Daily Content Machine

I believe in the saying, "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

If I want to do great things (and I do), I need a team.

I didn't always believe this. I used to have "superhero" syndrome and wanted to do everything myself. That wasn't a good place to be. I learned that lesson, overcame my ego, and hired a team.

But in doing so, I made a lot of mistakes in what has been a decade-long correction process.

I went from no team to a team of 8 full-time people in little time. Every mistake I made was as a result of following [the right advice at the wrong time].

"Delegate! Hire people to do the things you're not good at. Hire people to do the things you don't like to do."

I did that. I followed all of the advice. Only, I missed the biggest part that no one ever spoke about, and it became my downfall.

Here's the problem: the advice about building a team comes from people who have built a team and forgotten what it's like to not have a team. As a result, all of the advice becomes about the how instead of about the when—which is actually the single MOST important part of the equation for the solo entrepreneur. It's just that the people giving advice about teams are so far removed from having no team, they've forgotten what it's like and thus can't give the right contextual advice.

That's what we cover in today's episode.

There are two kinds of knowledge:

1. General Knowledge

2. Specialized Knowledge

> General knowledge, no matter how great in quantity or variety it may be, is of but little use in the accumulation of money.

Many people believe "knowledge is power". But that is not the case. Knowledge is only potential power.

> It becomes power only when, and if, it is organized into definite plans of action, and directed to a definite end.

> This "missing link" in all systems of education known to civilization today, may be found in the failure of educational institutions to teach their students HOW TO ORGANIZE AND USE KNOWLEDGE AFTER THEY ACQUIRE IT.

Ford was criticized for not knowing the answer to a particular question. He shot back, "Why should I clutter up my mind with general knowledge for the purpose of being able to answer questions, when I have men around me who can supply any knowledge I require?"

Ford had his own personal "Google" before Google existed.

> Any man is educated who knows where to get knowledge when he needs it and to organize that knowledge into a plan.

Knowledge alone is not enough.

The author says the universal weakness is that of lack of ambition.

How do you find your purpose? Is that something you should even worry about? Do you find it, or does it find you?

You're probably in one of two places:

You may be eagerly searching for your purpose. You want to find meaning and something that will pull you out of bed in the morning.

Or...

You may be completely overwhelmed at the thought of finding your purpose right now. You feel like you can barely function as a human and take care of basic things.

The very idea of finding your purpose may fill you with existential dread.

To set the stage, we'll begin the show with a discussion around Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs:

1. Physiological

2. Safety

3. Love and Belonging

4. Esteem

5. Self-Actualization

You may have seen these five stages arranged in the shape of a pyramid with Self-Actualization being the fifth and final stage at the top of the pyramid.

Finding your purpose falls squarely within Self-Actualization. If you aren't getting your basic, physiological needs taken care of, it's impossible to adequately address the deeper needs like finding your purpose.

If this is you, give yourself a break and allow yourself to set aside the notion of finding your purpose for the time being. Take care of your basic needs first.

We'll talk more about this in the show.

Once the first four stages of needs are met, you're ready to tackle the fifth stage of Self-Actualization and finding your purpose. There are a number of things you can do to help you get closer to discovering your purpose and what will give you meaning.

We'll talk more about these in the show as well.

Auto-suggestion is the medium for influencing the subconscious mind. It is self suggestion. It is how to change your mindset.

When you influence the mind by auto-suggestion, you influence your thoughts. Unhappy with the thoughts you think? Change your mindset with auto-suggestion. Follow the instructions in this chapter.

The book tells you, "You cannot get something for nothing. You must pay the price.", but still there are those who pay no attention to the instructions.

Skeptical people think they're clever when they say, “I read these magic words aloud... am I rich now? Huh??”

They would do well to actually read the book!

> If you choose to follow some of the instructions but neglect, or refuse to follow others--you will fail! To get satisfactory results, you must follow ALL instructions in a spirit of FAITH.

Most people who read this book fail because they refuse to follow all of the instructions. We dare you to actually follow the instructions instead of picking and choosing selectively which of the instructions you will follow.

Write a list copying every instruction in this book. Put a check mark next to the items you have completed. Put an X next to the items you have chosen to ignore. Until you have nothing but check marks, do not complain.

You would never follow every other step of a brownie recipe and expect tasty results. Why then do you treat a book in the same manner and then claim it does not work?

A copy of the "Definite Chief Aim" script from the book is provided in the episode shownotes at seanwes.com/411.

"Hustle" had its heyday for a few years. Put your head down and work hard, people said. It's well-meaning advice: you won't find someone successful who didn't work hard. Period. Full stop.

But something else is happening in culture right now: we're seeing a rise in burnout. At the very least, we're seeing an increase in people's willingness to talk about burnout and what seems to be a greater focus on sustainability and balance. This is a good thing.

