There is no elevator to success; you have to take the stairs. I love that saying by Zig Ziglar. I get questions all the time about the “shortcuts” and “magic formula” or my “secret sauce” to success.
For example: “What is the quickest way to…” or “What is the one trick that will…” Here is the thing…there is no shortcut, no secret to success. Sorry, they don’t exist…not for your business, not for your relationships, not for anything that is worthwhile.
If you want to succeed at something stop focusing on why everyone else appears to be succeeding except for you. Don’t assume everyone that is successful knows some “secret” that you don’t.
I know it’s easier to look at others and think those who achieve high levels of success are simply more intelligent, received a hand up, or are simply luckier than the people in the second group. I get it, it makes people feel better to rationalize another person’s success. But let’s be real here, it is hard work that got somebody in a position to be offered an opportunity. And even then, it is not the opportunity that makes a person, it is what you do with those opportunities that make or break you.
Are you ready to be accountable and take one step at a time? I don’t have a “one thing” answer for you but I do have the general formula.
The “Magic” Formula
- Decide
Decide what you want. Consider what you want to achieve. Set S.M.A.R.T goals that motivate you and write them down to make them feel tangible. By setting Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound goals you can measure and take pride in the achievement of those goals. You will be able to see the forward progress in what might otherwise feel like a long pointless grind.
- Commit
Doing things carelessly is the mother of everything that can go wrong. When you want your project to succeed, you invest yourself in it fully. “The difference between ‘involvement’ and ‘commitment’ is like an eggs-and-ham breakfast: the chicken was ‘involved’ – the pig was ‘committed’.” You can’t afford to only be involved; being involved means you’re not committed enough, and if you’re not committed enough, that thing you’ve been working on, won’t see the light of day. Don’t chicken out.
- Consistent
Be determined and most important, consistent. Fully dedicate yourself to your goal. Consistency is about building small empowering habits and rituals that you partake in every single day that keep you focused on your highest priorities and goals. It essentially comes down to your ability to hold yourself accountable for the daily choices you make, with no excuses and no complaints. You and you alone are accountable for what you do and what you fail to do. All responsibility lies solely in your hands. Do the work not for an hour, a day, a week or a month…but every day, every step, until you reach your goal.
Taking everything, we have discussed into account, it’s clear that the key to success is deciding, committing, and consistency-in-action.
When you commit yourself to performing an activity or task at the same time every day without fail, you are at that moment building an empowering habit that will over time blossom and help you get the desired outcomes you are after.
There is no elevator to success. You must take the stairs, to gain the strength and momentum to take that giant leap. Need more help finding that perfect magic formula to help you in your business? Contact me today…
Growth Mindset
Fixed Mindset
Whether you’re aware of it or not, you keep a running account of what’s happening, what it means, and what you should so. Our minds are constantly monitoring and interpreting. That’s just how we stay on track. Mindset frames the running account of what is taking place. It guides the whole interpretation process.
Changing from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset is not like surgery; you can’t remove a fixed mindset and replace it with a growth mindset. You must work on nurturing a positive, growth mindset. These are tips from
When starting any new adventure you always have some sort of destination in mind. 
Not only is it fun, but it is also super smart to never hike alone. Hiking with friends or family is an enjoyable experience and can help keep you safe. In nature there are many things that could go wrong. Wildlife encounters, inclement weather and even the risk of injury. So having a buddy can lessen the burden should something negative happen. Plus on the fun side, you will build memories together; you can share stories and most importantly someone to encourage you should you feel too tired or weak to keep going.
In the mountains of Colorado (where I live) the weather can change in a matter of minutes. It can be sunny and beautiful, then within an hour it could be thunder snowing. You have to be prepared to weather any storm in the mountains. So, as you embark on this epic metaphorical hike of 
Nobody said it was going to be easy…they said it would be worth it. Let it be a mountain in front of you or starting your business building journey, one thing is for certain, it will surely be an 
What is all the hard work without reward? For some the hike to the summit is the reward that they feel is enough, the breathtaking views, the sense of accomplishment, the 
I know when I finish a hike, just like I did at the beginning of this blog, I looked forward to sharing it on my 
Sure, you want as many 
Joining an already established group opens you up to getting your organization’s name seen by new contacts, such as leaders in your industry or potential new customers. You can showcase your value to these individuals by answering questions with your expertise or sharing valuable content from your website. Consistent 
Measurement of group involvement can be done through a variety of ways, including 
Imposter syndrome is a term often thrown around and splashed in click baiting headlines, leaving people confused as to what it actually is (and whether they’re affected by it).
