There’s only one good reason to be more productive, to have free more time, to make more money.
Just one.
Saving time, getting more done, increasing your earning power, advancing your career—these are all just the means to an end.
And what is that end?
It’s to narrow the gap between the life you have right now and the life you want to live.
But this begs a vital question:
Do you know what you really want?
Let’s find out right now.
Two Questions
You’ve probably heard someone ask, “What would you do if you knew with absolute conviction that you could not fail?”
That’s a beautiful and important question, but I think I have a better one:
What would you do anyway, even if you knew with absolute conviction it was going to fail?
Your answer to this question says a lot about your values, doing the right thing even if it doesn’t work, and it even reveals your passion, the activities that have their own intrinsic value to you.
Once you have an answer, you can refine it with the Seven Gates exercise that I taught you a while back.
The biggest part of knowing what you want is knowing why you want it.
The bonus of knowing what you want
Now here’s the practical tip.
Once you are clear and explicit about what you want…
And I mean your deepest motivation for getting out of bed in the morning, your very reason for being alive on this planet here and now…
You can use this in startling ways.
Now I’m going to put on my copywriting hat and share one of my biggest secrets.
First and foremost, your marketing has to show a potential client or customer what’s in it for them. What’s the offer, what do they get, and why is it better for them to get it from you than from anybody else in the universe?
That’s copywriting 101.
But once you’ve made all that perfectly clear, you can leak a little bit about your story, your purpose.
It could be as simple as sprinkling in a comment such as, “Of course I’m trying to make a few bucks just like everybody, but the real reason I’m doing this is…”
Now you’re suddenly becoming more human, more relatable. Most people probably won’t have the exact same values or convictions as you, but they can still be impressed and inspired by yours.
You’re letting the leader and the hero in you emerge, and when people get a glimpse of who you really are, they will be moved by it.
It’s a fun paradox.
On the one hand, more than 99% of your DNA is the same as everyone else, and there are common human experiences that we all go through in one form or another.
But on the other hand, there is nobody else like you in the entire world, there never has been, and there never will be again. You have your own unique story, your own set of drives, and this is your Audacious Advantage.
When you’re working from a place of passion and vision, all that extra energy and focus you gain for yourself is going to extend beyond you and start feeding other people.
Now here’s the catch.
The uncomfortable truth
Most of us are not explicit and specific about what we really want.
More likely, you know what you want, but you’re acting as if you don’t.
There’s some powerful neuroscience behind this. Our brains our wired to look for problems and threats.
The default is to squander our time on things that are immediate and tangible. Checking your email. Paying a bill. Fixing a broken door.
Things like writing for an hour, running a few miles, calling potential clients or reaching out to someone for a joint venture will bring you closer to achieving your important goals. But these things usually aren’t immediate and they’re not always tangible.
Also, the tasks that will move you closer to what you really want are often the most uncomfortable.
They tend to involve sharing your art and ideas, having honest conversations, and asking people to invest their time and resources in your ideas.
All of these actions set you up for potential rejection.
It’s much easier just to pay a bill or check your email.
But you’re robbing yourself and the world when you turn your back on your Audacious Advantage, your unique gifts, and the adventure that will activate them.
