Tactical Execution

Last night, at my Lamorinda Toastmasters club, one of the Table Topics questions was, “if you could live in any time in history, what time would you pick?”  My answer to that question is TODAY.  I can’t think of a single period in history that I’d rather live in than today and social media tools are a major reason why.  Actually, social bookmarking is a more specific culprit.

As you probably know, social bookmarking platforms aggregate the bookmarking activity of all their members, allowing users to search for tags and find the most popular websites bookmarked under those subjects.  That sounds a lot like a search engine, doesn’t it?  Well, there’s one big difference.  Search engines deliver search results according to a sophisticated algorithym developed by Google, Yahoo, MSN or whoever.  Social bookmarking platforms deliver results based on the preferences of the peer group.

This is a monumental distinction.  Social bookmarking is the ultimate democracy.  Never before have we had such real-time visibility of our own peer group.  And although some people believe it only fuels the Britney Spears generation, the opposite is true.  You can search for the tag “Mozart” or “fly fishing” and find the top rates sites according to other people who are also interested in those subjects.  But there’s an even bigger implication than that.  Social bookmarking and the internet in general have put the focus back where it belongs: content.

Back in the good old days, people looked at the SOURCE first and the CONTENT second.  Today, the reverse is true.  Today, they look at the CONTENT first and the SOURCE second.  Do you know what that means?  Do you see the implications?  I am willing to bet this one simple change will, over time, create a wholesale shift in our culture.  I believe this one change creates more opportunities for early-stage entrepreneurs than any other shift of the past century.

What’s that change?  Well, it means that people with good quality content can get noticed, even if they doesn’t have fancy titles or extensive experience or some heroic feat under their belt.  Even someone brand new in a particular field can rise to the very top if their content is good enough.  The titles don’t matter anymore.  The experience isn’t so important.  The heroic feat that justifies our status as an “expert” has become largely irrelevant.  If your content is good, your content is good.  Period.  You’re an expert.

The moral of the story is this: figure out what you’re an expert in and then demonstrate that expertise.  Whether you realize it or not, you’re already an expert.  You know more about something than most other people.  If you haven’t already done so, figure out what that something is.  Figure it out.  And then start building your knowledge and demonstrating your expertise on the internet.  If your content is good, it will rise to the top and get recognized accordingly.

Social media tools like social bookmarking are making it easier and easier to sift through the endless piles of content to find exactly what you’re looking for.  Although more content is being produced today than ever before, it’s becoming easier to find the good stuff.  The cream rises to the top.  That’s an opportunity; for me, for you, for everyone.  The real question is, “who will take advantage of it?”  Personally, I intend to.  That’s what I’m doing right here.  And I suggest you do the same.

Whether it’s blogging, micro-blogging, podcasting, social networking or posting videos, the time has come for you to show your stuff.  Speak your truth and show the world where your passion lies.  And then let your peer group spread the word.  It’s an exciting time.  Don’t let the opportunity pass you by!

Regardless how you answer this question, you’re right.  If you think you’re capable of success, you are.  If you think you’re not capable of success, you’re not.  Success doesn’t grace those who aren’t ready to accept it.  The world gives you exactly what you can handle and no more.  If you can’t handle success, it won’t find you.

I had a great conversation today with a friend of mine: Jeffrey Howard.  He’s a Law of Attraction expert who is now combining the metaphysical realities behind the Law of Attraction with the tactical strategies of Social Media Marketing.  He and I are planning to partner up for an initial audio recording discussing the various aspects of those two specialties.  He’s an expert in the Law of Attraction and I’m an expert on Social Media Marketing.

Jeff’s had a very successful year so far and has co-hosted a number of large events, both online and in person.  In preparation of our conversation, he spent some time on my website and commented that he had no idea how much content actually resides right here on Tactical Execution.  It’s true.  As of this writing, this website has over 270 pages of educational content and I wrote every single word.  Turns out, I have a lot more content on my website than Jeff has on his, yet he has had a more successful year than me.

