Be Big, Do Big, Have Big

A number of my coaching clients are small business owners. They are like the majority of small business owners in the world – They have a small business which they dream of turning into a large business…someday.

During one of my recent sessions, a client pointed to several companies that had blossomed “overnight” (really within one to two years) and were doing hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars in business in a very short time.

He then asked me what I thought was the secret to their rapid success.

I think first and foremost many of these companies subscribe to the concept of what is currently called “Blue Ocean Strategy,” which is the name of a recent book on marketing strategies.

However, the world is filled with great ideas, and good plans and strategies to make the ideas come to life. It is actually executing those plans and strategies that separates an eBay from a “what was your name again?”

So, if the world is filled with good ideas, and it is also filled with plans and strategies to bring those ideas to life, why aren’t more people executing those plans and strategies and creating billion dollar businesses?

The answer is one word: Conditioning.

Most of us have been conditioned since birth to “get real,” “get serious,” “stop dreaming,” “get a job” and basically live out the so-called “American Dream.”

Our parents, siblings, friends, teachers, politicians, religious leaders and even media figures have unwittingly created generations of people who are conditioned to accept what is given to them rather than to go for what they really desire.

Every great company started with a great dream, but most people have been conditioned to let go of their dreams, take the easy path, get a 9 to 5 job, put money into the 401K, vacation 2 weeks a year, struggle to pay the kids college tuition, work their way up the corporate ladder, and hope that when they retire they’ll be able to survive between the 401K, Social Security and downsizing to a small condo.

Simply, we have been made to FEAR our dreams. We have been taught that thinking big and trying to achieve big things is for “other people;” as if those “other people” are endowed with some secret power that we “mortals” can only dream of having.

Sounds ridiculous, right? And it is.

What’s worse is that when we do start to dream a little, we make a huge mistake. We go and talk to our family, friends, coworkers, etc. about our dream, because we are hoping for encouragement.

Trying to save us from the pain of “certain” failure our family, friends, etc. kindly point every single reason why the idea won’t work, why we are uniquely UNQUALIFIED to attempt such an idea and why we should just give up now and go back to the way things have been.

Well, I’m here to tell you to forget that nonsense!

Despite what everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, has told you, you can have the business you’ve always wanted, the home you’ve always wanted and the lifestyle you’ve always wanted. But to get all this, you must first get past the fear that has been conditioned into you.

So, you are probably thinking, “Sounds great, Erik, but how do I get past the fear?” Simple: Be, Do, Have.

If your conditioning is like most people, then you have been conditioned to DO first. This means that you have been conditioned to work hard in the hopes that you can someday HAVE some of the items you want. Then, at this point, you can BE the person you wanted to be (a millionaire, a business owner, etc.).

This process is back-ass-wards.

Think about this, who takes millionaire actions - Millionaires or poor people? Why the answer is simple: Millionaires of course. Yet, if you believed the DO – HAVE – BE method, only millionaires could be millionaires and NO ONE else ever could be.

Seriously consider that concept. If you have to get a million dollars before you can get the mindset necessary to get a million dollars, you’ll never get a million dollars. It is the ultimate catch-22. And you lose either way.

But if you BE a millionaire first – in your mind and in your beliefs – then you will be able to DO the actions necessary to HAVE a million dollars.

This process does not require years of hard labor, “paying your dues” or “earning the right.” It simply requires a shift in your mindset.

One easy exercise to help you start changing your mindset is to look at how much you are earning per year right now. Then add a ZERO to the end of that number.

Who would you have to BE in order to earn that much money in one year? You obviously could not be who you are now, because that person can only earn one/tenth of the amount you are now considering.

What would a person who earns ten-times what you’re earning right now DO in order to make that much money? Obviously, they have a completely different set of priorities and activities than you do.

What would a person who earns ten-times your current salary HAVE? Well, they could certainly buy a lot more stuff then you can right now.

I personally feel that this shift in mindset is VITALLY IMPORTANT if you truly want to see a change in your business and your life.

Be Big. Do Big. Have Big. And always Dream Big!