“Keep Going No Matter What.”
The quote above is from entrepreneur Reginald F. Lewis.
In 1987, he became the first African American to form a billion-dollar business.
On the surface, the quote is motivating and encouraging.
I remember when I first read it in his autobiography, it immediately resonated with me because that’s been the story of my life.
To keep going no matter what gets in my way.
But, recently, I’ve learned it’s more important to take a break.
To slow down and properly assess what’s happening as it’s happening.
More than that, I’ve learned WHY it’s important to take a break.
Being consistent doesn’t matter if you don’t know WHY you’re being consistent. Or if you’re taking real strides toward your goals.
I’ve been featured on 150+ podcasts so far. You read this and think "Wow" or "How?"
But the truth is I haven’t done this consistently.
Instead, I’ve taken small breaks in between seasons - which can be anywhere between 7-20 podcast recordings per season.
In my video production business, I’ve been consistently taking 2-month sabbaticals since 2013.
Now, more than ever, in a world that constantly tries to tell you you’re not doing enough - or worse - that you are not enough, it’s important to understand that taking breaks is a healthy part of self-care and self-love.
You do love yourself, right?
The simple point I’m making is that if you “keep going no matter what,” you never have time to slow down and notice if you’re going in the right direction.
You end up being that person who is driving in circles because, even though they know they are lost, they won’t stop and ask for directions.
1 degree makes all the difference
I’m reminded of a story of a guy who wanted to go deep-sea fishing for the first time.
He began to tell his friends, and one friend who had gone deep-sea fishing before gave him coordinates to one of the best locations.
The guy wrote down the coordinates and a few weeks later, set out on his boat by himself.
It was a beautiful summer afternoon when he started on his journey. But before he reached his destination, the sun began to set. And worse, a storm began to form.
Because of the storm, the guy ends up stuck at sea for 4 days.
He runs out of water and food.
He’s lost, cold, and hungry.
At the point where he has reasoned with himself that he’s about to die, a cargo vessel finds him and rescues him.
Once back on land, he returns to the friend who gave him the coordinates and asks him what went wrong? How did he end up in such a dangerous situation?
“I thought this was the best location to go deep-sea fishing?” he tells his friend.
The friend looks at the coordinates the guy wrote down.
“Oh man… you wrote down the coordinates wrong. You were 1 degree off.”
There’s a rule in aviation called the “one-in-sixty rule.” Basically, the rule says for every one degree you travel off course, you are 60 miles from your intended destination.
Imagine being 10 degrees off course and never knowing it.
As a leader and an entrepreneur, it’s your responsibility to see what others can’t see.
This requires a high-level view of where the business currently is plus where the business is going.
And more importantly, is it on the right course?
Run with purpose
What tools do you have to help you protect your mind and how you think?
You’ve heard me talk about Vision VS Perspective before.
We are all born with vision. We have eyes and can see shapes, words, and signs. But unless you have on the right pair of glasses, you won’t be able to read what the words say or understand where the signs are guiding you. Without your glasses, your perspective is blurred.
The media, your friends and family, and even your neighbors may report bleak and depressing stories.
But it doesn’t mean it has to be your story.
In DLN 02 - Alignment, I laid out a thesis that I strongly believe will hold true throughout the next 10 years.
As a refresher, here’s the thesis I laid out:
The world as we know it has shifted rapidly in the last 5 years. It is unprecedented in every way. But if you understand how to tell compelling stories you will see your business thrive throughout this shift.
Whether it is inspiring your team and keeping them motivated during bleak times…
or making more sales without having to give away any discounts…
or making an important pivot towards a new product/service/industry…
Clearly communicating a vision and message with a compelling story is going to be your secret advantage.
Clever messaging or cool marketing tactics simply will not work. And it’s not about jumping on to the latest trend.
I strongly believe in this thesis and that is why the Dramatic Demonstration book currently sells for a premium price.
Purchasing this book is not about me. It’s about investing in yourself.
You’re investing in yourself to better understand your core values, your philosophies and beliefs, and your why.
You are betting on yourself that you have more value to offer than simply being good at what you do.
YOU are the value.
Your perspective, your heart, your leadership…
And most importantly, your ability to see things other people can’t see.
More people need to experience it.
More people need to understand the transformation you help bring to their lives. Without YOU it wouldn’t be possible.
If you’d like to work with me 1-on-1 and get guidance on clarifying your vision or being able to bring it to life, simply reply to this email.
For now, I’ll end this newsletter with one of my favorite Bible verses - 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
“Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!
All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.
So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.
I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”
When you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:
Join the Dramatic Leverage Newsletter — every week I share strategies and frameworks for implementing storytelling in your business. This can help you double (or even triple) the income in your business like it has for so many others.
Buy the Dramatic Demonstration book — this book takes you behind the scenes with three entrepreneurs and shows you how they leverage storytelling. There are also 33 questions on page 67 that helps you create the Roadmap for yourself so you can do this too.
Work with me 1-on-1 — whether you’re looking for help to refine your story so that you can close your next big project OR you’re looking to elevate your brand with a documentary series, let’s work together to help you reach your goals.