meetings, you neglect to connect with key people, and you work on mundane tasks. It's a disaster waiting to happen.

Who will you be today?

Are You Risk Averse? That's Why You're Going Nowhere.

I had a great session with one of my favorite clients the other day. We covered an area on making decisions and I brought up a way I teach people to think about their careers and owners to think about their businesses. There are three ways to make decisions in business:

1. Sure Things - These are the easy decisions we make that take little or no thought. They're easy to quantify, foresee, and usually called 'no-brainers'.
2. Calculated Risk - A little more work is involved here — we need to weigh many options and outcomes. Many things are measured and tracked along the way to ensure that we don't fall flat on our face. This is the biggest slice of the pie - from easy risk calculation to highly complex analysis.
3. Hail Mary's - Not so much a blind throw into the end zone, but there is the reality that this is a decision into the unknown. You can just measure so much and have to rely on gut feel in your industry or marketplace.

Successful executives and business owners tap into all three decision states frequently. If I had to hazard a guess, the typical business/executive builds their decision base with 20-30% Sure Thing, 60-70% Calculated Risk, and 10-20% Hail Mary.

Many things in business were Hail Mary's — the iPhone, Tesla, Amazon, etc. Most startups are highly analyzed calculated risks but they start out as a Hail Mary — 'let's try it' or 'it can't hurt' are frequently mentioned. Venturing into unknown territories where you're not comfortable is not only healthy, but required for many businesses to grow and mature.

Opening up a second location, hiring your first employee, pitching that premier client, spending big bucks on your website/SEO/PPC are just a few areas where we tend to feel quite nervous when we're pushing the envelope. You should feel anxiety in your gut when you make these decisions. That's why they're Hail Mary's — you're throwing it as far as you can subtly hoping for someone to catch it.

Sometimes we make Hail Mary decisions when our back is against the wall — and sometimes it's too late. It's better to regularly make Hail Mary decisions 2-3 times a year to stretch your company, yourself, and your people.

How Do Busy Leaders Make More Time?

One of my clients sent me their daily schedule. I was so blown away by it's simplicity and it's ability to fit many professional and personal things in — I just had to publish it for my audience. In their own words: "I want to put myself on a schedule.  I need a schedule where I meditate 2x per day, exercise, have ample time for self-education and time to relax."

• 5:00 AM - Get Up.
• 5:00 to 6:00 AM — Meditate for 20 minutes, Walk for 30 minutes, Lift weights for 10 minutes.
• 6:00 to 6:30 AM — Eat Breakfast, Coffee.
• 6:30 to 7:30 AM — Self-Education.
• 7:30 to 8:30 AM — Get Ready for work.
• 8:30 to 9:00 AM — Drive to work, Listen to Audiobooks/Podcasts.
• 9:00 to 5:00 PM — Work.
• 5:00 to 5:30 PM — Drive home, Listen to Audiobooks/Podcasts.
• 5:30 to 6:00 PM — Meditate.
• 6:00 to 7:00 PM — Cook & Eat Dinner.
• 7:00 to 8:30 PM — Self-Education.
• 8:30 to 9:00 PM — Ready for Bed.
• 9:00 to 10:00 PM — Relax, Read, Watch TV.
• 10:00 PM — Go To Bed.

My client is a successful senior executive at a prestigious company who has accomplished a lot and has been gainfully employed and promoted regularly. They're not a slacker.

As you can see, they get it all done in a relaxed schedule, allocating adequate time for all of their activities. Of course there might be subtle deviations due to travel, emergencies, and unplanned activities, but for the most part, they stick to this plan.

So for all the people out there who say they "don't have the time" — Yes, You DO. 

How To Eliminate Your Fear Of Hard Work.

I work with a broad spectrum of clients. All the way from the CEO to the college graduate, I help people overcome obstacles and better understand what's holding them back.

One recurring area I encounter is the fear of 'more work'. What do I mean by 'more work'?

It's the belief which holds accomplished executives back from pursuing a promotion or opportunity with another company because they believe that more money or new job equals more work, increased responsibilities, and more headaches/exposure. It might even be a small project offered to them.

It's also the belief where unemployed people are unwilling to interview and go after work because they are afraid of the idea of working 60-70-80 hours a week. It's less painful to stay home and surf the web.

It might be the opportunity to expand your business, take on additional employees/consultants, make a lot more money. But you shy away from these situations frequently.

Fiction is often scarier than reality in this situation.

You might have to work hard your first few weeks/months on the job. That's a fact. You have to get acclimated, develop a reputation, and deliver before you can click into 5th gear and use less gasoline (time and effort).

Here's how to face your fear:

Sit down and clearly lay out what you're actually afraid of. Is it the hours? The hard work? The exposure? Rebuilding your reputation? Fear of failure? Fear of success? Never going to see your family again?

Write it down. Get all of your emotions down on paper. Draw. Sketch. Make that paper a visceral representation of how you feel about change.

Then step back, look at it, and realize your representation is achievable and frankly, not that scary.

It's like a horror movie — we are actually more scared of the monster that we don't see (e.g., like Jaws, Alien) than the one that pops out at the start of the movie.

You need to realize this representation is not a state which will last forever. You will see the light at the end of the tunnel — it's probably going to last 3-4 months TOPS.

Now go get that new position with vim and vigor!

How do you face your fears?