No one does it like Yanik. The Underground Online Seminar is underway … Yes, I’m incredibly bummed not to be at SXSW, but no doubt, I’ve made a great choice.
From the opening theme that plays, to the sold out crowd, this event is the only event I go to that really has delivered the goods for several years in a row. It’s the only event that I continue to go to, even though I will be trying to attend several others this year (broaden my horizons, as it were). The speakers here, mostly not of the “not-professional speaker variety”, are really excellent . While it’s very rare that I might learn something I didn’t already know, it’s always mind expanding, and they force me to think! The first speaker is all about … subconscious training!
Sounds crazy I know, but in truth, your mind, and your outlook, directly determine your success, far more than any other single factor. You simply won’t succeed if you don’t have the right mindset, nor will you break through earnings and growth plateaus without addressing the need for changing the way you think about things.
But for me, it’s more about inspiration, honestly. I simply want to get inspired, feel the passion, and be ready to work when I get home. I had to sign a non disclosure to get in here, so I can’t really pass on any tidbit of knowledge I might uncover.
My word of the day. Simplification! I need to simplify my life … from uncluttering my inbox, and unsubscribing to many newsletters, to focussing on fewer projects, and doing “less”. Yesterday, Neil Patel spoke about being cheap (in an hysterically funny and self deprecating way), and I am so much the opposite. I’m a spender on the not-so-important things, and I need to get it under control. I’ll perhaps ponder that at the Mandarin Oriental in Vegas next month…
Ha – ok, after that perhaps, I’ll really try to reign it in. I don’t think I’ll ever become “cheap”. I lack that gene. I give away everything I have to friends and family. I can’t help it. It’s part of me. I pay for dinners. Can’t help it. My dad infused me with that. I buy friends and families presents. Can’t help it, family taught me to. I overdo everything. I give away absurd amounts to charity. Perhaps enough is enough? It certainly bears further personal investigation.
Yes, I bought an IPad. I feel the need to make this my very next paragraph after talking about simplification. I own a lot of digital gadgets. I have a thinkpad, an apple, two PCs, a blackberry, droid and iphone, kindle, flip, kodak zi8, etc … I tend to buy all the latest gadgets. I don’t see that changing anytime soon. I really like these “toys”, but there’s no doubt they complicate my life. My tech gadget lust won’t change, but I do see these five things changing in my search for simplification:
1) Less Email, Less Gmail Checking. Specifically, not check my email first thing in the morning until after exercise and breakfast. A tough thing for a basement empire owner, such as myself, to accomplish.
2) One big Task prior to Email checking. Yes, I have to accomplish just ONE single thing, prior to checking my email. That “thing” should be long term money making. Specifically, additional money. A new JV, a new distributor, something “new”.
3) More face to face, less emails, texts, and anything that doesn’t end with a handshake. I know, it’s the antithesis of the way I’ve done business for years, and I’ve done quite well without it, but this is more of a social goal to future happiness. I want to meet like-minded people, in a world where everyone is becoming more isolated (myself included). We’ll see if this works …
4) Yes, Content. Get back to what I love, creating content. Yes, Marketing is important, but I want to create some new, amazing, stuff. What stuff? Well, that’s coming …
5) To Do List the night before. Keep an ongoing to do list, that syncs to my mobile devices and that I can sort by specific categories. In addition, it syncs to my Google Calendar.
My vision phrase – I’m happy, positive, healthy, fulfilled, and I change people’s lives for the better all over the world. Yeh, I know, needs a little work. Perhaps a bit too wordy …
And, last but not least, Gary Vaynerchuck (sp?) is absolutely amazing, and a great speaker. I have never seen his show, but I now know why it’s so successful. He’s really absolutely amazing. What an experience – last year, Tony Hsieh, and this year, Gary Vaynerchuck. Polar opposites in many ways (demeanor), but also similar in many key ways, these keynotes were truly spectacular.
