How You Can Create Your Own Exponential Growth!
Have you ever felt like you were stagnant in your business?
Have you noticed that you aren’t progressing the way you thought you should?
What are you doing to ensure that doesn’t happen?
If you do not have a plan, then what I’m going to talk about today is likely going to help you start somewhere.
What I’m talking about is consistency.
Personally, I have struggled with this topic in the past and I have been able to pull myself out of the pits when it comes to being consistent. It has been with a lot of different things in the past.
Struggling to keep jobs.
Struggling to keep a normal schedule or routine.
Even struggling with spending too much time on things that aren’t important, preventing me from staying consistent with my good habits.
I got to a point where I thought I was destined to be a failure.
I felt like I was never getting ahead in life at all, and I felt like I was starting to lose everyone around me.
It wasn’t until I started reading a little more that I realized my consistency was the problem.
And not just being consistently terrible, haha.
Before getting into tips about consistency and how to get there, let’s talk about what consistency is NOT.
Albert Einstein had said: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”
I’m sure we’ve also heard the phrase “Practice makes perfect.” But what really does that mean? Does that truly mean doing the same thing over and over until it’s perfect?
Someone once told me “If you focus on the process, you won’t get anywhere. However, if you focus on the progress, you’ll reach your destination.”
This is where it struck me.
Insanity. Practice. Progress.
What consistency is not, is doing the same thing hoping for different results. We have to be innovative, imaginative, and creative.
But, sometimes it might feel like a little bit of insanity, so we push to continue practicing so we can make PROGRESS.
No one wants to be stuck in the same place for too long, especially when it comes to their business. Everyone wants progress. Forward momentum. Moving along the road of success without going too far backward. (And yes, you will go backward sometimes. But, one step backward might be the right play to make two steps forward.
So, how do we get to that destination?
Be consistent.
Be methodical.
Be intentional.
There’s no point to stating that you’re going to be consistent if you are just going to try doing the same thing you’ve always done. What you need to do is move forward with your progress and always be looking at how you can improve your situation, whatever that may be.
And, that brings us to our first tip regarding consistency: HABITS.
Not just creating habits, but replacing habits as well. Creating new habits is well and good, but if you have too many bad habits in there you’ll just fall right back to where you were before. It’s also not about good and bad habits in general, but the knowledge to understand which are good and which are bad.
Examples of replacing bad habits with good habits:
- Go for a run every day versus sitting on the couch and eating junk food.
- Eat more vegetables instead of only meat and potatoes.
- Drink more water instead of soda and alcohol
But other habits are harder to distinguish. Some people will tell you that their habit of sleeping in is not a bad habit because they are getting more sleep so they are more well rested and can function better. They also do this because they are up late working on their business.
Then, you hear from a successful businessperson that you should “sleep faster” and get up early every day. This way they are maximizing the time they have available and getting the minimum amount of sleep needed to function.
Both of these could actually work, but some people work better with scenario 1, while others (like me) work better with scenario 2. I get more done in the late evening than I do in the early morning, but as of right now I still have a day job so I’m in bed by 11pm or 12am, then up again at 6:30am. Not a full 8 hours, but still decent in my book.
So, when we talk about habits, we have to know ourselves and know how we work. If we are more groggy and lazy when sleeping in, then maybe we should get up early. If we are more crabby and irritable when getting up early, maybe we should sleep in a little (if possible), or go to bed earlier. Whatever it may be it has to be a choice.
So now, let’s get back to habits. When we are looking at getting good habits involved in our lives, we have to look at what we are willing to do and implement them on a daily basis. They say that it takes 21 days to form a habit, but at least 60 days for it to be a routine. So, it’s going to take time. You’re going to have to make it a part of your normal schedule. And you actually need to schedule it in, or it won’t get done.
For example, I have a notification that goes off every day at 9pm, and it reads “Did you read today?” If the answer is no, then I have to do everything in my power to read before I go to bed. Sometimes I fall asleep while doing it at 11:30pm, but I’ll do my best to get it done. It’s because I don’t want to lose that habit. Granted, I usually do a lot of reading throughout the day as it is so I usually don’t have a problem.
The thing about reading is that you don’t want to read just to say that you read something. You want to read with purpose. Read to learn, then learn to grow, and grow to succeed. If you read 15 minutes per day just to check off a box in your planner, then that’s not really doing you any good, is it?
You also need to read something that can help you move your life and/or business to the next level and be better than you were before you read that book. And, you need to be able to start applying what you’re reading. Learning without action is what leads to stagnation. So, get in a consistent habit of reading.
And yes, I know…
“But Josh, I don’t have enough time in the day to fit in reading, how can I stay consistent with it?”
I struggled with that too, and to be frank, figure it out.
15 minutes is generally lost somewhere in the day, so replace that lost time with reading. Whether that is watching an extra episode of your favorite show or posting story after story to Instagram, find those 15 minutes of time that you are not utilizing effectively and do a little reading. Personally, I like to keep a book in the bathroom for when I, you know, do my business.
Next, let’s talk about AUDIO habits.
For this, I’m not talking about the radio or TV in the background, but audio with purpose. Podcasts about success for a start (Expect Success is a good option if you’re looking for one). However, a quick search on podcasts related to business or success will yield you a lot of options.
Other ideas for audio are webinars, online trainings, virtual events/summits, audio books, etc. These are areas where you are likely to find people who are providing information and value about a specific topic, and they are all over the place in the online marketing world. Again, a quick search in your browser will yield a bunch of results. Even YouTube, Facebook and Vimeo are places you can search. People are providing value everywhere on basically every topic imaginable.
