The Duelling Forces that Destroy Your Business

10X Business Letter
April 18th, 2013
Orlando, Fl
Hot 91 Degrees
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Dear 10X Business Builder,

A little know fact about me is I lived on an Indian reservation in Montana until the first grade.  

Some of my earliest memories of my childhood are during this time.

The preschool that I went to was steeped in Native American traditions.

I can remember my mother putting my moccasins on my feet in preparation for the big pow wow at school.

Though, we dressed and played the part, I knew my brother and I really stood out — we were different. We had different skin, clothes, habits and even the way we talked.

Even at that very early age all I wanted to do was fit in.

It's like this for most of us.  When we are young we want to do everything we can be fit in — to be accepted.

Because at that age, to be different usually meant teasing, bullying and many times fighting.

We learned this lesson quickly and we ingrained it deeply.

In fact, it's one of our biological drivers to be an accepted member of a group.

During the caveman days, being accepted into a group meant a higher probability of surviving. If you didn't belong to a group, then you were forced to hunt and gather on your own and you were more likely to be killed by prey.

So it's not just an imprinting thing.  It's also a biological thing.

Yet, it's this desire to "fit in" that drives many businesses to mediocrity.

In business it's just the opposite, if you don't stand out, you live a life of meager existence or you die.  And if you do a great job of being absolutely and completely unique, you greatly increase your chance of survival.

In business, you are in competition with everyone else who says they do what you do.

And the ones who get the majority of the business (top 3%), are the ones who do the best job standing out from the crowd.  

It's easy to understand, but for most, they still have this unconscious pattern that standing out = pain.

It's like two dueling forces that each are pulling on different ends of a rope for survival.

In order to be a market leader, it requires you to be a leader and by definition leaders go first.

But it is scary to go first.  

Often times, it means you are alone.  It means that your peers (and family) may not support you.

It's not comfortable to do something that nobody else is not doing because it exposes you to judgment and ridicule.

There's no certainty. 

And unless you are aware of this and take action in spite of that fear — you will avoid that pain at all costs.

That's why:

… we don't like selling…
… we don't like self-promotion
… we don't lie to do outrageous things
… we don't like to speak in front of other people

To overcome these patterns, you need to A become aware of these dueling forces and B develop a new belief that in order to become the market leader, you will take action in spite of the possibility of being judged.

So what's one of fastest ways to stand out from the crowd?

It's quite simple, be the minority willing to do, what the majority won't do.click here

Jeff Paro
Editor
10X Business Letter