Imagine, what you could achieve if only you could ‘get motivated’. Imagine the goals you’d achieve, the empires you would build, the souls you would save, the money you’d make! If only… you could ‘get motivated’. Imagine I had a special magic potion called ‘motivation’ that you could take as required.
Well I’m sorry to say that I don’t have any such potion, but what I do have is a way of helping you to think differently about the things that you think you need to motivate yourself to do.
Perhaps you are thinking about a new project like setting up a new website, launching a new course, building your opt-in list, getting your first paying client, developing passive income streams, doubling your turnover. Notice that the success of your project is not dependent upon one single action, but a series of separate actions. Now these actions are probably a tangled mass of things that you have degrees of willingness towards and knowledge about. So at one extreme there are things that you know how to do and are willing to do and the other extreme things you don’t know how to do, and wouldn’t be willing to do even if you did know how to do them. Let me introduce you to…..
The Willingness/Know-How Quadrant
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I know how to
do this and I’m
willing to do it
|
I know how to
do this, but I’m not
willing to do it
|
|
I don’t know
how to do this
yet, but I’m willing
to learn
|
I don’t know how to
do this, and I
wouldn’t be willing
to do it even if I did
|
Take your project and break it down into separate activities, and then start to map out where each activity falls within the above quadrant. Where each activity falls can be a clue to what you need to do next.
‘I don’t know how to do this yet, but I’m willing to learn it’
Back in 2001, having burned out from doing business by the old ’sacrifice your way’ to success approach, I had a vision for a new way of doing business. I wanted a virtual office. I wanted to be free to conduct my business from anywhere in the world. I didn’t want the geographic or financial obligation of a fixed office. I wanted a virtual team. I didn’t want to hire any more employees. I wanted time for my own personal development. I wanted a business that would give me both the money and time to pursue this. I wanted to be free to take an afternoon off and mooch around a bookshop when the urge struck me. I wanted to be creatively fulfilled. I wanted to exploit the technological advantages of the internet so I could ‘make money in my sleep.’
The only trouble was, I didn’t know how to make it happen. I had no idea where to start. But my vision is a reality today because I was willing to learn. I found role models. I read books. I attended courses and teleseminars. I tried things. I made mistakes. I took a few wrong turns. I kept going. I connected with the people who had the knowledge that I didn’t. There were times when making this vision reality was the most important thing in my life, there were times when it took a back seat to other priorities, but it always got just enough of my attention to bring it to life.
My point is this. We think that we have to ‘get motivated’ and then we will build empires, but in my experience, it’s the other way round. Experience the empire in your mind and heart first, and the motivation flows from that. You’ll find a way, and it will be your unique way, a way that is just perfect for you. But your vision will become real, and that’s guaranteed.
‘I know how to do this, but I’m not willing to do it’
Then delegate! Hire someone to take the burden off you and you’ll reap the rewards. There is no law to say that we need to do everything ourselves. In fact, there is a direct link between the growth of your business and your willingness to delegate. Dan Sullivan of The Strategic Coach has discovered that every time an entrepreneur successfully delegates a significant portion of existing ’stuff’, there is an accompanying dramatic increase in personal income.
A great resource for finding people who are qualified and competent to take on your ’stuff’ is www.elance.com
‘I know how to do this, and I am willing to do it’
The more you learn, the more experience you get, the more activities that fall into this part of the quadrant. So that makes everything ‘hunky-dory’ doesn’t it? Well, not quite. As more activities fall into this square, the more discerning you need to become about what you will and won’t do. For example, I know how to manage my diary, and I am willing to do it, but I recognise that it’s not the best use of my time, so it’s just one of the things that I delegate.
‘I don’t know how to do this, and I wouldn’t be willing to do it even if I did’
‘I love being a coach, but I hate finding clients’. ‘I love running change programs for organisations, but I hate selling in the projects’. For activities that fall into this quadrant, you either need to delegate or change your attitude.
People who say that they hate marketing and selling have usually had bad experiences in the past, and that’s why I am so passionate about sharing the Client Magnets approach. I know from experience that when you realise that selling and integrity don’t have to be two distinct realities and that you can create a successful marketing machine which is based on doing things that you love, things can change dramatically. I promise you aren’t going to have to spend all your time marketing and selling. I liken this marketing approach to creating a garden. In the early days there may be some labour-intensive activity with no apparent sign of reward, just like the digging and preparing the ground that happens with a garden. But before long the green shoots start to show and eventually you have a flourishing garden that you can enjoy. Yes there will be some tending, nurturing and weeding, but it will never be anything like the initial effort that you put in.
If you’re having a problem ‘getting motivated’ then use this quadrant to start idenitfying where the gaps are, and having identified the gaps change them.
Have a great week!
