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    Catalyst John

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    2018

    Change is good

    The week after Christmas, I had some down time. I loved it. It gave me time to reset and reboot. It gave me time to think. Most importantly, it gave me time to rest.

    I spent most of my downtime with my family. Life is good when I am surrounded by my family.

    January 1st is really just a day like all others, but it definitely affects me. I can’t help but love the potential of a new year. I can’t help but think about what could be in 2018. I love it.

    Some people argue whether you should have resolutions or goals and how quickly you will fail them. I have resolutions. It is just what I call them.

    I have areas of my life that need to change. I need to change them. I am resolved to make changes. Yes, I most definitely may fail some (or even many), but I am resolved to make significant and important changes in my life. I like that we can use the first day of the first month of the year as a benchmark of where we are and where we are going.

    I have some specific “places” that I want to go and I have some specific targets that I want to hit.

    My biggest one: I want to change my business. I want to enjoy running a business that is all me. The other day, I went shopping with my oldest son for a new guitar. We found one and it just looked like it belonged to him. It looked like that is what my son would be holding if he could have any guitar he wanted.

    That is what my business should be. It should fit like a tailored suit. (FYI – that is how your business should look too.) It should be a mirror to your core and reflect you.

    I am going to struggle with this. I am going to struggle to be authentic and to make sure that I follow my heart when it comes to this business.

    You may ask, why?

    Simple. I don’t trust my real vision. I fear that others will not embrace it. I fear that it will not grow to be what I hope that it can become.

    For years, I have struggled with explaining what I do. It has been something of a lie. I have tried to come up with the right words for the right things to say so that my business will connect with the right paying clients. But the real reason I struggle with how I need to explain what I do is because I am trying to tell the wrong story. I have been avoiding the reality of what my core vision for this business really is and therefore I am not telling an authentic story. And that is why I can never come up with the right set of words to describe what I do for my clients.

    But I have come to a conclusion that I can no longer live that way. I have to finally unleash the kraken and let this business go where it deserves to go.

    I appreciate you taking the time to read this. It has been a confession of sorts. But mainly it is a public announcement of my intent.

    No longer will I try to hide from my real vision and dream.

    If you want to find out what that is, please come back and visit this blog. I am pulling back the veil and will be uncovering the business I will be running in 2018 (and hopefully many years after).

    If you own a business, I am the hired gun that helps you create a battle plan for your business. I have an armory of business growth strategies and tactics to help equip you to grow your business.

    I will end this post with a quote from Og Mandino:

    Today I begin a new life. … Today my old skin has become as dust. I will walk tall among men and they will know me not, for today I am a new man, with a new life.

    – Catalyst John

     

    cat·a·lyst: an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action

    Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress.

    Working hard for something we love is called passion.

    – Simon Sinek

    via Finish by Jon Acuff (Portfolio, 2017)
    Posted on

    The Sacrifice

    At some point, you decided that you were going to achieve a result, but you never did. You did intentionally commit to doing what needed to be done, but it never actually got done – so what happened?

    Your plan failed because you didn’t plan for the sacrifice.

    It sucks, but it is reality.

    I believe that everything has a cost. A better description may be a weight – everything has a weight and we don’t get what we want because we don’t offset the weight.

    Imagine a scale. Now imagine putting a specific result on one side of the scale. That side of the scale will drop under the weight of the result.

    Success is when you offset the weight of the result. You have to put something heavier (something that costs more) on the other side of the scale. Success is when you sacrifice something out of your life to achieve the result you want.

    – Catalyst John

    Posted on

    What multiplies your expertise

    I am part of the “expert industry.” One of my biggest goals is to be an expert. I study to be an expert. I read to be an expert. I schedule my life around being an expert.

    Therefore, I find it interesting (and possibly ironic) how some “experts” try to avoid being “the expert.”

    An expert shouldn’t tell you that they are an “expert.” (The secret is to let others through a testimonial – they seriously have this whole system). Note: I shouldn’t even tell you that I am part of the “expert industry” – bad play on my part.

    In private the experts strive to be the best possible expert, but in public they try to be humble and say that they are just like you (even though you are trying to be just like them).

    But there is another side to this.

    The other night, my wife and I were blessed to be the dinner guest of Lady J. (FYI – she is an amazing expert.) We went to an amazing restaurant at the recommendation of a friend. I may have had the best steak of my life.

    We were welcomed by a very friendly host and escorted into an amazing dining room. The waitress was amazing. Her level of service was top level. The chef plated food that was beyond belief. Everything about the atmosphere was designed for an amazing meal.

    The employees of this restaurant were experts, but they were also servers. The host, waitress, kitchen staff, and chef were all about serving us an amazing dining experience and meal.

