“What is the ONE thing you can do today, such that everything else becomes easier or unnecessary?”
~ Gary W. Keller
Purpose – Priority – Productivity
I’ve been re-reading “The One Thing” by Gary Keller recently and thinking about how that applied to the current state of uncertainty.
While most of the world is opening up, restrictions on travel (or lockdown if you’re in Australia) are changing with eye-watering frequency that makes it extremely difficult to plan ahead. In some cases, businesses are wondering whether they can afford to continue operating at all. Others are weighing the benefits of in-person trainings and conferences against the possibility of having to cancel and restrictions on people who can or cannot attend. In these circumstances, it’s particularly important to determine what matters most, and to focus on that thing over all others.
In the twentieth century, ‘priority’ : The ONE thing that was preeminent, became ‘priorities’ : a basket of important things, and we lost the power to focus on a single key metric because even two things divide our attention. Interestingly, it’s one of the powerful business reasons for having full time employees who aren’t torn by conflicting calls on their time, energy, and attention. Of course, the corollary of this, is that to make full-time, single-employer work appealing the employer has to consider carefully what they can offer as a benefit package to eliminate the need for and appeal of several employers. I was talking a young man the other day whose employe insisted that he should not work for anyone else, but was simultaneously offering a salary package that was just above the average expenses for that city. When the man pointed it out, he was told to ‘take it or leave it because that was all they would offer’. He took it, but within a few weeks had found a more challenging position at a better salary,
The Positive Power of Uncertainty
It’s probably good for all of us to remember that we don’t have as much control over our lives and circumstances as we’d like to believe… And the past 18 months have definitely reinforced that reality. Countries around the globe are taking a fresh look at the geopolitical realities, as well as economic and health conditions and it’s hard to predict just exactly what changes we’ll see over the next few years or even months.
A mentor of mine shared something with me last week that Zig Ziglar said to him in October 2001, just a few short weeks after 9/11:
“Do you believe that what you are doing and selling has the power to make people’s lives better?”
“Yes.”
“Then now is the time to change as many people’s lives as you possibly can. We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but if you’ve got the power to help people then it’s up to you to get that message out there.”
Maybe you’re wondering what you should do about marketing yourself and your business right now, since there’s so much uncertainty about the future… I can’t tell you exactly what to do, because that depends on your expertise and goals. However, I can tell you that right now is the time time to:
- Double down on strategic marketing initiatives;
- Evaluate your core expertise and value;
- Take decisive action in line with your assessment; and
- Creating momentum for yourself and those around you.
- Who knows how long you have left on this planet. For most of us, that is not something we can predict with any precision. However, the surest way we can encourage those around us, take care of our own mental health, and make a difference in the world is to do what matters most today and use uncertainty to drive positive action.
What’s Yours to do Today
If the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, and the next best time is today… Then the best way to spend today is NOT shuffling papers or ‘re-organising’. Instead, you want to be ‘planting trees that will take root and bear fruit’ for years to come.
If you’re a business owner, that means creating a sales and marketing plan that will help grow your business and take it to the next level.
One “tree” that will produce momentum for both your business and boost your own career and personal goals is writing a book.
If you haven’t yet written a successful (success in this context = attracts ideal clients and opportunities) business book then you should check out my new course “Finish Your Book” designed to help anyone with vision and persistence write an effective book that they are proud to display and use to attract clients, customers, patients, and opportunities.
Learn more at: https://debrah.me/fyb