The simplest explanation would be to believe that "hustle" is the cause of burnout. Therefore, "hustle" is the problem, and anyone who promotes it is the enemy.

You might have already guessed: the real story is much more complicated. To say you either "hustle" or you care about your health and your family is to create a false dichotomy.

As someone who for 10 years worked 18-hour days, 7 days a week, and who now takes off every seventh week as a sabbatical, I am uniquely qualified to address both sides of this topic.

Chapter 3 of Think and Grow Rich talks about faith and emotionalized belief. Repetition of thought alone is not enough. You must also mix in feelings:

> ALL THOUGHTS WHICH HAVE BEEN EMOTIONALIZED, (given feeling) AND MIXED WITH FAITH, begin immediately to translate themselves into their physical equivalent or counterpart.

What you think and what you believe matters:

> If you think you are beaten, you are,

> If you think you dare not, you don't

> If you like to win, but you think you can't,

> It is almost certain you won't.

> The man who wins is the man who thinks he can.

You create your own luck:

> …the subconscious mind will translate into its physical equivalent, a thought impulse of a negative or destructive nature, just as readily as it will act upon thought impulses of a positive or constructive nature. This accounts for the strange phenomenon which so many millions of people experience, referred to as 'misfortune,' or 'bad luck.

> There are millions of people who BELIEVE themselves 'doomed' to poverty and failure, because of some strange force over which they BELIEVE they have no control. They are the creators of their own 'misfortunes,' because of this negative BELIEF.

We recorded episode 405 recently (which was titled, [“I want to share myself with the world, but I also kind of want to live in a cave”]), and there were a lot of questions we didn't get a chance to answer.

We decided to break the into two episodes. Today's episode is a continuation of e405.

How did I go from 6-year-old Sean, who stood behind the door the entire class, to the Sean today who's on video and live streaming three times a week and recording himself on video? How does that happen?

We also talk about the fear of putting yourself out there. What will people say? What if you're wrong? What if they disagree? What if you get haters?

2020 is my sabbatical year. I take off every seventh year, and 2020 will be my first seventh year sabbatical since starting in 2014.

I'm taking the whole year off, and as per the only rule of sabbaticals, I have no definite plans. I have a lot of ideas of things I might do, but I'm not scheduling anything for the sabbatical.

Taking a year off is maybe the scariest thing this recovered workaholic has done. But in recent years, that fear has turned into excitement, and I'm really looking forward to the experience.

One of our Community members asked, "What is Ben going to do on your year off? I'm going to miss these weekly live shows."

It sounds like it may be Ben's first time really thinking about it. We talk about what might happen. Will we continue the show? Will Ben record without me? What's going to happen?

I know myself well enough to know that I will want to document my journey of taking a year off. However I decide to document the sabbatical year, you'll find any new blog posts, videos, or whatever I do over at https://sabbatical.blog.

"Every human being who reaches the age of understanding of the purpose of money, wishes for it."

Chapter 2 of Think and Grow Rich talks about desire. This chapter focuses on translating desire into reality.

The book get straight to the point on providing 6 methods for transmuting desire into its financial equivalent. They're endorsed by Thomas Edison, if you needed any social proof.

But this is where the book leaves behind people who are confused about money. There are those who think it is wrong to desire money. They've been taught to be poor and to detest the pursuit of money. They were taught that money is evil.

Money is only a multiplier of purpose. If you don't want money, you don't care about your purpose.

Money = impact = leverage = time = freedom.

Want more time with your family? You desire riches.

Want more freedom in how much you work—as well as where and when? You desire riches.

Want to make a difference in the lives of your family, community, and causes you care about? You desire riches.

Want more opportunity to pursue any project or experience in life—including doing things other than work? You desire riches.

This chapter boils down the process to three things:

1. Definiteness of purpose.

2. The knowledge of what one wants.

3. A burning desire to possess it.

Ahh, my fellow introvert. How I love thee.

I know you well. At age 6, I used to stand behind the classroom door to avoid having to interact with the other kids.

At age 30, I can't say my love of solitude has ever gone away. In fact, I enjoy my peace and quiet all the more.

But things have changed.

I stream three live shows each week. I record myself on video every day. I speak in front of crowds. I actually pay money and go out of my way to attend conferences with hundreds, and even thousands, of people.

Why, oh why, would I ever do such a thing?

This is what more than one of our listeners have wondered for themselves. Specifically, they say something like this:

"Sean, I have a message. I want to share myself with the world, but I also kind of want to live in a cave. What in the world do I do?"

I feel you. If there was ever anything I empathized with, it's the notion of wanting to stay out of the limelight while at the same time feeling a burning desire to share my message.

This episode is a fun ride.