    I praise great service, especially from a restaurant. I don’t get upset when they strive to be experts at service.

    This is where you rise above the rest and distinguish yourself and your business. When you multiple your expertise with service you create more for your clients to embrace.

    Take some time and make sure that your business is focused on being customer-centric. Even though mastery of your industry specialty is always going to be a huge focus of your business, you also must consistently spend energy focused on the customer.

    The way to explode in business is to make sure that your business model is designed around your clients. Become an expert on how you serve your clients.

     

    – Catalyst John

    Posted on

    Rebooting

    Forging a new path

    unsplash-road

    A lot has happened since I launched my coaching business. One of the things that happened is I abandoned this web site and my web presence / social media. I had an idea that I needed to change the direction of my business to better serve my clients. Instead of doing that, I dropped the ball and never came back to this web site.

    My site needs an overhaul because I have changed my direct focus of how I serve my clients. Over the next couple of weeks and months you should see a change. I personally am very excited about the change that is coming.

    I believe that the most authentic version of me serving my core audience is being developed and will continue to develop over the next six months.

     

    – Catalyst John

    Posted on

    I’m sorry, but failure does not make you more successful.

     

    I hate this insanity and propaganda of how you just need to fail more.

    Stop it, please.

    No one failed himself or herself to the top. Our “celebrity” entrepreneurs we love and admire refused to quit. Yes, they messed up and failed, but it wasn’t their failures that made them stronger. Instead, it was their resilience. They persisted to the top. Once again, they did not fail themselves into success.

    “No longer will I dwell in a pit of despair, moaning over squandered time and lost opportunity. I can do nothing about the past. My future is immediate. I will grasp both hands and carry it with running feet…

    I do not fear failure, for in my life, failure is a myth. Failure only exists for the person who quits. I do not quit.

    I am courageous. I am a leader. I seize this moment. I choose now.”

     – Andy Andrews

    Anyone who encourages you to fail is helping you take your eyes off of the target. No one in their right mind would want to fail on purpose.

    If you believe in them, then make sure you don’t fill up your gas tank the next time the low fuel light comes on. One morning you will fail to get to work on time because you ran out of gas. You will overcome it, but it will not make you stronger because you never needed to overcome that adversity.

    So instead of focusing on your next fail, skip this ridiculous trend and go do something to get you closer to your dream.

    When you do fail, get up quickly and brush yourself off. Then continue to focus on the realization of your dream instead of your next failure. It is about how you push through failure and not how many times you fail.

     – Catalyst John

    My friends Jen McDonough, Nick Pavlidis and Susie Miller are are hosting a FREE webinar next week.

    It centers around how to get your spouse on board with your entrepreneurial dreams.

    They would love to have you join…just click HERE (http://www.astrongermarriage.com/signup/) to sign up (replays will be sent out to those that can’t make the 2 live events).

    Date: July 21, 2015
    Time: 09:00 pm
    Event: A Stronger Marriage (for Entrepreneurs)
    Public: Public
    Registration: Click here to register.
    Posted on

    Never stop…whatever you do, do not stop…

    Image courtesy of posterize at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

    Image courtesy of posterize at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

    Never stop…whatever you do, do not stop.

    This was some of the best advice I have ever received. I was about to run up several flights of stairs while holding a ram and my friend reminded me how to beat this stage of the SWAT tryouts. The ram is a dynamic entry tool that helps you remove the front door from the house that you are trying to enter. I love this sales description: “35 lbs of door-shattering fury.”

    I’m was standing by at the bottom of the stairs. An instructor started the time and told me to move! I hit the first step and gripped tighter on the ram. I focused on touching the chain link fence at the very top of the stairs. About halfway up, my legs were on fire and my lungs were screaming. I kept repeating “never stop” in my head and continued up the stairs. I concentrated on the next step and then the next step… I pushed through the pain and kept moving up each step. I simply refused to stop.

    I hit the top of the stairs and hit the fence with the ram. I took my time walking back down the stairs since my legs were like jello. I sat down and waited for the EMT to check my vitals. At least a dozen of us waited for the EMT to declare that we would not code out from the demanding tryouts.

    Even though this advice was for a very specific SWAT obstacle, I have used it a lot in business and life. When I’m out for a run or I’m about to sit down to tackle the next obstacle of growing my business I remember that advice.

    “Never stop…whatever you do, do not stop.”

    Success comes from perseverance, from pushing forward when the people around you are falling out, and from sweat equity.

    Success is achieved when you never allow yourself to stop moving up those stairs.

    What is that thing in your business that you need to tackle like a SWAT operator? What have you allowed yourself to stop pursuing? Where have you lost momentum?

    – Catalyst John