We talked about it for a while and I explained my side of the story.  He’s right.  I have a ton of content and substantial expertise.  But the process I’m going through is intended to benefit ME more than my audience.  I mean; of course it benefits my audience but the primary target is myself and my self-image.

When I started in the Internet Marketing field, I wanted to build an indisputable foundation, establishing my credibility and building my own confidence within the field.  I had a plan.  Right from the start, I had a number of things I needed to do.  First, I had to build my expertise; a process that will never actually end.  Next, I had to build an authoritative website.  After that, I needed product to sell.  And finally, I needed a published book.

During the past year, I have done precisely that.  I have learned a ton, and continue to learn more every single day.  My website is huge and I’m thrilled with how its developing.  I have recorded a total of 11 CD products and have them all available for sale in the Store tab.  Eight of them are also available on Amazon.  And finally, I’m working through the last round of editing for my first full length 240-page book entitled “Make Yourself Useful; Marketing in the 21st Century”.

The point is that I’m almost there.  I’m approaching the finish line.  And the foundation I have built has solidified my belief that I deserve to be here, and that I can truly help people.  All that work was primarily designed to adjust my own self-image.  There’s a mental cycle that some call the process of manifestation.  It goes like this:

Beliefs > Decisions > Actions > Results > Beliefs

And around it goes.  This cycle explains how our belief systems serve to save us or destroy us.  Why?  Because it’s your beliefs that determine what decisions you make and your decisions lead to your actions.  Your actions determine your results and your results come back and feed into your beliefs again.

The interesting thing is that you can start working on any quadrant you like.  Jeff works with people to adjust their beliefs using visualization techniques.  Other experts including Anthony Robbins start by encouraging people to make a decision; a decision that could change their life forever.  There are even some who pretend the results have already happened, hoping their belief systems change before their money runs out.  For me, I have always started in the action corner.  By taking enough action, I eventually get the results I want and that filters through the cycle to drive me forward.

Everything I have ever achieved has been a function of brute force.  I’ve muscled my way into everything I’ve ever done.  Straight-up horsepower.  My strategy?  I overwhelm my opponent, to the point where my success is finally secure.  But I also know my biggest enemy is myself.  I know my life doesn’t have to be as hard as I make it.  I know I could work on my “inner game” and get better results with less effort.  And I’m committed to investing some serious effort to the cause … just as soon as I finish my to-do list!

I’m working with Jeff for a reason.  He has expertise I need.  He can help me in the areas where I struggle.  Meanwhile, I have expertise he needs also.  I’m really good with the tactical stuff; hence, the name of my company.  I can put his metaphysical techniques into action.  The timing is perfect and I’m really excited about it.  He’s coming over next Tuesday and we’ll be recording an initial conversation.  It’ll be great!

Bottom line; we all have to do what’s necessary to prepare ourselves for success.  Regardless which quadrant you start in, you need to work through that cycle again and again until your subconscious mind is ready for the success your conscious mind desires.  For me, I had to build an enormous foundation of expertise and educational content.  By doing so, I’m convincing my subconscious mind of exactly what my conscious mind has known all along – that I’m ready for success.

Take some time to think about that cycle.  Beliefs.  Decisions.  Actions.  Results.  Which quadrant works best for you?  Which will give you the means to improve your “inner game”?  Once you figure that out, start working on the process.  Start working through that cycle, with tiny baby steps at first.  Don’t do anything too difficult.  It’s important you establish a pattern of success.  Make your goals easy at first.  Get some successes under your belt.  And then, as your confidence grows, start raising the bar and taking bigger steps.

I know how hard this can be.  Believe me; I’ve failed at more things than anyone I know.  Out of every 10 things I try, eight or nine deliver disappointing results.  But I always find one or two that show promise and then I focus on those.  The way I’m going, I’ll fail my way to success!  Because everytime I take a hit, I get right back up again and try something different.  Don’t give up.  Go out there and build the success you deserve.  And once you get there, hold your head high and know you fought the good fight.  You deserve every penny you have.

