She went on to say how she was getting frustrated because some things are just too hard for her to get good at. Even with all the videos on youtube, and info on the internet, there were a couple of areas that just weren’t clicking for her, and she was having doubts about her ability to grow her business.
I won’t go into the details of our chat, because it was a private conversation. But it did inspire me to write this post…
This post is for all the people who feel like failures because they’re not competent in all areas of their business. One reason you feel overwhelmed is because…
YOU ARE AN IDIOT… (and you’re a genius)…
Yes, you are an idiot and you are a genius. Now the question is… “Which one are you going to focus on”?
Are you going to find your strengths and nurture them? Or are you going to dwell on your shortcomings and weaknesses, and continue to feel like a failure?
I’m reminded of a short children’s story I wrote a few years ago, about a young fish that wanted to walk on land so he could play with the other animals. I gave it the well thought out title “fish can’t walk”. (I know… genius, right?
)I won’t relay the entire story here, but it was about a young fish that wanted to play ball with the other animal kids on land. But when the fish jumped out of the water, all he could do was flop around like an idiot.
At first the other children laughed and made fun of the fish. But when their ball went into the water the fish was the only one who could reach it.
Long story short… the fish retrieved the ball, they all became friends, and valuable lessons were learned all around.
The point here is this… the fish was an idiot on land. But he was a genius in the water.
So what does any of this have to do with business?
I’m glad I asked… And I’m equally glad you’re still with me to hear the answer
If you’re struggling with one or two aspects of your business, and you’re getting frustrated because you feel like a failure, I just want you to know you’re not alone.
Nobody is good at “everything”.
To this day I’m still an idiot at some things (like accounting or cold calling) and it used to make me feel like a failure. Because as a businessman I should be good at all of those things, right?
Well at least that’s what I used to think. But as the Bob Dylan song goes…
“I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now”
Now as I see it, when we run into something we suck at, we have 2 main options to choose from…
- 1. We can spend a lot of time trying to strengthen all of our weaknesses. And struggle to become an expert at the things we don’t like to do…
- 2. We can learn just enough to become competent, and then we can spend a few bucks and delegate those things to someone else. So we can spend our time working on the things that we do best…
Personally, when I find something mind numbingly boring or something I’m just not suited to, I prefer to learn just enough so I can understand how it works.
After that, I’d rather pay someone else to do it for me. (I can do my own bookkeeping, but I’d rather pay my accountant a few hundred dollars to do it for me. She’s better at it then I ever will be, and my time is better spent elsewhere)
The thing is, when it comes to accounting I’m a bit of an idiot.
But when it comes to writing, and understanding behaviors… well, I’m a bit too humble to call myself a genius, but others have, so who am I to argue with them?
Simply put… If you’re good at copywriting, but you suck at SEO and driving traffic to your site, then learn just enough SEO so you know the basics. That way when you hire someone to take care of it for you, you’ll be able to see if they know what they’re doing.
If you suck at writing copy then hire a copywriter so you can spend your efforts making sales.
If you suck at making deals then hire a sales professional, and you can spend your time taking care of the things that you do best.
The most successful business owners I’ve worked with understand that surrounding themselves with great people, is the key to their success.
In fact, one multi-millionaire I know told me he makes a point of only hiring people who are smarter than himself.
When I asked “doesn’t that make you feel insecure and less important?”
He told me “Steve, you can ride your pride filled ego into an early grave, or you can step down off your high horse and let other people help you make a lot of money. The choice is yours”.
So let me bring this back around to where I started…
YOU (yes, you) are an idiot. And YOU (yes, you) are a genius.
So now the question is, which one are you going to focus on to move your business, and your life, forward?
And if you don’t know where your genius is at… Then right now, figuring it out is what you need to be focusing on.
Anyway, that’s my thought for the day.
Here’s to making more money, with less frustration…
All the best,
SAR
