#2040 Three Steps to Success
I was recently speaking with one of my coaching clients about
BE – DO – HAVE
It is a simple philosophy I learned from I don't know who, several decades ago, and I have been practicing and refining it ever since.
I love Jim Rohn's story about speaking to one of his commission salespeople. The salesperson said, "But Jim, life is just too expensive!" Jim replied, "It's not that life is too expensive. It's just that you can't afford it."
That came to mind in a roundabout way when I mentioned BE – DO – HAVE because everyone wants results. Everyone wants better things, better health, better homes, better relationships, better bank balances – in other words, everyone recognizes and wants the HAVE part.
The trick is to learn to love the BE and the DO. Everyone wants better results, but results come from developing a stronger skillset. Stronger skills produce better results, right? So where do better skills come from? They come from learning and practice; that's the DO. But even before learning and practicing is desire. It is the BE. The BE is deciding the kind of person you want to be. It's seeing the accomplished person via your created avatar or a real person you admire and knowing you want to BE the type of person who will DO what must be done to fulfill that vision.
As we always say, "It's the start that stops most people."
In most of the population, envy supplants admiration, disallowing the possibility of BE. People look at others' accomplishments and chalk them up to luck, genes, or connections, and by doing so, eliminate themselves from the possibility because they don't feel lucky, genetically gifted, or well connected. They sit in the total of their life choices thus far, and rather than spend thought, effort, time, and money trying to get better, take a fatalistic approach and settle for the status quo.
I know that sounds harsh, but remember we are not talking about success only as defined by money and things. We are talking about success in life; about health, relationships, and happiness. You are defining success by your own standards. Your HAVE and my HAVE will be totally different. Years ago, I wrote about my friend "Jimmy the Mailman" as an example of a very successful person.
If you know anything about the wages of letter carriers, you know Jimmy always worked two jobs and still had to sweat the finances, BUT Jimmy was and is wildly successful. He is happy. He has great relationships. When he retired, the people on his mail route lavished him with gifts because they loved him. He has a great family who he is close to and hits the gym regularly. He checks all the boxes for real success.
You've got to believe in your HAVE. You've got to put yourself there in your mind. That will allow you to step into your BE. As you become the type of person who will have the life you picture, the DO becomes compelling. The DO gets done even when it's hard because it is a natural part of fulfilling your vision.
Everyone loves to spend time in Europe or the Caribbean (HAVE), but no one likes airports. (DO) Yet, we have to BE a person who travels and DO the inconveniences of taxis, Airports, lost reservations, and scary shuttles so we can HAVE the time in the old country or on sun-soaked beaches.
Spend some time with yourself. Know what your HAVE is and live in this philosophy. As always, if I can help, just let me know.
Own Your Sales Gene…