Tag: seth godin

A Thought on Think and Grow Rich

A friend asked me for reading recommendations recently. She’s recently returned to the entrepreneur world.

There were two books that immediately came to mind. Seth Godin’s Linchpin, on which I have modeled much of my efforts (one need only read the posts on this blog to see how deeply his philosophy molds mine).

The other was Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich. This book also profoundly impacted me. His book is a study of the uber wealthy and the mindset that aided them in achieving this wealth. One takeaway, and the reason for this post, is that the folks he studied all had an intense and sole focus on SUCCESS. They were driven to achieve their goal and would not be stopped.

But.

They were driven to this goal to the detriment of relationships with their children (amongst others). Reading this made me realize that I am not interested in massive success, if that means my children don’t know or resent me.

10th Human: A sustainable battle rhythm is a career decision

20160731 OODAI had an hour drive in the car this morning and chose Tim Ferris’ podcast with Seth Godin to pass the time. There were a solid dozen ‘nuggets’ I jotted down for future follow up and thought but I want to share one with you today.

When asked about his habit of blogging daily (a decision I’ve recently begun here), Mr. Godin referred to this as a ‘career decision’. This was an intentional decision on his part, one of 5 or 6 he has made in his career, he stated.

That really landed with me. I use the language of a “battle rhythm” in my business (twenty years of military service left me with a lingering affinity for the lingo). A concept I’ve been struggling to articulate concisely for a little while is the why of having a sustainable battle rhythm is so important. It seems apparent that a business owner wants to have this because consistency and reliability build brand trust. However, Seth’s phrasing of a daily habit like blogging as a career decision really stuck with me.

In sum, having a sustainable battle rhythm is also a career decision.

P.S. I should probably define what I mean by battle rhythm. My definition here is: those minimum, mandatory tasks you do on a continual basis to maintain your business.

Are you adding value or experiencing diminishing returns?

I’ve spent a lot of time this last year contemplating what Seth Godin writes of here. 20160731 OODAMr. Godin has a phenomenal ability to capture ideas and relay them in short, hard hitting concepts.

His blog post on conservation vs. concentration of effort speaks directly to me. It’s critical as a 21st century business owners, we ask ourselves these questions:

Are our actions adding value or are we spending effort for diminishing returns?

How can we know? Are you tracking your marketing efforts? Do you know what’s working or not?

 

 

What’s your superpower?

I have been doing a lot of reading, to include Seth Godin’s Linchpin.
There is much food for thought in Mr. Godin’s books, from examining the system of production we work under today, to making ‘art’ (as he defines human interaction), to this concept of a superpower.

Godin suggests we have a ready answer when asked, “What do you do?” That answer is our ‘superpower.’

I’d ask you, What is your superpower?

I believe mine lies in connecting people to people and businesses to people.

Originally posted:
http://www.thehousingnetwork.com/2015/08/07/whats-your-superpower/