Be Obsessed or Be Average

by Grant Cardone

each day I have to work very hard to protect the “Grant Cardone” culture.

every day we create, narrate, and disseminate the success stories of the companies. Two or three times a day I text staff about breakthroughs, accomplishments, and client successes.

You, as the leader, must be the most obsessed person on the team and have people around you who believe in you and your mission.

a rolling stone gathers no moss. Never settle, never be satisfied with your triumphs, and instead use them as fuel to move you

the market: It demands persistence and rewards only those who have it. Not those who are perfect. The trick is to keep moving forward, keep persisting, and keep innovating—keep being obsessed. The marketplace is the only place where you can develop the genius in you and the genius of your product; that big, bad, emotionless economy pays only those who persist in the midst of it. No one gets everything right the first time.

Quantity and frequency seem to grow the genius: Even after thousands of times doing something, you will still be changing how you do it, because the more you do something, the more you understand and discover how to do it better.

The secret to sustaining the obsession is straightforward: Focus your efforts on everything that will fuel you for the long run, and ignore, eliminate, or block out anything that drains you or causes you to doubt. Take responsibility for what you pay attention to—and remember that what and whom you pay attention to is worth more than what you spend your dollars on. Money, power, fame, and success all follow attention, so what gets the most attention is what will grow.

That is why refueling is a major hack for the successful. Sustain your efforts by knowing how to get re-energized, re-excited and jacked at ever higher levels, how to keep gunning and running at full steam, all the time, and what to do when you run out.

when clarifying what you should be obsessed with, the following should be true: It improves the outcome of your life and others’ lives. It moves you to reveal more of your potential. So what is your potential?

“What do I need to fulfill my potential?” and “What would it mean to me to fulfill my potential?”

Who am I doing this for? How many will benefit from this? What’s going to keep me fueled to do more? What if anything were possible? When I accomplish this, what is next? What am I doing that is not purpose driven? What else am I capable of doing that I haven’t done? What have I always wanted to do that I have forgotten about? Are those around me on the same page? Who is encouraging me to live a life of purpose? Who is a good role model for what I am attempting? Who around me is not living a life of purpose? What can I do to help others achieve their purposes?

at least once a month I sit down with a legal pad and pen to revisit my purposes and match them against my revised potential. I often do this with my wife and top executives so we don’t become complacent with our victories and so we keep our attention on our possibilities.

Whatever you have to do to make new friends and new connections, just make sure you are reaching up—not sideways and not down.

make sure you know the most successful banker in your town, and the most successful lawyer, the most successful insurance guy, the most successful businessperson, the politically connected. And then keep reaching up. Know the woman who is called the most successful Realtor in your city or the guy your city newspaper calls “entrepreneur of the year.” These are the people who must be in your network.

Get involved with charities and give to them at levels that make others take notice. And attend ...

you can’t afford to do it first class and for an extended time, you aren’t ready to go. Because vacations are also an opportunity to grow yourself, your business, and your network. You need to be in places where other obsessed people gather.

if the hotel you are booking offers free breakfast . . . that’s not the place you should be.

You need to be in places where other obsessed people gather. #BeO...

I have two coaches, one whose job is to get me connected with other big players and another who is able to point out my blind spots in my career and life.

I have been shopping for luxury homes, cars, watches, and amenities way outside my financial reach as a way to keep myself motivated.

I spend almost 10 percent of my time and income on training programs, conferences, coaches, books, and more.

the obsessed make time, not excuses.

give me short windows with specific targets and I get very excited about getting myself in great shape.

CEO Bob Duggan said to me, “Grant, giving money to charity is an investment, not a contribution.”

It requires tremendous commitment, clarity, confidence, sacrifice, and persistence and a willingness to be in the minority, even unpopular.