HEY Moguls, Doug Van Buskirk here…
Stephen Covey, in his book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, runs through an exercise where you write your own eulogy from the perspective of friends, family and colleagues.
It’s a powerful process because it forces you to think about the “long-game.” In the big picture, what do you want your impact to be on the world?
In other words, what will you be known for?
Now, you can take this in two different directions:
-
First, what will your business be known for?
-
And second, what will you be known for as a person?
But I want you to consider that what you’re known for as a person and what you’re known for in business probably ought to be connected.
After all, your business is a crystal-clear reflection of YOU. Bold and innovative businesses are rarely led by timid owners. It’s tough to find a philanthropic business that’s run by a miser.
You spend 40-50 hours a week working on your business... doesn’t it make sense that that time would be contributing to your ultimate vision for your life?
This was a huge breakthrough for me. Finally, I realized that each of our lives is an interconnected network of people, places, activities and pursuits.
My goal for you with this lesson is for you to find those connections.
Reach Out and Connect... Everything
The “silo” approach to life just doesn’t work.
If we see the different areas of our life as completely separate entities, we’ll never feel that sense of satisfaction and fulfillment because one entity will always be taking you away from another.
For example, let’s say you feel compelled to give back to your community. If you’re working a lot and focused on spending a lot of time with your family, there might not be any time left for giving back. This would probably cause some internal tension, if giving back is really important to you.
But what if you incorporated some type of cause into your business? What if that cause was something near and dear to your family’s heart, so that they would want to be involved as well?
Connecting your company to a cause would likely be great for business. You’d build genuine relationships in the community and separate your business from every other “me too” organization out there. Not to mention the fact that you’d be contributing to something larger than yourself. Plus, by incorporating your family into the fold, you’d lead by example and teach your kids the importance of giving back.
In one fell swoop, you’d position yourself uniquely, establish relationships that can lead to sales, set a positive example for your kids and spend quality time with your family.
This brand of “crushing it” just isn’t available when you silo and compartmentalize your life.
You Can Crush It
I’m not writing a detailed blueprint for you, but rather giving you some kindling to spark your own unique ideas.
If you’re looking for ideas and direction to create an impactful business, I highly recommend Yanik Silver’s new book Evolved Enterprise.
Once you create this type of interconnectivity, you reap benefits that most businesses lack: clarity, focus, direction and authenticity.
You no longer feel like you’re getting pulled at both ends, because you’ve designed the pieces of your life to all flow together in the same direction, for the same purpose. It’s like a collection of streams that all lead to the same river, which flows into the ocean.
So, going back to the eulogy exercise I mentioned at the beginning of the lesson, it’s important to think about the long-game and what you want your impact to be...
Me, personally, I used to mistakenly think my core purpose was profit and “success.” But when I wrote my eulogy, I was surprised to see it made no mention of either. Instead, I wanted to be remembered as giving, selfless, caring, reliable, steady and inspiring.
That helped me rearrange my priorities so that I focused all my energy toward the things I realized were more eternally important.
Have Some Impact
Profit-centered thinking is inherently compartmentalized. It only applies to your business life. You can’t really apply profit-thinking to your family life. To try is to create a disconnect, as that brand of thinking often comes at the expense of our family life.
However, you can apply “giving-thinking” to just about everything. It’s the ultimate connector. Reorienting our focus to giving/contribution breaks down the silos and unifies our lives.
Can you think of any area of your life that wouldn’t be positively impacted by a genuine focus on contribution? Can you think of any relationship that would be worse off because you decided to be selfless and caring?
And if you’re happier and your relationships are better, doesn’t it stand to reason that your business will rise along with the tide? Once again, it’s all connected.
What’s Your Biz Like?
Are you stuck in the silo frame of mind? Maybe you got out… What impact have you made? Tell us about it below.
Take 10-15 minutes a day for the next week to journal about the impact you’d like to make on the world. Let loose. No one’s going to read it but you.
Read back through your journals at the end of the week and start to find common threads. What ideas keep popping up over and over?
Brainstorm ways that you can join the different areas of your life (family, business, personal, social, spiritual) using your ideas for impact.
Take the first step – find a way to contribute; it doesn’t matter how big or small. Just take the first step, and you’ll be on your way.
Doug Van Buskirk
has always been fascinated with patterns in how people behave. He's used that passion to put a spotlight on the intersection of real estate and psychology, applying that science to networking, negotiation, and marketing. Doug's been investing for a little over 2 years, specializing in single-family wholesaling and mobile homes. In that time, he's also built an online marketing company and real estate coaching program. Doug first achieved his financial freedom at age 25, going from never having done a deal to replacing his 9-5 income with cash flow from income properties in just under 6 months. He lives in Charleston, SC with his fiancé Jen and Lhasa Apso dog, Amber.