Let me ask you a quick question…and I want you to REALLY think about it and be honest with yourself!
“Are you guilty of falling into the trap of PASSIVE personal development?”
Early on in my career, I was constantly reading books, watching training videos, and immersing myself into personal development. I thought that THIS was helping me grow a successful business- but in all honesty, I was tricking myself.
Yes, absolutely, personal development is crucial to your growth as an entrepreneur. You must learn to be a leader before you can effectively lead a large team and develop others to be leaders in your organization as well.
However, if you are turning to trainings and personal development books out of weakness and fear…using them as a means to avoid your REAL work….you’re never going to achieve an extraordinary level in your business!
“Your first live video will not be great. Your first time prospecting isn’t going to look good. Your first presentation won’t be your best one. You have to be willing to fail and understand that it’s part of the process.”
Here’s what I want you to know: Personal development is NOT taking action.
When we talk about taking action, the main thing that scares people is that they do not feel like they’re ‘ready’ yet.
People will say, “I need to watch this training video one more time before I can take action.”
I have built an entire business on training content, but I will tell you one thing that I absolutely believe is true:
For some of you, the LAST THING you need to do is watch another training video.
You’ve become a personal development junkie.
It is time to get uncomfortable and vulnerable and begin taking action on what you already know!
The truth of the matter is It is impossible for you to look good and get better at the same time.
Any time you do something new, you are not going to be great at it.
Your first live video will not be great. Your first time prospecting isn’t going to look good. Your first presentation won’t be your best one.
I heard someone say “Embrace the Suck”- and this is what you need to do!
You have to be willing to fail and understand that it’s part of the process.
Most people just need to master a couple of core fundamental skills in your business. Mastery is the goal; however, the only way to achieve mastery is through action.
Think of it like swimming. I can show you diagrams and videos on swimming, and you can understand the concepts of how to swim. But it isn’t until I push you into the pool that you begin to understand you didn’t really know as much as you thought you did!
What is this called? Activity Knowledge.
Activity Knowledge is critical to mastery, and it only comes to you through taking the action.
When you learn a new script, you may think you have it memorized and ready to use. And then you actually use it in a conversation – now you know it on a completely different level!
So, do not wait for the mastery of skills through passive activity like watching training videos.
You will only master your skills through Activity Knowledge and your willingness to put yourself out there and not look great.
This isn’t isolated to newbies. This is a problem I often see leaders having as well. People who have already achieved a level of success in their life sometimes stop developing skills because now they are less willing to not look good. They’re used to looking good in everything that they do, and it’s so uncomfortable for them to be vulnerable like that again.
As entrepreneurs and human beings we have to constantly be trying to grow. What’s that next thing that you need? What area do you need to grow in? Don’t watch another training video. Just embrace the suck, take the action, and master the skills along the way!
