Today, you’re going to learn how to thrive with an “always-on” mindset.
I’ll ALSO share 5 things every entrepreneur must understand to increase your odds of long-term success…
…but first, let me share an observation.
I’ve been networking in the digital marketing and eCommerce industry for more than two decades, and along the way I’ve noticed patterns.
A lot of people talk about how hard they work.
They dream about the success they want to achieve.
Sadly, many spend more time talking about their vision, instead of executing.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. For every person who talks, there are at least 10X who complain about obstacles and challenges that prevents them from achieving success.
I never told you this, but I used to be that guy. Yes, my friends. For many years, I would complain but did nothing about my frustration.
After many years of trying to find myself…I realized a life-changing fact.
I was never “On.” What do I mean by that?
It dawned on me that I have never been fully aware of my audience, environment and on top of that, had a myopic view on things.
My discovery was both enlightening and sad, at the same time.
I was enlightened because I finally found myself. And I was sad, because it took my 17 years!!!
Being always on changes your life
Doing whatever it takes or, even knowing what it takes, in the first place — turning your dream, vision, and idea into reality requires many things to align, to be “Always On.”
That’s a tough proposition for many people because it gets exhausting. It demands commitment, perseverance, and patience.
The good news, though, is that you are in control of all three more than you think.
But when you allow emotions to control initiatives you commit to, when to give up, and how to use your time is when you lose that control.
Reign back control.
It’s Like Training for a Marathon
Getting conditioned for a marathon, you tirelessly train and train and train…it becomes a religion!
It consumes your whole being. You obsesses about it. You dream about crossing the finish line.
Now, I’m in no shape to run a marathon…but for those of you who are…picture this.
When you feel overwhelmed and reached the brink of giving up – instead of succumbing to defeat and feeling sorry for yourself – you feel a surge of motivation and regain focus, you remember you the sacrifices you have made, and you pick yourself up and push forward towards the finish line.
You’re willingness to put in the work will be rewarded with your get your that much closer to reaching the finish line.
After years of learning, observing, and practicing, I figured out five things that can help you stay on.
It works for me, so hopefully it can help you as well.
It’s Always Your Choice
One of the unique, and powerful human trait is your ability to control how you think (our mind) and how you react (emotions).
And the vast difference between how one human to the next handles their thoughts and emotions is as diverse as how one digest and interprets what it means to be “always on.”
It’s true — being successful today is harder than ever.
For every rags-to-riches start up story we hear, there are multitude of start up failures we do not hear about. They get buried, unless it made the “List of 120+ Failed Startups” then you’ll make the news.
Being Always On mean you’re cognizant of your environment, in tune with trends, aligned with your objectives and ready to take action when opportunity presents itself.
When other’s do not see opportunity you create opportunities. When you stop working, your mind is actively working on ideas.
In my opinion, “always on” requires five components.
Here are FIVE ways to always be on
1. Being Obsessed
A healthy, relentless obsession with your pursuit is paramount. For example, being obsessed about being the best tennis player would mean becoming a student of the sport. You study the playing styles, foot work, techniques, equipment dynamics – and more diligently. Being Always On mean channeling your obsession to fuel your passion to achieve the perceptibly impossible tasks.
When you obsess about your dream, your mind is actively seeking ways to improve and be more effective. You have the ability to separate the noise and distractions that do not serve a purpose. You start to develop a perfectionist persona – but be careful that it doesn’t turn toxic and work against you.
2. Be Present
Whether you’re engaging in conversation with your friend, soaking in the beauty of nature in the wilderness, making a deal on a new car, or playing with your children at the beach – be present in mind and emotions. Give it everything you have in that moment – nothing else matters.
You probably have experienced this at some point in your life.
In the middle of a seemingly interesting conversation, you find yourself zoning out, and then coming back but don’t remember what the conversation was about. You got distracted. We make excuses to justify zoning out, but reality is you were not fully present in the conversation.
Being Always On does not always involve business or innovative ideas about changing the world. Just be genuine and truly care.