Some audios you can throw on in the background and listen to while you are working out, making dinner, or traveling. Some are ones that you will want to sit down, get out your favorite notebook, and start studying. I would recommend talking to whomever is coaching or mentoring you and ask them what audio sources they have which you could study and learn from. I can guarantee they have a few.
Another good habit to get into is NETWORKING.
When in business, networking is key to grow your business. And, we are not just talking about “Network Marketing” or “MLM” here, so get that bad taste out of your mouth right now. I’m talking about networking in general. You know, meeting people. Getting around like minded people who are on the same (or similar) path as you.
Maybe you are a chiropractor that wants to find ways to get more clients. Well, you probably should look at finding a networking group (maybe that’s on Facebook or through something like BNI — Business Network international). It’s possible you’ll find another chiropractor that you could talk to about ideas, find out what they have going on, and maybe even compare notes to see how you can help each other stay accountable in regard to your business.
Also, you can look at current events in your area that you would likely find clients. You could go to sporting events, concerts, or even fairs and trade shows. It’s very likely you’ll be able to have conversations with people that might lead to them asking what you do. Once you tell them that your a Chiropractor, there’s a good chance either they or someone they know is looking for someone new. If not, this is a good chance to ask for referrals. Something like “would you be willing to take a couple of my business cards for you and your friends?”
Being consistent in your networking habits is going to be a HUGE momentum push, because the more people you have on your list, the more likely you are to grow yourself and your business. Also, when something new comes along that you want to tell people about, those same people are on a list you’ve already interacted with, so it’s perfect for promotions.
Lastly, let’s talk about COMMUNICATION.
Yes, the dirty word, communication.
Especially since the year 2020 really hit a lot of us hard and we had to find new ways to communication with our friends and loved ones.
But when you communicate often and effectively, you can relay important information about how you are doing and where you are at in your journey.
Not only does that help people who are mentoring you know where to help you, it also helps you understand where you are internally.
You see, most of the time that you communicate, you are relaying your feelings and internal knowledge to someone else. This validates (or invalidates) your feelings and allows you to reflect on what you’ve learned and how you’ve grown between the last time and this time. Sometimes, just talking something through on a phone call or as a message can help someone understand their own position and give them an idea of where they are at and how they can move forward.
So, now that you know some areas where you can create some good habits in, let’s talk about HOW you can stay consistent.
I would like to start off with accountability. Most people don’t link accountability and consistency together, and that’s because they don’t think that they need to be held accountable for being consistent. However, that’s one of the biggest pitfalls that business professional experience when it comes to consistency.
For starters: Do you remember back in high school when you were given a “planner” at the beginning of the school year? Most people thought those were cool because they came with stickers (at least in my age group) and it showed all the days off school for the year (and that’s where the stickers and the tabs went first, haha). But, did you know that the schools would give us those to help students be successful with their work? Well, that’s not an oversight, that’s a success principle that they were trying to instill in us. Unfortunately, they made it too much like fun so people just looked past the success principle. Crazy, right?
For some people, being accountable will be marking it down in a planner or some sort of tracking mechanism. Personally, I use my Google calendar on my phone and computer to do most of my tracking, and then a couple of other things on spreadsheets (for daily, weekly, and monthly tracking of activity in my business).
Being accountable also comes into play with communication, where communicating your activity to your mentor or coach can also be a key part in holding yourself accountable for your actions in your business.
Another tip with accountability (I know, just dragging this one on) is the +1/-1 (plus one / minus one) method. This method was taught to me by a mentor of mine and is something I’ve heard in many books as well.
The way this works is that you have a list of activities that you need to do every day as part of your good habits. If you meet the requirements for those activities, then you have won for the day and give yourself a +1. But, if you did not do what you needed to do, then you lost the day and receive a -1.
Then, when you get to the end of the week you add it all up using basic math and determine how your week went.
Example:
5 days won
2 days lost
5–2 = 3
So, that week you would score a 3. Let’s do another one…
6 days won
1 day lost
6–1 = 5
So, you can see how the compound effect also works here (different topic for a different day). The more days you win, the higher chances of your score. But, losing one extra day results in a drastically lower score for the week.
This will help you stay consistent because deep down inside, no one wants to lose and we all want to be winners. Not only does this help with consistency by instilling a little competition, but it helps understand how not following through with your good habits can really hurt you big.
To really put all of this into action, find a buddy (not your mentor or coach) that you can be accountability buddies with. Studies have shown that doing something together with someone who is like minded and on the same path as you will have positive results. Not only are they able to help you stay on track and consistent, but you can help them too.
The best way to do this is set up a regular call with them (maybe once per week) and go through what you’ve done for the week. Talk about your wins, your struggles, and everything in between. It’s also helpful to talk about some things you’ve learned and how you’re applying those things.
And, to wrap up all the things to help you, and I mentioned it a little bit above, documentation! Document EVERYTHING. Make a log of what you do, how you do it, and why you did it. Not only will this help you with inspiration later on in life, but it will help you understand what it is that you need to improve on. Only then can you know for sure how your business is going.
So, for those of you that scrolled past all the information I put blood, sweat, and tears into (okay, not really, but just saying), here’s a quick bullet point layout of what we talked about:
Habits to stay consistent in:
- Reading
- Audio
- Networking
- Communication
How to stay accountable:
- Hold yourself accountable
- Use the +1/-1 (plus one / minus one) method
- Find an accountability buddy
- Document EVERYTHING
If you found this information helpful, please feel free to share it with your friends.
You can also check us out at https://jkschonert.com.
And, please feel free to leave a comment if you have questions, feedback, or maybe even some additions!
Now get out there and crush it!!
Josh
