“ You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own and
you know what you know and YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go.”–Dr. Seuss
“Leadership is the problem,” Bedros Keuilian wrote in ManUp, “and Leadership is the solution.” On pages 53-54 he chronicles how I helped him, but more important, how I helped myself. As he also mentions, I once told Bedros I had three strikes against me:
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- The Green eyes of jealousy
- A Black heart of selfishness
- And a Yellow belly of cowardice
It was through the process of self-mastery that I escaped these hells. Along the way I helped men like Bedros, Joel Marion, Frank Den Blanken, and so many others become high performers too.
So here’s how to develop personal mastery and what Bedros calls the first pillar of Leadership, which is Leadership of Self.
1. Structure, Routine, Discipline
As Bedros says in ManUp:
“Here’s the truth… Your morning routine is everything. It’s the anchor of your day. It tees you up for success. My morning ritual gives me plenty of uninterrupted time to work on my list of big ideas. Craig helped me do this in person… Take it from someone whose life has been changed by organizing his mornings, the payoff is huge.”
He and I also agree that you must…
a) Practice new habits 7-Days a Week for 8 weeks!
b) Follow a Diet Uniform … Bedros and I eat the same thing nearly every day… for maximum energy and optimal body composition … and even sleep!
c) Environment – Destroy Distractions and Toss Temptations (see my secrets in QnA below)
d) Plan & Prepare better than ever before!
2. Communication
Leadership is your problem. Leadership is your solution.
On Mondays I have 6 hours of leadership meetings so that my team can perform at the highest level … and so that the rest of my week can be spent doing my “Oprah Work”.
If you don’t communicate well, things will fall apart. But if you communicate well, you can build an Empire thanks to other people.
3. Time-Blocking
Use Singularity Blocks for maximizing performance (i.e. write copy for 3 hours 2 days per week, rather than 30 minutes 5 days a week)
4. Space to Think
Get out and hike… get away from your computer…
Research shows you think better and reflect better when you are away from your desk.
(This is why you have brilliant ideas in the shower!)
5. Presence
One of the most rewarding things I’ve helped Bedros achieve is not the two 8-figure businesses, nor the discipline so that he no longer binge eats at night, but the ability for him to do all of these things and still be home before dinner to play Ping-Pong with Andrew his son, and then to spend quality time with Chloe and his wife after dinner.
As the late great Jim Rohn said, “Wherever you are, be there!”
Personal Mastery begins with identifying what you want to achieve, then building the blueprint to get it, and finally making sure you have the Accountability to someone you deeply do not want to disappoint, and then you can move mountains in your life.
Talk soon,
Craig Ballantyne