3. Self Awareness
I’m not talking enlightenment – that’s an entirely its own discussion on mindset. When you are Always On, you start to appreciate yourself and love who you are. An important distinction here is not getting obsessed with yourself to a point of narcissism.
Instead of complaining about what a horrible week you had and how a client ruined your day, you are fully aware that you did your best. You were present, you pursued what you were obsessed about and have no control over external factors.
It sounds easy, but to have conscious knowledge of one’s own character, feelings, motives, and desires – that’s a fundamental challenge for many. In order to be full engaged, present, and obsessed with our objective, it is necessary to know your options, know that your current situation is not where you want to be, and suck it up – you will fail many times, until you succeed.
Consider this familiar scenarios:
Scenario 1
You received a new lead for your business. It is a major contract. Your team is excited. This is what you have been waiting for!
You put your top sales rep on the call. After the call you were informed what the prospect is looking for is not what you specialize in.
Do you justify signing on the new client and figure it out? Or, is your conviction strong enough to the strengths of your company that you professionally decline the work.
Scenario 2
A client is dissatisfied with the level of campaign performance. They sent over a list of failed deliverable and missed goals.
You start to come up with all sorts of reason why the campaign isn’t performing. The site conversion rate is low, the client is not approving your recommendations quick enough, we don’t work on weekends, etc.
Instead of wasting time with justifications (clients see through the smoke and mirrors all the time and don’t want to hear it), invest the time in first acknowledging the downfall, coming up with a solution, and drive change.
Some call this the “glass is half full” mindset.
4. Focus
Social media has been a primary culprit of reducing your ability to focus. Every day, your social stream is flooded with images, clips, videos, #fakenews, etc. You have not enough time in the day to digest everything – and you shouldn’t try to!
Focus on things that matter – whether it is work or life. Make a list of MUST-DOs for the day and discipline yourself to give this list your all. Do not diverge unless warranted. Distractions will introduce themselves in various forms. You have to train yourself to pull yourself back into the moment.
Your focus on today will affect what you accomplish tomorrow, next week, next month, and the future. You will never hear anyone successful say “I spend today focusing on yesterday…” Do not misconstrue this with shortsighted. You should ABSOLUTELY envision what you want to achieve in years to come. Guess what? Without focus, chipping away and maximizing the limited hours you have each day to move one step closer – you will continue to run in circles.
5. Say NO
The most important way to be ALWAYS ON, means you have to learn how to say NO. I saved this for last – it’s the best, in my books.
It is ironic that they are inverse. But makes total sense.
Don’t be a “Yes Man”, as you will certainly not accomplish anything meaningful. Your time is taken up by distractions as you struggle to satisfy someone else’s agenda. You end up with a growing list of things you need to accomplish for yourself – and it compounds each day and before you know it, you get tired and no longer motivated to chase your passion.
When you say NO, you have done three important things:
- Taken back your time – It is finite!
- Invested in your future – using the time you took back and do things to step closer to your dream
- Welcomed progress – you reap what you sow. When you invest in your future, you start seeing incremental progress and results you can be proud of.
Earlier, I promised to share with you 5 advice to help you with your entrepreneurial journey.
- 1. Stay level-headed. It’s a journey riddled with ups and downs.
- 2. What you fear is temporary, even if it feels like you’re losing everything
- 3. Work is life, life is work
- 4. Extend grace whenever you get a chance
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5. Do the best you can every day, even if you don’t feel like it
Running a business in real life takes more than just money and brains.
In Summary
You’ve heard the phrase “I’ll sleep when I die,” “You snooze you lose,” and “Early bird catches the worm.” Those are all cliche phrases to epitomize the difference between two groups of people – those who work smart and hard, and those who slack and hardly work.
To be always on is something that requires practices and perseverance.
I leave you with this:
Be OBSESSED AND PRESENT
Learn to FOCUS AND Increase SELF-AWARENESS
REALIZE that
NO is the enemy of ON
Open your mind and the possibilities will be endless. Then it’s game time!
