[SERIES] 7/7 Unpopular Belief: Be As Disloyal As Possible
Yes, we can all agree that loyalty is useful in personal relationships.But the rest of life is much more complicated.This is post 7 of the 7 Unpopular Beliefs Series.
Be As Disloyal As Possible!
Personal Loyalty
Yep. This is the part of being a human that has helped us survive for so long as a species.By trusting our neighbors, humans have been able to build societies that functioned and developed.Strangely, it doesn't always work the same for business or for building resources.
Opportunism helps us get to the next level.
By seeking and seizing opportunities, we can move forward faster.Being brand loyal doesn't help you if the brand suddenly changes leadership and goes in a new direction.Being loyal to a partner doesn't help you if your partner decides to sell off their shares.Being loyal to your previous statements or beliefs doesn't help you change your mind with new information.
Choose the plan with the most options.
This helps diversify your options so that you can choose based on the changing context of the world.As the backdrop changes, so will your decisions.
2 Minute Action
Staying in the theme of options, here are some action options for today:
- Tell your closest friends or your partner how grateful you are to have them in your life.
- Tell your employer that you're looking for more opportunities within the company and you'd like to know more about what it takes to get there.
- Reply to this post! What's something you believed as a child that you no longer believe, now?
[SERIES] 4/7 Unpopular Belief: Say Yes To Everything
But you can't say yes to everything!If you do, you'll just be overwhelmed and out of time!This is partially true, but not completely. Let me explain.This is Part 4 of the 7 Unpopular Beliefs Series.
Say Yes To Everything!
Once you're rich, you can say "no."
Until then, you're working on creating new opportunities and building new relationships.When you have too many and you start to feel overwhelmed, it's time to cut the bottom 20%.Kill the bottom 20% of your projects, relationships, whatever you're spending your time on.If you do this continually, the only way is up.
Diversify your opportunities
By saying "yes," to things you might otherwise reject, you're diversifying--a major principle in investing. Over time, you'll learn what returns on investment and what doesn't. This will also protect you from depending too much on one opportunity.If you work for GE for 25 years and suddenly they decide to lay you off, you now have to find another job. If you develop multiple skills and streams of income over 25 years, it's going to be a lot harder to knock you down.
Reinvest In Your Network
"No one has ever said: 'I'm too well liked and I'm too well respected--I just can't seem to make any money.'"- Seth Godin
By showing your network that you appreciate and value them (by adding value), they will appreciate and value you.This creates more opportunities and keeps you fresh in their minds when new ones arise.You also have the benefit of a strong support network when things go sideways.
2 Minute Action:
Take 2 minutes to do one of the following:
- Email/call/text an old colleague and tell them how they made a difference in your life.
- Think of someone who asked you to do something recently. Not a favor like "can you drive me to the airport." I mean more like "hey, do you want to start a really informal podcast about hunting?"
- Say "yes," and commit for a period of time. Have a rule about what will allow you to bail and agree on it with an accountabilibuddy.
- If you're not overloaded, add something to your project list.
- If you're overloaded, kill the bottom 20% of projects you're working on.