Sometimes we assume that if we replicate a successful personās lifestyle or habits that weāll also be successful.
Monkey see monkey do style. šµ
But of course, whatever the trend, lifehack, or habit - your chances of success arenāt multiplying because of it.
Youāve been doing that new intermittent fasting routine, chugging Lionās Mane and Chaga, making those marginal improvements - all of that is good, itās just not the game-changer.
The mindset, on the other hand, thatās where a single shift can make all the difference. In fact, all of the above only works (in my experience) because it makes you shift to a growth and self-improvement mindset.
These shifts go a long way in any entrepreneurial endeavour, and why not learn from the best, right?
So I made a little list of the mindset/ideas gathered from top performers in Business.
Here are six pieces of business advice that have created that mental shift in me.
Focus on the Market - Find a very small market, dominate it, and then find ways to expand the market itself. This is much easier than getting a little slice of an existing market and trying to win by competition - Peter Thiel, PayPal.
Be LeaguesĀ Ahead - You want something thatās a high order of magnitude bigger or better than the next thing. If you canāt offer multiples more in terms of value, itās harder to grow exponentially - Peter Thiel, PayPal.
The Gym of Entrepreneurship - Thereās a long road of trying things, making mistakes and failing before achieving successāāābut this is the necessary workout. If you wait to get into the business until you find the perfect idea, you wonāt have had the experience in running a business or problem solving to execute that perfect idea later in life - Joe Gebbia, Airbnb.
Create Your Own Set of Principles - We make mistakes, we learn from them, we forget them, and then make them again. If we wrote the lessons down and systematised our decision making, weād make far fewer mistakes - Ray Dalio, Bridgewater Associates.
Radical Open-mindedness and Transparency + BlindĀ Spots - People are unique, have strengths and weaknesses, and are blind to them. To get better, surround yourself with skilled people and cultivate a culture of open-mindedness and transparency - Ray Dalio, Bridgewater Associates.
Anyone Can BecomeĀ Rich - If you donāt rent out your time, you own equity, give society what it wants but doesnāt know how to get, at scaleāāāyou will become rich - Naval Ravikant, Angle List.
If you liked these, Iāve got 11 here with a further breakdown of the points above.
š Link Dump
Oh yeah, I definitely went down a marketing rabbit hole this week - but hey, thereās some valuable stuff down there.
ā” Fastās sharing their social media strategy in real-time via Matthew Kobach.
ā Ben Bradbury breaks down how Morning Brew founder uses his personal brand as a marketing channel - this oneās a certified fresh take.
ā How to sift through your blog/article ideas and find the ones that work.
š§ My breakdown of Substack and if itās worth it as a beginner email platform for your content.
š Currently re-reading This Is Marketing by Seth Godin.
šļø Environment Design
Environment design is my go-to method for decreasing the reliance on motivation.
If I can set up my environment to direct me towards getting work done, somehow my work becomes effortless. Here are a few things Iāve bee doing lately:
Keeping my phone on aeroplane mode for the first 2 hours of my day, in another room - this lets me cultivate a habit of having a clear mind and directing my focus on the day ahead, rather than flooding it with information.
I lock my computer with all of my work-related tabs and programs open -Ā so when I start-up in the morning, Iām looking at what I need to do.
My desk is clear from garbageĀ - No plates of food, no distractions, just my pad, pen and laptop.
My bag, clothes, and food are set up from night/day beforeĀ - Itās easier to eat healthily or get ready when the work is already done, and you can just grab the container or bag and go.
These things help me create less friction throughout the day. The fewer steps between me and the work, the more productive I become - itās all about designing your environment to work for you, itās definitely worked for me.
Hope you enjoyed this weekās thoughts, if you got some value out of it, feel free to share it with someone you think might get some value out of it too :)
Have a great week ahead,
Peace ā
Sah