Personal development is a poor man's game (5/17/25)

I hate to burst your bubble.

Everything you have been taught is simply wrong.

Not only is it wrong, it is keeping you poor.

What am I talking about?

Personal development as a quick and easy fix.

It is the guru who, using precise marketing strategies, identifies your paint points and then sells you courses, mentoring, or programs that are guaranteed to solve your deepest problems, guaranteed to create millions in business, guaranteed to give you the "insider secrets" on how to win, if you follow their path exactly.

There is a fundamental flaw that keep most people caught in this personal development failure loop. 

I am no stranger to this loop.

Buying courses you don't finish. 

Paying thousands for mentorship and failing to see results. 

Going to events, seminars, conferences, and workshops only to never implement what you learn. 

Feeling as if it only works for some, and not for others. 

Feeling as if you don't have what it takes. 

Feeling as if your business will always be a grind.

It took me years to wake up and see the light.

I woke up and realized it was indeed me.

I was literally the problem.

I was the bottleneck in my business.

I was the problem and I was the solution.

My confidence was indeed lacking, leaving me vulnerable constantly seeking a better path.

Here's what I discovered that changed my life, and ultimately changed my results:

First, stop (or pause) your learning and start doing.

You don't need another book, YouTube video, or strategy.  

You simply need to apply what you have already learned and start implementing. 

Make the sales calls. 

Build the partnerships and relationships. 

Create content to reach the global marketplace. 

Tell your story. 

Experiment, adjust, and tweak as you go, based on market feedback. 

Bank small daily wins. 

The small wins will help you build your confidence in you. 

You are your biggest asset.

Second, you are a marketer and a sales person.

Treat your business like a business. 

Dedicate time each day to step back and be a visionary. 

What marketing strategies can you implement? 

What sales strategies can you apply each day? 

What is working to drive business? 

Do more of that. 

Teach your team to step into their roles more efficiently. 

Sales drive business. 

Marketing creates the buzz that fuels the sales. 

Minimize your distractions and batch your processes. 

Take time each day with no phone, no email, just yourself and your thoughts. 

Ask yourself: what must I do right now that will move the lever towards my biggest goals?

Third, do the work consistently over time and don't quit too early.

Recently on the 5amClub I told the story of the deep sea fisherman that found himself caught in a fog bank.

It was late in the evening and his entire body was in high alert with one goal, get to the harbor safely.

He had no choice but to use his current skills, and continue on the path.

You and I are that fisherman. 

There are times when we are caught in the fog bank of life.

Have you ever felt this way?

"Maybe I should quit.'"

"Maybe I should take an extended vacation."

"Maybe I am not built for this life."

Instead of allowing these thoughts to creep into your mind, keep going. 

Do the work consistently over time. 

Don't quit.  

The harbor is closer than you think. 

You do indeed have the skills, knowledge, and confidence to get there. 

As you reveal weaknesses, then you can build your skills. 

Then you can return to a book, video, or piece of wisdom. 

But instead of being caught in the personal development doom loop, you will begin to realize that the tools are not the solution. 

You are the solution.

1. Take action

2. You are a marketer and sales person

3. Do the work and don't quit

It is a simple recipe for success.

Work as if your life depends on it.

Because it does.

It depends on you.