Video: Are you climbing the right ladder? In the right place?

In a previous post I talked about what happens when you lose your “why” (https://www.overflowfaith.com/blog/losingwhy ). The short version… 

If you don’t stay in touch with your heart, then the INSPIRATION (which is what SHOULD drive you) gets eclipsed by the IMPLEMENTATION strategy (which should never drive you). 

Here’s what’s wrong with getting it backwards: the “thing” you choose to do can never be about HOW you do it…  

For example- 

• Dating your spouse is NEVER about going out to eat at a nice restaurant, watching a certain movie… relaxing as you walk through the park… or sitting quietly by a fire. Those are all HOWs…
• Dating IS about connecting with your spouse.

And- 

• Spending time with your kids is NEVER about tossing a baseball, watching a series of Christmas movies every night of the holidays (one of our kids’ favs), or making s’mores in the backyard. Those are all IMPLEMENTATION strategies…
• Spending time with the kids is always about connecting with the kids…

In each of these instances, the way in which you do something- the implementation strategy (read: the "how") will probably morph over time. In fact, it has to morph...

Here’s an example of something I’m actually learning about right now- 

• Building a home-based business is NEVER about social media posts, training videos, weekly educational classes, or other forms of marketing. Again… those are all ways you can implement your growth strategy.
• Building a business is always about the bottom line. No profit = no business- regardless of what you think / feel about money.  People often grimace at the notion that business is about money, but... if there's no money, it's just a hobby. Besides, you can do amazing things WITH money when it's used as a tool, leveraged for greatness in the hands of honorable people. 

(By the way, in a previous post I talked through a few other examples of people and entire industries that “lost their why.” In doing so, they lost their relevance… all because they began leading with their IMPLEMENTATION strategy rather than leading with their hearts… with their INSPIRATION. Read more about that at https://www.overflowfaith.com/blog/losingwhy).

Understanding why helps you actually create your implementation strategy 

Here's another reason why the "how" can't lead you: Understanding the REASON for doing something helps you determine how to create your implementation strategy in the first place… 

That is, the WHY always dictates the HOW- not the other way around. Follow me here… 

A few years ago, when I first met Les Wright (he’s one of the two guys I do the Advance events with- https://www.EatSleepAdvance.com), he told me about a gal on their business team. She came up when we were each discussing OUR OWN goals… 

“We’d love to hit Royal Crown Diamond,” I explained. “The highest rank in the company. Right now, though, we’re focusing on getting to Diamond.”

We discussed some strategy on hitting that milestone. Les and his wife, Kelli, were ahead of us in the business (still here), so he gave me some tips on structuring long-term. 

“If you want to hit the higher ranks,” he said, “then you need to build 6 teams.”

That is, you need six leaders under you.

He then told me something revelatory: “We’ve got a mom who’s a leader on our team. She’s building three legs. That’s it.” 

I asked him why she would do that if the highest rank required six legs. (Furthermore, the difference between the highest rank and the rank this gal was shooting for- the one that requires three leaders- is about $100,000 in pay… per MONTH! Why would someone go for the one instead of the other?)

Is she short-sighted?

No. Not exactly... 

Les explained, “Her goal is to earn enough to stay home with her new son as soon as possible. The money she’ll make at Gold [the rank that requires 3 teams under her] is about $5,000 each month. That’s significantly more than she’s making now. It accomplishes her goal of getting home with the baby…”

It dawned on me. The win for her is to replace her full-time income and stay home- not retire by age 45 with a residual income for the rest of her life.

See the difference? 

If she moves “full speed ahead” and crushes it, reaching the highest rank in a mere four or five years (earning $100,000-plus per month!) AND misses the milestones she’s longing to see…

• the first steps
• the first words and sentences
• strapping himself into the car seat (this one is HUGE in ways that only parents can truly understand!)
• potty-training… 

If she makes more money but sees less of her son in the process, it’s a #fail in her mind. She’d rather experience her family now and push her business forward later. Getting home fast, raising her son... and then LATER building her business big... that's the #win!

Sound strange to you? That she would give up a lifetime of financial freedom in exchange for a few years now? Well, that’s the point of understanding your WHY…. 

The WHY is different for each of us…

And it’s the WHY that governs our implementation strategy. 

(And, it’s the WHY which, I believe, is THE mark of the Kingdom of God on us- see “Why your WHY is charged” at https://www.overflowfaith.com/blog/charged.)

Same thing in a different way for a different reason

The reality is that this gal is doing the same thing others are doing- growing a successful business. However, her DRIVE for doing so is different. That “why” effects the next best steps she takes, creating a unique process for each of us.

Leads me to two completely obvious points- so obvious that they’re often overlooked: 

First, we can do the same thing in different ways (read: same “WHAT” with a different “HOW”).

Nordstrom and Amazon have almost identical mission statements (both related to providing stellar customer service). Once makes you happy to give them some of your hard-earned cash via “big box” stores; the other keeps your credit card on file and entices you with one-click shopping, two-day shipping, and hassle-free returns. 

Their implementation strategies are radically different. Grasp that: they do the same thing in two entirely different ways.

In other words, we might parent differently, work our business differently, express our faith differently... lose weight, maintain our health, explore a hobby... all in unique ways. There's grace for that. And we should celebrate those differences, realizing that our differences actually become points of contact where we can sharpen and enhance each other!

Second, we can do the same thing for different reasons (read: same “WHAT” and perhaps even same “HOW” but different “WHY”).

Thank back to the mom in the example above. Two people may choose to work a business for radically different reasons. Their reasons for working (their “why”) will determine specific action steps they take (their “how”). 

• One biz builder works to pursue a lifetime of financial freedom…
• Another works to quit the 9-5 job and work from home…
• Others work just to earn enough “fun money” to go on a nice vacation once a year… 

Their implementation strategy, then, MUST look completely different. 

This is connected to that is connected to that is connected to… 

Here’s another factor to consider, too:  your dreamS- plural emphasized- (your “whatS”) and the reasons for those dreams (your “whyS”) are not disconnected from each other.  

That is, your parenting isn’t disconnected from…

…. your business isn’t disconnected from…

… your family life isn’t disconnected from…

… your health isn’t disconnected from…

… your spiritual vitality isn’t disconnected from…

… your financial position isn’t disconnected from…

… your relationships isn’t disconnected from…

Well, you get the point. And you know that when you see a disconnect, you need to reevaluate. Then it’s time to pull back, look at the wall against which you’ve learned your ladder, and see if this is really where you want to climb.

Here’s the way it works, again…