I have a private list on Twitter called “content heroes.” These people  push out great, usually free, content often in their niche. I follow them avidly and devour everything they make. There are 21 names on that list, a few of ‘em are: Brian Clark, Chris Garrett, Michael Martine, Sonia Simone, Chris Brogan, Hugh MacLeod, Nametag Scott Ginsberg, Ian Greenleigh, Jim Kukral and Dave Navaro. These dudes are my trusted filters and my daily news.

Success Leaves Clues: Figure Out Why They Are Successful

I’m grateful that our economy is so good that it supports the work of these people to the point where they can pump out stuff for free and for cheap. I’ve made money off of the free and cheap stuff. Some specific examples:

Chris Brogan’s Trust Agents: Found it too long, but it gave me a vocabulary that I didn’t have and inspired me to set a good example of doing things above board. (His Overnight Success stuff is pretty promising, too).  This has lead to me approaching clients with giant balls.

Nametag Scott’s intimidating mass of content: Scott’s showed me lots of things. Morning pages, which I do a lot.

Brian Clark’s “Authority Rules:” That’s sold clients for me. I’ve emailed that pdf and persuaded people to buy a blog or get some planning done.

Dave Navarro’s Blog: Holy crap. Talk about action items.   Probably the best “free” stuff on the entire Internet.

Everyone I follow leaves clues. I’m profoundly grateful, and feel lucky and fortunate that these dudes can profit from giving free stuff away. Because the ideas I see that I dig, I synthesize. I use as my own. As is their intent.

It didn’t used to be that way. I used to be hyper and angry about it. I used to want specific and a step by step guide to my own success. For free. I used to get angry because I hadn’t learned the mindset that makes success inevitable. I was on some lists that had 3/4 good content that I could take action on.

I Deserve More, More: I’m Entitled.

But when a dude had the audacity to try to sell me something or send me an affiliate link? Oh, hell no. That was un-fuggin-acceptable to me. Mentally, I was lost. “This dude is just trying to sell me, screw him.” I was mad about being used, being monetized. Despite the good content, the fact that there was some portion of it that was interested in making money, I was enraged. I would unsubscribe.

It was about me. How dare this dude try to monetize me. How dare they try to do something to me. Nevermind the fact that I got great content (that I wasn’t ready to act on). This sumbitch tried to sell me? How DARE HE!

Why was I mad?  Bottom line: I was broke, confused and lost.  I was pissed because the world was passing me by, I didn’t have enough to give, so I didn’t have the cash to jump on good ideas.  I was mad because I wanted the stuff that I was being sold, but $160 or more was out of reach.  My entitle mentality made things about me. Get it?

Entitlementality is cancer of the will.

OK, let’s be really, really clear.  When you are focused only on what you’re getting, how your own experience is, you’re going to fail.  You’re so limited by those ideas that it’s nearly impossible to succeed.  When you’re focused on how much you deserve, and you turn your eyes inward, you’re gonna get a close up view of your faults and flaws.  Your ego will reject them and put the blame on others.

You can’t survive with this mindset.  You are here and born to give something, not get something.  Gratitude is the chemotherapy that kills entitlementality.  Instead of being pissy about the valid efforts of good people to earn their living, why not simply be happy that you got some ideas, why not be ready to take action on the good stuff you’ve gotten?

Left untended, though this is a natural process.  You focus on yourself, we all do.  It’s a poison we swallow that is so very limiting.  What about helping others?  What happens when you give all you can to that?  I’ll tell you what: you succeed financially, especially when you let go of the self righteous “all I do is focus on others” line that people that don’t really focus on others give you.

When you kill your entitlementailty, you can finally succeed.  You will have a hard time doing anything good without accepting the fact that you’re paid in proportion to how much you’re been of service to others.  With very few exceptions, bubbles and anomalies, that’s how the world works.  Embrace that idea and up your service.  The “How” is on its way.

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When I was a Realtor, when I was in and of that world, there was always an echo of wrong in it.  There was such a din of thoughts injected into my head from top producers, the NAR, brokers, and everyone else that I never got to the point of the matter: Most Realtors were grossly overpaid for the service that they provided.  A few have the systems & commitment that made themselves worth every penny.  But that would be–in my guess–roughly 1%.

This doesn’t mean that the remaining 99% don’t have integrity.  They may.  This doesn’t mean that the remaining 99% aren’t conscientious, aren’t trying to do a good job.  They are.   But they are also likely to be obtuse enough to be insulated from the reality that a big part of what they do and who they are is just redirecting value and equity from consumers.  The conspiracy that is the NAR brainwashes people down to the core. There was something there, some disconnect with reality.  A litany of noise whenever 6% was challenged, and a list of expenses would be proffered, none of which had shit to do with selling a house.

The deceit was top down, the conspiracy against consumers.  I lacked the vocabulary to understand what I was uncomfortable with.  I wanted the Acura, the toys, the awards.  The medals.  The recognition.  The salve for my daddy issues, whatever.  I was able to pound the phone, admit I was a salesman and do OK.  The hustle got me 6 figures…and ultimate financial ruin.

I was better than average.  More conscientious.  I lied less often than most Realtors.  I outproduced lots of them, averaging 35ish houses a year.  But the standard is so low, it’s like saying I was the kindest SS guard at Auschwitz.  Not something to be proud of or hang your hat on.  Not enough.  Fleecing people out of their equity.   Greg has a start of how to fix it in this little treatise. It’s a start, maybe enough I don’t know.

Point is this:  I’m doing consulting now.  There’s a disconnect.  I’m not accountable for the results.  I’m accountable only for the actions.  When the scumbags at Granger Terry fleeced the Owens campaign, and sent their listless consultant who was late and indifferent, they were taking real dreams away.  They added no value.   I don’t want to be that way.

So–without going that path, what’s left for a projectaholoic?  I can do my own things. I can create products as I’m doing at Guerrilla.ME.

It’s easy to be better than the existing, but I’ve got to think about what standards I want to carry, what I want to do and how I want to do it.  I haven’t done that yet.    I’m not gonna do the thing where there’s any pressure in agreements.   Where the service ends at the sale.

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