016 – Golden Nugget Friday – Every day is a school day – with Shelley Rogers

Welcome to Golden nugget Friday episode. Today’s episode was inspired by my last guest Ivanka Menken as well as, Dr Karl Kruszelnikcki.  In this episode we will discuss the importance for Entrepreneurs to invest in themselves.  I will share my experience on top 5 most important areas entrepreneurs need to focus on to be successful.

Dr Karl how should I describe him.  He is a thin, grey hair gentleman with more energy than you and I put together.  He talks really fast and he is colourful, YES not only the clothes he wears but the amazing depth of facts & stats he is knowledgeable about.  Karl has written (so far) 36 books, beginning with ‘Great Moments in Science’ in 1984. He popularises science on ABC radio stations across Australia and, on the BBC, for several hours each week, as guests call in with any question and 99.9% of the time he has the answer.  Now I’m talking there are some really challenging questions that you and I would say WTF? He has covered topics such as Dark Matter, Genetic, Biology, DNA, Biodiversity to Environmental challenges such as Climate change, and even about Bitcoin virtual money system.  He is seriously a walking book of knowledge!

Dr. Karl inspired our group of Entrepreneurs about being proactive and leading the pack not being reactive and unprepared.  And so did my Guest from last week.

Ivanka Menken. In case you missed Ivanka’s episode I strongly suggest you go back to listen to 015.   Ivanka is such an inspiring woman not only was she was named as one of the top 50 most influential women entrepreneurs in Australia as part of the Inspiring Rare Birds project but she has written over 80 books.  I loved her motto when she said that every day is a school day and you don’t have to be in school to learn.

Books Recommended:
 

Favourite Takeaway:

Ferriss argues, “…you are the average of the five people you associate with most, so do not underestimate the effects of your pessimistic, unambitious, or disorganized friends. If someone isn’t making you stronger, they’re making you weaker.” Tough to hear? Yes, but consider the truth to this. If you want to become a better runner, you run with a group that pushes you to go further faster, right? If you want to become the most buoyant, determined, and ordered version of yourself, surround yourself with great examples.

Golden Nugget Reflection:

1. INCREASING KNOWLEDGE

According to Warren Buffet, “the most important investment you can ever make is an investment in yourself!”  He ready 5 to 6 hours per day!  If you’re not learning you’re not growing and developing new skills is critical to the survival of any business.  What great is learning can be done in so many different ways.  You can learn by reading or listening to books, watching documentaries and listening to podcasts. Perhaps going back to school or online courses. I have also been a big advocate of being mentored and mentoring others as it provides insights from their experience which helps minimize you making the same mistake. There are many other ways to in fact hundreds of self-help educations options and we have conveniently saved a link on our show notes page under free resources with a list of hundreds of options.  I will provide the link at the end of this episode.  But lastly my experience shares on the top most important investment I did to help me become a better Entrepreneur was….   I joined a peer to peer network called the Entrepreneurs organization (EO).  You may already be familiar with it as I had several guests on the show who have made reference to how helpful it has been form them.  But for those of you that are hearing about EO for the first time.  EO was founded in 1986 to help leading business owners on their path to greater professional success and personal fulfilment. EO is a global community that enriches members’ lives through dynamic peer-to-peer learning, once-in-a-lifetime experiences and connections to experts.

EO is the world’s most influential community of entrepreneurs, supporting today’s business owners in all aspects of their entrepreneurial journey.

A few facts about EO:

• Total sales of all members worldwide: More than US$536 billion
• 11,000 members worldwide: More than 11000
• Total number of workers that members employ worldwide: 2.4 million
• Total number of chapters worldwide: 150
• Last count EO was in 48 countries and growing all the time.

I think a quote from member EO Member Andrea Culligan sums it up nicely.

“EO has given me a place of belonging and understanding, where the underlying assumption is confidence, trust and non-judgment. I’ve found these to be the global EO values.”

2. BE THE BEST VERSION OF YOU

Do not put boundaries or road blocks up, do not limit your dreams and aspirations because of self-limiting beliefs.  It’s called “personal growth” at some point, you want to be better than you are right now.  The moment you become complacent and believe that you’ve reached your limit, you’ve lost.  Successful entrepreneurs dream bid and don’t believe in limits.

3. SET SMART GOALS FOR BOTH YOU & YOUR COMPANY

As Vern Harnish promotes in his book the Rockefeller habits set your BHAG (Big Harry Audacious Goals.  This is your 10 – 25 year goals that align with your company’s purpose.  From my experience it is also important to set short term goals, I refer to them as SMARTA goals.   Specific, Measurable, Attainable Relevant, Time frames on them and lastly Who’s Accountable to deliver the goals? You or a member of your team. Successful entrepreneurs set goals.

4. EMBRACE FAILURE

I’m sure you have heard the saying, fail fast & learn from it.  On the road to success, there are no short cuts and it starts with getting comfortable with failures. I have said in the past it’s not how hard your fall but more importantly how quickly you get up! Always remember if you don’t try you won’t succeed!  Successful entrepreneurs embrace failure endure hardship and have persistence to succeed!

5. PHYSICAL HEALTH

Successful Entrepreneurs need to eat healthy, exercise regularly and set goals aimed at improved lifestyle. This will not only help you look and feel better, but will also help you deal with stress better, which has become an inevitable part of today’s entrepreneurial lifestyle.  I need to stress how important rest, a balanced life style & taking well deserved vacations to shut off for a short period of time.  Set aside time to reflect on your passions and ambitions and consider exploring new hobbies or interests. Successful entrepreneurs incorporate time in their schedules for exercise or meditation.

As you walk your journey of being the very best version of YOU, remember you can’t rush personal growth. There are no shortcuts so be patient!  Take care of your physical health, set goals but don’t be afraid to fail. Be a sponge and learn something new every day.  Lastly connect with a mentor or join a peer to peer network like the EO I spoke about earlier.  If you are interested in learning more about EO I would be happy to share my experiences and provide details or answer any questions you may have.  You can message me on facebook at inspiring-greatness podcast or email me directly at Shelley@maxumcorp.com.au.

FREE Resources:

• Hundreds of self-help education options
• Kelly McGonigal in her TED Talk: “How to make stress your friend.”  It’s only 14 minutes and 28 seconds!
• Entrepreneurs organization: Info-kit

Quote:

“A person's success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have.”
- Tim Ferriss

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