This week we are going to talk about carrots.
What’s up Fish Fans! My name is Marcus. You’re watching Marketing Madness, the Blue Fish vlog!
Today I want to talk to all of the business owners out there. We are going to talk about carrots, otherwise known as all of the shiny things we dangle in front of our noses to motivate ourselves to accomplish our big goals.
If you are anything like me you have big hairy audacious 10x goals. And in an effort to stay motivated, you tell yourself that when you accomplish that big goal you’ll reward yourself by getting or doing something for yourself. For instance, I’d wanted a pair of black and red air Jordan’s since they came out in the 80s. I did not grow up in a house where that was really an option. They were expensive and my dad was a single father trying to scratch out a better life for the two of us. The luxury of a pair of Air Jordan’s was just not in the cards. So a couple of years ago I told myself that if we closed a big deal we were working on that I would get the Air Jordan’s of my dreams. Well, guess what? We won the deal. And a month went by. Then another and another until 6 months later I still had not purchased the shoes that I had printed a picture of and taped to my monitor so that I would see it every day to motivate myself.
This is one of the most damaging things you can do to yourself as an entrepreneur. You are basically lying to yourself. Do this enough times and the effectiveness of the carrot wears thin and burnout becomes a reality. This is a serious problem! I finally realized I had to stop lying to myself! And you do too!
Be realistic with what you dangle in front of your nose as a motivator. Dangling a new Lambo for when you reach 6 figures may not be a smart carrot. But dangling a new Lambo for when you get to multiple 7 figures may be.
So what happened? I realized the error of my ways and I’m happy to report that I purchased the black and red Jordan’s. And it reinvigorated my thinking about my business. I now have new goals and new carrots that I dangle in front of me to keep me going, only now I’ll not wait once the goal is achieved.
So don’t play around here. Use things like material purchases, trips, or whatever to motivate you to a higher level of achievement. But make sure to fulfill the promise you make to yourself or you’ll be quick to burn out.
Well, that’s a wrap for this week! I want to thank you for checking in. Make sure to hit that like button. And if you have any questions or comments leave them down below. If you want to talk about how Blue Fish can help you grow your business just send us a message and we’ll get the conversation started.