For the better part of our lives, we are conditioned to believe that we need to work hard in order to have a good career and set ourselves up for retirement. It’s what we work towards, a time where we don’t have to worry about work and we can do whatever it is we want to do. But why would you want to wait for retirement to do that? Why are we holding back from achieving our dreams now?
Most of the time it is fear that holds us back. Fear of failure, rejection, of the unknown – it all builds up and prevents us from dreaming big. But what if we are able to turn our dreams into ambition and ambition into a healthy obsession? If you are passionate about a project, you can use your fears to drive you towards success. You just have to know how.
In this book summary readers will discover:
- Getting back your energy and balance
- Finding new motivation
- The power of aiming high
- How to Embrace your fears
- How to grow
- The strength in having the best team possible
- The real fuel to your obsession
Key lesson one: Getting back your energy and balance
Even if you love your job, the comes a time when you feel a bit drained. When you don’t have the energy to deal with more and to avoid the inevitable burnout, there are two choices that you can make. The first one, which in all honesty is what most people do, is to take a break. The time off generally settles your nerves and will help you build up enough strength to get back to the grind but it does not, in any way, help you achieve your dreams. The second choice you can make is to become obsessed with your goals in life.
If you want to achieve your goals, and you begin obsessing about them, you will find yourself instantly generating energy. You will get excited about what’s to come, much like how we feel when we first start a job. So why not put the same energy into yourself? Even Cardone himself experienced this after years of travelling and public speaking, He lost track of which city he was in and found himself exhausted and stressed. It was not until he took a step back that he realised why he felt this way. He had moved away from his original obsession of being the greatest salesman on earth. Cardone sat down and wrote down his purpose and goals immediately feeling rejuvenated.
Being obsessed does not mean that you lead an imbalanced life. On the contrary, it actually leads to the opposite. The misconception comes from our misunderstanding of balance itself. Balance does not simply come from making time to relax and spend time with family and friends. It entails having the career and money you desire as well as good health and a happy home and social life. To obtain this, you have to work hard towards your goals and turn them into your obsessions. This will give your renewed energy and a different outlook ensuring you maximise every moment and move towards achieving your obsessions.
Key lesson two: Finding new motivation
When it comes to obsessions, you should never stop with them. That is a key point to remember. If you know what you’re passionate about and achieve your goal of an amazing career – then what? You can’t just stop. This is where obsession kicks in. you have to keep setting up goals, each one bigger than the last. Having an obsession means that you’re not waiting for the day that you get to stop and do nothing, it means that your future is limitless. Your obsessions will give you purpose and get you excited and motivated to begin each day.
This also means that you will never be tired, bored or without purpose for the rest of your life! Each time you achieve one goal, reach for the next one. Allow your goals to grow with you and your career. You will remain obsessed with achieving your best possible life!
Key lesson three: The power of aiming high
We can’t be certain how our plans will unfold. No one is. So the best thing you could possibly do is – aim high. Set yourself goals on the highest level and get to work on them. You can worry about the nitty-gritty details later, you just need the vision of what you will be working towards. Just think about the most rewarding things in life: starting a business, getting married or having a kid. No matter how much you plan for these things, once it begins, it will never happen as expected and you will learn as you go. So too should you approach your goals.
You have to aim high and work towards it. Just look at Apple for example. Apple does not waste time with loads of beta testing. They get their products out onto the market quickly to make a statement that they are big, bold and innovative. Sure, their products may have flaws, but they will be taken care of as they arise.
Key lesson four: How to embrace your fears
Fear is ultimately the main reason we choose not to pursue our obsessions in the first place. We put them on the back burner because they are too risky, the fear of failure is too much. But fear just needs to be embraced as it can be a powerful driving force for your success.
Firstly, you have to realise that everyone fails. It’s how we learn and how we grow. If you live your life without failing, it means that you have never really lived. Just take a look at J.K Rowling. He was rejected 12 times before Harry Potter was published! Imagine if she let the fear of failure consume her. Not only would she have caved before sending out the book to other publishers but we would never have been introduced to the book at all!
It’s okay to be afraid. You have to realise that if you experience fear, it means that you are progressing. If you don’t feel fear, it indicates that you might be in your comfort zone and we all know that being in a comfort zone means no growth. You can’t succeed if you remain stagnate, so embrace your fear as an indication that you are moving in the right direction: forward.
It’s not always easy to embrace fear, so you have to work at it. Develop a mindset that allows you to embrace fear as a stepping stone for success. It will give you the psychological advantage that you need.
Key lesson five: How to grow
This lesson is somewhat of a controversial one but still key to achieving your biggest desires. You have to learn to stop saving and instead, spend your money in order to grow. Success in anything is measure by growth. You should therefore invest your profits and energy in expansion. It also makes tax sense. You make your dollars count by reinvesting them in your business as they will not be taxed as profits would. It is recommended that you spend 30 to 40 per cent of your profits on expansion opportunities.
If you can’t find expansion opportunities then you should invest in marketing. Money spent on marketing will never be wasted as it takes you one step closer to being a household name. Once you get to that level, there’s no need to go looking for expansion opportunities as they will present themselves.
But whatever you do, don’t aim to be a one-man show. Working on your own without a team will limit your success. You need to be able to grow as a leader and delegate work in order to grow and make more money.
Key lesson six: The strength in having the best team possible
Having a great and effective team behind you is one way to guarantee to achieve your goals. You have to ensure that every step of the process and every team member is as passionate and obsessed as you are. In order to do this, you have to know what goes on and be aware of performance on every level. This entails listening and observing to ensure that everything remains at the level you need it to be. If it does not, you can step in and rectify the matter immediately instead of letting standards drop.
You also need to make sure that your team knows that you do this and that you recognize their good work. Cordone himself sends personal messages of gratitude to his workers who work hard even if he is away from the office. This allows workers to feel appreciated, motivate them to continue to work hard and keep them committed to your goals.
The other thing you have to realise is that you need to be heartless when it comes to recruitment. You cannot afford to feel bad if you need to fire someone for not doing their job effectively. Your team needs to be the best and needs to possess the passion and obsession you have for your business. It’s your job to build this team and if that means hiring and firing ruthlessly, so be it.
Key lesson seven: The real fuel to your obsession
When you achieve success, there will always be criticism and competition. It’s how business works. Once you understand and accept this, you can use this to further fuel your obsession.
No matter what you do, there will always be people who will hate on you and thanks to social media, they have many avenues in which to express their criticism. But you should not retaliate or be disheartened by this, in fact, you should be grateful. Why? Not only does this mean that you are succeeding, but it also is a form of publicity for your business. No one would criticise and pick on your business if it were not succeeding, what would be the point?
Haters also allow us to become resilient. Having a thick skin and bouncing back from criticism is a powerful tool in being successful. It will make you stronger and fuel your determination to prove them wrong.
The key takeaway from Be Obsessed or Be Average is:
You need to be obsessed with your goals to drive your success. By no means does being obsessed mean that you are moving away from living a healthy, happy life. It actually will help you achieve that goal and maintain it for the rest of your life. If you are truly obsessed with a better life, you will never cease to set goals in order to maintain this. It will never truly end which means that you will always retain your passion, energy and excitement for life.
How can I implement the lessons learned in Be Obsessed or Be Average:
Take the time to reinject energy into your life by listing the goals you are passionate about. Do not let fear hold you back from achieving them. Instead, welcome fear and acknowledge that you are moving out of your comfort zone and towards a better future. Always set new goals once you achieve old ones and don’t remain stagnant. Continue to aim high in everything you do and success will surely follow you for the rest of your life.
