Hey Sunshine!!
Happy New Year!
Dang, We’re already more than halfway through January.
Is this year already moving too fast or is it me? New year, new goals. But . . .
Are goals even a healthy thing anymore?
My thought bubble . . .
How far did I get on my 2023 goals? What went right? What went wrong? What did I drop by the end of the year that I thought was important at the start of the year? What was important at the end of the year that wasn’t even on my radar screen at the beginning of the year?
Goals feel great to make, but can feel so deflating to review. Because, as Bill Gates once said, “we tend to overestimate what we can accomplish in one year, and underestimate what we can accomplish in ten.”
I don’t know about you, but this year, I’m taking a different approach - one that isn't about piling more onto my already full plate, but about embracing simplicity.
This year, I’m going to focus on the profound benefits of taking away rather than adding.
DO YOU FEEL ME?
Ok, so let’s talk about embracing practices (kinda like tiny habits) over creating epic goals.
We have been programmed to believe that 'more' is better. But is it? The act of intentional subtraction can be revolutionary.
It’s the Zig to the status quo Zag.
By removing the non-essential, we make space for what truly matters. The 20% that drives the 80%.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting a Marie Kondo-style ‘does this bring you joy’ exercise.
I’m talking about simplifying your commitments, your information intake, and your daily choices.
When you subtract the unnecessary, you gain clarity, focus, and a sense of peace - elements that are priceless these days.
The Virtues of Incremental Progress . . .
Charlie Munger (god rest his soul), the legendary investor known for his wisdom, was a strong proponent of understanding the big effects of small actions compounded over time.
I’m really loving reading the recently updated book on Munger’s wisdom, Poor Charlie’s Almanac. I pre-ordered it while he was alive, and by the time it arrived he’d passed just shy of his 100th birthday.
Charlie’s approach is about celebrating small, daily wins and understanding how they add up.
Soo, since it’s pretty hard to refute Munger’s success, instead of drastic changes that are hard to maintain, this year I’m focusing on small, manageable shifts in my daily life - both at work and at home. Over time, these will compound into significant transformation, much like how consistent, small investments grow exponentially due to the magic of compounding interest.
Which makes me super excited to tell you first, that I’m leading a charge to simplify things at Motive3 in a big way. As we turn into 2024, we’re narrowing our focus to concentrate on what we’re best at and what we believe is critical to the success of every company . . . messaging. Within that we’re doubling down on just two core services where we deserve to win.
Back story: as a generalist, literally done every job in marketing from answering phones as a receptionist, to heading research, to producing award-winning campaigns, to building apps — you name it, I’ve done it. So when clients say “can you do that?,” I tend to say yes. But no more! Doing ‘everything’ is the opposite of simple.
So, from here forward we’ve decided to do only the things that we do better than anyone else.
- Messaging strategy . . . and messaging playbooks, specifically. After we started building messaging playbooks as part of our bigger engagements for companies about 5 years ago – companies in health care, in tech, in finance, and even in manufacturing – we’ve literally written the playbook on developing messaging playbooks. And now, with AI, these messaging playbooks are 🔥, because they are the brain that drives the content the AI spits out. Woot! Bottom line: You can’t expect your team to know what to say to attract customers, close deals or even hire well without a clear and simple expression of where you deserve to win. Creating an Actionable Messaging Playbook™ is the answer. If you’re curious about this one, just hit reply.
- Get To The Point™ high stakes presentation development and training. Guess what, presentations, pitches and slide decks are messaging too. If you’re pitching for millions, 10’s of millions, or even 100’s of millions, you get it. Sometimes your company or product will live or die depending on whether you secure funding or approval. We’ve helped companies secure literally 100’s of millions by teaching them how to simplify their presentations with storytelling, so people who write checks will take their pens out. If you’re struggling with your pitch, you don’t need a better template, you need a better story.
I am fired up! Doing less is literally so freeing. And concentrating on what we’re best at gives us an advantage of more reps, and thus more learning and optimization. In other words, mastery.
Now it’s your turn. What are you working on gaining mastery in? And what are you removing to make room for that? Hit reply and let me know!
Cheers to doing less!
