You Are So Smart That You Are Dumb

Sunday, 12 December 2010 21:25

Sometimes your intelligence can hurt you more than help you.

I am a self proclaimed mad scientist. By nature, I am a idea and marketing guy. I can think up about a dozen new ideas a day for new Websites, Businesses and other random "creations". If you know me your probably thinking that I am underestimating! Because of my ADD I often find it hard to nail down one concrete plan and execute. I'd probably be billionaire four times over if I did!

The good news is that I have begun to develop some strategies to start moving forward on some of my long time goals. They are simple, and yet very effective. I will share them with you here, so if you are like me you can implement them so you can hopefully jump-start your progress as well!

Why Supervillians Never Win

You ever wonder why the super-villains in comic books are usually way smarter than the hero and yet NEVER WIN? It's because they over-think their plans. The Heroes plan is simple - stop the villain. ONE - SIMPLE - PLAN. Stop the bad guy. They focus all their energy on a single objective and WIN. I've found that often we are the Super-villain in our own Comic. STOP over-thinking and over-planning. Create a simple plan and stick to it.

The Key To Success is Execution

Have you ever met someone who tells you about a project or goal that they have but yet NEVER completes the plan? Most of the time it's because they NEVER GET STARTED on the plan. You know what I'm talking about - the family member that is always talking about going back to school, start working out, quit smoking, etc. But every time you see them they haven't even STARTED on achieving their DREAM. I call it a dream because a goal without execution is a dream.

My point is, either commit to executing a plan (start now!) or drop it. Your just fooling yourself if you don't. I personally dropped plans for two Website projects by being realistic instead of fooling myself. I knew the two sites would be over my head at this point, so I shelved them for the foreseeable future. I also pushed back the launch of a new web product that I've been working on for 6 months to 2010 - because I knew it couldn't be done right until then. Instead, I am focusing on what I can do RIGHT NOW and executing on it!

Create A Large Goal and Break it up into Small Goals

Human beings tend to get overwhelmed by large goals - we are human after all! How do you become a Billionaire? All at once? Of course the answer is no. The correct answer is one dollar at a time. You need to create your ultimate goal - and it should be a focused simple goal - one sentence long at most. You then have to break it down into simple, smaller more manageable goals that you know you can achieve. Here's an example:

My goal is to achieve 1 billion dollars in revenue within 5 years through helping individuals and businesses to successfully create an online presence.

and then I break it down:

Step 1: Create a Internet Marketing Company.
Step 2: Create a recognized Brand and Reputation as a leader in the field.
Step 3: Create effective and affordable solutions to help my clients succeed online.
Step 4: Attract and retain clients through offline and online marketing strategies, and offer superior service and pricing.
Step 5: Scale and expand the business while maintaining quality controls.

....and thats just a simplified example of my actual goals for the next 5 years!

Within these goals there are even smaller goals such as incorporating the business, getting a tax id and bank account, etc. You get my point though. Create clear and simple plans and break them up into smaller, more digestible mini-plans and goals! You can also adjust mini-goals to account for any setbacks or advances easier as well.

Eliminate Distractions

This is my Kryptonite! Sometimes you just have to disconnect from all distractions and DO YOUR THING. Turn off Tweetdeck. Close Facebook. Turn off your phone, the TV, etc. Just DO IT like Nike! You have to focus on your task at hand in order to be productive an achieve your goals.

Launch Before You Are Ready (BETA)

I like everything to be perfect, but unfortunately life is just not that easy. Ever wonder why so many websites launch in Beta? I may be wrong, but i'm sure GMail was in beta for almost FOUR YEARS! My point is, you have to just jump in and not worry about everything being perfect. Once you get it out there, you can tweak or edit. Whether it's hitting the gym or opening a business, you have to start somewhere. You'll never succeed by waiting for it to be perfect. So stop reading this post and get started on your goals!

Quote this article on your site

To create link towards this article on your website,
copy and paste the text below in your page.

Preview :

You Are So Smart That You Are Dumb
Sunday, 12 December 2010