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How our life turns out ultimately comes down to two things – luck and skill.

We cannot control how lucky we get in life. Just the fact that we were born in a first world country and have access to the internet makes us luckier than a lot of people.

What we do have control over is our skill. What can we do to influence the outcome of events in our lives? How can we put ourselves in position to improve our lives? This includes taking the right actions, but also avoiding the wrong ones. It includes being aggressive in the right spots, after doing research, but being conservative enough to not chase after “lottery tickets.” What new skills can we learn or what existing skills do we already have that we can improve?

“Congrats! You made the sale!” Don’t pat yourself on the back too much. Yes, it took skill to close the deal. But you also got lucky. You got lucky that the client was ready to buy, that they called you, or that they heard about your company from a friend. Remember, there are always elements of both luck and skill in everything we do.

The less somebody needs something (where demand is low), the more skill is required to obtain the sale. As we become more experienced in our profession, we should rely less and less on luck and more on skill. It’s like a sliding scale. Maybe the sale depends on 50% luck/50% skill in year one, but gradually slides to 40/60, 30/70, etc as we become more skilled and are able to overcome objections and “bad luck.”

I have to admit…I consume a lot information.

It is part of our culture to consume information, whether we know it or not. But what I consume is atypical from the average American. The only tv I watch is sports and the occasional movie or show. I average about an hour of tv per day (except on Sundays, when I watch a full football game with friends/family). So what do I do with my spare time? I read and listen – a lot. I feel like a sponge, continually soaking up new information via articles, books, podcasts, and audiobooks. Most of the time it could be useful information too, not just entertainment, if only I gave it direction/purpose. But having this newfound knowledge and actually doing something with it are completely different things. People have done far more than I have with less knowledge.

You need to decide, are you going to be a hoarder of knowledge, but not do anything with it? How can you be intentional with not only what you’re learning, but how to use what you’re learning? How can you slow down/make time to produce something from what you’ve learned?

Learning new things is not a bad thing – it’s actually a very good thing. But make sure there is a balance between how much you are consuming and how much you are producing. At some point, you need to start producing value too (using what you’ve learned), otherwise you’re wasting your talent.

Question: What’s the difference between you (someone who reads maybe 25-30 books per year) and someone who doesn’t read at all?

Answer: It depends on what you do with that knowledge. If you use it to make a difference in your life, the difference could be staggering (in a good way). If you don’t use that knowledge for anything other than bragging rights, the difference can also be staggering (in that there is no difference, other than you might feel “superior” to others).

Make sure that after every book you read, you set aside time to implement at least one thing that you learned from that book.

“When all else is lost, the future still remains.” – Christian Nestell Bovee

You can lose everything – your car, your house, your job, your husband/wife – but you still have a future. You still have a chance to turn it all around. Do not lose hope. It can be a tough road back, but you must not give up. 

When things don’t go according to plan, ask yourself, “why is this happening for me?” Most people ask, “why is this happening to me?” But that puts them in a victim mindset. You are giving away all power. When in reality, you have the power to make the change you want.

Don’t focus on what’s in the rearview mirror. Look at the windshield…it’s not where you’ve been, it’s where you’re going. You can’t change what has already happened. What you can change is your outlook on future events by making the right actions in the present.