This article was featured on the Law of Attraction Notebook Carnival.

I have a neighbor who always thinks people are cheating him or being unfair to him; that he is somehow a victim.  Is it true?  Let’s take a closer look.  First, is it true that most of the neighbors dislike him?  Yes, that’s true.  But why?  The answer is simple.  People don’t like him because he’s unreasonable and chooses to live his life differently than everybody else.  He also has a conniving way about him and is always sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong.

Bottom line; he sees himself as the victim of the exact same behavior he exhibits himself.  He is unkind and unfair to others and the world responds by showering him with the same sentiments.  The world is a direct reflection of his own character.

When I still lived up in Vancouver Canada, I lived on 12th Avenue and Oak Street, relatively close to downtown.  I would take the bus to work each morning and got to know the bus driver for the 7:45 pick-up.  He was a super nice guy.  He was always happy and cheerful, and on the rare occassions when I didn’t have the exact change for the bus fair, he always let me on and I paid the difference on the following day.

One day, I got on the bus as usual and stood near the front.  Because I lived near downtown, the bus was always full by the time it reached my stop so I almost always had to stand near the front.  Anyway, two stops after mine, a guy got on the bus and was immediately rude to the bus driver.  He was mean.  And the bus driver was mean back.  There was no big scene.  It was a simple exchange.  But it struck me that this bus driver who had always been so kind to me could just as easily be mean to someone else.

I remember that day well because it taught me an important lesson.  The world is a reflection of yourself.  If you are a kind person, you probably live in a world full of kind people.  If you are a mean person, you probably live in a horrible world full of mean cruel people.  If you try to cheat the system, you probably think the system is cheating you.  And if you always play by the rules, you probably see justice in them.

I was listening to a radio program once that was all about relationships and why some of them always fail.  The “expert” who was being interviewed said that most people who are paranoid about their partners cheating are actually cheating themselves, or at least yearning to.  Their minds are full of their own thoughts and it’s only natural to project those same thoughts onto others.  After all, if YOU think about those things, everyone else must be thinking the same thing.

The reality is quite different.  Your mind is unique to you.  We all have different views of the world and we each create stories in our minds that justify the existence we live.  We all have to look at ourselves in the mirror each morning and we all find ways to be content with the person we have become.  And if that requires that we blame the world for our hardships, so be it.  If it requires that we see others as cruel, that’s just fine – as long as it’s not OUR fault.

I believe my neighbor lives a very unhappy existence in a very nasty world; a world completely different than my own.  My world is full of nice people.  I’m always amazed at how kind people can be and I have never had a hard time finding a helping hand or a shoulder to lean on.  But that is not true for my neighbor.

He even knocks on my door from time to time, looking for a favor.  It actually amazes me that he is comfortable doing this.  I mean; we’re not friends.  Yet, he has no problem asking me to borrow my printer or water his flowers while he’s away on vacation.  And what do I do?  I try to avoid it.  I don’t want to do those things for him.  He annoys me.  Why should I go out of my way to help him?  Look at me!  I’m playing right into the theory.  I’m usually a nice person.  Really.  But to him, I’m mean.

I spoke with another neighbor just this morning and she wants to lodge a formal complaint against the guy.  I disagree.  He’s already paying a heavy price for the way he lives his life.  He lives his punishment every single day.  Any complaint we lodge against him will only fuel his victim complex and make it worse.  I actually feel quite sorry for him.  I would hate to live his life.

If you’re reading this post, you’re probably alone in front of your computer.  Take a few moments and think about your world.  Is it full of nice people?  Or is it full of mean people?  The only thing you have control over is yourself.  Could you make a conscious effort to be nicer?  I promise the effort won’t hurt.  It can only benefit you and I encourage everyone to be willing to take a look in the mirror to see if their hardships are, in fact, of their own making.

This article was featured in The Fourteenth Edition of the Carnival of Improving Life