Clarity vs Strategy
I have spoken with, coached and advised many people over the years and one of the most common challenges I see in people is an initial lack of clarity behind what they are actually trying to build.
They know they want more.
More money. More time. More freedom. More flexibility. More choice.
And there is nothing wrong with that.
But when drilled that’s as far as it goes.
What I see happening too often is that in the process of seeking 'more', people are actually ending up with less...
Less money, less time, less freedom, less happiness.
They are somewhere down a rabbit hole, bashing their head against a brick wall because nothing seems to be working…
They jump into to learning all these "strategies" before taking a moment to truly identify what they are trying to achieve in the first place.
Maybe you can relate?
Standing by the lake
I liken it to someone standing on the shores of a vast lake...
They have a burning desire to get to the other side. They have heard all the stories of other people living these amazing lifestyles on the other side of the lake.
Lifestyles filled with fulfilment, flexibility, choice, security, love, you name it… everything that they don’t yet have.
So they know they want to be over there, but don’t yet know exactly where on the other side of the lake it is they want to go...
They’re driven. I'll give them that. They’re also committed.
So they look for the nearest boat, push it out onto the water and hit full speed on the engine.
They know that simply by being on that lake, in that boat, they’re making progress.
It’s what the World around them is telling them all the time.
“A little progress each day adds up to big results”
“If there’s no struggle, there’s no progress”
But what happens after a little time on the lake is that they start to question whether they are making progress. They start to question whether they were standing next to a lake in the first place, or whether it was an endless ocean.
They start to question themselves...
Maybe there isn’t the “other side”?
They’ve come too far to turn around now, they couldn’t possibly face the people they left behind on the shore, it would be too embarrassing.
Plus, turning around would be a failure.
“You only fail if you give up”
Says the World around them.
As the fear of running out of fuel starts to creep in they ease off on the engine.
They start to float.
They float aimlessly in whichever direction the wind and tide takes them.
Unfulfilled, frustrated and overwhelmed.
They still have that same desire. And they know there is this dream destination out there somewhere because they're reminded of it on a daily basis on social media and every marketing outlet going.
But they have no bloody clue what it looks like!
Then all of a sudden, when the chips are really down, they see a little glint of light on the horizon. They hear someone's voice shouting...
“Over here! I’ll show you the way!”
They think to themselves...
“I’ve struck gold, maybe this is the destination I’ve been dreaming of!?”
So back on the engine goes and they’re off and running again. They have their new “guide” waxing lyrical about how amazing the other side is when they get there...
“Look at all these shiny things.”
“If I can do it, you can do it”
“It’s as easy as 1,2,3...”
But what happens next?
Part way across the lake, on their journey to that new destination, another glint of light flickers on the horizon in the opposite direction.
But this time, it’s a bigger, shinier glint.
And it comes with a louder voice. The voice is shouting...
“No, no, no, that’s not where you want to go, don’t trust that person.
You want to go this way!”
“Maybe they’re right, maybe that is the destination for me” ticks the mind.
So, full turn to starboard, and off they go again in that new direction.
Before long they realise they’re running low on fuel. All this to-ing and fro-ing and following of all these experts and guru’s has led them to nowhere.
Once again, they’re lost, confused and frustrated.
And they still have no bloody idea where they’re going!
They feel as though they’ve made little progress. They’re stressed. They’ve put in so much effort yet not getting the results they expected (or were told were possible).
They have lost clarity.
Or more accurately... they never had it in the first place!
This Used to Be Me
Now I’m not sure about you, but this was me for periods of my life.
I would have these great plans and ideas of where I wanted to go and charge off full steam ahead in a certain direction.
I’d then get distracted by someone selling a new training course, or a seemingly easy & quick result that I wanted.
So I did what everyone around me seemed to be doing and invested. And off I went in that other direction.
It didn’t take long before I too would become overwhelmed, stressed and confused.
I don't blame the gurus and the experts. Their content more often than not has been pretty good.
I blame me.
It was only when I took the time to seriously think about and write down exactly what I wanted from life that I realised over half of this "stuff" I'd purchased was irrelevant to me.
It was a distraction.
I needed to redefine my success.
I needed to work out what wealth meant to me and build clarity behind what I was doing.
And heck, once I did this, it all got a lot easier...
The Difference Between Success and Failure
Over the last 10+ years through trial and error; through becoming my own boss; through building multiple income streams in property and in business, I have realised that the difference between success and failure is the ability to:
Take the time to understand exactly what “success” looks like - What is the end goal? What's the ultimate lifestyle you want to create?
Take the time to plot the most direct path to that success - How are you going to get there and what are the key results you need to achieve, and in what timeframe?
Stay focused and not become distracted from that path - Build a team around you to keep you accountable and to keep you focused.
People are so important. We can't do everything on our own so don't be afraid to get out there and seek advice from people. People who aren't going to fob you off or flog you something you don't need.
If you're in property - come and join us in the Property Entrepreneurs Club.
The biggest question we have to ask ourselves
We are so fortunate to live in a World with endless opportunities. But the biggest question we have to ask ourselves though is:
Which ones do we take?
But in order to answer that question we must first have absolute clarity of what it is we’re trying to achieve.
In Summary
Without clarity, it matters not how many strategies we learn, we will forever just jump from one thing to the next...
But WITH clarity, we are able to turn our vast, ever expanding lake into a fast flowing, direct river with one starting point, and one destination!
Take a moment over the coming weeks to consider the following questions:
Why do you want to build wealth?
Why do you want to create a new lifestyle - what is it about the current one you dislike?
Do you have an investment plan?
Do you know what your current net worth is and how you are currently performing financially?
What are your core values because these will help you identify how you wish to live your life and what makes you the happiest?
Have you developed a clear and actionable plan for achieving your goals?
Do you plan your time on a regular basis to be the most efficient you can be?
Are you aware of your strengths and weaknesses so you know which skills to leverage which skills to start developing.
Do you take enough time to recognise and appreciate your current success?
If you don't take a moment now to consider these things, a year from now you're going to be a year older.
Where are you going to be?
Until next time
- T
P.S. If you need some help in building a plan that covers all the points discussed above, you may wish to get your hands on the Launchpad To Wealth workbook.
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