MAWMonday Motivators 07/23/2017

by: Dr. Michael A. Wright In Blog, Coaching DiaryTagged , , , , , ,

Launching eduMAW, Reflecting on Failures Past

With the launch of eduMAW at the end of this week, it seems appropriate to inspire through the journey that led to this innovation. I don’t know if this venture will be the juggernaut of profitability and information that I envision it to be. What I do know is that it is the next step in a life of creating value and motivating purpose. It is the evolution of attempts to match expertise to markets, and capability to capacity. It is also another demonstration of pushing past fear and uncertainty to chance an expansion of territory and a greater impact on the world.

With that, let us get into the story. Twitter, as always, provides prompts for the plot points and anchors for our discussion. Walk into this next week marshaling your own purpose, putting dreams to flight.

1. Decide

Deciding to begin was much more diffuse that I would like to admit. In retrospect, I realize that I have always been on the entrepreneurial side of the wealth creation fence. The commitment was not always there. The work is immense, and the stakes are high. This can deter many directly. Others, like me, created hobbies in order to shield myself from the all-or-nothing feeling.

It was 2014 that I had a conversation with an entrepreneur who had been a college professor. She communicated her story of the hobby overtaking the day job–a point when she needed to change her prioritization of tasks. She had to make a decision. We all have to make that decision. What will you promote to the universe that you would rather do? Trust me. The universe will respond with your desire packaged with a bow. Don’t resist your wish granted. That’s the benefit of retrospect. Your desire repeated is your decision.

2. Try Every Key

I have a simple pro-forma calculation that I have been chasing since 2006. About 770 programs, average of 20 sales per program, at $50 per sale, twice per year. The total is $1.54 million per year. The question was what product could be sold to achieve the benefits of that equation. Textbooks, of course. Yet, the barriers to cracking that industry were formidable and unanticipated. What is more, the 770 programs are varied and not nearly as open to new content as you would imagine. The 20 per program is frustrated by the fact that most students don’t buy their required books. As a result, the calculation is a bust.

I kept looking at the keys. That specific calculation is a bust. But, a pro-forma calculation’s contents can be changed. This is trying every key. You may not get what you want on the first try. It’s more than trying again. Trying every key is going back to your equation and trying every combination that you can think of. Write them up, and cross them off as you go. Enlist a fresh set of eyes to help. And, most importantly in sales, listen to what your potential audience is responding to and clamoring for.

3. Add More Value

The most difficult question to answer is the value question. In order to connect with people as customers, especially these days, you will have to bring a level of value that they cannot find in other opportunities. With the Internet, so much is free. You only have information, money, relationship, time or some combination as commodities to sell. Much of that, a savvy consumer can get on their own. My answer has crystallized into a combination of the resources toward provision of opportunity. You may come up with something else, but understand that this is the proposition: You must provide value in whatever you propose to sell. The lives of the customers must be improved through the transaction. Inform them in novel ways. Save them time or money. Connect them in meaningful ways. This value will always be rewarded and rewarded handsomely.

4. Risk

So much in life communicates that you are better off playing it safe, surviving, and going with the flow. The problem occurs when you recognize the flow as incompatible with who you are. If you are comfortable and serene, you must have been recommended to this blog. Most of my readers are searching for flow. You will find it in being your authentic self. And, that will often come with risk. Some aren’t going to like you, support you, understand you. Some will actively work against you, scandalize, and even lie about you. Yet, you will find, once the sting of betrayal wears off, that risk is your opposite of betraying yourself. The flow you find will inspire you to greater experiences and reveal new opportunities. Foregoing risk is not only to lose the current chance, but to lose out on future opportunities as well. Don’t lose.

5. Own It

“Don’t perceive other people’s success as your own failure.” I want to complete that thought. Don’t rest in your failure as a revelation of your worth and ability. I am known for saying that grades in school are not as important as learning. So too is life. The outcomes of a risk or opportunity, however painful and unsettling, are not as important as the learning that results. It could be a breakup, a death, a rejection, or anything that stops you to question “Who do you think you are?” Your first response can be in refusal of that energy, “Definitely more than this place, space, or circumstance!” Your next response must be in learning, “Clearer, more informed, and aligned actions to desires to destiny.”

Their success, your failure, opportunity, threats, weaknesses, and questions. These are not the stuff to own. Own the learning and personal development that increase your wisdom. Own you authentically. See your success on the horizon and realize success as you take each step toward that reality.

Dr. Michael A. Wright received his Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work degree from the University of South Carolina - Columbia. Since 1997, Wright has led MAWMedia Group, LLC, a firm helping individuals and organizations tell stories and translate ideas into capital.