This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is David Wood. David is the founder of Focus.CEO. He left a cushy Park Avenue job over 20 years ago to build the world’s largest coaching business. He has coached and mentored entrepreneurs worldwide on how to do what matters, get there faster, and be extraordinary. He has been ranked the #1 life coach on google and has built a following of hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs. He is also the author of Get Paid for What You Are.
Jack Canfield, author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series had this to say about David, “David walks his talk; I admire his willingness to put himself in the fire and do what it takes to make that next step.”
So, how has David done all of this? Simple, by learning what it means to truly focus and get to what truly matters and delivers results in life and business. And I’ve asked him to come on the show to share his best with you.
www.Focus.ceo
Get the checklist and training on how to double revenue: www.MyFocusGift.com
David began his career as a consulting actuary because he was good at math. He thought he had it made. He was from a country town in Australia and landed a job on Park Ave. in New York consulting with the largest companies in the world.
Then someone introduced him to personal growth and he was skeptical of it. His heart was cracked open after spending time with these people. He realized there was so much more. He didn’t want to work with people around numbers, but people around people. So, he devoted the next 20 years to learning from the best of the best and teaching others.
He now teaches people not only how to increase their income, but how to show up in all areas of their lives.
How can people get more in touch with themselves emotionally and with their vulnerability and use that to their advantage in life and business?
- Early in his life, David had a tragedy – his little sister was killed getting off the school bus. He shut down much of his emotions and developed his cerebral side.
- He got really good at thinking and finding solutions.
- There are at least fields that we need to get interested in.
- The first is the field of thinking and thought. Most of us are not aware of our thoughts. They just happen.
- Second, the body and understanding the signs from it, like the need to take a deep breath.
- Third is emotions. Understanding how we feel and why.
- You can do courses to practice in these areas.
- Most importantly is to slow down and check in in these areas to understand and then you can share them with others.
At the 12 min mark, David and I have a conversation on awareness. Many people are living on default and not aware to how to understand the 3 areas and use this understanding to help their lives and business.
Google “Authentic Relating” this it term that describes this field of study.
How does understanding this help you in life and business?
- It can help you in leading people
- It can help you in keeping key staff and growing them
- It can help you get clients.
- It will help keep customers.
- It will help you in your marriage and your relationships with your kids.
Explain focus as you see it and teach it?
- “The human mind is like a monkey on crack…”
- At the 20 min mark, David gives an example of how this happens.
- The problem as entrepreneurs is that we see all the options and opportunities around us and start to get scattered. We lose focus trying to accommodate all of this.
- Work out what you are going to choose to care about for 12 months and narrow it down for 12 months.
- Once you’ve chosen what to care about it, you then have to choose what not to care about.
- Write these things down.
- You have should have 12 months goals, 8-week goals, and then you need 7 days goals that you write down each week that are helping you get to the longer term goals.
Anything people can do daily to keep focus and/or remind them of keeping focus?
- You can double your productivity with a simple checklist.
- Make sure you have your 12-month goals and that you LOVE them.
- Make sure you have 8-week goals that you will celebrate because when reached they are getting you close to your 12-month goals.
- Book in your calendar for a weekly recurring 20-minute date with yourself. David calls this a CEO date. In this session, look back at what you did in the last 7 days and celebrate it. Then look at your 8-week goals and ask what you are going to choose to care about for the next 7 days. Write it down as that will be your 7-day goals.
- Have a penalty that you do not want to keep you honest to doing them.
- Daily, block off “sprints” in your calendar. These are focused time blocks with no interruptions. 2 hours blocks work well.
- Put your phone on silent and let everyone around you know to support you and give you the time.
Get Paid for Who You Are – tell us about it…
- The book is about what you care about and really love and how you make a living around it.
- Even if you have to start it as a hobby – you need to scratch the itch.
- If you track all your actions during the week, look at them and then ask, “Do I love doing it? Am I great at it?” If the answer is yes that is your genius zone.
- With everything else, you need to get it off your plate and get someone else to do it or eliminate it. The more you are in your genius zone, the better you will be.
Talk to us about leadership and tough conversations?
- Having a tough conversation is a leadership move.
- Don’t let things hang in the air that you know need worked through delt with.
- David gives multiple examples and it is best to just listen
- The clue that you have a tough conversation opportunity is that you are feeling a bit awkward or uncomfortable. How you approach it is different in each scenario.
5 steps to double revenue?
- Have your 12-week goals
- Have your 8-week goals
- Book your sprints and show up for them.
- Have a weekly CEO data for yourself to pick your targets for the next 7 days
- Set an alarm for the end of the day where you ask, “If I only got 2 things done tomorrow that would make the most difference, what would they be?” That will tell you where you need to start the next day.
Best Quote: The human mind is like a monkey on crack…
David's Misfit 3:
- Love your goals. Have goals that if achieved would make you do a happy dance.
- Have a “not to do” list. Have an agreement with yourself of what you won’t do.
- Welcome everything. Embrace things and then think and choose action from there.
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