I see a lot of business owners (coaches, authors, speakers and consultants most specifically, but this scenario is certainly not limited to the expert industry) following “big names” and — essentially — paying big money to be “appointed” as something worthy of big bucks.
— They pursue certifications, upon certifications, upon certifications.
— They attend book writing events hoping to get an “endorsement” from the big name at the front of the room. (This is part of their fee for attending.)
They pay for association with the “right folks” and keep hustling after big names in an effort to — what? Have people one day hustling after them? Let me save you the suspense: It won’t happen, captain. Essentially those that fall into this camp are akin to professional groupies. All talented. All worthy of their own fame, their own stage, their own followers. All hoping to be rock stars in their own right. All good enough to be rock stars in their own right. But, all squandering their own spotlight in exchange for what would amount to little more than candle light — reflected off of someone ELSE’s spotlight.
Here’s the thing. Why settle for scraps from someone else’s stage, reputation or name when you can create so much more on your own terms??? You don’t have to WAIT to be named as worthy or the best or the WHATEVER. You don’t have to be APPOINTED by anyone or any industry.
Appoint yourself. Take the DIY approach to your own stage and rock star status. Don’t wait to be appointed as such. It wastes too much time and squanders a lifetime of opportunity.
So, who are you in your industry?
Are you the BEST? The FASTEST? The MOST DILIGENT? What do you want to be known for? Your concierge approach? Your bedside manner? Your attention to detail?
Quick story about a brand new conference that launched years ago. In their FIRST year of launching they claimed this status:
The Biggest and Undisputedly BEST Conference For Enterprising Dentist and Chiropractors.
How could they launch as the biggest and the best when they had not yet even had ONE conference? They were — at the time — the ONLY conference catering to both dentists and chiropractors at the same time.
Love that self-appointment. Another one who is big on self-appointment is a well known speaker. He dubbed himself the absolute BEST speaker for a certain market and put that tagline on all of his materials and still uses it today. Did he wait to be appointed as the BEST? Nope. He just claimed that status — and then, of course, lived up to it.
Any of us can — and should — do the same.
