We work in a world where you can buy anything. Anytime. Anywhere. So receiving things and providing things has literally become a game, played most diversely and extensively by the digital marketing world.
Think about it. If you want to buy ice trays for your freezer, you might go to Amazon. If you want to buy a lamp, you might go to Overstock. If you want to buy, well, anything, you most definitely go to Google.
All the things that we could possibly want are available to us at any time. At least in most first world countries.
What does this have to do with setting yourself up for a million dollar day?
Everything.
Only two things are going to make you stand apart from the noise of such an instant gratification driven culture.
And those two things are: YOU and the WAY you do what you do.
In the movie Across the Universe there is a moment and a quote that has been coming to mind a lot lately:
“Surely it’s not what you do but it’s the way that you do it.”
As an entrepreneur in this world, your success does not equal your client list, your bank account or the size of your house. These are all subject to change. Constantly. Your success is and always will be most driven and measured by the YOU that you show up as. Success is in the way you conduct business. Is it your best? Are you proud of it?
The way you conduct your business will determine the people you positively impact. And the quality of work you exhibit. Day in and day out.
You might be disagreeing with me right now, but hear me out:
My barefoot trimmer is a perfect example. My friend and I have our horses’ feet trimmed every six weeks, as they need proper care even though they do not wear traditional horseshoes.
Many trimmers out there would come, trim, collect their payment and leave.
Not our guy.
He drives his truck carefully onto the property so as not to blow a ton of dust up. He takes his time and greets our horses, assuring them of their safety and his good intentions. Then he asks how the horses have been moving, taking in everything we have to say and asking more questions if he needs to. Then he assesses the way their feet fall to the ground, looks for nicks and chips and hoof health and tells us how he thinks their feet look. And throughout all of this he stays hydrated and takes care of his body while he’s working.
He has respect for us, respect for the horses, and respect for himself enough to take great care in the way he does his job. And in doing so, he sets these horses up for success. And it’s all because of the way he does his work; with care and patience and honor.
And guess what? He’s got a long wait-list of clients, has started to turn away work and is cherry picking the people and horses he really enjoys working with. He has positioned himself where he could easily charge more, too, if he wanted.
Is this sinking in? The way he does his work is what breeds him more success. And the way he does his work is with care.
So, let me ask you, are you setting your clients and customers up for success?
More importantly… are you setting YOU up for success? This will directly impact the way you do things and whether or not the best version of you is even available that day.
Therein brings us back to the five steps to your million dollar day. Because if you set yourself up for success and take care of you, the way you do everything will be impacted. And by default your quality will be your best, you will set yourself apart from others in your industry and you will attract the kind of work you truly want. … And a million will be just the beginning.
This isn’t to say it’ll be easy. But it most certainly can be simple.
Focus on these five steps and you’re setting a foundation of respect, care and personal authority that will go a very long way.
These are intended to be the very first steps of your day because the mind is in it’s most malleable state in the first few minutes of the day. Think of the following like 5 hacks into living your most successful life possible!
1 – Got to bed early and wake up early.
Benjamin Franklin is quoted to have said: “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise”.
He is also quoted as saying: “The early morning has gold in its mouth.”
You’ve been hearing this since you were a kid.
Get your sleep. Your body will thank you. And it’s true. Take enough care to sleep 7-9 hours through the night (again, depending on what YOUR body needs). This not only revitalizes you physically but also mentally. You’re more alert, quicker to problem solve and much more capable of making rock solid business decisions with a well-rested brain.
I’ve discovered through working from home that I prefer to wake up early and get my top priorities done early on in the day. I’m faster and happier when I do so.
Grinding happens, too. And there are the inevitable late nights that sneak in. But that’s okay! Take naps. Find out just how much sleep your body and brain need to work optimally and consistently get it.
2 – Make your bed.
“If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.” – US Navy Admiral, William H. McCraven
While this may seem like a menial task…you’d be dumbfounded by the number of struggling entrepreneurs I come across that do not make their bed!
Why make your bed when you’re just going to get back in it later that night?
Making your bed, as simple as it may be, still requires discipline. You wake up to your alarm clock, your mind starts racing about your exciting day ahead, you slip out of bed and off you go. And then there’s some of us that actually stay in bed and just pull out the laptop.
Dude. GET UP!
Actually getting up and making your bed sets the tone for your entire day. It’s the easiest way to start off with a ‘win’. How do you expect to pull off multi-million dollar deals if you can’t even find time to make your bed?!
And finally… if all else fails and your day goes awry, at least you have a nice, neat and cozy bed to go to sleep in, preparing yourself for the next day’s adventures.
3 – Finish your day on paper first.
You’ve slept well, made the bed and now you’re at your desk. Or wherever you prefer to work. This next step is critical: map the day.
The great Jim Rohn said, “Don’t start your day until you have finished it on paper first.”
Meaning, you should know, in detail, what your day looks like from start to finish; what you will accomplish and what your priorities are.
Putting it all down on paper (or whiteboard or chalkboard or whatever works for you) and scheduling the day accordingly gets your brain to identify its priorities, and keeps those specific neuro-pathways firing and reminding you all day long. You’re now aware of what you need to do and therefore much more likely to do it.
Not to mention, if you get derailed by an emergency meeting or project, you’re not surprised or thrown off your game. You can on the fly ask for help, re-work your priorities and effectively communicate about those priorities with colleagues and clients.
Success begins with a plan. This does NOT mean that that plan is the only path to success, or that you will even end up following that particular path at all… but it most definitely starts with it.
4 – Fill your cup.
There’s an image floating around Instagram right now that says: “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” – Unknown
This could not be more true for me. And I bet you can relate.
If I don’t do something every day that nurtures me, my day falls apart. Truthfully, for me, it may not happen first thing in the morning, but so long as I can see it in the schedule (AND have blocked it off so no one can try to book me during that time), I’m good. I’ve learned this about myself.
Ideally, many will want to do it first thing in the morning; read a book, journal, workout or make a super delicious smoothie. It could be as simple as making a cup of ice cold, lemon water. SOMETHING. Anything to nurture yourself.
My point is this: find the activities that work for you. And if you can, do them early in your day. Your vibe, the vibe of your business and the success of the rest of your day depend on it. When you are full and feeling good, you’re brain and body are ‘ready.’
5 – Reach out to your network.
I love this quote:
“If your business comes from relationships, relationships should be your business.” – Doug Ales
Do not forget to nurture your network, talk to your colleagues and always be meeting people.
This doesn’t mean you have to go to your local grocery store and introduce yourself to everyone there. This really means: asking for help when you’re stumped, sharing a success with a colleague that will appreciate your win, sending out a free resource to your mailing list, saying thanks to a teammate that followed through on that project for you, giving kudos to those you see really kicking butt in your niche, making introductions between people you think could contribute to each other or sending work to a friend when your workload is full.
Communicate. Connect. And contribute!
Be generous with your connections. Feed them, build them, talk to them and share with them.
“The currency of real networking is not greed but generosity.” – Keith Ferrazzi
Find ways to be in touch and do it often. And do it early in the day. It will add fuel to your fire you didn’t even know was missing.
And there you have it.
Five steps… not particularly easy, but most definitely simple ways to set yourself up for that million dollar day.
I wonder what time you’ll get to bed tonight? Who you will talk to and what kind of nurturing activity you’ll do? Please comment below if you’re feeling inspired!
Samantha Caplan
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