Imposter syndrome is the little troll on our shoulder feeding us lies about our potential. It keeps us from being the best 
It’s okay to celebrate and take pride in your success. In fact, it’s important for your confidence’s sake to view your success accurately. (That means recognizing the role your ability and 
a list of more achievements to feel more confident. But, the problem with imposter syndrome isn’t a lack of success (since it happens with people who are very successful). It’s not being able to internalize accurately those successes. Imposter syndrome won’t go away with more success.
A sales funnel is an analogy used to explain how the sales process works. It serves as a visual representation of how an individual moves from knowing nothing about your organization to becoming a loyal customer and hopefully brand evangelist for you. The mindset of a sales funnel views sales as a proactive process of making customers (as opposed to the more passive process of finding customers). The underlying goal of the sales funnel is to convert those who are unaware of your organization to happy customers by finding as many 
become a customer. In situations where contracts need to be renewed or purchases made again, the customer will enter a re-evaluation phase. In some respects, they become a prospect again since they can now evaluate their other options. 
number of individuals at each stage, the percent of customers made from leads, and the average time it takes to move a customer down the funnel. Gathering these metrics provides you with a more holistic method of comparison to gauge successful sales efforts than just sales completed. After enough time using the sales funnel, you’ll be able to see a baseline of what you can expect from your sales team. Deviations from this baseline will show you what works well or what needs to be improved in your sales strategy.
the numbers will always be high at every phase. The reality, however, is that the numbers fluctuate often. Using a sales funnel highlights areas that should be targeted to get the numbers to where they need to be for effective customer recruitment. If you see you’re lacking leads, you can put more resources into lead generation. If you see you have enough leads but not enough are becoming prospects or committed, you can put more resources into bettering your pitch. If you see enough customers aren’t returning when contracts need to be renewed, you can put more resources into customer service.
Marketers use tools to nurture leads along each stage of the funnel. Visitors to your site can give their email in exchange for a free downloadable guide (gaining awareness). A follow-up email gives them a curated list of relevant blog articles on the site (gaining interest). A follow-up email to that gives them a case study showing the benefits of your products/services (gaining desire). A follow-up email to that gives them a coupon to buy your products/services (taking action).
they need to know it exists. Insert the marketing funnel! You can use the marketing funnel to direct people to the end action: acting on the trip wire. Social media, blog posts, emails can all give that push towards buying the trip wire. Not everyone will make it from gaining awareness to making that purchase. But strategic marketing can help get more people to that purchasing point.
You’ve probably heard this phrase before. Many, many, many times I imagine. Let’s quickly debrief anyway.
Automation, when done well, can be a marketer’s best friend. First of all, it saves you an immense amount of time. Instead of you sitting down to individually send an email to people at each stage of the funnel, these emails can be sent automatically.
attention (since that “unsubscribe button” is all too easy to press). Send a follow-up email to those who subscribed giving them more helpful information. Nothing sales-y here either! The goal is to intrigue your audience about your brand by showing you know your stuff. Send an email with a round-up of useful articles on the given topic. Share valuable resources. Prove that your emails (and your company) offer value.
The “
When you create a social media sales funnel, you supercharge your 
Once you know which channels to be on, you can work on generating that awareness. Facebook ads, for example, can help potential customers discover your page. When applicable, tag other organizations in your posts to help your posts show up on their followers’ pages. Cross promote your social channels through strategies like including the social links in your email signatures or newsletters.
Imposter syndrome is often confused with a few other things, so let’s clear that up right now. Imposter syndrome is not humility (which is an accurate view saying your worth isn’t more than someone else). Imposter syndrome is a warped and false view of your “lack” of 
It tells us we just got lucky. It wasn’t our hard work, talent, and ambition that got us that success. We just happened to be at the right place at the right time (which, by the way, is why you shouldn’t take a chance now because your luck may run out).
Don’t try to fix it with success. Sometimes people think the way to overcome imposter syndrome is to pursue more accomplishments. But, the underlying root of imposter syndrome is not being able to accurately internalize your own success and abilities. Simply piling on more success won’t do anything to make imposter syndrome go away.