An honest reflection

The other day we were asked to reflect on our work and on ourselves, with the request that there be no "bureucratic ass-covering". It's important to assess your current state. This is what my honest assessment looked like:

What do I need to learn? What it is that I want How to gauge success Consistency: close sales, obtain phone calls, leads How to say no What am I great at? Speaking and presenting Teaching Learning and being able to apply a lesson very quickly with success Discipline: if I want to do it, I’ll do it and make the necessary sacrifices and adjustments Leading by example Persuasion Asking questions and clarifying: I like to learn so I ask an insane amount of questions from people I think are worth learning from Poker face: which I think is insane because I am very emotional, so the fact that everyone in the office thinks I’d be great at poker is quite humorous and puzzling to me. Pushing myself almost to a fault: I have next to no sense of boundaries when it comes to goals or limits. I just go all in with the idea that I’ll reach my destination in due time. The impulse to grow and build: everything I look at I see growth (people, ideas, businesses, etc.). It’s generally my intuition to grow something to its fullest potential Listening Creative Problem solving: if you cite a problem, I like to brainstorm immediate action steps to solve it Seeing the good in people, even if they can’t see it themselves Taking risks What scares me? Burn out. Calling CMOs to make sales calls or pitches. CMO’s freak me out a bit in fact. Calling people out or telling someone they’re doing a bad job: the confrontation is difficult for me. Am I a freelancer or entrepreneur? Will I ever get over this question! Never really succeeding at business the way I want. Never becoming a millionaire or being stuck at $4k a month. Quitting. Losing loved ones. Not living up to my full potential and delivering the value I owe to the world. We weren’t given gifts only to waste them… Not being able to take care of my loved ones the way I want to… What would I do if I had more time? Spend it on a side business to earn more money. Visit my family. Travel. Often. Go on outdoor adventures. Take Luna for more walks. Teach for leisure. I’d spend an hour or so each week teaching the team something. Relax more (kidding) * Why don’t I have more time? I’m not effective enough yet where I can work less to free up more time while achieving greater results. I’m learning the process. When my skills are more refined, I will be able to achieve more in less time and thus have increased flexibility to pursue other endeavors. What would I like to learn? Sales Marketing How the world works How to build a successful and sustainable business How to speak to people with ‘power’ with confidence How to be the best leader possible How to be the best ‘me’ possible How to go deep into a process rather than jumping from task to task. I’m learning this now. What does the next level look like? The next level for me is where I am able to bring on a sponsor for each book that we launch. I am closing sales consistently, confident in what we offer, able to effectively direct sales calls with a strong understanding of what constitutes a qualified lead. I am a leader on the team where I can offer insight and ideas re: how to grow our efforts and our reach. I have created a strong portfolio of case studies of people/companies we have worked with that acts as leverage for future sponsorships. I have decreased time working and increased my effectiveness. We have a plethora of companies reaching out to us (inbound leads). We have a sponsorship direct mail piece that we send to potential companies. We have an updated sponsorship page that better captivates what we do. I am teaching the team sales and including them in the process in a way that allows them to learn the skill as well. We are on the map as the go-to people for marketing sponsorships. We are the experts in our field. Authors and business professionals want to work with us, if not for our content, then for our status and expertise. In the out of Domino world, I am making 100k + a year. I’ve learned how to scale my income and recognize the value I bring to the table. No more $15/hour jobs ever again. I am a well respected and innovative expert in sales, marketing and business. I’ve grown my tribe to 100k people and have figured out a way to build a lucrative business that is product based while traveling frequently and spending time with my family and friends. I have a tight knit group of stellar mentors, friends and family. I am teaching people how to be true to themselves and pursue adventure and entrepreneurship, which may be through my blog, teaching classes for fun or something I have yet to think of. Ted Talks, non-profits stemming from my various businesses, fundraisers, speeches, leadership… that is the next level. I want to be present in a big way and by big I mean the level of personal freedom and overall impact I have on people. Like Zig says: If you help enough people get what they want, you ultimately get what you want too.